For forty years I led you through the desert … yet your sandals did not wear out." Duet. 29:5
“They will abandon me and break my covenant that I have made with them.”
The sovereign Lord knew the Israelites would not be faithful to him. He knew they would take for granted the blessings that would be theirs to enjoy in the new land. Yet he still commanded Joshua to lead them across the Jordan; to be a strong and courageous leader. He promised to before them into battle.
God is God, regardless.
“O that you would choose life…”
O that my words and actions would more clearly reflect the deepest desires of my heart.
O Lord God, I do choose you.
“Come in today! Come in to stay! Come into my heart….”
“The Lord our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions.”
God’s divine revelation lays upon us a solemn responsibility. His holy covenant requires our commitment. His grace and forgiveness makes it all possible.
How fearful a thing it is and ought to be to walk away from the living God, a God who is lavish in his favor, but fierce in his displeasure.
“You have declared today that the Lord is your God.”
A lifelong direction. A daily declaration.
“Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt.”
The Lord must be implying here that, had He not redeemed them by His strong hand, they would still be slaves in Egypt.
It is not possible to have any perspective without remembering the past.
If indeed Heaven is a place of unspeakable joy and celebration, perhaps it is because there the past, the present, and the future are all rolled into one.
“In this way, you will purge this evil from among you.”
The people of Israel had a solemn responsibility to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with their God in the land He was giving them.
You and I are the heirs of the spiritual blessings given to Israel, and the solemn responsibilities that attend them.
“And if the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as he swore to your ancestors…”
And if . The eternal God is not arbitrary; he does not go back on his promises. But there were conditions and consequences associated with the covenant. God had promises to keep, but so did the people of Israel.
“The Lord your God will bless you as he has promised.”
The Lord is righteous. He is generous. He desires to bless.
“Let us go worship other gods, gods you have not known before.”
The Lord warned Israel again and again about being led astray to worship false gods. They were to always remember that the Lord alone is God, and there is no other—no other god, whether spiritual or material, no other fanciful idea, no other path that leads to true and everlasting happiness.
