So far this month we have seen God begin a great story, a story that includes the deliverance of the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt to head out on this journey to the promised land, giving them instructions on how to live once they get there, only to have them refuse to trust Him and enter the land, therefore wandering for forty years in the wilderness. That time has now come to an end in the book of Deuteronomy, where we read:
“The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. 2 And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. 3 And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 4 Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years. 5 Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you. 6 So you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him. 7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, 8 a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, 9 a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. 10 And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. (Deuteronomy 8)
The book of Deuteronomy begins by Moses recording: "These are the words"... these are the words God had Moses speak and record for His people. The title "Deuteronomy" or a second copy or repetition of the law could be misleading, as God is doing much more than repeating Himself to a new generation. In terms of chronological history, not a lot happens in this book, but in terms of laying the foundation for history, Deuteronomy is monumental. He is calling on them to remember what He has said and done in the last generation, and all generations before to prepare them for the future. Fifteen times in the book He says "Remember". Why? We are prone to forget all God has done and given, including His instructions. As we will see in future sessions, His people did forget, quickly and often. So God provides all sorts of ways for them to remember: parental instruction, written laws, ceremonies and liturgies, people with official functions and social structures - even clothing and body accessories - any way possible to remember God, His Will, His Word, and His Way. Look around you. What do you see, what do you have that will help you remember God's Work, His Will, His plan for you, so you don't forget. Show me. Post a picture to the facebook page or send me a text or email, and I will remember to pray that God helps you remember all He has done, and is yet to do for you.
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