August 21, 2020
The message of Deuteronomy is one that the church desperately needs to hear today. These final words of Moses given to the children of Israel as they prepared to enter into the Promised Land serve as a warning, an encouragement, and a charge. Through them, God exposes the idolatry of our hearts and calls us to give all of our love, worship, and devotion to Him alone in every area of our lives! Moses warns the people that when they enter the land there will be things that compete with God for their attention, their affections and their worship. We, too, have hundreds of things that compete for our hearts each and every day. In this book, God teaches us how to properly respond to the amazing grace He has given us by giving Him our undivided allegiance, our whole hearts and our whole lives. Over the next 34 days, let’s seek this ancient way together as a church!
In this chapter Moses finishes recalling the story of the disaster and covenant at Mt. Sinai before commanding the Israelites to do a strange thing. He tells the people of Israel that it is for their own good that they listen to, fear, obey, love, and serve the Lord. He tells them that God, who holds power and authority over every single thing that exists and who owns all of His creation, simply chose in His grace to lavish His love on their fathers and, subsequently, on them. In view of this amazing grace, Moses tells them that they must circumcise their hearts.
Circumcision was the sign of the covenant that God made with Abraham. It was a symbol that physically set the people of God apart from every other people on the planet. Moses says that, in view of God’s abundant mercy, unfailing love, and extravagant grace, the people are to circumcise their hearts, making their hearts distinct and set apart as holy unto the Lord!
The call is for us, in worshipful, grateful response to the love and grace of the Lord, to give our hearts wholly and completely to Him. It is for us to worship Him exclusively and to give Him His rightful place of supremacy in all our affections and desires and devotion!
The people of Israel failed to do this. Apart from the intervention of God’s power and grace in our lives, none of us is able to do it. But now, in Christ and under the new covenant, the Holy Spirit has come and circumcised our hearts for us! Now, because of the power of the Spirit within us, we are empowered by him to give all of ourselves to God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
And, just like the people of Israel, we do not receive this amazing gift of grace based on anything we have done, but simply because of God’s choice to lavish His love on us!
Deuteronomy 10
New Tablets of Stone
10 “At that time the Lord said to me, ‘Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and come up to me on the mountain and make an ark of wood.2 And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets that you broke, and you shall put them in the ark.’ 3 So I made an ark of acacia wood, and cut two tablets of stone like the first, and went up the mountain with the two tablets in my hand. 4 And he wrote on the tablets, in the same writing as before, the Ten Commandments that the Lord had spoken to you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly. And the Lord gave them to me. 5 Then I turned and came down from the mountain and put the tablets in the ark that I had made. And there they are, as the Lord commanded me.”
6 (The people of Israel journeyed from Beeroth Bene-jaakan to Moserah. There Aaron died, and there he was buried. And his son Eleazar ministered as priest in his place. 7 From there they journeyed to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land with brooks of water. 8 At that time the Lordset apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord to stand before the Lord to minister to him and to bless in his name, to this day. 9 Therefore Levi has no portion or inheritance with his brothers. The Lord is his inheritance, as the Lord your God said to him.)
10 “I myself stayed on the mountain, as at the first time, forty days and forty nights, and the Lord listened to me that time also. The Lord was unwilling to destroy you. 11 And the Lord said to me, ‘Arise, go on your journey at the head of the people, so that they may go in and possess the land, which I swore to their fathers to give them.’
Circumcise Your Heart
12 “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lordyour God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good? 14 Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it. 15 Yet the Lord set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day. 16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn. 17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. 18 He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. 19 Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. 20 You shall fear the Lord your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him, and by his name you shall swear. 21 He is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen.22 Your fathers went down to Egypt seventy persons, and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Family Discussion Question:
- What are some things that compete with God for first place in your love and devotion? How can you be intentional about “circumcising your heart” and giving that place to God alone?
thank you for the blog
Dear Heavenly Father,
“Open my eyes that I may see, glimses of truth thou hast for me,…. open my ears that I may hear, voices of truth, thou sendest clear, open my mind that I may read more of thy love in word and deed, open my mouth and let me bear gladly the warm truth everywhere…open my heart and let me prepare love with Thy children thus to share…Open my heart illumine me, Spirit divine!” Help us all to know with our whole being what an awesome God we serve. In Jesus name, Amen.
Father,
Thank you for allowing me into your throne room. You have been so patient with me. Help me this day to take two steps forward and no steps back.
I stumble as a communicator in presenting the good news. Are my words and actions sown as seeds blessed by you?
The world has become so cold and hard. So many believe their good works or some other road they travel will ultimately help them achieve heaven as their resting place.
Father, if good works or other roads lead to heaven, then why did your son have to come and die on the cross?
As for me and my house, we choose to serve the creator of the universe and to surrender to his son, Christ Jesus.
Now Father, may I go forth in word and deed proclaiming the Good News. Let’s find one more for Jesus today!
Amen
Father God I humbly bow down before You and say Holy Holy Holy. Thank you so much that You sent Your only Son Jesus to die for me bearing my sins on the cross. And Oh thank you thank you that You raised him from the death. That where He is I will be also one day. Come Lord Jesus come! Amen.
AMEN and HALLELUJAH!!! Dear Lord please help me to keep walking towards you. I do love you with all my heart and soul. You have saved and forgiven me of my sins. I look up to you everyday. You are my life can’t live without your glorious love. I ask all of this in your name Christ Jesus. AMEN ????????
I will fear the Lord my God, walk in all His ways and love Him. I will serve Him with all my heart and with all my soul. And keep His Commandments and His statutes which He has commanded for my good.
Justice – getting what I deserve. Mercy – not getting what I deserve. Grace- getting what I don’t deserve.
Dear Lord,
Thank You for a new day to serve You. Thank You for mercy, grace, and my daily devotions to walk with You each day. Forgive me when I fall short, sin, and not serve You as I should. Your blessings are new each day. I praise Your Holy name. In Jesus precious name I pray. Amen
v16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn.
Lord help me to follow your command love you first then my neighbor
Rather than, “fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord,” I fear other things that I ultimately create for myself. I walk my own way, serve myself and make my own rules to follow. Forgive me Lord for being distracted and lack of devotion to you. Thank you for your Spirit that indwells me, fill me more with Him to help me follow you more faithfully.
Deuteronomy 10 is such an illustration of my journey. The chapter begins like this…
God says-I have already written my guidelines (the law) on your heart, but I will do it again since you broke it/let it break. I will write it again on your heart.
Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life. Proverbs 4:23 nasb
Yes Lord, I will endeavor to honor and protect the guidance that you have written on my heart!
I listen. I pray. He is always patient and forgiving.
‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 nasb
Then He asks me, commands me, to lead the way and share with others His promise of eternal life. I am commissioned to share the love and reverence for my Lord. In words, yes, but mostly in action.
I love Him first, because He loved me first. I have done nothing to deserve this accept to choose Him, over and over again.
His chosen people did nothing either, and He only awaits them to choose to believe all that He has laid out.
This is a lesson that tells a great story, that serves as a metaphor for what I must do. Every. Day. When I am obedient, oh how He blesses me!
…seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33 nasb