August 20, 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 presents the evidence which proves that the Lord’s favor towards the people of Israel was not because of their righteousness, but in spite of their unrighteousness. He reminds them that it is not because they were so righteous compared to the wicked nations they were dispossessing that the Lord gave them the land. It had nothing to do with their righteousness, because they had no righteousness to call their own!
Moses then recounts the numerous times the people tested and rebelled against God over the 40 years since they had left Egypt. In spite of all that God had done for them, in spite of all the crazy miracles and signs and wonders and mind-blowing experiences of glory they had witnessed, the people were still continually rebellious against the Lord every step of the way.
It’s easy for us to sit back as we read these accounts and think “Wow, these people were so messed up!” But it is vitally important for us to remember that we are more like the people of Israel than unlike them. In spite of His perfect faithfulness towards us, every one of us proves unfaithful to Him in some way or another each and every day.
This goes to show that it is never our goodness, our holiness, or our righteousness that gives us hope of God’s favor towards us; it is only ever God’s grace, His undeserved favor and kindness and generosity, that we can place our hope in! It is never our righteousness, and it is only ever the perfect righteousness of another, freely given to us as a gift of His grace.
Deuteronomy 9
Not Because of Righteousness
9 “Hear, O Israel: you are to cross over the Jordan today, to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than you, cities great and fortified up to heaven, 2 a people great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, whom you know, and of whom you have heard it said, ‘Who can stand before the sons of Anak?’ 3 Know therefore today that he who goes over before you as a consuming fire is the Lord your God. He will destroy them and subdue them before you. So you shall drive them out and make them perish quickly, as the Lord has promised you.
4 “Do not say in your heart, after the Lord your God has thrust them out before you, ‘It is because of my righteousness that the Lord has brought me in to possess this land,’ whereas it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out before you. 5 Not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart are you going in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations the Lord your God is driving them out from before you, and that he may confirm the word that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
6 “Know, therefore, that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stubborn people.7 Remember and do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day you came out of the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the Lord.8 Even at Horeb you provoked the Lord to wrath, and the Lord was so angry with you that he was ready to destroy you. 9 When I went up the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant that the Lord made with you, I remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water. 10 And the Lord gave me the two tablets of stone written with the finger of God, and on them were all the words that the Lordhad spoken with you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly. 11 And at the end of forty days and forty nights the Lordgave me the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant. 12 Then the Lord said to me, ‘Arise, go down quickly from here, for your people whom you have brought from Egypt have acted corruptly. They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them; they have made themselves a metal image.’
The Golden Calf
13 “Furthermore, the Lord said to me, ‘I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stubborn people. 14 Let me alone, that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven. And I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they.’ 15 So I turned and came down from the mountain, and the mountain was burning with fire. And the two tablets of the covenant were in my two hands. 16 And I looked, and behold, you had sinned against the Lordyour God. You had made yourselves a golden calf. You had turned aside quickly from the way that the Lord had commanded you. 17 So I took hold of the two tablets and threw them out of my two hands and broke them before your eyes. 18 Then I lay prostrate before the Lord as before, forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all the sin that you had committed, in doing what was evil in the sight of the Lord to provoke him to anger. 19 For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure that the Lord bore against you, so that he was ready to destroy you. But the Lord listened to me that time also. 20 And the Lord was so angry with Aaron that he was ready to destroy him. And I prayed for Aaron also at the same time. 21 Then I took the sinful thing, the calf that you had made, and burned it with fire and crushed it, grinding it very small, until it was as fine as dust. And I threw the dust of it into the brook that ran down from the mountain.
22 “At Taberah also, and at Massah and at Kibroth-hattaavah you provoked the Lord to wrath. 23 And when the Lord sent you from Kadesh-barnea, saying, ‘Go up and take possession of the land that I have given you,’ then you rebelled against the commandment of the Lord your God and did not believe him or obey his voice. 24 You have been rebellious against the Lordfrom the day that I knew you.
25 “So I lay prostrate before the Lord for these forty days and forty nights, because the Lord had said he would destroy you. 26 And I prayed to the Lord, ‘O Lord God, do not destroy your people and your heritage, whom you have redeemed through your greatness, whom you have brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 27 Remember your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Do not regard the stubbornness of this people, or their wickedness or their sin, 28 lest the land from which you brought us say, “Because the Lord was not able to bring them into the land that he promised them, and because he hated them, he has brought them out to put them to death in the wilderness.” 29 For they are your people and your heritage, whom you brought out by your great power and by your outstretched arm.’
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Family Discussion Question:
- Many of us tend to function as though we are basically good people. How does the gospel shatter all semblance of self-righteousness and lead us to rely solely upon the grace of God?
Dear Heavenly Father,
I have been reminded that anything we say or do that we deem to be “good” is really as dirty rags compared to Your greatness. We are only given the opportunity to live in this wonderful world by Your grace and mercy. Thank You for this great love that surpasses all understanding. Lead us each day in the ways You have laid out for us. Please forgive our stubborn and selfish attitudes and help us to be more like You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
G-od’s
R-iches
A-t
C-hrist’s
E-xpense
Amen
Time and time again I see, in the Bible and in my life, the human condition. We witness God’s favor and in the next moment forget, evidenced by our perspective or attitude. He knows this about our nature.
Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33
The Bible illustrates the problem, our sin nature, and the solution, seek Him!
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20
Start the day seeking Him! For this is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it! Psalm 118:24
Heavenly Father,
Praise you Father for you are holy and righteous. Thank you for extending your mercy and grace to me, such a lowly sinner.
May I not be a stumbling block but a lighthouse for those around me this day.
As Jabez prayed: Bless me today, Father. Enlarge my sphere of influence. Fill me anew and afresh with the Holy Spirit. May my eyes see evil so I can run from it, so as not to cause you and others pain.
Now Father, may I go forth in word and deed proclaiming the Good News…let’s find one more for Jesus today!
Amen
amen
Your favor on me, O Lord, is not because of my righteousness but in spite of my unrighteousness.
Despite all the chaos in the world God’s timing is always perfect. A delay is not a denial. Many times we think God is saying, “No,” but he is saying, “Not yet.”
AMEN and HALLELUJAH!!!
The number 40 was significant in the life of Moses: days on the mountain, days on his face, years in the wilderness, years in Midian. Only God can sustain a man 80 days without food or water. How great is God?
I thank God every day for his grace he gives me.
God’s grace is a priceless gift!!
Lord, forgive me for my stubbornness and rebellion. I confess my need for your grace. I depend on your grace, more than any good I do. I pray that your goodnesses shines through me, and point others toward your grace in Jesus, because only he can save us from our unrighteousness.