Bible Reading Blog
“Be Careful”
Categories: Congregational Bible ReadingBIBLE READING: Deuteronomy 11
“…if you will be careful to do all this commandment that I command you to do, loving the LORD your God, walking in all his ways, and holding fast to him, then the LORD will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than you.” (Deuteronomy 11.22-23)
As my girls are learning new skills, they often lack finesse. Crayons get broken, papers torn, and other objects get damaged as they learn to handle them. In our parenting, we often encourage them to, “Be careful.” For instance, when they were learning to use scissors, I didn’t want them to cut themselves or hurt others. The admonition was for their safety and protection. Other times this admonition was towards better focus. When they put together LEGO sets, they sometimes pushed too hard and broke what they had made. They needed to think about how their action would affect what they really wanted. The counsel to ‘be careful’ is really a call to pay attention, to handle thoughtfully and to act with purpose.
In Deuteronomy, Moses spoke to Israel like his children. As such, he was repetitive but deliberate. ‘Listen’…‘Obey’… ‘Remember’… ‘Be careful’ (Deuteronomy 2.4; 4.15; 5.1, 32; 6.3, 25; 7.11; 8.1; 11.22, 32; 12.1, 28, 32; 15.5; 16.12; 17.10; 19.9; 23.23; 24.8; 26.16; 28.1. 13, 15, 58; 31.12; 32.46). He gave them specifics to follow, but he knew their big issue would not be information. It would be action and focus. They needed to ground themselves with intentionality and be careful to do what YHWH commanded them. Without obedience there was no life or future for these people (5.31-33; 6.24-25; 8.1). Of course, they had an object lesson from the previous generation; but this new generation was just as susceptible to disobey. It’s no wonder every section in this law seems to begin and end with the warning to ‘be careful.’ God’s people tend to forget, neglect or just become lazy over time.
It’s no surprise Paul would issue us the same warning: “Look carefully how you walk” (Ephesians 5.15). The discerning mind can see the folly of our world, but the draw is still strong. Our adversary the devil is a master at twisting what is good into something divisive and ungodly. Like Paul, we must call this world what it is: a place of darkness and temporary pleasure that lulls many to ‘sleep’. We must wake up (Ephesians 5.14), be wise and be warned (Psalm 2.10) and be careful to devote ourselves to good works (Titus 3.8). As we mentioned last week, obedience is the critical role we play in our covenant with Jesus. But it is practical in protecting us from deception. We are prone to conformity and comfort. But the admonition of scripture is to not be satisfied with the status quo or even just above it. God’s people should be diligent, purposeful and daily renewed to present ourselves to God. To do so, we must be careful and “make the best use of our time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5.16).
