Bible Reading Blog
“Everything They Needed”
Categories: Congregational Bible ReadingBIBLE READING: Deuteronomy 29-30
If you’re like me, as you read Deuteronomy there are times you think to yourself, “Why is YHWH asking this?” or even “Why is he behaving that way?” These are natural tendencies we must explore, and which YHWH encourages. However, as the Almighty God he is not obligated, nor is he required to answer those questions. This is especially challenging when his behavior seems to contradict itself. For instance, many will ask, ‘how can a loving God exact justice with such extreme measures that he is unwilling to forgive (29.20) and will uproot the people he chose with anger, fury and great wrath (29.28)?’ Perhaps we are given some rationale, but Moses immediately reminds us of a critical truth:
“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” (Deuteronomy 29.29)
There are many things about God’s ways that we will never understand. But fundamentally we must remember that our relationship with God is predicated on his Supreme righteousness and mercy. To believe in these things is to accept that, even if I don’t get it now, God’s behavior is always right, good and true. Besides this, he chose us, we did not choose him. It was his choice to reveal what is required to be his people, and the only role we have is to accept or reject what he says. I’m not suggesting we won’t or shouldn’t wrestle with the larger questions about God. But faith is not a practice of dabbling in the unknown. We must learn to settle our attention on what we can know from what he has given us.
An easily overlooked fact is that God gave Israel everything they needed to be his people. As difficult and complex as the Law may have seemed, it was clear, and it was present for them to know what he wanted.
“For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.” (Deuteronomy 30.11-14)
Paul would apply this principle to us in Romans 10.5-8. We have been given all things pertaining to life and godliness (2 Peter 1.3) through the good news preached about Jesus (Romans 10.9-13). We don’t have to wonder what God wants from us or worry about what we don’t know. Too often we dabble in the unknown, driving ourselves to unstable thinking and unnecessary fears. Please remember that God has given us his word to settle us in the storm and provide stable truths for any season of life. As Deuteronomy 29.29 reminds us, we are not responsible for what God does. We are responsible for what we know, and we are capable of doing what we know. If we will humble ourselves to the simple service of obeying what we hear in God's word, we will find the peace and purpose we desire the most.
