BIBLE READING: Deuteronomy 12

Upon entering the land, Israel’s top priority was to eradicate objects and opportunities for idol worship. “Destroy all the places where the nations served their gods… tear down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and burn their Asherim with fire… chop down the carved images and destroy their name out of that place. You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way” (Deuteronomy 12.2-4). It was to be intentional and total. The presence of other gods was an affront to YHWH and dangerous to the future of his people. “Take care that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? —that I also may do the same.’ You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the LORD hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods” (Deuteronomy 12.30-31)

There has always been a temptation for God’s people to assimilate and align with those around them. It can seem courteous and merciful because it is a method to engage others in meaningful ways. But God was not calling his people to be master marketers; he was calling them to holiness and obedience. Their conformity to the practices of the nations diluted the reality of God’s righteous ways. To maintain their special relationship with YHWH, they needed to worship him with intentional obedience—in his way. Unfortunately, Israel failed, and it proved devastating for them (Judges 2.11-15; Psalm 106.34-ff). If YHWH was not honored in his way as their God, they would not be protected as his people.

Every culture has its nuance that impacts the practice of faith and the logistics of worship. But these nuances do not supersede the fundamental premise of faithful practice: to worship God in his way. I’m not saying we should staunchly reject every culturally attractive practice. But we must be careful that it is not the deciding factor in our practice of faith or in our worship.

To maintain purity in our practice of faith, we must take the same steps God commanded Israel: We must actively eliminate the presence of other gods. In our lives we must not have sacred spaces that receive our best affection and attention. We must refuse apathy and anything that opposes the righteousness from God. Like Israel, it is not enough to put the gods in the closet or coexist with those who promote ungodly agendas. Sadly, many Christians today invite the ways of the world into their living rooms via cell phones, TV and other devices. We must appreciate that our mission and calling is not simply to live as God’s people, but to assault the forces of evil that wage war on us and others. We are soldiers, not civilians in our faith and we must be deliberate in our activity. As Paul would say, “we destroy arguments, and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ…” (2 Corinthians 10.5). Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against evil forces of darkness waging war for our mind and the minds of those around us (Ephesians 6.10-13). We are called to action. We must be vigilant and deliberate to destroy the influence of other gods in our lives and thus sanctify God with our lives.

BIBLE 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).

BIBLE READING: Deuteronomy 6-9

“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.” (Deuteronomy 8.1)

The Law—its commands and rituals—belonged to Israel and their covenant with YHWH. Activities such as circumcision, animal sacrifice, and observance of days were expectations for this specific covenant. It is clear that, today, we are not bound by this law or these activities (Hebrews 8); our covenant relationship with Christ has different expectations. But the basic response of covenant relationship has not changed: We must keep his commandments (1 John 2.3-ff).

God’s call for obedience has always had practical benefits for his people. It produced life and righteousness (Deuteronomy 6.25; 8.1) and helped them remember their God (Deuteronomy 6.20-25; 8.1-2, 11-18). But it also humbled and taught Israel to fear God (Deuteronomy 6.2, 24; 8.2-6). There is something powerful and healthy about fearing God—it is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1.7). In fact, the wise man would say that to fear God and keep his commandments is the whole duty of man (Ecclesiastes 12.13).

Given the nature of God’s grace and mercy, we must think soberly about obedience. It is a secondary response to God’s primary activity; but that does not render it unnecessary. I say this because, in our present religious climate, grace is often promoted at the expense of obedience. I have observed a strong aversion by many to anything that smells like “Law-keeping”. Many believe that in Christ we are not bound to obey commands, but rather that faith is purely about the heart. I will admit, it is right to acknowledge the impact of grace and the flaws of the law. But we must also recognize the import of fulfilling our covenant obligation. We are debtors, not to the flesh, but to the Spirit of Christ who died to give us life. As Paul reminds us, we should never treat our behavior as irrelevant so that grace may abound (Romans 6.1). Instead, we must remember and confirm our calling and election to the covenant (2 Peter 1.10-11). Obedience to Jesus is the critical role we play in the covenant. Not to validate ourselves but to position ourselves in the grace and mercy of God.

Obedience demonstrates we understand God’s preeminence. We obey those we respect and value. We obey those whom we believe know better than we do. We obey those who have rightful authority over us. As Peter reminds us, if we call God our Father, we should conduct ourselves with fear during our lives knowing that we were ransomed by the blood of God’s own Son (1 Peter 1.17-21). Just like Israel, “we are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession” (1 Peter 2.9; cf. Deuteronomy 7.6) so that we might obey and therefore reflect his righteous ways. This is where Israel failed, and we must not. “Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience” (Hebrews 4.11).

BIBLE READING: Deuteronomy 4

This week at a conference, Pope Francis stated: “Religions are seen as paths trying to reach God. I will use an analogy: They are like different languages that express the divine…” (The Catholic World Report, September 13, 2024). The pope is a man of significant influence, and this has sent shockwaves around the world. After all, Jesus would plainly state that there is only one way to the Father (John 14.6). I understand the pope is just a man, but this false belief is being propagated at the highest levels of religion. Perhaps the notion is not completely off-base. After all, Paul would commend the Athenians for their altar to the ‘unknown god’ (Acts 17.23)—they were ignorantly trying to cover their bases!—but he would not coddle their ignorance. “The times of ignorance God has overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent” (Acts 17.30).

Although we believe God has no rival, he has always cared about his people recognizing this preeminent position relative to other gods in this world. Hence the first commandment: you shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 20.3; Deuteronomy 5.7). As Moses began his final address to Israel, he challenged them to consider this with a series of questions:

“For ask now of the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that God created man on the earth, and ask from one end of heaven to the other, whether such a great thing as this has ever happened or was ever heard of. Did any people ever hear the voice of a god speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and still live? Or has any god ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, and by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great deeds of terror, all of which the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? To you it was shown that you might know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides him.” (Deuteronomy 4.32-36)

For these people, YHWH was not an abstract character of legend. They had witnessed his power and providence as he dwelt among them in the wilderness. What other god, in all of history, has behaved in this way, choosing and loving his people? The answer is obvious. YHWH did things no other god could do. But it wasn’t just an ego trip or random displays of power. These were acts of mercy were instructive in teaching his people how to enter the promised land and to be a witness to the world (Deuteronomy 4.6, 9-14).

There are thousands of versions of “God” floating around our world today. Quite frankly most of them have common attributes deemed as important in the minds of men: power, immortality, expectation, etc. But we must appreciate there is ONE God who must be represented totally and properly. He has no physical form and must not be manipulated to our liking (Deuteronomy 4.12-19; [28]). He is utterly righteous and just; a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4.24; Hebrews 12.24). But he is merciful, wishing that none should perish but that all should reach repentance (Deuteronomy 4.31; 2 Peter 3.9).

Our duty is to make God properly known in this world. Like Israel, we do this through obedience to his rules and to his mission (Deuteronomy 4.1-2, 6). We are ambassadors to the God of reconciliation through the saving blood of Jesus Christ our Savior. There is no other besides him.

BIBLE READING: Deuteronomy 1-3

38 years in the wilderness must have felt like eternity (Deuteronomy 2.14). An entire generation was dead as God had promised for their unbelief (Deuteronomy 2.14b-16) and a new generation was once again on the cusp of the Promised Land. They faced the same ‘giants’ as before (Numbers 13.28-29; 21.13, 21), and with the same command from God: “Go take the land I am giving you” (Deuteronomy 1.21; 2.24).

A large portion of this generation was born in the wilderness. Many had not experienced the plagues or the Red Sea. But they had been fed day by day with manna. They had seen water come from a rock. They had seen YHWH’s judgment on the previous generation until they were no more. Moses was still at the helm, but even he would not go with them (Numbers 20.13; Deuteronomy 3.23-27). As he guided them forward, he recounted this history in the wilderness. His admonitions echoed the powerful necessity of obedience and trust.

It is obvious the wilderness was an intentional part of YHWH’s salvation. It was a place away from Israel’s past. It was a place away from their enemies. It was a place away from the comforts that so easily enticed them. It was a place that minimized distractions and allowed them to see YHWH. It was a place to learn that freedom is from God and with God. The wilderness was a place to see themselves differently because of the presence of YHWH among them.

This generation was far from perfect, but they were impacted by the wilderness. As they begin their foray towards the Promised Land it is evident they learned how to go where YHWH led them. Of course, many of them had never known anything different. Perhaps that was the grace of God preparing them for the conquest. Whatever the case, as they left this wilderness they were committed to the direction of YHWH (Numbers 21.2).

We naturally tend to treat ‘wilderness years’ like the first generation. We wonder ‘weren’t things better before?’ and we long for the comfortable, or at least the controllable. But that is not from wisdom or faith (Ecclesiastes 7.10). The wilderness is an intentional part of the journey. God has always allowed people of faith to endure trials for their perfection (James 1.2-4; 1 Peter 4.12-19). He sometimes removes our treasured possessions and relationships to impact our future. He sometimes leads us through seasons of suffering to increase our trust. The wilderness prepares us to be God’s people as we travel towards God’s place. This is why complaining is such an affront to God. It assumes God is lacking in his vision for our lives. It devalues his power, provisions and promises. Complaining ignores the realities of a better future that can only be achieved through suffering.

We must not coddle each other when struggles come but rejoice and encourage one another to endure, like Jesus. We must embrace the wilderness as a necessary part of the journey that is preparing us to receive the promises of God. And with this thought we can live with confidence in the direction of God in the present.