Deut 7:17 You say to yourselves, “These nations are stronger than we are. How can we drive them out?”
I’ve been studying Ezekiel 37:1-14 with my church this week. These verses from Deut 7 put me in mind of that section of Ezekiel. In both, God is asking them to do something that feels impossible, something that, humanly, they can’t see a logical way to do. Ezekiel is told to prophesy life into the dry bones and the Israelites are told to drive out a nation that is much stronger than they.
Deut 7:18a “But do not be afraid of them….”
But in both cases, God is the one doing the telling. God is the one with the plan, the vision, and the sovereignty to make it happen. With Ezekiel and with the Israelites, God needed them to be willing to trust that God knew what He was doing, and that He could get it done, that all they needed was the strength and faith to do what He asked of them.
Deut 7:18b “…remember well what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the fact that You don’t need us to understand how You will act, You just need us to do what You are calling us to do. Thank You for understanding our feeble humanity, for loving us fiercely despite our flaws. Thank You for calling us to do our part in faith. Give us the strength to obey. Draw us closer. Amen.
Deut 7:21 “Do not be terrified by them, for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God.”
Have a blessed day.
Perfect love…. (devo reflection)
Deut 6:5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
I am a deeply, fiercely, unconditionally loved child of God. He loves me as much on my worse day as He does on my best day. His love, His presence, His mercy and grace are limitless and without condition. I am unwaveringly thankful.
Deut 4:29 But if from there you will seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.
He asks that same deep, fierce, unconditional love of me for Him. He wants me to love Him, to seek Him, with all that I am and all that I have. He wants me to be as steadfast in my devotion to Him in my trials as I am in my praise of Him in my triumphs. Some days I do pretty well at unwavering love. Some days I have to give myself plenty of grace, remind myself of His unconditional love, and try again to love Him without limits, without whining, without fear.
Matt 22:37 Jesus declared, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for Your clear example of perfect love. Thank You that You understand my flawed humanity, that You show me such undeserved grace and mercy as I fumble through this life. Thank You for loving me as completely on my worse day as You do on my best day. Thank You for understanding my deep love for You, even when I am bitter or afraid. Draw me closer. Always. Amen.
Mark 12:30 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.
Have a blessed day.
An active, living relationship…. (devo reflection)
Deut 5:3 It was not with our ancestors that the LORD made this covenant, but with us….
Lord, Thank You for being present, for wanting an active, living relationship with all of Your children. Thank You that “I tried” or “I knew her father or her mother; that’s good enough” is not Your answer when it comes to pursuing us, to being in relationship with us.
Deut 5:4 The LORD spoke to you face to face out of the fire on the mountain.
Lord, Thank You for Your active communication with us, even when we don’t listen like we should. Thank You for the myriad ways daily that You let us know You are with us, that You encourage, guide, and direct us.
Deut 5:6 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for all the chains of slavery You have broken for us. Release us from every bondage, especially the bondage of fear and uncertainty, especially in these troubling times. Help us to turn our hearts and minds to You. Help us to seek You with all that we are and all that we have. Draw us closer. Amen.
Deut 5:7 “You shall have no other gods before Me.”
Have a blessed day
Merciful God…. (devo reflection)
Deut 4:28 There you will worship man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell.
There is an adage that says: Either man says to God, “Thy will be done” or God says to man, “Thy will be done.” Think about that for a moment. Either I follow God’s will, acknowledging His sovereignty, or He lets me have my way and all the chaos that that entails. Jesus, Help me.
Deut 4:29 But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.
But even if I lose my way, demanding my will instead of my Creator’s, all is not lost. God is merciful. He provides me a way back to Him, but I have to seek Him with all that I am and all that I have. I have to put aside my will, my plans, for His. Jesus, Help me.
Deut 4:30 When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the LORD your God and obey Him.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for providing me a way back to You. Thank You that You are loving and merciful, that You love me enough to give me what I think I want so that I can realize Your way, Your will, is so much better than anything I can imagine. Draw me closer, Lord. Help me to seek You always. Amen.
Deut 4:31 For the LORD your God is a merciful God; He will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath.
Have a blessed day.
Abundantly evident…. (devo reflection)
Deut 3:22 “Do not be afraid of them; the LORD your God Himself will fight for you.”
Deuteronomy seems to be a book of remembrance. Moses, on the cusp of a promised land he will never enter, is recounting for the Israelites how they got to where they are. It was at times a painful retelling, but God’s presence and faithfulness are abundantly evident throughout. He brought them this far. He’s not going to abandon them now.
Exodus 14:14 “The LORD will fight for you; you need only be still.”
We are on the cusp of a world we have never known. The future is definitely difficult to discern. But if we look back at how we ended up where we are, I know with certainty that even though the retelling might be painful at times, we will see God’s presence and faithfulness abundantly evident through our own stories as well. He’s brought us this far. He’s not going to abandon us now.
Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God….”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this time of stillness and reflection You are calling us to in our own lives. Thank You that when we look at how we got to where we are today, Your love and steadfast presence are obvious. Thank You that You are fighting for us, even now. Help us to be still and know that You are God. Draw us closer. Amen.
Deut 1:30 The LORD your God, who goes before you, will fight for you….
Have a blessed day.
Deliver us, O God…. (devo reflection)
Deut 2:7a The LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands.
One of the choir members at my church sings an absolutely gorgeous rendition of the song “I Shall Not Want.” The words of the song are deeply powerful. “From the love of my own comfort, From the fear of having nothing, From a life of worldly passions, Deliver me O God.”
Deut 2:7b He has watched over your journey through the vast wilderness.
The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, and yet, God was always with them and they lacked nothing. “From the fear of death or trial…” These are uncertain times. There is so much fear, so many unknowns. And yet, God IS with us, even now, even in this. We do not walk alone. We lack nothing. “Deliver me, O God.”
Deut 2:7c These forty years the LORD your God has been with you….
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that You are here with us, that You are watching over us, that because we have You, we lack nothing. Help us to live that truth, Lord. Help us to shine Your light. Deliver us, O God. Draw us closer. Amen.
Deut 2:7d …and you have not lacked anything.
Have a blessed day.
God really loves us…. (devo reflection)
Deut 1:29-30 Then I said to you, “Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as He did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes….”
Deuteronomy is a recounting by Moses to the Israelites of their journey thus far. They can see the Promised Land from where they are, but Moses will not enter it with them, so he wants to remind them of everything that got them to this point.
Deut 1:31 “…and in the wilderness. There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.”
Commentary on the chapter posits that the Israelites were not convinced of God’s unfailing love of them and therefore they doubted Him because of their lack of belief. Further, commentary says the Israelites should ask “What would it take to finally convince me that God really loves me?” I think that’s a wonderful question for all of us to ponder.
Deut 1:32-33 “In spite of this, you did not trust in the LORD your God, who went ahead of you on your journey….”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for Your unfailing love of us. Forgive us for doubting You, Lord. Help us to love and accept ourselves and each other just as we are so that it is easier for us to truly understand the he depth of Your love for us. Draw us closer. Amen.
Deut 1:34 “When the LORD heard what you said, He was angry….”
Have a blessed day.
Respectfully and with dignity…. (devo reflection)
Numbers 36:1 The family heads of the clan of Gilead….came and spoke before Moses and the leaders….
This chapter was not what I expected at the end of this 40 year journey. Here they were, perched on the very edge of the Promised Land, listening to concerns of one of the tribes. It is easy to pass off the concerns as trivial, though were it my inheritance in question, I wouldn’t think so. It is easy to say the tribe who brought the concerns was whiny and petulant, though there is nothing in the scripture to support that.
Numbers 36:3 “Now suppose they marry men from other Israelite tribes; then their inheritance will be taken from our ancestral inheritance and added to that of the tribe they married into. And so part of the inheritance allotted to us will be taken away.”
The tribe simply had a concern, a valid concern, and they went through proper channels to voice that concern and find a solution. And maybe that is the point. Here on the cusp of the Promised Land, perhaps this is a reminder that life on earth will never be perfect, that there will always be concerns and problems, that there will compromises, that there will be give and take, that it can be handled respectfully and with dignity to all involved.
Numbers 36:5-6 Then at the LORD’s command Moses gave this order to the Israelites: “What the tribe of the descendants of Joseph is saying is right. This is what the LORD commands for Zelophehad’s daughters….”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that life on earth will never be perfect, that there will always be issues that require compromise. Thank You for the reminder that we can handle all things with dignity and respect toward all involved. Draw us closer to You and to each other, Lord. Help us to shine Your light. Amen.
Numbers 36:13 These are the commands and regulations the LORD gave through Moses to the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho.
Have a blessed day.
Dwelling among us…. (devo reflection)
Numbers 35:2 “Command the Israelites to give the Levites towns to live in from the inheritance the Israelites will possess. And give them pasturelands around the towns.”
Three things strike me about this passage. 1. The LORD gave directions for the inheritance the Israelites received. It wasn’t just, “Here it is. Good luck.” 2. The LORD looked after not only those in high standing, the priests, His priests, but also those who had killed unintentionally. That’s not a group we usually think of God providing for.
Numbers 35:6 “Six of the towns you give the Levites will be cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone may flee….”
3. After all the instruction and direction, the LORD reminded the Israelites the He is with them. He didn’t guide them out of Egypt and then leave them to their own devices. He didn’t get them through 38 years in the wilderness and say good luck. He is dwelling among them, He’s right there, and He reminds them of that fact.
Numbers 35:21 “…or if out of enmity one person hits another with their fist so that the other dies, that person shall be put to death; that person is a murderer….”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that You are with us, caring for us, providing for us. Thank You for not leaving us to our own devices, for caring for all—from greatest to least, and for being present always. Draw us closer. Help us to shine Your light. Amen.
Numbers 35:34 “Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell, for I, the LORD, dwell among the Israelites.”
Have a blessed day.
An inheritance…. (devo reflection)
Numbers 34:1-2 The LORD said to Moses, “Command the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter Canaan, the land that will be allotted to you as an inheritance is to have these boundaries….
I feel like I am in the last 20 pages of a really good book. I want to gallop through the rest of the story and see how it unfolds. The Israelites can practically taste their inheritance. It’s right there. This chapter feels like a breath, a pause, a grounding, rooting in truth. It feels like a terribly important moment.
Numbers 34:13a Moses commanded the Israelites: “Assign this land as an inheritance….”
The LORD reminds them in the first two verses that the Promised Land is an inheritance, a gift. They didn’t earn it. They didn’t do anything the deserve it. It is a gift. But once it is given, they become stewards of that gift. It is their job to look after the gift, to nurture it and care for it so that it flourishes and can be passed on to others.
Numbers 34:13b “…The LORD has ordered that it be given to the nine-and-a-half tribes….”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the reminder that You have gifted us so much in this world—not because we earned it or deserve it but because You love us so deeply. Help us to remember that we are stewards of Your gifts. Help us to nurture and care for these gifts so that we can pass them on to future generations. Draw us closer. Amen.
Numbers 34:16-17 The LORD said to Moses, “These are names of the men who are to assign the land for you as an inheritance: Eleazer the priest and Joshua son of Nun.”
Have a blessed day.