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.
My faith, my life, my teaching–it's all a work in progress.