Deuteronomy 29:1-9
1. These are the terms of the covenant the Lord commanded Moses to make with the Israelites in Moab, in addition to the covenant he had made with them at Horeb. 2. Moses summoned all the Israelites and said to them: Your eyes have seen all that the Lord did in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his officials and to all his land. 3. With your own eyes you saw those great trials, those signs and great wonders. 4. But to this day the Lord has not given you a mind that understands or eyes that see or ears that hear. 5. Yet the Lord says, “During the forty years that I led you through the wilderness, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet. 6. You ate no bread and drank no wine or other fermented drink. I did this so that you might know that I am the Lord your God.” 7. When you reached this place, Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan came out to fight against us, but we defeated them. 8. We took their land and gave it as an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh. 9. Carefully follow the terms of this covenant, so that you may prosper in everything you do.
The Word that the New Generation Needs (Deuteronomy 29:1-9)
1. Remember Grace
After forty years in the wilderness, Moses had the new generation of the Israelites to recall the old days in the process of renewing the covenant in Moab (v.1-3), meaning to remember the grace. Sometimes people say, “Forget the past,” but sublimation of the memory of the past enables you to generate a better future. Sometimes wounds and bad memories from the past are needed because they are the lever for a good future if your faith is filled with Holy Spirit. Acting badly on the excuse of unpleasant memories isn’t good. But as long as you learn through them, they are no longer bad. (반면교사) Furthermore, it is necessary to recollect the times you received grace.
You should recollect the bad/good memories and confess, “God has helped me,” and have ‘the gratitude of Ebenezer’ in your mind. You are now standing humbly before the Word and this is the evidence that God has led you through a lot of difficulties. If you’re now in faith, you don’t need to be entangled with your weakness or bad memories. God of grace was with you in the past and in the present as well. Remember His grace more often and habituate yourself to be saturated in it.
2. Realize and Be Thankful
The mind that understands, eyes that see, and ears that hear are important (v.4). Therefore, Moses spoke the word that reminded people of the grace of the past so that they could have the mind of gratitude (v.5-6). Many times you can’t reap what you sow so it is a grace to reap what you sow. Many times there is God’s grace in ordinary and usual things. The phenomenal or dramatic miracle, recovery, and answer are not the only grace. Every moment of life is grace. When you realize the abundant grace in the ordinary life, both of your mind and life will be rich. Realize the grace you already have rather than looking for new grace.
Don’t be obsessed with miracles. Not only walking on the water but also walking on the ground is a miracle. Recovery from an illness is a miracle, but it is a bigger miracle not to be ill in the first place. People think it is a miracle if a problem is dramatically solved, but it’s also a miracle that the problem is either overcome by faith or prevented in advance by God’s covert help. Lastly, it is a miracle to realize the work of grace in mundane life. The grace that reaps according to sowing is given when you are thankful for the grace.
3. Valorously Step Forward
The life in the wilderness was almost over and the Israelites reached the land of Moab. Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan, who resided on the way to Canaan, refused their peace proposal and attacked them. So they were compelled to fight and took the land. And they granted the land to the tribes of Reuben and the half of the tribes of Manasseh (v.7-8). This victory raised their morale and scared the Canaanites. Why was this story told? The reason is to encourage us to overcome obstacles and step forward.
It is not easy to live by God’s will in this world. We frequently encounter a number of difficulties. In some cases, we do not have a chance to explain ourselves when others misunderstand about us. What’s more, the world continuously threatens us. But don’t be scared. Live with being overwhelmed by happiness, not ominous feelings. Also, consistently be beautiful on the inside. Even if the outside is poor but rich on the inside, there is courage. On the other hand, even if the outside is rich but poor on the inside, fear grows. If you don’t have many, focus on God and His will instead. If you do so, you will get mysterious courage and there will be a great help of God.
4. Observe the Word and Act
The reason that God had protected the Israelites for forty years in the wilderness was to make them observe the terms of the covenant. He said that they would prosper in everything they did if they carefully followed the terms of the covenant (v.9). The secret of prosperity is quite simple: Follow the Word of God. The grace that reaps according to sowing is granted when you follow His Word. There are problems and prayer requests often in order to let people come back, who haven’t been caring about the Word.
The life without Word becomes a life with contention, the society without Word also becomes a society with contention. Once the Word allays desire, people become free from the fear of losing theirs, and have peace of mind and reconciliation in the relationship. They will eventually realize and enjoy happiness. With Word, you may deepen your understanding of true miracle. Thus, the Word itself is a blessing. However, it is a bigger blessing to follow the Word. Likewise, working hard brings blessing but obeying the Word brings a bigger blessing.
ⓒ Pastor Lee Hangyu http://www.john316.or.kr