TUESDAY 08 February 2022 “Choices” Deuteronomy 4:1-31

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Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,

As you reflect on your life journey, who have been those people who have most significantly influenced you? Who are the people who have taught you the most about how to live life wisely, with little regret, with purpose and finding fulfillment? And would you say are the key things those influential people have taught you for which you are very grateful?

Over these next few days in our “Walking with Jesus” we’re going to look closely at one of the most significant, multi-generational learning experiences of all time. Join me today with Moses and more than 1 million Israelites here on the beautiful Jordan river valley plain, as they are preparing to cross into the land of God’s promise. Moses knew he would not be going with them. His 40 years of leading them from Egypt to this place had been remarkable, but it would soon be time for a new leader, Joshua, to lead them into the new land and their future. But before Moses handed the reigns of leadership to Joshua, he took the well earned opportunity to remind, teach and prepare these people for their future. The Bible book of Deuteronomy is the record of those instructions and the leadership transition from Moses to Joshua. There is great wisdom here my friends, even for you and me in 2022!

Moses records for us in Deuteronomy 4 that he made clear his final responsibility of leadership with these people. “Hear now, O Israel, the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it… Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom to the nations.” (Deut. 4:1-6) Crystal clear isn’t it? There would be a direct correlation between their respect for and obedience to God’s laws, and the quality of life they will live in the new land. So I have an important question… is that still true today? Is there a direct correlation between the quality of life you are living today and the level of respect and obedience you have for God’s truth, God’s instructions, God’s ways, and even God Himself? What do you see when you apply that same question to the leadership of your nation, your city, your schools and businesses?

Moses then asked a very powerful question: “What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to Him? What other nation is so blessed as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws from God that I am setting before you today?” (Deut. 4:7,8) These people knew God was with them! The manna each morning which fell from heaven, the cloud above the “Tent of Meeting” by day and the pillar of fire by night, were tangible evidences that God was with them. The stories they had heard from their parents and grandparents about the deliverance plagues back in Egypt, their Passover night rescue, their run through the Red Sea water tunnel, were all stories celebrating the Presence of God with this people! The stories of God speaking, audibly for all to hear, His 10 Commandments at Mount Sinai was another evidence of God among His people, and God giving them righteous decrees to govern their lives. So I ask you my friends, wherever you live in the world, how do you respond to Moses’ powerful statement of God’s Presence and the Laws of God? How do the people in your city, your country view the idea of God’s Presence among them? Are God’s holy laws respected where you live?

Moses reminded these people of that remarkable, unique event their parents and grandparents had experienced at Sinai: “You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain while it blazed with fire… then the LORD spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of the words but you saw no form, there was only the voice of God. He declared to you His covenant, the 10 Commandments, which He commanded you to follow and then wrote them on the stone tablets..” (Deut. 4:11,12) Look at the huge throng of people with Moses. The oldest ones among them would have been 18 and 19 years old that remarkable day at Mount Sinai when they heard God’s voice! See them nodding their recollection of that unforgettable day? Watch them speaking to their children and grandchildren “Moses is right, I was there that day, it happened just as he says. We must never forget that day. No other people on earth have ever had that experience with God!”

Moses also reminded them of their true identity as God’s chosen people with this great statement: “The LORD took you and brought you out of the iron smelting furnace, out of Egypt, to be the people of His inheritance, as you now are… Be careful to not forget the covenant of the LORD your God that He made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything the LORD your God has forbidden. After you have had children and grandchildren and lived in the new land a long time – if you become corrupt and make any kind of idol, doing evil in the eyes of the LORD your God… I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you this day, that you will quickly perish from the good land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess…” (Deut. 4:20-26)

Now let me ask you my friends, to reflect back on the words of wisdom you have heard from your parents or grandparents. Did your ancestors call you to love and honor God and be faithful to God’s laws and truths? Did you call your children and grandchildren to the same? And what has happened in your family heritage about that?

Moses then, for the first time, issued a great warning that would be repeated many times in the years to come. If they turned away from God, then Moses said, “The LORD will scatter you among the nations and only a few of you will survive in the nations to which the LORD will drive you. “ (Deut. 4:27) I wonder if Moses paused there, giving the people time to ponder the heaviness of that caution? Then Moses brought them this great word of hope: “But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you look for Him with all your heart and all your soul... For the LORD your God is a merciful God; He will not abandon or destroy you, nor will He forget the covenant with your forefathers, which He confirmed to them by oath.” (Deut. 4:27-31) Oh my such great words of promise and hope. Look at the people as they ponder the contrast of despair and hope. One thing was very clear… the people held their destiny in their own hands. Their choices would determine their future. God was reliable, predictable, faithful, holy and just. Moses had laid out the options very clearly. Two distinctly different paths with dramatically different end results… which would the people choose?

Let’s pause right here, and I invite you to look back at your life journey and forward over the horizon into your future. By now you’ve faced life defining moments several times. You’ve chosen your friends and perhaps a life mate. You’ve chosen the priorities in your life and your choices have shaped your values and your non-negotiables. Your reputation is the story of your life thus far…written by you with every choice you’ve made. None of us can go back and undo or redo, we are all moving forward. So I ask a simple but important question: are you satisfied, are you pleased even proud of your life story as it is so far? How would you like your story to be different by the end of your life? What changes need to take place NOW, today, this week, to make sure the rest of your life story is better than the past?

And where is God in your life story my friends? Where is Jesus? What Moses said is so true, perhaps even more true today than ever before. So let’s spend some time reflecting on the past and deciding about the future, and taking time to hear the great wisdom from Moses as he challenged the people to choose wisely. Take your journal, write down what God is stirring in your heart right now, and talk with God about that. What does He want you to understand HE is saying to you today, that will change your future?

Today’s Scripture is Deuteronomy 4:1-31.

Choose below to read or listen.

Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.

Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.

Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)

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