#DailyDevotion Do You Live Your Life As If God Keeps His Promises In Christ Jesus?
September 30th
Read Deut 1:37—2:15
Deu 1:37-43 Even with me the LORD was angry on your account and said, ‘You also shall not go in there. (38) Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. (39) And as for your little ones, who you said would become a prey, and your children, who today have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in there. And to them I will give it, and they shall possess it. (40) But as for you, turn, and journey into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea.’ (41) “Then you answered me, ‘We have sinned against the LORD. We ourselves will go up and fight, just as the LORD our God commanded us.’ And every one of you fastened on his weapons of war and thought it easy to go up into the hill country. (42) And the LORD said to me, ‘Say to them, Do not go up or fight, for I am not in your midst, lest you be defeated before your enemies.’ (43) So I spoke to you, and you would not listen; but you rebelled against the command of the LORD and presumptuously went up into the hill country.
As the Israelites are about to enter into the promised land Moses is going back over their history so hopefully they may learn from it and not repeat the mistakes of the past. But he also does this so they may remember how the Lord had fulfilled the promises He made in the past so they may the promises He made for their future. In today’s reading we see where the Israelites in quick fashion don’t listen to the Lord.
First, they didn’t trust the Lord when He told them to go and take possession of the land the first time. They were afraid of the people dwelling in it, all but Joshua. Because of this the Lord said they would not enter the promised land. The Israelites do something that looks like repentance. They arm up to go and fight and take over the land. However the Lord was resolute in His decision. He told Moses to tell them not to go. His mind was made up. He wouldn’t go and fight for them. And again, the Israelites didn’t listen to the Lord and had a stunning defeat.
We should take note and learn from this. When the Lord Jesus has promised us something we should be timid and act as if He didn’t promise what He said or if He wouldn’t fulfill His promises. Of course the biggest promise He has made to us is that on account of his innocent suffering and death the Father no longer holds our sins, trespasses, iniquities or guilt against us. He has promise through His resurrection from the dead sin, death and the power of Satan no longer have a hold on us. Jesus has won the victory and we will be raised to eternal glory into a new heavens and a new earth even as he is raised from the dead and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
So the only question is then, do you believe this? Are you going to live your life according to this or are you going to continue to live your life as if God is still angry with you and you don’t have eternal life? Are you going to live in fear or faith, hatred of God or in the love of God?
Lord Jesus Christ, you gave us the Israelites as an example of faith and unbelief. May we learn our lesson from them and live in the light of your good news with faith and love. Amen.