#DailyDevotion Is The Lord God Asking Too Much
October 11th
Read Deut 9:23—10:22
Deu 10:12-21 “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, (13) and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good? (19) Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. (20) You shall fear the LORD your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him, and by his name you shall swear. (21) He is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen.
Is God the Lord asking too much of the Israelites? Fear the Lord. Walk in His ways. Love Him. Serve the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul. Keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord. Without the Gospel they and we cannot even come close. But there is gospel in this text for the Israelites, “the LORD set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day.” The Lord’s choosing them is their good news. It is the good news which powers the heart to fear, love and trust in the Lord God above all things.
It is this Gospel which should compel the Israelites to circumcise their hearts. They had the sign of God’s promise in their foreskin but if they did not trust the Lord it did them no good. To trust in the Lord and His promises is to have a circumcised heart. Moses tells them who the Lord is and what He is like that they may put their trust Him instead of other gods. He is Lord of Lords and God of gods. He is the great, mighty and awesome God. Most importantly, the Lord was that for Israelites. The Lord was their praise.
In similar fashion, the Lord Jesus Christ, has chosen you above all the people of the world to be his people. You are called to fear love and trust in Jesus above all things. You also have a Gospel like the Israelites that converts your hearts to do this. Paul writes, Rom 2:28-29 “For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. (29) But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter.” This takes place when Jesus baptizes us into His Name, claims us as His own and lets us know our sins, guilt, shame and iniquities are all His now and we are forgiven and accepted by him.
Lord Jesus Christ, make us true Jews by circumcising our hearts in baptism, the Gospel, that we may truly fear, love and trust in you above all things. Amen.