Verse for the Day, 19 June 2017.

Deuteronomy 9:3-7, “Know therefore today that he who goes over before you as a consuming fire is the LORD your God. He will destroy them and subdue them before you. So you shall drive them out and make them perish quickly, as the LORD has promised you.  (4)  "Do not say in your heart, after the LORD your God has thrust them out before you, 'It is because of my righteousness that the LORD has brought me in to possess this land,' whereas it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is driving them out before you.  (5)  Not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart are you going in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations the LORD your God is driving them out from before you, and that he may confirm the word that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.  (6)  "Know, therefore, that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stubborn people.  (7)  Remember and do not forget how you provoked the LORD your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day you came out of the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the LORD.”

There are passages in Scripture that are both frightening and encouraging, passages that both humbles us and build us up. Deuteronomy 9:3-7 is one of these passages. God at times needs to remind us of who He is and who we are, He needs to remind us of our place in contrast to His position. God also needs to sound out very clear warnings to us, so as to keep us from straying into sin, or taking His grace for granted. When we have received so much from God’s hand and have known His goodness, it can lead us to forget who God is, it can cause us to no longer fear God and not take obedience to Him seriously. God is eager for the people of Israel not to make this mistake.

This generation of Israelites had received daily from God’s good hand for forty years, they had enjoyed a unique and special relationship with God, and had not only heard all of God’s promises, but were seeing those promises coming to pass. In Deuteronomy, they stood on the cusp of receiving the largest, greatest of these promises, entry into the Promised Land and the enjoyment of life in a land flowing with milk and honey. When this has been all you have known and experienced in your life, it can cause you to think that you are entitled to this, it is your due, and thus you fail to appreciate that it is in fact an undeserved gift of God’s grace. Furthermore, if they had this sense of entitlement, it could cause them to make the dangerous error of forgetting how importance obedience towards God still is.

In light of this, God seeks to remind them who He is. Moses declares to them that God is a consuming fire, all that stand in His way, who oppose Him, will be consumed by God, they will not stand a chance against God. Secondly, Moses states that God is able to destroy, overthrow, thrust out, overwhelm and wipe out anybody whom He wishes to. There is no nation, or man that could resist God’s power and might. Moses continues to tell them that God is holy, and because He is holy, God will always deal with, oppose, judge and punish all acts of evil and wickedness. It is because God is holy and these nations in the Promised Land are wicked and evil, that God is driving them out before the people of Israel. It was because of God’s holiness that He dealt justly with their parents in the wilderness when they rebelled against God. Moses wants them to understand that God is and always will be holy and thus the unjust, sinful and wicked can only ever expect to face God’s judgement. Fourthly, Moses reminds them that only God is righteous, faithful and true. The people are not receiving the Promised Land because they are righteous, faithful and true, Moses tells them that they are far from being this. However, it is because God is righteous, faithful and true, that He is fulfilling His promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

How is this passage encouraging? It is encouraging for they are being reminded that God is righteous, faithful and true and will do all that He has promised. It is because of who God is, and God’s favour upon them that they are enjoying all these blessings. And they can go into the Promised Land trusting in God, knowing that God has the power and ability to drive out the nations before them, just as He had already done at other times. It would have encouraged them in reminding them of the special grace and favour they had received from God, so that they are now regarded as being His people, His nation.

How is this passage frightening? Just as God is righteous, faithful and true, God is also holy, just and all-powerful. No one can escape from God, nor can anything be hidden from Him. They had learned for themselves just how frightening it is to come under God’s hand of wrath and just judgement, they had witnessed what God does to those who oppose and rebel against Him. The generation had also seen what God does to His enemies and how He can utterly destroy them. To come up against God is to come against someone against whom you have no chance of success or victory, God will crush all who are against Him, and therefore it is wisest to live in humble and willing obedience of God.

How is this passage humbling? By thinking through these words of Moses, they would have understood that they are not nearly as good, righteous and desirable as they like to think they are. They would understand that they are not greater or better than any other group of people or nation. God’s choice to be their God had nothing to do with them, it was God’s choice alone. They had no right or room to pat themselves on the back. In fact, they would have been deeply humbled for God had not only dealt with the sinful, arrogant, foolishness of their parents, God needed to do deal with them in the same manner, for they had not been much better than their parents. They must never forget that they are sinners who live before a holy and awesome God, upon whom they are dependant for daily grace or else they would perish.

How does this passage build up? This generation would be encouraged by the fact that God was patient and long-suffering, that He was a God of love, compassion and mercy, and He had promised to continue to be such a God to them. God had also promised to remain faithful to them to fight for them, lead the way, provide for them and bring them into the Promised Land. They could draw confidence that if they sought to obey God and live in righteousness they would know God’s blessing and favour. Greatest of all, they could know that God was a God of grace, who could be sought for the forgiveness of their sins, a God who was willing and able to forgive and save.

For those of us who are true believers in Christ Jesus, this passage serves as being the same warning and encouragement to us. It is a timely reminder not to forget who God is, an all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present, holy, just, righteous, true and faithful God. He is not to be toyed with, nor disrespected or disobeyed, for all who stand against Him will fall. We may be the children of God, but that doesn’t mean we should ever regard God as being anything less than what He truly it. We must never allow ourselves to think we deserve any form of favour from God, or that we are less sinful than others. Prior to Christ we were utterly sinful and justly condemn to eternal damnation in hell. It is only because of God’s grace, mercy and love that any of us have been set free through Christ. Finally, it should give us confidence and joy before God, for we know who He is, who we are, how He has redeemed us and that He is righteous, faithful and true to all His promises and works. Our God is a consuming fire who will crush all His foes, but He is also a gentle Saviour, faithful to His promises and His people.

Our God who is a consuming fire, the righteous, just and true One, we humble ourselves and bow before Your throne today. May You give us an even greater understanding of who You are and who we are, so that we might respond and live for You accordingly. We thank You for the grace and love You have given to us, in the midst of our sin. Thank You for Christ who has become our righteousness, and has made us Your very own people. May we never take this special relationship for granted, or fail to take our sin and disobedience seriously. Help us to be faithful and true towards You, seeking at all times to love, honour, obey, respect, revere and glorify You. Amen.