May the mumbling commence!
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged. These are the themes of Deuteronomy 31, where the leadership torch is passed from Moses to Joshua. Was there a reason to fear for Israel as they entered the Promised Land? Look at what the Lord said to Moses (31:16b-18):
"You are going to rest with your fathers, and these people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake me and break the covenant I made with them. On that day I will become angry with them and forsake them; I will hide my face from them, and they will be destroyed. Many disasters and difficulties will come upon them, and on that day they will ask, 'Have not these disasters come upon us because our God is not with us?' And I will certainly hide my face on that day because of all their wickedness in turning to other gods.”
Israel would prostitute themselves to foreign gods, forsaking the covenant with the Lord. Did they not remember the disaster that happened when they worshiped the golden calf? Because of their actions, the Lord would forsake them, hide his face from them, and they would be destroyed. Not exactly a rosy picture of life in the Promised Land! There was reason to fear and reason for Moses to be thankful that he would not be a part of it. And Moses repeated these words of God to the people in verses 27-29.
And, that’s not all. If we look back to Deuteronomy chapter 29, there is more evidence of the great potential of Israel to fall. Look at what the Lord told Israel through Moses (verses 2b-6):
“Your eyes have seen all that the Lord did in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his officials and to all his land. With your own eyes you saw those great trials, those miraculous signs and great wonders. But to this day the Lord has not given you a mind that understands or eyes that see or ears that hear. During the forty years that I led you through the desert, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet. 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.
How frustrating and discouraging! What great signs and wonders the Lord performed for His people! But the minds of Israel were muddled. Their eyes were sealed shut. And their ears were stopped up. They did not remember or understand the miracles of the Lord. Some of the miracles their eyes would not allow them to see nor would their ears allow them to hear. And we are not any different. In the rush of our lives, we often miss the movement of the Holy Spirit even when it is right under our noses.
Where is the reason to be strong and take courage? Everything seems to be working against us. Are we set up for the fall? There is good news in Deuteronomy 30, which is sandwiched between these two chapters. Read the beginning of the chapter (1-3; 6):
When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come upon you and you take them to heart wherever the Lord your God disperses you among the nations, and when you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you… The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.
God cannot forsake His covenant with His people. Neither does God make His covenant too hard for us. The word is near us; it is in our mouths and in our hearts so we may obey it (verse 14). So we have a choice before us, even as Israel did. “This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life… (19-20a)” May we be strong and courageous and choose wisely.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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