Deuteronomy 4:32 – 40 “Indeed, ask now from one end of the heavens to the other about the days that long preceded you, from the day that God created man on earth: Has anything as great as this ever happened or been reported? Has a people ever heard the voice of God speaking out of the fire, as you have, and lived? Or has any god tried to take as his own a nation out of another nation—by trials, signs, wonders, and war, by a strong hand and an outstretched arm, and by great terrors—as the LORD your God did for you in Egypt, before your eyes?
You were shown these things so that you would know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides Him.
He let you hear His voice from heaven to discipline you, and on earth He showed you His great fire, and you heard His words out of the fire. Because He loved your fathers, He chose their descendants after them and brought you out of Egypt by His presence and great power, to drive out before you nations greater and mightier than you, and to bring you into their land and give it as your inheritance, as it is today.
Know therefore this day and take to heart that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other. Keep His statutes and commandments, which I am giving you today, so that you and your children after you may prosper, and that you may live long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you for all time.”
The Israelites made a bunch of mistakes, but the greatest mistake of all was taking God and His miracles for granted. Look at the record:
1. God spoke to the Israelites out of the fire.
2. God delivered the Israelites out of slavery, plucking them out of the most powerful nation on earth.
3. God worked miracles that effectively showed up every major god in the Egyptian religion. The final miracle was the Passover, with the death of every first – born in Egypt.
4. God sovereignly smashed and drowned the Egyptian army, trapping the chariots in the mud while the waters rushed in.
5. God allowed the Israelites to hear His voice and to see His fire and to hear Him speaking.
6. God remembered His covenant with Abraham, even though it took many generations for the fulfillment of that covenant.
7. God miraculously provided manna, quails, and water throughout their journey.
At the time Moses was speaking to his people, God was still accompanying them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Granted, those clouds and fire had been there for forty years, but how could the Israelites have been so callous as to ignore what God had already done for them? But despite everything that God had already done, despite untold miracles, eventually the Israelites still found excuses to wander away into idolatry.
APPLICATION: What miracles have you seen in your life recently? If you are reading this, you are already enjoying the miracles of vision. If you are handling a computer or a cell phone, you are experiencing the miracles of coordination and thought. If you are breathing easily, you are experiencing the miracles of healthy lungs. And if you have been able to eat something today, if you had a safe comfortable place to sleep last night, those things also were miracles.
We are surrounded by so many miracles each day that we fall into the same trap as the Israelites. We begin to take God for granted. But in many parts of the world, food, shelter, a safe place to rest, and clean air and clean water are impossibilities for thousands of people.
What do you do when you begin appreciating miracles? There is only one appropriate response: praise God, who has given us life and all these good things. None of us has done anything to deserve the blessings that we have received; yet, God continues to demonstrate His faithfulness.
“But what about those people who don’t have all these blessings?” you might ask. “Are they bad people? Does God really love them as much as He loves me?” Yes. God loves those people. But look what happened to the Israelites; they turned their backs on God and suffered the consequences. God wanted Israel to be a blessing to the nations, but the Israelites thought their blessings were only for themselves.
God has not blessed us so that we can hoard blessings. Blessings are given to be poured out to others. Begin today to ask God how He wants you to share all your blessings.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Thank You for the blessings You have given us. Help us to share those blessings wherever You lead us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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