Deuteronomy 8:11 – 20 “Be careful not to forget the LORD your God by failing to keep His commandments and ordinances and statutes, which I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses in which to dwell, and when your herds and flocks grow large, your silver and gold increase, and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud, and you will forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
He led you through the vast and terrifying wilderness with its venomous snakes and scorpions, a thirsty and waterless land. He brought you water from the rock of flint. He fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers had not known, in order to humble you and test you, so that in the end He might cause you to prosper.
You may say in your heart, “The power and strength of my hands have made this wealth for me.” But remember that it is the LORD your God who gives you the power to gain wealth, in order to confirm His covenant that He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
If you ever forget the LORD your God and go after other gods to worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish. Like the nations the LORD has destroyed before you, so you will perish if you do not obey the LORD your God.”
If there is one theme throughout the Book of Deuteronomy, it is “REMEMBER!!!!!!!”
*Remember God’s commandments and ordinances and statutes.
*Remember the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
*Remember how God protected you in the vast and terrifying wilderness with venomous snakes and scorpions.
*Remember how God brought you water and fed you.
*Remember that it is the Lord your God who gives you the power to gain wealth, in order to confirm His covenant with your fathers.
Why is God so insistent? God knows human nature. We might remember an offense forever, but we can forget blessings in a heartbeat. We might be able to repeat our favorite song lyrics, but memorize God’s Word? Nope! Too much trouble.
At the same time, God is also warning the Israelites of the natural consequences if they fail to remember Him and go after other gods. The Israelites will die just like the nations God has already wiped out. There will be mass destruction and it will be horrible beyond belief. Later on, when the Israelites have completely deserted God, He allows the Assyrians to conquer them. The Assyrians were “Lords of torture,” who engaged in flaying, amputating, and impaling their captives. Just reading a description of Assyrian cruelties is sickening. (https://medium.com/lessons-from-history/assyrians-torture-60fabb7a9642)
APPLICATION: Reading these accounts, it’s hard to believe that the Israelites refused to believe God was serious. But the big problem is this: the Israelites failed to remember and they failed to teach their children to remember as well.
Many families have narratives in which they can recount what happened to their parents, their grandparents, and even their great grandparents. Traditionally, in Africa and other parts of the world, villages would have someone specially trained to keep alive the memories and traditions of that place and that tribe. Many people groups without written languages have long memories.
Proverbs 30:8-9 says,”Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’
Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.”
One day, a rich young leader asked Jesus what he had to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus told this man to go and sell everything that he had and give the proceeds to the poor, and then to come follow Jesus. The man sadly left, and Jesus told his disciples, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” The “eye of a needle” here might be a reference to a very narrow gate in Jerusalem; on the other hand, there are some scholars who feel that this passage should have been translated to refer to a thick rope being threaded through the eye of a needle. Either way, Jesus was telling his followers that riches could be a major impediment to entering the kingdom of God.
But is it impossible for someone wealthy to be a practicing Christian? No, it is quite possible. Consider the example of R. G. LeTourneau. LeTourneau was the inventor of much of the modern earth moving equipment still in use today. According to LeTourneau’s biography, he began by tithing ten per cent of his income and then kept increasing that amount. By the end of LeTourneau’s career, he had founded a Christian university, aided innumerable worthy causes, and was tithing ninety per cent of his income each year.
If you are truly following God, then you must consider all your assets and possessions as a trust from Him, something you are holding until God needs you to deliver it to those whom He chooses. Hold things lightly and do not let money stick to your fingers. This does not mean that you should be foolish; such behavior does not glorify God. But all those who follow the Heavenly Father must remember that we are sinners saved by grace through the blood sacrifice made for us by Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary. Without the mercy and grace of God, all of us are lost and wealth means nothing.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Help us to view everything that You have given us as a trust from You, to be given to others as You direct. Thank You that if we are faithful to do this, You will continue to pour out more blessings so that we can be channels of blessing to others. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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