Deuteronomy 11:1 – 7 “You shall therefore love the LORD your God and always keep His charge, His statutes, His ordinances, and His commandments.
Know this day that it is not your children who have known and seen the discipline of the LORD your God: His greatness, His mighty hand, and His outstretched arm; the signs and works He did in Egypt to Pharaoh king of Egypt and all his land; what He did to the Egyptian army and horses and chariots when He made the waters of the Red Sea engulf them as they pursued you, and how He destroyed them completely, even to this day; what He did for you in the wilderness until you reached this place; and what He did in the midst of all the Israelites to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, their households, their tents, and every living thing that belonged to them. For it is your own eyes that have seen every great work that the LORD has done.”
Moses is still giving a recap to the second generation of Israelites about the great things that God has done throughout the journey through the wilderness. If the Israelites had trusted God in the first place, they would not have spent 40 years wandering in the desert, but they would have entered the Promised Land swiftly. In these verses Moses is reminding the Israelites of the things that he told their parents. It was the parents of this generation who witnessed the plagues of Egypt and who walked through the Red Sea on dry land. It was those same people who watched as Pharaoh’s army was wiped out, consumed by the flood waters.
Moses moves on to describe other signs and wonders the Israelites have witnessed, including the time when the earth opened up and swallowed Dathan and Abiram and their entire households. Why is Moses recounting all these things?
It’s tough to believe, but the Israelites really seem to have lousy memories! Events that would have already become legends to the tribes surrounding them have left these people curiously unmoved. It’s difficult to understand how anyone can possibly have witnessed even one of the plagues or one of the other miracles without being impressed for the rest of their lives. Moses is trying to remind the Israelites because they NEED to remember. Those signs and wonders are going to be part of the fabric of the Jewish religion from this time to eternity.
APPLICATION: Many times we wish fervently that we could see even one small miracle, just something that would encourage us in our faith. But are we really looking for miracles or are we expecting God to hit us in the head with something?
Recent archaeological discoveries suggest that in fact Pharaoh’s army actually was wiped out. Throughout the desert, camp sites of the ancient Israelites have been discovered. Even the manna has its basis in fact, although creating enough manna to feed two million people would definitely qualify as a miracle. But what miracles do we see?
As a physician, I am continually amazed at the miraculous workings of the human body. There is no part of the body that is not highly complex. Each time I operate, I wonder again at the beauty of the tissues I am handling, and I beg God to help me restore His handiwork as much as possible.
Want demonstrations of power? Tornadoes, hurricanes, typhoons, tsunamis, lightning storms all show the power of God and the inability of men to control nature. Even if you consider something as simple as a single leaf from any tree, the more you study it, the more magnificent it is.
“But,” you argue, ”these things are merely natural phenomena.” These things are only natural in that they are found in nature; however, to ignore the God who has created them is to be spiritually blind.
Despite Moses’ best efforts, the Israelites repeatedly turned their backs on God and ignored His wonders, His goodness, and His grace. In the end, they paid a terrible price for doing so. God is still looking for those who will love Him and who will appreciate His magnificent creations. The choice is ours. We can choose the artificial, the stimulating, the tantalizing things men have created, burying our noses in our electronic gadgets. Or we can look outside ourselves and see God’s wonders, then love and worship Him. The choice is ours; however, one way leads to spiritual death and the other to eternal life. Choose wisely.
APPLICATION: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Help us to appreciate Your miraculous creation and to worship You. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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