Burunche’s Blog

Deuteronomy 6:10 – 19 “And when the LORD your God brings you into the land He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that He would give you—a land with great and splendid cities that you did not build, with houses full of every good thing with which you did not fill them, with wells that you did not dig, and with vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant—and when you eat and are satisfied, be careful not to forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

It’s an amazing thing about human nature; when things are going poorly, we want to blame God, but when things are going well, we want to take credit. In fact, the reverse is actually true, and God is making that clear to the Israelites. The Promised Land is no fixer – upper! God is promising to give the Israelites “a land with great and splendid cities that you did not build, with houses full of every good thing with which you did not fill them, with wells that you did not dig, and with vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.” Pretty good deal, right? God is promising that once the Israelites have conquered the tribes currently occupying Canaan, they are going to move into ready – made situations. But there is a catch: God knows that once the Israelites begin enjoying prosperity, they will begin to congratulate themselves, as though they have somehow deserved all this bounty. And in the midst of that self – self admiration, the Israelites are likely to forget the God who has made all this possible in the first place.

Think about it. All the time the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness, someone in Canaan was building houses and planting olive groves and vineyards. Even though those in Canaan had no idea what would eventually happen, God knew and was already designating things for various people. “This olive grove will belong to Shemuel; that vineyard will be Daniel’s. That house is going to shelter the Bar Joseph family.”

You would think that when the Israelites actually entered the Promised Land and began enjoying all these good things, that they would praise God and worship Him in gratitude forever. Unfortunately, as the stories in the Book of Judges demonstrate, the Israelites proved to have short memories!

“Fear the LORD your God, serve Him only, and take your oaths (only) in His name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you. For the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God. Otherwise the anger of the LORD your God will be kindled against you, and He will wipe you off the face of the earth.

Do not test the LORD your God as you tested Him at Massah. (“Massah” means “testing.”) You are to diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God and the testimonies and statutes He has commanded you. Do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD, so that it may be well with you and that you may enter and possess the good land that the LORD your God swore to give your fathers, driving out all your enemies before you, as the LORD has said.”

God has already made His promises; now He is warning what will happen if the Israelites fail to obey Him completely. Later on, the prophet Samuel tells King Saul that “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience to His voice? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and attentiveness is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance is like the wickedness of idolatry.” (1 Samuel 15:22 – 23)

APPLICATION: We are no better than the Isaelites! Most of the time, we cry out for deliverance, and then as soon as God gets us out of our messes, we turn around and say, “Thanks, Lord! I can take it from here!” And that’s when we generally fall flat on our faces. Notice the words God uses here. ““Fear the LORD your God, serve Him only, and take your oaths (only) in His name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you. For the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God. Otherwise the anger of the LORD your God will be kindled against you, and He will wipe you off the face of the earth.” Human nature has not changed. We must ask God to help us guard our hearts so that we will follow Him and nothing else. In a day dominated by a flood of social media, single – heartedness seems ever more difficult to achieve than ever before.

“Do not test the LORD your God as you tested Him at Massah. The story of Massah is told in Exodus 17. Massah was the first place in the wilderness where the Israelites ran out of water and threatened to stone Moses. God graciously allowed Moses to strike a huge rock with his staff and water gushed forth. Moses called the place “Massah” and Meribah,” meaning “testing and quarreling.” God warns the Israelites to DILIGENTLY keep the commandments and to do “what is right and good in the sight of the Lord.”

Today, we need to ask God to help us avoid the mistakes made by the Israelites. We must realize that only the grace of God has kept us alive thus far and that any blessings we enjoy are from God and not because we are special sinless people. We need to express our love and gratitude to God by finding His Will for our lives and then obeying it, not arguing or complaining. God is looking for people who will follow Him completely so that He can bless them.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us! Thank you, that Your Will for our lives is for us to enjoy Your goodness and mercy. Guide us so that we will follow Your plan for our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Deuteronomy 6:1 – 9 “These are the commandments and statutes and ordinances that the LORD your God has instructed me to teach you to follow in the land that you are about to enter and possess, so that you and your children and grandchildren may fear the LORD your God all the days of your lives by keeping all His statutes and commandments that I give you, and so that your days may be prolonged. Hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe them, so that you may prosper and multiply greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you.

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts. And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.

God has already told the Israelites that he did not choose them because they were the biggest or most important nation. God has chosen Israel because He wants Israel to be a shining light to the nations, so that others will see the glory of the One True Living God. God wants all the people of the earth to come to Him and to worship Him. People are interested in what works; if other nations see that the Israelites are living holy lives and that God is blessing them abundantly, they too will want to worship the God of Israel.

“Shema Yisrael, Adonai Elohenu, Adonai Echad!” The words of Deuteronomy 6:4 have been repeated in every synagogue throughout the world for centuries. But more than that, those same words were on the lips of believing Jews as they went to the gas chambers in Nazi Germany, or when they were martyred for their faith.

What’s so important about the fact that the Lord is only one God? God is telling the Israelites that He is the only true God. All the surrounding peoples worship a panoply of gods, depending on the needs of the moment. But these are demons and not the One True Living God.

Since God is the One True Living God, He is truly worthy of all worship and all praise at all times. True worship does not consist in standing with a group of people in a church or synagogue. True worship begins with acknowledging that God truly rules our lives and is all – powerful, all – knowing, all – merciful, all – just, and all – loving. To worship God means that we give Him first place in our lives, searching for His Will and then following it.

God knows that people really are like sheep. Sheep wander along, searching for tender blades of grass, many times without realizing where they are going. People are easily distracted and can readily wander off on spiritual or mental tangents. This tendency to become distracted is why God is ordering the Israelites not only to teach their children His commandments throughout the day, but to even write them on the doorposts of their houses as a constant reminder.

APPLICATION: Many times we feel that we don’t have time to read God’s Word, let alone teach it to our children. But it’s all a matter of priorities. There is a famous illustration about the use of time using rocks of different sizes. The big rocks represent major priorities while small rocks and sand represent the less important stuff. If you place your big rocks into a container first, the other smaller things will find a space in the container. But if you dump all your small rocks and sand into the container first, there will be no room for the big rocks. Likewise, when we fail to make reading God’s Word and teaching it to our children a number one priority, the urgent affairs of our day will crowd in, leaving us exhausted at nightfall.

One suggestion is to set the alarms on your cell phone so that every few hours, you can stop and read a few verses and then continue with your work. Personally, my husband and I both read our Bibles and pray first thing in the morning. In the village in which we work, those who have wants or problems will begin appearing on our doorstep by 6 AM. If we haven’t read our Bibles by then, it may be difficult to catch up later on.

Many people have found that writing Bible verses they want to remember on small cards and posting them around their houses helps. This practice is particularly useful if you are going through some trial and need to be reminded of Gods’ love and care for you. Those battling depression may find this practice very useful; once you have the cards posted where you can see them readily, you may find they have formed a life line of hope.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for Your Word! Thank You for giving us guidance so that we can live long and fruitful lives. Help us to diligently teach our children, so that they too may live long and fruitful lives as well. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.