Deuteronomy 29:1-15 “These are the words of the covenant that the LORD commanded Moses to make with the Israelites in the land of Moab, in addition to the covenant He had made with them at Horeb.
Moses summoned all Israel and proclaimed to them, “You have seen with your own eyes everything the LORD did in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his officials, and to all his land. You saw with your own eyes the great trials, and those miraculous signs and wonders. Yet to this day the LORD has not given you a mind to understand, eyes to see, or ears to hear.
During the forty years I led you in the wilderness, neither your clothes nor the sandals on your feet wore out. You ate no bread and drank no wine or strong drink, so that you might know that I am the LORD your God. When you reached this place, Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan came out against us in battle, but we defeated them. We took their land and gave it as an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. So keep and follow the words of this covenant, that you may prosper in all you do.
All of you are standing today before the LORD your God—you leaders of tribes, elders, officials, and all the men of Israel, you children, wives, and the foreigners in your camps who cut your wood and draw your water— so that you may enter into the covenant of the LORD your God, which He is making with you today, and into His oath, and so that He may establish you today as His people, and He may be your God as He promised you and as He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 4I am making this covenant and this oath not only with you, but also with those who are standing here with us today in the presence of the LORD our God, as well as with those who are not here today.”
Even though the Israelites made a covenant with God at Mount Sinai, that was forty years ago. The only people left from that generation are Joshua, Caleb, and Moses himself. Now that covenant needs to be renewed and expanded. Here Moses makes the following points:
- Moses reminds the Israelites of all the signs and wonders that God has done for them, miracles that they still fail to fully appreciate.
- Moses reminds the Israelites of how God has cared for them in the wilderness, even feeding them and allowing their shoes and clothing to survive.
- Moses is calling everyone present as witnesses and participants in this new covenant, even the foreign servants. At the same time, Moses is also reinforcing the fact that this covenant will extend for all the generations of those currently present.
APPLICATION: We today may think that we only enter into contracts for ourselves; however, those in the ancient world had a totally different perspective. Covenants were considered binding, not only on those who originally entered into them, but also on their descendants for all generations.
For a description of the ceremony of “cutting covenant,” check out Genesis 15. The practice was to cut a certain number of animals and birds in two and then the two partners of the covenant would walk around and between the parts of the animals, swearing that if they did not uphold the covenant, something similar should happen to them!
Moses wants the people to understand that God is serious about his part of the bargain. Today, many of us scarcely think about God, let alone about His faithfulness and His consistency.
The good news for us is that because God has not changed, His promises also have not changed. If we will only trust God, He will bless us spiritually and physically. The problem is that sometimes spiritual blessings require physical suffering and endurance. The prophet Jeremiah wrote in Lamentations 3:22 – 23 “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
Burunche's Blog 
January 13, 2022 at 6:29 pm
good as always.