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- What attributes of God’s character does this passage reveal?
- How does the passage point to Jesus?
- How should the truth of this passage change me?
- How do the events of today’s reading help you better understand the grand narrative of Scripture?
Deut. 1
“Don’t go up and fight, for I am not with you to keep you from being defeated by your enemies.” (Deut. 1:42b). I think I need to keep that statement plastered everywhere I look. I have mentioned before my tendency to go charging into life just assuming God is with me. If an idea or plan of action seems good or right to me, off I go. It’s not that I’m not seeking God in my life. I’m just not always very intentional about seeking Him in every situation. As I mentioned a couple days ago, however, and as the Israelites so clearly demonstrated here, I have no power when I go my own way. It is God who keeps me from defeat. I would do well to make every effort to ensure that I stay plugged into His power before making any decision or taking any action.
Deut. 2-3
I don’t know that I have any solid thoughts or insights from these two chapters right now, but I do have a few observations and questions.
- Israel was not the only one God gave land to. He also gave a possession to the descendants of Esau, Israel’s brother, and the two nations that descended from Lot – Moab and Ammon. Why those three? I know they had a connection to Abraham, but so did a lot of other people. Perhaps this goes back to the blessings on Shem and curses on Ham, the sons of Noah.
- I also notice that much of the land of Canaan – the land God gave to all four of the mentioned nations – was previously occupied by giants. Where did the giants come from? I know there are theories about the sons of God and daughters of men mentioned in Genesis, but God destroyed everyone in the flood except for Noah’s immediate family. It seems humanity revisited their pre-flood sins.
- Moses gives another Biblical example of a Godly man asking something of God that God does not give him. He begged the Lord to let him cross into the Promised Land, but God only allowed him to see it from the top of Pisgah. This is further evidence that when Jesus made statements like, “If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” (Jn. 14:14), He meant something deeper than what the surface meaning implies. Clearly, I need to seek God’s understanding.