Deuteronomy 1 - Faith AND the Law, not Faith OR the Law
The beginning of a study through Deuteronomy begins with Moses starting a sermon to the Israelite people before they proceed to enter the Promised Land. There is a lot to be applied here, especially in the reminders of Israel's previous failures to trust in God that got the older generation including Moses banned from seeing the end of the exodus from Egypt.
The first reminder Moses brings is their untrusting suggestion that they should send spies into the land first not trusting God that the land would be good. Too often we reject God, thinking He does not know everything and wants what is good for us. We treat God like we deserve what is good in our own eyes rather than trusting that God sees far better than we do. We don't need to send spies off in our own lives to check out where God is leading us before we make the decision to follow. We need to trust God and follow Him immediately. He does nothing but prove His trustworthiness and we need to always be reflecting on the times when God's plan worked out for good in the end rather than the current rut we find ourselves in.
In this reminder, Moses makes it clear that it was a lack of faith that prevented them from entering the Promised Land, not sin. This is a very telling emphasis for Christians as it shows that above all, God cares about where the heart is and does not obsess over every time we fail to live up to the Law. We improve our relationship with God through trust and time spent with Him, something that I find myself constantly failing in. Thankfully I find it easy to trust God, but that trust should lead to more gratitude and time spent in prayer and the Word.
Finally, Moses reminds them of their attempt to war for the land without God's approval after an insincere repentance of their previous lack of faith. How often do we rush into something without waiting on God's approval or direction? Oftentimes decisions are made in life out of passion or emotion, even when it comes to many people's marriages. There always needs to be time set aside to truly reflect on these kinds of decisions before God and make sure it is not just some fleeting emotion leading us in a direction. Commitment is a choice, not a feeling or emotion that is followed.
I pray for more motivation and a deepening fire for God in continuing this study. It was very much so getting down to embers for me and this chapter was an excellent reminder of where my heart needs to be. A fire that is always grateful for what God has done in my life must be powering my trust that God will do what is right for me in the future. A grateful heart spends time thanking and getting to know the One who did these things for me in the first place.