Daily Bible – No. 8

February 19-25, 2017

“After the Lord your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, ‘The Lord has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.” It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the Lord your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.'”

Deuteronomy 9:4-5 (NIV)

Too often, I think, I fall into this trap that lets me think that I have accomplished something spiritually; that I have taken possession of my place in the Kingdom due to my own righteousness. What a mistake: to receive God’s grace and His blessings and then to convince myself somehow that I have done something worthy of those blessings.

It was God who miraculously delivered Israel from Egyptian bondage. It was God who provided food and water. It was God who gave victory over the enemy. It was God who visibly led Israel – day and night – and protected them. But it was not because Israel deserved these things; it was because God is faithful to His promises and loves His people.

To make this point clearly, Moses reminds the nation of Israel of their sins, their weaknesses, and their grumbling. He reminds them of the many times that, despite their insolence and rebellion and lack of gratitude, God continued to go before Israel and pave the way to the Promised Land. He reminds them of the many times He forgave – when a mere man or a phony God never would have.

Does this sound familiar? We are so predictable. When things go well, we take the credit. When things go poorly, we ask God where He is. When life is smooth, we must be doing something right; but, when life is bumpy, life is doing something wrong.

What does God ask of us?

To walk with Him.

To love Him.

To serve Him.

To obey Him.

He doesn’t ask us to earn His love. He simply asks us to believe that He is who He says He is; to be faithful to Him and Him alone.
“And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?”

Deuteronomy 10:12-13 (NIV)

To walk and love and serve and obey is to be faithful. It is a clear demonstration that we do, indeed, believe that He is (Hebrews 11:6). But it is not my love or service or obedience that causes God to do for me. God does for me because He is always faithful to His promises.

He promised Canaan to Abraham’s descendants, and He will deliver.

But He also asked Israel to believe. And to act as though they believe.

God can. And He will.

All He asks is that we believe.