In today’s reading, Moses talks heart-to-heart with Israel. Moses knows Israel! He knows well the generation that died in the wilderness and this second generation from the last forty years. Moses also knows God! He reveals God’s purpose in the previous forty years of wandering and the main challenge ahead with the riches of their coming inheritance.
Do not forget that he (God) led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock! He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to humble you and test you for your own good. He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’ Remember the LORD your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath. (Deuteronomy 8:15–18, NLT)
While the first generation died off for their unbelief, God taught the second generation humility during those forty years. This was not a time of punishment. This was preparation for the coming blessing. Without this foundation of humility, they didn’t stand a chance against the success God would give them. So God fed them one main diet, and they made do with what they had- for forty years! Notice what Moses says about the coming blessing!
“But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful! Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 8:11–14, NLT)
I have noticed this same dynamic in my life. The challenge is to remain humble and remember God when things go well. Today’s reading in Deuteronomy ends with Moses saying this…
You must fear the Lord your God and worship him and cling to him. Your oaths must be in his name alone. He alone is your God, the only one who is worthy of your praise, the one who has done these mighty miracles that you have seen with your own eyes. (Deuteronomy 10:20–21, NLT)
In other words, whether you are in poverty or wealth, sick or healthy, in good times or troubled times, focus on neither. Instead, in humility, focus on God! He is worthy of our praise regardless of the situation, for we are utterly dependent upon Him in all things!
Are you in a season of humbling before God? Embrace it! God’s preparing you for a future He has planned for you! Without the foundation of humility, you wouldn’t stand a chance against success. Love, worship, and cling to God all the more; forget not to praise him!
Are you abounding? Are things going well? Feeling good? The only way you will survive this is through humility! You are still utterly dependent on God for your daily bread. Focus not on the abundance, or it will imprison your focus. All the more love, worship, and cling to God! Forget not to praise Him!
Today’s chronological reading: Deuteronomy 8-10