near Mt. Celo Church. God provides so much beauty for our enjoyment.
He definitely "does all things well", and it is such a pleasure to worship Him!
What a wonderful study for today! On a personal level, I think this 4th chapter of Deuteronomy may contain more information about God than perhaps any passage in the Bible. I listed at least 30 statements concerning God from this one chapter. (Any time we read about things God does, it helps keep what He does in perspective by keeping in mind that "God is love" (I John 4:8.)
Psalm 36:7-9, would make an excellent passage to begin a prayer with. The phrase "And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures" conveys a beautiful message regarding God's love for us. The psalmists under the inspiration of God certainly had a way with words!
In today’s reading, Moses reminds us of a parent giving his children final instructions before leaving. Moses was leaving—not to take a short trip--he would be going up on a mountain to die! No less than four times in this chapter does Moses tell Israel to “take heed” to what he is telling them. Moses knows the people well after dealing with their carnality and lack of faith in God for forty years in the wilderness. This calls to mind the fact that God also knows us well--even better than we know ourselves.
One of Moses' big concerns was that the people would carve out idols for worship. We are all born with the desire to worship--God placed that in us when He created us for His glory (Isaiah 43:7). Moses reminded them twice in this chapter that they "saw no form" when they heard God's voice at Horeb. Today, we see images involved in worship that include everything that Moses warned the Israelites not to make. And today, we find many who recognize "Mother Nature" over God. Moses told Israel in verse 19, to once again "take heed" and when they see the wonders of the heavens and "feel driven to worship them and serve them", to remember this: "the Lord your God has given (them) to all the people under the whole heaven as a heritage". While we stand in awe of the creation, we are not to worship it. (How many cultures are known for worshiping the sun and moon?) We are not to fall prey to worshiping the creation rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25)!
The key to finding God is found in Deuteronomy 4:29. In this passage, Israel is given hope for the time that would occur when they would be scattered among other nations because of their idolatrous practices: "But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul". God's purpose for our suffering is always to turn our hearts to Him. This passage even includes a prophetic word concerning "the latter days": "When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice (for the Lord your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you. . ." (We might want to write that down somewhere!)
The Gospel of Luke brings another perspective to events surrounding Christ's birth. I found a bit of humor in the account of Gabriel speaking to Zacharias in the temple. Of course Zacharias was fearful when he saw the angel! Gabriel delivered the message from God to him. Zacharias responded with, "I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years". Gabriel's answer is awesome: "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God". (I can just hear Gabriel adding, "so there!") What a lesson for us! We have such a human tendency to focus on ourselves, we would probably answer from a self-centered point of view just as Zacharias did--even in the presence of the angel Gabriel--the angel that stands in God's presence! No wonder God says humility is so valuable (Proverbs 22:4)!
I want to share just a few of the 30 statements found in Deuteronomy that shine light on who God is:
--God destroyed those who followed false gods
--God is near to His people
--God's word is our wisdom and understanding
--His people may call on Him for whatever reason (I love this one!)
--We are to pass on the knowledge of God to our children and grandchildren (are we doing this?)
--God is angry when we do evil in His sight and it can result in our destruction
--God created man on earth
--There is no other God besides the Creator
--Keeping His commandments will result in things going well for us and for our children
--God is a merciful God; He will not forsake His people, destroy them, nor forsake His covenant with us
I trust you are coming to know God and His love for you in this study. I hope you can join me in making these words in Psalms 116:13, personal for you: "I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord"!
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