Day 85

Deuteronomy 5:1–6:25; Luke 7:11-35; Psalm 68:19-35; Proverbs 11:29-31

THE PASSIONATE, PLEADING voice of Moses was loud and clear in Deuteronomy today. He practically begged the people to remember what he was saying. This was for good reason. The truth he was communicating was their only hope for survival, the only path toward the life they had been waiting so long to enjoy.

“Listen closely, Israel, and be careful to obey,” Moses said. “Then all will go well with you, and you will have many children in the land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, promised you” (Deuteronomy 6:3).

Moses then recited the Ten Commandments —commandments that have endured and touched the entire planet since they were given. These fundamental decrees shape a godly life and are worth considering and meditating on. This is what Moses begged of the people, and it is no less important today.

Next, Moses fervently summarized his message, with words that echo his urgency:

Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Essentially, Moses told us that our relationship with God is shaped by our love, commitment, and constant awareness of His commands. God’s commands must touch every corner and crevice of our lives. They must be something we are constantly present to and continually remind ourselves of. They are the primary thread that sews the fabric of our lives together in thought, word, and deed.

The passion of Moses was for a specific people, at a specific time, who lived under specific circumstances. But his urgency was for a reason. He knew that when the people were no longer living within the crush of the wilderness, they would be provided with every opportunity to disobey and forget —and, as we will see as we continue through the Scripture, they will do both. It’s important for us to hear the determination in Moses’ words because we face the same challenges. The path that leads to life is laid out clearly. The choice is ours to make. But if we forget our identity and precisely how our lives are sustained, we will most certainly falter.

WORSHIP:

Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms. Our God is a God who saves!