“But you have seen with your own eyes all these great deeds of Adonai.Therefore, you are to keep every mitzvah I am giving you today; so that you will be strong enough to go in and take possession of the land you are crossing over to conquer…”-Deuteronomy 11:7-8
Keep in mind that here in Deuteronomy Moses is speaking to a combination of those who were young adults when Israel first fled Egypt (those now in their fifties and sixties) as well as those who were born during Israel’s wilderness travels and thus would NOT have personally experienced everything Moses was talking about.
Note verse 2 which says…“Today it is you I am addressing — not your children, who haven’t known or experienced the discipline of Adonai your God, his greatness, his strong hand, his outstretched arm…”
Moses’ point here is profound.
He is making it clear to Israel that they are not to trust God based on blind faith alone.
Why?
Because many of those standing alongside them were actual eyewitnesses to what had happened in Egypt and had personally experienced the Lord’s severe discipline.
Their memories of the 40 years of Wilderness wandering were quite vivid in their minds.
To the older folks in the crowd, it was as if the events Moses was recounting happened yesterday.
You may be wondering, didn’t the 1st generation of Exodus have to die off before God would allow Israel to enter into the Promised Land?
Yes, that’s true but recall the cutoff age was 20 years and older at the time of the Egyptian Passover.
Remember, the age of 20 was considered to be the age of personal accountability.
It is this group who are now standing alongside the younger second generation of those who were born in the Wilderness.
Finally, notice verse 8: “Therefore, you are to keep every command I am giving you today; so that you will be strong enough to go in and take possession of the land you are crossing over to conquer;”
If Israel wants to experience the blessings of what God has in store for them in the Promised Land, then they must obey God’s commands.
God is making it clear that just because they were chosen or just because one was born a Hebrew does NOT mean blessings would automatically rain down upon them.
They had to be obedient to the covenant they had just entered into.
I hate to keep belaboring this point but darn it, it’s that important.
OBEDIENCE was the key that unlocked the door to blessings for Israel.
Leave a Reply