Our reading today starts with the reminder to give back to God the first fruits. This is done to show our thanks and obedience. Even today we have our own practices of giving. The idea of bringing actual food as an offering doesn’t happen, at least in the culture I grew up. Instead, we give our money, a portion of the wealth God has blessed us with, as an offering.
When we bring our gifts, we should remember and declare, as is shown here, what God has done for us. He has surely rescued us from harm, given us great blessing, and loved us when we weren’t the most lovable. We all have a story. I’m sure there are many stories we can think of where God has intervened. We may not have realized it at the time, but looking back we know it had to be God. We should never forget how God has moved in our lives, just like Moses is telling the people to never forget Egypt and God’s hand of deliverance.
Then the Chapter concludes with a call to declare, promise, and obey. It seems to be a culmination of all the decrees and regulations Moses has been sharing. We’ve broken it down over days, but it is likely that Moses’ speech had been ongoing for hours on one day. That is a lot of information to digest. Moses said, “Today the Lord your God has commanded you to obey all these decrees and regulations. So be careful to obey them wholeheartedly.“
God played a huge role here in giving Moses these words for the people. Not only are the people declaring the Lord is their God, but God is declaring in return that the people are his, his own precious treasure. Now I know we weren’t standing in the crowd that day, but we, too, can declare God to be our Father, Redeemer, Friend, Guide, Savior, Creator, and so forth. The Lord is our God, too. We are God’s children, his precious treasure.
It is not enough to simply declare the Lord is our God. Talk is cheap, they say. Our actions need to match our words. Just as God has promised to redeem and save us, we need to make our promise to God to be true to him. We read several readings ago to not make a vow to God we cannot keep. This is serious business. If our hearts are full of ugliness and untruth, blinding us from the beauty of God, keeping us from trusting him with our life, we need to work on that first. With pure hearts we can heartily promise to follow God and do it.
When we are in a place where we can promise without reservation, our obedience simply follows. It’s hard to be obedient when you aren’t 100% committed. Do you sometimes falter in your obedience? Me, too. When I catch myself, I realize that I have let my guard down or been weakened by some life experience or circumstance. It can happen in an instant.
God has made many promises to us that we can rely on. Being familiar with them helps us bounce back quickly when those mishaps or missteps happen. They will. We are human. We sin. We fall short. But knowing our own weakness is not an excuse to be lazy. We should be fueled by the promises of God. In our weakness, God can and will do great things.
What are you struggling with today? Be honest with yourself. There is something that isn’t working out like you had planned. That “you” had planned. I know, because I’m right there with you. It’s hard to wait on God sometimes. We are used to instant gratification. Take some time today to just breathe in deeply, asking God’s spirit to flow over you with peace.
Let’s pray…Lord God, I am feeling a sense of urgency today, perhaps even a bit anxious. Help me to calm my heart. I know you are right here with me. Please guide my steps and help me to reflect you in all I say and do. Ground me. Help me to push through. I want to be obedient to your call on my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
