It is helpful for us to remember that when God makes a promise, he keeps it. His word is most definitely true. Moses reminds the people of that yet again. It is also helpful for us to remember that these words are spoken as part of the Old Covenant God made with his people. There was such a focus on being obedient. The people we were rewarded for their obedience and cursed when they disobeyed. There was a focus on earning and deserving. That’s not the same way things work now.
Jesus came and brought with him the New Covenant. He took on flesh, and he was our sacrificial lamb. We are cleansed and our righteousness is in Jesus. Now the focus is on believing and receiving. Our blessing comes from having faith in Jesus. Jesus bore our sins and failings in obedience on the cross. Our response and desire to please God and do his will comes from our gratitude to our Savior.
With all that is happening in the world we can be sure God knows and has not been caught unaware. Some people blame God for what is going wrong in the world. Why is that? It is obvious that God is allowing it to happen, or it wouldn’t be happening. I like verse, “you must not test the Lord your God as you did when you complained at Massah.” The reference here is from Exodus 17 when the people doubted God’s love for them. Anytime we question God, we are testing him. Anytime we demand something of God we are testing him.
Jesus used these words to refute Satan when he was being tempted in the wilderness. Jesus refused to test God and so must we. God doesn’t need to prove himself to us. We have plenty of examples in the Bible where the mightiness of God has prevailed. We have likely seen the hand of God in our own lives when we accomplish something that we never could have done on our own.
God’s word is true. When everything around us seems to be falling apart, we have the truth and promises of God. We can be an encouragement to others as well. Moses tells the people to be sure to tell their children. It’s important that we keep the tradition alive. You have a story of how your life has been transformed. It may not be as dramatic as the exodus from Egypt, but that’s okay. You can tell your story. Your story of how God moved in your life and transformed you.
Let’s pray… Lord, thank you for how you are moving in my life. I rely on you every hour for strength, confidence, and peace. There is so much going on around me, it would be easy to get sucked into negativity and fear. Shield me from that. Give me the boldness to tell my story and be a light in this dark world. Thank you for each opportunity you give me. May I shine my light for Jesus. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
