In the desert they could not produce their own food but had to depend on God for
food and, thus, for their very lives. When Moses reminded them that they did not
live on bread alone, he meant that even their food was decreed by the Word of God.
They had manna because it came by His command. It was therefore ultimately
not bread that kept them alive but His Word! . . .It is significant that each
of the three temptations were met by a quote from the Book of Deuteronomy.
(Quoted from Chuck Missler)
Do we trust God to provide for us and be there for us - every day, in every thing, in every way, at all times? I'm learning to, are you? Is His Word keeping you alive? I want to put into practice some of the ideas from Natalie's post on Wednesday to keep His Word alive and before me at all times.
I found an interesting side note in my Amplified Bible concerning the two tablets of stone that Moses recalls here in this chapter. Since my son is an archaeologist, it got my attention quickly. I had never really thought of this before - just keep picturing in my mind those HUGE tablets!!
One of the many misconceptions of articles and events mentioned in the Bible,
which have been innocently perpetrated by artists without adequate knowledge,
is that of the size of the two tables of stone on which the Ten Commandments
were written. They were not great tombstone-sized slabs, but probably small
rectangular plates, two of which could easily be carried in one hand. Dr. George L.
Robinson brought from the Sinai area a pair of "tables of stone" believed
comparable to those mentioned here, which he put in his coat pocket. Moses
says here, "I went up the mountain with the two tables of stone in
my (one) hand."
"And what does the Lord require of you . . ." Here is God's command not only for the Israelites to live accordingly in the Promised Land, but to us as well. Love God with your whole heart and extend that love to others - not only the "lovely" but the "sojourner," the outcast, the unlovely. Moses reminded the people of what happened (i.e., the golden calf) when they turned away from loving God with their whole heart. And what do I do when I "turn away" from my first love? I get selfish, angry, possessive, self-righteous, and rebellious, disobedient.
Obedience is the evidence of what is in our hearts and our love for God. Obedience means trusting God, serving Him, following his commandments, loving others. God give us your grace to be obedient in all things.
Amen Barbara! What a great post- and what great verses. I loved that you put the little tidbit in there about the stone tablets- I wondered that Moses (an old man at this point) could carry such huge heavy stones! I was convicted and encouraged by this reading today. I'm thinking some of those last verses from chapter 10 may need to be memory verses for me! :)
ReplyDeleteMore reminding. Reminding the people that they didn't do it themselves. Reminding the people of their desolate condition in Egypt if not for God. Reminding them to keep His commandments.
ReplyDeleteAnd the part that spoke to me so powerfully this morning.....Reminding them of the consequence of forgetting Him. "Make sure you don't become so full of yourself and your things that you forget God, your God...If you forget, forget God, your God, and start taking up with other gods, serving and worshiping them, I'm on record right now as giving you firm warning: that will be the end of you; I mean it—destruction." (MSG.)
This was not a fear tactic, or an empty threat. This is life without God. OH, the many things I can fit in the day before spending time with Him, the One Who gave me this day to begin with! What a "reminder", but a fresh conviction. Thank You, Lord.
Jeanette said......Barbarba, I, too, liked what you said about the tablets being small. When I read that God said fashion a box to put the tablets in, I thought maybe it was so if they were dropped again, they would be protected from breakage??? Good post!
ReplyDeleteBarbara, you painted an excellent picture of the tablets. These verses are coming to life every day. Deuteronomy has many verses which I have put on index cards and placed on the bathroom mirror. I definitely want to hide these words deep in my heart. Excellent post!!!
ReplyDeleteMs. Barbara - LOVE the stone tablets information...SO interesting! I really enjoy that kind of thing...it makes Scripture so real! I also really liked your reminder that God expects us to love ALL other people, NOT just the ones that we are comfortable with! We really need to be reminded of that. Jaybrena - thanks for that quote from The Message as well! Not a whole lot that isn't clear about that is there? One other thing I wanted to mention was that God was testing the Israelites during this long journey through the wilderness. They were not doing a very good job of passing this test. And so I wonder...am I doing a good job of passing the tests that God is putting ME through??? I have to admit that fail many more times that I pass!!! I am SOOOO thankful for your patience and mercy my Lord!!!
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