Cautions Against Disobedience
January 6, 2022
Commentary
God warns His people that they are not to forget Him after they get into the land and experience His blessing (v. 12). He would bless them with children and grandchildren and increase their numbers greatly. He would also increase their crops and livestock so they would not only have plenty to eat but a surplus to sell. Prosperity, more than poverty, can dull our spiritual senses because it tends to make us feel self-sufficient instead of having a holy reverence for Him (v. 13).
God admonishes his people to not worship any of the gods of neighboring nations (v. 14) because he is a jealous God, and His anger will flare up against them and wipe them from the face of the earth (v. 15). They are to diligently obey the commands and laws he has given to them (vv. 16-17). He will drive out all the enemies living in the land, just as He had solemnly promised (vv. 18-19). Moses says, “In the future your children will ask you, `What is the meaning of these stipulations, laws, and regulations that the LORD our God has given us?’ Then you must tell them, `We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the LORD brought us out of Egypt with amazing power, dealing terrifying blows against Egypt and Pharaoh and all his people (vv. 20-23).” This does not mean that there will only be prosperity and no suffering when they obey God. What is promised is a right relationship with God. It is not a blanket protection against poverty, adversity, or suffering (vv. 24-25).
Application
My goal in life is not physical and material prosperity but a right relationship with the Lord. I have no way of knowing what trials and suffering I may experience in this life, but He has promised me eternity with Him.
Deuteronomy 6:12– 25 (NET)
12 be careful not to forget the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, that place of slavery. 13 You must revere the Lord your God, serve him, and take oaths using only his name. 14 You must not go after other gods, those of the surrounding peoples, 15 for the Lord your God, who is present among you, is a jealous God—his anger will erupt against you and remove you from the land.
16 You must not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah. 17 Keep his commandments very carefully, as well as the stipulations and statutes he commanded you to observe. 18 Do whatever is proper and good before the Lord so that it may go well with you and that you may enter and occupy the good land that he promised your ancestors, 19 and that you may drive out all your enemies just as the Lord said.
20 When your children ask you later on, “What are the stipulations, statutes, and ordinances that the Lord our God commanded you?” 21 you must say to them, “We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt in a powerful way. 22 And he brought signs and great, devastating wonders on Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on his whole family before our very eyes. 23 He delivered us from there so that he could give us the land he had promised our ancestors. 24 The Lord commanded us to obey all these statutes and to revere him so that it may always go well for us and he may preserve us, as he has to this day. 25 We will be innocent if we carefully keep all these commandments before the Lord our God, just as he demands.”
Illustration: God Has The Bigger Shovel
The story is told of a good farmer who loved the Lord and believed in stewardship. He was generous indeed, and was asked by his friends why he gave so much and yet remained so prosperous. “We cannot understand you,” his friends said. “Why, you seem to give more than the rest of us, and yet you always seem to have greater prosperity.” “Oh,” said the farmer, “that is easy to explain. You see, I keep shoveling into God’s bin, and God keeps shoveling more and more into mine, and God has the bigger shovel.” (Herbert Lockyer).