Today’s Bible Reading: DEUTERONOMY 1:1-3:20
Deuteronomy 1:32
Yet in spite of this word you did not believe the LORD your God,
We all go through times of disbelief where we doubt whether the Lord will be with us, battle for us and bear us along. We may even have seen Him work in the past, but are leery of His work in the present. We have seen His help before, but struggle to believe He will help now.
As the children of Israel prepare to enter the Promised Land, Moses recounts all that the Lord had done for them over the past 40 years. In the text he reminds them of their disbelief to go up and possess the land God had promised. (Deut 1:19-46). They wavered in their hope that God would help them. They looked at their surroundings, unconquerable cities and unbeatable giants, rather than looking to their Savior. They considered their frailty rather than God’s faithfulness.
Moses challenges them to “not be in dread or afraid of them” (Deut 1:29). He reminds them to consider three things. First, that the Lord has been them and will be with them. (v30). He is the one that has led them here and will lead them beyond here. He has not bailed on them but continues to go before them. His presence helps them press on.
Second, the Lord battles for them. As he has battled in the past, so he will in the present (v30). His mighty hand dethroned the Egyptian gods by miraculous plagues and drowns Pharaoh’s army by a mountain of water at the Red Sea. His power was displayed there and will be demonstrated here.
Third, the Lord bears them along. He brought them out of bondage. He watched over them through the wilderness. He provided for them. He protected them. He carried them, as a man carries his son, all this way and would continue to carry them now (v31). They observed His care and concern for them in all that he did for them and could count on it now.
But “in spite of this”, all that God had done for them, their frustration brought faithlessness. Their discouragement bore doubt. Their despair bred disbelief. Although He had done all this in the past, they remained perplexed about their present.
Here is a great exhortation for us. When faced with great difficultly, we need to recall how the Lord has been with us, battled for us and bore us along. In examining what He has done, we will be encouraged to watch what He will do. Here then is our hope not in what we see, but in what we have seen. Not in what stands before us, but in who has stood with us.
Today reflect on how God has been with you, battled for you and bore you along. Remember what He has done. Take time to thank Him specifically for ever situation you can recall where He has stood with you in your struggle. Praise Him for His continued presence in upcoming and ongoing problems. Commit to not be like the Israelites who let their fear breed faithlessness. Ask the Lord to help you daily trust Him in your difficult dilemmas and decisions. Stand upon what you have seen, rather than what you see.
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