10/13/11…In the early parts of Deuteronomy, Moses speaks of God’s anger, God’s wrath and God’s jealousy because of the Israelites sin. My thoughts continue plaguing me knowing how much of a sinner I am. I am no better than the Israelites. Even when I know the commandments and acknowledge His presence, there are times when I willfully sin. During these times, I sometimes wonder, where is my respect or even fear of my Lord?
At times, God smited the Israelites because of their willful sins. And I ask myself, would God smite me for my willful sins? I know the answer is yes He can…and yet, like the Israelites, I find my only saving grace are the words written by Moses in Deuteronomy 4;
When you…do evil in the sight of the Lord your God to provoke Him to anger, I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that you will soon utterly perish from the land which you cross over the Jordan to possess; you will not prolong your days in it, but will be utterly destroyed. And the Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord will drive you. And there you will serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell.
But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice (for the Lord your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you…
Indeed…grace is in the Old Testament. Grace is in Deuteronomy.
At times, God smited the Israelites because of their willful sins. And I ask myself, would God smite me for my willful sins? I know the answer is yes He can…and yet, like the Israelites, I find my only saving grace are the words written by Moses in Deuteronomy 4;
When you…do evil in the sight of the Lord your God to provoke Him to anger, I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that you will soon utterly perish from the land which you cross over the Jordan to possess; you will not prolong your days in it, but will be utterly destroyed. And the Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord will drive you. And there you will serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell.
But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice (for the Lord your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you…
Indeed…grace is in the Old Testament. Grace is in Deuteronomy.
