LEARNING DAILY

 

Deuteronomy 12:8-9, You shall not at all do as we are doing here today – every man doing whatever is right in their own eyes – for as yet you have not come to the rest and the inheritance which the Lord your God is giving you.

 

Reading through the various regulations God gave His people through Moses is exhausting to me – just being transparent. Honestly, I am not sure how the priests and the people kept all the procedures for the different sacrifices straight. I have been wondering what the people must have thought about all these things after coming out of Egypt. It had to a great change for them. When reading the Law given to Moses by God, it must be remembered that God was very concerned about the details of the lives of His people. He knew when they entered the Promised Land that there would be great temptations to follow and worship the gods of the nations living there. God wanted them to love Him from their heart and not substitute outward forms of religious.

 

But as they entered the Promised Land, they eventually did what God knew would happen; the people began to ignore God’s standards and did what they thought was right in their own eyes.  The last verse of Judges tells us, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25 warns us that when our opinions are followed instead of God’s Word, we are in rebellion against Him. When we rebel against God, consequences and judgment come. Poor decisions and poor judgment on our part will bring God’s judgment, in His time. I cannot help but wonder if that time is not drawing near!!

 

When I read the verse above, I believe it could be read as something written for February 28, 2023. God is not pleased with what “we are doing here today – every man doing whatever is right in their own eyes”. Would you agree? It is a challenge every day to walk on the narrow way; it seems to be more difficult each day. Worldliness, pride is all around us, and sin is no longer hidden but worn as a “badge of honor”.

 

The warning Moses gave the Israelites seems to sound loud and clear to God’s people today. The faithful people of God, the Church, like the Israelites Moses was speaking to, “have not come to the rest and the inheritance which the Lord your God is giving you”. We are still walking on the narrow way to eternity in God’s kingdom, moving toward the rest and inheritance He is giving us. As Jesus said, the narrow way is a difficult way because of greater temptations and trials that get in our path and try to get us off the path. Moses was reminding the Israelites that they were to destroy pagan places of worship to prevent the temptation of idolatry. Christians today must be filled daily with the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to be their guide, help and strength as they walk the narrow way.