Remember How the Lord God has Led You
DEUTERONOMY 8
The Israelites are at the Jordan River looking into the Promised Land. They were to be a testimony of God's power and righteousness to the pagan nations across that river. It wasn't just about them. So Moses again reminds them to obey the Law and remember all the miracles the Lord did for them in the terrible wilderness. He also warns them against forgetting God and becoming proud. The Lord reminds them of these things many, many, times in the Old Testament. But they still fell into great sin and were scattered all over the earth. This applies to us too. Jesus led us out of the life of sin and into our life of following Him. We must pursue the Lord in our lives to stay strong and not fall. The Word, prayer, worship, and fellowship are essentials of the faith. The Promised Land was a land of many physical blessings. The blessings for us are mainly spiritual blessings. Yes, He can and does give us good things, but our focus should be on our spiritual journey with Jesus and the Holy Spirit and our eternal reward.
8:1 Listen to God and you shall live, multiply, and possess the land which the Lord swore to give you. It will take faith and obedience to do this.
2 What a great verse! You shall remember. This is a command. The Lord led them, humbled them, and tested them as He led them to the Promised Land. Would they have faith in the trails? Would they be obedient in the tribulations? Would they keep His commandments? He had a great plan for them but He had to shape and mold them first so they could accomplish that plan. This is what the wilderness was all about. Through Jesus, God led us out of the wilderness of sin. But just like the Israelites, His plan for us doesn't end there. He sanctifies us as He prepares us to do what He has called us to. Are you letting Him change your heart? He desires to shape and mold us as He builds His Kingdom here on earth through us. Do you remember how He saved you from your land of Egypt? A land of slavery to sin. Where you are in the Lord today and all you have has come from Him. We have nothing to be proud of! Psalm 51:17. The Holy Spirit will not fully work with a proud person.
3 Another great verse. We could have two lessons just on these two verses. He humbled you and LET YOU BE HUNGRY. He fed you with manna that you or your fathers did not know. A new thing from God. He might MAKE you understand. Man does not live by bread alone, but by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. There would not be life or food or water without God creating it. Our very existence is from the Lord God. LET YOU BE HUNGRY. Are you in a difficult situation? Are you "hungry?" The Lord lets us all be hungry at times in our walk with Him. He wants to pull us through these times to make us understand it is about Him. Luke 4:4. Was Jesus hungry and thirsty like the Israelites? Yes! Where was He? In the wilderness. Why was He there? The Holy Spirit led Him there. Jesus knew where His nourishment came from. Luke 4:14. The Holy Spirit will not lead us into a comfort zone. If we let Him humble us and test us in our wilderness and in our sanctification, we can come into our promised land and calling in the power of the Spirit! Do it His way and we will be stronger!
4 A miracle from the Lord for forty years!
5 In your heart. He was working on their hearts. Where does God look at a person? Their heart. The wilderness experience was God's idea and plan for the Israelites. He could have destroyed Egypt and given that land to them. But the Lord disciplined them in their journey through the desert. It wasn't supposed to be 40 years though! That was because of unbelief and disobedience. Are you letting the Holy Spirit discipline you? He convicts us of sin. Let us let Him change our hearts!
6 Therefore, you shall keep the Lord's commandments. A command.
7-9 The Lord your God is bringing you into a land where you shall not lack anything. A good land full of water and food. This is what was lacking in the desert. He was encouraging the people. It was a good land, but it was full of enemies! There would be many battles for them to fight before it was conquered. This would be a testimony for God. How we as the Lord's people deal with our battles, trials, and tribulations is what sets us apart from the world. It is a testimony for Jesus.
10 This verse convicted me. Do we pray and bless the Lord after a good meal that He has provided? After a good day, or even a bad day? It helps us to remember Him.
11-14 Beware! This is a warning. Do not forget His commandments. This is why he commanded them to bless the Lord their God in verse 10. All His goodness and blessings could take their focus from Him. It would be a testimony to the world. The Lord wants to bless us, but He is testing us too. Don't let your heart become proud. Who created you? Who saved you from your wilderness of sin? He did! The Lord blesses us as we follow Him and are led by the Holy Spirit. We stay humble, live a clean life, we love, we give, we help others, we encourage others, we empathize with those that are hurting. We read, pray, and worship in Spirit and in the truth. This should be our testimony to the world. Our lives should glorify the Lord. It's not just about us.
15 He led them and sustained them in a dangerous place.
16 In the wilderness. He fed you manna in the wilderness. It was the perfect food. A miracle and a new thing. Again, to humble you. They could have no pride in the wilderness. How long would they survive in the wilderness without water and food? Not too long! To test them to do good for them in the end. To bring them into a land flowing with milk and honey. If the Lord is leading you into trials to humble and test you, it is to do good for you in the end. It sure may not seem like it when you are going through them, but it is for your benefit. It may be for the benefit of many others too. Many good ministries have started this way after the Lord brought people through a wilderness. They have used that experience to minister to others in the same situations. Can He use you? Are you willing?
17 Be very careful with the blessings from the Lord! Your successes, abilities, finances, favor with people, whatever they may be. Give God the glory for them!
18 You shall remember the Lord your God. This is a command. He did it for you. He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers. This may be Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It may be the Israelites' fathers that died in the wilderness or both. Who's covenant was it? His covenant that He made with them. Then He performs miracles so they could accomplish the plan that He made. It's all about Him. Then they get to benefit from it in the end. Now, we should remember Him every day. He gave us all of our abilities too. Why? To confirm and work out His plan for your life. He wants to confirm this in all of His people. Are you seeking it, or are you wandering in the wilderness? He is sanctifying you, building His Kingdom, and defeating the enemy through you all at the same time. An amazing plan isn't it? Then you get a heavenly reward. IS GOD GOOD? YES, HE IS!
19,20 A very strong warning. This is why the Lord is reminding them of what He has done for them and what the Promised Land was like. A good land. He is encouraging them to have faith and obedience. The land was full of people worshipping idols and false gods. If they forgot what the Lord their God did and worshipped them, they would perish. It is the same for us in this world. If we follow our idols or the idols of this world we will perish in what He has called us to. You will not thrive. You will lose His favor. You will quench the Holy Spirit. Be careful! The nations in the Promised Land perished. You will too. This is the history of the world. Nations rise and fall. It usually starts from within as they reject God and His laws.
THINGS TO CONSIDER
Are you following the ways of the Lord in your life?
Do you remember where He has brought you from?
Are you humble or are you proud?
Do you thank the Lord for the good things He has provided for you?
Are you chasing the idols of this world and drifting from the Lord? Come back to Him!
Maybe you do not know the Lord personally. He is a personal God. Whatever wilderness you are in right now, Jesus can bring you through it and out of it into a good land. If the Lord God led two million or so people through the desert, He will lead you to a much better place in your life. Humble yourself and trust Jesus as Lord and Savior today.
The Israelites are at the Jordan River looking into the Promised Land. They were to be a testimony of God's power and righteousness to the pagan nations across that river. It wasn't just about them. So Moses again reminds them to obey the Law and remember all the miracles the Lord did for them in the terrible wilderness. He also warns them against forgetting God and becoming proud. The Lord reminds them of these things many, many, times in the Old Testament. But they still fell into great sin and were scattered all over the earth. This applies to us too. Jesus led us out of the life of sin and into our life of following Him. We must pursue the Lord in our lives to stay strong and not fall. The Word, prayer, worship, and fellowship are essentials of the faith. The Promised Land was a land of many physical blessings. The blessings for us are mainly spiritual blessings. Yes, He can and does give us good things, but our focus should be on our spiritual journey with Jesus and the Holy Spirit and our eternal reward.
8:1 Listen to God and you shall live, multiply, and possess the land which the Lord swore to give you. It will take faith and obedience to do this.
2 What a great verse! You shall remember. This is a command. The Lord led them, humbled them, and tested them as He led them to the Promised Land. Would they have faith in the trails? Would they be obedient in the tribulations? Would they keep His commandments? He had a great plan for them but He had to shape and mold them first so they could accomplish that plan. This is what the wilderness was all about. Through Jesus, God led us out of the wilderness of sin. But just like the Israelites, His plan for us doesn't end there. He sanctifies us as He prepares us to do what He has called us to. Are you letting Him change your heart? He desires to shape and mold us as He builds His Kingdom here on earth through us. Do you remember how He saved you from your land of Egypt? A land of slavery to sin. Where you are in the Lord today and all you have has come from Him. We have nothing to be proud of! Psalm 51:17. The Holy Spirit will not fully work with a proud person.
3 Another great verse. We could have two lessons just on these two verses. He humbled you and LET YOU BE HUNGRY. He fed you with manna that you or your fathers did not know. A new thing from God. He might MAKE you understand. Man does not live by bread alone, but by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. There would not be life or food or water without God creating it. Our very existence is from the Lord God. LET YOU BE HUNGRY. Are you in a difficult situation? Are you "hungry?" The Lord lets us all be hungry at times in our walk with Him. He wants to pull us through these times to make us understand it is about Him. Luke 4:4. Was Jesus hungry and thirsty like the Israelites? Yes! Where was He? In the wilderness. Why was He there? The Holy Spirit led Him there. Jesus knew where His nourishment came from. Luke 4:14. The Holy Spirit will not lead us into a comfort zone. If we let Him humble us and test us in our wilderness and in our sanctification, we can come into our promised land and calling in the power of the Spirit! Do it His way and we will be stronger!
4 A miracle from the Lord for forty years!
5 In your heart. He was working on their hearts. Where does God look at a person? Their heart. The wilderness experience was God's idea and plan for the Israelites. He could have destroyed Egypt and given that land to them. But the Lord disciplined them in their journey through the desert. It wasn't supposed to be 40 years though! That was because of unbelief and disobedience. Are you letting the Holy Spirit discipline you? He convicts us of sin. Let us let Him change our hearts!
6 Therefore, you shall keep the Lord's commandments. A command.
7-9 The Lord your God is bringing you into a land where you shall not lack anything. A good land full of water and food. This is what was lacking in the desert. He was encouraging the people. It was a good land, but it was full of enemies! There would be many battles for them to fight before it was conquered. This would be a testimony for God. How we as the Lord's people deal with our battles, trials, and tribulations is what sets us apart from the world. It is a testimony for Jesus.
10 This verse convicted me. Do we pray and bless the Lord after a good meal that He has provided? After a good day, or even a bad day? It helps us to remember Him.
11-14 Beware! This is a warning. Do not forget His commandments. This is why he commanded them to bless the Lord their God in verse 10. All His goodness and blessings could take their focus from Him. It would be a testimony to the world. The Lord wants to bless us, but He is testing us too. Don't let your heart become proud. Who created you? Who saved you from your wilderness of sin? He did! The Lord blesses us as we follow Him and are led by the Holy Spirit. We stay humble, live a clean life, we love, we give, we help others, we encourage others, we empathize with those that are hurting. We read, pray, and worship in Spirit and in the truth. This should be our testimony to the world. Our lives should glorify the Lord. It's not just about us.
15 He led them and sustained them in a dangerous place.
16 In the wilderness. He fed you manna in the wilderness. It was the perfect food. A miracle and a new thing. Again, to humble you. They could have no pride in the wilderness. How long would they survive in the wilderness without water and food? Not too long! To test them to do good for them in the end. To bring them into a land flowing with milk and honey. If the Lord is leading you into trials to humble and test you, it is to do good for you in the end. It sure may not seem like it when you are going through them, but it is for your benefit. It may be for the benefit of many others too. Many good ministries have started this way after the Lord brought people through a wilderness. They have used that experience to minister to others in the same situations. Can He use you? Are you willing?
17 Be very careful with the blessings from the Lord! Your successes, abilities, finances, favor with people, whatever they may be. Give God the glory for them!
18 You shall remember the Lord your God. This is a command. He did it for you. He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers. This may be Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It may be the Israelites' fathers that died in the wilderness or both. Who's covenant was it? His covenant that He made with them. Then He performs miracles so they could accomplish the plan that He made. It's all about Him. Then they get to benefit from it in the end. Now, we should remember Him every day. He gave us all of our abilities too. Why? To confirm and work out His plan for your life. He wants to confirm this in all of His people. Are you seeking it, or are you wandering in the wilderness? He is sanctifying you, building His Kingdom, and defeating the enemy through you all at the same time. An amazing plan isn't it? Then you get a heavenly reward. IS GOD GOOD? YES, HE IS!
19,20 A very strong warning. This is why the Lord is reminding them of what He has done for them and what the Promised Land was like. A good land. He is encouraging them to have faith and obedience. The land was full of people worshipping idols and false gods. If they forgot what the Lord their God did and worshipped them, they would perish. It is the same for us in this world. If we follow our idols or the idols of this world we will perish in what He has called us to. You will not thrive. You will lose His favor. You will quench the Holy Spirit. Be careful! The nations in the Promised Land perished. You will too. This is the history of the world. Nations rise and fall. It usually starts from within as they reject God and His laws.
THINGS TO CONSIDER
Are you following the ways of the Lord in your life?
Do you remember where He has brought you from?
Are you humble or are you proud?
Do you thank the Lord for the good things He has provided for you?
Are you chasing the idols of this world and drifting from the Lord? Come back to Him!
Maybe you do not know the Lord personally. He is a personal God. Whatever wilderness you are in right now, Jesus can bring you through it and out of it into a good land. If the Lord God led two million or so people through the desert, He will lead you to a much better place in your life. Humble yourself and trust Jesus as Lord and Savior today.
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