Reading: Deuteronomy 1-2
The Lord our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye
have dwelt long enough in this mount: Turn you, and
take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites,
and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the
hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea side,
to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the
great river, the river Euphrates. Behold, I have set the land
before you: go in and possess the land which the Lord
sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to
give unto them and to their seed after them(Deut. 1:6-8).
A second chance, a do-over, a re-take—whatever we call it,
the opportunity to right a wrong or re-do a mistake is valuable
and rare. The first generation of Israelites, the ones that the Lord
had freed from slavery in Israel, had been given a tremendous
gift from the Lord: Behold, I have set the land before you: go
in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your
fathers. Yet, ruled by fear, they had refused to accept it. But
the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go
up against the people; for they are stronger than we (Num.
13:31). As a result, they wandered the wilderness for an additional
38 years, and all except two of that original generation
died. And the space in which we came from Kadesh-barnea,
until we were come over the brook Zered, was thirty and
eight years; until all the generation of the men of war were
wasted out from among the host, as the Lord sware unto
them (Deut. 2:14). Now, though, the second generation was
being presented with the same gift. This time, standing before
God, they had the opportunity to renounce the cowardly choices
of the past and say to their God, “We trust and obey.” Trust in
the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own
understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He
shall direct thy paths (Prov. 3:5-6). The first generation had seen giants and balked. It was inconceivable
to them that the God they followed was big enough
to overcome such monsters. This generation had the same obstacles
in front of them, yet they chose to believe Moses when
he said, The Lord thy God, He will go over before thee, and He will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou
shalt possess them: and Joshua, he shall go over before
thee, as the Lord hath said (Deut. 31:3). We live in a world today that is filled with ‘giants,’ ‘fierce warriors,’
and ‘walled cities.’ The enemies of God are everywhere,
just as they were in the land of Canaan. It takes a remarkable
amount of faith and courage to stand today and say, “I believe
the Word of God, and I will follow Christ in all things,” but that
is precisely what God calls us to do. Just as the Israelites
stood on the boundaries of the promised land, we stand at the
threshold of Heaven. The gift of eternal life is ours—no strings
attached—as long as we are willing to place our faith and trust
in Jesus Christ our Lord. Will you make the mistake of the first
generation, or will you have the faith of the second? Is your
God big enough? My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they
follow Me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall
never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My
hand(John 10:27-28). Thought For Today:Don’t count the number of chances
God has given you or the number of times you feel you have
let Him down in the past; focus your attention instead on how
best to follow Him now. Christ Portrayed:By Moses, who spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the Lord had given him in Commandment unto them (Deut. 1:3). Jesus faithfully told others everything God told Him to say. I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father hath taught Me, I speak these things (John 8:28). Word Studies:1:12 bear = endure; cumbrance = disputes; 1:27 murmured = complained, criticized; 1:39 should be a prey = would be taken captive; 1:42 smitten = defeated; 2:1 compassed = went around. Pray For Staff:Jennifer Palafox, Bible Pathway Ministries President • Government Officials: Rep. Trent Kelly (MS), Rep. Warren Davidson (OH), Sen. Deb Fischer (NE) • Country: Sri Lanka (21,866,445) Southern Asia • Major Languages: Sinhala,Tamil, English • Christianity suppressed • 69.1% Buddhist (Official); 7.6% Muslim 7.1% Hindu; 6.2% Christian; 10% Unspecified • Prayer Suggestion: Seek the Lord in times of trouble (Matt. 8:24-25). Optional ReadingLuke 16