Disobedience Detours
Scripture: Deuteronomy 1:2-3, 8
"2 Normally it takes only eleven days to travel from Mount Sinai to Kadesh-barnea, going by way of Mount Seir. 3 But forty years after the Israelites left Egypt,...Moses addressed the people of Israel, telling them...8 Go in and occupy it, for it is the land the Lord swore to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to all their descendants.’”
Observations:
As God's people camped on the border of the Promised Land, Moses reminded them again about God's plan to give them the land and their responsibilty to obey His commands. It was always God's intention to reveal Himself to the Israelites and quickly make good on His promises. However, from the moment at Mt. Sinai when God invited the Israelites into a special covenant relationship as His chosen people, they consistently disobeyed, forcing God to discipline them rather than bless them. Had God's people simply decided to obey rather than rebel against God's commands, it would only have taken them 11 days to reach the Promised Land; but instead they chose to reject God's commands and instead it took them 40 years to get there. The people's response didn't change God's desire to bless them, but it severely delayed it from happening simiply because the decisions that they made took them "the long way" to obedience rather than God's way.
Application:
God has a good plan for each of our lives (Jeremiah 29:11). He genuinely wants what is best for us and knows the best way for us to go. But our decision to follow His instructions will always determine whether we experience God's blessings sooner or later. God can't bless us the way He desires when we refuse to follow the path of obedience that will lead us there. Every time we choose to do things our way instead of God's we vere off the path to God's blessings and take a spiritual detour that is always the "long way". Every time we step off the path we also invite God's correction that is never pleasant (Hebrews 12:10-11). On the other hand, the good news is that by simply choosing to do things God's way from the very beginning, we have every reason to hope for and expect God to quickly lead our lives down the path of blessing. Since it's up to us to decide how much and how quickly we experience God's blessing in our lives, why not simply choose obedience every time and avoid those disciple detours as much as possible.
Prayer:
Father, thank You that Your plan for us is always the best way for us to go. Help us to trust You even when we can't see and choose to follow Your path rather than one of our own making. Guide us today and help us to follow Your commands. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading Plan
"2 Normally it takes only eleven days to travel from Mount Sinai to Kadesh-barnea, going by way of Mount Seir. 3 But forty years after the Israelites left Egypt,...Moses addressed the people of Israel, telling them...8 Go in and occupy it, for it is the land the Lord swore to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to all their descendants.’”
Observations:
As God's people camped on the border of the Promised Land, Moses reminded them again about God's plan to give them the land and their responsibilty to obey His commands. It was always God's intention to reveal Himself to the Israelites and quickly make good on His promises. However, from the moment at Mt. Sinai when God invited the Israelites into a special covenant relationship as His chosen people, they consistently disobeyed, forcing God to discipline them rather than bless them. Had God's people simply decided to obey rather than rebel against God's commands, it would only have taken them 11 days to reach the Promised Land; but instead they chose to reject God's commands and instead it took them 40 years to get there. The people's response didn't change God's desire to bless them, but it severely delayed it from happening simiply because the decisions that they made took them "the long way" to obedience rather than God's way.
Application:
God has a good plan for each of our lives (Jeremiah 29:11). He genuinely wants what is best for us and knows the best way for us to go. But our decision to follow His instructions will always determine whether we experience God's blessings sooner or later. God can't bless us the way He desires when we refuse to follow the path of obedience that will lead us there. Every time we choose to do things our way instead of God's we vere off the path to God's blessings and take a spiritual detour that is always the "long way". Every time we step off the path we also invite God's correction that is never pleasant (Hebrews 12:10-11). On the other hand, the good news is that by simply choosing to do things God's way from the very beginning, we have every reason to hope for and expect God to quickly lead our lives down the path of blessing. Since it's up to us to decide how much and how quickly we experience God's blessing in our lives, why not simply choose obedience every time and avoid those disciple detours as much as possible.
Prayer:
Father, thank You that Your plan for us is always the best way for us to go. Help us to trust You even when we can't see and choose to follow Your path rather than one of our own making. Guide us today and help us to follow Your commands. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading Plan
Comments
Post a Comment