Revering the Word
Deuteronomy 9 and 10 The importance of remembering.
Good morning, everyone. This morning, we are going to take a look at Deuteronomy 9 and 10. Reminds me very much of Deuteronomy chapter 1. Let's begin, "Hear, O Israel! Shamaa, O Israel! Hear, listen, and obey, O Israel! You are crossing over the Jordan today. To go into dispossess nations greater and mightier than you. Great cities, fortified to heaven. A great, a people great and tall, the sons of the Anachim whom you know and whom you have heard it said, who stand before the sons of Anak. Know therefore today that it is the Lord your God who is crossing over before you as a consuming fire. He will destroy them and he will subdue them before you so that you may dry them out and destroy them quickly just as the Lord has spoken to you." It appears very much that there were people in the Promised Land who were, you could call them giants so to speak. Now, when you say giants, I wouldn't think of that in some kind of cartoon supernatural way. Perhaps you've seen images of people who grow very, very tall and sometimes there even can be a, you know, some kind of genetic thing that allows people, you know, you'll see a basketball players that sometimes are like seven foot six. Sometimes those people have some kind of genetic thing. It's actually a disposition that allows them to grow that big and sometimes that can be passed on to others, you know, through offspring. And it appears that in the Promised Land there were some people that had probably some kind of genetic thing that allowed them to be much larger people than the average person. And they could be very alarmed and scared about going into the Promised Land because of that. But God is letting them know he's going to be there with them and he's going to lead them and he's going to provide them for them. He's going to help them to defeat their enemies. They can trust him. "Do not say in your heart when the Lord your God has driven them out before you because of my righteousness the Lord has brought me in to possess this land." But it is because of the wickedness of the nations that the Lord is disposessing them before you. So one of the things he's very concerned about pride, pride of them falling away, but just pride of them thinking that it's because of them. They are God's special family and he is caring for them. But it's not because of them. It's because of his choice that he wants to bless this family and also because of the wickedness of the nations around them. And he doesn't want them to have pride in themselves, but rather be thankful to him. It is not for your righteousness, verse 5, or the uprightness of your heart that you are going to possess their land. But it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord your God is driving them out before you in order to confirm the oath which the Lord swore to your fathers to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob sees. So they are special in the sense that God is going to fulfill the promise that he's given to his family. But it's not because of them, it's because of God's greatness and also the wickedness of the people around them that he is going to allow for this, not because they're in themselves so great in themselves. "Know them, it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God has given you this good land to possess for you are a stubborn people." And I think it's important that we are humble. Let's say things are going well in your life. I mean, and there is favor on God's people, but we're better off giving glory to God and praising his name than making it sound like, well, it's because I'm so good and right and holy that I have all these blessings, but rather it's just the goodness of God and praise him and not put that on ourselves that somehow we've earned it all or deserved it all, but just because of the greatness of our God. Remember, do not forget how you provoke the Lord your God to wrath in the wilderness from the day that you left the land of Egypt until you arrived at this place. You have been rebellious against the Lord. In fact, God's people would have deserved much less than what they're getting because of their own rebellion. And I really believe that on this side of the Jordan River before the end to the Promised Land that God is trying to remind them of their failures and that they would not do it again, that they would see what happened when they rebelled and that they would learn from that. And, you know, it's just good and healthy and right. I'm thinking of, you know, in my own life, you know, years ago I used to gamble and enjoy the gambling and it got me in trouble. Not so much just gambling like at a casino, which I did and, you know, I've given that up. I mean, it's been 20, 25 years since I have the ammo than a casino, but I started doing that legally in the stock market. I would invest aggressively, irresponsibly, and it ended up costing me. And, you know, I have investments now. And one of the things that God would not want is like, don't make the same mistakes you made before. And remember your foolishness. Remember, when you let this get away from you, and I'm reminding myself today that now when I invest, I need to be diversified. I need to have wisdom. I need to not allow gambling mentality to take over. And, you know, I'm thinking of some other people in my life that have had problems with like drugs or alcohol. And it's like it was a problem one time in your life. And then, you know, all of a sudden, can you ease back into that? Could you ease back into allowing that to be a problem again? And what God is trying to do is remind them of their waywardness and how that turned out for them and that they would remember what they did wrong and what the cost of it was so that when they enter the promised land, they wouldn't make the same mistakes again. And I think sometimes we can. We can fall back into the same patterns. And God is wanting them to remember what you did and what it cost you be wise when you get blessed. Don't allow the blessing of God to turn you back to the same sinful patterns you had before. Remember, verse 7, "Do not forget how you provoke the Lord, your God to wrath and the wilderness from the day that you left the land of Egypt until your ride with this place. You have been rebellious against the Lord. Even at horrible, you provoke the Lord to wrath and the Lord was so angry with you that he would have destroyed you. When I went up to the mountain to receive, he's going to give them an instance of what they did wrong. When I went up the mountain to receive the tablets of stall and the tablets of the covenant which the Lord had made with you, then I remained on the mountain 40 days and nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water. The Lord gave me the two tablets of stone written by the finger of God and on them were all the words which the Lord had spoken with you at the mountain from the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly." Now, Moses went up and got all this instruction from God. He got the law of God, the commandments of God, and it was going to be written down. And while he was there, Moses was gone and they were like, "Can man, is this guy ever going to come back?" And they got impatient and they started doing their own thing and worshiping their own thing. And just one month's time, even though he brought them miraculously out of Egypt and he had already begun providing for them out in the desert and still just 40 days go by without their leader and they begin worshiping a golden calf. Verse 11, "It came about at the end of the 40 days and nights that the Lord gave me the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant. Then the Lord said to me, "Arise, go down from here quickly for your people whom you brought out of Egypt have acted corruptly." They have quickly, see, God didn't think 40 days was very long and they should not have acted the way they did in just 40 days with Moses up on that mountain. They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. They have made a molten image for themselves. The Lord spoke further to me saying, "I have seen this people indeed. It is a stubborn people. Let me alone that I may destroy them and blot their name from under heaven and I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they." God was, you know, frustrated and thought about maybe starting over, but Moses pleaded with God and that's what we're going to see here. And God remained faithful to Israel even despite their unfaithfulness. So I turned, Moses says, and came down from the mountain while the mountain was burning with fire and the two tablets of the covenant were in my two hands. And I saw that you had indeed sinned against the Lord your God. You had made for yourselves a molten calf. You had turned aside quickly from the way which the Lord commanded you. I took hold of the two tablets and threw them from my hands and smashed them before your eyes. Wow, what a moment. I fell down before the Lord as at the first 40 days and nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water because of all your sin which you had committed in doing what was evil on the side of the Lord to provoke him to anger. For I was afraid of the anger and the hot displeasure which the Lord was wrathful against you in order to destroy you, but the Lord listened to me that time also. Verse 20, "The Lord was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him." So I also prayed for Aaron at the same time. I took your sinful thing, the calf which you had made and burned it with fire and crushed it, grinding it very small until it was fine as dust and I threw its dust into the brook that came down from the mountain. And what an honorable thing was it did in destroying that golden calf so much so that it could not be made again. And you know sometimes that's the way we need to root out evil and sin in our own lives and just be done with it, not play with it, not entertain it anymore, not go back to it and do something even symbolic like that. Destroying something that's giving our lives trouble to commemorate or say, "You know what, I'm not going back to this." And I think God was pleased that Moses did what he did there and destroying it. Again at Tabra and at Massa and Kibroth, Atava, you provoked the Lord to wrath. He's reminding them of the times of unfaithfulness in the desert when the Lord sent you from cuttish bernia saying, "Go up and possess the land which I have given you." Then you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God. You neither believed him nor listened his voice. You have been rebellious against the Lord from the day that I knew you. That is not a very positive word. Moses is letting them know how unfaithful they've been. So I fell down before the Lord, the 40 days and 49 which I did, because the Lord had said he would destroy you and I prayed to the Lord and he said, "O Lord God, do not destroy your people and even your inheritance whom you have redeemed through your greatness in whom you have brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand." And this is when Moses pleaded with God to not destroy them and he pleaded with God about his covenant. He said, "Remember your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Do not look at the stubbornness of this people or at their wickedness or their sin. Otherwise the land from which you have brought us may say because the Lord was not able to bring them into the land which he had promised them and because he hated them he has brought them out to slay them in the wilderness yet they are your people and even your inheritance whom you brought out by your great power and your art stretched arm." And God said, Moses said, "You know what? God, you've promised this people that you had blessed them, that you'd be with them. And you know what? Because of your name, because of your greatness, don't destroy them but continue to work with them even though they've been a disobedient people." And God listened to what Moses had to say. "At that time, chapter 10 now, at that time the Lord said to me, 'Cut out for yourselves two tablets of stone like the former ones and come up to me on the mountain and make an ark of wood for yourselves. I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets which you shattered and you shall put them in the ark. So I made an ark of a case of wood and cut out two tablets of stone like the former ones and one up on the mountain with the two tablets in my hand. He wrote on the tablets like the former writing the ten commandments which the Lord has spoken to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly and the Lord gave them to me. Then I turned and came down from the mountain and I put the tablets in the ark which I had made and there they are as the Lord commanded me. Isn't it great that not only did God give them the law in writing but he had them take these commandments and put them in a special box in order to maintain them. Memories are important. Remembrance is important and both remembering what God has spoken but also remembering when we didn't follow what he spoke remembering both those things and you know remembering God all the time is so important and I want to encourage you if you've been daily listening and daily reading the Word of God that is such a great thing and God is going to help you to remain steadfast and honoring him as you daily remember him. But when we forget and when we turn away from the Lord and when we don't remind ourselves of what he's done when we don't remind ourselves of our own sinfulness and the things that we've done in the past that have got us in into trouble and when we fail to remember God's faithfulness we can end up like we were before but God's given them these tablets as a memorial and putting them in this box so that they will have our remembrance of the finger of God and what he's said and done so that they will continue to honor him. So important that's why you know when Jesus he had the Last Supper and he said do this and remembrance of me and even communion is one of the things that God has given us to remember what Jesus has done to forgive us of our sin Hallelujah. Remembering Jesus, remembering God, remembering the Word of God and all that God has said is so important. Make your life about remembering the things God has done and even your failures so that you don't repeat them Hallelujah. Let's see verse four, "He wrote on the tailors like the former thing, the Ten Commanders, the Lord had spoken to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire, on the day of the assembly, and the Lord gave them to me. Then I turned and came down from the mountain. I put the tablets in the ark which I had made and there they are as the Lord commanded me. Now the sons of Israel set out from Burat, Benajah to Maserah. There Aaron died and there he was buried and Iliyazar his son ministered as priest in his place. From there they set out to G-g-da and from G-g-da to Jat-ba-da, a land of brooks and water. At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord, to serve him and to bless his name until this day. Therefore Levi does not have a portion or inheritance with his brothers. The Lord is his inheritance just as the Lord your God spoke to him. You might recall that at first the whole nation was going to be a kingdom of priests, but after the golden calf incident and after the faithfulness of the tribe of Levi, God had them serve as the ones to carry the tabernacle and then also the ones to serve as priests from the tribe of Levi. Instead of having a kingdom of priests they had a tribe that was priests but did you know that today God has restored what he said on Exodus 19-6, that all those who now believe in Jesus are a kingdom of priests just like he originally set out. I'm more overstayed on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights like the first time and the Lord listened to me that time also and the Lord was not willing to destroy you. Then the Lord said to me, "Arise, proceed on your journey ahead of the people that they may go in and possess the land which I swore their fathers to give them." Listen to this, this is such a great passage now. "Now Israel, what does the Lord God require from you but to fear the Lord your God?" Hallelujah. I believe that's so important. Like this morning are you reviewing God's Word? Are you honoring? Do you treasure what God has spoken? And then it says to walk in all his ways and you know one of the things that will show that you really do fear the Lord and you do revere his Word and you care about what he says is that you walk in it, you'll want to do what he has spoken in his Word and love him and he wants the motivation for you to follow him and I is to love him and to revere him in his ways and to serve the Lord God with all your heart and with all your soul and to keep the Lord's commandments and his statutes which I'm commanding you today and I love this for your good. You know that it is good, it is good for us and there is favor from God when we honor him and follow him and he gives us his Word and asks us to obey him and love him and revere what he said and it is for our good. One of the things will happen then is we won't have all the destructiveness that can come from sin and the other thing is that it will have the blessing from walking in God's ways. Behold to the Lord your God, belong heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it. Isn't that interesting? The heaven, belong heaven and the highest heavens, almost like a foreword to the heavenly ages and places to come. He's even referring to a heaven and the highest heaven. Interesting. Yet on your fathers did the Lord set his affection to love them and he chose their descendants after them even you above all the peoples as it is this day. This is Abraham's family. God is blessing Abraham's family and did you know that through faith in Jesus now we've been grafted into this blessing, we've been grafted into the family of God, Hallelujah. So, circumcise your heart and stiffen your neck no longer. For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe. He executes justice for the orphan and the widow and he shows his love for the sojourner. I'm going to say this, I'm reading the NASB 95 version here and it has alien, it's not my favorite translation there. The LSB says sojourner here, he executes justice for the orphan and the widow and shows his love for the sojourner by giving him food and clothing. So, show your love for the sojourner for your sojourners in the land of Egypt. Now that's very interesting and you know sometimes it's interesting too. I have a John MacArthur study Bible here and it's interesting to see sometimes certain verses are ignored. There's no explanation given for that and I'm going to try to give you one because God has asked them to go in and take over the promised land and to destroy it and its people because it was a wicked land, not wicked land, a wicked people who worship many gods and God did not want Israel mixing with the people who had many false gods so that they would get entangled in all kinds of false worship. However, there's a different kind of people, it's called a sojourner and a sojourner is somebody who is in a foreign land maybe visiting or traveling through and that's like Jacob you know what he ended up going to Egypt they were not Egyptians but they were people in a foreign land and what God is saying is okay I've asked you to go in and destroy this godless or I should say many god people in the land of Canaan and I don't want you to mix it up with them because they will entice you to worship their gods but if there's sojourners in the land if there are people that are visiting or traveling through that are not part of the land of Canaan show favor to those people you don't have to destroy them and in fact you can welcome them to worship me just like you worship me because at one time you were a sojourner in a land too so that's that's a I believe a really good interpretation of what's being said there verse 20 you shall fear the lord your god and you shall serve him and cling to him and you shall swear by his name cling to the lord hallelujah he is your praise and he is your god who has done these great and awesome things for you which you're I've seen don't forget all that god has done throughout history and for them what god has done in in there in the last 40 years in the desert your fathers went down to Egypt this is when Jacob brought his family down there 70 persons in all and now the lord your god has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven do you remember that god promised Abraham that he'd have as many children as their stars in the sky and Israel at this point through the 300 years or so in Egypt and then the 40 years in the desert has multiplied Israel just as he said he would and now he has multiplied the family of god through allowing Gentiles not Israelites to become part of god's family through faith in Jesus and god indeed has as many children as our stars in the sky but it started with just this one family Jacob in you know coming into Egypt and god providing them there and then ultimately all that god is doing today what a great story what a great thing god has done all throughout history me we always remember all the things that god has done and also all the consequences of sin and not repeat that sin but instead honor the lord god revere him and his word and it will lead to a much better more blessed life not only now but in the heavenly places and ages to come god bless you all