Day 80 – Deuteronomy 30-31

Talking Points

• God tells His people that He is always ready to forgive and restore a truly repentant heart. This is a key piece of understanding our holy, just, and merciful God. If a person will honestly repent, He will always forgive. I cannot name a single circumstance where God was faced with a person, broken over their sin, confessing their sin, and seeking forgiveness, that God did not freely, wonderfully grant it! Talk about mercy and grace! Talk about good news!
• After revealing His faithfulness again, and after clearly informing the people of the blessings and curses that will come from their obedience or disobedience, God calls Israel to decide. He appeals for them to “choose life.” This seems like an easy decision.
• Moses informs the people that he will die and not lead them into the Promised Land. He tells them Joshua will now lead them. Several things to note: First, God selects and sends His leaders. Just as God selected and empowered Moses, He has selected and empowered Joshua. Second, as we read through the transition from Moses to Joshua, it stands out — God is the true Deliverer. He always was. Perhaps Moses would have been the one exalted had he led them in? The truth is, no matter the human leader, God is Deliverer.
• Moses instructs the people and then commands Joshua to be “strong and courageous.” This will be a recurring theme as the Israelites take possession of the land. Strong translates “to be firm, to hold.” Courageous translates “stout, bold, hardened, not easily swayed.” God’s people can be both, because He is their God who acts on their behalf.

Thoughts

Can we forgive as Christ? Can we hold an eternal focus, laying up true treasures in heaven? Can we love our neighbors as ourselves (have you met the neighbors)? Are we to seriously pray for our enemies? Sounds like a lot of great goals. It would be great if we did. But, really?

Is the Christian life, as described by Scripture, actually livable? Isn’t the bar set drastically high? Maybe the goal is something lofty to shoot for, but we aren’t seriously held to achieving it.

In our verses, today, God tells His people, “For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach” (30:11). This was an important statement then, and it is a needed truth today. God never calls for us to do something beyond our capability to do it. These commands may have been difficult. For sure, they were opposed to sinful human nature, but they were not impossible. This is a great thing to understand about our God. Can you imagine the frustration and the heartbreak of being called by our Creator God to do something that you had absolutely no potential of achieving? Can you imagine the guilt, shame, and eventually, the resentment that would fester? Friends, that is not our God. He commands us in love. He leads us in grace. And, as He calls for obedience, He reassures us — you can do this. And, better still, when we fail, He is there, too.

“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.” 1 John 5:3