Continuing a plan to get through the entire Bible in a year, follow as I journal through the reading. I have chosen a straightforward approach that begins in Genesis and ends in Revelation. This will not be an in-depth study or a comprehensive commentary. There are plenty of sources for such material. This is stage one Bible reading, taking the text at face value and sharing impressions.
Today’s reading comes from the book of Deuteronomy, chapters 5 through 7, in which Moses reminds Israel of God’s holy purpose. Some impressions from the text:
- In Chapter 5, Moses recounts the Ten Commandments. Here’s a link to impressions regarding those.
- We can sense the joy and longing in God’s voice as he accepts the people’s obedience. “Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!” Such is the desire of a loving father, not an arbitrary dictator.
- “You shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess.” This is the point of morality. What makes a choice moral is its goodness. What makes something good is its alignment with our intended nature. When we obey God’s commandments, it will “go well with [us],” because we will operate according to our design. The Bible is our owner’s manual for body and soul.
- Chapter 6 deals with a highly relevant topic, the importance of spending time in the Word and daily reminding ourselves of who God is. The Israelites were to surround themselves with God’s commandments. They were to think on them and speak of them. They were to teach their children about the Lord, and keep from following after the false gods of the surrounding nations. We are likewise tasked today.
- In Chapter 7, God discloses his purpose in choosing Israel as his people. “It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant…” The point of history, the point of creation, the purpose of our lives, is the glorification of God. We are to know Him, and make Him known.
Return soon as we continue our year-long journey through the text of the Bible.
Catch up on the previous entries:
Archived Genesis posts (scroll down in link).
Archived Exodus posts (scroll down in link) .
Archived Leviticus posts (scroll down in link).
Archived Numbers posts (scroll down in link).
Moses recounts Israel’s journey through the wilderness. – Deuteronomy 1 and 2
Moses emphasizes obedience to, and glorification of, God. – Numbers 3 and 4
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