Thoughts on Deuteronomy 11 (part 1)
“And consider today (since I am not speaking to your children who have not known or seen it), consider the discipline of the Lord your God, his greatness, his mighty hand and his outstretched arm,
…
For your eyes have seen all the great work of the Lord that he did.”
What foresight it was to, first to put in writing, and then to setup reminders and events, of the supernatural events that happened during Moses’ time. I do not think it was to convince outsiders that the events happened, but it was more for the Israelites to remember themselves as well as to pass these (true) stories down to the next generation.
Verses 3 to 6 summarizes the events and, let’s be honest, if we think about them these are really quite unbelievable.
- The 10 plagues in Egypt (while the area were the Israelites lived was unharmed)
- The parting and closing of the Red Sea
- The guidance by pillars of smoke and fire, daily provisions of Manna and Quail, water flowing from a rock (in the desert, feeding a whole nation)
- The earthquake in Mt. Sinai (and the precision of the earth to break exactly where the camp of Dathan and Abiram was)
But what is even more unbelievable, is that the Israelites who have experienced these amazing things, were so quick to forget. You would think that supernatural experiences like these would leave a lasting impression, at least for one’s lifetime. But this generation of Israelites have failed over and over, eventually forfeiting their ticket to the promised land.
Well.. they are not alone. The Old Testament has some other examples as well. But most notable for me are the Apostles of Jesus. They literally walked with God, saw first-hand his miracles, heard directly his commands, and yet, even they had their doubts, even they had their lapses.
I guess that’s why God put His word into writing. That’s why He commands us to meditate on it day and night. That’s why He institued the Sabbath, and encouraged us to meet regularly to remind and encourage one another. Because we forget.
I don’t have similar experiences as the Israelites nor the Apostles, not in the same caliber for sure. But – as a family especially – we do have many, many, experiences in the past that surely was because of God’s grace and power.
Maybe we should have the same practice, of putting these experiences in writing, of considering them daily.
Verses 8-17 explains the Why. Simply – it’s for our own good.
Considering Daily strengthens us, helps us persevere in obedience. Because obedience leads to wonderful things, and disobedience leads to woeful things. This we already know from our own experiences as well as the experiences of others. We need to consider daily so we will not forget.