Year 4, Day 158: Deuteronomy 7

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Discipleship Focus: Authority, Power

• Authority: Our calling.  This comes from God as king.  Because He calls us as His representatives, He gives us authority to go and do His will.
• Power: This is the natural outcome when we truly get our authority from the king.  When our authority is from God, we are equipped with His power to accomplish His will.  We act on His behalf in a world that He desperately loves.

In Deuteronomy 7 we hear several charges from the Lord.  However, the biggest charge is to be diligent about destroying the nations that currently inhabit the land.  Moses warns the people that if they are not diligent about this then they will become affected.  Their sons and daughters will intermarry.  Then they’ll find themselves worshipping other gods.  They’ll find their hearts turning from pursuing God to pursuing other things.

We know the history.  The Hebrew people are incapable of driving out the native people.  Because of this, they do turn from God.  They turn so much that eventually they are led into captivity once more under Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and then Rome.  They are led away from God.  We – or at least I – are no different.  Have I purged my life from the influences of the world that pull me away from God?  Certainly not.  Have I fallen into bondage and captivity because my focus is turned from the Lord?  Certainly.

The interesting part to this train of thought is to ask the question “why.”  Why have I not purged my life?  Is it because I have not fully embraced God’s authority to do so?  Is it because I believe that I am not powerful enough to do so?  Is it because I believe I’m not powerful enough to live in a place of more spiritual satisfaction than I currently do?  Is it because I feel I don’t have the authority to find victory in certain places in my life?

As we read through Joshua and Judges we’ll hear that the Hebrew people could not drive all the native people from the land because the native people were rooted in too deeply and it became too tough.  In the end, is this every bit as much of an authority and power issue as it is an identity and obedience issue?  Is sin allowed to stay in my life because it’s too tough and I’m not convinced I really have that power and authority anyway?

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