Year 7, Day 154: Deuteronomy 3

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Having spoken yesterday about a God who remembers His Word and protects those who are in agreement with Him, today I’m going to talk about the opposite.  Today we hear about the conquest of the land east of the Jordan River.  We hear about the defeat of Og and the distribution of the land to the two and a half tribes who desire to settle east of the Jordan.

Unlike the people of Lot and the people of Esau, these people are not in relationship with God.  They are not showing any concern for His ways.  They are hardening their hearts against what God is doing in the world.  They are actively engaging in attempts to defeat God’s plan.  They are promoting themselves.  They are pursuing their own desires and taking what their heart leads them to take.

Do you remember the stories from Numbers about how the Hebrew people tried to negotiate peaceful passage through these lands and the people of these lands would not allow it?  Whether it was because they saw the Hebrew people as a threat or an opportunity to gain easy wealth, these people opposed the Hebrew people and resisted their passage.  They put their hearts against God and His ways.  Because of this, they are destroyed and their land is given over to the Hebrew people.

There is a rather significant lesson to be learned in all of this.  Clearly God will respect His agreements with those who abide by Him and respect the agreement in return.  God will honor His Word as long as the bargain is kept.  However, when we turn and make ourselves an enemy to what God is doing, watch out!  As soon as we declare ourselves an enemy to Him, our hearts are hardened and we are susceptible to replacement.

As proof of this, think about the end of the story of the Hebrew people in the Old Testament.  They break the covenant and are dragged off into exile, replaced by the Babylonians and Assyrians for a time.  Granted, when they return to the covenant God still honors the covenant.  But the message is consistent.  If we desire God to honor and respect His end of the bargain, we must honor and respect our end, too.  That doesn’t mean we must be perfect in every way – that could never happen anyways!  But it does mean that we respect the agreement.  We try as hard as we can to keep it.  When we fail, we acknowledge the failure, confess it, and humble pledge to try better.  That’s what being in a relationship is all about.

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