Theological Commentary: Click Here
Deuteronomy
8 has a very good warning that we absolutely need to hear in the modern
world. I would guess that humanity
always needs to hear it; but I can guarantee that we need to hear it today. The message is simple. Don’t mistake what God does with His hands for
what I do with mine.
In the time
of Moses, he was worried that after a generation or two – or maybe even just a
few years of peace – the people would begin to think of their work in the land
as, well, their work. I can see it
now. Some guy out mining copper says to
his coworker, “Man, that was a hot day.
But look at all the copper we mined today!” Or some shepherd looks to his coworker and
says, “That sure was some mighty lion that we chased off!” Perhaps there is some person doing laundry
who gets to the end of the day and says, “That was a mighty pile of laundry I
got done today!”
Do you hear
the emphasis? In each of those
circumstances, the comments from the people are ignoring the support that comes
from God and only seeing what they were able to accomplish within the framework
of God’s support. Those comments aren’t
acknowledging the seasons that allow the grass and wheat to grow so we can have
bread to eat and meat from animals that graze on the grass. Those comments aren’t acknowledging the peace
that God allows us to dwell in by protecting us from harm. Those comments aren’t acknowledging the
wisdom that God has given to us to be able to do the job in the first
place. Those comments aren’t
acknowledging the walk that God had for centuries with people who laid the
foundation for the life we now enjoy.
Those comments are focused on the work of the people without looking at
the greater context and support.
This really
is a lesson that I do well to remember.
Everything I do now is so much more than my effort. Everything I do now is the culmination of God’s
work in my life, God’s work in the lives of the people who have helped me
become the person that I am, God’s work in the lives of the people who have
made this country what it is, God’s work in watching over my travel and the
travel of others, God’s work in bringing the seasons to allow food to be grown,
harvested, and consumed on a daily basis, etc.
I could keep going if I wanted to.
Moses’ point is really quite clear.
Every day we can see our daily work simply as our own personal effort or
we can choose to see our daily results as a chain of events in a long line of
God’s hand at work. The choice is
ours. We need to make the right choice.
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