Skip to main content

Deuteronomy 9:10 - Remember when you guys made the Golden Calf? -Day 156

Good afternoon friends,

If you have been following the San Francisco school board adventure of "de-naming" schools, the contrast between how history is dealt with in this passage and today can't be much more clear.  God repeats the story of rebellion and disobedience so it will not be forgotten.  Today we "de-name" in hopes of erasing history.  That way we don't have to learn from it. Which do you think is better for us?

Blessings,

Jeff

After 40 days of no food or water (living on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God),  God makes Israel's disobedience Moses' problem.  God refers to them as "your people whom you have brought from Egypt"  But the Exodus was not Moses' idea.  He didn't go on his own authority.  He didn't part the Red Sea.  He didn't provide manna.

Certainly, God was not surprised by any of Israel's disobedience from the day they left Egypt to the day they cross over Jordan.  His anger is often aroused and is only averted when Moses intercedes.  Calvin points out that destruction for sin is averted only by God's grace.  Moses' intercession is just the secondary cause.  The lesson for us is that sin is always to be taken seriously and we should repent and turn away as soon as we realize our error.  But forgiveness is not a result of our repentance, but the perfect sacrifice on the cross.

The use of flashback can be a little confusing.  Chapter starts with warnings as Israel is preparing to cross the Jordan.  Then in the middle of the chapter the Golden Calf episode is repeated.  The adults who went after the calf are now all dead as a result of failing to entry the Promised Land immediately after leaving Sinai.  But God does want the current generation to forget the folly of their parents.  The same events are recorded in Exodus 32.  So why does God repeat the story?  Seems to be emphasis.  Moses knows that the story is recorded else where, but dutifully repeats it.  He realizes he is writing God's book, not his own book.  And it is almost word for word.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2 Chronicles 33:7-9 Thoughts on Davidic covenant - Day 362

Good morning faithful readers, The finish line is in sight!!!  One of the themes of scripture is that God is a covenant keeping God.  There are many between God and man. Adam, Noah, David are examples.  Covenants are more than promises.  They are made between a superior and inferior with conditions for each side and blessing and penalties based on keeping the conditions.  These are covenants of works which fallen man was unable to keep.  Thanks be to God that the Father made a covenant of grace with Christ, the second Adam, which he fully kept. Blessings, Jeff The promise in v8 was made to David when he had planned to build the temple and God promised to build him a house forever. (2 Sam 7:10).  Seems like there are only two possibilities about Manasseh's disobedience.  Either he knew of this covenant that God had made with his 13th great grandfather and chose to disregard it, or he didn't know of it and was unaware of the penalty.  Let's con...
Post a Comment
Read more

2 Chronicles 30:16-20 Hearts set to seek the Lord - Day 359

Good morning fellow members of the household of God, After writing the devotional, I am thinking about the Passover as a household event.  In ancient Israel, the physical household of man was covered by the blood of the lamb.  Now, it is the spiritual household of God that is covered by the blood of the Lamb. Blessings, Jeff The account of the greatest celebration of Passover since time of Solomon (v 26).   Observations: One of the things that made this one great is participation of some of the tribes from the northern kingdom.  Israel was a united kingdom and Solomon and now toward the end of the northern kingdom, there is at least a semblance of being united. God allows some exemptions: Who offers the sacrifice:  The original Passover was a family by family sacrifice of a lamb.  However in  Deuteronomy 16:5-6 this changed to a centralized location once they entered the promised land.  (You may not offer the Passover sacrifice within any of ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Revelation 22:3-5 Final and eternal restoration - Day 365

Dear saints in the Lord, Congratulations!  You made it.  We have been through much turmoil in the last year ('20-'21).  But God is faithful to His promises.  I trust that you have been blessed in your reading and have drawn closer to God.   Since we didn't get the blog up and running at the beginning of the challenge, I am going to go back and post entries to cover that first month or so.   Blessings, Jeff Nothing accursed in the city of God, the new Jerusalem.  The presence of sin will be gone.  I am working on memorizing Westminster Shorter Catechism and currently on question 82.  Is any man able perfectly to keep the commandments of God? No mere man since the fall is able in this life perfectly to keep the commandments of God but does daily break them in thought, word and deed. I think our passage today points to the truth of this question.  Do you notice how this answer is not exactly the same as the question. "Any man" bec...
Post a Comment
Read more