I’m choosing to send another devotion from my pass through the Old Testament.
Why in the world would these Israelites not be more afraid to NOT fear the LORD?!?! At many points in this reading my own blood heats up and I catch myself wanting to yell, “You idiots! No people group in all of history has ever beheld such a volume of direct miraculous demonstrations of God’s power and presence! Yet you still want to tangle with The Most High?!?! Good grief! Go ahead, God—wipe ‘em out!” But meaningful reality returns with a quick look in the mirror. Oops! Maybe Israel’s history isn’t so exceptionally unique after all.
By now there should be no question why I continually return to the central priority theme of a HEART AFTER GOD. The lesson material from Israel’s history, plus my own, allows absolutely no other viable option—NONE! Please say it with me—NONE! God knows that—as indicated by the oft-repeated FOCUS VERSE above. He knows that the mechanism of human life simply does not work right with any other setting. Ironically, the Israelites kept being duped by the notion (“sin’s deceitfulness”—Hebrews 3:13) that their greatest problems and enemies were outside themselves when, in fact, they were inside. Their greatest threat, enemy, problem, whatever you want to call it, was any internal arrangement less than a HEART AFTER GOD.
Think of the wild statistics presented here! Question: Out of approximately 3 million people who were delivered from Egyptian bondage, how many were actually allowed to enter the “Promised Land?” Answer: TWO! (14:38 announces the final outcome). Not a great ratio! Except for those TWO, they were all delivered externally, but still in bondage internally. Encourage everyone you know to pay attention to this historical fact…so that we not repeat this history.