The more I read through the old covenant law I see that we truly can never keep the law. Where would you start to try to keep the law? Did the people become so obsessed over keeping every jot and tittle of the law that you forget about the relationship with God? If I think forward to the gospel story it seems that the Pharisees and Scribes were so fixated on the law that they were not looking for a relationship with God. Is there any areas in my life that I get so fixated on the process of following God that I forget Him? What are my priorities in life and are they as important as I think they are? I never want my relationship with God to become just a method that I build to make myself feel better.
Lord, please help me bring glory to you in all I do. I am so full of weakness that I can only live through your strength. As I go through this day please draw me closer to you.
In Deuteronomy 23 and 24 the idea of purging evil from within the Israelites community is repeated on a consistent basis. God desired the best for the lives of the Israelites and you see that when you look at the sundry laws given. God wanted purity in all areas of their lives. God didn’t want the people to follow the detestable practices of the people living in the surrounding nations He wanted the people of Israel to be above reproach. It makes me think about all the people I am in contact with on any given day. Do I desire the best for the people I have interaction with? What would the world be like if peoples main motivation was to help one another?
When I think back to the story of the Israelites I see that they had to grow and develop as they learned who God was. There were plenty of times when the people didn’t do as God commanded but God consistently proved Himself faithful to them. In Deuteronomy we have a moment when the people are turning towards God and seeking to follow His commands. This time of renewed devotion to God comes after great failures on the part of the Israelites. It is encouraging to me because I am just as inept and prone to failure as the people in Deuteronomy. In moments like this where I feel helpless and weak I can see the absolute necessity and beauty of the cross of Jesus Christ.
I’ll be honest that as I continue to read through all of these laws I have become a little desensitized to them. There is not much that can be said about emasculated men, prostitutes, divorce, leprosy, and laws about harvesting that seems very ground breaking for my daily devotions. If I were reading through the Bible and not blogging as I go it would be easy to overlook all of these laws. The time spent meditating on the truths found in the law and seeing my inability to keep them apart from Jesus Christ has been thankfully sobering.
