Journal 30-8-2009

Journal 30-8-2009

Scripture

Deuteronomy 31:1-13 (Young's Literal Translation)

¹⁴And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Lo, thy days have drawn near to die; call Joshua, and station yourselves in the tent of meeting, and I charge him;' and Moses goeth -- Joshua also -- and they station themselves in the tent of meeting,

¹⁵and Jehovah is seen in the tent, in a pillar of a cloud; and the pillar of the cloud standeth at the opening of the tent.

¹⁶And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Lo, thou art lying down with thy fathers, and this people hath risen, and gone a-whoring after the gods of the stranger of the land into the midst of which it hath entered, and forsaken Me, and broken My covenant which I made with it;

¹⁷and Mine anger hath burned against it in that day, and I have forsaken them, and hidden My face from them, and it hath been for consumption, and many evils and distresses have found it, and it hath said in that day, Is it not because that my God is not in my midst -- these evils have found me?

¹⁸and I certainly hide My face in that day for all the evil which it hath done, for it hath turned unto other gods.

¹⁹`And now, write for you this song, and teach it the sons of Israel; put it in their mouths, so that this song is to Me for a witness against the sons of Israel,

²⁰and I bring them in unto the ground which I have sworn to their fathers -- flowing with milk and honey, and they have eaten, and been satisfied, and been fat, and have turned unto other gods, and they have served them, and despised Me, and broken My covenant.

²¹`And it hath been, when many evils and distresses do meet it, that this song hath testified to its face for a witness; for it is not forgotten out of the mouth of its seed, for I have known its imagining which it is doing to-day, before I bring them in unto the land of which I have sworn.'

²²And Moses writeth this song on that day, and doth teach it the sons of Israel,

²³and He commandeth Joshua son of Nun, and saith, `Be strong and courageous, for thou dost bring in the sons of Israel unto the land which I have sworn to them, and I -- I am with thee.'

²⁴And it cometh to pass, when Moses finisheth to write the words of this law on a book till their completion,

²⁵that Moses commandeth the Levites bearing the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, saying,

²⁶`Take this Book of the Law, and thou hast set it on the side of the ark of the covenant of Jehovah your God, and it hath been there against thee for a witness;

²⁷for I -- I have known thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck; lo, in my being yet alive with you to-day, rebellious ye have been with Jehovah, and also surely after my death.

²⁸`Assemble unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your authorities, and I speak in their ears these words, and cause to testify against them the heavens and the earth,

²⁹for I have known that after my death ye do very corruptly, and have turned aside out of the way which I commanded you, and evil hath met you in the latter end of the days, because ye do the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, to make Him angry with the work of your hands.'

³⁰And Moses speaketh in the ears of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song, till their completion: --

Observation

God emphasizes us to remember. Be it the book of law, Ark of the Covenant and songs; all of these have a role of bringing us closer to god. God is gracious. He has given us so many ways of remembering him. He is gracious enough to forgive us. Why then do we sin? Nowadays, we focus more on the song than the God it was written for. We focus on our blessings than focusing on the God who provided them. Even the music distracts us from the song itself. We have to be alert. That is why God always provides avenues for us to remember him. When we put Him first and remember Him always, it is easier for us to overcome our temptations instead of falling into them. When we remember Him, we will be bolder. We also must not make god angry.

Application

I must remember God.

I must overcome my temptations instead of falling into them.

I must put God first.

I must not make God angry.

Response

Lord, thank you for your grace in my life. Thank you for giving me ways to remember you. Help me overcome my temptations God. I’m sorry that I’m falling and failing. Teach me to be bold to face my adversaries. Help me always walk with you and not against you Lord. Amen