Today's Scripture
Accepting God’s punishment…Deuteronomy 3:23-28
Today’s Reading Schedule: Deuteronomy 3-4 – Click to read
“At that time I pleaded with the Lord: “Sovereign Lord, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do? Let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan—that fine hill country and Lebanon.” But because of you the Lord was angry with me and would not listen to me. “That is enough,” the Lord said. “Do not speak to me anymore about this matter. Go up to the top of Pisgah and look west and north and south and east. Look at the land with your own eyes, since you are not going to cross this Jordan. But commission Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land that you will see.””
Deuteronomy 3:23-28 NIV
Devotion
What Does the passage Mean to Me/US?
Moses had led the Israelites into battle to conquer and take over the land East of the Jordan River. God had told His people not to be afraid and that He would give them victory. Once the land was conquered, it was then divided amongst some of the tribes as the Lord commanded. Moses also commands the Israelites to be obedient to their God and to keep their covenant with Him. He warns them against the consequences of idolatry, that they would be thrown out of the Promised Land if they again built idols and worshiped them.
Moses knows what it means to disobey God and then to live with the consequences of that disobedience. In Numbers 20, Moses was told by God to speak to a rock to produce a flow of much needed water for the Israelite people. Moses spoke to the rock but also struck the rock twice with his rod. The Lord was displeased because Moses did not believe Him and did not hallow His name in the eyes of His people. Due to this disobedience, Moses was not allowed to go into the Promised Land.
At the end of Deuteronomy 3, Moses asks God once again if he might go see the Promised Land. God says a final “No” but He then tells Moses to go to the top of Pisgah so he could at least see the land. God’s loving heart did show some grace to Moses.
Punishment from God is hard because none of us like to experience it. But as God’s faithful, yet imperfect children, we can expect to experience God’s punishment from time to time. We don’t grow in our faith walk if we walk an easy rode without direction and correction from God. During this season of Lent, we should be thoughtful of the fact that Jesus bore the greatest punishment for all of us by giving His life on the cross.
Prayer
Oh, God, we know that we please you when we are obedient to you. We know how important it is to love You with our whole hearts, and to love others as we love ourselves. Show us Your way each day so that we can help to transform our world to a place filled with love, grace, and goodness.
In Jesus’ name, Amen
Contributed by Sarah Pero
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