January 8
Deuteronomy 8.1-5
1 Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors. 2 Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 4 Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. 5 Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.
Deuteronomy comes at the end of the 40 years of wandering. Moses will be leading them only to the edge of the land. Joshua will be taking over. They have been waiting a long time to enter the land. And as they see it across the river, Moses puts some context to what is happening. But not in the way we might have thought.
He could have looked back and chastised them. Telling them that they could have entered the land 40 years ago if they would have listened to Moses instead of the fearful spies. They could have moved well in those forty years, but instead they complained and longed to return to Egypt as slaves. This isn’t what we get.
Moses looks back at the years of wandering and reminds them that they had food and water that came from the hand of God. Moses tells them that they were able to keep the same clothes for forty years. They did not wear out. Their feet did not swell. A problem with so much walking in the heat of the desert.
Moses looks back at the forty years, not as punishment, but as opportunity. The word discipline is not the word for punishment. More along the understanding of another word that comes from discipline, discipleship. It was a time of learning, a time of growing in faith, a time of becoming the people of God, a time to learn to trust God.
We can look at our struggles in life and see them as obstacles, set-backs, deterrents, discouragements, or many other negative things. Or we can look at life and see it all as opportunity. What have I learned? How am I seeing God at work more and less of myself as the most important part of all things?
We move as the church today, following Jesus. We place our hand in the hand of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus, and let him lead us where we are going and we trust that he will take us through safely. That he will lead us to a place that is good. That he will not let go, even if we do. Holding on to Jesus and following him.
Song – Put Your Hand in the Hand
Prayer
O God, our guide, who once used a star to lead people to Christ, we confess our poor sense of direction. We let ourselves become confused, easily distracted, and lose our way. We fail to follow the signs you provide. Forgive our waywardness, O God. Lead us to the Christ so that we may follow his way to you. Amen.