Returns

O. T. #427  "Returns"
December 26, 2014
Deuteronomy 29-30
And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey His voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul;
Deuteronomy 30:2

"Return to Me, and I will return to you," says the Lord of hosts. Malachi 3:7

LET IT GLOW

Did anyone fight the crowds and make a return the day after Christmas? Perhaps it was the wrong sized gift, an unwanted gift, or an ugly gift that caused it to be returned, exchanged for another. If you stand in long lines to make your returns, think how far you may have drifted away from the Lord. Make today a day of happy returns. Moses was warning Israel a third time, to not drift away from the Lord, but to return to Him.

This was Moses' third call for Israel's commitment to God. God and Israel made a covenant at Mount Sinai, 40 years earlier (Ex. 19-20). God promised to bless the Israelites by making them the nation through whom the rest of the world could know God. In return, the Israelites promised to love and obey God in order to receive physical and spiritual blessings. (Life Application Study Bible)

Then, this covenant was renewed in Moab. Now the Israelites are camped  across the Jordan River from the Promised Land, before they entered. This Palestinian covenant, a call to commitment, was not only for those Hebrews making it, but for those born in future generations, who would suffer the consequences of what they did. (Liberty bible Commentary)

How was Israel to prosper in life? They were to love God with all their heart, soul, and strength (6:4-5) We are to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt. 6:33).
Moses cautioned that the day the Hebrews chose to turn from God, a root would be planted that would produce bitter and poisonous fruit (Heb. 12:15). When we decide to do what we know is wrong, we plant an evil seed that begins to grow out of control, eventually yielding a crop of sorrow and pain. but we can prevent those seeds of sin from taking root. If you have done something wrong, confess it to God and others immediately. If the seed never finds fertile soil, its bitter fruit will never ripen.  (Life Application Study Bible)

Do we need to confess and return to the Lord? What better time is there than the present?

Ultimately, because Israel did not keep their part of the covenant, God took them out of the land, using Assyria and Babylon conquered their land and take them away as slaves. Looking on down through time, in 1948, Israel became a nation once again.

 Eventually, Israel will believe in Jesus as the Messiah. Paul state that "... all Israel shall be saved..." (Rom. 11:26). This is the picture of the national salvation of Israel. They will ultimately love the Lord their God with all their heart.  (Liberty Bible Commentary)


LET IT GROW

 Verse 29 states, The secret things belong unto the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

The word secret, used here, means to hide (by covering); be absent; keep close; hide.

Most people use the term secret as an interpretation of the unexplainable blessings of God, it actually refers to the hidden causes which motivate God to punish His people. (Falwell)

That which is revealed included the law with its promises and threats; consequently, that which is hidden can only refer to the specific way in which God will carry out His will in the future, which is revealed in His Word and completed in His great work of salvation, in spite of the apostasy of His people.

Life Application Study Bible says there are some secrets God has chosen not to reveal to us, possibly for the following reasons:

1. Our finite minds cannot fully understand the infinite aspects of God's nature and the universe (Eccl. 3:11).
2. Some things are unnecessary for us to know until we are more mature.
3. God is infinite and all-knowing, and we do not have the capacity to know everything He does.

Through God's Word we know enough about Him to be saved by faith and to serve Him. We must not use the limitation of our knowledge as an excuse to reject His claim on our life. 

There are some answers to "why?" which we will not know until God reveals it to us when we get to heaven. We trust God that He makes no mistakes, for His ways are higher than our ways, including His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. (Is. 55:8-9) He will accomplish His purposes for His glory. So we continue to live by faith, not by sight.
Your will, Your way, today, I pray.

LET IT GO

Trust and obey, for there is no other way, to be happy in Jesus, than to trust and obey.

Return to God and repent when I stray away.