God is in Control of History!

INTERESTING FACTS : "Bible reading is an education in itself." --Lord Tennyson

DAILY READING : [DEUTERONOMY 3 - 4]

TEXT : Deu 3:1 Then we turned, and went up the way to Bashan: and Og the king of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. Deu 3:2 And the LORD said unto me, Fear him not: for I will deliver him, and all his people, and his land, into thy hand; and thou shalt do unto him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, which dwelt at Heshbon. Deu 3:3 So the LORD our God delivered into our hands Og also, the king of Bashan, and all his people: and we smote him until none was left to him remaining. Deu 3:21 And I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, Thine eyes have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto these two kings: so shall the LORD do unto all the kingdoms whither thou passest. Deu 3:22 Ye shall not fear them: for the LORD your God he shall fight for you.

THEME : THE POWER OF GOD

As we start the Book of Deuteronomy, we see Israel reminded of their need not to forget God. Deuteronomy, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Book - "Mishneh Torah"[the repetition of the law] - means "Second Law." It is not a new Law. It is a reiteration of the Law of God restated to the generation that will enter Canaan, conquer the land, and possess it. We read a comparison of the success God gave to Israel put against the judgment God on their parents and grandparents for their habitual rebellion in chapters three and four.

Therefore, Moses repeats the Law to this younger generation who grew up in the wilderness. They need to be reminded to cling to God and never depart from Him. Even though, in chapter four, God foretells through Moses they day will come abandon God after they possess the Land. In other words, the day would come they will forsake God. This happened chiefly with Solomon, although we see periodic departures and returns to God in the Book of Judges. Still, after Solomon's apostasy from the Lord in marrying a thousand foreign women and worshipping their gods, there is a steady decline from the Lord until the Babylonians and other nations take Israel captive. Finally, under the rule of the Roman Empire, Israel would be scattered throughout the world never to be brought together again as a nation until the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

It is fascinating to read the prophecies of the Bible. It is God's - "imprimatur," insuring and assuring us that He wrote the Book of Books, and that He does what He pleases. No man can alter the judgment or blessing of God. No man can resist His power. In the verses below, read carefully what Moses says about Israel's apostasy centuries before it occurred. Also, note the prophecy of when they are in "tribulation" and how God will remember His covenant with their fathers; chiefly Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Deu 4:24 For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God. Deu 4:25 When thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke him to anger: Deu 4:26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed. Deu 4:27 And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you. Deu 4:28 And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. Deu 4:29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. Deu 4:30 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; Deu 4:31 (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.

TRUTH FOR TODAY : GOD IS IN CONTROL OF HISTORY!

Notice in the text of Deuteronomy 3, that Moses credits the victory over Og to God. He shares how the Lord told Him "He" would hand him over to the children of Israel. Keep in mind, Israel is not an imposing nation in numbers. In addition, they are in foreign territory and are not established in the lands that their enemies occupy. Therefore, they had to rely on God for strength and success in everything, including battle. They were a nation in "exodus," about to come into a place of their own.

We as Christians need to learn the truth that God is leading, guiding, helping, strengthening, and aiding us etc. and not the other way around. We often forget who is in charge, and when we do, we sink to the bottom of the sea of anxiety and depression like Peter when he doubted the Lord once he stepped out of the boat. If God left us to ourselves to make Heaven, we would never get there. We also need to remind ourselves that God initiated salvation and has every intention of keeping us safe. Note the Word of God through the Apostle Paul -

"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." [Php 1:6]

In this verse, the credit is given to God for starting salvation and finishing it. However, like the children of Israel, we must constantly be reminded of our need of God. We must also encourage ourselves that God is in charge of His own creation - the earth all who dwell in it, and not forget this critical truth. If we do forget it, we are again apt to sink into despair and desperation. We get ourselves in trouble when we take our eyes off the Word of God and look at the tempest brewing in the world and in our lives. This is what the parents and grandparents of the younger generation of Israel did. They continued to doubt God based on the fact they did not know what would happen next. They did not see, so they did not believe God would supply all of their needs all of their lives.

When they did not see water, they assumed there was no water. When they did not see food, they forget God rained bread from Heaven, one day at a time. When they saw walled cities and giants in Canaan, they became frightened and forgot it was God leading and fighting for them. We are prone to do the same things if we do not stay in the Word of God through daily reading and meditation.

As we read the Bible, we see continually need the encouragement and reminder that God is in control of history. What He has begun, He will perform!