As Moses begins the book of Deuteronomy, he begins by calling the people to remember what has taken place in their lives by recounting their history. As this second generation of Israelites from the Exodus are preparing to enter the Promised Land, he calls them to live in obedience to Yahweh. He calls them to worship only Yahweh and warns them against idols. They are a different people that serve a different kind of God than the nations around them. He establishes cities of refuge and begins to give the law a second time. Moses gives the Ten Words to the nation of Israel, as well as the Shema. They are to destroy idolatrous nations and remember Yahweh. When everything is well in the land, they are not to become self-righteous, thinking that they have accomplished these things which God has done for them. They are to remember that they are not better than the other nations, for they have also sinned against God just as the other nations have done. Rather, it is because God is gracious towards them that they receive this blessing. Therefore, they must renew their covenant with God and remember to obey God’s commands. They will receive blessings if they obey the Lord, but a curse if they disobey.

It is easy to forget what God has done in your life. This is what God is concerned about as the Israelites are preparing to enter the Promised Land. God reminds the Israelites of what He has done for them and He calls them to live for Him. He gives them some important guiding principles to follow. The most important of these is the Shema, or the command to love God with all your being. He gives some guidelines on what this looks like in the Ten Words. When things are going well, they are to remember their sin and not become proud of themselves but remember that it was God who accomplished all these things for them. It was not because they were good, but because God was good to them. If they obey God, they will be blessed, but if they disobey God, they will receive curses instead of blessings.

Sometimes I forget how good God has been to me. I would rather look at what He has done for and through me and praise myself rather than God. It is difficult to remember that I am not good; I am a low-down, dirty sinner who deserves nothing but the curse of death. But God, who is rich in mercy, pours out His grace on me and lavishes His love upon me through Jesus’s atoning sacrifice on the cross. By His resurrection, I am raised to walk in His grace and to receive the blessing of life with Him. God, help my life be poured out as a fragrant offering to you, to do the work of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with those whom I encounter each day.