We’re still in a kind of grand preamble for the book of Deuteronomy. Moses continues recounting the recent history of Israel with particular emphasis on the experience at Sinai. 🌋

Moses: Listen up, you guys. You are called to be different than other nations. Just because Jimmy the Canaanite worships idols, doesn’t mean you should too. If Jimmy’s idol told him to jump off a cliff would you do it too?🗿

😏

The oldest hearers had been children when God came down on Sinai in blazing fire. 🔥 They probably remember some of that. But many of the people standing before Moses at this moment were only babies at Sinai, or not even born yet. They don’t remember.

When I was about 2 years old mom & dad took us on a family vacation to Yellowstone. All I really remember (apart from watching the home movies), is…

1. Orange carpet in the van.
2. Dad carrying me over a steaming emerald pool on a bridge. I was afraid my shoe (I think it was a flipflop) was gonna fall off and go in that hot water.

We saw Old Faithful. We saw bison and the majestic Rocky Mountains. We made snowballs on Pike’s Peak. We apparently rode on a train ⛰️🚂⛰️ in the Grand Tetons. Do I remember any of that? Nope. Just the carpet and the flipflop.

This is why Moses is telling them what happened. They don’t remember the fire on Sinai and hearing God’s voice. They might recall the color of the carpet in the tent. ⛺️

Moses: You kids don’t remember this but I was there and I’m tellin’ ya right now- our God doesn’t have a shape. He doesn’t look like a human or an animal. So don’t go gettin’ any ideas about making any more golden calves or anything else for that matter. (Lacy’s paraphrase 4:1)

He warns them to watch out and be on guard against idolatry. But this warning holds an astounding assertion:

“And do this so that you do not lift your eyes toward heaven and observe the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of the heaven, and be led astray and bow down to them and serve them, things that Yahweh your God has allotted to all of the peoples under all of the heaven.”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭4‬:‭19‬ ‭LEB‬‬

😲 Say whaaaaaat?!

Oh. Hello again italics voice. 😑

😧 Hi. Is that saying what I think it’s saying?

What do you think it’s saying? 🧐

🤔 It sounds like God distributed or maybe assigned the heavenly host to the nations. Like He disowned the nations or something.

You don’t think it’s just saying that everybody on earth gets the benefit of the sun, moon, and stars? They’re essential for survival, after all. 🧐

🤔 Oh. Well. Maybe. But the next verse says:

“But the Lord has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be a people of his own inheritance, as you are this day.” Deuteronomy‬ ‭4‬:‭20‬ ‭ESV‬‬

🤨 So Moses is making a distinction. Israel belongs to Yahweh, while the Gentile nations belong to the heavenly host. I think it sounds like God disowned the nations and chose Israel instead.

The Gentile nations certainly did worship the heavenly host. But occasionally a few of them would forsake their idols and worship Yahweh. And He welcomed them. 🙂

😎 Well- that’s kinda wild. I didn’t know that was in there. But it certainly helps the ancient world make more sense. Each nation was kinda like a bunch of fans committed to their local team. And there was a lot of team rivalry. But they could throw away their team’s jersey and switch to team Yahweh if they really wanted to.

Yes. Only sometimes it was hard to find any Yahweh fans. Let’s get back to Moses. 🤓

🤩 Ok. But don’t you think it helps to imagine all the nations like different fan clubs? We could design team logos for like Ra and Ba’al and Chemosh and all. And make pretend jerseys and hats. The fans gotta have merch.

I’m just gonna try ignoring you and maybe you’ll go away. 🙄

(Ahem)

Then Moses tells the nation what would happen if they abandoned Yahweh and served idols. They’ll be destroyed. Hauled off the land. Scattered among the idol-worshiping nations. Few in number. Worshiping idols alongside the Gentiles.

You almost expect that to be the end. But it’s not.

“But from there you shall seek Yahweh your God and will find him, if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. In your distress when all these things have found you in the latter days, then you will return to Yahweh your God, and you will listen to his voice. For Yahweh your God is a compassionate God; he will not abandon you, and he will not destroy you, and he will not forget the covenant of your ancestors that he swore to them.”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭4‬:‭29‬-‭31‬ ‭LEB‬‬

Look how faithful the LORD is! He is totally committed to them. He is all-in on His promises.

This is the story of the Prodigal Son- told in advance.

Let these truths about the amazing faithfulness of God encourage you today.

But Lacy, I’m just a crummy ol’ Gentile. And a sinner to boot. 😞

Well, Acts chapter 17 is the equivalent of Deuteronomy 4, except to Gentiles. And it has the same message- ditch the idols that represent the heavenly host and return to Yahweh thru faith in Christ. (If you have a minute, you should go read it real quick.)

As to being a Gentile, not to worry. The Gentiles have been invited into fellowship with the LORD just like the descendants of Abraham:

“When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”
‭‭Acts‬ ‭11‬:‭18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Wait- 😯 I get God’s promises AND I get to eat bacon? 🥓

Yes. 🤓

Best. Deal. In. The. Universe. 🤩