“It’s not you, it’s them.”
Let’s count the number of times that Moses tells the Israelites that God is not helping them because they’re so great, but because the Giant Clans are so bad.
“After the Lord your God has done this for you, don’t say in your hearts, ‘The Lord has given us this land because we are such good people!’ No, it is because of the wickedness of the other nations that he is pushing them out of your way. It is not because you are so good or have such integrity that you are about to occupy their land. The Lord your God will drive these nations out ahead of you only because of their wickedness, and to fulfill the oath he swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You must recognize that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land because you are good, for you are not—you are a stubborn people.”
Deuteronomy 9:4-6 NLT
Moses: Are we clear on that?
Israel: Got it. We’re stubborn and lack integrity and we aren’t very good, but Yahweh loves us anyway. And he’s giving us the land of the Giants because they are even worse than we are.
Moses: Check.
This is why I don’t like the evangelistic approach that says, “God thinks you’re awesome and He wants a relationship with you!” God loves humans but I don’t think He’s under any delusion that sinners who have aligned themselves against him are somehow great and worthy of awe. You don’t have to think someone is awesome in order to love them.
I think our current culture has forgotten that this is a legitimate option: You are a wretched miserable sinner AND I think you are utterly wrong AND I will not support your sin and delusion AND I love you and want what is best for you.
The trend has been “If you don’t fully support AND participate in my craziness, then you HATE me. There is no other way to view it.”
Side note:
The giant clans aren’t being destroyed and driven out because Israel has imperialist goals and they’re going around conquering helpless peoples to build a civilization. It’s actually the other way around. The clans are WAY more powerful than Israel. Israel had NEVER had an army or fought a single war before they came to Canaan. They aren’t imperialistic. They are former slaves.
God is the one with the beef against the giant clans. Israel doesn’t exactly have a personal axe to grind with them.
Moses spends all of chapter 9 reminding the people just how bad they’ve been – and how he has interceded and saved their bacon uh mutton more than once when Yahweh was angry enough to destroy them. By the end of it he kinda sounds like a crotchety old man…
Chapter 10:1-5 gives us a fascinating little detail about the Ark. Moses says he made an Ark of acacia wood because the LORD told him to, and that when he came back down the mountain with the 2nd set of tablets, he put them in that Ark. And that’s where they are 40 years later. Exodus 34 includes no such detail. Exodus 35 records the offerings of gold and such to make the Tabernacle and its furnishings (including the Ark) and it isn’t until chapter 37 that we have the building of the Ark by Bezalel.
I’ve never noticed this before. Two possible explanations come to mind: 🧐
- Moses made a smaller wooden Ark and this box was placed inside the Ark overlaid with gold that Bezalel made.
- Exodus was not written in strictly chronological order and after the golden calf incident, Moses interceded for the people then had the people bring offerings for the Tabernacle and had Bezalel make the ark at Moses’ direction before going back up on Sinai for another 40 days to get the 2nd set of tablets.
I have no idea if either of these is the case. If you are picturing the gigantic stone tablets that Charlton Heston carried down the mountain, well… that’s probably way over the top. Most ancient clay and stone tablets were more like the size of a modern book. Moses could’ve made something like a wooden shoebox for them.
When we get to heaven, we can ask Moses.
Anyway…
After reminding them just a few more times of how they’d be dead right now if it wasn’t for him, Moses gives them some more warnings along with this little gem:
“Look, the highest heavens and the earth and everything in it all belong to the Lord your God. Yet the Lord chose your ancestors as the objects of his love. And he chose you, their descendants, above all other nations, as is evident today.”
Deuteronomy 10:14-15 NLT
It’s as if Moses can’t get over the fact that Yahweh could have any nation on earth He wanted, and He chose this bunch.
Moses can’t say it enough. Yahweh is your God and He’s the MOST High. There’s nobody else like Him. Don’t get Him mixed up with any other gods.
“He alone is your God, the only one who is worthy of your praise, the one who has done these mighty miracles that you have seen with your own eyes.”
Deuteronomy 10:21 NLT
Most modern Americans are not in the habit of worshiping idols of stone so we think that we don’t need an admonition like this.
Praise is giving credit. Who or what do we credit for the favor we experience and the blessings we enjoy? Do we pat ourselves on the back? Do we attribute it to luck? Other people? “The Universe?”
None of that is worthy of praise.
Don’t get Yahweh mixed up with Allah or luck, “the Cosmic Mind,” “the Universe,” or yourself. He is unique. Let’s not give the credit to anything else for the blessings we enjoy or trust anyone else for what we need.
And He loves us – not because we are always so lovable, but because He IS Love. ❤️
“but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8 ESV
If you did not work to obtain His love while you were a sinner, what makes you think you must strive to keep His love as a saint?
Just love Him back and rest in His indescribable loving-kindness.
See you tomorrow.
To The Reader 