Deuteronomy 10:17
Thoughts from Pastor Josh
Dive Deeper
“For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who does not show partiality, nor take a bribe.”
Deuteronomy 10:17
Behind the Scenes
In my life I have forgotten God’s power, his might. I have walked away from his goodness and grace. At times I chose to lose my reverence towards him even though he deserves to be glorified and praised. And if you have been following God for more than a minute, I’m sure you have had a similar story at one point in time. The God we serve is the Lord of lords and the God of gods. He reigns over the heavens and earth, he is the great God, he is mighty and awesome, he shows no favor and cannot be swayed.
Isn’t that good news? We believe in a powerful God who in all his greatness still wants to talk to us, to communicate with us, to be in relation with us. What an honor!
A little context about Deuteronomy, it is a series of speeches from Moses where he is calling the next generation of Israel to be faithful to the covenant with God. Where the current generation’s parents were not faithful. The theme through the first 12 chapters is summed up in two words; listen and obey (Deuteronomy 6:4-5)
Make it Real
You might ask why. Why should we listen to God? We can think that we know best or that our ways are better than God’s even if that is not how we word it. The passage we just read declares God’s goodness and holiness and that is why we should be reverent towards him. Have the utmost respect and have a healthy fear of his power.
Following the theme of this book, that reverence looks like obeying and listening. Obey what he has asked and allow him to speak into our day–to–day lives. It looks like choosing him first. Putting him as the Lord of your life. Having him be the master or ruler is another way to word that. I know in my life when I let go of the control that I want to have over my life, my life gets easier. Not in the sense that my circumstance changes but my heart changes. I stop trying to be my own god and allow YHWH to fill that role.
In the Old Testaments, the Israelites’ obedience and devotion to God served a larger purpose. Israel had the chance to show the world the wisdom and justice of God. We have that same opportunity. That is why he asks us to do what is asked, it is for our good and to bring him glory. What more do we want? To be in control? That is a small goal in the grand scheme of eternity. And trust me, from my experience it does not lead anywhere worth going. But allowing God to be in control is exactly where we are meant to be.
Aletha Thurston
ACF Devo Team
End in Prayer
God, I thank you for giving us free will, I ask that you give us strength this week to obey you, to listen to what you are asking of us, to have reverence towards you. We thank you for being mighty so we do not have to thank you for being reliable so we can rely on you, your perfect strength instead of our own. Thank you, Jesus, I pray this all in your holy name, amen.