Skip to main content

Daily Devotion: Deuteronomy 6:16

By

Deuteronomy 6:16    "Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah."

Just previous to this statement, the Lord had spoken through Moses, "Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.  (14)  Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you" (Deuteronomy 6:13-14)

Let us first see what happened at the place called Massah.  "And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?" (Exodus 17:7)  This was the first time the Lord provided water from the rock. He told Moses on this occasion to strike the rod with his staff and water would come forth from the rock.  But God also warned the people because of their doubt "and because they tempted the LORD, saying, ''Is the LORD among us, or not?"

How could the people have ever doubted the presence of the Lord?  He had opened the Red Sea. He made the bitter waters to become sweet. He provided bread from heaven to them six days a week. He was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. Again I ask, how could the people have doubted the presence of the Lord? But they did and they voiced that doubt. They voiced their doubt on more than one occasion concerning God's purpose for bringing them into the wilderness. They were people who constantly murmured and complained.  

The danger of constant complaining and constant doubt lies in its outcome. For if the people had doubted the presence of the Lord, they would have sought after the gods of the nations through which they were traveling. God had warned them about that on many occasions.  Moses reminds them of the danger and warns them against going after other gods.  

There are many gods in this world in which we live. It is easy to begin to turn our devotion and our focus from the True and Living God to the things of this world. When our focus is turned to things of this world, we begin placing our dependence upon them and that takes away from our trust and diminishes our faith in the Lord God Almighty. May we remember there is only One in Whom we can depend.

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Daily Devotion: Enter With Thanksgiving - Psalm 100:1-5

By
One of the most beautiful Psalms of Thanksgiving is the 100th Psalm. Please turn to it and read verses one through five. With all my heart I believe we are a people and a nation that has truly been blessed by God. Of all those who “give thanks to Him and praise His name” we should be at the top!  It is not uncommon to compile wish lists at Christmas, and draw up a list of resolutions for the new year. But there is another list we often overlook - a Thanksgiving Day list of all for which we are thankful. What would your list contain? Most likely, a good part would be material possessions. I’m convinced that we would find that we have much more for which to be thankful than just our material possessions.  Like you, I’m sure my list would include the major things - life, health, family, friends, and the nation we live in, despite all its flaws. But even more than that, I’m thankful for my salvation, my Church family, and the mercy that God showers upon us each d...
Read more

Daily Devotion (Video): I Will Fear No Evil - Psalm 23:4

By
Read more

Daily Devotion: Exodus 7:6-10

By
Exodus 7:6-10    "And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded them, so did they. And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh. And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent. And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent." Moses and Aaron had begun to doubt whether they were right for the job the LORD had given them. Here, it is evident that God granted them a renewal of their faith. Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded them. In my opinion, all truly successful outcomes in our lives begin with this. Moses and Aaron were not young men. Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron was eighty-three years old. Still,...
Read more