He Goes Before You Series

Text: Deuteronomy 1:29-40

Theme: “The Lord Goes before You”

Greetings:

A Happy and a Prosperous New Year 2024!

The Lord is good and His love endures forever!!

Introduction: Deuteronomy means “Second Law”. This Book of Deuteronomy is didactic rather than historical. It consists of a collection of the well-constructed brilliant final discourses of Moses. It contains the basic truths, facts, and rules which were essential for the religious, moral, and social well-being of the pilgrims, sojourners on the earth.

The law which was formerly delivered, now repeated, and largely explained; and added several particular laws, instructions, and directions.

Jews call this book "the book of reproofs” because of its several sharp reproofs of the people of Israel for their rebellion and disobedience.

Our Lord Jesus Christ quoted Deuteronomy only to counter Satan when he was tempted. It is established that the New Testament writers quoted Deuteronomy alone nearly 200 times.

On this New Year day, I would like to Meditate with you from Deuteronomy 1:29-40, this passage talks about the refusal of the Israelites entering into the promised land. Some of us are afraid of the future affairs of 2024.

The nutshell of this passage is ‘Do not be terrified, and do not be afraid of. The Lord your God is going before you, He will fight for you as he did in Egypt and in wilderness. He carried you like a father all the way from Egypt to his Kadesh-Barnea. He goes ahead of your Journey. He Searches your places of camp, he shows you the route of your journey. Caleb Followed the Lord wholeheartedly.’

I would like to leave with you three thoughts for the entire year; Firstly, understand that The Lord Your GOD CARRIED YOU thus far; Secondly, THE LORD YOUR GOD LEADS YOU AHEAD of your sojourn; Thirdly, THE Lord YOUR GOD WILL REWARD YOU if you prove your fidelity.

So, we must give importance to our spiritual experiences of the past, trust in God for the unknown best future, and believe strongly that God rewards the faithful and rejects faithless, even if they are great men like MOSES.

GOD CARRIED YOU in the Past (Deuteronomy 1:29-31)

First of all, we can understand that God carried us throughout the past. When we think of our Spiritual experiences with the Lord, The Lord was good in the Past, so the past has given us pleasant experiences despite challenges, sicknesses, failures.

God had brought Israel out of furnace of Egyptian slavery to the border of the Promised Land. They had experienced miracles, and wonders (Deuteronomy 1:19-20). The problem with the Israelites was that they had a mind to forget very quickly all the good things they had received from God. They failed to trust God, and rebelled against God’s plans, promises and assurances he made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Deuteronomy 1:7-8).

He narrated them that How the Lord God carried them. He used various similitudes to explain this truth: Moses told that God carried you: Deuteronomy 32:11- He carried you like an Eagle, 32:12 – He guided you in the wilderness, Exodus 19:4 – He bore you by like Eagles wings, Numbers 11:12 – He carried you like a nurse carries the nursing child, Isaiah 40:11 – He carried you as a shepherd carries the lambs with his arms, Isaiah 46:3, 4; 63:9 – He carried you all the days of your lives. Hosea 11:3-4 – He took you in His arms.

He “carried you” as a father carries His Son and daughter. God as Father is a wonderful biblical family metaphor (Deuteronomy 8:5- Disciplining Father; Proverbs 3:12 – as father disciplines, corrects the son; (Deuteronomy 32:6- he is your father who created you and established you; Exodus 4:22- Israel is my Son, my first born; Psalm 103:13-as father has compassion, he had compassion; Hosea 11:1–4 – called my Son from Egypt (Malachi 1:6).

But, Israelites refused to go into that promised Land (Deuteronomy 1:26). They were good at imaginations. However, Moses recalls God’s faithfulness in the life of his chosen people. HE is dependable, reliable God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (1:8). Moses frequently repeated and reminded them that they were the seed of Abraham, and the promise of the Land flowing with milk and honey (Deuteronomy 1:35, 6:10, 18, 23, 7:13, 8:1, 9:5, 10:11). He assured them that God will fight for them yet they did not trust neither in their powers nor in the power of the Lord God God and in his promises (Deuteronomy 1:29-33).

Failures in faith happen when we look for our own deliverance and our own hope. Israel failed because they did not look at God but self-reliant. Looking to our own power will always be a spiritual failure. Moses told the people to see what God had already done for them and not consider what they think they can do for themselves.