Highlights In Today's Reading:
You'll find really good reading today as we discover four "gems" from our Heavenly Father in these three chapters. God's purpose is given for all His rules and laws (8:1); there's a Divine promise included (9:3); plus what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul (10:12).
The forty long years of wandering in the wilderness were necessary for the Lord to persuade Israel to acknowledge the futility of their own abilities and to put their trust in the sustaining power of His Word. The many unexpected disappointments were the plan of God to destroy confidence in themselves and bring into reality a dependence on His Word for daily provisions, protection, and guidance. Adversity for the Israelites was aimed at overcoming the spirit of self-dependence that develops through pride.
The manna was given daily; its only guarantee of continuance was God's promise. All the unforeseen circumstances were needed to develop their faith in His Word. Our problems should bring us to the same persuasion that we are dependent each day upon God. He does supply all our needs (not all our wants) and He loves to make available what is best (not mere comfort) for our pilgrimage through life. Pain and disappointments become more endurable when we recognize that the love of God has allowed it for our best eternal purpose. There is a tendency to forget God as we gain material possessions. We are tempted to tell others what "we" have accomplished. The Israelites illustrate our need: He humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna . . . that He might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live (8:3). Jesus quoted this Scripture which was given to Israel in the wilderness when He, too, was in the wilderness, being tempted by Satan for 40 days.
Adversity is a necessity, for whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth (Hebrews 12:6). Although some adversity may come as the result of sin, Job illustrates the fact that the best man living may be forced to face painful afflictions even though his own actions were not the cause (Job 1:8-12). God arranges the terms and time of our "need" for our eternal good. Throughout every book of the Bible there is Divine Life and power to satisfy every "need." Read it daily with confident expectation that you, too, will enjoy the strength of His Life that is indispensable to satisfy your real needs in the years to come.
Through Peter the Lord said: But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear (I Peter 3:15).
Thought for Today:
While much of the world goes to bed hungry, a much more serious problem is a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. Not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord (Amos 8:11).
Christ Revealed:
Through the shittim (acacia wood) used to make the Ark of the Covenant (Deuteronomy 10:3). Acacia wood, a desert growth, is symbolic of Christ in His human form. When the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the Law (Galatians 4:4).
Word Studies:
10:16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart =b> the physical symbol of Israel's separation, circumcision, was to be a symbol of their love, submission, and loyalty to God; stiffnecked =b> stubborn and hardened.
Prayer Needs:
Pray for The Arabic, English, and Spanish International Shortwave Radio Broadcasts sponsored by a family's love for Jesus • Bible Pathway Media Producer: Rick Hash • Government Officials: Gov. Rick Perry (TX) and Rep. Christopher Smith (NJ) • Country: Estonia (1.47 million) northeastern Europe • Major languages: Estonian and Russian • Religious freedom • 38.4% Protestant; 20.3% Orthodox; 1% Roman Catholic; 1% Muslim; .3% Jewish; 39% non-Religious/Other • Prayer Suggestion: Pray that God will move His people to give faithfully to His work (Malachi 3:8-10).
Optional Reading: Luke 19
Memory Verse for the Week: I Peter 1:14