I'm sure there are lots of layers to what the LORD is communicating here, but one thing I notice is that he's not just the God of the wilderness - he's also the God of the promised land. Put another way, it's a true fact that he saved them form the land of their slavery, that's not the end of his involvement with their story. It's not even really "their" story, as much as they've been invited into "His" story. ...I think that's a larger theme that we may not always see as we read Scripture - this is His story, His plan - he's inviting us, calling us out of our ruined state, inviting us into what He's building. Only he's not *just* the savior, not *just* the builder who give us the keys to our new home and walks away... ...His plan was to create a set-apart home for his called-out people, and he's telling them here that if they'll continue to follow his instructions once they get there, it'll be great. BUT...if they won't...well, that's still his set-apart land for his called-out people, and if they don't want that deal, they'll wind up miserable until they get the boot and wind up in slavery again, dying in far-off places away from his presence. ...and, near as I can tell, there's a consistency to how he operates. Theologians might refer to this as the immutability of God, but he describes it this way in Malachi: "I the LORD do not change" It is comforting (and sometimes sobering) to know that we're dealing with the same God who deals with us in the same way that he always has, with all people everywhere.. - jeffrey
I'm sure there are lots of layers to what the LORD is communicating here, but one thing I notice is that he's not just the God of the wilderness - he's also the God of the promised land. Put another way, it's a true fact that he saved them form the land of their slavery, that's not the end of his involvement with their story. It's not even really "their" story, as much as they've been invited into "His" story.
ReplyDelete...I think that's a larger theme that we may not always see as we read Scripture - this is His story, His plan - he's inviting us, calling us out of our ruined state, inviting us into what He's building. Only he's not *just* the savior, not *just* the builder who give us the keys to our new home and walks away...
...His plan was to create a set-apart home for his called-out people, and he's telling them here that if they'll continue to follow his instructions once they get there, it'll be great. BUT...if they won't...well, that's still his set-apart land for his called-out people, and if they don't want that deal, they'll wind up miserable until they get the boot and wind up in slavery again, dying in far-off places away from his presence.
...and, near as I can tell, there's a consistency to how he operates. Theologians might refer to this as the immutability of God, but he describes it this way in Malachi: "I the LORD do not change" It is comforting (and sometimes sobering) to know that we're dealing with the same God who deals with us in the same way that he always has, with all people everywhere..
- jeffrey