December 6, 2011 – Deuteronomy 31

God and Moses are so pessimistic (and rightly so). There is all this assuming that the Israelites are going to fail to act according to God. That has to be a bit disheartening for the Israelites. Their relationship with God appears very dysfunctional. They always are questioning God, then rely on His help to get out of trouble and accept His assistance, then begin to doubt Him again. God helps them, shows them miracles, but never believes that they are actually going to listen and obey Him. He makes promises and threats, yet it does not seem to convince them, they will always turn away.

Is it much different with us. I surprise myself with how critical I am of Israel, yet act the same way. I take God for granted, accept His assistance without thanks, have moments of doubt when things appear most dire, yet He is patient with me even though He knows I am going to fail and turn away. I don’t know if I have ever looked at Israel as a story of my life. What God gives, how we treat God, lessons He tries to teach us, the entire story of Israel can be reflected in our own lives.