Listen to today’s passage – Deuteronomy 6 – 8
Follow along on Blue Letter Bible – Deuteronomy 6
Second Milers also read – 2 Corinthians 1 – 4; Proverbs 3; Psalms 11 – 15
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 119:105
Read the “0303 Evening and Morning” devotion by Charles Spurgeon.
Read a previous post from today’s passage – “Let’s Get Back to the Bible“
When I was a kid, my grandparents commonly used to say: “Don’t forget who butters your bread.” It meant that I should remember to be appreciative to the person or people that provided the food that I ate, the clothes that I wore, and the home that I lived in. In our passage today, we see God warning Israel many times that once they got into their new land, they should not forget that it was God who had delivered them from slavery and gave them this wonderful, prosperous, and plentiful place that flowed with milk and honey.
“10 And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, 11 And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; 12 Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.” (Deut 6:10–12)
“20 And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD our God hath commanded you? 21 Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh’s bondmen in Egypt; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand: 22 And the LORD shewed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes: 23 And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers.” (Deut 6:20–23)
“2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. … 11 Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: 12 Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; 13 And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; 14 Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; 15 Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; 16 Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end; 17 And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. 18 But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.” (Deut 8:2, 11–18 KJV)
In the passages of Scripture referenced above, God admonished the children of Israel not to forget the Source of all of their wealth and success. He was about to give them a land with houses and vineyards and farms; none of which they would have to build or work for. The Israelites would be walking into a great situation. It would be like you or I inheriting a beautiful home, fully furnished, with two cars in the driveway; and then we were given a profitable business to further add to our wealth. Sounds like a great deal, doesn’t it?
The problem with all of this was that somewhere along the way the people would slowly begin to forget about where all of this blessing came from. At first they would appreciate it, but then they would begin to think that they deserved it and were entitled to it. Finally, they would come to the conclusion that they had earned through their own efforts. At the end of the cycle, they have bitten the hand that fed them, and they have completely forgotten Who it was that buttered their bread.
I have observed this attitude in many Christians today. People often come to Christ when their lives are in a mess. They are sometimes in financial distress, or their marriages are falling apart; or both. They come to Christ and He begins to turn things around for them. At first, they greatly appreciate what God has done for them, but slowly and gradually they forget Who it is that is blessing their lives. They stop attending the church services, they stop tithing, and they stop serving. Somewhere along the line they think that they fixed their problems all by themselves. What happens next is not good. God has to stop blessing them, and they can end up right back where they started.
America is doing the same thing. We are the wealthiest and most powerful nation on planet earth. Why? Because God has blessed us. It is not because we are smarter or better than other nations. We are just blessed. But we are quickly forgetting the Source of our blessing. Unless we get it turned around, it cannot end well for America. As a nation, we had better remember who butters our bread.
Are there areas where you’ve started taking credit for what God provided? How can you course-correct?
This week, take a moment to list 5 blessings in your life and consciously thank God for each one.
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What a great reminder of how good God is to us and the blessings we receive everyday! There are so many things to be thankful for. I have so many that it would take a lifetime to list but I think of when I was in a major accident when I was 18 and even though I was, and still am pretty banged up because of that and have issues and pain, I am so thankful and grateful that I can still walk. Also, as much as I complain about the disgusting muddy mess of out driving and yard after the snowstorm, I am so extremely grateful to the Lord that I even have a roof over my head. How shameful of me and us who complain about things when Christ has died so that we may have eternal life!