DIGGING DEEP NO. 907 – November 2nd, 2021 GRATITUDE TO THE LORD Deut.6: 10- 25.

Moses was equipping the new generation to enter and claim the Promised Land, and he knew that Canaan would be a place of temptation as well as a place of triumph. When they conquered the nations in Canaan, the Israelites would inherit vast wealth and would be tempted to forget the Lord who had made victories possible. The second temptation would be for Israel to compromise with the pagan nations around them and not maintain their separated position as the people of the Lord. When things are going well, we are prone to relax our spiritual disciplines, take our blessings for granted, and forget to praise God from whom all blessings flow Ps.103: 1- 2. 

Moses named some of the material blessings the Lord will give the Israelites in the Promised Land: Large prosperous cities, houses filled with different kinds of wealth, wells, vineyards, and olive groves, as well as the land itself. Whenever the Jews took water from the wells or fruit from the vines and trees, they should have looked up with gratitude to the Lord. Water is a precious commodity in the East and the people didn’t even have to toil to dig the wells. Nor did they have to plant the vineyards or the olive groves and then wait for the plants to grow and mature. God used these spoils of war to compensate the Jews for the wages they didn’t receive when they were enslaved in Egypt, and at the same time, He reminded them of His bounteous grace. With privilege always comes responsibility, and Israel’s responsibility was to show gratitude by fearing the Lord and obeying Him Deut.6: 13. Israel needed to remember that the Lord owned the land Lev.25: 23 and that they were merely His tenants. Their inheritance in the land was God’s gift to His people, but if they disobeyed His covenant, they would forfeit the land and its blessings Deut.5: 8- 10; 32: 16- 26; 1Cor.4: 7.

After He delivered Israel from Egypt, the Lord deliberately led them through difficulties so He could teach them to trust Him. First, they came to bitter water at Marah and complained about it instead of asking God to help them Ex.15: 22- 26. Then they got hungry for the fleshpots of Egypt and murmured against the Lord and the Lord provided the daily manna to sustain them Ex.16: 1- 8. When they came to Rephidim, there was no water to drink, and once again they complained against the Lord instead of trusting the Lord Ex.17: 1- 7. “Is the Lord among us or not” was their question meaning, “If He is among us, why doesn’t He do something?” Moses did what the people should have done; he turned to the Lord for help, and God supplied the water that they needed. By their attitude and their words, Israel defied the Lord and proved that they neither loved Him nor trusted Him. Their bodies were in the camp of Israel, but their hearts were still in Egypt.

The Lord tests our faith, not just in the great crises of life, but even more in the small unexpected events, such as a travel delay, a sudden sickness, a lost wallet. The way we respond in these situations will indicate what is in our hearts. If we love and trust the Lord, we’ll leave the matter with Him and do what He tells us; but if we question the Lord and rebel because we are not getting our own way, then we are in danger of tempting Him. One of the best protections against tempting the Lord is a grateful heart. If we’re in the habit of thanking the Lord in everything, including the painful experiences of life, then the Holy Spirit will fill our hearts with love and praise instead of Satan filling us with bitter venom.

The greatest blessing for which Israel should have been thankful was their deliverance from Egypt Deut.6: 20- 25. In his farewell address, Moses frequently referred to this miracle, and later, so did the prophets. Had Israel remained in Egypt, there would have been no nation, no sanctuary, no priesthood, and no hope; but the Lord delivered them and brought them into their land and fulfilled His promises. Today, we have a Bible and a Savior because God led His people out of bondage, an event that was celebrated annually at Passover, so that the next generation would know how to trust Jehovah, love Him, and obey His laws. When our children are ignorant of the past, they will have no hope for the future.

An attitude of gratitude is a wonderful weapon against unbelief, disobedience, a hard heart, and a bitter spirit 1Thes.5: 16- 18.

In Conclusion – Instead of complaining about what we don’t have, let’s be thankful for what we do have.