“Then it shall come about when the LORD your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you, great and splendid cities which you did not build, and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you eat and are satisfied, then watch yourself, that you do not forget the LORD who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Deuteronomy 6:10-12).
The book of Deuteronomy records words of exhortation and warning from Moses to the people of God as they prepare to finally enter the land of promise. It had been an arduous journey from Egypt to the border of Canaan. A trip that normally would have only taken perhaps a few weeks had lasted 40 years due to the rebellion and disobedience of the Israelites. All of the adult males, from age 20 and up, who had left Egypt had died, except for Joshua and Caleb. Hunger, thirst, fiery serpents, challenges to leadership, grumbling -- and yet, with God’s help, they had finally made it. After all of the dangers of the wilderness, a land flowing with milk and honey looked pretty good.
But as the text above affirms, there was also a danger associated with blessings. Moses warned the people that the “good times'' can be as dangerous as the “bad times.” At least the struggles in the wilderness clearly reminded the Israelites of their need for God’s help. Times of prosperity do exactly the opposite. “Good times” can cause us to think we can get along without God -- forget Him if you will. Sadly, that is just what happened with the people of God. They drifted into idolatry, forgetting the God who delivered them through the “bad times.”
Thank God for His blessings, but be careful not to let the blessings lead you away from Him. It’s happened before -- it can happen again.
God loves you!
Mike
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