Deuteronomy 1 A TIME TO REVIEW Nearly forty years had passed and Israel was again near the border of the promised land. A new generation had arisen. New adult faces, and a new generation of children looked across at the land God had promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God had told Moses the time had come for Israel to possess the land forty years before, and in fear they stopped short of acting in faith and obedience. An eleven days' journey had turned into forty years of wandering as an unbelieving generation of people died and were buried in wilderness graves. A younger generation had come to years and were being taught to obey God. Rebellion and self-will are on-going problems among God's people. We do well to review our past history and teach our children and grandchildren the things we have learned by our mistakes. Hopefully they won't do all the same things we did, although doubtless they will make mistakes of their own because they have the same tendencies we have.
In this journey of life on which we are traveling; even our service for God, difficulties, discouragement and pain are a part of the training process God puts us through. The reason behind much of this is so we will not make our choices based on the same premises as those who do not know the Lord. Our understanding of our God does not happen right away nor does it happen all at once. I expect it will never be complete even though it will go on forever. An Infinite God who is Eternal and Almighty has allowed us to call Him "Our Father."
There are certain necessities we have to face in life that cannot be learned except under the pressure of potential failure. We don't know what to avoid if we don't know the danger to our spiritual life it possesses. That is why God allows things to cross our paths that He knows, and we know, are not good for us. It is for the learning process, not to tempt us. The reality of who we are is made evident under tension. By these lessons God prepares us for the service He wants us to perform, and often our most sincere devotion and worship comes after the victory over temptation and potential defeat.
Moses did not review their life in Egypt, nor how they came to Egypt in the first place. The children of Israel went to Egypt as a family. They left Egypt as a disorganized band of freed slaves. Moses begins his review of the past forty years with the Israelites being formed into an orderly nation under an organized leadership that could administer justice and make impartial decisions based on the perfect standard of God's laws. We are not free-lancing who are at liberty to do whatever our evil hearts might desire. For God's people today there are the "commandments of the Lord" that empower us under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to do God's will. When we do them with grace and by faith, there is a holy order that works in the way God intends. Not every person does the same thing, but when each fulfills what God has gifted them to do, the body of believers, functions properly.
As we learn God's mind and will, and a covenant that has been formed by His with us begins to function, there comes to us an awareness of our responsibility to Him and the knowledge as to how we can fulfill that responsibility. We have to learn how to do His will. "If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine..." We are not given a road map of the events of our life ahead, and we do not know the nature of the events, good or bad, that we will face. But in the same way a new generation of Israelis had to learn who God is and what He wanted from them, so we learn from day to day as we follow Him by faith.
Those who led God's people then, were able to make righteous judgments because they were respectful men who had wisdom as to what was right, and the understanding as to how to do what was right. Those characteristics still hold true for those who lead God's people today. Some of the qualities may be inherent in one's personality, but most are learned by being willing to obey God and act on divine guidance. The character of a leader is not formed by their ability to accumulate wealth or by family pedigree. Being popular is not a qualification for good leadership. The qualities of character that are needed to lead are formed by being careful as to what we allow into our minds through our senses, and then using what we have been given in the respectful fear of the Lord.
In the beginning of the review Moses gave to the nation, was included the failure to possess the land because of fear and self-will. They had not learned to trust God and take the risk of obeying even though they didn't really know the process, and how God would fulfill His promises. When we let the pressures of difficulties control our movements, we will do nothing. Some people are afraid of making a mistake and consequently have nothing to show for their life. Faith in God enables us to take risks without fear and demonstrates to others the fact that we truly believe God. The failure of the spies was probably retold often as they watched Caleb and Joshua growing older, and yet moving in their strength among them while the other children of Israel continued to bury their dead.
Two men of faith and courage remained as a positive witness to God's faithfulness to those who trust Him. The things that seem like giants to us are no problem to God. But rather than smooth the way before us, God directs us through the difficulties by going before us. He gives us promises as to the future and gives us victories that are far more significant, than the failures we make by doing things our way. We need to remember as we review the past and God's dealing with us, that "without faith it is impossible to please [God]." Our young people, and any others who are wondering about the value of the Christian life, need to hear of God's ways with us. Our history is of greater value than we might think. Don't spend too much time reviewing the failures, although we must be honest about them. Give a clear review of the victories God has given us, and focus attention on Him. "If God be for us, who cam be against us."