You Get What You Get

 

My daughter is the mother of seven children ranging in age from 2 to 17. One of the regular rules of the house (mostly in the kitchen) is that “You get what you get and you don’t get upset.” It may apply to food or the color of the dish it was served in. It is a great rule to remember in life when we consider God’s sovereignty.

Looking at Deuteronomy 4 on the morning of the election was a great gift. Moses reminds the  Israelites of what God did at Baal-peor when many of His people failed to obey His commands and followed another god, the Baal Peor. God destroyed them. But, in Deuteronomy 4:4 Moses points out, “But you who held fast to the LORD your God are all alive today.”

Please note that Moses then goes on to point out that the statutes and commands of God were the wisdom and understanding they had “held fast” to that kept them alive.

In verse 7 he reminds them, “For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him?” Do you see that condition of God’s nearness? “Whenever we call upon Him” (Deuteronomy 4:7).

Deuteronomy 4:8, “And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today?”

Moses was able to say this of Israel in his day but we cannot say this of the USA in our day because we have, even as God’s people, abandoned His laws for man’s laws. We don’t have righteous laws because we have added our own laws (Deuteronomy 4:2). In fact there is a lot of innocent blood on our hands due to too many babies to count having been murdered in their mother’s womb. There are many unjust laws on our books regarding imprisonment of people who have committed misdemeanors, taxation, and more, right down to the “rights” of tenants to steal from the landlord as they claim “squatter’s rights.”

We, as a people of God, have not listened to Him.

Yet, as the Lord offered hope in Deuteronomy to His people, He continues to offer this hope to his people today. He is the Lord who is near! His statutes and commandments are still readily available. We must open the Bible and get to know His laws. We must allow them to be the wisdom and understanding by which we live.

Deuteronomy 4 also addresses idolatry (imporatn now because it appears some have made idols of political candidates). Deuteronomy 4:15-16 say, “Therefore watch yourselves very carefully. Since you saw no form on the day that the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, beware lest you act corruptly by making a carved image for yourselves, in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female…”

The warning goes on to include any replica of a created thing that might be worshiped as an idol. Then, Moses reminds the people that God is a consuming fire, a jealous God (Deuteronomy 4:24).

As Moses warned then, we still do not see a physical form of God but we know that He is near and His laws have not changed. “Therefore watch yourselves very carefully (Deuteronomy 4:15).” These are striking words. Christians, did we “watch ourselves” as we spoke about the election or the candidates? Did our patriotism stand out further than our faith? How are we responding to the one that God has put over us (Daniel 2:20-21)? Do we believe that He is the God who is near?

In other words, will we take what we get and not get upset… even with those who so vocally disagree with us?  Rather, will we live as though Christ alone rules over us, all the time. in every aspect of our lives?