Deuteronomy 6:10-15 – Never forget God

In Deuteronomy 6:10-15, we see Moses calling the people never to forget God when they had entered the promised land and enjoyed the bountiful blessings that He would shower upon them. And that they must only worship and revere God alone and not be distracted into venerating and serving other gods.  

Moses began by essentially encouraging them to be grateful to God. He was certain that God would keep His word and bless them richly as they entered the promised land. What he feared was that in the time of their prosperity they might forget God. So here Moses was admonishing them not to forget God and to be watchful in times of plenty. Why does one need to be watchful in times of prosperity? Firstly it’s because prosperity can render a person’s heart insensitive to God, who is the source of one’s blessings in life. Secondly, it can cause one to boast about one’s wealth and become prideful. Thirdly, it can unwittingly lead one to live a life of indulgence instead of being watchful about his or her walk with God. No wonder the author of Proverbs 30:8 prayed:       

Keep deception and lies far from me,
Give me neither poverty nor riches;
Feed me with the food that is my portion,
That I not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the Lord?”
Or that I not be in want and steal,
And profane the name of my God.

Secondly, Moses also reminded them to worship and serve only the Lord God who delivered them from their bondage in Egypt. They must always be faithful to Him so that they would not be distracted by the idols in the pagan land that they would soon be entering. They must remember that as His people they must always worship and serve Him only. They must not be attracted and be lured into worshipping those pagan idols and false deities. If they did so, they would have to face the wrath of a jealous God and be destroyed.

We must know that walking with the Lord and obeying Him always come with His blessings. Hence it is important to have a proper attitude towards Him and the blessings that we received from Him. Because a right attitude toward Him and His blessings will shape our gratitude, but the wrong attitude will cause us to become self-centered. There is a Chinese maxim that says that when we drink water always remember the source. It is a call not to forget where our blessings come from and so be motivated to cultivate an attitude of gratitude. Remembering the source of all the blessings we have in life is critical to developing a life of gratitude. We must never forget God, the source of our blessings, and to worship and serve Him and Him alone.