Deuteronomy 11:1-7 – The importance of living discerningly

We need to know that the events that happen in our lives are never without a purpose. In every experience, God has an intended purpose to shape and guide our lives to walk in His ways. Whether in deliverance, in calamity, or in judgment God is working out all things for our good. We need to discern His work and respond positively to them.  In learning to discern the lessons of those moments, many a times God also requires that we look back to those experiences to identify the lesson. Bear in mind that God’s purpose is to make us a people who will trust Him, obey Him, and walk faithfully in His ways.    

Here in Deuteronomy 11:1-7, the children of Israel were urged to consider the various ways had God dealt with them. He delivered them from Egypt by a great display of His power to reveal His love for them. Verses 3-4 described what He did to deliver them from the clutches of their Egyptian bondage. Not only did He deal severely with the Egyptians, but He also dealt kindly with them. These could be seen in the guidance, provision, and protecti0n shown to them throughout their journey. Verse 5 suggests that they were brought safely through the wilderness to where they were now, ready for the promised land. Finally, in His love for them, He punished and removed the rebels among them. By a mighty act of judgment, He punished Dathan and Abiram for their rebellion against Moses' leadership. More details are given in Numbers 16. In that incident, God caused the ground to open up and swallow these rebels, their families, and their tents.

The first three words in verse 2, “And consider today…”, is a call to discern the events and recognize the hand of God in all the experiences they went through. The word “consider” suggests that one should take the time to mull through and perhaps analyze the purpose of God in all the experiences that one is going or has gone through. It is true that if we nonchalantly and mindlessly saunter through life without taking time to evaluate the things that happen to us, we may miss the lesson God has for us in them. It is needful that we thoughtfully evaluate the events that happen in our lives. It is one thing to see but another to discern God’s intention. Spiritual insight is so important to progress in our Christian life. Whatever happens to us is never there to break us but to build us. As Paul had suggested in Ephesians 5:16-17 that we should redeem every opportunity presented to us. But how can we redeem the opportunity presented to us if we don’t rightly discern the moment and will of God? So be sure to live discerningly!