Deuteronomy 29:1-9 – Living discerningly

God through Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt and their bondage forty years ago. When they reached Mount Sinai, He made a covenant with them that they would be His people and He would be their God. He promised to lead them into a land flowing with milk and honey. However, that generation that came out had stubbornly resisted Him. They had persistently tested Him and would not follow Him obediently. Hence, they all perished in the wilderness except for Moses, Caleb, and Joshua.

Since then, a new generation had now arisen. Most of them were children when Moses first led them out of Egypt. Some were probably born in the wilderness. This new generation was a reminder of the faithfulness of God. He had promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that He would make them a great nation and lead them into a land flowing with milk and honey. This generation was now at the plain of Moab and about to cross the Jordan into the promised land. All this while, Moses had been instructing them and set before them all the commandments of God. In Deuteronomy 26, they had affirmed the LORD as their God. They even promised to walk in His ways, to keep His commandments, and to heed His voice. So now in Deuteronomy 29, Moses gathered them to have them formally renew the pledge that they had made then.

Moses began by reminding them of their past. He wanted them to know with certainty that every experience they had was divine providence. Everything from their bondage and suffering to the mighty deliverance by signs and wonders was a demonstration of God’s grace. He had miraculously led and sustained them through the wilderness. Their clothes and shoes did not wear out. And though they had no bread nor wine or strong drink, yet God supernaturally sustained them. They even had success in their battle with Kings Sihon and Og. They were helped in conquering their lands which were allotted to the tribes of  Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh.

Verse 4 tells us that despite all that God had done for them, they could not perceive His gracious dealings with them. Their hearts did not understand, their eyes did not see, and their ears did not hear. They could not discern the hand of God and were oblivious of His gracious provision. Discernment is spiritual perception. It is a gift of God that can be developed when one spends time listening and connecting with Him. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 2:14 that  “…a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.” Like Israel, in the abundance of God’s provision, we too can forget that He is our source. We need to pray for spiritual eyes to see, spiritual ears to hear, and receptive hearts to perceive His dealings in our lives. We need discernment and spiritual receptivity so that we can identify and acknowledge His gracious hand in all areas of our lives. When we are discerning and receptive, we will surely love Him with all our hearts, souls,  minds, and strengths and live faithfully to honor Him, our Mighty God!