Deuteronomy 4:1-9 (NRSV)
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Chapter 4So now, Israel, give heed to the statutes and ordinances that I am teaching you to observe, so that you may live to enter and occupy the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. Verse 2You must neither add anything to what I command you nor take away anything from it, but keep the commandments of the Lord your God with which I am charging you. Verse 3You have seen for yourselves what the Lord did with regard to the Baal of Peor-how the Lord your God destroyed from among you everyone who followed the Baal of Peor, Verse 4while those of you who held fast to the Lord your God are all alive today. Verse 5See, just as the Lord my God has charged me, I now teach you statutes and ordinances for you to observe in the land that you are about to enter and occupy. Verse 6You must observe them diligently, for this will show your wisdom and discernment to the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, "Surely this great nation is a wise and discerning people!" Verse 7For what other great nation has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is whenever we call to him? Verse 8And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just as this entire law that I am setting before you today? Verse 9But take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children's children-
Devotion
Do you have any ritual reminders with your family or friends that help you to remember the importance of your relationship? Some kind of sayings or actions? When my husband leaves the house to go for a bike ride or on his way to work, other than the usual hugs and kisses, I also say "be safe, be courteous." These words are a small reminder to take care of himself and be kind to others, but also a reminder that he is loved. They are a sign that as he goes out into the world he takes his family with him. My daughter has now started to say this good-bye as well.
Deuteronomy is a book about reminders of God's promises to us. God made a covenant with Israel long before they entered the promised land. Now as they take steps forward in faith they are reminded to live as the people they are created to be.
We need those reminders more often than we might think.
Prayer
God, help us to look for your presence in our lives today, and remember the promises that you give us, your children, in Jesus' name. Amen.