April 17, Day 107 – God is Accessible, Ageless, and Available

Deuteronomy 26:1-28:14;

Psalm 46; Luke 17:11-37

"His Majestic Name" © by Terri L. Stricker - Original Pen & Ink on Paper

Each of our readings for today is encouraging and comforting.  In the Deuteronomy 26-28 section, we have the record of God’s promises made and fulfilled to His people.  This segment begins with the regulations concerning “the first fruits of all the produce that the LORD God gave to the Israelites,” after they came into the land (verse 2).  The first fruits speak of thanksgiving.  These verses include a brief history of Israel from the time when they went down into Egypt.  Here, Moses testifies that God has provided incredible bounty for His people up to this point.  “He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey” (verse 9).  This also applies to us, as such is our own estate – for God has brought us to where we are now.  We would always do well to recognize and remember what God has done for us.  The apostle Paul wrote, “What do you have that you did not receive?” (cf., 1 Corinthians 4:7-8).  Everything that we are and all that we have comes to us from the hand of God Who desires that we acknowledge this fundamental truth.  By doing so, we may freely come before Him and claim the truth of Deuteronomy 26:15 – “Look down from heaven, Your holy dwelling place, and bless your people ….”  In chapter 27, we see Moses’ injunction to all the people to “keep all these commands that I give you today” (verse 1), which also included the command to “be silent, O Israel, and listen!  You have now become the people of the LORD your God” (verse 9).  These commands further included the construction of the altar on Mount Ebal, from which God’s curses would be proclaimed against those Israelites who failed to keep His laws.  We see these curses in Deuteronomy 27:15-26.  Chapter 28 begins with conditional blessings: “IF you fully obey the LORD your God … all these blessings will come upon you …” (verses 1-2).  These verses emphasize that the LORD’s blessings come – generally – to those who acknowledge Him.  His presence, His unfailing love, His provision, and His protection are all His blessings to us.  We notice that He promises – also generally – to bless the “city and the country; the fruit of the womb and the crops of their land; the basket and the kneading trough; their comings and goings; the defeat of their enemies; their barns and their work; and their bounty” (cf., verses 3-14).  In the United States, we have enjoyed prosperity beyond most of “all the peoples on earth” (verse 10), largely because – as a people – we have historically acknowledged the truth about God.  Today however, we wonder what has happened to our country.  Could it be that we have failed to thank God in recent years?

In Psalm 46, God promises to be our strength and our refuge in troublesome times, which seem practically perpetual (cf., Job 5:7).  I simply cannot imagine how people can reject God and then – on their own – try to survive all the troubles that surround us.  This Psalm divides itself nicely into three beautiful sections: [1] He is accessible (verses 1-3); [2] He is ageless (verses 4-7); and [3] He is available (verses 8-11).  Verse 10 explains God’s eternal plan:  “I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth.”  We should always be thankful to God for His reassurance to us that He “is with us and is our fortress” (cf., verses 2 and 11).

In Luke 17:11-37, we are reminded again to be grateful to the Lord for all that He does for us.  Here we see that ten lepers were healed, but only one returned to thank the Lord for healing him.  “Were not all ten cleansed?” (verse 17).  Were the other nine not thankful? How hard is it to express our thanksgiving?  In Romans 1:21, Paul reminds us that God brought judgment on people for their lack of gratitude; God wants us to be thankful because thanksgiving is a reflection of our worship and our honor for God’s majesty.  In this passage, we also learn two aspects about the kingdom of God.  [1] The kingdom of God is wherever the King is.  If – by our invitation – He resides in our hearts, then the kingdom is “within” (i.e., or among) us.  That is the invisible aspect of His kingdom.  But there is also [2] a visible aspect of His kingdom.  The King will appear again at His coming, and “every eye shall see Him” (Revelation 1:7).  May we never forget to thank God for today’s biblical truths.