Monday, October 25
Amid these admonitions Moses declares: “Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord’s thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is” (Deuteronomy 10:14). What a powerful expression of the sovereignty of the Lord, an idea found in other places in the Bible, as well: “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein” (Psalms 24:1).
Read Deuteronomy 10:17-19. What other declaration does Moses make about the Lord here, as well? Even more important, what does God command from His people as a result of that declaration?
Yahweh is not only the sovereign of heaven and earth, He is also the “God of gods, and Lord of lords” (Deuteronomy 10:17). This doesn’t mean that there are other gods, lesser gods, such as the supposed gods the pagans around them worshiped. Rather, it is a way of talking about, more than just His being the only God (“See now that I, even I, am he, And there is no god with me” [Deuteronomy 32:39]), it asserts His total supremacy over all other powers, real or imagined, either in heaven or on earth.
The text says, too, that He is “the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.” All of this is part of the bigger message: Yahweh is your God, and you, His people, need to obey Him.
What a powerful contrast is being presented here, as well. Yes, Yahweh is the God of gods and Lord of Lords, the Sovereign ruler and sustainer of the creation (Colossians 1:16, 17), but He also cares about the fatherless, the widow, and the stranger, and He shows that care by ministering to their immediate physical needs. The God who takes note if a sparrow falls to the ground (Matthew 10:29) knows about the plight of those on the margins of society. In other words, the Lord is telling the people that, OK, maybe you are chosen, you are special, and I love you, but I love others, too, including the needy and helpless among you. And just as I love them, you must love them, as well. This is one of your covenant obligations, and an important one, too.
Read Psalm 146:5-10. What is the message of the Psalm that reflects what God is saying here, and what should this mean to us today, as Christians?
