DVP073 Deuteronomy 9:5 (March 14)

Not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart are you going in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations the LORD your God is driving them out from before you, and that he may confirm the word that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

One of the most important lessons for us to learn about life as a human and as a Christian is that it is not about us. It is about God and his glory. Everything is about him and he uses us to accomplish his purposes. Along the way we receive many blessings, but that is secondary to the primary concern of God's glory.

Clearly, Israel weren't receiving the promised land as a reward for being good. They had rebelled so convincingly so many times. Yet God still gives them the promised land and destroys the wicked nations who were in there.

A few lessons about God to take from this:
  1. God can do what he says he can do - he is able to give Israel the land
  2. God will fulfill his promises and won't go back on his word - he will complete his promise to Abraham
  3. God is merciful and forgiving - he blesses Israel in this way even though they have so severely dishonoured him
  4. God is angry at the wicked - he destroys and drives out the pagan nations
  5. God will ensure that his glory is confirmed and spread in the world - the accounts of God doing these things is recorded in scripture so that we can know him

The English Standard Version (ESV)

“Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
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