Royston First United Methodist Church

“You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord is God; besides him there is no other.” – Deuteronomy 4:35

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE READING: Deuteronomy 3-5

As you start reading Deuteronomy, it may feel like you have are having deja vu. The first few chapters of Deuteronomy sound similar to other passages out of Exodus — including listing the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy 5. There are many good reasons for this. First, Moses was the author of both Exodus and Deuteronomy. It would make sense that his writing style would be similar. Deuteronomy recalls the stories of the Israelites and how they got to the point of crossing into the Promised Land. But there is one key difference between Deuteronomy and the other books we have already read.

Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Pentateuch — the first five books of the Old Testament. The Pentateuch has long been considered the primary literature for the Jewish faith. When Jesus quoted scripture or read from the scrolls in thesynagogue, he was often reading from the Pentateuch. These scriptures were important to Jews because they contained the law and the stories of what God had done to establish Israel as a great nation.

Throughout Deuteronomy, Moses shares three sermons recounting all that God had done before the Israelites crossed into the Promised Land. He wants to remind the Israelites of the amazing things that God has done. He wants theIsraelites to remember God and keep God first as they receive the promise they have long awaited. It was God who had brought the Israelites this far, and God would continue to go with them. For God is like no other gods you have seen.

How do you celebrate what God has done? How do you pause to remember the amazing things God has done in your life and prepare yourself for what God is doing or will do? Perhaps we need the reminder of Moses in our lives — “You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord is God; besides him there is no other.”

This Sunday in worship, we will be discussing how we understand when God says “no” to our requests. If you have ever felt like you have prayed for something only to hear God’s “no,” then this Sunday is for you. Have an amazing weekend and I look forward to being with you in worship at 8:45 and 11:00!

Grace and peace,
Matt

P.S. During this season of Lent, I want to invite you to join me in attending to the means of grace. Hopefully, you are already reading through the scripture using the Daily Bible Reading Plan (a new plan will be available for download on March 15). This Tuesday at 12 PM, I will be in the prayer chapel for a time of prayer and I invite you to join me. Each week, we will focus on a different means of grace (fasting, Communion, prayer, etc.) If you have a prayer request you would like to share with me, send me an e-mail at matt@roystonfirstumc.org.