God, Israel & Me
Deuteronomy 7:9
“Remember that the Lord your God is the only God and that he is faithful. He will keep his covenant and show his constant love to a thousand generations of those who love him and obey his commands”
Devotional
Israel was God’s chosen people. He would remain faithful and loyal to the Israelites in the days of the Old Testament before Jesus was sent to us. As I read the Old Testament more, I’m introduced to so many people in history and learned some of the things they’ve done or had happen to them. The majority of the stories centre around the people of Israel and how God has shown them a way to live through a structure He gave to them (eg. 10 Commandments). But, the Israelites could not obey all of these rules. It was literally impossible for them. Maybe because there were so many rules, maybe because they just didn’t want to. But God, the Creator of all of these people, still remained faithful to the Israelites.
The more I read, the more frustrated I was with the Israelites because how hard was it to listen and follow some instructions? But I also came to realize how similar my behaviour is compared to the people of Israel. Every single day that goes by, I also disobey God’s loving commands for me. God didn’t choose to be faithful to Israel because they were special. He could have chosen any group of people. But the fact is that any group He chose would still fail, but God would still choose to stay by their side. And as I keep reading more and more of the craziness Israel gets themselves into in the Old Testament, the more I can see how much God loves His people so much, and that He is with them until the very end no matter what. God is the main character in the Bible, and though we are a people, like Israel, who can’t love God as much as He loves us, our Father in Heaven will stay by our side until the end and we can trust that.
Reflection
How can you give thankfulness to God today? How has He shown you His faithfulness? Take time to thank Him!
How have you seen yourself disobeying God? Take time to confess to Him. He waits for you with great love!