Daily Devotional | Confusion and Clarity
- November 22, 2021 | Deuteronomy 30:11–16
Have you ever worked for a boss who was impossible to please? Sometimes this is a result of unclear directions or unreasonable expectations. If you’ve ever been in this situation, you might have been forced to ask, “What exactly do you want?!”
The people who lived in the areas surrounding Israel experienced a similar sort of situation. They weren’t trying to please a boss, but gods— multiple gods—in order to ensure some measure of peace and stability. To make matters worse, there was no manual for how to please them. What worked one day might not work the next. Requirements shifted constantly. We can only imagine their anxiety!
One of the many things that made the Lord, Israel’s God, utterly different from those false gods was that He never changed and His requirements were clearly known. There was no secret knowledge to gain, and there was no guessing to be done. God had already told His people exactly what would please Him. See how He described this expectation in Deuteronomy 30: “Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven...Nor is it beyond the sea,...No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it...For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees, and laws” (vv. 11–16). through the prophet Micah The Lord did not play guessing games during Micah’s time, and He doesn’t play guessing games now. He has made it clear what will please Him!
>> The expectations God has made of us are clearly outlined in Scripture. It may be tempting to pick and choose, deciding what we will or will not do. But there is no confusion with God. His way is clearly stated for us. Read also: Micah 6:6–8
Pray with Us
What a comfort it is to serve an immutable God. You are always constant and never unpredictable. Not only do You outline Your expectations of us, You also supply what we need to obey.
BY Dr. Russell L. Meek
Russell Meek teaches Old Testament and Hebrew at Moody Theological Seminary. He writes a regular column on understanding and applying the Old Testament at Fathom Magazine, and his books include Ecclesiastes and the Search for Meaning in an Upside-Down World and the co-authored Book-by-Book Guide to Biblical Hebrew Vocabulary. Russ, his wife, and their three sons live in northern Idaho.