God's people are about to enter the promised land...finally. It's been 40 long years in the wilderness. Every week was the same. Manna came from the desert floor. Water came from a rock. Moses spoke with God, then gave the message to the people. Aaron and his family served as priests. Should they be attacked out in the desert, the armies would respond - but it was not a regular occurrence. Who would want desert land?
Now they were going into the promised land. Everyone would want what they were being given by God. We're going to have to fight now. How will we select people for the army? Moses wasn't allowed to enter the land. Who would speak to God for them and listen for the answer? Who would lead the judicial system? Aaron has already passed away. Who would lead the priests? We all live in tents now. How will the land be divided up when we get in there?
Deuteronomy 17-20 (my reading today) starts to answer these questions for them. To us, it seems like a random list of rules. For them, God is providing them the essentials necessary to begin living life in this new land. God is preparing them for life in the promised land before they go in.
Often times we look at God's word and see it as nothing but a pile of rules or lists of things we don't care about. In reality, God is showing us how He prepares people for the life they are about to live in the place they will live it out. Adam was told about a dangerous tree in the middle of a garden. The Israelites were told about the dangers of following the false gods worshiped by the Canaanites. He prepares us for the life we are going to live in the place we will live it.
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