God Who Continually Restores Broken Covenants
Scripture Passage: Deuteronomy 10:1-11 (NASB)
1 “At that time the Lord said to me, ‘Cut out for yourself two tablets of stone like the former ones, and come up to Me on the mountain, and make an ark of wood for yourself. 2 I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets which you shattered, and you shall put them in the ark.’ 3 So I made an ark of acacia wood and cut out two tablets of stone like the former ones, and went up on the mountain with the two tablets in my hand. 4 He wrote on the tablets, like the former writing, the Ten Commandments which the Lord had spoken to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly; and the Lord gave them to me. 5 Then I turned and came down from the mountain and put the tablets in the ark which I had made; and there they are, as the Lord commanded me.” 6 (Now the sons of Israel set out from Beeroth Bene-jaakan to Moserah. There Aaron died and there he was buried and Eleazar his son ministered as priest in his place. 7 From there they set out to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land of brooks of water. 8 At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to serve Him and to bless in His name until this day. 9 Therefore, Levi does not have a portion or inheritance with his brothers; the Lord is his inheritance, just as the Lord your God spoke to him.) 10 “I, moreover, stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights like the first time, and the Lord listened to me that time also; the Lord was not willing to destroy you. 11 Then the Lord said to me, ‘Arise, proceed on your journey ahead of the people, that they may go in and possess the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.’
SUMMARY
God commands Moses to bring two stone tablets just like the first ones Moses had shattered in his anger. God will write the same Ten Commandments on these new tablets and Moses is to store them in the Ark of the Covenant made of acacia wood. Moses appoints the tribe of Levi, set apart for performing special duties, to carry it as they continue on with their journey. Moses remains for forty more days and nights pleading for God’s mercy on behalf of the Israelites. God forgives and tells Moses to continue leading them in the journey to possess the Promised Land.
MEDITATION & REFLECTION
The Israelites were so rebellious against God, so stubborn in their ways, and evil in their hearts, that finally it came to the point that Moses shattered the two tablets in anger, symbolizing the completely broken covenant and relationship. Even in this hopeless situation, God’s grace and faithfulness is extended to them, and He let’s them start over with two new tablets just like the first ones. This is one of the main reasons (of countless other reasons) why I fall in love with God more and more each day. There is so much power and passion in His love to cover all of my sins, no matter how terrible and heartbreaking they may be. He never gives up on me, just by the fact that I am His, even though I fail many times. He will continue to restore and renew our covenant as many times as it takes. Also by the power of His love, He can completely restore what was seemingly completely broken. My heart is so captured by this boundless, faithful, and powerful love.
APPLICATION
Recently in my Christian walk, I have become more mindful to keep God’s commands, and I’ve been more disciplined and intentional about living out my faith. For example, I’m helping my son memorize bible verses, I pray more, and I stop myself from saying negative things, etc. I have already seen a lot of fruit coming from these actions of obedience to God.
As I become more obedient and disciplined, I never want to forget what incited my obedience in the first place. I pray that my heart will always be filled with the overwhelming awe of God’s powerful love. That it would be the starting point of all my obedience and godly intentions. I pray that anything I do begins with recognizing and appreciating what God has done and will continue to do for me. I know that because of my sinful heart, even my seeming obedience and godly parenting can quickly turn to a sin in God’s eyes. Any “good” thing I do can quickly turn to something I do while forgetting God, and to satisfy my own sense of accomplishment and pride. On the other hand, even if I stumble or fail in my obedience, I pray that my confidence will remain secured in the Lord who will forgive me and restore the brokenness, just as He powerfully did with the Israelites.
PRAYER
Dear God, Your love is so powerful and faithful, and it overwhelms my heart to know that You would forgive and restore such horrible betrayals and sins. Thank you for your grace and love. I want to acknowledge and honor this love by keeping Your commands and cherishing the covenantal relationship. All of my actions of obedience, I pray would come from knowing Your love, not by my own humanly determination or will. Only You and Your love enable me to do anything that is good in Your sight. Help me to always remember and be captured by the powerful love You first showed to me. May that be the starting point of anything I do. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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