Contentment Comes From The Lord
Scripture Passage: Deuteronomy 2:7-15 (NASB)
7 For the Lord your God has blessed you in all that you have done; He has known your wanderings through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have not lacked a thing.”’
8 “So we passed beyond our brothers the sons of Esau, who live in Seir, away from the Arabah road, away from Elath and from Ezion-geber. And we turned and passed through by the way of the wilderness of Moab. 9 Then the Lord said to me, ‘Do not harass Moab, nor provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land as a possession, because I have given Ar to the sons of Lot as a possession.’ 10 (The Emim lived there formerly, a people as great, numerous, and tall as the Anakim. 11 Like the Anakim, they are also regarded as Rephaim, but the Moabites call them Emim. 12 The Horites formerly lived in Seir, but the sons of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed them from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel did to the land of their possession which the Lord gave to them.) 13 ‘Now arise and cross over the brook Zered yourselves.’ So we crossed over the brook Zered. 14 Now the time that it took for us to come from Kadesh-barnea until we crossed over the brook Zered was thirty-eight years, until all the generation of the men of war perished from within the camp, as the Lord had sworn to them. 15 Moreover the hand of the Lord was against them, to destroy them from within the camp until they all perished.
SUMMARY
God told Moses to remind the second generation of Israelites that came out of Egypt of how God blessed the Israelites and watched over their journey for the last forty years in the wilderness. As a result, the Israelites have not lacked anything because the Lord was with them. Therefore, the Israelites were instructed not to bother the Moabites or provoke them to war because, like the Lord had taken care of the Israelites, He also had given the land to the sons of Lot. When thirty-eight years had passed, the entire generation of fighting men died, and the Lord gave the next generation the order to cross the Zered Valley.
MEDITATION & REFLECTION
In verses 7 to 9, God orders the Israelites not to fight against the Moabites to take their possessions because God is the One who has “blessed” all the work of the Israelites’ hands, “watched over” their journey through the wilderness, and “has been with” Israel for the past forty years. God protected not only the Israelites, but also the sons of Esau and Lot. God is faithful to keep His promises. God has never left the Israelites alone but carried them “as a man carries his son” (Deut. 1:31). Their clothes did not wear out, nor did their feet swell during those forty years (Deut. 8:4). God provided manna (8:3) and water out of the hard rock (8:15). God watched over them day and night with a pillar of fire and a cloud (1:33). Even though they grumbled throughout their journey and rebelled against God, the Lord provided everything they needed, so they “have not lacked a thing.”
These verses remind me of how God also blessed me in the past. However, sometimes, I do not fully trust Him and doubt His faithfulness. I need to check my heart to see if I am confessing that I also “had not lacked a thing” in my life. I have a tendency to not be satisfied with the things I do or have, therefore, causing me to feel a lack of something. As I go through the pandemic, I am realizing that I had been mistaken in believing what is essential or not essential for living. I realize that I need contentment for what I have and trust God for His providence. I want to say that I have not lacked a thing because God is with me. Abiding in Jesus and His Word abiding in me should satisfy my soul. I want to confess like King David says in Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.” (NLT)
In verse 14, Moses wrote that “all the generation of the men of war” perished and could not cross the Brook of Zered because of their unbelief and disobedience to the Lord. It shows the consequence of sin. I see myself as one who should be under that punishment for my sin. However, by God’s grace and mercy, I am saved from eternal destruction because of Jesus Christ, who loved me and died for me to pay for my sin. Despite my shortcomings, God, who is faithful, calls me to arise and cross the brook to take the possession of that which God has promised to me. What may be “the Brook of Zered” I have to cross now? It may be thoughts of despair, complaining, and fear of uncertainty. I should not live by what I see or hear but I should live by faith. I realize that God requires me to trust only the Lord, who is good.
APPLICATION
I want to count the blessings of what God has provided for me, my family, ministry, and church throughout this week to be content and thankful for what I have and God’s faithfulness, I will also praise God for His grace and mercy throughout today and this week. To arise and cross the brook of Zered, I will not seek my own understanding but trust and love God through prayer.
PRAYER
Abba Father, I thank You for Your blessings over me, my family, and ministry. Thank You for Your protection and for being with me. I also pray for Your protection over this country. Help me not to satisfy my soul with the things in the world, but to seek You, who alone are able to satisfy my soul. I thank You for Your salvation. Please help me to follow You faithfully as You are faithful. Increase my faith in You and help me to trust You in times of difficulty.
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