by Dave Roderick
After 40 years Israel have finally reached the borders of the promised land...
...40 years of the same food, same scenery, same routine - going round in circles in the wilderness.
Rather than charge right in God makes them stop.
He gets them together and has Moses speak to them one last time:
“Listen, O Israel!
The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.
And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.
And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today.
Deuteronomy 6:4-6
God uses this pause before they enter the new land to refresh the covenant agreement he had made with the generation before them at Sinai. He reminds them that He is the only way to find life and reminds them of the various laws that were to guide their relationship with Him, each other and those around them.
Today in lockdown it’s like someone has hit ‘pause’ on our normal lives. The routines and rhythms we were so used to are gone and we find ourselves in this strange interim before we enter the new world of post-lockdown. Whilst no one can agree on what this will look like exactly, or when it will happen, they all agree there is no going back. The world we will enter will be very different.
So here we find ourselves.
In a pause between the familiar patterns we knew and a new world we will enter in the near (ish) future.
When we hear the word ‘pause’ we often think of taking quiet, reflective, time out. But imagine the hustle and bustle of the camp of Israel with children and animals and chores all around. I doubt it was quiet! We have to find ways to engage with God in the midst of real life not always having to withdraw from it to encounter God. So this week, in the queue in the car park outside Aldi, as you wander the isles wondering whether to buy essential items such as a chainsaw or wind up radio, whilst cooking, whilst the kids watch TV or in the moment just after you wake up - take a minute to pray and reflect on what your life looked like before and how God might want it to look going forwards.
You see I believe God wants to remind us in this moment, as He reminded Israel, of who He is and what our priorities should be. It’s an opportunity to hit reset and reorder our life and worship. In his interaction with Israel, he challenges them about worshipping (giving priority, love, and trust to) the same things as everyone else in the land they were about to enter. God points out how those things lead to disappointment, death, and destruction. He then appeals to His people to choose life by following Him alone:
“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses.
Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make.
Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!
You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
Deutoronomy 30:19-20
So we have this moment, this pause to reassess. To pray and encounter God and allow him to refocus our love, priorities, and attention on Him. At the end of day, Deuteronomy reminds us that true life is found in following God not the stuff the world around us values more. So in this Pause let us reflect and recommit ourselves to God and His ways - Let’s Choose Life….
