Providence

Examples of Providence

Ex 23:25-26 You will serve the LORD, and He will bless your food and take sickness from you. None shall miscarry. None shall go childless. I will fulfill your days.
Ex 34:24 I will drive out nations before you, enlarging your borders. And when you go up before the LORD on the appointed days, none will covet your land.
Lev 25:18-22 You will observe My commands and do them. Thus will you be secure in your lands, and the lands will be fruitful. If you wonder what you will eat in the Sabbath years, know that I will so bless the prior year that your crop will suffice for three years. This will hold you until the post-Sabbath plantings fruit.
Lev 26:4-6 I will give seasonal rains so the land will be fruitful. Each crop will last 'til the next so you will always be well fed and secure. I will also give the land peace, so you can sleep without concern. No harmful beast, nor any sword will pass through your land.
Lev 26:10 You will eat the old to make room for the new.
Nu 10:29 Moses explained to his brother-in-law Hobab that God had promised to do good for Israel in the land HE had promised to give. He invited Hobab along, but Hobab refused.
Dt 1:10 GOD has multiplied you beyond numbering.
Dt 2:7 The LORD has blessed you in every act. Through the forty years you wandered, your LORD GOD has been with you, and you have lacked nothing.
Dt 4:4 All of you who held to the LORD are alive today.
Dt 4:40 Keep His commands and it will go well for you, and your children after you. Do this and you will live long in the land God is giving you forever.
Dt 5:29 Oh! That they had a heart to fear Me and keep My commands. Then it would be well for them and their sons forever.
Dt 5:33 You will walk as your LORD GOD has commanded. Thus will your days be long in the land you possess.
Dt 6:1-25 I teach you these commands so you will do them and fear the LORD all your life. Thus will your days be long. Your sons, your grandsons, they too should fear and obey the LORD. Listen! And take care to do. Then the LORD will do as HE promised, multiplying you in a land of plenty. Hear! The LORD your GOD is ONE, so love Him with all your heart, soul, and strength. Take these words to heart. Teach them to your children at every opportunity. Surround yourself with reminders of His words. The land HE will give you is prosperous, and you will have the fruit without labor. But be careful, lest you forget the LROD in all this, and wander off after other gods. GOD is in your midst, and HE is jealous. Should His anger be turned towards you, HE will wipe you out. Don't test Him. Do what is good in His judgment, and you will possess the land. HE swore to drive out your enemies before you when HE promised this land to your fathers. So when your children ask you what these laws are about, you will tell them how you were enslaved in Egypt until HE brought you out by His might. Tell them of the terrible signs shown against Pharaoh and his family. Tell them of the land GOD promised to your fathers. Explain that all of this was the reason GOD told you to keep these commandments. For the fear of the LORD is always for our good and our survival, even now. Our obedience before the LORD will be righteousness for us.

New Thoughts

Funny how we always see an 'if' in God's promises. Yet, in all of these, it has not been 'if you will,' but simply 'you will.' Since, in telling us what we will do, God is telling us His will, we can be assured that it will be done. We oughtn't fear that we will be unable to comply, for GOD has said we will. The only 'if' in all of this is in our minds. Thank You, LORD!

I balked at pursuing a section of Scripture the size of that last bit, but as I began to read it, its importance weighed upon me, and I knew it had to be considered. Here, Moses is giving a sermon to be reckoned with. In spite of our assurance of God's doing as HE has willed, we dare not forget His awesome power. The fear of the LORD is not to be forgotten and, contrary to popular opinion, it should include a bit of being afraid of Him. Familiarity breeds contempt. But we dare not cause HIS anger to turn on us. Who could stand?!?

Thus, we are told to surround ourselves with His commands and promises. This in itself is not an act of holiness, it's a help for forgetfulness. GOD knows our short attention spans, and provides a prescription for our wellness.

He even recognizes that these Laws will seem more onerous to successive generations, removed from the memory of His acts on their behalf. Here, too, HE has a prescription: Teach them! Answer their questions. Keep a catalog of all I've done for you, and when they can't understand why all the fuss, review all the things GOD has done.

We love to recount our accomplishments, and those of our ancestors. But these are as nothing when we recall our GOD. He is our Father, and His exploits and accomplishments are worth talking about. Tell your sons and daughters what HE has done, what HE is doing, what HE has promised. This is why we struggle to hold fast to righteousness. This is why we seek to live by His ways. You have done great things! And we are filled with joy. LORD, don't let us forget in the times of our blessing!