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God is faithful—1 Pet. 4:19; 1 Cor. 1:9; 10:13; Rev. 3:14; 19:11:
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God’s word is faithful; whatever proceeds out of the mouth of God will be fulfilled—Deut. 8:3; 1 Tim. 1:15; 2 Tim. 2:11.
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The faithful God who has called us will also sanctify us wholly and preserve our whole being complete—1 Thes. 5:23-24.
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Divine faithfulness is a sweet attribute of God—2 Tim. 2:13; 1 John 1:9.
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In Deuteronomy 7:9-15 Moses wanted the people to realize that Jehovah their God is the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness with those who love Him and keep His commandments.
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God is love—Eph. 2:4; 1 John 4:8-10, 16; Deut. 7:7; 10:14-15; Jer. 31:3:
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Love is the nature of God’s essence; thus, love is an essential attribute of God—Rom. 5:5, 8; 8:35, 39; 15:30.
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Deuteronomy speaks of God as a God of love—7:7; 10:14-15; 11:12:
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As a God of righteousness, God is strict and narrow; as a God of love, He is broad and all-embracing—Jer. 31:3.
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God is a loving God, but His love is a perfecting love, not a spoiling love; God loves us and also disciplines us, for He has His governmental administration—Heb. 12:6.
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As a whole, Deuteronomy ultimately shows us that the love of God consummately works for His people so that they may enjoy His full blessing according to His will and foreknowledge—Eph. 1:4-5, 9, 11; 1 Pet. 1:2; Rom. 8:29:
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In spite of our failure in loving God and fearing Him and in spite of our unfaithfulness, God will be successful—Phil. 1:6.
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No matter what the condition of His people may be, God will be faithful to the end, and eventually, He will accomplish His intention so that we may enjoy His full blessing—1 Cor. 1:8-9; Rom. 8:37-39; Num. 6:23-26.
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The book of Deuteronomy is very particular in its revelation of what God is—1:6-8; 3:20-21, 24; 4:1:
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All the rehearsed statutes and judgments, with the new developments, speak forth in detail concerning the God of Israel—7:7; 10:14-15; 11:12.
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The God manifested in Deuteronomy is not only righteous, holy, faithful, loving, and gracious but also very fine, tender, considerate, and sympathetic; this is our God—Eph. 1:3, 17; 2:4; Rev. 5:12-13.
Morning Nourishment
Deut. 7:7 …Jehovah has set His affection on you and has chosen you…Jer. 31:3 Jehovah appeared to me from afar, saying, Indeed I have loved you with an eternal love, therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.
1 Cor. 1:7-8 …Our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you until the end unreprovable in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Deuteronomy speaks of God as a God of love and righteousness. This is proved by God’s past leading and His future dealing with the children of Israel in His love and government. The love of God administrates among His beloved according to their faithfulness. The principle is the same with us today. As a God of love, He is all-embracing, but as a God of righteousness, He is very strict and narrow….In His righteousness, He often says “No” when we want to do a certain thing.
Some saints, even in the Lord’s recovery, are too free and do not fear God. Once we have touched God’s dealing hand, we will fear Him. He deals with us righteously that we may be perfected to be righteous also. All those who intend to enter into the good land and to inherit, possess, and enjoy the good land must learn how to be righteous in every way in their daily living. (Life-study of Deuteronomy, p. 17)
Today’s Reading
With a view of the future, Deuteronomy expects that, on the one hand, man may know the love and government of God and that, on the other hand, man may know his real condition, so that he will not trust himself. Hence, the intention of the book of Deuteronomy is that we would know God and also know ourselves. We need to know God. In particular, we need to know that God is loving and that He is righteous in dealing with us. We also need to know that we ourselves are a failure. If we know this, we will no longer trust ourselves but put our trust in God, the One who is faithful.Ultimately this book shows us that the love of God consummately works for His people that they may enjoy His full blessing according to His will and foreknowledge. In spite of our failure in loving God and fearing Him and in spite of our unfaithfulness, God will be successful. No matter what the situation of His people may be, God will be faithful to the end, and eventually He will accomplish His intention that we enjoy His full blessing.
In Deuteronomy Moses is strong in rebuking the people. However, at the end of this book, we have the song of Moses and his full blessing to every tribe. Eventually, God’s chosen and redeemed people entered into the holy land, possessed it, lived in it, and enjoyed it. That was God’s success, and the boast and glory belong to no one other than Him.
What is revealed in Deuteronomy is what is revealed in the Bible as a whole. The entire Bible shows us that God is loving, righteous, and faithful. The Bible also exposes how unfaithful we are; it shows us how defeated we have been in the past and how much failure we will have in the future. But in spite of all this unfaithfulness, defeat, and failure, God will still enable His chosen people to enter into the rich Christ to possess Him, enjoy Him, experience Him, and even to live Him.
If we compare Deuteronomy with Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, we will see that the law, statutes, and ordinances which Moses rehearsed in Deuteronomy are the same, but in his rehearsal there are some extensions, additions, and developments. All the rehearsed statutes and judgments, with the new developments, speak forth in detail how fine, how tender, how considerate, and how sympathetic is the great God of Israel. This indicates that the book of Deuteronomy is very particular in its revelation of what God is. The God manifested in this book is not only loving, merciful, and gracious; He is also very fine, tender, considerate, and sympathetic. This is our God. (Life-study of Deuteronomy, pp. 18-19, 165)
Further Reading: Life-study of Deuteronomy, msgs. 2, 23