May it please Almighty God to
bless us together this evening as we meditate in His Holy Word. Let us turn to the book of Deuteronomy,
chapter 8, and we'll read verse 2. The book of Deuteronomy, chapter
8, and reading verse 2. And thou shalt remember all the
way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the
wilderness, to humble thee and to prove thee, to know what was
in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments
or no. Moses quite clearly was very
concerned that the children of Israel would not be left to wander
away and to carry on in this world just pleasing themselves
and doing that which was good for their flesh but not for their
spirit. And so his concern was that they
might indeed walk in the right way. And to this end really He
therefore comes and says, Thou shalt remember all the way which
the Lord thy God led thee these 40 years in the wilderness. Now
we must of course remember, they were 40 years in the wilderness,
41 years really since they'd come out of Egypt. And because
the children of Israel disobeyed God when they were commanded
to go up and to conquer Canaan at Kadesh Barnea and therefore
the Lord said that all those who were 20 years of age and
older would therefore die in the wilderness and would never
come into the land of Canaan. It was a very solemn punishment
to all those Israelites who turned their back upon God. And so as Moses addresses the
children of Israel here, apart from Caleb and Joshua, all the
people would have been 60 years old and the oldest. And some of them, of course,
very much younger. So the oldest would have been
60 years old. And therefore they could look
back over the 40 years and over the 20 years previous to that
when they were in Egypt. And they would have understood
some of the hardships and difficulties of which they endured, especially
in those last years of that time in Egypt. And so now Moses is
about to be taken from them. It's about to be privileged to
go and climb a mountain and look at the land of Canaan that God
would take him. He wouldn't be allowed to go
into Canaan. And we might remember that Moses
was not allowed because He had disobeyed God. And really, if
you and I think of what he did when he disobeyed God, we might
think, well, that was a small thing. Disobedience to God doesn't
come in size. It comes in obeying or disobeying. And what Moses had done when
the Israelites needed water on the second occasion, He was told
to go and to speak unto the rock. On the first occasion he was
told to go and strike the rock. Now he was told to go and speak
to the rock. And he didn't speak to the rock.
In fact he smote it. And because of that he disobeyed
Almighty God. And because of that he was not
allowed therefore to finally bring the Israelites into Canaan. So we see, therefore, that God
is a just God, and we should never think that we can trifle
with God. We should never think, well,
I don't think that's very important. I'll just do what I think. We
should recognize that God is a just God, and God is a holy
God, and God is to be obeyed, and is to be obeyed today, in
the day and age in which we live. We're not to disobey God's word. We're not to say, well of course
that's old fashioned. I needn't worry about that. What God has
spoken yesterday, as it were, is the same today. And we should
not turn our backs upon God's word, just because perhaps it
may seem not the right solution. It may not seem to be the best
way. Don't let us forget God knows
the best way. And God leads us in the right
way. And God will not misdirect us. And so even if the way seems
in opposition, even if it seems difficult, perhaps almost it
might seem impossible. And yet you see, if God is with
us, there will be a way made. We only have to remember when
Israel came out of Egypt and they came to the Red Sea. What
were they to do? Red Sea in front of them, mountains
either side of them, the Egyptians chasing them behind. It looked
as though they were hemmed in, looked as though they were going
to be taken captive. But God knew what he would do. And God knows what he will do
today in your life and my life. God wrought a miracle. The Red
Sea parted and Israel went over on dry land. What a wonderful
occasion that was. What a glorious deliverance. Well, may you and I be encouraged.
As we may find ourselves facing difficulties today, We may think,
how am I going to get out of this difficulty? How am I going
to find a way out? Well, the Bible tells us very
simply, trust in the Lord at all times, ye people. Yes, we are to trust in the Lord.
He will appear, and perhaps in quite an amazing way. Because
be sure of this, God's ways are best. And also God's ways bring
honor and glory to him. And if you think of the Israelites
on that occasion, there was such an amazing deliverance because
Israel went across, they were crossing right the way through,
and then the Egyptians thought, hey, this is a good idea, let's
go across as well. And they all charged across in
their chariots and go into the middle of the Red Sea, And then
Moses stretched forth his rod again, and the waters covered
all the Egyptians and killed a lot of them. Yes, it was a
wonderful victory, which they had no hand in, but God appeared. Let us remember then that God
is the same yesterday and today and forever. And so we come to
these words before us this evening. And what do they say? It says
this, and thou shalt remember. There will be occasions which
will enable us to remember all the way which the Lord thy God
has led us. And it's a good thing, isn't
it, in our lives today to sometimes just stop You know, we live in
a mad war, don't we? A Russian tear. But it's good
sometimes just to stop. And just sit down. And just consider. Meditate. Something which is
not done often today. To meditate upon how God has
led us to the present moment of time. And we can believe that
He has helped us hitherto will help us all our journey through. Well, it's a great promise that
was really given to Samuel all those years ago. He was able
to raise that stone Ebenezer. May we have cause to raise stones
of remembrance. As Israel passed through their
journeys, There were occasions when they raised a pile of stone. Sometimes they put writing on
it to just remind them what God had done, how God had appeared
for them. And it's good sometimes to just,
as it were, make a mark to remember what God has done. how God has
appeared. Again, when the Israelites had
come into Canaan and had conquered Canaan, you may remember, there
were some tribes that had their own land the other side of Jordan.
And they were allowed to go back, having conquered the enemy. And they went back and they built
an altar and the Israelites were very concerned that they were
going to worship the wrong God and they were very concerned
and they sent Phinehas and Elders to tackle these tribes and say
what are you doing? well what they were doing was
this to erect an altar not to sacrifice on but just as something
to remember what God had done, so that as the generations were
to come, they might remember the wonderful deliverance which
God had brought to the Israelites. Of course, once Phinehas and
those with him understood the real reason, they went on their
return happy because of this well it's good sometimes just
to have things that we can remember perhaps to write them down people
don't write very much down today but it is good when things are
written down and we can therefore write down what God has done
how God has indeed let us and how he has indeed delivered us
and how he's been gracious to us. And so Moses says now, and
thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee
these 40 years in the wilderness. Now, there was a reason for this.
And Moses gives three reasons. First of all, it was to humble
the people. Secondly, it was to prove them. And thirdly, it was to know what
was in their heart, whether they would keep the commandments of
God or no. Well, all these things are good
things to ponder because naturally we are proud people. And yet,
you see, the Israelites had to be humble And to realise it wasn't
their might that was going to give them the victory, it was
God. And therefore they were humbled
as they journeyed through this wilderness. God appeared for
them and He supplied food, He supplied water. and were told,
and he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee
with manna, which thou knewest not. See, God knew how to feed
them. They didn't realize how God was
going to feed them. But God was going to feed them
in a remarkable way, so that there was this manna that fell
every night. It came onto the ground, and
in the morning they went and collected it. And that was the
food that they used. And it occurred six days, not
on the seventh day, not on the day set apart for worship. They had to gather twice on the
previous day. So they didn't have to gather
anything then on what we term today the Lord's Day. It was,
of course, in those days, the Sabbath. And it changed in the
New Testament to the Lord's Day. What a good thing it was then,
that they were provided with this manner, which they knew
not, neither did thy fathers know, that he might make thee
know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word
that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live. Well, we might think upon that,
of course, as being a directive to us in two ways. Because firstly,
we have our natural bodies and our natural life. And secondly,
we have our spiritual life. you see our spiritual life is
fed with the Word of God. Sometimes in a very special way,
sometimes almost a unique way to us as individuals. But also
we do have The Bible, which is, of course, the whole Word of
God. And just as we need natural food
to sustain us day by day, we also need spiritual food to sustain
us day by day. And God, in his great providence
and love toward us, has given us the Bible to read. And it's a great blessing if
you and I read the Bible, His Word, the Word of God, and as
we do so, we receive spiritual food for our souls. What that means is our innermost
being, our souls, are strengthened. We're fed. And the Lord feeds
us from His Word. What a blessing that is. Now,
you will only understand that if you have a hunger for spiritual
things you won't understand it if you don't have a hunger you'll
say, what's the man talking about? but if the Lord has given you
a spiritual hunger and that spiritual hunger really causes us to be comforted, directed, strengthened
and encouraged in our journey on this earth. That by the grace
of God, we're being led, we're being directed. We're not just
wandering on. God has come. God has found us. You know, we're told about Jacob.
The Lord found him in a desert place. in the waste howling wilderness. He led him about. He instructed
him. He kept him as the apple of his
eye. And that is true with regards
to the true living church of God. We are in a wilderness. This world is a wilderness. Well, there's many things which
God has given us to thank Him for and to enjoy. But in reality,
it is a wilderness. And the words which we read of
Jacob are very true and really have an application to all the
Church of God. So if we are in a wilderness,
nothing really to satisfy our soul, what a great wonder it
is when you and I pick up the Bible and open it and read it. Perhaps we're reading through
a chapter, a book, or the Bible, whatever it may be. And as we
read it, the Word speaks to our heart. And that proves to us,
it is the Word of God. It's not just any old book. It's the Word of God. And what
does it do? Well, it encourages us. Perhaps
it comforts us. Perhaps we find as we're reading
it, wow, look, here's an account. This person is walking the same
way that I'm walking. And we find encouragement to
think that when I thought no one else understood the path that I'm walking in,
I thought I was very strange and very solitary but now I find
there's someone else who's walked this way many years before what
an encouragement that is to me well that's it is an encouragement
to us and it is a something to help us and to bless us and therefore
what we find is that we are feeding on the Word of God. Our spiritual soul is indeed
being fed. And the Word of God tells us
here to humble thee. And it is very humbling to realize
that in the Word of God there is an account of someone who's
walked the same kind of path that we're walking today. And
to think that God has directed us to perhaps read that, perhaps
that chapter, perhaps just a verse, perhaps half a verse. And think,
wow, how good is our God. How kind is our God to do this
for me. And how humbling that is. Well, says the Word of God, and
thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led these
40 years in the wilderness to humbly dwell. 40 years, of course,
was the period which Israel walked through the wilderness. It may
be a very different time scale in your life and my life. It
may be days, it may be weeks, it may be years, but nonetheless
it's good if we can remember a time when God was very gracious
to us, a time when God led us. And we look back now and we remember,
we remember such a time, perhaps such an occasion. And we can
bless God for it to humble thee. Well, that's good, isn't it?
If indeed God does give us that grace to appreciate what God
has done. And you know what the result
will be? The result will be true, heartfelt
thankfulness to God. To realize that the great almighty
God, the ruler of the universe, has, as it were, taken time to
look upon us in our little lives, totally insignificant, totally
unworthy. How kind, how gracious is Almighty
God. How humbling to think this God
has been mindful of us. You know, you think, just for
a moment, how many people in the world? Well, I'm not sure,
I've never counted them. But there are billions, aren't
there? Billions of people in the world. And to think that
Almighty God has looked upon you and me as individuals. As individuals. And has come
to us and spoken to our hearts. instructed us, directed us. Amazing, isn't it? Wonderful,
isn't it? Surely, there's great reason
to bless and to praise God. He could have passed us by, couldn't
he? He could have looked at us and
said, well, hope is that person. No, what a mercy, if he has loved
us. loved us so that he's looked
upon us so that he's blessed us thou shalt remember you won't
want to forget those occasions you'll want to remember them
but Moses here speaks to the Israelites that they might remember
just in case they were forgetting sometimes we do forget details
And it's good sometimes to just remember what God has done. It's a blessing
for it. And thou shalt remember all the
way. And so Lord thy God led thee
these 40 years in the wilderness to humble thee. And then he says,
and to prove thee. What does that mean? Well, I
believe it means this. We can sometimes have a false understanding
of what God is saying to us and what God is doing for us and
what God is directing us in. Sometimes you and I may have
a little plan in our mind and we may want that plan to be worked
to. And we may say, God, I've got
a plan. I want you to work to this plan.
I think it's a good plan. Well, we'll have to learn that
we may have plans, but usually they're not God's plans. But
what we do know is this, that God does have a plan for you
and me. Now, this word here is to prove
us. That means that the Lord will
bring us into a situation where we have to forget our little
plans, drop them off. And to prove that if God before
us, who can be against us? And remember again those words
which I quoted this morning. He led them forth by the right
way that they might go to a city of habitation. You see, God's
way is to make us appreciate his great goodness, his mercy,
his love toward such an unworthy sinner. You know, you and I would
miss some of that out if we had our plans. But God ensures that
we realise that we are utterly undeserving of any notice of
Almighty God. And therefore He proves us. He
tests us. He tests the reality of our religion. He tests the willingness of our
hearts to truly serve God. Or whether we're planning our
lives to please ourselves. We think sometimes we've got
a good plan, and we think sometimes it will bring honour and glory
to God, and we think, well, this must be the right way, and we
expect it to happen, and it doesn't. And then, because of God's love
toward us, he shows us the mistakes we're making. He shows us that
we're not walking in the right way, We're not committing ourselves
unto the Lord. We're not saying, nevertheless
not my will, but thine be done. Now what a good thing it is when
God graciously comes into our lives and proves to us the truth
and the reality of our religion. Because we don't want to be deceived,
do we? We don't want to be found in
a wrong way. Surely we want to walk in the
right way. We want to be found walking with
God. We want to be found in that way
where God is with us and he's not against us. With God before
us who can be against us. Well, says Moses, and thou shalt
remember then all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these
forty years in the wilderness to humble thee and to prove thee. And then he goes on, you see,
to speak these words to know what was in thy heart. We're told the heart is deceitful
above all things and desperately wicked. That's what the Word
of God tells us. That's not something which we
like to hear. But it's true. How often we can be deceived. Deceitful above all things. and
desperately wicked. That's a description of your
heart and my heart. Well, God comes and says, we
shall remember the way that he's leading us so that we might come
to know what was and what is in our heart. whether we would
keep his commandments or no. So often we like to believe that the way that we're
walking in is a way in accordance with the will and purpose of
God. And yet God does give us gracious
commands in his word. He gave the Israelites gracious
commands in what they should do. And yet how often they rebelled. How often they turned their back
upon God. Although we live thousands of
years after this occasion, yet you see so often we're no better
God has given us directions in his word. And so often we go
our own way, we say our own way, we please ourselves. And therefore
we are disobedient. And the test is to know what's
in our heart. What's inside us? How are we
reacting to God's word to our hearts? What's the response? Whether I must keep his commandments
or no? Well, one of the great commandments
is that we are to take up our cross daily and to follow the
Lord Jesus Christ. How many people ignore such a
command as that? How many people ignore it? Some of them think it doesn't
apply to them. Yet it is the gracious, glorious
words of the Saviour. Because if by the grace of God,
We take up our cross, that means take up the path the Lord has
set before us, to be a true follower of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus
Christ. We can be sure of this, it'll
be a good way. We can be sure of this, it'll
be a blessed way. because we are obeying the word
of our God. And in that path, in that way,
we find there is communion and we find there is union with the
Lord Jesus Christ. Our heart says, oh, that's too
difficult. You won't have to do that. There's
other people who don't do it, so you needn't worry about that.
My friends, we don't have to worry about what other people
have done or do. We don't have to worry about what
the Word of God speaks to our heart. You and I have to stand
before God ourselves. You can't stand before God and
say, well, so-and-so didn't do that and so-and-so didn't. You
and I have to stand before the judge of all the earth. And we
won't be able to make excuses. We can make excuses to people.
We can't make excuses to God. Never think you can. Because God gives to us his word. He gives to us his truth. He displays to us his mercy. He displays to us his love. Do we just turn away from those
things? Do we just ignore them? Again, to just ponder and think
of the great debt that all his people owe to the Saviour, the
Lord Jesus Christ. Because he paid, he paid our
debt. That debt which we had incurred
because of our sin. And if we are to be found in
glory, that debt has to be paid. And you and I have no ability
to pay that debt. So what are we to do? Casting all our care upon Him. For He cares for us. And you see the response will
be, because of His great love, in giving His life, in dying
upon that cross to take away our sins. What a blessing then
when the Holy Spirit draws us to the Saviour and we see in
Him a glory and we see in Him a preciousness which exceeds
the value of the things of time, because what He has done and
given is an eternal blessing. What a wonderful, wonderful God
we have. And so, here are these words,
to prove thee to know what was in thine heart. while God looks
tonight in your heart and my heart we cannot hide that which
is within us God knows all about us and are we by our actions
denying what he said denying what he's done whether thou wouldest
keep his commandments or no? It's a great question, isn't
it? It's a very important question. In the day and age in which we
live, we find much opposition to taking up our cross and following
a despised and crucified man who was not ashamed to die for
us, was not ashamed to bear the curse for us. Are we tonight
ashamed of the Lord Jesus Christ? The hymn writer says, doesn't
it, ashamed of Jesus, that dear friend on whom my hopes of heaven depend. God knows tonight
whether you and I are ashamed of the Lord Jesus Christ. And
I'm sure we don't want Jesus to be ashamed of us, do we? We
don't want to stand before that judgment seat and find that Christ
is ashamed of us. Let us then never be ashamed
of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so says Moses here, concerned
about the Israelites, all great and wonderful truths, and thou
shalt remember, yes, all the way, What a good thing it is. Later on in this chapter you
may have noticed in the 18th verse Moses again says, But thou
shalt remember the LORD thy God. Thou shalt remember the LORD
thy God. He it is that goes before us. He it is that does indeed direct
us. Here it is, that is so kind and
loving. He doesn't deal with us, does
he? As our sins deserve. He hasn't dealt with you. He
hasn't dealt with me. If he had, we wouldn't be here
tonight. But bless God for his great love, wherewith
he's loved us. And what a wonderful thing it
is. It is an everlasting love. Our love goes hot and cold, doesn't
it? God's love is the same. It doesn't
change. We change. He doesn't. This is the God we have. This
is the great, kind and gracious God. And this is the God that
Moses knew and loved to worship. And he desired He was so concerned
that Israel might remember therefore what the Lord had done for them
and not forget and not disobey His commands. Well tonight surely we have reason
to remember. I hope you do. I hope we all
do. Have great reason to remember
all the way The Lord God has led us. If I asked you tonight,
hold on a minute, just take a pen and paper or pencil and paper
and write down just a few words. What do you remember that God
has done for you? Would you have a blank sheet?
Or would you be able to write a few words? for the honour and
glory of God. How necessary, how important
it is. And thou shalt remember all the
way, it said, Lord thy God led thee these 40 years in the wilderness
to humble thee and to prove thee to know what was in thine heart,
whether thou wouldest keep his commandments or not.