Welcome to the camping days in the book of Deuteronomy. Moses told this second generation of the children of Israel to think big of God. They would soon be going into the promised land, and they were going to need to trust and obey! He was reminding them that He is their God and He is not only awesome, but He is doing awesome things (Deuteronomy 10:17, 21). God reveals at least five things to these dear folks. We’ve been looking at one each day. We come to number five today.
Camping Day # 1 – He is the God Who goes before you (Deuteronomy 9:1-3).
Camping Day # 2 – He is the God Who is among you (Deuteronomy 7:17-21).
Camping Day # 3 – He is the God Who is unwilling to share Himself or you! (Deuteronomy 6:13-15).
Camping Day # 4 – He is the God Who is merciful (Deuteronomy 4:31).
Camping Day # 5 – He is the God Who is a consuming fire. “Take heed to yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which He made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of anything, which the LORD hath forbidden thee. For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God” (Deuteronomy 4:23-24).
Fire speaks of the sheer holiness of the Lord. Fire refines and purifies that which is precious. But it also destroys that which is worthless. That is sobering. While He is full of mercy, He is also holy and righteous in all His ways.
For today: Love Him. Honor Him. Trust Him. Obey Him. Enjoy the relationship with Him. Rejoice in Him. Be thrilled for the privilege of belonging to Him. But don’t forget that He is infinitely holy and righteous. That will keep me busy today. How about you?