Lent Devotional 2021 - Pittsburg - Flipbook - Page 4
DEVOTIONAL
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2021
“That’s not fair!” Most of us probably said it a time or two—
or 20—to our parents when we were small. Some of us tend
to feel that way on a regular basis through most of our lives.
We may even be inclined to make the accusation against
God.
The Rev. Jeanine Haven ’00
These lines from Deuteronomy 7 give us ammunition for
that charge, don’t they? Along with many other verses from
the Old Testament, they paint for us a picture of a deity
who showers blessings on his people Israel—routinely at
the expense of innumerable Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites,
Perizzites, and an unfortunate army of assorted other “ites.”
17 If you say to yourself, “These nations are more numerous
than I; how can I dispossess them?” 18 do not be afraid
of them. Just remember what the LORD your God did to
Pharaoh and to all Egypt, 19 the great trials that your eyes
saw, the signs and wonders, the mighty hand and the
outstretched arm by which the LORD your God brought you
out. The LORD your God will do the same to all the peoples
of whom you are afraid. 20 Moreover, the LORD your God
will send the pestilence against them, until even the survivors
and the fugitives are destroyed. 21 Have no dread of them,
for the LORD your God, who is present with you, is a great
and awesome God. 22 The LORD your God will clear away
these nations before you little by little; you will not be able to
make a quick end of them, otherwise the wild animals would
become too numerous for you. 23 But the LORD your God
will give them over to you, and throw them into great panic,
until they are destroyed. 24 He will hand their kings over to
you and you shall blot out their name from under heaven;
no one will be able to stand against you, until you have
destroyed them. 25 The images of their gods you shall burn
with fire. Do not covet the silver or the gold that is on them
and take it for yourself, because you could be ensnared by it;
for it is abhorrent to the LORD your God. 26 Do not bring an
abhorrent thing into your house, or you will be set apart for
destruction like it. You must utterly detest and abhor it, for it
is set apart for destruction.
But that decidedly—outrageously!—unequal treatment is
of course baked into the cake of what it means to be God’s
chosen people. It’s his recurring pattern: Isaac, not Ishmael;
Jacob, not Esau; David, not Eliab or Abinadab or Shammah.
And to magnify His “unfair” preference, the Lord stubbornly
continued to bless the children of Abraham (droughts,
plagues, and victorious oppressive enemies notwithstanding),
even through their wearying, seemingly incessant rebellion
and rejection of his rule over them. “. . . heed these
ordinances . . .”? Not even close!
If Lent teaches us anything, it should surely be that time and
again we are those maddeningly disobedient, ungrateful
children of Abraham. We can’t even lay claim to the family
tie, most of us, on the basis of blood. At least not our own.
And if we’re ever inclined to shake a fist heavenward, railing
against divine injustice (isn’t that at least most of us, from
time to time?), we do well to remember also that the last
thing any of us should ever demand from God is justice. Mark
Twain may have been a skeptic, even an unbeliever. But he
surely got this much right: “If heaven went by merit instead
of grace, your dog would get in and you would not.”
May these days of somber preparation send each of us to our
knees in genuine confession and sincere repentance. May
they send us to the cross, where we can rejoice that God
gives us infinitely better than justice. He gives us mercy. He
gives us Christ.
PRAYER
Gracious God, how amazing is the love in which you have
provided a Savior for us in your beloved Son! Thank you, dear
Lord! Please give us the further grace to glorify you in these
days of Lent by growing ever more into his image. Send us
to our neighbors near and far with the message of hope you
have given us in Jesus. We ask it in his glorious name. Amen.
SCRIPTURE
Deuteronomy 7:17-26
DEVOTIONAL
It is so easy to get caught up in the “big picture” of
Deuteronomy 7:17-26 and to read it as a message of divine
retribution. But sometimes in exploring specific verses, we
discover what they may be saying to us today. So here, let’s
consider Deuteronomy 7:22: “The LORD your God will clear
away these nations before you little by little; you will not be
able to make a quick end of them, otherwise the wild animals
would become too numerous for you.”
Yes, it’s easy to discount this verse as being simply about
God’s plan for his people in entering Canaan and therefore
not applicable to life in the 21st century. But consider the fact
that God tells the Hebrews not to try entering all at once,
rather, little by little. And note the divine reminder that God
will be present as they travel on this great new adventure—
present to give guidance, strength, and encouragement every
step along the way.
Now, think of all the times you have witnessed God’s helping
someone little by little. The determined infant who keeps
4 Lent Devotional 2021