YAG I: Book of Deuteronomy – Ong Ding Jie
Learning to Revere the Lord
From YAG I, we studied from Deuteronomy 32 for the first half of 2023. We read from Deuteronomy 31:19 that God commanded Moses to write down this song so that the Israelites may be taught, have the words put in their mouth, and that the words may testify against them when they realise they have forsaken the Lord.
The lessons learnt from this Song of Moses were instructive for me. I have the following two reflection pointers:
1. I should not underestimate the sinfulness of my heart
It says in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked”. The Israelites had to circle the wilderness for 40 years, making the same mistakes again and again. The history of Israel is also tainted with repeated bouts of disobedience. Some of the sins stated in Deuteronomy 32, like indulgence in the material blessings that God gives, are not unfamiliar to me. All these examples are testament to the sinfulness of the human heart. Looking into my own heart, into my life, I dare not say that I would consistently fare better than the Israelites.
This sinfulness and deceitfulness of our hearts can be further compounded by the fact that we may be devoid of counsel and understanding when we sin (Deuteronomy 32:28), becoming unaware of our sins at the later stages. Descending down the path of sin will only make us more spiritually blind, be it because we do not make the effort to remember, or because of God’s punitive action against us.
I am challenged to constantly check my own heart, to be wary of the path of sin. I have learnt not to take sin lightly for there are serious repercussions which I may not even realise. I learnt that should I realise I have sinned, to quickly seek God’s forgiveness and cleansing, and return into His presence.
It also brings me great comfort that I can come humbly and with certainty to our God. God has provided atonement for our sins, prophetically promised and delivered by the Lord Jesus Christ (Deuteronomy 32:43). He also has compassion on His servants (Deuteronomy 32:36). While we all deserve to be judged, we can have faith in His compassion and mercy. It is through these wondrous attributes of God, and not our own efforts, that we are not consumed.
2. I must learn to fear (revere) God
I found that as I acknowledge the hand of God in theory, it takes a deliberate effort to consider what God is telling us when things do go wrong. We are taught to do before, during and post-action reviews in the workplace, focusing on “practical” steps to right the wrongs. I do this for my life too. I seek practical steps to analyse and resolve the root causes of the problem when things go awry. I seldom, however, consider or admit the loss of God’s presence as part of the equation. In actual fact, it probably is the weight of the equation!
Going through the YAG I lessons have opened my eyes to see that God’s presence is important. Indeed, it is one of the first things that is withdrawn as part of chastening when we sin, realised only through honest and thorough self-evaluation. With the loss of God’s presence, many things can go wrong as part of God’s chastening, and we may lose even things so basic, which we often take for granted.
Realising this has helped me to fear God more. I am further challenged not to fear God just because I am afraid of the consequences when He withdraws His blessings, but rather to also find the Godly fear (reverence) towards Him for who He is. I am also determined not to take His presence and His blessings for granted.
Our God is sovereign, powerful and righteous, but alongside these are His grace, mercy, compassion and love. These are attributes that I should be cognisant of as I walk with Him. As I consider His works in the history of Israel and in my life today, His timeless greatness shines through. I look forward to practising these lessons for the next half of the year and further lessons at YAG I!