Deuteronomy 18-26

The Lord's instructions to the Israelites, through Moses, cover much ground in this section--ground that was largely covered in earlier books as well.  In the context of reminding them about the Lord's decrees, statutes and commandments, Moses exhorts the people to "be altogether sincere toward the Lord, your God." Near the end of this section, Moses restates this idea: "Be careful, then, to observe [God's statutes and decrees] with all your heart and with all your soul." It is not nearly enough to simply follow the rules, but I must do so with a sincere and loving heart. 

Moses predicts the future coming of a greater prophet, Jesus. On God's behalf, Moses repeats to the Israelites words that God spoke to him:

I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kinsmen, and will put my words into his mouth; he shall tell them all that I command him.

God's tenderness and fidelity toward the Israelites is in stark contrast to the very harsh treatment God reserves for those who do not follow his commands, and for those nations who stand between the Israelites and the Promised Land. For the unjust, there awaits "life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot." For those cities in the land that God has promised to the Israelites, there is to be the slaughter of every soul. For the incorrigible son, the cheating spouse, and the rapist, they shall be stoned to death. Very intimidating and, frankly, frightening.  

But the discussion turns back to the many blessings the Israelites have from the Lord.  Moses directs the Israelites to celebrate a thanksgiving feast when they enter the Promised Land. A key to this feast is the retelling of the story of the Israelites, from the settlement and eventual slavery in Egypt to their deliverance into "the land of milk and honey." Celebrating the story of God's goodness is integral to the social and religious fabric of the community. The Israelites are told to "make merry over all these good things which the Lord, your God, has given you." 

Indeed, for me, when following God seems complicated, I try to fall back on thankfulness. It is easy to see that He has given me so very much, and the simplest (although not always easiest) thing for me to do is to thank Him for it.

Exodus 21:22-25:9

God continues to provide Moses with instructions and commands for how the Israelites should live. Criminal law, tort law, property law, personal injury law, and rules of social behavior. We find here the "eye for eye, tooth for tooth" language that is ingrained in our cultural lexicon, in the context of the punishment for fighting with a pregnant woman and causing her to be injured and to miscarry. But if she miscarried and is not otherwise injured, the punishment is only a fine in an amount to be determined by the injured woman's husband. Curious. Also in this passage we find the special admonition to treat widows and orphans well--another reference that is or at least was commonplace in our Anglo-American culture at one point. The Lord tells the Israelites that he will surely hear the cry of the widows and orphans. Going on, He instructs them to "keep away from anything dishonest." Surely outstanding advice, and I know I try in my life to keep a distance from people I feel or fear are not honest. As the passage ends, the Lord has called Moses to ascend Mt. Sinai where He is to give him the tablets containing the Ten Commandments and to instruct him to build the Ark. More on that in the next passage. But just before that, the Lord describes the rewards to come for the Israelites if they are faithful to Him. He says, "I am sending an angel before you, to guard you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared." These words call to my mind the words Jesus speaks just before his Ascension, as He explains to His disciples that he is going ahead of them to prepare room for them in His Father's house. It also reminds me of Jesus' words in promising to send the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, to help His disciples in the future.