{"id":4706,"date":"2024-10-22T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-22T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/handstotheplow.org\/reading-plan\/october-22\/"},"modified":"2025-07-19T06:41:48","modified_gmt":"2025-07-19T11:41:48","slug":"october-22","status":"publish","type":"reading-plan","link":"https:\/\/handstotheplow.org\/om\/reading-plan\/october-22\/","title":{"rendered":"October 22"},"content":{"rendered":"

Insight from Deuteronomy 4<\/span><\/p>\n

Marveling at Mercy: Deuteronomy 4:29\u201331[1]<\/span><\/p>\n

Like the idols they would worship (Deut. 4:28), the majority of Moses\u2019s listeners had eyes that didn\u2019t see and ears that didn\u2019t hear. They were ignorant of God\u2019s greatness, blind to his glory, and deaf to his word (29:4; cf. Ps. 115:4\u20138). Their rebellion and unbelief had led to four decades of discipline in the wilderness (Deut. 1:26, 32, 35), and even most of those from the new generation were stubborn, unbelieving, and rebellious (9:6\u20137, 23\u201324). Their obstinacy would lead to enactment of the covenant curses, climaxing in exile from the Promised Land (4:25\u201328; cf. 30:1; 31:16\u201317, 27\u201329).<\/span><\/p>\n

How amazing, therefore, is Moses\u2019s promise of new covenant redemption (4:29\u201331; cf. parallel promises in 30:1\u201310). After experiencing curse in the latter days, the people would seek Yahweh and actually find him (4:29). They would return to God and obey his voice (v. 30). Verse 31 declares the reason why: \u201cFor the LORD your God is a merciful God.\u201d Mercy stands at the forefront of Yahweh\u2019s character (Ex. 34:6). It identifies God\u2019s deep compassion for his people and often expresses the withholding of a judgment that they deserve. Without mercy, there would be no new covenant\u2014no victory, no hope, no life. But mercy has come, and Moses stresses in Deuteronomy 4:31 that this new covenant mercy means that God\u2019s presence as provider and protector is now sure (\u201cHe will not leave you\u201d), that his wrath is now appeased (\u201c[He will not] destroy you\u201d), and that both Jews and Gentiles can rejoice in salvation. God has remembered \u201cthe covenant with your fathers\u201d that through Abraham all the world would be blessed (i.e., justified; Gen. 12:2\u20133; 22:18; cf. Gal. 3:8, 14).<\/span><\/p>\n

Like Israel of old, we begin our lives with a sensory disability: we are spiritually ignorant, blind, and deaf. We need God to overcome our illness. If you have sought the Lord and found him (Deut. 4:29), then marvel at his mercy. If, \u201caccording to his great mercy,\u201d God has caused you \u201cto be born again to a living hope\u201d (1 Pet. 1:3), then make much of his mercy. If you find yourself today worshiping something worthless, then plead for more mercy, and by these same mercies present your body \u201cas a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God\u201d (Rom. 12:1).<\/span><\/p>\n

The decisive cause of all new covenant relationship is blood-bought mercy. Stand in awe today of the mercy-filled gifts of justification (Rom. 3:24), sanctification (Rom. 6:17, 22), and eternal life (Rom. 6:23). \u201cThe Father of mercies and the God of all comfort\u201d has entered our world in Christ (2 Cor. 1:3). May we marvel at mercy\u2014such free, undeserved, yet costly love.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>[1]<\/span> This study is taken from Jason S. DeRouchie, \u201cDeuteronomy,\u201d in <\/span>ESV Men\u2019s Devotional Bible<\/span><\/i>, ed. Sam Storms (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2015), 195. For the original version, see<\/span> https:\/\/jasonderouchie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/2015-Devotionals-on-Deuteronomy-ESV-Mens-Devotional-Bible-DeRouchie.pdf<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_crdt_document":""},"class_list":["post-4706","reading-plan","type-reading-plan","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/handstotheplow.org\/om\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reading-plan\/4706","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/handstotheplow.org\/om\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reading-plan"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/handstotheplow.org\/om\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/reading-plan"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/handstotheplow.org\/om\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}