Deuteronomy 10 Devotional

The Tablets Written Again

“He executes justice for the fatherless and widow, and He loves the foreigner, giving him food and clothing.”Deuteronomy 10:18 (BSB)

After the golden calf, the covenant lay in pieces at the foot of the mountain. Deuteronomy 10 opens with God telling Moses to cut two new tablets so he can write the same words again (10:1-2). The broken covenant is restored, not by Israel's repair work but by God's own hand. He agrees once more not to destroy them and sends them on toward the land (10:10-11).

Then Moses asks what the LORD requires, and the answer is a whole life of fear, love, and service, for Israel's own good (10:12-13). The God who owns the highest heavens has set his affection on this small people (10:14-15). And Moses describes his character: God of gods, who takes no bribe, who defends the fatherless and the widow and loves the foreigner, giving him food and clothing (10:17-18). Israel must love foreigners too, because they were once foreigners in Egypt (10:19). God's people learn compassion by remembering where he found them. Someone near you who is on the outside is a good place to start.

To think about: Who in your life is on the outside, and how might remembering where God found you change the way you treat them?