Deuteronomy 4 Devotional

The Way Back from Far Away

“For the LORD your God is a merciful God; He will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers, which He swore to them by oath.”Deuteronomy 4:31 (BSB)

Moses asks Israel a question worth sitting with: what other nation has a god as near to them as the LORD is whenever they call on him (4:7)? At Horeb they heard his voice out of the fire but saw no form (4:12). That is why they must make no idols. A God who reveals himself by speaking cannot be captured in wood or stone, and any image would shrink him.

The chapter is honest about where Israel is headed. Moses foresees idolatry, exile, and gods that cannot see or hear (4:25-28). But he does not stop there. If they seek the LORD from that far country with all their heart, they will find him, because he is merciful and will not forget his covenant (4:29-31). God's warnings are real, and so is his mercy, and the mercy has the last word. He chose Israel because he loved their fathers (4:37), not because they would prove faithful. Wherever you have wandered, the way back is the same: turn and seek the God who has not forgotten you.

To think about: What has been crowding out the God who speaks, and what would it look like to seek him with all your heart this week?