This Day in Deuteronomy

This Day in Deuteronomy
Wednesday, January 24, 2024 by Susan Lyttek

As I mentioned before, no other book of the Bible has as much to say about “this day” or “today” as the book of Deuteronomy. Moses wants to make a point to the new generation. He wants them to know how important decisions, living and understanding are on this very day. In other words, the day he was writing to them, talking to them and praying for them.

But the Bible is living and active. Hebrews 4:12* For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. That means that much of what Moses said in Deuteronomy about ‘this day’ can apply to this actual day we are living in.

Multiple references talk about taking action this day. Whether advancing on an enemy territory or stepping out in faith, Moses says that today is the day to cross that border, attack nations greater than us, and battle our enemies. The key to all such actions is that we do it in the strength and direction of our God and not our own.

That leads to the second and predominant topic of this day or today in this book. Here’s one reference that is representative of a couple dozen. Deuteronomy 26:17 You have declared today that the Lord is your God, and that you will walk in his ways, and keep his statutes and his commandments and his rules, and will obey his voice. This day, today, is a day to choose to walk in God’s way. We can always choose to walk our own way. We can choose what feels good or what is convenient or easy over obeying God. Obeying God leads to blessings and joy, but it can be difficult to choose. It’s easier to turn on a video than it is to open the Bible and study a passage that’s convicting you. It’s easier spend an hour playing a game than it is to attend a lesson or fellowship with fellow believers. Sometimes neither choosing God or against God is easy, per se. You could choose to work overtime on a project or go volunteer, for instance. But choosing God’s way often still feels harder because it isn’t self-serving. Because this is an ongoing battle, we continually have to declare, as Moses said, what we will do. Then we continually have to choose to do it.

We also have to remember or recall, this day, what God has already done. Deuteronomy 10:15 Yet the Lord set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day. Part of that choosing by God and the promises of God rescued them from Egypt; this included utterly destroying the powerful army of the day that pursued them. Another part kept them safe in the wilderness. God cared for their comfort so much that their shoes and clothing did not wear out! What has God already done for you that is shocking and amazing? Because for everyone he draws, he provides and nurtures beyond what is expected. And today, we need to remember his goodness so we remember that we can depend on him.

All of those aspects of today/this day that I have covered are pleasant. The last one is not. Deuteronomy 8:19 And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish. If we don’t choose to walk in God’s way, if we choose what worships self, there’s a price to pay. If you look back a couple of paragraphs, sometimes the price of that bad choice is simply wasted time. But if we consistently choose against God, it questions whether we love our creator or simply pay him lip service. That was definitely the case with many in Israel if you keep reading to Judges. It only took a couple of generations for them to forget to choose God.

Every ‘this day’, we are one action, one choice away from God’s best or our worst. In Deuteronomy 30:15 Moses says, “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil.”

How will you choose today?

*all references in this post are ESV

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