Day 53

Learning from Our History

Read: Deuteronomy 1-2

Genesis takes us from creation to the people of Israel being in Egypt. Exodus is the story of their escape and journey from Egypt to Mount Sinai. Leviticus takes place at Mount Sinai. Numbers tells the story from Mount Sinai to the borders of the Promised Land. Deuteronomy takes place at those borders.

Deuteronomy means literally “second law.” It consists of the farewell messages of Moses in which he reminds the Israelites of their history and of the law which had been given to them to keep as God’s covenant people.

Someone has said that if we do not learn from the mistakes of history we are doomed to repeat them. We too have a history as did Israel. Our history is rooted in theirs but goes on. We are a people who have been redeemed with a greater redemption than being freed from the slavery of Egypt. We have been redeemed from sin by the precious blood of Christ. There is a sense in which we share in Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension. We are the people of the New Testament. We are also children of the great Reformation. We have Luther and Calvin as spiritual forefathers. We are part of a people which includes martyrs and missionaries.

Let us avoid mistakes of the past and be inspired by those who have done great things for Christ.

PRAYER
Father, keep us from the errors of the past and help us to be inspired by the victories. Through Christ. Amen.