Title: You Are Happy (Deuteronomy 33:29)
If there is a king who dreams of becoming a beggar every night and a beggar who dreams of becoming a king every night, which one would be happier? You come to realize that it is not determined by what you are enjoying, but by how you accept today and what kind of tomorrow you dream of. So Moses was able to declare to the naked and starving Israel, “Blessed are you, O Israel!” after 40 years of hardship. In today's text, what is the reason that the people of God that Moses speaks of are happy?
First, God's people are the people who have been saved and are therefore the happy people.
Moses says: “Blessed are you, Israel. Who is like you who have been saved by God? “Israel had to realize that, although naked and starving, they were no longer slaves, but free people. And that such salvation was entirely God's loving choice . . . ! We, who became God's people, also gained freedom from the slavery of sin by God's grace and became the owners of eternal life. It means that there is no other people like us who have been saved.
Second, God's people are happy because God is with them.
Moses also says: “… He is your shield and the sword of your glory... " That's right. Israel is happy because the LORD of hosts is with them like a shield and a sword in their hand, and he has been their protector. These conditions of happiness apply to us today because of the Lord's promise: “…Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20b).
Third, God's people are the happy people because they have the hope of Canaan.
Moses concludes: “… Your enemies will obey you, and you will tread on their high places.” This was the promise of final victory, the promise of the settlement of Canaan. Until then, Israel had no place to rest, but in God's promise, Canaan was already theirs, and as long as they did not lose their dream, Israel was happy. Even we who have hope in heaven can be so happy as long as we don't lose that hope.
Dear Bethel family, The world we live in today is filled with the words of ‘I will die of hardship’ and the voices of pain and despair that ‘it is over’. But let's not forget that we are happy. We are the happy people who are saved and become children of God, have the guarantee of God's guidance, and have the hope of tomorrow!
January 26, 1997 on the Lord's Day