Deuteronomy 8:1, 7-11(NJKV) “Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers.…For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing; a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper. “When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you. Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today.
God is a faithful God who remembers His covenant to a thousand generations. He carried out the deliverance, the protection and the provision because of what He swore to the forefathers of the Israelites. Although they were unfaithful and rebellious, it did not stop Him from being faithful or cause Him to go back on His Word. In His chastening, God did not inflict sicknesses, pain or death on them due to their unfaithfulness and rebellion. On the contrary, in spite of that, God led the Israelites through the wilderness for 40 years, and he did not allow them to grow hungry but provided manna daily and water from the rock; their garment did not wear out, neither did their foot swell from the years of wandering and walking.
Egypt is a parallel of the place or condition that we were in prior to having Jesus Christ as the Saviour of our lives—a place of bondage, oppression and slavery where many are enslaved and are unable to break free from, but God is faithful to His promise of deliverance by sending Jesus to die for us so we can be free from the bondage of sin.
By His deliverance, He brought the Israelites into a good land. It is important to give thanks to God, to remember His goodness and faithfulness in our lives and to never take things for granted. God does not have a problem for us to be blessed because it is His nature to bless us holistically, but it is easy to forget God when our problem is solved, when we have more than enough and when we are blessed.
Sermon Series: Faithfulness
始终记念神
申命记8:1，7-11「我今日所吩咐的一切诫命，你们要谨守遵行，好叫你们存活，人数增多，且进去得耶和华向你们列祖起誓应许的那地….因为耶和华—你神领你进入美地，那地有河，有泉，有源，从山谷中流出水来。那地有小麦、大麦、葡萄树、无花果树、石榴树、橄榄树，和蜜。你在那地不缺食物，一无所缺。那地的石头是铁，山内可以挖铜。你吃得饱足，就要称颂耶和华—你的神，因他将那美地赐给你了。」「你要谨慎，免得忘记耶和华—你的神，不守他的诫命、典章、律例，就是我今日所吩咐你的。
神是信实的神，祂记念所立的约直到千代。祂因向以色列人列祖所起的誓，施行拯救，保护，供应。虽然他们不忠，悖逆，却不能阻止神的信实或使祂违背自己的话语。神在管教他们的时候，并没有因他们的不忠和叛逆而使他们患病、痛苦或死亡。相反的是, 尽管他们如此，神仍引导以色列人在旷野中行走四十年，不容他们饥饿，每日供应吗哪和磐石中出水，他们的衣服没破，腿也没有因漂泊行走而发胀。
在认识耶稣基督为我们生命的主以前-我们的状况就像在埃及，被捆绑，被压迫和奴役的地方，在那里许多人被奴役，无法摆脱，但神是信实的，祂承诺会拯救，差派耶稣为我们而死，使我们可以从罪恶的束缚中解脱。
祂拯救了以色列人，使他们进入佳美之地。重要的是要感谢神，在我们的生命中记念他的慈爱和信实，不要把事情当作理所当然。神愿意看见我们被祝福，因为祂的本性就是要我们全人蒙福。但当我们的问题被解决了，当我们有余或是得福时，很容易忘记神。
讲章系列: 信实