Quick Note – Deuteronomy 4:32 – No Greater Thing than This

Deuteronomy 4:32 – “For ask now of the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that God created man on the earth, and ask from one end of heaven to the other, whether such a great thing as this has ever happened or was ever heard of.”

Moses was about to die.  He had led the people of Israel through the wilderness for forty years and was coming to the end of his life as they approached the Jordan River.  They were about to cross into Canaan, the land that God had promised to give to Abraham and his descendants.  Unfortunately, Moses wasn’t allowed to cross over.  Because of a mistake he made, in which he failed to honor God, God punished him and told him that he would die before entering the land.  So before the people crossed over and before Moses died, he made one last address to the Israelites, reminding them of the God they serve and the rules and commands that He gave them.  These last words were written for us in the book of Deuteronomy, where Moses recounted the wilderness journey, the works that God had done over the past forty years, and the laws that God had given. 

In his speech, Moses brought up an interesting point for the people to reflect upon in Deuteronomy 4:32-40.  He asked them to consider whether they had ever seen or heard of a situation where a god acted and cared for a person as much as God did for Israel.  Was there ever a time, where God spoke directly to a person and that person lived, as He did for them on Mount Sinai (vs. 33)?  Was there ever a time, where God stretched out His hand with great signs and wonders just to deliver a group of people, as He did for the Israelites who were captives in Egypt (vs. 34)?  Was there ever a time that God worked wonders just to prove to His people that He was God and that there was no one like Him (vs. 35)?  Unlike any time ever before, God worked personally in the lives of the Israelites, so it was only right that the people of Israel kept His commandments and served and worshipped Him.  God was their God, so they needed to be His people.

Just as Moses posed this thought for reflection to the people of Israel, I pose this thought to you.  When in history have you ever heard of a parent who was willing to give up their child in order to save an enemy?  When in history has there ever been a king and lord who sacrificed his life in exchange for his people’s wrongdoings?  When in history have you ever heard of a god who loved his creation so much that He died for it?  These things all happened at one point in history – when Jesus Christ was nailed to the cross.  Jesus Christ was on the cross, because God the Father gave up His Son to save us, His enemies.  Jesus Christ was on the cross, because He, the Lord of lords and King of kings, chose to sacrifice His life to pay the penalty for our sins – death.  Jesus Christ was on the cross, because He loved His creation so much that He was willing to die in our place.  Just as God worked personally in the lives of the Israelites, He works personally in our lives today.  He stretched out His hands for you.  He worked wonders and miracles for you.  He died for you.  How can you continue to reject and disobey Him?  Submit your life to Him today. 

Ask the days that are past, ask from one end of heaven to the other, whether there has been any act of love as great as what God did for us when He died on the cross.  There has never been and never will be a sacrifice as great as this.  Knowing that God did this for you, may your heart be stirred to give your life to Him.  Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13).  Jesus Christ laid down His life for you.