Deuteronomy 8:1–10
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Remember to count your blessings. Indeed, it is good to pause, at least once in a while, and remember all the good things you have, all the things that make you rich. And I think you all know that what’s more important than just being materially rich is being rich in family, friendship, love. In any case, it’s good to recognize and appreciate all your blessings.
In Deuteronomy, Israel is getting ready to enter the Land of Canaan that the Lord had promised them. They have come to the end of their 40 years in the wilderness. The old, stubborn, disobedient generation that came out of Egypt had by now passed away. And also the lack of food and water, the quarrelling and rebellion, the deadly fiery serpents—it’s all behind them. In Deuteronomy, Moses tells this new generation of Israel just how richly the Lord is going to bless them in this bountiful Land: The Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees 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. And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land He has given you. Israel is going from barren wilderness to almost–Eden, practically paradise. Life is going to be good.
And in order that life remains good for His people, the Lord has given them His Law for life in this new Land. The Book of Deuteronomy is Moses preaching this Law for Israel one last time before they enter and receive the Land the Lord is giving them. And so throughout Deuteronomy it is made clear that they should not be motivated to keep God’s Law in order to be saved, or curry favor with God, or get special recognition. But they are motivated to keep God’s Law because of what God has done and is giving to them. Moses reminds Israel, “The Lord rescued you from Egypt and made you His people… And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness… And while He humbled you and tested you and disciplined you, as a man disciplines his son… At the same time, He also provided for you. He fed you with manna… and your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years… So you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God by walking in His ways and by fearing Him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land.” Why should you obey God’s Law and treasure His Word? So that He’s pleased with you? No, because of what He has done for you. You keep His Word out of gratitude, with thanksgiving. And what’s more, keeping the Law comes with earthly blessings. Life, in general, goes well for you when you follow the Law. Blessings follow when you walk in the ways of the Lord. He is always ready to give more.
Again and again in Deuteronomy, Israel is reminded that God is giving them this Land and all its blessings. The word “Give” is used 167 times in Deuteronomy, and 131 of those times (almost 80%) it is the Lord who is doing the giving. That’s the kind of God He is. All things come from Him and He is happy to do it. But the reason that Deuteronomy repeats this so much is that there will always be a great danger for Israel to forget God and His gifts. Moses goes on in chapter 8, warning them: Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments… lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied (In other words, after you’ve received all the good things the Lord will give you), then your heart be lifted up (in pride, arrogance), and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna… that He might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end.
If they are careless in taking and enjoying all the good gifts, they might forget and forsake the One who gave it all to them. Moses says, Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ They will be tempted to take the Land for granted. Israel, and all sinful mankind, is tempted to assume that all the good things, all the blessings we have in life, are a right, that we have deserved them, either on the basis of what effort we’ve made or on the basis of simply who we are. We are tempted to forget the Lord and His gifts. Moses commands: You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may confirm His covenant that He swore to your fathers… 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. Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God (Deut. 8:11–20).
And that is precisely what Israel does. Once they are established in the Land of Canaan and enjoying its rich bounty, they forget the Lord and how He’s the One who gave it to them—how He’s the one true God deserving of their trust and thankfulness. And so the Lord takes the gifts of the Land away from them, just as He warned. The Bible says that the Land vomited them out because of their faithlessness. Just as your belly might protest if you gorge yourself too much this afternoon, the Land that the Lord gave to Israel protested against their idolatry and ingratitude. The blessings were taken away.
Remember, count your blessings! But counting your blessings can be another way of counting your idols. That’s what it was for Israel—they counted all their blessings: their land, their fruitfulness, their identity as God’s chosen people (even though He never chose them for any reason in themselves). And all this counting of blessings only multiplied into more idols, more chasing after earthly wealth and foreign gods. Blessings become idols when we make them ends in themselves—when we fear, love, and trust the blessing rather than God. Consider your blessings, and then consider how distraught you might be if you were to lose them… That will give you an idea of how much you idolize them. Rather, we are to fear, love, and trust God, and take every other blessing He wants to give as bonus. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and everything else will be added to you (Matt. 6:33).
Now, we should always remember, especially when reading a book like Deuteronomy, our nation is not the new Israel. The new Promised Land is not America. Sorry, not even Iowa. We are not His chosen nation in the same way Israel was, and He did not give us this land in the same way He gave them Canaan. However, this story of Israel should remind us that He did give us the place where we live and everything else. What do you have that you did not receive? St. Paul asks. If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it (1 Cor. 4:7) as if you earned it? Don’t make the same mistake Israel did. Don’t forget God and say, “My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.” Every good thing you have, every bond of love you cherish are all gifts. And if they are gifts then there must be a Giver. Counting your blessings is only good when you count the One who has blessed you. Today many people will take a little time to think about what they are thankful for… A very good, right, and salutary custom. But really, the even more important question is, Who are you thankful to?
God. And not just any God. This God: the God who took Israel as His own people—a tiny people of no account, stubborn and rebellious. The same God who took all humanity as His own—a corrupt and self-centered race. And Jesus was cursed in our place so that He might bless us. This God, our Lord Jesus, was willing to suffer and lose everything so that He might give us everything. He truly showed us how man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Jesus fulfilled that. He kept the commandments of the Lord His God by walking in His ways and by fearing Him, loving Him, trusting Him completely, even to the point of death on the cross. Jesus kept the Law. He alone is righteous.
And He gives His keeping, His righteousness, to us, so that we can live. So that we can have daily bread, and turkey and pie, dear loved ones, a good country, good books, football, music, a good dog, whatever you have. Anything good in this life comes to you because Jesus died to take away your sins. But above it all, Jesus gives us His righteousness so that we might have His Word, His Name, His body and blood… Everything good for life everlasting.
So, it is good to come to church on Thanksgiving—to remember what our Lord has done for us and for all people. We thank Him by extolling His works and His gifts. We open our mouths to sing and proclaim what He has done. In counting our blessings, we recount the deeds of the Blessed One who comes in the Name of the Lord. And then, in remembrance of Him, we open our mouths to receive more from His hand, from the new Eden He has given us: Life-giving Food from the One who counts us as blessed, heirs of His land forever. O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, and His mercy endureth forever.
In the Holy + Name of Jesus. Amen.
Preached at Trinity, Clinton, IA and Immanuel, Charlotte, IA
