Day 13 | Tell and show God’s heart

Reflection

Whatever you imagine in your head, the scene of the Israelites being addressed as a large group is an epic one. A nation, a people, chosen by God being instructed on how to live.

These commandments are sometimes understood as a simple legal document, but this misses the point entirely. It’s through these commands that the Hebrew people can start to live more like God. In following them, they will come further into alignment with their Creator. These commandments are his heart.

God is giving them a mechanism by which his heart will extend to all corners of the nation of Israel. And the mechanism is family.

The audience is told to talk about the commandments with their children, no matter what they’re doing. For the Hebrews travelling around the desert, that looks like walking and resting.

For the contemporary audience today, it’s a lot more than that. It means talking about God and what he’s like on the way to school, on the way back from dance classes, and when there’s been a highly dramatic falling out.

God knew the prosperity of his fledgling people rested on the future generations knowing and loving Him. Today, it’s the same for the church.

It’s for more than just parents, too. The ancient customs of raising children meant many older people would help to raise them. Think about the young people you interact with in your day-to-day life, whether or not you are a parent. How can you both tell them and show them the heart of the Lord?

Father, help us think about where we have opportunities to show younger people your beautiful heart. Amen.