Where are we going again? A look at Deuteronomy 8

A couple weeks back I posted about Deuteronomy 8:7. It really is a beautiful scripture.

For the Lord your God is bringing you to a good land, a land with streambeds (full of) water, springs and deep rivers flowing out from the valleys and the hills. (my translation)

This text and that immediately following are an example of God's desire to lavish provision on his people. The abundance of water, crops and minerals indicate a significant source of life and provision for their future. God had miraculously rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt and sustained them through forty years in the desert. He was now preparing to bring them into this land of promise. The verb "bringing" connotes ongoing rather than definitive activity. He has provided and sustained in difficult times, all the while preparing for this point of promise fulfillment. The land God has prepared for them is described as a "good land," full of good thing. The abundance of water is an indication that the land was a place they could flourish. The abundance of water is a welcome respite and a source of hope for those who have only known the arid climate of the wilderness. This verse indicates that God’s desire to bless and provide for his people flows as strong as the water promised to them in this new land.

God's promise here is profound. He sustained the Israelites through drought and slavery, simultaneously protecting and preparing them for the ultimate fulfillment of His covenant pledge. The final destination, the place to which God has been drawing them throughout this process, is overflowing with good things.

Deuteronomy is a message to God's covenant people and the promise is made to them as they end their time in the desert and prepare to take a hold of the promise made many generations ago to Abram. Believers generally consider heaven to be the "promised land" in the new covenant under Christ. It's often difficult to consider this world as the utopia described in this scripture. We see and hear about horrible tragedies and pervasive adversity on a daily basis. Brokenness is all around.

I wonder what the Israelites thought of God's promises as the labored in slavery to the Egyptians. I wonder if they questioned God's promise. I sure would have. We get a glimpse their reaction in Exodus 4:31. Moses returns to his people and tells them all that God has told him and shown him. They recognize that God was concerned about them and had seen their misery. They bowed down and worshiped him.

We don't always see it. In fact, there are times where there is nothing that we see that would register God's action in the events of our own lives or in the world. But here in Deut. 8:7, we see that God’s design is good and his activity in the course of life is palpable and continuous. It springs forth as a stream that will not dry up, flowing out of the deep well of God’s own character. We can trust God's character. When we can't see it, when the provision we need seems distant or non-existant, God is still working to accomplish his will.