Day 180: The best possession of all! – Deuteronomy 10 vs 1 – 11

1-2  At that time the Lord said to me, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones. Also make a wooden Ark - a sacred chest to store them in. Come up to me on the mountain, and I will write on the tablets the same words that were on the ones you smashed. Then place the tablets in the Ark.” 3-5 So I made an Ark of acacia wood and cut two stone tablets like the first two. Then I went up the mountain with the tablets in my hand. Once again the Lord wrote the Ten Commandments on the tablets and gave them to me. They were the same words the Lord had spoken to you from the heart of the fire on the day you were assembled at the foot of the mountain. 5 Then I turned and came down the mountain and placed the tablets in the Ark of the Covenant, which I had made, just as the Lord commanded me. And the tablets are still there in the Ark.

6-7 The people of Israel set out from the wells of the people of Jaakan and travelled to Moserah, where Aaron died and was buried. His son Eleazar ministered as high priest in his place. Then they journeyed to Gudgodah, and from there to Jotbathah, a land with many brooks and streams.  8 At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the Ark of the Lord's Covenant, and to stand before the Lord as his ministers, and to pronounce blessings in his name. These are their duties to this day.  9 That is why the Levites have no share of property or possession of land among the other Israelite tribes. The Lord himself is their special possession, as the Lord your God told them.

10-11 As for me, I stayed on the mountain in the Lord’s presence for forty days and nights, as I had done the first time. And once again the Lord listened to my pleas and agreed not to destroy you. Then the Lord said to me, “Get up and resume the journey, and lead the people to the land I swore to give to their ancestors, so they may take possession of it.” Deuteronomy 10:1-11 New Living Translation. (English Standard Version link)

Chapter 9 ended with Moses praying earnestly for God to forgive the rebellious behaviour of the Israelites. Now we see that God heard Moses' prayer and Israel was indeed given 'a second chance' to enter the land of promise, and He even replaced the tablets containing His ten commandments which Moses had shattered because of his anger at the golden idol they had made. Though I said 'second chance' – God actually gave them many, many chances to start again after their frequent failures. When we repent of wrongs we've done we discover that He is a God who graciously forgives. So, in vs 10-11, we see that the people were told to move on again and to take possession of the land.

Verses 6-7 describe the route they took (during which Moses' brother Aaron died) and of the tribe of Levi being appointed to carry the Ark of the Lord's Covenant, to stand before the Lord as his ministers, and to pronounce blessings in his name. So they were called to a special role in Israel. But one of the side affects of that was that they were not given a district (or county) of their own. The plan was for them to live among the various tribes of Israel so as to minister in God's name. But what was the lovely 'possession' they were given instead? (vs 9)

Could anything be better than for God to say He himself is our portion in life? King David certainly identified with this blessing. Before becoming King he had spent a lot time on the run from those who sought his life. But in Psalm 16:5-6 he says to God: “Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.”

That’s something that every one who has been saved by Christ can also say of God. Writing to Christians the apostle Paul said: “I always thank the Father who has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light.  For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.” (Colossians 1:12-14) There are no lands or treasures in the world that can compare with having God as our portion. We can joyfully say with Paul “for me to live is Christ – and to die is gain!”