(REFLECTIONS ON Deuteronomy 11:1-17)

The Israel that Moses addressed in Deuteronomy was the new generation, those that for the most part grew into adulthood in the wilderness. Moses was not addressing those that died in the wilderness, and those that were born in the wilderness and still children, or some future yet to be born generation, but Moses was speaking to the ones that saw the work of God, with their own eyes.

Moses said to them,

5 It was not your children who saw what he did for you in the wilderness until you arrived at this place…7 But it was your own eyes that saw all these great things the Lord has done.

This generation, the current generation, the ones that would be led into the Promised Land by Joshua, were not to blame the past generation, place the burden on the past generation, nor were they to push their responsibilities as the people of God down to the next generation, rather they were to own up to it themselves.

Today’s Scripture is a reminder that we are not to live our lives blaming our faith or lack thereof on those that came before us. We are also not to push the burden of faithfulness onto the next generation, as if it has nothing to do with us at all.

Your own eyes means that the responsibility is ours, at this time, in this place, and for this moment in time. It isn’t just about what happened before, and what will happen in the future, but what we can do right here, right now.

Your own eyes means that we are God’s and He is ours. Jesus is not just the Christ of our ancestors, or the previous generation, or the Christ of our children, but He is our Lord and Savior.

May we respond to the Lord, and continue on our faith journey today, because it was your own eyes that saw all these great things the Lord has done. It is the Lord that has called us, given us new life in Him, and desires to build a relationship with us as we continue to live our lives in this world.

Your own eyes means we are to share what we have seen and experienced with the world that more may know of God’s amazing grace and love for His creation. It means that we are to testify, be a voice in the world, and bring a message of hope to the hopeless.

Open the eyes of our hearts Lord, we want to see you.

Pastor Michael Lu
Enduring Word Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy 11