Reliance on God

Welcome to the Daily Bible Chapter. My name is James Leroy Wilson and I invite you to join me as I attempt to read the Bible with fresh eyes, as if I don’t know anything about it, and without consulting experts on what it “really” means.. Let’s see where this takes us!

Deuteronomy 11

I’m reading Young’s Literal Translation (YLT) and the New Revised Standard Version.

Deuteronomy 11 tells us that the Israelites had been, and Egyptians still are, dependent on the Nile River as the source of their sustenance. And that is all now in the past. Gone just like Pharaoh’s chariots in the Red Sea.

The Nile irrigated the land. In the Promised Land of Israel, however, the rains will determine the fate of the grain, the vineyards, and the grasslands for herds.

Just as the Israelites had fed on manna from the sky for 40 years, so in the Promised Land they will depend on rain from “the heavens.”

All that is required to prosper is to walk by faith, “loving the Lord your God [your highest self] and serving him [this highest version of yourself] with all your heart and with all your soul.” If so, then the rains will come. But if one pursues other “gods” in search of prosperity, the rains won’t come.

Why would this happen? It depends on your assumptions. “God will provide, but if God doesn’t provide, we should take precautions.” Perhaps that means relying on fortune-tellers or financial manipulation to bring forth prosperity. Or throwing the ecology of the land out of balance in the hopes of increased agricultural output.

But if you don’t have faith that the rain will come, then the rain won’t come. If you rely on “other gods,” — fear-based versions of yourself rather than your highest self — then your fears will come true.

If, however, you live by faith, if you follow the LORD or your highest self, then “every place on which you set foot shall be yours.”

James Leroy Wilson writes Daily Miracles, The Daily Bible Chapter, JL Cells, and The MVP Chase. Thanks for your subscriptions and support!

(Photo credit: TyshkunVictor)