Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Deuteronomy 31 before reading the devotional below.
Several years ago, I went on a retreat. It was a 3-day encounter with the Holy Spirit, and it changed my life. On the final day, just before we went home, the leaders had us write letter to ourselves. It was dated one year in the future. Our assignment was to not open it until the date on the letter. Then we would have a message that reminded us of what we’d experienced. Much would change in that year, but it was a reminder of the things that hadn’t changed.
In the life of Israel, much was changing. Moses was handing off the leadership to Joshua his protege. The Israelites were leaving the desert and entering their promised inheritance. They would live in houses and cities instead of in tents. They would put down roots instead of constantly being on the move. So Moses makes one final command. They people of God are to publically reread the entire law together once every seven years. Imagine that – the entire country gathering together just for the reading of the law. It would be a time of refocusing and celebration. It would be a time of remembering what’s important and setting aside distractions.
Read it often. Don’t just look for new things. Look for reminders. God has given you his word to help you come back to what really matters when life is full of distractions and secondary issues. The word of God is an incredible gift. The people of Israel had to gather together to hear the word of God read outloud. We can now do it on our phones, our laptops, our tablets. The word of God is everywhere. Now all we have to do is read it.