God says to Moses of the Israelites: “They will forsake me and break the covenant I made with them” (31:16). And it could be said of any of us. It’s inevitable because our human nature is twisted. In fact, sometimes God lets us stray so that we can be confronted by the state of our hearts. God says here: “I know what they are disposed to do” (vs. 21). The problem is that we don’t always know this. So, God has Moses write a song to be sung by the Israelites for generations. The song would remind them that God always knew they were wayward and that they would go astray. So, what is the point of this prediction? The point is not to condemn them. On the contrary, it is given to them so that they understand that God chose them knowing full well how wayward they were and even knowing beforehand that they would stray from him. His choice was not based on foreknowledge of their faithfulness. He chose them by grace alone. It is the same with us. Knowing this is very important. It gives us confidence to return to God when we do stray. For, inasmuch as he chose us by grace in the first place, he will also receive us back by grace when we return to him. If you stray from God, he will hide his face from you (see 31:17), not because he has abandoned you, but so you might feel the absence of him whom you have forsaken and seek his face again. And everyone who seeks God through Jesus Christ, will find him and will be saved.
Ask God to keep you close to him at all costs.
Read Deuteronomy 31 and 32
