You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD is God; besides him there is no other. – Deuteronomy 4:35

Today's Scripture Reading (February 20, 2025): Deuteronomy 4

"Believe it when they tell you who they are!" It is a phrase that I think I have heard more in the last decade than I have ever heard before. The context is usually directed at the current conservative movement in North America and Europe. (I admit that I am a conservative, although I acknowledge that I am a different kind of conservative, one that believes in small government and balanced budgets.) But the reality is that this is a time when people are saying things out loud that once we would have never said, even if we thought it, both on the political right and left. Politicians are telling us who they are with an honesty that seems new. But we still don't believe them. So, when they do what they said they would do, we are still surprised, and our response is, "We thought you were exaggerating."

But they weren't. Politicians from all stripes must be laughing at the people's gullibility. Regardless of what they tell us, we seem to believe what we want to believe. When we enter our vote, we still vote for the one we think will do what we want, and we often ignore what they tell us. 

The result is that we are becoming more dissatisfied with our political system than ever. In the last year, I have even heard people openly wonder if democracy even works anymore. Maybe it would be better if we had a King or a beneficial despot at the helm of our countries. I can hear the cry of our ancestors who fought against the absolute rule of monarchs in times past. And, yes, there have always been pockets of these people, but now that questioning of democracy has become part of the mainstream political discussion, where I have never heard it before.

There is also an idea that rich people will make us rich. The idea is laughable because most rich people, although not all, became wealthy by making other people poor. And the rich have seldom been the repository of what is moral. But maybe that isn't important anymore.

Moses is speaking to Israel. Part of the message is that what God has done in the past should be all Israel needs to know as they move into the future. He had helped them defeat their enemies in the past and would help them in the future. God has fed the nation in the past and will help them grow the crops the country will need in the future. He had led them where they should go in the past, and he would help guide them in the future. However, maybe even more importantly, he had been the moral example for them in the past and would be the moral authority in the future. These things had been shown to Israel so they would know who this God was, and there was none other like him.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 5

Personal Note: Happy Birthday to my grandson's, William and Henry