Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.­ Deuteronomy 8:2

If someone were to ask what my favorite book of the Bible is, I probably wouldn’t say, “Oh, that would be Deuteronomy! I LOVE THAT one best.” Admittedly, I never even read the Old Testament until I was born again  not that long ago.

However, I’m drawn to Deuteronomy this week.  The book’s discourses are Moses’ testimony reminding Israel about its covenant  relationship with God, what He did for them historically and outlines God’s principles by which they are to live. In contrast to the amoral, ungodly and defiantly anti- God world I find myself in, Deuteronomy is a refuge wherein to rest and find God’s truths.

We are living in a “sleight of hand” culture. Nothing is as it seems. Trickery, deceit and lies distort what’s presented as truth no matter how bizarre or ridiculous. God- given common sense is mocked while divinely ordained governing principles are reinvented  right under our noses. The corrupted campaign for the U.S. presidency is but the latest and worst and most prolonged attempt to convince people there’s a new reality, a new morality and a new mentality which politics, power and presidential hopefuls will inaugurate no matter what. We need to discern with our spiritual eyes what rabbits are being pulled out of the hat and by whom. There is nothing entertaining or wholesome about this magic show.

As Jesus stood before Pilate, the Roman governor asked a rhetorical question, that is a question which supposedly has no answer. “What is truth?” he asked Christ, cynically ignorant of the only truth right in front of him. The same delusions are everywhere – there is no truth except what is relevant or politically expedient at the moment. Deuteronomy says differently: Sorry but there are inviolable truths.

Jesus warned us of evil times but He also offered His peace, His love and His only truth. No earthly authority can change the Word revealed in Christ. Pagans and the devil rely on smoke and mirrors to trick people. Jesus is the Light which pierces their darkness and reveals the snares laid.

The God of Moses is God of the universe in 2016.    He hasn’t stopped being the Creator or relinquished His sovereignty. The King of Kings and Lord of Hosts who chose Israel as His own people – and us as heirs to every promise made – is still our Father in heaven. Jesus is Lord, the victorious King  to whom all authority has been given and every tongue will proclaim Him as such. Let the politicians posture like peacocks making shrill raucous noises. A fleeting presidency may be gained, but nothing lasting has been attained.

God’s unfailing love has not changed. Moses received in part what Jesus  fulfilled.

Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. Deuteronomy 7:9

In Christ there is the same unshakeable promise which no amount of  doublespeak can negate.   If we obey Jesus’ commandments, God is with us no matter what lurks in the wilderness. We are to go forth in truth into a lost world and disciple others,

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28:20

The Book of Deuteronomy contains life giving answers  heals our anxieties and silence lying tongues. It identifies God with a capital G very clearly, detailing what His Chosen People’s relationship to Him is based on.

Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.…Deuteronomy 6:2

Loving God and fearing Him as God is the inherent principle in Deuteronomy. When I read this book, the heart of our Father becomes very clear. Love is the basis of Israel’s and our relationship with Him, but His righteousness also requires honor and obedience. Even when we fail and fall away, God is always ready to forgive and to bless if we repent.  God’s never ending willingness to be our God is so great that He sent Jesus to atone for our fallen natures – even to this time and place, to people who now desecrate His Name and profane His redeeming love.

No one knows what will happen in this election nor what the next four years or even the next forty will be like but it already feels like a wilderness, like a jungle. As Christians are tested, perhaps it is by the Lord

…to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his(God’s) commands…

That is a very sobering thought.