8). In this, God demonstrated His grace and wonderful compassion toward a
grumbling and complaining people. He also demonstrated His faithfulness
to the promise He had made to His people.
Moses reminded the people, in light of what God had done and promised, to
be careful to follow the terms of the covenant He was making with them.
Everyone who lived among them, from their leaders to those who carried
their water, was obligated to follow God’s commands as laid out in His law
(verse 11). That day Moses called the people to renew their commitment to
the covenant relationship with God. Verse 12 leads us to believe that Moses
was asking them to swear an oath to be faithful to God and Him alone. He
reminded them that God would confirm them as His people and be their
God just as He had promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (verses 3-15).
Part of walking in faithfulness to their covenant with God was to turn from
any other god. Moses reminded them of the gods made from wood, stone,
silver and gold they had seen in Egypt. He challenged his people to be sure
that no one among them returned to these idols and foreign gods. They were
to do all they could to keep their land pure and undefiled by pagan idols and
gods. Notice how he describes these gods and idols as roots of bitter poison
(verse 18). In other words, these gods and idols would destroy them as a
nation and take them away from the one true God.
Moses knew that God's people would be tempted by the pagan gods and
idols of the nations around them. This was not the only temptation,
however. In verse 19 we see that the knowledge of their covenant
relationship with God would make Israel say: “I will be safe, even though I
persist in going my own way.” In other words, they clung to the fact that
they were part of a nation that had been chosen by God. They felt that God
had an obligation toward them to care for them and forgive them no matter
how they lived their lives. Their security would be in the fact that they were
part of a nation God had called out for himself. They believed now that
because they were a special people, God was obligated to care for them
even if they were not living as He required.
Moses reminded his people, however, that being part of a nation that was
chosen by God would not give them security if they were not walking with