Shaped by the Story (1): Looking Back, Looking Ahead
These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the wilderness east of the Jordan... Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. Remember the day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb... Deuteronomy 1:1 and 4:9-10
It is surely significant that at the heart of Scripture is not a list of rules to be obeyed or a set of promises to be claimed, but a grand, sweeping story that is told. It's an account of God reaching out in love to sinful men and women, drawing them into relationship with himself, who then become the main ingredients in a plan - centered in Christ - which involves the restoration of creation itself.
Nor should it come as a surprise that several summaries of this story are found throughout Scripture. The story is narrated up to the point of telling, of course, but each of the tellers is concerned to place themselves and their listeners or readers into that larger story, in such a way that it becomes their story too.
So it is, as Deuteronomy begins, that God's people find themselves on the verge of entering the promised land. From 1:1 to 4:43, Moses reviews their history since leaving Sinai; but he does so in a way that folds the audience into what has happened. Most of the original hearers were no more present at Sinai than twenty-first-century readers were, and yet - in a way that also speaks directly to the contemporary Christian - Moses makes it clear that these foundational events become part of our history too.
God's words and deeds are recalled with a view to what lies ahead as the people will live in the land. Israel's story will continue into the future, in continuity with what has taken place in the past, and it is on the basis of the story so far that Moses calls his listeners to covenant faithfulness.
For us too, the story of God's dealings with his people is to be remembered and passed on, treasured and taught to succeeding generations who will themselves be written into the ongoing story. And those of us who have experienced the grace of God and his call on our lives will likewise benefit from the reminder of how he has already acted on our behalf, and be strengthened by the confidence that he himself will go ahead of us, today and always.
Antony Billington
Subscribers to LICC's 'Word for the Week' will be interested to know that Whole Life, Whole Bible (published by BRF) is now available. Written by Antony Billington, Margaret Killingray, and Helen Parry, the book is designed to walk through the unfolding story of the Bible in 50 readings and reflections, with the conviction that Scripture sets the agenda for the whole of life - on Monday to Saturday as well as Sunday, in public and in private, in work as much as in worship. Available in Christian bookstores and online, including via the LICC bookshop.
Comments
There are currently no comments for this article.
