Passage Read: Deuteronomy 28-31
Meditation Verses: 29:24-26
Thought
The Word of God and all He requires of His people, none of it is difficult to understand. The people won't turn away from God because they didn't understand what He asked of them. They'll turn away because they found a god who did not require anything significant from them. They'll turn away because the gods of their neighbors only ask for some gifts, they encourage sensual celebrations and then maybe they'll give a blessing. They don't interfere with your day to day life. They don't require any special treatment of your neighbor. They just want an occasional sacrifice, one that you also can share in. You can live however you like, in whatever way you want. In fact, you can indulge the lusts of your flesh, and it's considered a help in gaining that god's favor and blessing. They don't care about anything else, and hopefully, they can bless just as much as God can bless. That's why the gods around them are so tempting, and the Israelites so prone to go astray.
Application
The problem with God is His interference in our lives. He has so many commands and expectations. They aren't impossible, just distracting, and expecting us to be considerate of others rather than focus only on ourselves. Today we may not go looking for other gods, but we give into a similar temptation, to reduce or eliminate God's call to a holy life. God didn't save us from sin and free us to live however we think best. He saved us from sin so that we would finally live in His ways, loving Him and our neighbor more than we care about material prosperity and success. I am just as guilty of idol worship when I follow a caricature of God rather than what the true God asks of me, when I follow someone's ideas of what God wants rather than what He has written for all time. The Word of God is what God expects of me, and I'm not free to overlook any part of it. Otherwise, I too have given into idol worship.