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The Lord our God spoke to us at Mount Horeb. He said, \u201cYou have stayed long enough at this mountain. Take your tents down. Go into the hill country of the Amorites. Go to all the people who are their neighbors. Go to the people who live in the Arabah Valley. Travel to the mountains and the western hills. Go to the people in the Negev Desert and along the coast. Travel to the land of Canaan and to Lebanon. Go as far as the great Euphrates River. I have given you all this land. Go in and take it as your own. The Lord promised he would give the land to your fathers. He promised it to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He also said he would give it to their children after them\u201d (Deuteronomy 1:6-8).

There, at Mount Horeb, also know as Mount Sinai, the forging of a covenant nation had begun. There, Israel reflected on how God had carried them on the wings of eagles and brought them to himself (cf. Ex.19:4). For the first time they had heard his voice. It terrified them; and so, Moses became God\u2019s mouth piece. Yet, the Lord God and his people had spent time together, had begun to know each other; and the people began to grasp that they were \u201ca kingdom of priests to serve God; his holy nation\u201d (cf. Ex. 19:6). \xa0

We too must learn to know the voice of our God. Covenant means relationship. As God covenanted with Israel, he now covenants with the church. Relationship means that we know one another. Jesus said that his sheep know and recognize his voice (cf. John 10:7ff). We hear his voice in the scriptures and sometimes through the whispers of the Spirit to our spirit (cf. Romans 8:16). Sometimes it\u2019s a terrifying voice, he is God after all. Yet, we all come to know him as our God who carries us out of our Egypt of sin on the wings of eagles. In Christ, he is not just our God, but our Father. This is both deeply personal and profoundly communal for it is very difficult for a Christian to thrive outside the community of faith.

Having spent time at the mount, getting to know their God, it was time for Israel to move on. They were not meant to wander forever in the wilderness. The act of being God\u2019s holy nation was very concrete, very specific. It was meant to be lived out in a particular place. As we consider this, Moses would have us ponder three things.

First, it is a place of promise. Israel\u2019s homecoming will not be a casual or unexpected event. God\u2019s intention has always been to situate Israel in a land promised, to bring blessing to all the families of the earth. First Abraham, and then all his descendants, were invited to trust in God to deliver on his promise. Likewise, Jesus\u2019 disciples are called to believe that we will inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5). As they say, the best is yet to come. The promise remains that we will enter our rest (Hebrews 4:1). We still struggle against sin in ourselves and in the world, but the day of rest is coming. Its his promise. Trusting in this promise keeps our hope and courage alive.

Second, the land is given. It is not deserved or claimed. It is a gift from God. Moses will continually remind Israel that no merit or power of their own will win them the land. They must receive it and then live in it as something gifted to them. As soon as they begin to act as if they possess it or have a right to it, things will go badly for them. Paul is equally emphatic, \u201cGod\u2019s grace has saved you because of your faith in Christ. Your salvation doesn\u2019t come from anything you do. It is God\u2019s gift. It is not based on anything you have done. No one can brag about earning it\u201d (Ephesians 2:8-9). The joy of living in the gift of redemption marks the Christian life.

Third, the land must be taken. Israel must go in and take possession of the land. On the surface it means warring against those who resist. But there is something deeper here, taking possession means cleansing it of evil, establishing in it a holy people dedicated to the Lord. In its reflection on the meaning of Sabbath, the Heidelberg Catechism concludes, \u201cthat every day of my life I rest from my evil ways, let the Lord work in me through his Spirit, and so begin already in this life the eternal Sabbath\u201d (Answer 103).

So already in this life we begin to experience the fulfillment of God\u2019s full promise of salvation. The Spirit leads us in the way of obedience to God. Jesus put it this way, \u201cI have told you this so that you will have the same joy that I have. I also want your joy to be complete. Here is my command. Love one another, just as I have loved you\u201d (John 15:11,12). Joy, love, and obedience; three qualities of the Christian life, three gifts of grace.