Hold Fast

Hold fast to Him…Deuteronomy 13:4

These words Moses spoke regarding his warning about false prophets or dreamer of dreams. Verse 3: you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

Then comes our word for today, Verse 4: you shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice. You shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. Perhaps Moses is reminding them of those in their past who walked with God. People like Enoch. People like Abraham. People like themselves who survived 40 years in the wilderness. 

They are about to enter the land of promise. They are about to encounter people who do not walk with God. Instead, they serve false gods; gods of their imaginations. But as for you, “You shall walk after the LORD your God.”

God in His infinite wisdom allows false prophets to test our resolve. To follow after a false teacher is to reveal a lack of love for God. To serve false gods is to reveal a heart and soul lacking real respect of who God is. 

Many go through a time of dreaming. In doing so, they reveal their lack of respect for God. Maybe they are not truly apostate, but rather they have been fooled by fancy words. It is a time that we who love them keep our resolve and love our God who loves them more than we do. Many of us were them at their age.

Even so, God has better plans for them (and us.) Let them see in us a love of God that responds in love for them rather than a reaction to their current situation. Perhaps God is testing us. Not with a false teacher but with a son or daughter? Let us remember many who walked with God, like Abraham, stumbled in their faith. Even so, God walked with them.

God does not give up. Nor should we. We shall not listen to those who condemn. We shall listen to our God who saves. We shall hold fast to Him who holds fast to us.