When we read the whole of the last words to the Israelites before he dies and they enter Canaan, we hear him reminding them of how good God has been to them, as well as rebuking them for turning to the pagan idols. The interesting thing to me is that he tells them that their reliance on the pagan gods will become their undoing.
God, through Moses is basically telling them that the punishment for their sins will be a direct result of their sins. It really tells us as well that our sins carry their own punishment.
I know we've reflected on this before, but it's always a good reminder.
Do you know someone who gossips? If you do, than you probably don't tell them anything you want to keep private out of fear that they cannot help sharing whatever they know.
You can't trust a liar once you catch them in a lie.
If you have a friend who steals, you either avoid inviting them to your home, or you make sure that anything valuable is out of sight or locked up because you can't trust them.
The results for the liar and the thief are the same; they don't trust others either. They never know if they are being lied to, and they are afraid of being the victim of theft.
The gossip eventually finds him or herself losing friends and not knowing why.
People who have a problem with anger, often find themselves in trouble at work as well as at home and can lose jobs because of an inability to take orders from employers, or they are always in conflict with their coworkers.
The people the Israelites trusted will turn on them. The sins we commit will damage us.
This reminder is a good one to make us reexamine our own behavior and ask God to help us repent and change.
