Deuteronomy 29:10-18
10 “All of you are standing today before the Lord your God—your leaders, tribes, elders, officials, all the men of Israel, 11 your children, your wives, and the foreigners in your camps who cut your wood and draw your water— 12 so that you may enter into the covenant of the Lord your God, which He is making with you today, so that you may enter into His oath 13 and so that He may establish you today as His people and He may be your God as He promised you and as He swore to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 14 I am making this covenant and this oath not only with you, 15 but also with those who are standing here with us today in the presence of the Lord our God and with those who are not here today. 16 “Indeed, you know how we lived in the land of Egypt and passed through the nations where you traveled. 17 You saw their detestable images and idols made of wood, stone, silver, and gold, which were among them. 18 Be sure there is no man, woman, clan, or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the Lord our God to go and worship the gods of those nations. Be sure there is no root among you bearing poisonous and bitter fruit. HCSB
Colossians 3:16-17
16 Let the message about the Messiah dwell richly among you, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. HCSB
In the book of Deuteronomy, when the people were at the brink of moving into the promised land, God reminded them of the covenant He had made with them. At the same time, He also warned or admonished the people to make sure that their hearts do not turn away from their God and go and worship other gods. and then he added the last sentence in verse 18 by saying "Be sure there is no root among you bearing POISONOUS and BITTER fruit" .
Point to ponder: When there is bitterness growing in our hearts, we need to be keenly aware of the fact that that poison will kill us long before it kills the person to whom we are directing our bitterness, and it seems to me that this poisonous root of bitterness is a core open door that God is warning the people against - because it opens the door to the worship of idols and false gods. So how do we come into the opposite spirit? In Colossians 3:16-18 I think God gives us an idea. If we come with wisdom, singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs WITH GRATITUDE in our hearts to God, giving thanks to Him for all things, there will be no place, no chance for a poisonous root of bitterness to grow and bear fruit in our hearts. Gratitude uproots any root of bitterness and protects our hearts against worshipping idols. Gratitude permeates our beings with songs of praise for our creator-God Who sent His Son Jesus to take all our poisonous bitterness upon Him and give us His joy. Let us rejoice in Him this week, replacing our bitterness with thankfulness and gratitude.
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