"Let me tell you not one, not two but three times it is not because of your righteousness that you will be taking over the land." God was pretty blunt here about "it's not about you" in this passage. The land was about a promise he had made to their fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the plan that would produce a nation who would produce the Savior of the world. It spoke of God and his faithfulness and wasn't based on theirs. Good thing because they were reliably unfaithful.
It is interesting that to head off comparing their righteousness to the people who were being pushed off the land, God says that is the nations' wickedness not Israel's goodness that has caused it. Sad when you think that at some point in their history they knew about God and over time had moved away from a relationship with him. They began to look to themselves and their wisdom rather than to Lord and this arrogance would become a great divider between God and man.
That is exactly what God is warming against here. "Listen, Israel. You've got to be on your guard lest you forget who actually got you to this point. It was me and don't think to highly of yourself."
In 1 Samuel 15:23 it says, "For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.” Thinking to highly of yourself is idolatry! That's harsh but does ring true. This passage comes in a story about King Saul doing what seemed right to him rather than acknowledging God instruction. He would loose his position as ruler of Israel over his self-importance. A very stiff penalty, indeed.
I guess the moral of this story is Keep your sights fixed on the One who led you this far. Don't ever get the notion you were the driving force behind your journey. You just not that good. It is God who has called you, he has prepared you, he has cleared the way and he will be faithful to see it through.
Thank God. Where would I be without him?
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