There Is No Other

Prayer

The Results Are Clear

Last week, I shared the story that James Bryan Smith tells in his book, The Good and Beautiful Life, about Ben, the elderly gentlemen who entrusted his life to Jesus at the age of seventy-five, after a life lived selfishly. In that same chapter, James contrasts Ben’s story with that of a man named John.

There were a lot of similarities between the two men, both were born in the same year, 1910, grew up in the United States and therefore experienced a lot of the same challenges and circumstances - endured the depression, two world wars, economic suffering and prosperity, a Cold War.

Yet their lives could not have been lived out more differently - whereas Ben chose to pursue whatever he wanted by whatever means (essentially making his desires, his urges, his god), John chose a very different approach.

At the age of twenty-five, John made a decision to live by a set of principles, principles based on the Bible, on Jesus’ teachings. They were principles such as courage, honesty, hard work, character, loyalty, virtue, honor, the things that, according to John, make a good life. And he committed himself to them wholeheartedly.

It wasn’t just the way that they lived that was so vastly different - it was also the way their lives turned out. If you remember Ben’s story - he had accumulated lots of wealth, more money than he needed, but he in his old age, by his own admission, he had no one. No one who cared for him because he had cared for no one other than himself.

In the latter years of John’s life, however, John was still married to and had a beautiful loving relationship with his wife of 53 years, Nellie. He had a warm smile, a humble spirit and an easy laughter that drew others in. He received phone calls regularly from people whom he had impacted in life, telling him thanks and how much they loved him, and continuing to seek advice from him.

You might have heard of him before, his full name was John Wooden, he was the record-breaking head coach of the UCLA men’s basketball team for many years, winning ten national championships. At one point his teams won eighty-eight games in a row.

Smith points out this fundamental truth - John lived a goodness that has its own reward, natural consequences of a life lived toward God, loving and serving others. As Smith writes, “John’s good deeds led to a virtuous life, which is its own reward…there is a life of joy and peace that only those who follow God can know.”

And this makes perfect sense - if God is truly good and full of wisdom, if he is faithful and righteous, The Holy One (and he is!), then the commands that he decrees, the laws that he issues, will be good and right. They will be the best way to live life, in accordance with what God teaches. It will bear fruit in our lives - a life of joy and peace.

Exactly what Psalm 119 reflects. Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible, 176 verses, and the entire thing is an homage to God and his laws, how wonderful and righteousness his laws are. Here’s a brief example: Do good to your servant according to your word, Lord. 66 Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I trust your commands. 67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word. 68 You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees.

This is the point Moses makes in the part of his speech we’re going to look at this morning as we continue our way through the book of Deuteronomy. Now, a quick reminder of what’s happening here in Deuteronomy, the Israelites are gathered just outside of the land God has promised to give them, east of the Jordan River, about to enter in and claim the land after wandering in the wilderness for forty years. Whole book of Deuteronomy is Moses giving that final reminder of God’s teachings, those “remember what you’ve learned”. In this part of the speech Moses is telling the Israelites that their obeying God’s laws will show forth God’s wisdom and understanding to the nations. These other nations will look at the Israelites and declare, “what a great nation, what a great people - and what a great God they have!”

Deuteronomy 4:5-8...See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. 6 Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” 7 What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him? 8 And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?

Notice the basis of Moses’ appeal to the Israelites as he encourages them to obey the commands of God: What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us? What other nation has a God that gives them so many righteous decrees and laws? We have this great and amazing God - a god all the other nations would be jealous of - of course we should follow his decrees! Why would you ever want to follow their gods?! (By the way, we have other ancient law codes - and the commandments God gave the Israelites were far more just and good - that’s why they, along with Jesus’ teachings, became the moral foundation of the Western world, that’s what is meant by the Judeo-Christian tradition.)

That’s the main point - these other nations will see the Israelites living well (assuming, that is, that they follow God’s laws), and they will think that nation is great, and they are great because of the greatness of God. There is no other nation like this because there is no other God like this. Why would you follow any other god? Why would you live according to any other wisdom or teaching? God is the god of all wisdom and goodness and righteousness - there is no other.

Moses makes his explicit later in the chapter, Deuteronomy 4:32-40, Ask now about the former days, long before your time, from the day God created human beings on the earth; ask from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything so great as this ever happened, or has anything like it ever been heard of? 33 Has any other people heard the voice of God speaking out of fire, as you have, and lived? 34 Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all the things the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes? 35 You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord is God; besides him there is no other. 36 From heaven he made you hear his voice to discipline you. On earth he showed you his great fire, and you heard his words from out of the fire. 37 Because he loved your ancestors and chose their descendants after them, he brought you out of Egypt by his Presence and his great strength, 38 to drive out before you nations greater and stronger than you and to bring you into their land to give it to you for your inheritance, as it is today. 39 Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. 40 Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the Lord your God gives you for all time.

Moses begins with inviting the Israelites to think about the greatness of God that was revealed in the very beginning - when God created human beings on the earth, beings in his own image - beings who reflect his divine glory (that’s us!). Then he tells them - ask, ask anyone - from one end of the heavens to the other! Has anything this amazing ever happened, has anyone ever heard anyone thing like this?

And what other people has a god who speaks to them, who have heard the voice of their God speaking out of fire - like you did - and yet you managed to live! What other God does this?

What other god has made a nation for himself, his own people - and they way our God did, drawing us out of another nation, freeing us, and with such mighty acts of power, with great and awesome deeds? God did this for you - he brought you out of Egypt and made you his own. He’s pointing to the greatness of God by reminding them of all the things God has done.

Then Moses goes on to explain why God did all these things - “so that you might know that the Lord is God, beside him there is no other.” God did it to make himself known, that’s why he revealed himself - speaking in a way that the Israelites could hear, disciplining them, speaking to the people out of the fire. So they would know that there is no other God like him.

And that they would know that he is a God of love - Moses tells them he did this because he loved your ancestors, not just the ancestors, but all the generations that followed, God chose them as well, out of love. God acted out of his Presence and power to make all these things happen for his people - and he did it out of love.

Here’s why this is so essential to recognize the greatness of the Lord our God - to recognize that there there is no other. As Moses puts it, “Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other.” In other words, recognize this truth (that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below) and (this is essential) take this truth to heart.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary puts it this way: “The purpose was to enable the Israelites to know, by their experience, that the Lord is God alone, to see God’s power and might should instill a spirit of submission, quell our tendency toward arrogance.” Mindy Caliguire makes it very simple - it’s all about knowing the truth and surrendering to that truth. That we would know the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below, and we would surrender to that truth, take it to heart.

Moses is encouraging the Israelites to let the reality of who God is - this God, there is no other - to be so instilled in them, to inform their hearts and minds, that they will readily and eagerly respond in obedience. A true spirit of submission, any temptation that they would know better would be dashed away, so that they will live according to what he is teaching them.

No Other God for Us

And the point holds true for us as well - how vital it is to acknowledge this and take it to heart, that there is no other. No other god like our God, like Jesus Christ. No other “gods” can compare - when we start considering the gods we flirt with today, even more than that, that we embrace.

What other god is so near to us, always with us? I will never leave you or forsake you.

What other god is so faithful, absolutely trustworthy - keeps his promises, every single one?

What other god pours out blessing after blessing after blessing - even when we fail to recognize and acknowledge the blessing - or worse, the giver of the blessing?

What other god offers mercies that are new every morning. Every morning a brand new start with our God?

What other god has created all the wonder and beauty and awe of the world around us, that we get to delight in day after day?

What other god has the power and might to save us - and uses that power and might to do exactly that? That same power that rescued the Israelites from slavery rescued us from the bondage of sin. That same might that defeated the Egyptian army has defeated death on our behalf.

What other god shows his fierce love by laying down his life for us - what other god is so for us, even when we had turned away from him? Is there anything in your life that you devote yourself to, that you treasure that loves you to that degree, whose goodness knows no bounds?

And so, like the Israelites - what other god shall we obey? Whose decrees, whose wisdom, should we listen to?

Should it be the fickle whims of our own hearts? Is wealth, “nice things” going to do for us what our God can and does do for us? Perhaps our gods are some achievement - a certain status in life, or morality, I am a good person. Are these gods going to offer us mercy…joy…peace. Are they trustworthy?

There is no other. There is no other like our God. Like Jesus. Of course we should listen to him. Like John Wooden did - that whole life commitment to following the teachings of Jesus. Like Ben eventually did, and it transformed his life, his relationships - what a vast difference between his first 75 years and his last 13, because of who our God is. There is no other.

The hope is, that as we follow Jesus, as more and more we grow into greater love and obedience of Jesus, that others will see God’s wisdom and understanding in our lives. Will see his presence evidence in us. His grace would emanate from our hearts - it would be so natural for us to be gracious towards others, slow to anger, compassionate. It would be clear from our families, our marriages, our friendships. What an amazing thought that is.

As always, we close with some thoughts about how we can take God’s word, what he teaches us, and shape our lives around it. To obey him - that’s what spiritual disciplines are all about, like John Wooden did, helping us to shape our lives around Jesus and how he teaches us to live.

Consider what we find in Deuteronomy 4:39, “Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other.” What might you do this week to incorporate this teaching into your life? To know the truth that the Lord is God, and more fully surrender to that truth?

You might recite and pray that Bible verse every day, as you begin the day.

Let that be the focus as you read the Scriptures daily, with this question in mind, what does this teach me about who God is? As you reflect on that, respond in words of praise to God (or even sing a word of praise to God!, great way to “take it to heart.”

Spend a few minutes each day, asking God to show you, then looking for, his glory, all around you. As you see it, praise him for what you see! Let your heart delight in the Lord our God. There is no other.

Another soul training exercise you could engage in this week has to do with your commitment to our Lord and God above any other gods. Take a few moments in the morning, as you begin your day, committing yourself wholeheartedly to him, forsaking all other gods. Declare that you are his. Ask that he help you as you face temptation to give yourself to other gods.

As we close, one last reminder, from Moses’ speech: You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord is God; besides him there is no other.