Having reminded his people of the events of the past, Moses now warns them of the perils of the future. For centuries Israel was a slave nation, and then for forty years she had wandered in the wilderness. Now they are settled down in their own land and they needed to be aware of the dangers that would come to them. Moses warns of several of the dangers that are to come in chapters 7-10: In chapter 7:1-16 the people are warned not to compromise with the enemy. Any time the people of God compromise, their testimony is either greatly harmed or destroyed completely. Many Christians today have mingled with the world and have ruined their testimony. There are also churches today that have taken a weak and feeble stand against worldliness and sin, thus destroying their power with God. God's plan for the church and the individual Christian is to reach the world, without mingling in its sin. One must never partake of the sins of the world in order to be a friend to the world.
The second peril that faced the children of Israel was the fear of the enemy (chapter 7:17-26). Fear usually leads to compromise. Many times Christians give in to protect themselves. Moses warns the people not to be afraid of the enemy, because God will be with them and given them the victory. That same promise is ours today. No matter what may befall us, God will not leave us or forsake us. If you are born-again, you are a child of God and He will never forsake His own. You can face the most terrible perils knowing that you are going to win the victory, because God and you are a majority. Failures in the Christian's life come only when you disobey God or fail to believe His promises to you. We must trust and obey.
In chapter 8 the peril is prosperity and self- satisfaction. Moses warns his people about the perils of prosperity. They would forget the forty years of God's care, when they had food to eat and clothes to wear. They would even forget God's chastening hand when they had sinned. It is this sin that is so devastating to our world today. When hard times come we depend on God for our daily needs, but when we have food in our stomachs, money in our pockets, warm houses cars, lands, and other worldly possessions, we turn away from God and become self-sufficient, many times forgetting God. Verse 18 reminds us that, "It is he that giveth thee power to get wealth." This statement is one we all need to remember daily!
