Deuteronomy 5:33 & 29 state, “Ye shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess” and “O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!”
Fly fishing can get in your blood. I’m talking about little streams that you can forge across in certain places, find stretches of ripples or holes that slowly swirl around behind boulders or rocks. A 12-14 inch trout would be a big catch. Usually after presenting a fly in a good spot four or five times, without results, you might as well move on. While fishing up the North Fork of the Walla Walla River one morning (I was about 18 years old), I kept moving upstream trying every good spot. What a thrilling morning. About noon I decided to walk back down the dirt road that followed the river. A couple of motorcycle riders came down behind me and gave me a ride back to my car. I had fished my way over four or five miles that morning. I had no idea—I was having a ball.
The Children of Israel walked for forty years in the wilderness. They didn’t have fly rods or good fishing streams. In fact, there wasn’t much water at all. They weren’t having a good time. This can be the way some people view the Christian life. Some wander from church to church only experiencing the same dry desert life. They are tired of the “manna” they are being fed from the pulpit over and over. Just as the Israelites did, they begin complaining.
The glory walk begins with belonging to the God of glory. In Deuteronomy 5:24 Moses reminds the people of this privilege with their own words, “And ye said, Behold, the Lord our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth.” God chose the Israelites to be His people, and He their God. The commandments He gave them were a marriage contract. Today we can be in the family of God by the blood of Jesus.
Most of us begin the glory walk with joy and excitement. When things get hard we need to learn to trust God to continue the glory walk. Our text shows that God is looking out for our best. He wants us to be well, have life, and enjoy the possessions He wants to give us. Many claim to belong to God, but are afraid to trust His commands, and lose the excitement of the glory walk.
Finally our text says, “O that there were such a heart in them….” At Kadesh-barnea, Joshua and Caleb were the only two spies who had a heart to enter into Canaan. For 45 years they stayed with the glory walk. In Joshua 14, Caleb, now in the Promised Land, states that it was in his heart to fight the giants (V.7). In verse 12 he says, “…give me this mountain” (where the giants still are). He has a heart to fight them. Let’s take heart . What a thrill, this GLORY WALK!
