"The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden. But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. It is a land the LORD your God cares for; the eyes of the LORD your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end. So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today--to love the LORD your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul-- then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and oil" (Deuteronomy 11:10-14).

In this Scripture Moses is talking to the Israelites about the difference between living in Egypt (the world) and Promise Land (the Kingdom of God).

In Egypt, where the land was flat and were plenty of streams and rivers, people were able to dig irrigation ditches in order to water their crops and survive. The people would have pumps operated like bicycles that would move the water along the ditch to the crops. This procedure did not take much faith in God but it took plenty of human effort and ingenuity.

Moses is warning the people in this Scripture that the Promise Land would not be the same as Egypt. The Promise Land was full of hills and valleys and no human effort could bring the needed water. Their entire existence had to depend upon God providing the needed rain.

Most to be pitied are those who, when brought to the supreme crisis, find an avenue of escape. To escape the crisis is to miss God’s rain. Great difficulties are meant only to force us out of ourselves into reliance on Him. When there is no way forward or back, then God is able. He has a plan. Desperation in our daily circumstances is God's provision.

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33).

Larry Chkoreff

January, 2000