Today's Reading is Deuteronomy 29...
My thoughts on today's reading...
Renewing a covenant is a way to recommit oneself to the promises made in the agreement. This works well, especially if both parties agree to the renewed covenant. Trouble is, God's covenant with His people was always one sided. He pledged to be their God, and despite their promise to be His people, they were constantly abandoning their relationship with Him. Once again, Moses is reminding them that while they have stepped away from the Lord again and again, He never abandons them, and His covenant with them is firm.
Verse 18 warns them not to turn their hearts away, but then we hear that they choose to walk in the stubbornness of their hearts. so God warns them that to repeatedly do so, means that eventually He will have to do something to get their attention, even it if means that the other nations will talk... (check out verse 24 and following.) We usually say to ourselves as hear about these Old Testament people of Israel turning away from the Lord over and over, "why don't they learn from their mistakes?" How about us? Maybe we too have a little something to learn when it comes to obeying the Lord and keeping His commands.