Deut 10:11 (AMPC) And the Lord said to me, Arise, journey on before the people, that they may go in and possess the land which I swore to their fathers to give to them.
At first glance, this may seem like a random scripture with no real-life application but when we apply the SOS Model to our Bible reading, we can discover some truths that can change the course of our lives.
Before we dive into the model just a little bit of background. The me in the scripture is Moses. He had just spent 40 days and 40 nights on the mountain speaking with God and he was now recording the conversations they had had.
Say
The first S stands for Say. We ask two questions. What does the scripture say about God? What does the scripture say about me or us? When we have to think about what we have read and put it into our own words it forces us to really apply our minds to what we are reading and engage with the text.
So, our first question is, what does this scripture say about God? The first thing I notice is that He is Lord. “And the Lord…” He is sovereign which means He is the supreme ruler; He has ultimate authority, and He is fully in charge. I can rest in this knowledge and live my life with confidence knowing that I do not have to be the ultimate authority in my life. I have a backstop, the ruler of the world who goes before and behind me. (Deut 31:8)
Secondly, the Lord speaks to us. “And the Lord said to me, …” He is personal. I can commune with Him. I can ask Him questions and He will answer me.
Thirdly, God swore an oath many years previously and He was now preparing to keep it. An oath is a promise that is sworn to the death, meaning the person would rather die than not keep his promise. God did not just promise but He swore an oath. It was an unbreakable promise. God is a promise keeper. He will do what He says He will do. It may not be on my human timeline, but it will be on His divine, perfect timeline. I can once again rest in the security that God provides me.
Confidence, security and safety are mine in my Lord.
The second part of say is what does this scripture say about me? Moses was spending time with the Lord listening to Him and recording what He said. I need to attend my ear to the Lord in order to hear what He has to say to me. I need to be diligent in listening and writing down what He says.
Secondly, I need to arise and journey on! In possessing the land or seeing God’s promises come to pass in my life I need to get up and move forward. Nothing is my life is going to change unless I change. I need to spend time with Jesus every day, I need to study my Bible, apply it to my life, renew my mind and change my attitudes all to be in line with God and His will and then He will move in my life to bring His promises to pass.
Obey
What do I need to obey in order to apply this scripture to my life? I need to arise. I need to get up and move forward. This will probably be something different for each person. Consider an area of your life where you are not content with the status quo. What can you do to bring change to it?
At the moment I am dissatisfied with the manners and general behaviour of my children. To solve the problem, I am studying scripture to discover my role as a mother regarding my children and training them up in the way they should go. (Prov 22:6) I have also spoken to my husband, as the head of our home and in charge of commanding respect from our children, about my observations and my dissatisfaction. (Eph 5:34, 1 Tim 3:4) Together are putting together a plan to rectify the situation. We have arisen as a team to do what we are required to do in our home regarding our children.
Share
Who can I share what I have learnt with? This third question is so important. If we share what we have learnt we will remember it, if we do not then we will probably forget it. The more we repeat something the more we retain that knowledge. Who can you share what you have discovered in your scripture with? If you are looking for opportunities in your day to share or live out what you have learnt, then you will find them. It may not be actually speaking about the scripture, but it may be an opportunity to apply it.
Today’s Mission: Commit to reading the Bible every day and applying the SOS model. Watch to see the promises and changes God starts to bring about in your life. He is faithful to complete the good work He began in you. (Phil 1:6)