Deuteronomy 4:39 (ESV) – know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.

When a basketball announcer says that a particular player is “all over the court,” they mean that the player continues to show up in every play. Perhaps they are getting lots of rebounds. Maybe every time there is a loose ball, they are there diving on the floor. A particular player can affect a game in a powerful way by their being “all over the court.” But we also know when the announcer makes that comment, that the player is not really all over the court. It is metaphorical language. The player is technically only at one place on the court at a given moment. If they are outside the three-point line, then they are not inside the paint. They are limited to where they can be. 

But as we are going to see in our passage today, that is not true for God. He is everywhere at all times. He stands alone as the only Being who truly exists in all places. We read in Deuteronomy 4:39, “know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.”

The context of this passage is Moses speaking to the newly rescued Israelites. They lived in captivity for hundreds of years in Egypt. Now they are free, and Moses is reacquainting them with the God of their fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He reminds them in our passage that their God is not a local deity over a small swath of land. He is not a territorially bound God. This is the One who is not only over all the universe, but He is in all the universe. 

Moses says that the LORD is God in heaven above and the earth beneath. There is no place where His reign or jurisdiction wanes. He is present in Heaven and on the earth. There isn’t a place in all the cosmos that can escape His nearness. In that way, God is unlike all creatures of the world. He stands alone. Moses says, “there is no other.”

This should inspire awe in our hearts.

We are limited by many things, but God has no limits. He is everywhere present. The good news for us today is we can call upon the God who is near. We should look to Him as our help, comfort, and strength.

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He forgives the sins of those who confess and repent. He strengthens the hearts of the downcast and fearful. Look to the One who is like no other. Lay it to your heart.

Reflection & Journal:
- Why does Moses need to remind the people of these truths about God?
- What do these truths reveal about the nature of God? How does this impact daily life?
- How does this truth resonate with your own heart today? 

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