Deuteronomy 18:1-19:14
The opening verses in Deuteronomy 18 outline a few basic laws on the Levite’s role in Israel. First, they would not receive any portion of the land. Instead, they would be scattered across the land in order to minister to the other tribes. Second, they would be taken care of through the gifts of the other tribes. Israel was expected to provide for their brothers that would be ministering to them. Although they did not have a portion unto themselves, because of their service to God, God promised to provide for them in other ways. His provision would come through the gifts and sacrifices of the other tribes.
The next set of laws is a series of practices that the Israelites were not to be involved in. This dealt with inappropriate sacrifices, talking to the dead, telling the future, and other things like these. God was making Israel a holy nation, and these practices characterized the nations that He was about to drive out of the land. Therefore, He expected Israel to live to a higher standard and not be involved in those practices. By following God’s commands and not the ways of these foreign nations, they would show where their allegiance stood and be an example to the surrounding nations.
The closing verses speak of Moses’ successor. Moses gives Israel a word of encouragement after outlining so many of these laws by telling them that God has a plan for them after Moses is gone. He has already picked out a successor to Moses, and Israel would be in good hands. Therefore, God expected them to treat the new leader as they treated Moses. Like Moses, he would be the one to receive the word from God and deliver it to them. So Moses encouraged them to listen to the one that God had chosen as their leader and to not follow someone who is not from God. Once again, this is a picture of God’s provision. Life is short, and we will all die. Moses was not an exception. At this point, Moses was an old man, and the Israelites had to know that he was not far from death. Many may have been wondering who would lead them once he was gone. The end of this chapter gave Israel assurance that God was still looking out for them, providing for them, and helping them as they continued on their journey into the Promised Land.
The book transitions back into another set of laws in Deuteronomy 19. The first set of laws deals with unintentional killing. God commanded the Israelites to set up cities of refuge so that if there ever was an instance in which someone accidentally killed another man, they had a safe place to flee to in case someone tried to seek revenge. God understood that accidents happen, and once again, this was His way of protecting those innocent lives. This did not however give someone the right to kill whoever they wanted while thinking that they had a safe place to go. Intentional killing was still forbidden, and anyone who killed intentionally could still be sought out for revenge.
In the discussion about the cities of refuge, God also made a note about a possibility of adding three more cities to the original three. He intended for Israel to remain obedient in their conquest so that they might conquer and posses all of the land. We will later find out whether or not this actually happened. If they did end up gaining all the land, these three extra cities would be needed. Furthermore, God stressed the importance of boundaries. Once boundaries were set, whether around these cities of refuge or around a tribe’s personal territory, they were not to be moved. They were commanded to respect each other’s boundaries, as they would have each received according to what God had chosen to give them. When we receive a blessing from God, such as the Israelites were receiving through the Promised Land, it is quite selfish on our part to ask for more. God is ultimately in control and knows what He is doing, so we must respect His decisions and be thankful for whatever it is that He gives us. We also must remember that it is ultimately not about us either. It is all about Him!
Matt
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Deuteronomy 16-17
Deuteronomy 16-17
The first half of Deuteronomy 16 offers a quick summary or review of what has previously been stated about the different feasts in Israel: Passover, The Feast of Weeks, and The Feast of Booths. There is not a lot of detail given in these verses for they are more fully discussed in earlier books. There is one difference in Deuteronomy that in a way modifies these feasts for the newer generation. Now although the laws behind the feasts did not change, some of the traditions needed upgrading. For instance, there would be a permanent place eventually established in which to celebrate the Passover. The Israelites would be scattered across the Promised Land, more spread out than they had ever been. This permanent place where they were to celebrate Passover would bring them all back together to celebrate together as they had done up until this point. Other than this modification, all the laws given for these feasts remained in effect.
Likewise, the discussion on justice is much shorter in Deuteronomy. One of the reasons it is mentioned here is to again show the need for modification. Again, Israel would be more spread out, and would therefore need more than one person in charge. Moses had previously asked for help, a group of judges to handle some of the civil cases of Israel. This group would still be in charge as they had been for years, but their jobs would be more important since it would take much more time to travel to find the head leader of Israel, who would eventually be Joshua. They would have to handle more of the cases on their own.
Carrying over into Deuteronomy 17, the next topic Moses deals with is that of idol worship, which has been discussed on many occasions up to this point. Therefore, let us look at one of the other issues dealt with in this section. God outlines how to deal with those who have been convicted of idol worship. The consequence for such an offense was simply death. Anyone who was found to be worshipping some other god was to be stoned to death. If you think about it, this law could become a major problem. For instance, what if a close friend, or an enemy for that matter, found a reason to be mad at you. If they wanted to pay you back, all they would have to do is say that they saw you worshipping some other god, and you would be dead. God knew this possibility and instructed the Israelites to have at least two witnesses to such an offense. This gives more validity to the situation and allows the law to not be as easily misused. But this also shows the importance of community as we saw in Deuteronomy 15. We are not only to have each other’s backs in the hard times, but we should also look out for each other when we see someone in sin. Matthew 18 and 1 Corinthians 5 deal specifically with restoring a brother to the fellowship and church discipline. Deuteronomy 17 also gives a few insights into this topic. In context, this is being used to discuss the stoning of someone who has fallen into some type of idol worship, but we can also see how we are to correct each other and be concerned about the lives of our brothers and sisters.
Finally, the end of Deuteronomy 17 alludes back to the topic of justice from Deuteronomy 16. God knew that there would be those times in which the judge would not know how to handle a situation or in which they would need to go before some higher authority. So He continued to provide assistance for those instances. However, He wanted them to understand that when a case was brought before the higher judges or the Levites, they had to make sure that they did exactly as instructed. God is the ultimate authority in our lives, but He places other forms authority over us as well that He expects us to obey (as long as they are in line with His commands). Therefore, He made sure that Israel understood the roles that such authority figures held in their lives.
Matt
The first half of Deuteronomy 16 offers a quick summary or review of what has previously been stated about the different feasts in Israel: Passover, The Feast of Weeks, and The Feast of Booths. There is not a lot of detail given in these verses for they are more fully discussed in earlier books. There is one difference in Deuteronomy that in a way modifies these feasts for the newer generation. Now although the laws behind the feasts did not change, some of the traditions needed upgrading. For instance, there would be a permanent place eventually established in which to celebrate the Passover. The Israelites would be scattered across the Promised Land, more spread out than they had ever been. This permanent place where they were to celebrate Passover would bring them all back together to celebrate together as they had done up until this point. Other than this modification, all the laws given for these feasts remained in effect.
Likewise, the discussion on justice is much shorter in Deuteronomy. One of the reasons it is mentioned here is to again show the need for modification. Again, Israel would be more spread out, and would therefore need more than one person in charge. Moses had previously asked for help, a group of judges to handle some of the civil cases of Israel. This group would still be in charge as they had been for years, but their jobs would be more important since it would take much more time to travel to find the head leader of Israel, who would eventually be Joshua. They would have to handle more of the cases on their own.
Carrying over into Deuteronomy 17, the next topic Moses deals with is that of idol worship, which has been discussed on many occasions up to this point. Therefore, let us look at one of the other issues dealt with in this section. God outlines how to deal with those who have been convicted of idol worship. The consequence for such an offense was simply death. Anyone who was found to be worshipping some other god was to be stoned to death. If you think about it, this law could become a major problem. For instance, what if a close friend, or an enemy for that matter, found a reason to be mad at you. If they wanted to pay you back, all they would have to do is say that they saw you worshipping some other god, and you would be dead. God knew this possibility and instructed the Israelites to have at least two witnesses to such an offense. This gives more validity to the situation and allows the law to not be as easily misused. But this also shows the importance of community as we saw in Deuteronomy 15. We are not only to have each other’s backs in the hard times, but we should also look out for each other when we see someone in sin. Matthew 18 and 1 Corinthians 5 deal specifically with restoring a brother to the fellowship and church discipline. Deuteronomy 17 also gives a few insights into this topic. In context, this is being used to discuss the stoning of someone who has fallen into some type of idol worship, but we can also see how we are to correct each other and be concerned about the lives of our brothers and sisters.
Finally, the end of Deuteronomy 17 alludes back to the topic of justice from Deuteronomy 16. God knew that there would be those times in which the judge would not know how to handle a situation or in which they would need to go before some higher authority. So He continued to provide assistance for those instances. However, He wanted them to understand that when a case was brought before the higher judges or the Levites, they had to make sure that they did exactly as instructed. God is the ultimate authority in our lives, but He places other forms authority over us as well that He expects us to obey (as long as they are in line with His commands). Therefore, He made sure that Israel understood the roles that such authority figures held in their lives.
Matt
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Deuteronomy 14:22-15:23
Deuteronomy 14:22-15:23
The next set of laws deal with the proper way of tithing. Although the Israelites are given certain instructions on what to tithe and when to tithe, there is not a set amount of what they were to give. Ultimately, the point of tithing was to give back to God, and to do this, it has to be a sacrifice. Think about the poor widow who gave all that she had later on in the Bible. Then in return, God would use that to help others. At times our tithing will be returned to us. Out of our obedience to God’s commands, He will pour out His blessings on our lives. We will not miss the tithe, and life will continue as always with an awareness of God’s blessings. At other times, we will see how our giving helped the lives of others. There are many who are hurting all around us every day. By giving back to God, He can turn those gifts into ways to reach out to those people. Moses gave the Israelites an example of this by showing how their giving would provide for the Levites, the widows, and the orphans. Tithing is not meant to make us mad or guilt us into giving back to God. It should be done out of a joyous heart.
Every seven years would be a year of giving back. Debts would be forgiven and people would be able to gain back what they had once lost. This was a process established in Israel to help keep everyone on somewhat of an equal basis. It was a way for the Israelites to show forgiveness to one another. It was a way for them to reach out and really care for one another. But God did not want it to only happen during that one practice every seven years. God wanted them to look out for and care for each other at all times. So they were commanded to provide for each other when they saw a fellow brother or sister struggling. If they had come upon some bad luck and had lost their land or home or money, then they were to be able to depend on their fellow Israelites to provide for them. This is the picture of the family of God both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. A similar situation is seen in Acts when the believers were all living together, pouring their money into the same pot and taking care of one another’s needs. No one was left behind in the family of God, because they were actually acting like a family. Even today, we must look out for one another. Life is hard, and Christians encounter hard times just like anyone else. But unlike the world, we should be able to find hope and strength from our brothers and sisters in Christ. If not, then we seriously need to think about what it means to be a part of the family of God.
The end of Deuteronomy 15 looks at some of the older customs of Israel that we no longer practice today, and although there are still some lessons we can learn out of these two examples, we will not focus in on them much. First Moses deals with slaves and how they were to be released in the seventh year. Then Moses speaks about the importance of sacrificing the first born of their flocks, and how this is a gift to God. It is easy to get bogged down in these laws, but as we have seen on many occasions already, we can learn a lot from Israel. We have this text for a reason, and we can learn how God expects us to live from it just like Israel did.
Matt
The next set of laws deal with the proper way of tithing. Although the Israelites are given certain instructions on what to tithe and when to tithe, there is not a set amount of what they were to give. Ultimately, the point of tithing was to give back to God, and to do this, it has to be a sacrifice. Think about the poor widow who gave all that she had later on in the Bible. Then in return, God would use that to help others. At times our tithing will be returned to us. Out of our obedience to God’s commands, He will pour out His blessings on our lives. We will not miss the tithe, and life will continue as always with an awareness of God’s blessings. At other times, we will see how our giving helped the lives of others. There are many who are hurting all around us every day. By giving back to God, He can turn those gifts into ways to reach out to those people. Moses gave the Israelites an example of this by showing how their giving would provide for the Levites, the widows, and the orphans. Tithing is not meant to make us mad or guilt us into giving back to God. It should be done out of a joyous heart.
Every seven years would be a year of giving back. Debts would be forgiven and people would be able to gain back what they had once lost. This was a process established in Israel to help keep everyone on somewhat of an equal basis. It was a way for the Israelites to show forgiveness to one another. It was a way for them to reach out and really care for one another. But God did not want it to only happen during that one practice every seven years. God wanted them to look out for and care for each other at all times. So they were commanded to provide for each other when they saw a fellow brother or sister struggling. If they had come upon some bad luck and had lost their land or home or money, then they were to be able to depend on their fellow Israelites to provide for them. This is the picture of the family of God both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. A similar situation is seen in Acts when the believers were all living together, pouring their money into the same pot and taking care of one another’s needs. No one was left behind in the family of God, because they were actually acting like a family. Even today, we must look out for one another. Life is hard, and Christians encounter hard times just like anyone else. But unlike the world, we should be able to find hope and strength from our brothers and sisters in Christ. If not, then we seriously need to think about what it means to be a part of the family of God.
The end of Deuteronomy 15 looks at some of the older customs of Israel that we no longer practice today, and although there are still some lessons we can learn out of these two examples, we will not focus in on them much. First Moses deals with slaves and how they were to be released in the seventh year. Then Moses speaks about the importance of sacrificing the first born of their flocks, and how this is a gift to God. It is easy to get bogged down in these laws, but as we have seen on many occasions already, we can learn a lot from Israel. We have this text for a reason, and we can learn how God expects us to live from it just like Israel did.
Matt
Friday, August 27, 2010
Deuteronomy 12:29-14:21
Deuteronomy 12:29-14:21
Moses next goes into a discussion about idolatry. He hits the same command about not worshipping false gods that he has mentioned on several occasions already, making sure that the Israelites understand the importance of this command. He then moves on to discussing the dangers of prophets, or false prophets, rising among them. He tells them that there may one day be prophets that rise up with prophecies that come true; however, if these men ask Israel to do something that God had previously spoken out against, then they were to follow God rather than the prophet. False prophets are tricky and very good liars. We have men and women like this today who present a very good case that seems to be truth, but when their declarations or teachings go against the teachings of God, that should always be a red flag warning us about their true intentions.
Moses next tells the Israelites how to deal with family members who try to lead others astray from God. It was almost certain that someone along the way would try to go against God at some point. God knew that in their sinful nature, someone would defy Him and turn away to some idol. Therefore, He told Moses how to deal with those family members. Quite simply, they were to be treated just as a false prophet with the penalty of death. God took the matter of idolatry very seriously. God is all about Himself, His name. His name is the only name that deserves any kind of worship. Therefore, when someone tries to place something above God, God delivers severe punishment to them. He was and is the only one who deserves our worship, not just because of what He has done for us or how He has protected and provided for us in life, but mainly because of who He is, period. He is God, and that should be enough to cause us to lift His name up and worship Him.
Finally, Moses speaks on what to do to a city that has turned away from God. They were to deal with them just like the cities that they were about to destroy. One of the reasons that the Israelites were commanded to enter Canaan and destroy everything in the cities was to bring out God’s punishment and wrath on those who had worshipped other gods. It is true that their conquest was to gain the land back for themselves, with God’s help, but primarily, this was God’s way of dealing with the sinfulness of those nations. Likewise, God warned the Israelites that if they ever turned from Him and began worshipping other gods like these nations, they would encounter the same punishment. Their cities would be destroyed as well and everything in them.
After dealing with idolatry, Moses moves on to another set of laws, that has also been dealt with previously. He makes a listing of all the animals that Israel was allowed to eat and was not allowed to eat. These laws were given so that Israel might remain holy before God. These laws can seem repetitive, mainly because we have already looked at most of them, but the main point out of this section of the book is that we sometimes need repetition. We many times have to be told to do something a second or third time. For the Israelites, it was important that they hear all the Law again before they entered the Promised Land so that they would know exactly what God expected from them.
Matt
Moses next goes into a discussion about idolatry. He hits the same command about not worshipping false gods that he has mentioned on several occasions already, making sure that the Israelites understand the importance of this command. He then moves on to discussing the dangers of prophets, or false prophets, rising among them. He tells them that there may one day be prophets that rise up with prophecies that come true; however, if these men ask Israel to do something that God had previously spoken out against, then they were to follow God rather than the prophet. False prophets are tricky and very good liars. We have men and women like this today who present a very good case that seems to be truth, but when their declarations or teachings go against the teachings of God, that should always be a red flag warning us about their true intentions.
Moses next tells the Israelites how to deal with family members who try to lead others astray from God. It was almost certain that someone along the way would try to go against God at some point. God knew that in their sinful nature, someone would defy Him and turn away to some idol. Therefore, He told Moses how to deal with those family members. Quite simply, they were to be treated just as a false prophet with the penalty of death. God took the matter of idolatry very seriously. God is all about Himself, His name. His name is the only name that deserves any kind of worship. Therefore, when someone tries to place something above God, God delivers severe punishment to them. He was and is the only one who deserves our worship, not just because of what He has done for us or how He has protected and provided for us in life, but mainly because of who He is, period. He is God, and that should be enough to cause us to lift His name up and worship Him.
Finally, Moses speaks on what to do to a city that has turned away from God. They were to deal with them just like the cities that they were about to destroy. One of the reasons that the Israelites were commanded to enter Canaan and destroy everything in the cities was to bring out God’s punishment and wrath on those who had worshipped other gods. It is true that their conquest was to gain the land back for themselves, with God’s help, but primarily, this was God’s way of dealing with the sinfulness of those nations. Likewise, God warned the Israelites that if they ever turned from Him and began worshipping other gods like these nations, they would encounter the same punishment. Their cities would be destroyed as well and everything in them.
After dealing with idolatry, Moses moves on to another set of laws, that has also been dealt with previously. He makes a listing of all the animals that Israel was allowed to eat and was not allowed to eat. These laws were given so that Israel might remain holy before God. These laws can seem repetitive, mainly because we have already looked at most of them, but the main point out of this section of the book is that we sometimes need repetition. We many times have to be told to do something a second or third time. For the Israelites, it was important that they hear all the Law again before they entered the Promised Land so that they would know exactly what God expected from them.
Matt
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Deuteronomy 11:1-12:28
Deuteronomy 11:1-12:28
Beginning with Deuteronomy 11, the next several chapters will seem like a repeat of the end of Exodus as well as much of Leviticus. Moses continues restating the law, now moving into all the specifics with where to worship God, how to not follow false gods, laws concerning the feasts, what the judges, priests, and Levites are to do, etc. Remember that this newer generation had not yet had the law presented in this way to them, so before Moses hands over his leadership position to Joshua, he makes sure that he clearly outlines the Law for this new generation of Israelites.
So Deuteronomy 11 serves as a transition between these two sections of Deuteronomy. First, it concludes the talk of obedience and discipline that has been one of the main themes of the book so far (as well as much of the Pentateuch). Moses once again stresses the importance of following God’s commands and explains that there will be blessings given to them in the new land for their obedience and curses if they choose to disobey God. He again alludes to how the Egyptians and their fathers were dealt with for their respective acts of disobedience, and uses that as a warning for the Israelites as they enter the land. Secondly, this chapter serves as an introduction for the next series of chapters that will specifically look at the various laws that God had given the Israelites.
The first set of laws that Moses gives them are not directly from Exodus and Leviticus for they deal with what the Israelites are to do when they enter the land. In Deuteronomy 12, Moses explains how the Israelites are to destroy all places of worship that are not set up to God Himself. Any place that had been constructed for some false god was to be done away with completely so that the land could be cleansed of its unrighteousness and be used to worship God alone. But in with this, Moses does briefly mention some of the different offerings and practices that the Israelites were instructed to give. God had greatly detailed the sacrificial system in Leviticus, and as they entered into the new land, He expected them to continue to offer their sacrifices to Him. So in order to do this they had to first get rid of all the places of worship made for any other god. Moses then goes into explaining what the Israelites would be allowed to eat and how to do so. The main point in the midst of these laws (that honestly are sometimes hard to connect with) is that God was drawing unto Himself a holy people who would worship Him by obeying His commands.
Matt
Beginning with Deuteronomy 11, the next several chapters will seem like a repeat of the end of Exodus as well as much of Leviticus. Moses continues restating the law, now moving into all the specifics with where to worship God, how to not follow false gods, laws concerning the feasts, what the judges, priests, and Levites are to do, etc. Remember that this newer generation had not yet had the law presented in this way to them, so before Moses hands over his leadership position to Joshua, he makes sure that he clearly outlines the Law for this new generation of Israelites.
So Deuteronomy 11 serves as a transition between these two sections of Deuteronomy. First, it concludes the talk of obedience and discipline that has been one of the main themes of the book so far (as well as much of the Pentateuch). Moses once again stresses the importance of following God’s commands and explains that there will be blessings given to them in the new land for their obedience and curses if they choose to disobey God. He again alludes to how the Egyptians and their fathers were dealt with for their respective acts of disobedience, and uses that as a warning for the Israelites as they enter the land. Secondly, this chapter serves as an introduction for the next series of chapters that will specifically look at the various laws that God had given the Israelites.
The first set of laws that Moses gives them are not directly from Exodus and Leviticus for they deal with what the Israelites are to do when they enter the land. In Deuteronomy 12, Moses explains how the Israelites are to destroy all places of worship that are not set up to God Himself. Any place that had been constructed for some false god was to be done away with completely so that the land could be cleansed of its unrighteousness and be used to worship God alone. But in with this, Moses does briefly mention some of the different offerings and practices that the Israelites were instructed to give. God had greatly detailed the sacrificial system in Leviticus, and as they entered into the new land, He expected them to continue to offer their sacrifices to Him. So in order to do this they had to first get rid of all the places of worship made for any other god. Moses then goes into explaining what the Israelites would be allowed to eat and how to do so. The main point in the midst of these laws (that honestly are sometimes hard to connect with) is that God was drawing unto Himself a holy people who would worship Him by obeying His commands.
Matt
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Deuteronomy 10
Deuteronomy 10
So after all of the troubles that God had with Israel, He was still going to allow them to enter the Promised Land. As seen in Deuteronomy 9, their gaining possession of the land had nothing to do with what them but everything to do with God. Ultimately, He was the one who was going to gain the glory from this task. It was He who had provided for and protected them from the time they left Egypt to the time that they would enter the land, and it was He who was going to receive all the glory when they finally entered into the Promised Land.
Therefore, God required a few things from Israel:
• He expected them to fear Him – not necessarily out of fright, although they should understand that He would punish them just as He had punished their ancestors and would soon punish those living in the land that they were about to inherit. This fear is out of respect. They were to understand who God is and realize that He was the one who would receive all the glory out of this adventure, not them.
• He expected them to remain obedient – He had outline twice now all the laws through Moses. Moses spoke to both generations, specifically telling them how to live a holy life before God. As a result, God expected obedience from them. They were not to act like their ancestors or the people living in some of the surrounding nations. As God’s people, they were to remain obedient to Him, thus showing that they truly were His children.
• He expected them to love Him – after all that He had done for them, how could they not? Time and time again, God proved His love for them through protection and provision. He did not have to help them, but for His sake He did. He expected gratitude from the Israelites, and the best way for them to express their love for Him was through their obedience.
• He expected them to serve Him – service is different than obedience. Whereas obedience is following all of the rules, service is putting it into practice. We can be obedient to authorities in our lives without being invested in those situations, just going through the motions. But when we are serving others, we show how much we truly care for them and for God. Service expresses our true motives and proves that we really do care for and love others and God.
Moses continues talking about these four expectations in the rest of the chapter, explaining to the Israelites how they are to live as they enter the Promised Land. Once again, it all boils down to love. We have seen a lot about remaining obedient to God’s commands, but why is that important? It is important because it shows your love for God. Furthermore, service proves that love. Now of course, both service and obedience can be done with the wrong motives or intentions, but without either how will others tell who it is you love or who it is you serve? We serve an awesome God, and the least we can do is live a life of obedience before Him. One final note about this chapter comes from the closing verse. Moses reminds the Israelites of the promise that God had made to Abraham so many years prior to this point. God had told Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the heavens. That promise had now been fulfilled. They had grown exponentially from 3 at the time of Abraham to 70 at the time of Jacob to quite possibly millions at this point. God had kept His promises and would soon give them their land.
Matt
So after all of the troubles that God had with Israel, He was still going to allow them to enter the Promised Land. As seen in Deuteronomy 9, their gaining possession of the land had nothing to do with what them but everything to do with God. Ultimately, He was the one who was going to gain the glory from this task. It was He who had provided for and protected them from the time they left Egypt to the time that they would enter the land, and it was He who was going to receive all the glory when they finally entered into the Promised Land.
Therefore, God required a few things from Israel:
• He expected them to fear Him – not necessarily out of fright, although they should understand that He would punish them just as He had punished their ancestors and would soon punish those living in the land that they were about to inherit. This fear is out of respect. They were to understand who God is and realize that He was the one who would receive all the glory out of this adventure, not them.
• He expected them to remain obedient – He had outline twice now all the laws through Moses. Moses spoke to both generations, specifically telling them how to live a holy life before God. As a result, God expected obedience from them. They were not to act like their ancestors or the people living in some of the surrounding nations. As God’s people, they were to remain obedient to Him, thus showing that they truly were His children.
• He expected them to love Him – after all that He had done for them, how could they not? Time and time again, God proved His love for them through protection and provision. He did not have to help them, but for His sake He did. He expected gratitude from the Israelites, and the best way for them to express their love for Him was through their obedience.
• He expected them to serve Him – service is different than obedience. Whereas obedience is following all of the rules, service is putting it into practice. We can be obedient to authorities in our lives without being invested in those situations, just going through the motions. But when we are serving others, we show how much we truly care for them and for God. Service expresses our true motives and proves that we really do care for and love others and God.
Moses continues talking about these four expectations in the rest of the chapter, explaining to the Israelites how they are to live as they enter the Promised Land. Once again, it all boils down to love. We have seen a lot about remaining obedient to God’s commands, but why is that important? It is important because it shows your love for God. Furthermore, service proves that love. Now of course, both service and obedience can be done with the wrong motives or intentions, but without either how will others tell who it is you love or who it is you serve? We serve an awesome God, and the least we can do is live a life of obedience before Him. One final note about this chapter comes from the closing verse. Moses reminds the Israelites of the promise that God had made to Abraham so many years prior to this point. God had told Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the heavens. That promise had now been fulfilled. They had grown exponentially from 3 at the time of Abraham to 70 at the time of Jacob to quite possibly millions at this point. God had kept His promises and would soon give them their land.
Matt
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Deuteronomy 9:4-29
Deuteronomy 9:4-29
Moses next wants to make sure that the Israelites understand the true reason as to why they are entering the Promised Land. He assures them that it is not because of anything that they had done. God was not rewarding them because of their righteousness. Instead, He was punishing the nations that dwelt in the land for their unrighteousness. Furthermore, He was fulfilling the promise that He had once made with Abraham hundreds of years prior to this point. Moses wanted the Israelites to understand that they were receiving blessings from God, but it was not because of how great of a people they were, even if they were better than the previous generation. God was instead proving to them and to all the nations that He keeps His word. He was more concerned about Himself than He was them.
Now reading that statement, we might easily jump on it and question how God can be so selfish. But as I was reading yesterday in Let the Nations Be Glad by John Piper, God has every right to glorify Himself. All that we do and all that God does is all for His glory, not ours. We must never think that the reason things happen to us in life (the good things) are because we are such great people and God just cannot help but bless us constantly. Instead, we should seek to glorify Him in those blessings. Yes, God was protecting His people at this point in the story, and yes they were receiving the benefits from His actions. But was it ultimately for their satisfaction, for their enjoyment? No, it was so that they would know and that the surrounding nations would know who God is. It was so that God would receive all the glory, and so that many others would come to know Him.
God did not reward the Israelites for their righteousness because it was never about the Israelites; it was about Him. But another reason that God did not reward them was because they were not righteous. The newer generation was better than their fathers, but we know that no man is righteous, for we all sin. Now this is with the exception of Jesus, who was the only perfect man to ever walk the earth. But Moses made sure that the Israelites understood where they had messed up in the past. He had reminded them of their mistakes many times, but here once more, he wanted to make sure that the Israelites knew where they had messed up so that they would be sure not to make those same mistakes again. So Moses reminded them of how they had constructed the golden calf in order to replace God.
The story that follows the golden calf is the story that we have already seen in the opening chapters of Deuteronomy. The older generation was not allowed to enter the land, and at this point, they had all passed away. Moses was standing before the newer generation of Israelites, and in this section of his speech, he was making sure that they understood that if they fell into disobedience before God, He would punish them just as He had punished their ancestors and just as He was about to punish the nations before them. They were not God’s exception who could sin and get away with it. God had already proven that He treated Israel just like He treated anyone else. If they became disobedient, they too would endure the wrath of God. Once again, this shows how God is a God of the nations, not just of one country. The Old Testament does center around the story of Israel, but in doing so, it also shows how God was constantly reaching out to the other people groups as well. They were punished when they did not follow God, think about the Philistines. But they were also blessed when they were obedient, think about Rahab or Ruth. The point is that we all have a choice: we can either serve God faithfully or live in disobedience.
Matt
Moses next wants to make sure that the Israelites understand the true reason as to why they are entering the Promised Land. He assures them that it is not because of anything that they had done. God was not rewarding them because of their righteousness. Instead, He was punishing the nations that dwelt in the land for their unrighteousness. Furthermore, He was fulfilling the promise that He had once made with Abraham hundreds of years prior to this point. Moses wanted the Israelites to understand that they were receiving blessings from God, but it was not because of how great of a people they were, even if they were better than the previous generation. God was instead proving to them and to all the nations that He keeps His word. He was more concerned about Himself than He was them.
Now reading that statement, we might easily jump on it and question how God can be so selfish. But as I was reading yesterday in Let the Nations Be Glad by John Piper, God has every right to glorify Himself. All that we do and all that God does is all for His glory, not ours. We must never think that the reason things happen to us in life (the good things) are because we are such great people and God just cannot help but bless us constantly. Instead, we should seek to glorify Him in those blessings. Yes, God was protecting His people at this point in the story, and yes they were receiving the benefits from His actions. But was it ultimately for their satisfaction, for their enjoyment? No, it was so that they would know and that the surrounding nations would know who God is. It was so that God would receive all the glory, and so that many others would come to know Him.
God did not reward the Israelites for their righteousness because it was never about the Israelites; it was about Him. But another reason that God did not reward them was because they were not righteous. The newer generation was better than their fathers, but we know that no man is righteous, for we all sin. Now this is with the exception of Jesus, who was the only perfect man to ever walk the earth. But Moses made sure that the Israelites understood where they had messed up in the past. He had reminded them of their mistakes many times, but here once more, he wanted to make sure that the Israelites knew where they had messed up so that they would be sure not to make those same mistakes again. So Moses reminded them of how they had constructed the golden calf in order to replace God.
The story that follows the golden calf is the story that we have already seen in the opening chapters of Deuteronomy. The older generation was not allowed to enter the land, and at this point, they had all passed away. Moses was standing before the newer generation of Israelites, and in this section of his speech, he was making sure that they understood that if they fell into disobedience before God, He would punish them just as He had punished their ancestors and just as He was about to punish the nations before them. They were not God’s exception who could sin and get away with it. God had already proven that He treated Israel just like He treated anyone else. If they became disobedient, they too would endure the wrath of God. Once again, this shows how God is a God of the nations, not just of one country. The Old Testament does center around the story of Israel, but in doing so, it also shows how God was constantly reaching out to the other people groups as well. They were punished when they did not follow God, think about the Philistines. But they were also blessed when they were obedient, think about Rahab or Ruth. The point is that we all have a choice: we can either serve God faithfully or live in disobedience.
Matt
Monday, August 23, 2010
Deuteronomy 8:1-9:3
Deuteronomy 8:1-9:3
After talking about how God provided for Israel in the past, Moses then begins to explain how God punished and humbled them. Because of their disobedience, God led Israel wandering aimlessly for 40 years in the wilderness. He allowed them to be unable to make any progress or gather food and supplies for themselves. This was His way of getting their attention so that they would once again be appreciative of all that He had previously done for them. But God did not leave His people to suffer. He provided for them even in their times of disobedience. Despite their disobedience, they were still His children, and He loved them. Now although none of them would see the Promised Land, their children would. God protected them for the sake of the future generations, so that they would know that they could always depend on them. He protected them for the sake of the nations, so that they would know who God is. As a result, He asked for complete obedience. He did not want any more of their partial obedience. That was the command Moses was now giving to the new generation.
Next, Moses presents the other side of their current situation. The Israelites stood at a very pivotal point in their history prior to crossing the Jordan. They could choose to follow God, careful to obey His every command, or they could choose to forget all that He had done for them. Moses knew that once they entered the Promised Land wealth would tempt them greatly. They would go from having very little (as in their years from wandering in the wilderness) to having much. They would have their own homes in which they could live and not have to move every few days. They would have their own livestock which they could care for much more easily. They would have an endless supply of food, able to grow their own food rather than scraping up what they found around them. But Moses did not want them to forget that it would still be God providing all of this for them. Just like He had supplied the manna and quail, these new provisions would be His gifts as well. The temptation would be to forget about God’s provisions and take their new lives and wealth for granted, and Moses warned them that if they did, they would suffer the same fate as the nations around them that had already rejected God.
The initial problem facing Israel, however, was the fact that they did not yet own the land, and it was not going to be an easy land to get. There would be hard work ahead of them, for they were to go in and conquer cities that belonged to powerful nations much larger than themselves. It was not as if the minute they stepped foot in the new land, all the other people groups would die and hand the land over to them. They would have to fight for it. But the difference was that when they did step foot in the new land, they would have the confidence that the same God who had paved the way for their fathers would continue on this journey with them. He would continue to make it possible for them to progress along this journey, ultimately ending in the conquest of the land. Moses wanted them to remember that they would never accomplish this task with their own strength; instead, they had to depend on God.
Matt
After talking about how God provided for Israel in the past, Moses then begins to explain how God punished and humbled them. Because of their disobedience, God led Israel wandering aimlessly for 40 years in the wilderness. He allowed them to be unable to make any progress or gather food and supplies for themselves. This was His way of getting their attention so that they would once again be appreciative of all that He had previously done for them. But God did not leave His people to suffer. He provided for them even in their times of disobedience. Despite their disobedience, they were still His children, and He loved them. Now although none of them would see the Promised Land, their children would. God protected them for the sake of the future generations, so that they would know that they could always depend on them. He protected them for the sake of the nations, so that they would know who God is. As a result, He asked for complete obedience. He did not want any more of their partial obedience. That was the command Moses was now giving to the new generation.
Next, Moses presents the other side of their current situation. The Israelites stood at a very pivotal point in their history prior to crossing the Jordan. They could choose to follow God, careful to obey His every command, or they could choose to forget all that He had done for them. Moses knew that once they entered the Promised Land wealth would tempt them greatly. They would go from having very little (as in their years from wandering in the wilderness) to having much. They would have their own homes in which they could live and not have to move every few days. They would have their own livestock which they could care for much more easily. They would have an endless supply of food, able to grow their own food rather than scraping up what they found around them. But Moses did not want them to forget that it would still be God providing all of this for them. Just like He had supplied the manna and quail, these new provisions would be His gifts as well. The temptation would be to forget about God’s provisions and take their new lives and wealth for granted, and Moses warned them that if they did, they would suffer the same fate as the nations around them that had already rejected God.
The initial problem facing Israel, however, was the fact that they did not yet own the land, and it was not going to be an easy land to get. There would be hard work ahead of them, for they were to go in and conquer cities that belonged to powerful nations much larger than themselves. It was not as if the minute they stepped foot in the new land, all the other people groups would die and hand the land over to them. They would have to fight for it. But the difference was that when they did step foot in the new land, they would have the confidence that the same God who had paved the way for their fathers would continue on this journey with them. He would continue to make it possible for them to progress along this journey, ultimately ending in the conquest of the land. Moses wanted them to remember that they would never accomplish this task with their own strength; instead, they had to depend on God.
Matt
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Deuteronomy 7
Deuteronomy 7
Moses next begins to tell the Israelites what they are to do when they enter into the Promised Land. For Moses, it was not a question if they were going to finally obtain the land; it was just a matter of when. He knew that it would be after he passed away, so he gave the Israelites a few final instructions on what they should do. He stressed the importance of remaining holy. Upon entering the land, Moses knew that they would come into contact with a variety of people from many other nations. Although the land was actually Israel’s, many nations had come into it from the time that Jacob had left to travel to Egypt to the present time. These people groups had their own beliefs and customs, and Moses knew the dangers of Israel discovering those other religions.
It does not matter how grounded you may think you are in what you believe, temptation is still out there. You may not fall immediately (and hopefully you never would anyways), but that does not mean that you place yourself in those situations. We must be wise about whom we associate. That does not mean that we neglect to share the Gospel with people because we fear that we will fall into their sinful lifestyle, but it does mean that we must be wise about how much time we spend with these people or when we spend time with them. We are human, and we can easily be deterred if we are not careful. For Israel, Moses feared that if they did not rid the land of these people immediately, then they would forever find themselves in a battle between God and these false gods that been created by these other nations.
Moses did not know how real his fear would become one day. He was just delivering a message from God, from a God who knew the reality Israel would one day face. They would not completely rid the land of these false gods, and it would hurt them in the near future, but they were warned. God made sure that they knew the danger ahead of them, and He gave them clear instructions on how to remain holy and avoid those temptations. We too must make sure that we seek to live a holy lifestyle, keeping ourselves away from the things that we know might tempt us.
Moses also reminded them of the danger of breaking this command. God had clear instructions on how and when to take out the different people groups in the Promised Land, and He expected full obedience. The slightest change in these instructions would result in disobedience, and from that, consequences would result. But at the same time, God had given them a promise of protection as long as they followed His commands. As long as they did exactly as He had instructed, God promised to continue to provide, giving them the land effortlessly. That is not to say that it would not be hard. God promised protection, not an easy road. But He also provided memories, memories of how He had provided for them in the past. God did not want them to forget the many ways in which He had already protected them as they faced new challenges. This is an encouragement for me as I begin a new stage in life. Whenever we face life’s new challenges, we must always remember that God is still there with us. We have seen how He has worked in the past, and we can trust that He will continue to work in the future. The Israelites faced an uncertain future, but as long as they kept their eyes on God, they had nothing to worry about. We too must keep our eyes on God in all situations of life.
Matt
Moses next begins to tell the Israelites what they are to do when they enter into the Promised Land. For Moses, it was not a question if they were going to finally obtain the land; it was just a matter of when. He knew that it would be after he passed away, so he gave the Israelites a few final instructions on what they should do. He stressed the importance of remaining holy. Upon entering the land, Moses knew that they would come into contact with a variety of people from many other nations. Although the land was actually Israel’s, many nations had come into it from the time that Jacob had left to travel to Egypt to the present time. These people groups had their own beliefs and customs, and Moses knew the dangers of Israel discovering those other religions.
It does not matter how grounded you may think you are in what you believe, temptation is still out there. You may not fall immediately (and hopefully you never would anyways), but that does not mean that you place yourself in those situations. We must be wise about whom we associate. That does not mean that we neglect to share the Gospel with people because we fear that we will fall into their sinful lifestyle, but it does mean that we must be wise about how much time we spend with these people or when we spend time with them. We are human, and we can easily be deterred if we are not careful. For Israel, Moses feared that if they did not rid the land of these people immediately, then they would forever find themselves in a battle between God and these false gods that been created by these other nations.
Moses did not know how real his fear would become one day. He was just delivering a message from God, from a God who knew the reality Israel would one day face. They would not completely rid the land of these false gods, and it would hurt them in the near future, but they were warned. God made sure that they knew the danger ahead of them, and He gave them clear instructions on how to remain holy and avoid those temptations. We too must make sure that we seek to live a holy lifestyle, keeping ourselves away from the things that we know might tempt us.
Moses also reminded them of the danger of breaking this command. God had clear instructions on how and when to take out the different people groups in the Promised Land, and He expected full obedience. The slightest change in these instructions would result in disobedience, and from that, consequences would result. But at the same time, God had given them a promise of protection as long as they followed His commands. As long as they did exactly as He had instructed, God promised to continue to provide, giving them the land effortlessly. That is not to say that it would not be hard. God promised protection, not an easy road. But He also provided memories, memories of how He had provided for them in the past. God did not want them to forget the many ways in which He had already protected them as they faced new challenges. This is an encouragement for me as I begin a new stage in life. Whenever we face life’s new challenges, we must always remember that God is still there with us. We have seen how He has worked in the past, and we can trust that He will continue to work in the future. The Israelites faced an uncertain future, but as long as they kept their eyes on God, they had nothing to worry about. We too must keep our eyes on God in all situations of life.
Matt
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Deuteronomy 6
Deuteronomy 6
Moses uses the next section of his speech in Deuteronomy 6 to specifically address the idea of loving God. The main theme we have seen throughout much of the Pentateuch and especially in these last few chapters is that of obedience. Moses brings it altogether in this chapter by speaking about how we are to love God. Deuteronomy 6:5 is a very popular verse, commonly referred to as the Greatest Commandment. Most people probably know this verse from the Gospels when Peter asks Jesus what the greatest commandment is and He responds by quoting this verse. Loving God is the greatest thing we can do in this life, for from this one action comes everything else we do. Without loving God, how can we expect to love others? We are called to spread the Gospel to all the nations so that everyone might know about Jesus and learn what it means to follow Him. But how can we do that if we do no love the one of which we are speaking?
To live for God is something radical. He demands a lot from us. For one, He requires perfection. Since we cannot live up to those standards due to our fallen nature, He provided a way for us through His Son Jesus. He gave up His only Son in order that we might come to Him. That act in itself demands a great response from our part. How can we sit around doing nothing and claim that we have come to know this God? Quite simply, we cannot. Therefore it is imperative that we decide to follow Jesus, carefully following all of His commands. This cannot happen if we do not first love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. In other words, all that we do must be done out of our love for God. If it is done for any other reason, then we are working out of vain.
Moses goes on to show how obedience ties into this love by stressing the importance of knowing God’s commands. To be obedient requires knowing what to be obedient in. God did not require obedience and leave us wondering how that should look. Instead, He gave us clear instructions on how to live a holy life. He gave us His law, so that we would know what He expected from our lives. Moses told the Israelites to meditate on this law day and night, to write it in various places in which they would come in contact with it during the day, to make it a vital part of their daily life. As humans, we are prone to forget things. Therefore, we might hear the instructions the first time, but within minutes, hours, or days, we have forgotten all that was told to us. Therefore, Moses expressed the importance of reading it daily so that we would know exactly what God wants us to do. We fail so many times at memorizing God’s Word, but sadly we also fail at reading it. The Bible is God’s love letter to us; it is God speaking to us. It was not just written for people 1000’s of years ago. It was written for us as well. Therefore it is crucial that we pick it up daily and read. Memorization is important and come later, but so many of us need to just learn to read it again. For those of us who are reading the Scripture daily, then pick a verse, a passage, or even a book, and commit it to memory. That is one great way to always have God’s Word with you.
Finally, there is a generation coming behind everyone of us. There are future generations who need to know what it means to follow God and serve Him. They will be looking to us for guidance in how to do this. We must make it a priority to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength so that we can show them what it means to follow God, fulfilling the Great Commission so that people from every nation might know Him and know what it means to follow Him. We can testify to them about how God has worked in our lives so that they too can know that He is a God who can be trusted 100%. He will always be there for Him if they will just commit their lives to Him.
Matt
Moses uses the next section of his speech in Deuteronomy 6 to specifically address the idea of loving God. The main theme we have seen throughout much of the Pentateuch and especially in these last few chapters is that of obedience. Moses brings it altogether in this chapter by speaking about how we are to love God. Deuteronomy 6:5 is a very popular verse, commonly referred to as the Greatest Commandment. Most people probably know this verse from the Gospels when Peter asks Jesus what the greatest commandment is and He responds by quoting this verse. Loving God is the greatest thing we can do in this life, for from this one action comes everything else we do. Without loving God, how can we expect to love others? We are called to spread the Gospel to all the nations so that everyone might know about Jesus and learn what it means to follow Him. But how can we do that if we do no love the one of which we are speaking?
To live for God is something radical. He demands a lot from us. For one, He requires perfection. Since we cannot live up to those standards due to our fallen nature, He provided a way for us through His Son Jesus. He gave up His only Son in order that we might come to Him. That act in itself demands a great response from our part. How can we sit around doing nothing and claim that we have come to know this God? Quite simply, we cannot. Therefore it is imperative that we decide to follow Jesus, carefully following all of His commands. This cannot happen if we do not first love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. In other words, all that we do must be done out of our love for God. If it is done for any other reason, then we are working out of vain.
Moses goes on to show how obedience ties into this love by stressing the importance of knowing God’s commands. To be obedient requires knowing what to be obedient in. God did not require obedience and leave us wondering how that should look. Instead, He gave us clear instructions on how to live a holy life. He gave us His law, so that we would know what He expected from our lives. Moses told the Israelites to meditate on this law day and night, to write it in various places in which they would come in contact with it during the day, to make it a vital part of their daily life. As humans, we are prone to forget things. Therefore, we might hear the instructions the first time, but within minutes, hours, or days, we have forgotten all that was told to us. Therefore, Moses expressed the importance of reading it daily so that we would know exactly what God wants us to do. We fail so many times at memorizing God’s Word, but sadly we also fail at reading it. The Bible is God’s love letter to us; it is God speaking to us. It was not just written for people 1000’s of years ago. It was written for us as well. Therefore it is crucial that we pick it up daily and read. Memorization is important and come later, but so many of us need to just learn to read it again. For those of us who are reading the Scripture daily, then pick a verse, a passage, or even a book, and commit it to memory. That is one great way to always have God’s Word with you.
Finally, there is a generation coming behind everyone of us. There are future generations who need to know what it means to follow God and serve Him. They will be looking to us for guidance in how to do this. We must make it a priority to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength so that we can show them what it means to follow God, fulfilling the Great Commission so that people from every nation might know Him and know what it means to follow Him. We can testify to them about how God has worked in our lives so that they too can know that He is a God who can be trusted 100%. He will always be there for Him if they will just commit their lives to Him.
Matt
Friday, August 20, 2010
Deuteronomy 4:32-5:33
Deuteronomy 4:32-5:33
The next section of Deuteronomy 4 is a great summary of Moses’ main point in his speech to this newer generation of Israelites. He speaks of God’s greatness, rhetorically asking what other “god” had ever chosen a people for “himself” and taken care of them and protected them in the way that God had done. He goes on to explain that there is no other god who had done or would ever do anything like God had done for Israel, for His chosen people. The main reason was because as he had stated previously there is no other god period. But he knew that it was easy for man to create their own gods, and Moses was making a clear distinction between the God that they served and man-made gods. But it is not enough to know what God has done for us in our lives, for Moses goes on to explain that because of God’s love and protection for His children, we are to respond in obedience, keeping His commands.
From here, Moses restated the Ten Commandments. He had done this once before in Exodus 20 when he first received the Law from the Lord and spoke it before this generation’s fathers. Now he was doing it again to make sure that this newer generation of Israelites knew the law, and therefore had no excuse to break it. Plus, it is always good to be reminded of these things. As humans, we are forgetful creatures. How many times have you been told to do something before and you failed to do it? Did you have to be reminded again? Or again? It is easy to harp on the Israelites on how they forgot so many times what God had done for them, but we do the same thing. Instead of looking at reminders of how we should behave in a negative light, maybe we should learn to take it as advice, as a brother or sister lovingly reminding us of how we should act so that we can show others the truth. If people are going to see Jesus in our lives, which has to happen if we wish to fulfill the Great Commission, then we have to remain in obedience to His commands. So maybe we should lovingly remind our brothers and sisters in Christ of the law, of the way we should act, so that in the end Christ might be glorified and many will come to know Him by the way we choose to live our lives.
Moses finishes Deuteronomy 5 by explaining what Israel’s response had been to the Ten Commandments. It was a positive response, a people excited about following God. But as we have already seen, that excitement did not last long. For when Moses was on the mountain receiving the rest of the law, Israel built the Golden Calf, worshiping it rather than God. Again, let’s not be too quick in condemning Israel’s actions. Although they were most definitely wrong in what they had done, we make the same mistakes. How many times do we go to a camp or a conference or hear a good sermon and get excited about living for God? And then how many times do we lose that excitement and go back to the way we were within just a few days or weeks? See we are just like Israel in many ways, more ways than we often want to admit. Their story just shows that it is not easy to live for God, but it is expected from us.
Matt
The next section of Deuteronomy 4 is a great summary of Moses’ main point in his speech to this newer generation of Israelites. He speaks of God’s greatness, rhetorically asking what other “god” had ever chosen a people for “himself” and taken care of them and protected them in the way that God had done. He goes on to explain that there is no other god who had done or would ever do anything like God had done for Israel, for His chosen people. The main reason was because as he had stated previously there is no other god period. But he knew that it was easy for man to create their own gods, and Moses was making a clear distinction between the God that they served and man-made gods. But it is not enough to know what God has done for us in our lives, for Moses goes on to explain that because of God’s love and protection for His children, we are to respond in obedience, keeping His commands.
From here, Moses restated the Ten Commandments. He had done this once before in Exodus 20 when he first received the Law from the Lord and spoke it before this generation’s fathers. Now he was doing it again to make sure that this newer generation of Israelites knew the law, and therefore had no excuse to break it. Plus, it is always good to be reminded of these things. As humans, we are forgetful creatures. How many times have you been told to do something before and you failed to do it? Did you have to be reminded again? Or again? It is easy to harp on the Israelites on how they forgot so many times what God had done for them, but we do the same thing. Instead of looking at reminders of how we should behave in a negative light, maybe we should learn to take it as advice, as a brother or sister lovingly reminding us of how we should act so that we can show others the truth. If people are going to see Jesus in our lives, which has to happen if we wish to fulfill the Great Commission, then we have to remain in obedience to His commands. So maybe we should lovingly remind our brothers and sisters in Christ of the law, of the way we should act, so that in the end Christ might be glorified and many will come to know Him by the way we choose to live our lives.
Moses finishes Deuteronomy 5 by explaining what Israel’s response had been to the Ten Commandments. It was a positive response, a people excited about following God. But as we have already seen, that excitement did not last long. For when Moses was on the mountain receiving the rest of the law, Israel built the Golden Calf, worshiping it rather than God. Again, let’s not be too quick in condemning Israel’s actions. Although they were most definitely wrong in what they had done, we make the same mistakes. How many times do we go to a camp or a conference or hear a good sermon and get excited about living for God? And then how many times do we lose that excitement and go back to the way we were within just a few days or weeks? See we are just like Israel in many ways, more ways than we often want to admit. Their story just shows that it is not easy to live for God, but it is expected from us.
Matt
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Deuteronomy 3:23-4:31
Deuteronomy 3:23-4:21
It seems as if Moses leaves out the reason as to why he could not enter the Promised Land in his retelling of the story, for it appears as if in the next section of Deuteronomy 3 that act of disobedience had already happened. Moses, seeing all that God was doing for Israel in his final days became anxious to actually enter into the Promised Land, but he knew that he could not. He pleaded with God one last time, but God did not change His mind. Moses had to pay the consequences, and God could not hold Moses to a different standard. This shows that even those who appear to be the greatest spiritual leaders in our lives can stumble. It is sometimes easy to think that those men and women never do anything wrong, but we must remember that they are human, just like us. No matter our status here on earth, we are all equal in God’s eyes. But even in this sad reality, facing some tough consequences, Moses continued to follow God’s commands, preparing Joshua to take over as the Israelites entered the Promised Land.
After recapping the story up to this point, Moses gives a charge to Israel to follow God. This new generation had not yet faltered like their ancestors, and Moses warned against it. He reminded them of God’s great miracles of the past, but He also showed them what God had done for them as they themselves had traveled to the eastern side of the Jordan. He encouraged them to never forget how they had seen God at work. For this reason, Moses commanded the Israelites to remain obedient to God, knowing that He would never leave them. We hear a lot about the danger of not knowing our history, for if we do not know how people have messed up before us, we may make the same mistakes. Israel found themselves in one of those moments in Deuteronomy. It was a new generation with a new beginning, but they were in great danger. By not having anyone from the previous generation left (except for Joshua and Caleb), it could have been easy for them to have forgotten how God had led their nation out of Egypt and across the Red Sea. They needed the reminder so that they would not fall into the same trap that their ancestors had. Likewise, we too must learn from mistakes we make in like as well as holding on to the times that we see God at work around us. Like Israel, we can trust God no matter what, and we must never forget that.
Moses goes on to talk about the danger of idols. After describing who God is and what He had done for Israel, Moses wanted to make sure that Israel did not turn away from Him and worship some false god that they had created. Knowing what their ancestors had done with the golden calf, Moses strictly charged Israel to refrain from making any such statue or image. But Moses did offer good news in the end. Although he did not try to condone the making of idols (false gods), he was sure to mention how God also offered forgiveness. It was obvious to the Israelites that God was a God of wrath (as He still is today), but Moses wanted them to also understand that God was a God of mercy (as He still is today). We all mess up. We all sin. God, however, does offer forgiveness for that sin. He has made a way through Jesus to atone for that sin, and through Jesus and Jesus only, we can come to God. This part of the story had not yet been realized as Israel stood on the eastern side of the Jordan, but God already had it mind. He showed Israel His love and mercy on many occasions, drawing them to Himself, building for Himself a people.
Matt
It seems as if Moses leaves out the reason as to why he could not enter the Promised Land in his retelling of the story, for it appears as if in the next section of Deuteronomy 3 that act of disobedience had already happened. Moses, seeing all that God was doing for Israel in his final days became anxious to actually enter into the Promised Land, but he knew that he could not. He pleaded with God one last time, but God did not change His mind. Moses had to pay the consequences, and God could not hold Moses to a different standard. This shows that even those who appear to be the greatest spiritual leaders in our lives can stumble. It is sometimes easy to think that those men and women never do anything wrong, but we must remember that they are human, just like us. No matter our status here on earth, we are all equal in God’s eyes. But even in this sad reality, facing some tough consequences, Moses continued to follow God’s commands, preparing Joshua to take over as the Israelites entered the Promised Land.
After recapping the story up to this point, Moses gives a charge to Israel to follow God. This new generation had not yet faltered like their ancestors, and Moses warned against it. He reminded them of God’s great miracles of the past, but He also showed them what God had done for them as they themselves had traveled to the eastern side of the Jordan. He encouraged them to never forget how they had seen God at work. For this reason, Moses commanded the Israelites to remain obedient to God, knowing that He would never leave them. We hear a lot about the danger of not knowing our history, for if we do not know how people have messed up before us, we may make the same mistakes. Israel found themselves in one of those moments in Deuteronomy. It was a new generation with a new beginning, but they were in great danger. By not having anyone from the previous generation left (except for Joshua and Caleb), it could have been easy for them to have forgotten how God had led their nation out of Egypt and across the Red Sea. They needed the reminder so that they would not fall into the same trap that their ancestors had. Likewise, we too must learn from mistakes we make in like as well as holding on to the times that we see God at work around us. Like Israel, we can trust God no matter what, and we must never forget that.
Moses goes on to talk about the danger of idols. After describing who God is and what He had done for Israel, Moses wanted to make sure that Israel did not turn away from Him and worship some false god that they had created. Knowing what their ancestors had done with the golden calf, Moses strictly charged Israel to refrain from making any such statue or image. But Moses did offer good news in the end. Although he did not try to condone the making of idols (false gods), he was sure to mention how God also offered forgiveness. It was obvious to the Israelites that God was a God of wrath (as He still is today), but Moses wanted them to also understand that God was a God of mercy (as He still is today). We all mess up. We all sin. God, however, does offer forgiveness for that sin. He has made a way through Jesus to atone for that sin, and through Jesus and Jesus only, we can come to God. This part of the story had not yet been realized as Israel stood on the eastern side of the Jordan, but God already had it mind. He showed Israel His love and mercy on many occasions, drawing them to Himself, building for Himself a people.
Matt
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Deuteronomy 2:1-3:22
Deuteronomy 2:1-3:22
As the Israelites continued to wander around, God finally instructed Moses to allow them to continue on a little further, this time to Mount Seir. However, this land was the land of Esau, and God strictly commanded Moses and the Israelites to not to ask for any land in that region. God had previously promised that land to Esau and his descendants. This account shows how God was not just the God of the Israelites in the Old Testament. Israel may have been His chosen people, through the line of Abraham and eventually Jacob himself, but God had not forgotten about Esau or any other human alive on the earth at the time. God is a God of the entire world, and He is not confined to just one group of people. The 21st century American Church has in many ways lost sight of that truth, and this story can serve as a great reminder that God loves all men, and He looks out for everyone equally. Therefore, we must be sure that we too reach out to all men, no matter where they are from, with the Gospel.
Next, Moses took the Israelites through the land of Moab, and once again God strictly commanded him not to take possession of any of their land either. Just like Esau, God had promised this land to Lot’s descendants. Israel continued to wander through these foreign lands until the entire generation had been killed, except for Joshua and Caleb. We always like to think that God will keep His promises when they are to our benefit. If God promised us wealth or fame, we would probably anxiously wait for that day and never doubt that God would come through for us. However, we tend to forget the promises God makes in regards to sin and consequences. Those we cast to the side hoping that God will forget as well. Israel experienced those negative consequences, and their struggles serve as a reminder of how destructive sin can be in our lives. Sin is dealt with, and we cannot pretend as if it does not exist in our lives. If we do not keep a check on ourselves, we will one day find ourselves in a situation that we wished we had never gotten into. God corrects His people, so we must be sure that we remain obedient to His commands.
Israel entered one last land that God kept them from possessing on their journey to the Promised Land, and they remained obedient to His commands this time around. Whereas the previous generation had not entered when God told them to and tried to take over lands that God had not given them, this newer generation remained patient with God, waiting for His word on when to conquer. They finally received that word, and they immediately began to take possession of lands on the east side of the Jordan. First Israel defeated Sihon, the king of the Amorites. Then Israel went to take possession of the land that belonged to the kingdom of Og.
This land east of the Jordan went to 2½ tribes, but Moses commanded the men of these tribes to not take possession of the land until the other 9½ tribes had received their inheritance. These were the beginning steps of Israel’s conquest into the Promised Land, and Moses knew that the road ahead would be hard. So he entrusted part of the mission into a young man that he knew was devoted to God. That young man was Joshua. Moses knew that Israel’s future would rest in the hands of Joshua, so he made sure that Joshua paid attention to what God was already doing on the eastern side of the Jordan. It was going to be much harder once they crossed the river, but Moses knew that if Israel followed God as they had been doing, then the conquest of the Promised Land would be no problem. Once again I cannot help but get away from the fact that this whole narrative is a perfect example of what it means to follow God. Obedience is crucial in the life of the Christian. We are not saved from our sins and allowed to live however we want afterwards. Obedience must be present in our lives, for we are to be different from the rest of the world and God deserves nothing less. The story of the Israelites shows both sides of this coin, and it becomes obvious that it is much better when we remain obedient to God’s commands.
Matt
As the Israelites continued to wander around, God finally instructed Moses to allow them to continue on a little further, this time to Mount Seir. However, this land was the land of Esau, and God strictly commanded Moses and the Israelites to not to ask for any land in that region. God had previously promised that land to Esau and his descendants. This account shows how God was not just the God of the Israelites in the Old Testament. Israel may have been His chosen people, through the line of Abraham and eventually Jacob himself, but God had not forgotten about Esau or any other human alive on the earth at the time. God is a God of the entire world, and He is not confined to just one group of people. The 21st century American Church has in many ways lost sight of that truth, and this story can serve as a great reminder that God loves all men, and He looks out for everyone equally. Therefore, we must be sure that we too reach out to all men, no matter where they are from, with the Gospel.
Next, Moses took the Israelites through the land of Moab, and once again God strictly commanded him not to take possession of any of their land either. Just like Esau, God had promised this land to Lot’s descendants. Israel continued to wander through these foreign lands until the entire generation had been killed, except for Joshua and Caleb. We always like to think that God will keep His promises when they are to our benefit. If God promised us wealth or fame, we would probably anxiously wait for that day and never doubt that God would come through for us. However, we tend to forget the promises God makes in regards to sin and consequences. Those we cast to the side hoping that God will forget as well. Israel experienced those negative consequences, and their struggles serve as a reminder of how destructive sin can be in our lives. Sin is dealt with, and we cannot pretend as if it does not exist in our lives. If we do not keep a check on ourselves, we will one day find ourselves in a situation that we wished we had never gotten into. God corrects His people, so we must be sure that we remain obedient to His commands.
Israel entered one last land that God kept them from possessing on their journey to the Promised Land, and they remained obedient to His commands this time around. Whereas the previous generation had not entered when God told them to and tried to take over lands that God had not given them, this newer generation remained patient with God, waiting for His word on when to conquer. They finally received that word, and they immediately began to take possession of lands on the east side of the Jordan. First Israel defeated Sihon, the king of the Amorites. Then Israel went to take possession of the land that belonged to the kingdom of Og.
This land east of the Jordan went to 2½ tribes, but Moses commanded the men of these tribes to not take possession of the land until the other 9½ tribes had received their inheritance. These were the beginning steps of Israel’s conquest into the Promised Land, and Moses knew that the road ahead would be hard. So he entrusted part of the mission into a young man that he knew was devoted to God. That young man was Joshua. Moses knew that Israel’s future would rest in the hands of Joshua, so he made sure that Joshua paid attention to what God was already doing on the eastern side of the Jordan. It was going to be much harder once they crossed the river, but Moses knew that if Israel followed God as they had been doing, then the conquest of the Promised Land would be no problem. Once again I cannot help but get away from the fact that this whole narrative is a perfect example of what it means to follow God. Obedience is crucial in the life of the Christian. We are not saved from our sins and allowed to live however we want afterwards. Obedience must be present in our lives, for we are to be different from the rest of the world and God deserves nothing less. The story of the Israelites shows both sides of this coin, and it becomes obvious that it is much better when we remain obedient to God’s commands.
Matt
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Summer Break is Over
I took a break from the blog for the summer, and it was encouraging to hear from some of you who read this that you were missing it. The reason for the break was due to the fact that I had a job. I once again worked with K-5th graders at Christian Wee Learn. I had intended to keep you updated on what was happening there throughout the summer, but I decided to take a summer vacation from blogging instead. In the process I quit posting my thoughts as I walked through the Bible, beginning in Genesis. Starting today, I hope to get back into a routine of blogging, especially by picking up in Deuteronomy and continuing on through the Bible. But for now I thought I would give you a quick wrap up of the summer.
As I said, I worked with the kids at Christian Wee Learn in a very busy summer. We did not have as many kids as we had last year, but with an average of 20 a day (some days as many as 28), we had our hands full at all times. Discipline problems were down this year with only two or three kids who seemed to stay in trouble. Yet even those kids were able to turn it around by the end of the summer, making it a much more pleasurable experience this year.
We once again did a Bible Study while learning the books of the Bible, 8 memory verses, and 10 key passages. Most of these kids I had had in the past, and several already knew their books coming into the summer. They also found out that some of the verses were verses that they had learned at church (for those who attend church). Our Bible Stories centered around the theme: Following God Despite the Cost, in which we looked at the lives of Joseph, Peter, and Paul. We walked through their story, spending about 3 weeks with each man, looking at how they followed God in every circumstance they faced (whether good or bad). They stood by God, and even though they faltered at times, they ended up coming back to Him, determined to follow His commands.
So instead of continuing in Deuteronomy, I spent a lot of time studying the lives of these three men, learning just what it means to follow God. It does not matter if everything is going perfect, as it was for Joseph at times, or whether everyone and everything is against you, as Joseph also saw as well as Paul. In any and every circumstance we are called to follow God no matter what. This study has been helpful to me as I have now stepped out completely on my own as I have moved on to Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. I am 12 hours away from family, and that in itself is a hard adjustment. On top of that, I have to think about a job, where to go to church, and study for my classes. But I know that in the midst of all this, I am first and foremost called to follow Him. That is my number one calling in life, and if I do that correctly, then everything else will fall into place (as long as I am responsible enough to take care of these different responsibilities). It was such a timely study time for me, and I thank God that I not only had the opportunity to share it with the kids this summer, but that I also had the opportunity to learn that truth even more this summer.
So as I said, I am now at Southeastern, here in Wake Forest, NC. This is a major change in my life, and I'll admit that it is scary. But each day is getting a little bit easier, and I know that as time goes on, this place will begin to feel like home (in some ways). I will get plugged into different places, meet new people, and grow attached to this school just like I did at Union. But in this time of transition, I am going to try hard to remember what I have learned this summer and continue to study, seeing what God has for me next.
Be looking for the continuation of my walk through the Bible either tonight or tomorrow. I hope to look at Deuteronomy 2 next. Hopefully things will get back to normal here on the blog after a long summer vacation.
By the way, this post is the first in a new series entitled: "SEBTS Updates"
Matt
As I said, I worked with the kids at Christian Wee Learn in a very busy summer. We did not have as many kids as we had last year, but with an average of 20 a day (some days as many as 28), we had our hands full at all times. Discipline problems were down this year with only two or three kids who seemed to stay in trouble. Yet even those kids were able to turn it around by the end of the summer, making it a much more pleasurable experience this year.
We once again did a Bible Study while learning the books of the Bible, 8 memory verses, and 10 key passages. Most of these kids I had had in the past, and several already knew their books coming into the summer. They also found out that some of the verses were verses that they had learned at church (for those who attend church). Our Bible Stories centered around the theme: Following God Despite the Cost, in which we looked at the lives of Joseph, Peter, and Paul. We walked through their story, spending about 3 weeks with each man, looking at how they followed God in every circumstance they faced (whether good or bad). They stood by God, and even though they faltered at times, they ended up coming back to Him, determined to follow His commands.
So instead of continuing in Deuteronomy, I spent a lot of time studying the lives of these three men, learning just what it means to follow God. It does not matter if everything is going perfect, as it was for Joseph at times, or whether everyone and everything is against you, as Joseph also saw as well as Paul. In any and every circumstance we are called to follow God no matter what. This study has been helpful to me as I have now stepped out completely on my own as I have moved on to Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. I am 12 hours away from family, and that in itself is a hard adjustment. On top of that, I have to think about a job, where to go to church, and study for my classes. But I know that in the midst of all this, I am first and foremost called to follow Him. That is my number one calling in life, and if I do that correctly, then everything else will fall into place (as long as I am responsible enough to take care of these different responsibilities). It was such a timely study time for me, and I thank God that I not only had the opportunity to share it with the kids this summer, but that I also had the opportunity to learn that truth even more this summer.
So as I said, I am now at Southeastern, here in Wake Forest, NC. This is a major change in my life, and I'll admit that it is scary. But each day is getting a little bit easier, and I know that as time goes on, this place will begin to feel like home (in some ways). I will get plugged into different places, meet new people, and grow attached to this school just like I did at Union. But in this time of transition, I am going to try hard to remember what I have learned this summer and continue to study, seeing what God has for me next.
Be looking for the continuation of my walk through the Bible either tonight or tomorrow. I hope to look at Deuteronomy 2 next. Hopefully things will get back to normal here on the blog after a long summer vacation.
By the way, this post is the first in a new series entitled: "SEBTS Updates"
Matt
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