Archives for March 2023

OVERVIEW:

Warnings against following other gods; clean and unclean animals; seven-year release; bond servants; three feasts; civil judgments; kings.

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

If you’ve ever wondered just how JEALOUS our Lord is for the undivided ATTENTION of the MINDS of His people and the undivided AFFECTION of the HEARTS of His people, look no further than Deuteronomy 13! If you’ve ever wondered just how ZEALOUS Satan is to divert the minds and hearts of God’s people away from Him, again, we need not look further than Deuteronomy 13! This chapter lets us know that Satan will go to great lengths to counterfeit and falsify the word of God through his own false prophets in an attempt to move the hearts of God’s people from solely loving, worshipping, and obeying Him. Notice that God warns the children of Israel that this deception can arise from three main sources. (Note, also, that it is precisely these three deceptive sources for which God’s people are vulnerable and need to be warned in the 21^st century!)

Recognize that this isn’t just an Old Testament phenomenon. In the middle of the 1^st century, the Apostle Paul was concerned that the people of the church in Colossae would be deceived by the enticing words and/or empty philosophies of men (Colossians 2:4–8), and that the people of the church in Corinth might likewise be beguiled by the subtlety of Satan through “his ministers”. (2^nd Corinthians 11:3, 15a) Notice, also, that this wasn’t just a 1^st century phenomenon either! Be it known that Satan’s “ministers of righteousness” (2^nd Corinthians 11:15b) are also alive and well in the 21^st century!

1. From someone performing signs and wonders. Historically and biblically, miracles, signs, and wonders have had a place in the purposes of God. However, in and of themselves, they have never been the ultimate test of truth. (Exodus 7:11, 22; 8:7) Keep in mind that after the rapture of the church, 2^nd Thessalonians 2:9–10 explains that Satan, in the person of the antichrist, will dazzle the world with “all power and signs and lying wonders, and all deceivableness of unrighteousness!” (Also, see Revelation 12:9; 16:14)
2. From someone using the intimacy of their relationship to draw people away from the Lord. (Such as a family member, a relative, or close friend.)
3. From being drawn away by a foreign philosophy of life and/or foreign practices of worship

Just who might these “false prophets” be in our world today? Just who are these “ministers of Satan” who appear to be speaking for God, but in the process of their “ministry”, are actually turning people to follow and serve other gods? One good place to begin looking are with those who “in the name of God”, are turning people away from Him to serve the god of “money” (1^st Timothy 6:10), the god of “self” (2^nd Timothy 3:2), the god of “pleasure” (2^nd Timothy 3:4), and/or the god of “this present evil world” (2^nd Timothy 4:10; Galatians 1:4)! There’s a bunch of ’em, y’all!

Deuteronomy 13 also lets us know how un-permissive, incompliant, and vengeful God is toward any person Satan is able to use for such purposes, and/or any person who falls prey to their deception! Moses tells them that when they come into the promised land, if there is ever any person who is seeking to turn people away from loving and following the one true God, they are to be immediately killed, regardless of whether it be a family member, or a friend with whom they were joined in the soul! Wow! I’d say God is pretty serious about how He feels about the divided allegiance and affection of His people!

God goes on to explain that once they came into the land, if there ever was a city that had hearkened unto one or more of these Satanic prophets and had begun serving other gods, the children of Israel were to come into that city and completely annihilate every person and every animal, and then gather together all of the contents and goods of the city into a big heap, burn them to the ground along with everything else in the city, and allow the ruins to forever be a reminder that there is one Lord in Israel, and Him only shalt thou serve! (Deuteronomy 5:9) “Behold the…severity of God!” (Romans 11:22)

As we move into chapter 14, Moses reminds the children of Israel that as God’s people, He intends for them to stand out from the other nations of the world because of their relentless surrender to personal holiness. (14:2) He gives clear instruction that they are not to worship like the rest of the world worships (14:1), and that even their dietary practices were to be different (peculiar) from the rest of the world. (14:3–21) The list of clean and unclean animals would separate the children of Israel from the other inhabitants of the land. Because the blood could not be removed from an animal that died of itself, the children of Israel were not to eat an animal that had already died. Notice that others could eat these animals, but not the chosen, separate people of Israel. Once again, remember that they are a picture of the individual believer! We, too, are a chosen people who have been called to be separate and holy (Titus 2:14; 1^st Peter 2:9). There may be practices that are socially and culturally accepted, that have no place in the life of God’s people.

The tithe in 14:22 is the second tithe that is commanded of the people. (Leviticus 27:30; Numbers 18:26) This tithe is a tenth of the yearly increase of their fields. It was to be brought to the place of offering that the Lord had chosen. A portion was to be eaten with rejoicing to be a reminder that everything comes from the blessing of the Lord. Notice, also, that at the end of this chapter, God also established a tithe that was to be collected once every three years to create what might be called a “welfare system” to support the fatherless, the widows, and the “strangers” (foreigners) who had no land upon which to grow food or derive an income.

Chapter 15 provides added instruction to the requirements regarding the infamous “seventh year” described in Exodus 23 and Leviticus 25. Not only was the land to rest in the seventh year, but debts were to be forgiven as well! God wanted to make sure that in this new theocratic nation (a nation whose Supreme Ruler is God), the poor and the needy were never taken advantage of, or brought under the yoke of bondage to others. The Lord reminds the children of Israel of how they were in bondage in Egypt; and how He had released and redeemed them. When Israel came into the land of promise, God wanted to be sure that His treatment of Israel was to become the standard by which they treated others who were being oppressed. In 15:7–15, Moses lays out God’s instruction concerning generosity to the poor. Oh, may we never forget our Lord Jesus Christ’s generosity toward us when we were spiritually poor!

Chapter 15 ends with instruction concerning the consecration of the firstborn males of the herd or flock. Moses tells them that they were to be sanctified, or “set apart”, for the Lord. Note, that if the animal was to be offered as a sacrifice to the Lord, it necessitated that it be completely “without blemish” because it is an obvious picture of our Lord Jesus Christ who was “a lamb without blemish and without spot. (1^st Peter 1:19)

In chapter 16, God reminds the children of Israel to be sure they continued the observance of the passover even after they came in to the land. The passover served as a reminder to Israel that their deliverance from the bondage of Egypt was through the blood of the passover lamb. It is the Old Testament equivalent of the memorial feast our Lord instituted in the upper room with His disciples the night before His death. That memorial feast, that we now refer to as the Lord’s Supper, serves as a reminder to us that our deliverance from the bondage of Egypt (sin and the world) was through the blood of the true Passover lamb, our Lord Jesus Christ! (1^st Corinthians 5:7)

Note that there are actually three feasts that are described in chapter 16. The first is the passover, followed by seven days of the feast of unleavened bread. The second is the feast of weeks (sometimes referred to as the feast of harvest—Exodus 23), later to be known as pentecost. A freewill offering is to be given “according as the Lord thy God hath blessed thee.” (16:10) The third feast is the feast of tabernacles (sometimes referred to as the feast of ingathering, or feast of booths in Exodus 23; Leviticus 23; Numbers 29). This, again, is a time of giving and rejoicing. (16:15)

In 16:18–20, Moses provides instruction concerning the selection of judges and officers. Like God, judges were not to be a “respecter of persons”, nor were they to receive gifts from people. God wanted those holding these positions in Israel to be completely free to “judge righteous judgment”. (John 7:24) The chapter concludes (16:21–22) with a further admonition concerning idolatrous worship, and specifically, taking up the pagan practices of idol worship in groves of trees. God didn’t want any worldly or idolatrous practices anywhere near His altar of sacrifice and worship!

Chapter 17 gives statutes concerning the discovery and investigation of idol worship. (17:2–7) Those who were found guilty of worshipping and/or serving other gods were to be put to death. Implementing the death sentence, however, required the witness of two or more witnesses, and those witnesses must be the first ones to administer the punishment. At the end of 17:7, God explains that the reason for such harsh punishment was to rid Israel of evil.

In 17:14–20, God gives instructions for the selection of and duties of a king. At this time, God alone was Israel’s King, but He knew that in time to come, they would want a physical, tangible king like the other nations of the world. (This prophecy would come to pass some 400 years after being in the land!) God said He would concede to their wishes for a king, but said He wanted to reserve the right to be the One to choose him. God further instructed that a king in Israel must be chosen from among the children of Israel (no foreigners!) He also commanded that kings refuse to multiply to themselves: horses, wives, silver, and gold. To ensure that each king in Israel completely understood what God had written in His law, he was required to write his own copy of the law, and read it every day of his life, so that he would fear the Lord, keep His words, and do them, so that his heart wouldn’t be lifted up, and so his days could be prolonged. Oh, if only Israel’s kings would have heeded these admonitions! As those who have been made “kings” by the Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:6; 5:10), we would do well to carefully consider the spirit of these instructions!

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

As THE UNBLEMISHED SACRIFICE – Deuteronomy 15:21 (1^st Peter 1:19; 2^nd Corinthians 5:21)

As THE PASSOVER LAMB – Deuteronomy 16:1 (John 1:29, 36; Revelation 5:12)

As THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE – Deuteronomy 16:18; 17:8 (Revelation 19:11; Romans 14:10)

OVERVIEW:

God’s promises to the fathers; God’s grace to the undeserving; second tables of commandments; love and obedience; blessing and cursing; ordinances.

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

As we move into Deuteronomy 9 in today’s reading, the big day has actually arrived! It has been 14,400 days since the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea on dry land, when God delivered them from their bondage in Egypt. According to Deuteronomy 1:2, the journey into the promised land has taken them 14,378 more days than it needed to! A simple 11-day journey has actually turned into 14,400 days! But in Deuteronomy 9:1, God told them, “Thou art to pass over Jordan this day.” (Note: Their actual crossing of the Jordan and into the promised land won’t be recorded until Joshua chapter 3.)

Sadly, in those 14,378 “unnecessary” days in the wilderness, an entire generation has died because of their failure to take God at His word. Recognize that every single one of them died having never experienced the purpose God intended when He graciously delivered them from Egypt. Because, according to what we saw in yesterday’s reading in Deuteronomy 6:23, the children of Israel’s exodus out of Egypt was never intended by God to be an end in itself; it was simply a means to another end. Moses told them, “And he (God) brought us OUT from thence (Egypt), that he might bring us IN, to give us the land (Canaan) which he swear unto our fathers.” Let us, likewise, never forget that our deliverance out of the bondage of our sin (as glorious as that was and is) is not an end in itself! Just as with Israel, God brought us OUT, that He might bring us IN! We were delivered OUT of our sin so we could be brought IN to the life of fullness, abundance, and fruit-bearing found in Christ, by taking Him at His word by faith. As Paul recounts the story of Israel’s victory, in the exodus and their failure in the wilderness in 1^st Corinthians 10, he pleads with us, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to make sure that what happened to THEM after their PHYSICAL exodus, doesn’t happen to US after our SPIRITUAL exodus! Paul said in 1^st Corinthians 10:6, “Now these things were our examples,” and repeats it five verses later, “Now all these things happen unto THEM for ensamples: and they are written for OUR admonition.” (10:11) Oh, let us have ears to hear and heed that warning!

Yet, in Deuteronomy 9, before God brings the children of Israel into the land, there’s still another danger of which He needs to warn them. God knew that because of how “stiffnecked” this people was, that after settling into this new land, they might have the tendency to think they had entered this land because of who they were, or something they had done. On three separate occasions in this chapter Moses tells them to make sure that after coming into the land of Canaan, they didn’t get to thinking they had gotten there because they were just so good or “righteous”. In 9:4 he says, “Speak not thou in thine heart…For my righteousness the Lord hath brought me IN to possess their land.” In 9:5 he says, “Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land.” In 9:6 he reiterates it yet again, “Understand therefore, that the Lord thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiffnecked people.” Oh, my brothers and sisters, let us glean from the book of Deuteronomy, that most Christians will die in the wilderness of life having never experienced God’s purpose in their exodus. For those who actually do enter the land, we must be on high alert that pride doesn’t somehow creep in and cause us to think that we are experiencing the abundant life because of who we are or something we’ve done. Be it known, if we will experience the abundant life (Canaan), it will be because of the righteousness of Christ, and because of His matchless grace! Paul asks a beautifully pertinent question in Romans 3:27: “Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.”

Just a few other things to have up on your radar in today’s reading…

9:2–6 In our quest to live in the reality of the abundant life found in Christ, there are many Anakims (or giants!) who will seek to intimidate us and/or defeat us. Our God, however, is a “consuming fire” and “he shall destroy them.” (9:3) God tells us that this is a principle we must “understand”! The battle is the Lord’s and we simply stand in the victory He has wrought.

9:5–27 Like the children of Israel, we must remember that God says, when He found us and delivered us out of our bondage, we were “unrighteous” (9:5), “stiffnecked” (9:6, 13), “rebellious” (9:7, 24), “corrupt” (9:12), “sinful” (9:16), “wicked” (9:18, 27) and “stubborn”. (9:27) Wow! We were a mess!

10:12 and 11:13 In these two verses, notice that once again, God reiterates and re-emphasizes the “Great Commandment”. God wants us to LOVE Him!

10:18–19 In these verses, the Lord introduces us to the biblical reality that He has great concern and interest in His heart for the fatherless (orphans), widows, and strangers (aliens), and that we should as well! (James 1:27)

11:18–21 The Lord reiterates the responsibility we have as parents to make certain that we bring our children up “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4), and that we bring up “faithful children”. (Titus 1:6) He tells us here that we are to teach them at all times, and through every possible means (11:19–20). But, once again, the Lord emphasizes that this instruction cannot simply come from our minds or our mouths; it must rise forth out of our hearts and our very souls, and be a part of the very fabric of who we are! (11:18)

11:13–17; 11:22–25 Note that the promise of blessing in the new land was dependent upon their LOVE of God and their OBEDIENCE to Him.

11:26–28 Notice that whether we live in the midst of the Lord’s BLESSING (represented in Mount Gerizim—9:29) or the Lord’s CURSING (represented in Mount Ebal—9:29), the choice is ours. Obedience brings blessings. Disobedience brings cursing (or conflict).

12:1–32 Notice in these verses that there is an important principle/phrase that begins to be repeated about there being “a place” in the promised land where “the Lord had chosen” as the place “for His name to dwell”. (12:5, 11, 14, 18, 26). Note also that Moses continues talking about this “place” in Deuteronomy 14:23–25; 15:20; and 16:2, 6–7, 15–16. The word “dwell” is defined for us in 1^st Kings 8:13 as a “settled place.” Perhaps we could say it this way: God was looking for some place on this sinful planet where who He is in all of His glory was able to be “established” and “at home”. What just absolutely transcends human comprehension, however, is that for those of us who comprise the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, the “place” in which the Lord our God has now “chosen” as the place He intends for “His name to dwell”; that place where who He is in all of His glory is able to be “settled” and “at home”, is “IN” us! Paul said in 2^nd Corinthians 6:16, “…ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” Hallelujah!

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

As THE BURNT OFFERING — Deuteronomy 12:16 (Ephesians 5:2, Hebrews 10:10, 12)

OVERVIEW:

A recounting of the ten commandments; the greatest commandment; instructions for new homes; instructions for the new land; admonitions to remember the Lord.

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

As Moses begins his second address to the people in chapter 5, in preparation for their entrance into the land of Canaan, he reminds them of their responsibility to HEAR the word of God: to LEARN it, to KEEP it, and to DO it! As we are pursuing God on a SPIRITUAL journey into the land of abundance and fruitfulness that He designed for us “in Christ”, let us heed these admonitions with the same fervor and passion we would expect the children of Israel to have had in anticipation of God leading them in their PHYSICAL journey into the land of promise. Let us likewise be passionate to HEAR, LEARN, KEEP, and DO the word of God!

Moses then reminds the children of Israel of the importance of them taking PERSONALLY the covenant God had made with them. He says in 5:3, “The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day.” Let Moses’ words, to the children of Israel, serve as a great reminder that the covenant of grace, and to which those of us who comprise His church have entered, are spiritual realities God intends for each of us to take very PERSONALLY, making certain we have made PERSONAL APPLICATION of all His commands and promises. The promises of the new covenant that God made are not just intended for our forefathers, they are for US!

Moses then begins to recount to the people the infamous ten commandments that he had previously received. Deuteronomy 5:29 gives us a beautiful glimpse into the heart of God and the desire He has for His people: “O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!” Our Lord Jesus Christ expressed this same heart and sentiment in Matthew 23:37, saying, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” Let us always be certain that our HEARTS are set upon the Lord; to fear Him, and to ALWAYS keep ALL of His commandments.

In chapter 6:4–5, Moses gives what Jesus referred to as the “great commandment”. It is simply this: based off our firm belief that the God of the Bible is the one and only God and Lord, we are to love Him with all our heart, all our soul, and all our might.

Moses then instructs the people to make sure that they took responsibility for taking the words God was using him to speak to them that day and teaching them to their children. Obviously, this screams to us the responsibility we have of teaching our children the word of God. (Ephesians 6:4) We must recognize, however, that the responsibility of teaching our children the word of God does not simply mean taking them to church for someone else to teach them. It can certainly be a wonderful blessing to have others come alongside of us in this task, but we must understand that the responsibility to teach our children the word of God was given solely to us as their parents! Notice in verse 7 of chapter 6, we must not only “teach them” the word of God, but “teach them DILIGENTLY”! We must not take this responsibility flippantly or approach it haphazardly! He continues in verse 7 to explain what it looks like in real life for us to “DILIGENTLY” teach our children. He tells us that it should include the times when we are simply sitting with them in our house; when we are with them on our way somewhere (walking or driving); when we are putting them to bed at night; and in the morning when they wake up. Perhaps it should not surprise us that it is these very times that the clamor of this world and the distractions of the devil have sought to take from us. Oh, let us seek to reclaim these special times for the Lord and our children!

But, also, recognize that this passage lets us know that it’s not simply enough to “TELL” our children all the right stuff about God, and simply to “TELL” our children how to have a relationship with Him. This passage tells us that these things must be MODELED for them! Perhaps the most IMPORTANT instruction God gives to parents in this passage about how to instruct their children is also the most OVERLOOKED instruction in this passage! God says to parents in verse 6, “And these words, which I command thee (parents) this day, SHALL BE IN THINE HEART”! The fact is, many parents teach their children, and even “DILIGENTLY” teach their children, and yet, it ultimately “does not work”, for the simple fact that the things they were teaching their children were not, first and foremost, “IN THEIR HEART”! The right words were coming out of their LIPS, but the right words were not being modeled through their LIFE! We must recognize the instruction God intends for our children to receive from us must not only be TAUGHT to them it must also be CAUGHT by them! Oh, my dear brothers and sisters, God’s word must be in our HEARTS!

Notice also that God warns the children of Israel (and us!) of the tendency we have as humans to FORGET GOD. God warns that there is a danger that after struggling in our journey to get to the place God intends for us to be, that we will become COMFORTABLE and COMPLACENT, and forget God, and all HE did to bring us into the place where His promises are being fulfilled in our lives.

As Moses then points them toward the future, he also warns of the danger of making COMPROMISES with the enemy, and tells us that we must likewise instill this disdain for the enemy into our children. Oh parents, let us both TEACH verbally and MODEL practically for our children, God’s instruction in 2^nd Corinthians 6:17–18: “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

As THE EVERLASTING COVENANT – Deuteronomy 5:2 (Hebrews 13:20, 21; John 3:16; 5:24; 6:47)

As MEDIATOR – Deuteronomy 5:5 (1^st Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 8:6)

As WELL-PLEASING – Deuteronomy 6:18 (Matthew 3:17; 17:5; Luke 3:22)

As CALLED OUT OF EGYPT – Deuteronomy 6:21 (Matthew 2:13–15)

As ONE WHO WILL SMITE THE NATIONS – Deuteronomy 7:2 (Revelation 19:15)

As REDEEMER – Deuteronomy 7:8 (Romans 3:24; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:12) As ONE WHO WILL REPAY FACE TO FACE – Deuteronomy 7:10 (Revelation 1:7)