Deuteronomy 21 - Holiness in the Home

LINK: Deuteronomy 21

BACKGROUND

Deuteronomy 21-25 deals with many miscellaneous laws that have to do with human relationships. Moses tried to answer many of the "What if?" situations that may arise for the people of Israel in the Promised Land.

Deuteronomy 21:1-9 deals with the atonement for an unsolved murder. The whole community was held responsible for the unsolved crime. The declaration of innocence on the part of the closest town was done by breaking the neck of a young heifer. This symbolized that the crime deserved capital punishment, and the washing of the elders' hands was a declaration of innocence. (In Matthew 27:24, Pilate washed his hands to declare himself innocent of the shedding of Jesus' blood.) The animal sacrifice and petition of the elders made atonement by turning away God's wrath from the people.

Deuteronomy 21:10-21 deals with family laws regarding:

• Marrying a captive woman - I thought it was interesting to note that the woman should shave her head. One commentary I read said that this might make her unattractive. Therefore, the man might have second thoughts about his initial decision to have her. I laughed and thought that this commentary was obviously written by a man! Another commentary suggested the shaving of the head was indicative of the woman leaving her former manner of life and beginning a new life or symbolic of mourning (Jeremiah 47:5; Micah 1:16) or humiliation.
• Right of the firstborn son - Although monogamy was the ideal in the Old Testament (Genesis 2:20-24), polygamy was practiced by some. It was never seen in a positive light, however. We have already seen that in the case of Rachel and Leah in Genesis 30! Even though the secondborn might be the child of the loved wife, the father was to honor the rights of the firstborn.
• A rebellious son - Failure to follow the fifth commandment to "Honor your father and mother" (5:16) was punishable by death. This was not an occasional lapse into disobedience but a consistent pattern of rebellion. There is no extra-biblical literature or archaeological evidence to indicate that this punishment was ever carried out. It was there to deter such behavior so that "Israel might hear of it and be afraid" (21:21).

Deuteronomy 21:22-23 deals with an obscure law about what to do with a dead corpse of a criminal that was hung as a warning to all to not commit the same offense. This seemingly insignificant little law has Scarlet Thread significance in that Paul quotes this text in Galatians 3:13, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us --' for it is written, 'CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE --.'"

Paul does so in order to support the doctrine of Christ's penal substitutionary death for sinners. Christ was under God's curse and this enabled Him to redeem "us from the curse of the Law."

REFLECTION

When we first covered this in 2008, we read Deuteronomy 21 right after a Father's Day sermon by my wonderful pastor, Steve Lee, about the prodigal son in Luke 15.

The elder brother of the prodigal did not like the father's response and would have liked to invoke the application of the law in this chapter regarding the rebellious son, but the father did not have the same idea.

Somehow, I like the picture of God in Luke so much better than the picture I have in Deuteronomy: the loving, forgiving father running with arms open wide toward his once rebellious son versus the Father who asks His people to stone a rebellious son. We live in the New Testament reality today. A rebellious son would not receive a stone, but he would receive stones of fervent prayer!

Even though we live in a New Testament reality, both stories are pictures of the many facets of the character of God. I have said this before, and I will say it again: understanding what we really deserve --God's wrath -- helps us to truly understand the miracle and wonder of God's amazing love and forgiveness. We deserve death, but we get the Father running toward us with His arms open wide, ready to forgive and throw a party. His justice cannot be separated from his love. They have to go hand in hand. For we all deserve death, but Jesus averted that wrath and allowed us to have that open-arms relationship with the Father through His death on the cross. Amazing.

APPLICATION

Perhaps you have a prodigal in your life? Here is a book of hope and encouragement for you: Praying Prodigals Home

Also, praise God for God's loving, forgiving arms around you!

Since writing this many years ago, I have gone through the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius (scroll down to "What is Ignatian Spiritual Direction") and now lead people through them. The Prodigal Son (really is the Prodigal God) Story in Luke 15 is repeated several times. I heartily recommend going through these Exercises at least once in your life. 

PRAYER

Lord, thank You for Your love and justice. Thank You that we have a way to reconcile with You through the blood of Jesus Christ. I pray for all who read the BBC and have prodigal sons or daughters, that You would give them comfort, hope, and perseverance as they continue to pray for their loved ones who have rebelled against You. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Deuteronomy 20 - On Fear and Faith and Holy War

LINK: Deuteronomy 20

BACKGROUND

The Israelites were about to go into a land where they would face overwhelming odds, but God was with them. Therefore, they had nothing to fear, ". . . do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you" (Deuteronomy 20:1).

According to John Ortberg, author of If You Want to Walk on Water, You Have to Get Out of the Boat, there are 366 references to not fearing in the Bible. What an exhortation for us! God always knows the outcome. So, if He leads us, we can move forward and trust that He will be with us through thick and thin just as He was with Israel.

This chapter also deals with the sticky wicket of God's command to "not leave anything alive" in the land that He had given Israel as an inheritance (20:16). This was not commanded of the people mentioned in 20:10-15. The Canaanite culture was totally degenerate and depraved. They were to be destroyed, but why? It is answered in the text: "So that they may not teach you to do according to all their detestable things which they have done for their gods, so that you would sin against the LORD your God" (Deuteronomy 20:18).

God knows the future. He knew what those people would do to the Israelites. God wanted their whole heart. We will soon see that Israel did not obey the LORD and destroy them completely. The result is even greater bloodshed and destruction than had Israel obeyed God in the first place.

I know many of you struggle with this concept of total destruction, and it may be an issue of trust in God's ultimate wisdom and judgment. I feel for you in your struggle. I really do. Please dialogue honestly with Him about it and allow God to get to the root issue in your struggle to understand what seems like a very harsh, unmerciful command of God.

REFLECTION

When I am afraid, I will trust in You, 

O God, whose word I praise. 

In You I have put my trust. 

I will not fear; 

What can mere mortals do to me? 

(Psalm 56:3-4)

How appropriate that this would be one of the verses I would be praying through in Face to Face: Praying the Scriptures for Intimate Worship during my devotional walk this morning. I am seeing more and more that much of what we do is based on fear of man rather than trust in God! That is why I am thankful for Old Testament passages like Deuteronomy 20 that remind us to not fear because God is with us.

I had dinner with a good friend recently, and she poured her heart out to me about what God has been showing her about her fearful heart. She has even purchased a ring engraved with two simple words:

Fear Not

This woman has walked with God for over 30 years. Yet, she still struggles with fear. She is praying to trust Him more. Don't we all need to do that?

When Moses commanded the Israelites to not be afraid, he did this based on the fact that God had been faithful to Israel in the past, and He would be faithful to them in the future, especially because He had promised them the land they were about to go in and conquer. Against all odds, they would come out victorious. 

Like the Israelites, we can trust God based on His faithfulness in our own lives in the past. So, step out in faith, trust God, and do not fear!

APPLICATION

How are you doing in the area of fear?

Here is another installment of "Many Aspire, Few Attain":

4. Trust God

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5).

You are going to have times in your life when the living God is going to take all the chips, to use a gambling analogy, and push them into the middle of the table. He’s going to say, “Friend, we’re going for broke on this one. Let’s see how you’re doing in your Christian life”. More often than not, people when faced with this scenario, start pushing all kinds of panic buttons on the console of life, and end up punching out.

If you really want to walk with God, you have to learn to trust Him. Trusting God begins by trusting Him in the little things, so that when the big things come along, you have established a habit of trust with Him. God will put your faith to the test. A day is going to come when the bottom is going to drop out of your life, the roof is going to cave in.

Are you trusting God in the little things? How about your finances? It’s tough to really trust God in this area. For example, it’s hard to give when you can’t afford it. Giving when you can afford it doesn’t require any faith. Faith comes when you give and can’t afford it. 

You can do many things in your life without biblical faith. Without faith you can get married, have a home, even become a millionaire. Without faith you can live a normal, relatively happy life. Without faith, however, there is something you cannot do. “Without faith it is impossible to please Him: (Heb. 11:6). 

If you’re planning on pleasing God, you have got to walk by faith. God is in control of this world. All He wants from you is intelligent cooperation. Boiled down to one word, it means trust. Many will never make it simply because they cannot muster up enough courage and faith in their soul to really trust Him when the going gets rough.

PRAYER

Lord, we trust You. Amen. 

Deuteronomy 19 - Cities of Refuge and Purging the Evil from Among You

LINK: Deuteronomy 19

BACKGROUND

This chapter included instructions for setting up cities of refuge so that people who had committed accidental crimes could run to them and escape "avengers of blood" who were relatives of the person killed. Cities of refuge were not for those who had truly murdered another. These people were to be handed over to the avengers of blood.

People were not to be declared guilty by judges on only one witness but on two or three. A false or malicious witness would have the punishment he desired for the accused put on him instead.

God meant business. He wanted the people of Israel to "purge the evil" (19:19) and "carefully observe all His commandments" (19:9) so that it would go well for them in the Promised Land.

REFLECTION

God wants us to purge the evil from our lives and carefully observe all He commands so that it will go well for us also!

Here is another installment of Many Aspire, Few Attain related to purging the evil from our lives:

2. Hate sin
“Abhor that which is evil, cleave to that which is good” (Rom. 12:9).

Close your eyes for a moment and think of something that really nauseates you. That feeling is the word that Paul uses when he says “abhor." God wants you to view sin like you view the thing you're thinking about right now. That is what God wants your attitude to be. You hate sin so much you almost gag.

Do you have a hatred for sin? Do you find that you abhor that which is evil? We are all plagued with sin, but some Christians don’t hate evil. Some have sin that they embrace to their bosoms. These may be secret sins with which they pet and play. No one else may even know of them - no one but God. Have you ever thought about the fact that people will do in the presence of the living God what they would never do in front of other people? We are all guilty of this. We do things in front of God that we would never let others see. We think thoughts and commit acts of sin in privacy that we would never think of doing in front of someone else.

God says, “I want you to hate sin. Abhor it.” If there are sins you have embraced, if you have allowed them to rule in your life, if you have never dealt the victory blow to them even though God has given you the power to do so if you'll just appropriate it, you will not survive the battle. If you don’t want to give up the sin because you enjoy it, you will never make it. You’ll end up being one of the casualties of the war.

APPLICATION 

Spend some time answering the questions in this article. 

PRAYER 

Lord, help us to carefully observe all that You tell us to do and to live lives without compromise. Teach us to hate sin and to purge the evil from our lives so that we might glorify You and enjoy the benefits of obedience. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Deuteronomy 17 & 18 - Civil Regulations

LINK: Deuteronomy 17 & 18

BACKGROUND

Deuteronomy 16:18 - 20:20 is a new section that covers civil regulations that would regulate life among the people of Israel so that they would "purge the evil from Israel."

Deuteronomy 17 deals with officiating idolatry (death by stoning if there were two or three witnesses). The judges and priests would officiate, and the people were not to question it. 

This chapter also holds a foretelling of Israel's rule by kings. This will come about as the theocracy set up by God will unravel in the book of Judges and a monarchy will be set up in 1 Samuel. God knew all of this. So, He speaks through Moses about the qualifications of a future king of Israel. There were three "don'ts and one "do":

DO NOT ACQUIRE . . . 

Horses - Solomon will not honor this - Kings 4:26 

Many Wives - Solomon will not honor this - 1 Kings 11:3 

Large amounts of gold and silver - Solomon will not honor this - 1 Kings 10:14 

DO FOLLOW . . . 

The Law of God - Solomon will not honor this - 1 Kings 11:11

We will read about the fall of Solomon later this year. As the king fell, so did the nation of Israel leading to its division and eventual captivity! It is so sad!

The Scarlet Thread of Redemption

Deuteronomy 18 is mostly about the portion for the Levites and the prohibition of occult practices, but Moses speaks of a future prophet:

The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him (18:15)

This is a prophecy of Jesus. The Bible Knowledge Commentary states:

The ultimate Prophet like Moses (18:15, 18) is Jesus Christ -- the One who spoke God's words and who provides deliverance for His people. Not even Joshua would be compared to Moses, for since Moses "no prophet has risen in Israel like" him (34:10) with such power before men and intimacy with God. However distinguished a future prophet's role might be in Israel, none would be like Moses until the Mediator of the New Covenant, Jesus Christ, came. Moses set the standard for every future prophet. Each prophet was to do his best to live up to the example of Moses until the One came who would introduce the New Covenant. During the first century A.D. the official leaders of Judaism were still looking for the fulfillment of Moses' prediction (cf. John 1:21). Peter said their search should have stopped with the Lord Jesus (Acts 3:22-23). (Other early and clear predictions of the Messiah may be found in Gen. 49:10-12; Num. 24:17-19).  (Volume 1: p. 297)

This is a 2017 update to this blog; I have never seen this prophecy of Jesus before! I love learning new things about Him!

REFLECTION

The foreshadowing of Solomon's eventual fall is so sobering to me. Instead of focusing on the "don'ts" in this passage, I like to focus on the one "do" in that list. The eventual king of Israel was to:

1) Write a copy of the law  

2) Keep it with him

3) Read it all the days of his life

And why was he to do that?

So that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel. (Deuteronomy 17:19-20 - NIV says revere, and I like that.)

Psalm 119:38 is the prayer of my heart to God for myself and for all of us here at the Bible Book Club, "Establish Your word (promise) to Your servant, as that which produces reverence for You."

I want us all to write the Word on the tablet of our hearts day in and day out. Let's learn reverence through our meditation on it and obedience to it; even more so if some of us are called to leadership!

APPLICATION

Keep reading God's Word! Keep writing it on the tablet of your heart! Never give up even if you become a great and busy leader!

If you have not read it by now, don't forget to read about having a love for God's Word in the post HERE. Also, remember to read The Word Hand illustration and evaluate your intake of God's Word.

PRAYER

Lord, I praise You and thank You for Your Word! Please write it on our hearts. Please teach us to reverence You with all of our beings. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Deuteronomy 16 - Three Big Feasts and Impartiality of Judges

LINK: Deuteronomy 16

BACKGROUND

Again, the LORD reviews the importance of three feasts: Passover (lumped together with the Feast of Unleavened Bread), Weeks, and Booths.

You can find more information on the Passover in the Exodus 12 post.

The Feast of Weeks is named after Moses' command to count off seven weeks from the time they began to harvest the grain in March-April. It was also known as the "Feast of Harvest" and "Day of First Fruits". Later it was given the name "Pentecost" based on the Septuagint's translation of the "50 days" in Leviticus 23:16. See more details about this feast in the Leviticus 23 post.

The Feast of Tabernacles is also called the Feast of Booths because the Israelites were to live in "booths" constructed of tree branches and foliage after the fall harvest. It is also called the "Feast of Ingathering" and is explained in the Leviticus 23 post. It was to recall the journey through the desert after Israel came out of Egypt. (This is my FAVORITE, fun feast, by the way!!!)

You can also look at the Feasts Chart for more details about all the feasts, and their relation to The Scarlet Thread of Redemption. 

All three of these feasts were for remembering God's gracious dealings with them in their flight out of Egypt and the wilderness period. It was a time for consecration and celebration.

It is also significant that all the males were to appear before the LORD during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Feast of Weeks, and Feast of Booths.

The last part of this chapter deals with the responsibilities of the judges and officers to maintain pure worship in the Promised Land and to administer justly by not being partial, "Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, that you may live and possess the land which the LORD your God is giving you" (Deuteronomy 16:20).

Asherah and Sacred Pillars

Wooden Asherah poles were symbolic of Asherah, the goddess of fertility and consort of Baal. Sacred pillars were stone pillars symbolic of male fertility. There was no place for these things in the sanctuary of the LORD! If the priests could not prevent this impure worship, the ultimate responsibility for making sure this did not happen rested on the judges.

REFLECTION

In the last part of this chapter, Moses talked about impartial judges. My mind immediately went to James 2:1, "My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism." James goes on to explain how it is discriminatory to give favor to those who are rich over those who are poor because those who are poor in the eyes of the world have been chosen to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom. James quotes what Jesus called the second greatest commandment, "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 22:39).

Often we treat a well-dressed, impressive-looking person better than someone who looks shabby. We do this because we would rather identify with successful people than with apparent failures . . .the rich find it difficult to identify with the Lord Jesus, who came as a humble servant. Are you easily impressed by status, wealth, or fame? Are you partial to the "haves" while ignoring the "have nots"? This attitude is sinful. God views all people as equals, and if he favors anyone, it is the poor and the powerless. We should follow his example.

Why it is wrong to show favoritism to the wealthy? 

1) It is inconsistent with Christ's teaching (Love your neighbor as yourself). 

2) It results from evil thoughts. 

3) It insults people made in God's image. 

4) It is a by-product of selfish motives. 

5) It goes against the Biblical definition of love. 

6) It shows a lack of mercy to those less fortunate. 

7) It is hypocritical. 

8) It is sin.  (Life Application Bible, p. 2247)

A while ago, I saw partiality and favoritism in a big way among Christians toward a powerful person. It was all about money, power plays, and manipulation. The people or judges in charge did not "judge impartially." It grieved my heart, but it made me realize the infallibility of leaders, and my need to pray for them to be impartial judges. We should all do the same.

APPLICATION

The questions in the Life Application Bible quoted above are very good:

Are you easily impressed by status, wealth, or fame? 

Are you partial to the "haves" while ignoring the "have nots?

Dialogue with God about this. Remember our hearts are deceitful above all else (see Deuteronomy 10 & 11 post). Our human nature gravitates toward status, wealth, and fame! So, be honest with God about it. There may be a "have not" out there that is a beautiful person you need to get to know!!!!

Also, you may have a responsibility to appoint or elect wise and just officials in your church, school, job, or government. Take this responsibility seriously and choose leaders who uphold justice and godliness.

Finally, remember to pray for your leaders that it may go well for you:

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings, and for everyone who has authority, so that we might lead a quiet and peaceful life with all godliness and dignity. (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

PRAYER

Lord, we pray for our leaders in our churches and local, state, and national governments to judge righteously. We ask that if there are those who are not doing so, that You would put people in those positions who will! Thank You for being our Righteous Judge! Amen.

Deuteronomy 15 - The Sabbatical Year

LINK: Deuteronomy 15

BACKGROUND

The sabbatical year has already been discussed in Exodus 23 and Leviticus 25, but this passage adds the cancellation of debts to Hebrew kinsmen during the seventh year. It also encouraged helping the poor and stipulation that the slaves of kinsmen be set free. 

The chapter concludes by discussing the setting apart of all firstborn animals. Every year, during one of the annual feasts, the perfect, young, firstborn animals were to be sacrificed at the central sanctuary and eaten in a communal meal with the family. 

APPLICATION

Do you have a plan for helping the poor? It is always a great thing to think about in your regular giving. 

If you are looking for a great ministry that helps the poor, I recommend Harriet's Housing. Here is an article that addresses homelessness in my area. In the article Hughes says,

“I think we have to all recognize that we’re all God’s children — rich, poor, no matter where, and we all need one place to keep our belongings safe, a place that we can cook our food, a place that we can do our laundry,”

Send checks to:

Harriet's Housing, PO BOX 811, Philomath, OR 97370 

(It has been run by a dear 80+ years young woman in our church for years. Her ministry is so low-tech, she doesn't even have a website!)

If you are on Facebook, you can see her page HERE.

PRAYER

Show us the needy people around us and help us to give according to Your will. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. 

Deuteronomy 13 & 14 - Just Say No to Idols and Unclean Animals

LINK: Deuteronomy 13 & 14

BACKGROUND

We are continuing with the ceremonial laws for proper worship.

Deuteronomy 13: Idolatry

There are three ways of slipping into idolatry:

1) A False Prophet - The bottom line of this message is that all miraculous signs and wonders must be held up against the Word of God and cannot contradict God's expressed commands. The people were to trust God and His Word rather than the miracles. The false prophet was to be put to death because he had "counseled rebellion against the LORD" (13:1-5).

2) A Loved One - God was very clear. They were to kill even a loved one who tried to lure them into idolatry. This would make the people fear and not want to do such a "wicked thing" (13:6-11).

3) Worthless Men of An Apostate Town - Again, drastic punishment and complete destruction of the people and livestock were prescribed (13:12-18).

Deuteronomy 14: Purity Laws

Moses set out specific laws that would distinguish the Israelites as "a people holy (set apart) to the LORD." The people around them had superstitious beliefs about dying and the dead. Cutting oneself was a sign of mourning in the pagan culture of that day. The Israelites were not to be like the pagans around them in their mourning rites (14:1-2).

Deuteronomy 14:3-21 deals with clean and unclean animals and is discussed in greater detail in the background study in Leviticus 11.

The chapter concludes by discussing the law of the tithe (14:22-26). They were to set aside a 10th. Before, Moses said that the tithe should go to the Levites (Numbers 18:21-32), but he added that part of their tithe was to go to the central sanctuary where they were to eat a common meal with the LORD. This was to teach them to "fear" the LORD their God always. Every third year, the second tithe was to be used for the Levites, aliens, orphans, and widows.

REFLECTION (2011)

Have you ever had someone lead you astray? I was a pretty "good" kid, but I got involved with a person toward the end of my high school years and into college that led me down a destructive path. That person was a smooth-talker, and that person lacked integrity in the little things.

During a road trip, we were filling up at a gas station, and gas had just gone over the $1 mark (With prices over $4 this week, it is hard to imagine that they were once under $1). So, all the pump meters only allowed for up to two digits. Until new pumps could be installed, the "half price" of a gallon was shown on the pump and all totals were doubled. We were in Canyonville, Oregon (long before the casino) at this little gas station. The attendant filled up the tank and took our money. 

My friend said, "Hurry, get in!" I didn't know why, but I followed her order. We got in the car, and she laughed as we reentered I-5.

"What an idiot!" she said. "He didn't know he was supposed to double the gas total. He will probably be doing that all night! We just got ourselves a tank of gas for half the price!" 

I sat there horrified and begged her to go back and pay the man because he would probably lose his job over this. It was to no avail. She just kept driving north, and I wondered what I had gotten myself into in this friendship. In the long haul, that friendship was one of the biggest mistakes of my life.

The memories of this friendship are what my mind went to when I read this today: "If . . . your friend who is as your own soul, entices you secretly . . . you shall not yield to him or listen to him; and your eye shall not pity him, nor shall you spare or conceal him . . ." (13:6-8).

At one time, this friend was my "soulmate," but it cost me my soul to continue our friendship in terms of compromise. Eventually, I had to cut off the friendship because an incident like this was just one of many that continued to happen. I yielded and listened far too many times. Sometimes, she used manipulation that caused me to pity her and give in to her manipulations.  It took me a long time to realize that I was not being "mean" by cutting off the friendship. I learned the hard way that sometimes that is the best course of action. 

I might add that cutting myself off from that friendship meant leaving a Bible Study we attended together (Yes, she could have called herself a follower of Jesus, but her actions did not show that.). Through the new Bible Study, I attended after this one, God gave me true "soulmates" who continue to be friends decades later. 

APPLICATION

Our choice of friends is HUGE in our growth and development. Do you find that you slip away from the LORD because of the influence of others? Spend some time evaluating the influences in your life.

PRAYER

Lord, I pray that You would give each and every one of us soulmates who would lead us toward greater devotion to You and not lead us away from You. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Deuteronomy 12 - Laws for Proper Worship: A Single Sanctuary and Food But No Blood

LINK: Deuteronomy 12

BACKGROUND

In Deuteronomy 12-16, we will be reading about laws for proper worship that demonstrated Israel's uniqueness in comparison to the pagan religions of the Canaanites.

The first laws related to a single sanctuary for worship and food for worship and for "secular" meals

In Deuteronomy 12, the Lord specified that there was one place of worship for the Israelites. He wanted a centralized place because the Canaanites had many places of worship, and He wanted the Israelites to be distinct not only in how they worshiped but also in where they worshiped. This one place where God would "establish His name for His dwelling" was the Tabernacle. Apparently, this did not mean it would stay in one place in Canaan, but it was to be where the Lord commanded it to be. (Eventually, it would be in one place when God let David move the Tabernacle to Jerusalem where David's son, Solomon, would build the temple.) The important thing is that God is ONE God, and there would be ONE place of worship. 

It should be noted that in the New Testament, each Christian has become a sanctuary, a "temple of the living God" (2 Corinthians 6:16). So, there is no single sanctuary for worship now.


The Israelites were not only to have one place of worship, but also they were to destroy the Canaanite places of worship. Thus removing any temptation to worship their gods and polluting the worship of the LORD. There was no room for a partial commitment.


Why was it so important to utterly destroy the Canaanite places of worship? One reason was that their pagan practices were detestable, and the worst of these was child sacrifice (12:31). This practice was associated with the worship of the Ammonite god, Molech (Leviticus 18:21; 20:2-5; 2 Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 32:35). Sadly, we will see how Solomon (1 Kings 11:7), Ahaz (2 Chronicles 28:3), and Manasseh (2 Kings 21:6) all succumbed to the worship of Molech with Ahaz and Manasseh being involved in the sacrifice of their own children.

One other thing that should be noted in this chapter is that it specifies that meat was allowed to be consumed at home for "secular meals" whether the partakers were clean or unclean. The only prohibition: do not eat blood. We learned from Leviticus 17:11 that "the life of the flesh is in the blood" (see an explanation of this in the Leviticus 17 post here). The blood was a ransom price for sins, so blood was sacred and was not to be consumed even in secular meals.


REFLECTION/APPLICATION

You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess serve their gods . . . you shall tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars. (12:2,3)

Sadly, we will see that the Israelites did not utterly destroy all the places where the Canaanite nations served other gods, and it had terrible consequences. Stay tuned.

Have you utterly destroyed the idols in your life so that they are no longer a temptation and something you might turn to instead of the Lord? Many Aspire, Few Attain speaks to this issue:

5. Burn bridges and ships  

“No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). 

You’ll never attain if you refuse to burn your boats. When Hernando Cortez took his men to Mexico, his objective was to march on Mexico City and conquer Montezuma. When he landed at Vera Cruz, he put all his men on the beach and sent demolition teams out to destroy their ships. As the men stood on the shore watching the ships burn and sink, they realized they could only go forward into Mexico. They could not turn back. 

Have you burned your ships? Have you taken the avenues of retreat that your mind maps and maintains and destroyed them? Take, for example, your career. You began your career with a goal and a hope for the future. There’s nothing wrong with that. The problem only arises when the job becomes an end in itself. Have you given your vocational goals and the direction of your life back to God? If the marketplace is a mission field for you to accomplish God’s will, you have a biblical perspective. If it is a means for you to accomplish your own selfish ends, you are living in sin. God wants you to burn that boat. 

Have you given your boyfriend, girlfriend, or spouse back to God? Many people have trouble with this one. They never make it because they are unwilling to commit this area of their lives to God. Many people spend their youth searching for a spouse. If you are single, have you given your desire to marry back to God? This surrender is especially difficult because God may decide never to bring a partner into your life. Are you content to be single for the rest of your life if this is the will of God? Are you willing to wait ten or fifteen years before you get married? It is better to wait for the person of God’s choosing than to marry the wrong person just because you want to get married. If you are married, are you committed irrevocably to your spouse? 

Some time ago, some parents asked me to talk to their 18-year-old daughter. She was a beautiful young girl - sweet and attractive. She was in love with a fellow, and she wanted to marry him. I asked her if it was the will of God. She said, “No”. I asked her if she was willing to give him back to God. Again, she said, “No”. We talked about it until two or three in the morning, but she had made up her mind that she was going to marry this man, which she did. 

About a year and a half later, I was talking to her parents, and I asked how their daughter was doing. They kind of dropped their heads and said, “Oh, fine”. I asked what she was doing. “Well, she’s got a baby girl...She’s living in an apartment by herself. Her husband left her. She’s divorced and doesn't know what to do.” 

“Be not deceived (Remember what I talked about yesterday?). God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Gal. 6:7). 

The only way you can avoid that terrible, terrible plight is to burn your ships and let God make those decisions.

PRAYER

Lord, help us to be aware of the idols in our lives and to destroy them so that nothing will distract us from the simplicity and purity of devotion to You. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Deuteronomy 10 & 11 - Application: Fixing These Words in Your Heart and Mind

Wailing Wall 3, originally uploaded by pmgilmer.

Bible Study Tools: Application

Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as a symbol on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. (Deuteronomy 10:18)

This is how the Orthodox Jews apply this verse (and Deut. 6:6-8). They tie boxes of Scripture to their forehead and arms called phylacteries (see picture above).

But how do we as believers in Jesus Christ apply this? We can do this by hearing, reading, studying, memorizing, and meditating on the Word of God! (See the Word Hand Illustration for more details about this.)

Having a heart for the Word of God is one of the key marks of a person who attains in the Christian life, and it is the third point in Many Aspire, Few Attain:

3. Hunger for the Word
“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Pet.
2:2).

The third way to lose in the spiritual conflict is to lack a hunger for the Word of God. The Bible, throughout its pages, emphasizes the importance of hiding the Word in your heart. “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly”
(Col. 3:16). “Thy words were found and I did eat them” (Jer. 15:16). “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee” (Psalm 119:11). “For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper that any two-edged sword” (Heb. 4:12). Your only chance of survival is to take the Word of God and to hide it in your life. The Word cleanses.
The Scriptures give you the life and character of Jesus Christ. The Word of God gives you power and the ability to do the will of God.

How well are you hiding the Word of God in your life? Has the Word become perfunctory for you? Are you doing Bible study or are you studying the Bible? There's a big difference
between the two. Most people do Bible study rather than actually studying the Bible. Are you really devoting time to study the Word of God?

I can fill in the blanks in a Bible study outline in about five minutes, but it takes me about twenty hours to really study a chapter of the Word. I can show up to a study with only a few minutes of preparation all the blanks filled in and look and sound pretty good. I have not, though, actually studied the Bible.

If you are not hiding the Word in your heart, if it isn't as milk and honey to you. If you do not regularly drink deep from its well, you won’t make it. You, like so many others, will have started well, but finished poorly. You will not survive.

I run across people in the Christian community again and again who say to me, “You know, Henrichsen, you can’t be legalistic about these things”. They're absolutely right. They also say things like, “When I’m around people like you, they kind of squeeze me into their mold”. I know exactly what they are talking about. “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man” (1 Cor. 10:13). 

Remember, however, if you have that attitude, it's not the fault of your Bible study leader or those trying to encourage you in your faith. The fault belongs to you. It's the result of the coldness of your heart and your lack of hunger for God’s Word. Yours is not really a legalistic problem, but a spiritual one. 

The Bible encourages our daily study and meditation of its passages. When we encourage one another in this we are not being legalistic, unless we go beyond God’s admonitions and manipulate others into following our rules, or unless, of course, you feel that you are gaining merit with God because of your effort.

I suggest three steps in an effort to help you use method to unlock the treasures of the Bible rather than becoming trapped in the web of method alone. First, spend a lot of time in the Word. Second, meditate and think on it rather than doing a perfunctory ritual of the form. If you do, you can really make the Word of God come alive. Third, apply what you read to your life. After all, the Word of God was given primarily to change your life, not to increase your knowledge. Make sure you're a doer of the Word and not a hearer only.

Deuteronomy 10 & 11 - The Deceitful Heart and "Walking It Through"

LINK: Deuteronomy 10 & 11

BACKGROUND

Deuteronomy 10

The Israelites were to circumcise their hearts, fear the LORD, walk in all His ways, serve Him, and cling to Him because He is the great, awesome, and mighty God of all gods and Lord of all lords.

Deuteronomy 11

God would continue to bless His people if they loved Him by obeying Him. But if they disobeyed and forgot His commands, became deceived, and worshiped other gods, God's anger would be kindled against them.

REFLECTION  (From 2008)

Bible Study Tools: Cross-References

Beware that your hearts are not deceived, 

and that you do not turn away. 

(Deuteronomy 11:16)

This is the verse that stuck out to me tonight as I was meditating on Deuteronomy 11. I had to ask myself where my heart may be deceived, and Jeremiah 17:9 immediately came to mind. When meditating on a verse, I will often look it up in different translations:

New American Standard Bible (©1995): The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995): The human mind is the most deceitful of all things. It is incurable. No one can understand how deceitful it is.

Bible in Basic English: The heart is a twisted thing, not to be searched out by man: who is able to have knowledge of it?

Then I like to read through cross-references:

Ecclesiastes 9:3: This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for all men. Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterward, they go to the dead.

Isaiah 1:5: Where will you be stricken again, As you continue in your rebellion? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart is faint.

Isaiah 1:6: From the sole of the foot even to the head there is nothing sound in it, only bruises, welts, and raw wounds, not pressed out or bandaged, nor softened with oil.

Isaiah 6:10: Render the hearts of this people insensitive, their ears dull, and their eyes dim, otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and return and be healed.

Matthew 13:15: FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES, OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.

Mark 2:17: And hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Mark 7:21-22: For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness.

Romans 1:21: For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Romans 7:11: For sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.

Ephesians 4:22: In reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit. 

(Cross-references from: NASB ©1995 through the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on https://biblehub.com/)

As a result of looking up these verses on a "deceitful heart," all of a sudden it hit me what God has been doing with me over the last couple of months. You see, I am what you might call a "heart" person. So, sometimes I "follow my heart," and it has gotten me into trouble! Why? Because my heart is deceitful!

I was well aware of that before, but even though I knew that about my heart, I was not picking up on the subtle things. So, God has been taking me down a path of really "walking things through" with Him when I have heart issues to deal with.

You see every time I have heart issues (hurt by another, frustrated with a situation, etc.) I get on my shoes, and I take a walk and "walk it through" with Him. Low and behold, two months (and 15 pounds) later, His kindness has led me to a deeper understanding of my sinful, idolatrous, and DECEITFUL heart! A heart that has "turned away" from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ and on to the approval of man (a false god and idol for modern times) and a whole host of other false gods that are "worthless things which do not profit or deliver" me, because they are useless (1 Samuel 12:20-21).

The bi-product of all of this is that I am reacting less to my circumstances and responding more to God's gentle whispers; seeing things from His perfect perspective and will for my life, not from my skewed and distorted perspective resulting from a deceitful heart! As I gain His perspective, I am "walking in His ways" rather than my own way. George has even noticed the difference. It is pretty exciting!


(In 2011, I can continue to see growth in this area! YIPEE! In 2014, I have less and less of a struggle in this area and now I am 30 pounds lighter!)


APPLICATION

"Walk it through" with the Lord next time you have something happen that "hits your heart" in the wrong way. Do not speak. Do not react. Do not be deceived! "Walk it through" with the Lord and see what He can do!!!!

PRAYER

Lord, may we "walk it through with You" on to "walking in Your way" and not allow our hearts to be deceived from pure and simple devotion to You. You make it all so very simple, really. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Deuteronomy 9 - "You Have Been Rebellious Against the LORD From the Day I Knew You"

LINK: Deuteronomy 9

BACKGROUND

Moses puts the Israelites in their place by reminding them of the rebellious things they had done along the way from Egypt to the Promised Land. Therefore, they were not to assume that the conquest of Canaan was because of anything righteous that they had done. He gave two reasons why they would be victorious:

1) The nations they were conquering were wicked and demanded God's righteous judgment. 

2) God had sworn it to their fathers.

They had been stiff-necked and rebellious from day one, and to prove just how stiff-necked they had been, Moses went through incident after incident that proved this fact, and these were not even all of them! Can you remember these incidents from our previous readings?

1) Massah - This was when the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord because they had no water (Exodus 17:1-7). 

2) Golden Calf (Exodus 32) 

2) Taberah - This was when the people complained about their hardships and God's fire consumed some of them on the outskirts of the camp (Numbers 11:1-3). 

4) Kibroth Hattaavah - This was when the people complained about the manna, and God sent quail and a plague (Numbers 11:31-34). 

5) Kadesh Barnea - This was when 10 out of 12 of the spies brought back word that the land was too difficult to conquer (Numbers 13-14). 

Moses also reminds the people of His intercession for them.

APPLICATION

Are there any areas of your life where you can see self-righteousness? Do you test God by complaining about your hardships and having a pity party because He is not giving you what you think you deserve? Are you rebelling against God by failing to trust Him or obey Him? Let the story of Israel be an example to you. Read 1 Corinthians 10:1-13.

PRAYER

Lord, we know that we are not righteous except through the blood of Jesus Christ who was Your righteousness revealed. Lord, we know that You are the giver of all good gifts. Turn our grumbling into gratefulness. Lastly, Lord, forgive us for not going forward in faith with what You are calling us to do. Help us to believe You and move where You want us to move. For Your name and Your glory. Amen.