Bible reading for June 9.
Deuteronomy 13-14.
"For you are a people holy to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth." (Deuteronomy 14:2)
FALSE PROPHETS (13). Here, and in Deuteronomy 18, Moses explains the importance of dealing with false prophets and with those who entice to worship other gods. This carries over into the church age, as well. Jesus warned against false prophets (Matt 7:15; 24:11, 24). Satan bombards people with lies, false gospels, false prophets, false apostles, all leading to false hopes (2 Cor 11:3-4; Gal 1:6-9). As believers we are to test and discern the spirits (1 Jn 4:1). False teaching has been a real threat throughout church history. During the Reformation John Calvin warned against those who "bury the Word of God in order to make room for their own imaginations, claiming the authority of modern revelations over the express teaching of the Scriptures" (Letter to Cardinal Sadolet). Many cults and sects have risen in that way. "Every sect claims a continuing office of an apostle or continuing revelation of the mysteries of God in order to divert people from that foundation that has been already laid in Jesus" (Michael Horton).
THE AUTHORITY OF GOD'S WORD. In our own culture we hear pronouncements and predictions from many who claim to have authority to direct our thinking, standards, and way of life. This may involve signs and wonders. It may be in the name of other gods. But it can also be in the name of humanism, science, secularism, multiculturalism, or progressivism. It may even be in the name of the God of the Bible, but not truly so (Deut 18:20-22). Even in the church, believers sometimes are led astray by their personal visions or dreams, or by appeals to some kind of direct revelation. The Lord said through Jeremiah, "...let him who has my word speak my word faithfully. What has straw in common with wheat? declares the LORD" (Jer 23:26-30). And, "To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn" (Isa 8:20).
EATING AND TITHING (14). Israel was to avoid all pagan practices (v 1) because "...you are a people holy to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth" (v 2). Their diet also involved separating out unclean from clean foods. Many of the animals prohibited from their diet were predators or scavengers. On boiling a young goat in its mother's milk (v 21) see my earlier post here. Tithing is not specifically commanded for the follower of Christ, though 10% is a good place for a believer to start in their giving. The NT principle of giving is best explained by the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 8 and 9.
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Psalm 99-101.
"I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless." (Psalm 101:2b-3a)
PRAISE, THANKSGIVING, AND INTEGRITY. Psalm 99 calls us to exalt and praise the Lord, who reigns with justice and righteousness. Psalm 100 is a beloved favorite of many believers. I love this psalm sung to the Old Hundredth tune. Psalm 101 speaks of the importance of spiritual and moral integrity in our homes. There is an emphasis on what we see or look at. We cannot be sure whether this psalm was written before or after David's own fall into sin (2 Sam 11), but this is applicable to us all. For many years in our family we had the verses above (vv 2-3) printed on a card and standing before our TV screen. Not just our children, but for all of us, this is true: "Be careful, little eyes, what you see." I have just been listening again to Sinclair Ferguson's excellent message, "Dealing with Temptation" from the Basics Conference in 2017. It is so important to understand the dynamics of temptation. I would recommend that message to you.
Image credit: photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash.
We are following the Robert Murray M'Cheyne (RMM) two-year reading schedule, as arranged by D. A. Carson.
Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The NET Bible is a free, online resource, and a ministry of bible.org.
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