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Bible reading for June 26.  Deuteronomy 31. "Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you." (Deuteronomy 31:6)   TIME FOR COURAGE. Moses will soon die; Joshua will take leadership of the nation (vv 1-8). As they enter the land the Israelites are outnumbered and outclassed militarily. The call for strength and courage (vv 6, 7, 23) echoes throughout Scripture for all of God's people (Josh 1:6-9; 1 Chron 22:13; 28:20; 2 Chron 32:7; Acts 23:11; Phil 1:20; Rev 21:7-8). "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might" (Eph 6:10) . It takes strength from the Lord to do his will and to stand fast against the lies of Satan and the hostility of the world. Mark Twain once wrote, "Courage is the mastery of fear, not the absence of fear." So it is. And we find courage and strength to overcome fear by God's promises and presence.   ...

Bible reading for June 25.  Deuteronomy 30. "But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it. See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil."  (Deuteronomy 30:14-15)  RETURN, BE RESTORED. Judgment will eventually follow apostasy, but the Lord is quick to receive and to bless those who turn back to him (vv 1-10). He delights in prospering his people. The Mosaic covenant, though it revealed the weakness and sinfulness of people, nonetheless was not a performance-based relationship, though some teachers down through history sought to turn it into such.  At the heart was God's desire for his people to trust him, love him, and be faithful to him.  It was relational not meritorious. So, later, when Paul quotes this passage (vv 11-14) in his letter to the Romans (Rom 10:5-10) he compares the giving of the Law to the giving of God's Son, who came from heaven, died, and rose from the dead on our beha...

Bible reading for June 24.  Deuteronomy 29. "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law." (Deuteronomy 29:29)  COVENANT RENEWAL. Before entering the promised land the Israelites, led by Moses, renew their covenant with the Lord (v 1). They are witnesses of God's glory and works (v 2-3, 5-8).  But as confident as they feel at the time, Moses says that there is something lacking in them (v 4): "But to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear." The prophets later will say that they (and we) would need a new and better covenant in which God works upon their hearts (Jer 31:33; 32:40; Ezek 36:26-27). This inability to understand and perceive the things of God characterized the Jews all the way up to Jesus day, including even the well-educated. Nicodemus, for example, a leading rabbi, did not ...

Bible reading for June 22.  Deuteronomy 27:1 -- 28:19. "And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God." (Deuteronomy 28:2)  BLESSINGS AND CURSES. Chapters 27 through 30 are the culmination of the second giving of the Law, confirming the Mosaic covenant with the people entering the promised land (27:9). Both blessings and curses are promised. The New Testament speaks of the "curse of the law", which is actually the curse of human sin, for the law reveals and aggravates sin in us (Rom 7:7-14; Gal 3:10-24). When judgment comes upon the people of Israel in subsequent history, it is in accord with what God said would happen in these chapters. God is faithful to keep his promises. What should be noted, however, is that the Lord abounds in love and is slow to anger (Ex 34:6; Num 14:18). So, as you read the OT you will see that the people of God seemed to experience more blessings than they did curses from...

Bible reading for June 20 weekend.  Deuteronomy 25-26. "And you shall rejoice in all the good that the LORD your God has given to you and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the sojourner who is among you."  (Deuteronomy 26:11)  JUSTICE, continued. Chapters 25 and 26 give more instructions before Israel enters the land. Levirate marriage (25:5-10) may seem odd to us, since we live in a culture where marriage (or cohabitation) is considered only in terms of romance or personal fulfillment. In the ancient world marriage and children made the difference between survival or not, and perpetuating a family name or not. God's plan for marriage includes love and tenderness, to be sure, but also family security and nurture for future generations. Then also, a fair and consistent measure of exchange (25:13-16) is foundational for a just society. Any intent to deceive, even by an ounce or two, is considered an abomination.  REMEMBRANCE AND JOY. After settling ...

Bible reading for June 19.  Deuteronomy 24. "...but you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you from there; therefore I command you to do this."  (Deuteronomy 24:18)  JUSTICE. The laws in this section pertain to the protection of weaker and more vulnerable people. Jesus clarified that this teaching on divorce (vv 1-4) was a concession and not a commandment (Matt 19:3-10). God's will from the beginning has been that "...a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh" (Gen 2:24) . This chapter also addresses taking pledges (collateral) on loans, but making sure to protect the life and dignity of the borrower.  The poor were to be allowed to glean in the fields during harvest. Israel's own history of slavery was to be remembered so that they would be kind to the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the resident alien.  Question for thought : what are some of ...

Bible reading for June 18.  Deuteronomy 23. "You shall not give up to his master a slave who has escaped from his master to you. He shall dwell with you, in your midst, in the place that he shall choose within one of your towns, wherever it suits him. You shall not wrong him." (Deuteronomy 23:15-16)  PURITY (vv 1-18). It seems that one key theme here is purity. Purity of congregational worship, of personal sanitation, and of sexuality (vv 1-18). Some groups were excluded from worship with Israel. God is not racist, since he created humanity, and all ethnicities will be gathered around his throne (Rev 5:9-10; 7:9). There really is only one race -- the human race. But the groups excluded from worship in Jerusalem were nearby nations who were hostile to Israel. By God's grace there were exceptions: Rahab (a Canaanite) and Ruth (a Moabite). Faith made the difference and brought them into fellowship with God's people.  Nor is God against the disabled -- think of...

Bible reading for June 17.  Deuteronomy 22. "You shall not see your brother's ox or his sheep going astray and ignore them. You shall take them back to your brother." (Deuteronomy 22:1)  VARIOUS LAWS? The subtitle in my Bible for chapter 22 is "Various Laws".  That sounds a bit random, and these commandments may seem unrelated, but they are specific applications of God's law to situations they would face in the new land. These in chapter 22 center around having respect for property, for life, and for sexuality and marriage.  Care for livestock relates to animal life and property (vv 1-4). The mother bird and its young (vv 6-7), like the goat and its mother's milk (Ex 23:19; 34:26), relate to the special bond of mother and young.  The roof parapet saves people from accidental falls and death (v 8). The laws against admixture (vv 9-11) is designed to reinforce to the Israelite that he has been separated from the other nations. The rest of the la...

Bible reading for June 16.  Deuteronomy 21. "And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance."  (Deuteronomy 21:22-23)  CIVIL LAW. In this chapter there are continued instructions concerning justice: regarding unsolved murders, female captives, inheritance of the firstborn, and judgment of rebellious sons (vv 1-21). These judicial decisions reflect the underlying value that God places upon human life (created in the image of God), and upon authority within the family. (See the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy 5, especially those relating to life and family.) However, these particular judgments were part of the civil code of Israel, and regulated their national life under the Mosaic covenant. Believer...

Bible reading for June 15.  Deuteronomy 20. "Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them, for the LORD your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory." (Deuteronomy 20:3-4) WARFARE. The time of battle is drawing near, and some of the men may have reasons to exempt themselves (vv 1-9). Terms of peace are to be offered to some of the cities (vv 10-11) but not to the six nations listed (v 17).  Conversion was an option (like Rahab), as was flight. In considering this situation we should remember that in those days warfare was a fact of life (as it still is in many parts of the world today), and that there were no prisons or jails or internment camps. Those not killed would return the next season to fight, or if they remained in the land, would undermine the new nation by idolatry. All of this is a picture of an invisible war, whereby Satan, and the influence of the fallen world, and our sinful flesh fight against the bel...

Bible reading for weekend June 13-14.  Deuteronomy 18-19. "I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him." (Deuteronomy 18:18-19)   A PROPHET LIKE MOSES (18). Moses reiterates the support needed for the Levites (vv 1-8), which in the NT is applied to those who, like the apostles, proclaim the gospel (1 Cor 9:13-14). Occult practices are treated in the same way as idolatry (vv 9-14), which likewise are condemned in the New Testament (Acts 13:6-8; 19:19; Gal 5:20; Rev 9:21). Rather than through occult methods  God's people are informed of truth via God's revelation through his prophets (vv 15-22). This is the beginning of the OT office of prophet, but the singular "a prophet" (v 15) points ahead to the ultimate Prophet, the Lord Jesus ...

Bible reading for June 11.  Deuteronomy 16.  "You shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are within your towns." (Deuteronomy 16:14)  THE FESTIVALS. When Israel comes into the land they are to continue observing the feasts the Lord commanded them in Exodus and Leviticus. In this chapter it is noted several times that these will be celebrated "at the place the Lord your God will choose" (vv 6, 7, 11, 15, 16). God himself determines where and how he is to be worshiped. Note also the references to joy (vv 11, 14, 15). It is God's desire that his people rejoice in the Lord and in what he provides, and to rejoice with others.  And the joy of worship should overflow in the blessing of those who are in need. (See yesterday's post.) TAKEAWAY. God's chosen place of worship is none other than the Lord Jesus himself (John 4...

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 expre...