Day 66 - Deuteronomy 26-28

ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 66 - Deuteronomy 26-28 (Who Are God's Chosen People?)
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"Also today the Lord has proclaimed you to be His special people, just as He promised you, that you should keep all His commandments, and that He will set you high above all nations which He has made, in praise, in name, and in honor, and that you may be a holy people to the Lord your God, just as He has spoken."  (Deuteronomy 26:18-19)

Throughout the whole Bible, Israel is called God's chosen people or God's special people or God's holy nation.  It all began when God chose Abraham to be the father of a nation that will be called by God's name.  He did so because all the nations of the world at that time were evil and God wanted to form a nation that will be known as His people.

In the New Testament, however, Christians were also called God's special people as we read from the first letter of the apostle Peter to the Christians:  "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy."  (1 Peter 2:9-10)

The question naturally arises: Has God replaced the nation of Israel with the Church of Christ as His special people?  The simple answer is no.  Both the old and new testaments contain many prophecies concerning the nation of Israel that have yet to be fulfilled and since God always does what He says He will do, we can be certain that those unfulfilled prophecies concerning Israel will absolutely come to pass in the future.

One example of the many unfulfilled prophecies concerning Israel is God's promise that all Israel will be saved as the apostle Paul has written:   "For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.  And so all Israel will be saved,  as it is written: "The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins."  ,Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.  For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable."  (Romans 11:25-29)

No one in their right mind today will say that all Israel is saved.  In fact, the majority of Israeli citizens today do not even believe in God.  Therefore, we can conclude that the fulfilment of this promise is yet in the future and therefore we can also conclude that God has not replaced Israel as His chosen people even though Christians now also enjoy a special election as God's "chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy."  (1 Peter 2:9-10)

Paul went on to write the purpose of God for allowing Israel to temporarily reject her Messiah and turning His attention to the Church whose citizens are made up of true Christians:  "'For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy.  For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.  Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!  "For who has known the mind of the Lord?  Or who has become His counselor?" ; "Or who has first given to Him and it shall be repaid to him?"  For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen."'  (Romans 11:30-36)

Day 65 - Deuteronomy 23-25

ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 65 - Deuteronomy 23-25 (Don't Make a Vow You Can't Keep)
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"When you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay to pay it; for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and it would be sin to you.  But if you abstain from vowing, it shall not be sin to you.  That which has gone from your lips you shall keep and perform, for you voluntarily vowed to theLord your God what you have promised with your mouth."  (Deuteronomy 23:21-23)

Many well-meaning and God-loving people during moments of either desperation or inspiration, make vows to God that they were not able to keep.  For example, a person who is in a serious trouble makes a vow to give something to God if He gets him out of his bind but then does not make good on his promise after God helps him.  In today's text, God tells us that we must surely follow thru on our vows to Him without delay.  By including the phrase without delay, God is removing any excuse that we may present to Him for postponing to fulfill our vows.

God said that the reason why He commands us to fulfill our vows to Him is because He "will will surely require it of you, and it would be sin to you."  God takes our vows to Him seriously; how serious?  An illustration from marriage may help us understand.  When a groom vows to be faithful to his bride and then later on breaks his vows, the wife naturally is devastated.  If a human being could feel such pain when a vow made to her is broken, how much more hurt is God when we break the vow we made to Him?

Thankfully, God gives us a way of avoiding the sin of breaking a vow to Him: don't make a vow, duh.  In other words, it is better not to make a vow than to make a vow with the slightest chance of breaking it.  Jesus taught about the same thing in His sermon on the mount:   "Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, "You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.' But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.  Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.  But let your "Yes' be "Yes,' and your "No,' "No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one. (Matthew 5:33-37)

So what does this all mean to me, you may ask.  Simply this: if you have made a vow to God, fulfill it or else be prepared to face the consequences; and henceforth from today, it is better for you not to make a vow to God than to do so and fail to fulfill it.  I would add my own opinion here, though; it would be best if you can make a vow to God that you resolve with all your heart to keep because then it will redound to the glory of God.  

One example of a vow made to God by Hannah, one of the two wives of Elkanah, who was barren with child and who made a vow to God to dedicate her son to God as priest should God grant her one.  God honored her vow and granted her a son whom she named Samuel and who became the last judge of Israel and who anoited Israel's first two kings, namely, Saul and David.

If you think you can keep a vow you make to God just like Hannah did, may God give you all power to do so and to God be the glory! 

Day 64 - Deuteronomy 18-22

ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 64 - Deuteronomy 18-22 (A Leadership Lesson From God's War Strategy)
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"When you go out to battle against your enemies... the officers shall speak to the people, saying: 'What man is there who has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man dedicate it.  Also what man is there who has planted a vineyard and has not eaten of it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man eat of it.  And what man is there who is betrothed to a woman and has not married her? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man marry her.'  The officers shall speak further to the people, and say, 'What man is there who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house, lest the heart of his brethren faint like his heart.'"  (Deuteronomy 20:5-8)

Since I began writing my daily devotional through the whole Bible which started January 1st of this year, 2015, I have always written in such a way as to reach the widest possible reading audience.  Why? Because that is my purpose in writing the devotionals - to help as many readers as possible to learn God's Word.  Today, I realize that I am writing to a very limited group of people - I'm not even sure if any of this type will read this post.  I would like to write about how to form a team with the goal of winning.

If you are still reading this, I would love to know who you are for we share a kindred spirit.  I was fascinated when I read the text above because it revealed a side of God which is seldom taught - that of a master strategist.  As Commander-in-Chief of Israel's army, God wanted only the brave and committed.  That was the reason behind passing the soldiers through a "strainer" in order to sift out those who were not fit to win the battle.

We see this same strategy employed by God when He called Gideon to form his army that started with thirty-two thousand and ended with three hundred and with those few whole-hearted men, God gave Gideon a great victory.  We can say the same thing about King David's mighty men, each of whom could defeat a hundred men in a single battle - how?  Becuase they were fearless and fully committed to their cause as well as to their God.

 None other than the Lord Jesus Christ modeled this leadership principle when He selected the twelve apostles.  He made it easy for each one of the twelve to say no or to quit because He wanted to build a team who would be willing to die for His cause - and so they did except of course for the traitor Judas.  The communists learned this strategy and almost conquered the world by using it.  Unfortunately, most Christian leaders are slow or completely fail to even recognize this crucial leadership principle and as a result fail miserable in their mission.

 So here's the leadership lesson for those of us who are leaders: If you want to form a winning team, pick only individuals who are fully committed to your cause and who will not quit when the going gets tough.  The leader who lacks the wisdom and patience to understand and emply this leadership principle will not attain lasting success; those few who do will be unstoppable.

Day 63 - Deuteronomy 14-17

ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 63 - Deuteronomy 14-17 (How Does God Want Us To Respond To The Poor?)
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 7 "If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, 8 but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs.... 10 You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand. 11 For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, 'You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.'"  (Deuteronomy 15:7-11) 

If you are reading this devotional, you are most likely fairly well to do and feel that you have not been doing enough to help the poor.  It is quite clear from our text above that God wants you and me to help the poor whenever we are presented with the need as much as we are able to.  Jesus taught the same truth in the New Testament; He even said that whatever we do for the poor, we are also do to Him (25:34-36).

I don't know about you but I admit that I have not done enough as I could in helping the poor who God wants me to help.  I was born and raised in the Philippines where poverty is widespread.  In fact, I am here in the Philippines for a short visit as I write this short devotion.  I believe that God is calling me to start a ministry here that will eventually help my own people in their plight.  How?  I'm still not sure exactly but I know that God will gradually unfold it to me as I faithfully follow His leading in my life and ministry.

God probably will not call you to foreign missions like He is calling me but I am sure that He is calling you to be involved in helping the poor.  God will show you exactly what He wants you to do as you continue if you truly seek and ask Him.  You can start by finding out which are the reputable Christian ministries are helping the poor like Samaritan's Purse or Compassion International and by donating money to these organizations.

May God guide you as you seek out ways to obey His command to help the poor.  If you do, He promises to "bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand." 

Day 62 - Deuteronomy 11-13

ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 62 - Deuteronomy 11-13 (Blessing for Obedience and Curse for Disobedience)
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"Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you today; and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known."  (Deuteronomy 11:26-28)

Perhaps the best way to summarize the heart of the law of God as given to Moses  is this: blessing for obedience and curse for disobedience.  There was only one problem, though; that is, no one was able to keep all of the commandments.  Because of man's inability to obey the law, God provided a way of atonement or reparation for man's sin of disobedience by instituting animal blood sacrifice.  The idea was that the blood of the innocent animal was shed in place of the sinner's own blood for his sins.

This very same principles of blessing for obedience and curse of disobedience are the foundation every culture and society in the world.  Without them, chaos and disorder will prevail because people will do whatever they want without fear of consequences.  

The provision for temporary atonement of sins in the Old Testament through animal sacrifices was not intended as a license to disobey God's laws.  Disobedience still brought a curse upon the sinner and obedience brought blessing to the faithful worshiper.  It was God's way of motivating the people to obey His commands as well as instilling fear in them not to disobey Him.

One question to ponder with regards to the above thought is this: Has this principle changed with the coming of Jesus and the new covenant that He ushered in?  I believe that one major change that the new testament  introduced is that Jesus has borne the curse of sin upon His own body on the cross as the perfect Lamb sacrificed once for all for the sins of the world.  As a result, all who have trusted in Christ for salvation no longer need to fear the curse of sin.

Does this mean that a Christian who disobeys God's commands will no longer suffer any punishment for that sin or sins?  The Bible teaches that when a Christian sins, his fellowship with God is broken and awaits to be restored through genuine confession and repentance.  If the sinning believer confesses and asks forgiveness, his fellowship with God is instantly restored and he then experiences that blessing that follows that fellowship.

If you have never known the full forgiveness of all yours sins through salvation in Christ, pray right now to God to forgive you in Christ and He promises that He will.  If you are a Christian living in disobedience to God, confess your sins right now and God will restore you back in fellowship with Him just as before.

Day 61 - Deuteronomy 8-10

ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 61 - Deuteronomy 8-10 (Why Spiritual Fasting Matters)
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"So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD."  (Deuteronomy 8:3-4)

In our Scripture reading for today, Moses reminds the Israelites that they need to be careful to observe every commandment of God as they enter the land which God is giving them to possess.   Moses points out that the very reason God allowed them to suffer in the wilderness was to test them whether they will keep His commandments or not.  This included the diet of manna for forty years so that they might know that "man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."

The Lord Jesus when He tempted by the devil to turn the stones into bread in the wilderness when He did not eat for forty days quoted the same exact passage written by Moses:  "It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."  (Matthew 4:4)  

It is clear from the Bible that God wants us to regard His Word more than we value physical food for our body.   Job understood this truth and lived it as evidenced by his own profession:  "I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food."  (Job 23:12)  

Yes, fasting is perhaps the ultimate proof that a person truly treasures God's Word more than food. Real spiritual fasting has as its purpose, to deny the body its basic need which is food, in order to say to God, "Lord, I treasure You and Your Word which I will read during this fast, as proof of my love and devotion."

Moses and Jesus fasted and so did many other godly men including Job and the apostles and many godly men and women still do so today.  These are those who actually live out and practice loving God and His Word more than food.  I realize, though, that to treasure God's Word more than food is easier said than done; for how many of even the most mature Christians could truthfully say that they have loved God's Word more than food so that they are willing to fast from food for many days in order to feed more on God's Word?

I am ashamed to say that I have not been practicing this spiritual discipline in my own life on a regular basis.  This short devotion has convicted me that I need to live out and practice what I preach about treasuring God's Word more than anything in this life.   "Lord, please forgive me for not treasuring your Word more than food.  Help me to begin a regular discipline of fasting in order to deny my body its basic need as proof of my love and devotion to You and Your Word.  Amen."

Day 60 - Deuteronomy 5-7

ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE

Day 60 - Deuteronomy 5-7 (How Much Do You Love God?)

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"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.  "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-7)

Shema Yisrael (or Sh'ma Yisrael; Hebrew: שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל‎; "Hear, [O] Israel") are the first two words of a section of the Torah, and is the title (sometimes shortened to simply Shema) of a prayer that serves as a centerpiece of the morning and evening Jewish prayer services.   Observant Jews consider the Shema to be the most important part of the prayer service in Judaism, and its twice-daily recitation as a mitzvah(religious commandment). It is traditional for Jews to say the Shema as their last words, and for parents to teach their children to say it before they go to sleep at night.  (Wikipedia)

Enough of the wiki material and on to the practical application of our Scripture passage.  For years now, I have tried to include the essence of the Shema in my morning and evening prayers together with my children and wife.  My highest desire and ambition for myself and my family is to love the Lord with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  I admire A.W. Tozer, a man of God who is known for his deep love and passion for God, for making public his ambition in life which was to love God more than any other person in history.

What does it mean to love God with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength?  From reading the whole Scripture from Genesis to Revelation, the common reader will learn a few basic and simple truths regarding the question above.  I will list a few that come to mind:

-it means to obey God’s commands

-it means to love others as you love yourself

-it means to trust God fully especially when the temptation is to trust in man including yourself

-it means to take God at His Word, believing that whatever He says will happen exactly as He said it would

-it means to hate sin

-it means to not conform to the standards of this world but rather to be transformed by the renewing of your mind through God’s Word

-it means to love His Word, the Bible more than food and any pleasure this world offers

-it means to be willing to die rather than deny God

-it means to be a disciple of Christ, denying yourself and carrying your cross (dying constantly to your own selfish desires and your pre-conceived rights

-it means spending time talking with God in prayer

-it means sharing God’s Word, especially the gospel of salvation, to others

-it means loving God’s chosen people, the Jews

-it means giving to God your money, talents and time

I can add to the list above but I think it would be better it you do.  More important than knowing what it means to love God is to actually practice it.  So, how are you doing with the above list?