Devotionary

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Ep 1004 – Deuteronomy 29:1-15 Jul 18, 2020

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God Is Faithful. Are You?

With the close of chapter 28, Moses is officially done with his recitation of God's law and his declaration of God's blessings and curses. Now, it's time for the people to recommit themselves to keeping God's law. They had made a covenant with God some 40 years earlier. Actually, it had been their parents who had ratified the covenant that God had made with them. But they were long gone, having died off in the wilderness because of their refusal to trust God and enter the promised land. But despite their departure, God's covenant was still valid because God had kept His part of the commitment. And He was expecting the next generation to their part. He had proven Himself to be faithful, but would they do the same? Here they were, some 40 years later, standing on the eastern bank of the Jordan, waiting to enter the land God had promised to give them. They knew God's law and they were painfully aware of the curses and blessings that accompanied either disobedience or obedience. Now, what would they do?

Ep 1003 – Deuteronomy 28:58-68 Jul 17, 2020

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Deuteronomy 28 is a long chapter and it contains its fair share of depressing news. A great portion of its 68 verses have to do with the curses God warns He will bring upon the nation of Israel should they prove to be unwilling to keep His law and to faithfully worship and serve Him alone. And in verses 58-68 Moses wraps up his lengthy list of curses with the grand finale. If the people remain obstinate in their rebellion against God, He will see to it that they end up right back where they started: As slaves in the land of Egypt. Not only will they experience some of the same plagues that God had brought upon their former taskmasters, but they will find themselves living in the same abysmal conditions their ancestors had experienced. It will be the exodus in reverse. And their return to Egypt will be marked by the absence of rest, a lack of abundance, and a loss of the peace that accompanies God's presence.

Ep 1002 – Deuteronomy 28:52-57 Jul 16, 2020

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Deuteronomy 28:52-57 is one of the most difficult passages in all of Scripture. In it, Moses explains to the people what will happen if they choose to disobey God. He has already warned them that God will bring curses upon them, but these verses describe something that would have sent chills up their spines. The judgment of God was going to be so severe and the ramifications of it, so intense, that they would end up committing atrocities that were beyond their ability to comprehend. Moses tells them that, when the city of Jerusalem comes under siege by the Babylonians, the people will end up starving and then resorting to cannibalism in order to survive. The self-destructive nature of sin was going to run its full course, producing a kind of barbarism among the people of God that was unthinkable, yet unavoidable. Failure to remain faithful to God was going to prove deadly, in more ways than one.

Ep 1001 – Deuteronomy 28:36-51 Jul 15, 2020

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hen Israel finally made it into the promised land, they would end up living life in 3D. And those 3 Ds would be disobedience, discipline, and destruction. While God had promised them an abundance of blessings if they would simply obey His commands, they were going to choose disobedience, which would eventually bring the loving discipline of God. That discipline was designed to bring repentance. But when the people of Israel failed to repent, the end result would be their ultimate destruction, brought upon them by God. In Deuteronomy 28:36-51, Moses continues to warn the Israelites about the very real consequences that will accompany their refusal to remain faithful to God. Things will go from bad to worse. Their rebellion against God will force Him to fulfill His promise of judgment. And it will not be a pretty picture when it happens. In fact, their disobedience will result in their ultimate destruction.

Ep 1000 – Deuteronomy 28:25-35 Jul 14, 2020

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How would you like to have been in Moses' sandals, forced to deliver a less-than-appealing message of doom and gloom to the people of Israel? He was having to deliver some significantly bad news to the nation, warning them of what was going to happen should they choose to disobey God's commands. And it wasn't a pretty picture. In Deuteronomy 28:25-35, Moses continues to describe just how bad things were going to get in Israel should they decide to ignore God's law and live in rebellion to His clearly communicated code of conduct. Moses presents a prophetic description of the future, complete with the defeat of Israel before her enemies, a plethora of devastating plagues, financial loss, destroyed homes, and domestic ruin. Things are going to go from bad to worse. And all because the people of God will refuse to obey the word of God.

Ep 999 – Deuteronomy 28:15-24 Jul 13, 2020

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Moses has given the people of Israel the good news. If they obey, they will be blessed. But now, in Deuteronomy 28:15-23, he delivers the bad news. If they choose to disobey God, they will a experience a long list of curses that will come in a wide variety of forms, but all extremely negative and uncomfortable. The list is designed to stand diametrically opposed to all the blessings God promised if the people will only obey His commands. They have a clear choice to make. And to make their decision easier, God provides a black-and-white contrast between the two options facing them. They can obey and experience the blessings of God. Or they can disobey and feel the full weight of God's wrath in the form of very tangible curses. You didn't have to be a rocket scientist to figure this one out. But the people of Israel weren't the brightest bulbs in the box. In virtually no time at all, they would make their choice known and experience an unfortunate, but unsurprising reversal of fortunes.

Ep 998 – Deuteronomy 28:1-14 Jul 12, 2020

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The warning about the curses came first. But Moses quickly follows it up with a list of blessings that will accompany obedience. If the Israelites will simply do what God has commanded, they will experience a life beyond their wildest imaginations. They will be blessed beyond belief. Even the pagan nations will become jealous when they see all that God does for His chosen people. But as Deuteronomy 28:1-14 makes painfully clear, they would have to obey God if they wanted to be blessed by God. Hearing was not enough. Familiarity with God's laws was not going to cut it. He was expecting His people to hear and obey. Not only that, He was demanding that they love His laws as much as they say they love Him. As Jesus told His disciples, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments" (John 14:14 ESV). Obedience is an expression of love. And God loves to reward those who prove their love for Him by obeying Him.

Ep 997 – Deuteronomy 27:11-26 Jul 11, 2020

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Moses has spent a great deal of time telling the people of Israel what God expected of them. He has given them a lengthy to-do list and now, he's going to tell them what will happen if they choose not to follow God's commands. In Deuteronomy 27:11-26, we have the first of the curses that God warns will come upon the people of Israel should they decide to disobey His laws. And, as we'll see, the list is lengthy and highly specific. It seems that God is quite particular about the behavior of His people. He didn't simply command them to "be holy." He told them exactly what holiness was to look like in daily life. And to ensure that they took His commands seriously, He attached to them some extremely serious-sounding curses. Holiness was going to be non-optional. Oh, they could choose to live unholy lives, but they would soon discover that to do so would cost them dearly.

Ep 996 – Deuteronomy 27:1-10 Jul 10, 2020

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Israel's status as God's chosen people was not something they were to take for granted. They enjoyed a privileged position unlike any other people group on the planet. And as they prepared to enter the land promised to them by God, Moses commanded them to construct a stone monument that would serve as a memorial to God's holiness, as reflected in His law. Their relationship with God had been His doing. They had done nothing to deserve His goodness and grace. But now, as they prepared to enter the inheritance He had provided for them, they were going to be expected to live up to their status as His precious possession. In Deuteronomy 27:1-10, Moses calls them to live up to their identity as the people of God by willfully obeying the commands of God.

Ep 995 – Deuteronomy 26:12-19 Jul 09, 2020

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Love for God. Love for others. Both of these things were to be considered non-negotiables for the people of God. And as Moses prepared the nation of Israel for their imminent entry into the land of Canaan, he wanted them to understand just how important it was that they care for the needy among them. To claim a love for God while ignoring those less fortunate in their community, whom God had made, was nothing less than hypocrisy. Deuteronomy 26:12-19 contains a powerful reminder regarding God's law concerning the offering for the Levites, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow. These individuals had been designated by God to be the recipients of a special offering that was to be collected every third year and distributed on an as-need basis. The neglect of these four groups would be viewed as a personal affront to God. They were near and dear to Him and He had provided for them by blessing the rest of the community with more than they needed.

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