Category: Deuteronomy

As Genesis, the first book of Moses ended, so does Deuteronomy, with a blessing. 

(Okay, okay.  Technically the final chapters are not blessings in either book, but it’s close enough.)

And while Jacob prayed specifically over his sons, Moses prayed over their descendants, tribe by tribe. 

As I read this, I wondered how often do I pray this way over people in their presence and in such detail? 

Think about the kinds of things Moses prayed for.

He prayed for help against their enemies. (Deuteronomy 33:7) 

One thing it’s always important to remember is we’re fighting a war. 

But as Paul writes, it’s not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces. (Ephesians 6:12)

Because of this, we ought to be praying for others as they fight that war.

He prayed that God would bless the work of their hands as they served him. (verse 11)

We too should pray for others, and especially for our pastors that God would bless them as they lead the church.

He prayed for security and rest. (12)

It’s so easy to get trampled by the worries that abound in this world.  And so we all have need for the peace that passes understanding.

He prayed for material blessings. (13-16)

This is not to say that we are to necessarily pray that people be wealthy.  But we pray that God would bless them that they in turn can be blessings to others.  (2 Corinthians 9:8-11)

It’s very easy to pray general blessings on people. 

Let’s start praying more specific prayers. 

I don’t know about you, but I could use as many of those as I can get.

God had no illusions about the righteousness of the Israelites.  He knew how faithless they had been, and how faithless they would be. 

For that reason, he told Moses to write a song, so that when they turned from God, and things went wrong in their lives, they would know why.

Basically the song was one of God’s goodness to them, and their unfaithfulness to him despite that. 

This song, then, was to be a warning to them, but it also was to give them hope as well. 

God told them,

See now that I myself am He!
There is no god besides me.

I put to death and I bring to life,
I have wounded and I will heal.  (Deuteronomy 32:39)

But the words that strike me most are found in verses 46-47 of chapter 32.  Moses told them,

Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law.  

They are not just idle words for you—they are your life.

I suppose it was God’s way of saying, “I’m not saying this just to waste my breath.  Pay attention.  These words will give you life if you follow them.”

And he says the same thing to us, not just of his written word, but of his living Word, that is Jesus. 

Jesus is the visible expression of all God is.  He came to this earth, taught us what God is like, and the way God wants us to live. 

Then he died on a cross to take the punishment for our sin. 

His life is not to be just idle words to us, just words on a page. 

His life gives us life if we’ll just put our faith in him.

John put it this way,

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us (John 1:14).

And,

To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12)

So don’t treat Jesus as just an idle word, something that can just be ignored. 

Give your life to him. 

For he is the one that gives life.

All of us have had people that influenced our lives. 

It may have been your mom or dad.  It might’ve been a teacher or friend.  It might’ve been a pastor.

But eventually, the time will come when they can’t be there for you anymore.  Either because they move away, or pass on to the other side. 

And so the question is, what do you do when they’re not there for you anymore?

That’s what Joshua and the people of Israel were facing. 

Moses had led them in the desert for 40 years.  But now, he told them,

I am now a hundred and twenty years old and I am no longer able to lead you.

The Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not cross the Jordan.’ (Deuteronomy 31:2)

I wonder what Joshua and the people thought when they heard it.

I would guess there was a cold emptiness in their stomachs. 

They probably thought to themselves, “Moses isn’t going with us?  But what are we going to do without him?  We can’t go on without him.”

But Moses told the people,

The Lord your God himself will cross over ahead of you… 

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you…

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.

Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.  (Deuteronomy 31:3, 6, 8)

So many times, we go through tough times in our lives.  We face mountains that are tough to climb.  We face trials that bring us to our knees. 

But Moses told the people, and he tells us that we are not alone. 

God goes before us.  He is with us.  And he’ll never leave or forsake us. 

So be strong. 

Be courageous. 

Don’t be afraid. 

Don’t be discouraged.

When Isaiah foretold the birth of Jesus, he said that the child would be called Immanuel, which means God with us.  (Isaiah 7:14). 

That’s what God wants us to know. 

We are not alone.  We are never alone. 

People may leave us. 

People may fail us. 

But God is with us, and he will always be.

And the years they come
And the years they go
Though we may forget somehow
That the child once born in Bethlehem is still among us now.

Immanuel.  God with us.  — Amy Grant

Blessings and curses. 

That’s basically what these chapters come down to. 

God told the people he had great blessings in store for them, if they would only love, obey, and follow him. 

But if they turned from him, he let them know curses would come down upon them as well. 

These blessings and curses were given specifically to the Israelites, so I won’t go into great detail about them.  But there are some things that I think we can take from them.

First, no matter how far the people fell, God was always looking to restore them. 

He told them in chapter 30, that no matter how bad their situation was because of their sin, he would restore them.  That he would work in their hearts so that they would want to come back to him and love and obey him. 

The same is true with us.  No matter how far we walk away from God, he’s always looking to restore us.  He’s always working in our hearts to bring us back.

Second, God’s ways are not hidden. 

God doesn’t hide what he wants from us.  He doesn’t punish us for things we don’t know.  He told the Israelites exactly what he wanted. 

Even Israel’s enemies knew God’s expectations.  

God said,

All the nations will ask: “Why has the Lord done this to this land? Why this fierce, burning anger (against Israel)?”

And the answer will be: “It is because this people abandoned the covenant of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the covenant he made with them when he brought them out of Egypt.  (Deuteronomy 29:24-25)

God further told the people,

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.  (Deuteronomy 29:29)

Because of this, there was no excuse for the Israelites.

Nor is there any excuse for us when we turn from him and sin.

But not only has God’s word been revealed, it is attainable.  God said,

Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.

It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?”

Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?”

No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.  (Deuteronomy 30:11-14)

Here we see that God’s word was attainable in the sense that anyone who wanted could hear them could. 

However, as the apostle Paul would write later, it was not attainable in the sense that all of us sin. 

The law cannot make us righteous; it can only point out the sin in our lives.

But then Paul quotes this passage in Deuteronomy to show that righteousness before God is now attainable through faith in Christ. 

He said,

But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?'” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?'” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).

But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim:

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.  (Romans 10:6-10)

So no longer do we seek to be righteous before God through our own efforts, but through the work of Christ on the cross. 

All we need to do now is believe. 

As Jesus said,

The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.  (John 6:29)

And so now God’s words take on a new light as he says,

…Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him.

For the Lord is your life.  (Deuteronomy 30:19-20)

God revealed himself through Christ 2000 years ago. 

Now, the work of God is to believe in his Son that we might live. 

So let us choose life. 

For Jesus is our life.

Christmas is now several days away as I write this, and it is a time to be grateful. 

Grateful for the gift of God’s Son. 

Grateful for the gift of eternal life.

That’s what I think as I read this passage. 

God commanded the people that when they brought their firstfruits before God, they were to recall all that God had done for Israel. 

They were to remember how he had called Abraham and made him into a great nation

And they were to recall how he then delivered their nation out of slavery in Egypt, bringing them into this land flowing with milk and honey. 

With that in mind, then, they were to place their firstfruits before God and bow down before him, rejoicing with everyone around them in God’s goodness.

That should be our attitude as well. 

We should take the time to show our gratefulness to God for all he has done, and not just at Christmas, but all year round.

Gratefulness for choosing us. 

Gratefulness for sending Jesus to come and die for us. 

Gratefulness for the gift of the Holy Spirit who lives inside of us. 

And gratefulness for the hope that we have some day.

There’s an old worship song that I love.  We never sing it anymore, and it’s not technically a Christmas song, but it’s what Christmas is all about.

You did not wait for me to draw near to you,
But you clothed yourself in frail humanity.

You did not  wait for me to cry out to you.
But you let me hear your voice calling me.

And I’m forever grateful to you.
I’m forever grateful for the cross.

I’m forever grateful to you.
That you came to seek and save the lost. — Martin J. Nystrom

I had an interesting conversation with a young woman yesterday. 

We were talking about honesty in business, and the following scenario was brought up. 

If two companies were bidding for your product, but the bids were lower than you want, would you lie to them and tell them that their competitor was offering a higher price?

Without hesitation, she said yes, the reason being that, “this was business.”

I pushed her a little further and asked, “What would happen if these businesses would found out you lied to them?”  

She answered, “Well, we’d probably lose their business.”

“And if your boss found out what happened,”  I asked.

“Oh, he wouldn’t mind.  He would understand it was just business and we’d find other clients.”

I don’t know if she’s reading her boss right, but one thing I do know.  God abhors that kind of thinking.  He said,

Do not have two differing weights in your bag—one heavy, one light. Do not have two differing measures in your house—one large, one small.

You must have accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

For the Lord your God detests anyone who does these things, anyone who deals dishonestly. (Deuteronomy 25:13-16)

Yet the world in which we live doesn’t always think that way.  Instead, lying becomes almost an approved business practice. 

Until you get caught anyway.

Several years back, a company in Japan named Snow Brand Milk lost its reputation after being caught in lie after lie. 

There was a food poisoning incident in which 15,000 people were affected.  But instead of coming clean with the problem, they tried to cover it up. 

Later, they lied about where their beef was being produced in order to gain government subsidies. 

And finally, they got in trouble for relabeling the expiry dates for their butter.

Yet this is the kind of thing that can happen when you start saying, “Well this is just business.”

God doesn’t accept those kinds of excuses.  He expects his people to deal with others honestly, whether it’s in business or in our personal relationships. 

Why? Because when we don’t, it not only destroys trust in a relationship, but puts  a stain on those who follow dishonest practices. 

And as God’s people, we need to be above reproach.

As Paul wrote, we are not to “conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”  (Romans 12:2)

In business and in your personal life, how honest are you?

Very interesting passage here about marriage and divorce. 

The Pharisees used it to justify divorcing their wives, with the only bone of contention being what constitutes “indecent.”

I’m not going to get into that now, other than to repeat what Jesus said to the Pharisees:

God never commanded divorce.  Rather, he allowed it as a concession to their hardness of heart.  (Matthew 19:8) 

Couples  first harden their hearts to God and his ideal on marriage (Matthew 19:4-6), and then they harden their hearts to each other.

But the second part of this passage has a verse that strikes me. 

God told the people,

If a man has recently married, he must not be sent to war or have any other duty laid on him.

For one year he is to be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married.  (Deueteronomy 24:5)

God apparently knew the importance of the first year of marriage.  And he wanted to make sure that it got off to a good start. 

I love the last phrase, “he is to be free to…bring happiness to the wife he has married.”

I think in that one little phrase, we see a key principle to keeping marriages strong: a desire to bring happiness to each other. 

So often, marriages fall apart because instead of focusing on their spouse, husbands and wives focus on themselves.

Instead of thinking about how to please their spouse, they’re always complaining that their spouse doesn’t please them. 

That in fact, was  the very root of divorce mentioned in verse 1.

If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her… (Deuteronomy 24:1)

Here you see what the man’s focus is. 

It’s no longer on pleasing his wife.   Rather, it’s on how she is displeasing to him. 

And because of that selfish way of thinking, he now desires to divorce his wife.

I think it should be pointed out that God puts primary responsibility for keeping the marriage healthy on the husband. 

It is the husband, he says, who is to do what he can to bring happiness to his wife. 

Why the focus on the husband?  Perhaps because he knew how women are wired. 

Women were created to be responders.  And when they see their husband seeking to bring happiness to them, they in turn seek to bring happiness to their husband.

But when women don’t get that love from their husband, when they sense that their husband is more focused on his own happiness than her own, that’s when they start nagging their husband and complaining against him. 

Then the husband gets ticked off, becoming more selfish and less loving toward his wife, leading the marriage into a downward spiral to divorce. 

Unless, that is, someone makes the decision to stop that spiral, stop being selfish, and focus on the other’s happiness instead of their own. 

Even so, it takes both sides to make a marriage work. 

And God, as I said, says it should start with the husband.

Because of that, Paul writes this command to husbands,

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.  (Ephesians 5:25)

Christ was the ultimate husband.  He didn’t look out for his own interests.  Rather, he gave up everything for the church, that is, you and me. 

As Paul wrote,

Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.  (Ephesians 5:25-27)

So husbands, are you dissatisfied with your marriage?  Then stop focusing on yourself, and start focusing on your wife. 

Stop focusing on your happiness, and start focusing on hers.

And as you do, more than likely, you’ll find that your marriage will begin to go in an upward spiral into the kind of union that God intended from the beginning.

In this passage, God sets out some sanitary laws, (which was probably a good idea since they had no sewage system in those days). 

But in doing so, he impressed on the people the need for purity. 

He said,

When you are encamped against your enemies, keep away from everything impure…

For the Lord your God moves about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you.

Your camp must be holy, so that he will not see among you anything indecent and turn away from you. (Deuteronomy 23:9, 14)

Verse 14 particularly strikes me.  The Lord is always among us, and desires to protect us and deliver us from the attacks of Satan. 

But in our lives, our “camp” must be holy.  There is to be nothing indecent or impure in us.

David wrote in Psalm 101,

I will be careful to lead a blameless life—
when will you come to me?

I will walk in my house
with blameless heart.

I will set before my eyes
no vile thing. (Psalm 101:2-3)

People often strive to keep themselves pure in public if only to maintain their image. 

But how about in our homes?  Do we walk in our homes with blameless hearts?  Are we careful to live blameless lives in our homes?  Or are there things we hide in the closet of our hearts?

God cannot dwell where there is sin.  And so he tells us to keep away from all things that are impure. 

How is your heart today?  Is it pure?  Or impure?

“But it’s not my responsibility!”

That’s an age old excuse going all the way to the time of Cain.  When God asked Cain where Abel was, Cain replied, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”  (Genesis 4:9)

But God did hold Cain accountable for Abel, particularly since Cain was responsible for Abel’s murder.

And God makes it clear in this passage that we are responsible for looking out for one another.  He said,

If you see your brother’s ox or sheep straying, do not ignore it but be sure to take it back to him.

If the brother does not live near you or if you do not know who he is, take it home with you and keep it until he comes looking for it. Then give it back to him.

Do the same if you find your brother’s donkey or his cloak or anything he loses. Do not ignore it.

If you see your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen on the road, do not ignore it. Help him get it to its feet. (Deuteronomy 22:1-4)

God did not leave room for people to say, “It’s not my responsibility,” when it comes to helping our brother or sister.  He made it our responsibility. 

And he was only talking about your brother’s or sister’s possessions.  How much more does he ask us to care for the person themselves.

That was the attitude of the Samaritan in Jesus’ parable in Luke 10.  He saw the need of his neighbor and went out of his way to help him.

Why does God ask this of us?  Because he did the same for us. 

Can you imagine if Jesus had looked down at us, steeped in our sin, dying, and without hope, and just turned his back on us?

Can you imagine if he had looked at us and said, “It’s not my responsibility?”

But Jesus didn’t.  Instead, he humbled himself, leaving his place in heaven, becoming one of us, and then dying for us, even though we didn’t deserve it.

If Jesus did that for us, shouldn’t we be willing to do that for others?

In this passage, God talks about dealing with the body of one who was killed for committing a crime.  And he said,

If a man guilty of a capital offense is put to death and his body is hung on a tree, you must not leave his body on the tree overnight.

Be sure to bury him that same day, because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse. (Deuteronomy 21:22-23)

The apostle Paul quotes this passage in Galatians when he said,

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”

He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. (Galatians 3:13-14)

Of course, in the case of Christ, he wasn’t murdered for a crime he committed.  Rather, he was murdered on a cross in order that our sins might be forgiven. 

By dying on a cross, he took the curse that came because of sin upon himself, and paid the price for our sin. 

And now, we are no longer due to receive God’s curse.  Rather, we await God’s blessing in our lives.

That was the greatest gift of all. 

As I write this, it’s about a week from Christmas. 

One of my favorite songs is “What Child is This?” 

Somehow the second chorus always seems to get lost in the singing when artists cover it. 

But it totally explains the why of Christ’s coming, and is the reason why it’s one of my favorite Christmas carols of all time.

Nails, spear shall pierce him through.
The cross be borne for me, for you.

Hail, hail, the Word made flesh,
The babe, the son of Mary.

Often times in sports, the coach or one of the players will give a pep talk to the team, especially if it’s  a big game. 

One thing I doubt has ever happened is for a priest to come up and give the pep talk.

But that’s exactly what God told the people to do before a big battle.  He said,

When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army.

He shall say: “Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.” (Deuteronomy 20:2-4)

If anyone were to give a pep talk to an army, you’d think it would be the general or some high ranking officer. 

But here, God tells the priest to do it.  Why?

I think the main reason is to remind them where their strength comes from. 

So often, when we find ourselves facing a big problem in our lives, our first instinct is to try to face it on our own.  To try to tackle it on our own strength.  And it’s only if we find ourselves being overwhelmed that we turn to God. 

I know I tend to do that.

But God tells the people to put their focus on him from the very beginning.  To remember that we don’t have to go into this battle alone.  That he is with us and he will give us victory.

How about you? 

As you tackle this life, do you look to God and his strength?  Or do you turn towards yourself first. 

When we focus on ourselves, it inevitably leads to pride.  A pride that only tends to be broken when we get overwhelmed, at which point fear takes over. 

Neither is good.

So don’t wait for things to fall apart in your life before you look to God. 

Instead, look to him at he beginning of each day, and put your confidence in him. 

As you do, you’ll find victory in him.

When Osama Bin Ladin was killed this year, I didn’t mourn his death at all.  Quite frankly, I’m happy that he’s dead.  I think the world is a lot safer without him. 

I do have some mixed feelings about the method taken, however and wonder if it was motivated more out of revenge or justice.

Was Bin Ladin a military target?  I’d say yes to that.  By planning the attack on America, he made himself just that.

Was it possible to capture him and bring him to court rather than kill him at the place of his residence?  I don’t know.  I simply don’t have all the information.

Most people would say it was justice.  Some people call it revenge. 

The lines between the two can be blurry at times.

But God does give us some guidelines on it in this passage. 

Again, this is a repeat of earlier laws God had given to build cities of refuge.  And basically he said that if someone killed another unintentionally, he could flee there and he would be protected from anyone trying to kill him for his action.

Here, God prevents revenge in the name of justice. 

The idea was that sometimes, we get so angry at someone, that we don’t see what justice really is.  We need time to cool off.  In this case, the city of refuge provided just that for the people. 

By protecting the person who unintentionally killed another, the person wanting to take revenge would be forced to take a step back and have the time to realize that it would not be justice to kill the killer, because there was no intention to do murder.

But God also gives another guideline on the difference between the two. 

He said, “life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”

What he meant by this is that justice doesn’t punish more than the crime deserves. 

You don’t, for example, kill a person for causing a minor injury to the another.  That’s revenge. 

In true justice, the punishment should be commensurate with the crime.

I suppose the killing of Bin Ladin fits both definitions of justice there.  He certainly planned to intentionally murder people.  It was no accident.  And his punishment was commensurate with the crime.  He died for killing others.

But was there a better way?  I don’t know. 

I suppose God will give judgment on that some day.  And that’s the thing we all need to remember when considering whether the actions we take are revenge or justice. 

We will all give an account before God some day.  And he will judge. 

So before we take any action for a wrong done to us, we need to consider carefully what God will say to us when we stand before him on judgment day.

There tends to be a lot of false prophets in the world today. 

Time and again, you hear these so-called “prophets” predicting dates for the end of the world, despite Jesus saying that no one will know the time or date of his return. 

You could read this blog 5 or 10 years from now, and you could probably pull out a name or two from your head from the past year or two.

But although prophets often make predictions, their main role was to speak God’s word to the people. 

There are many false prophets today, however, who claim to speak in God’s name, but do not.

How do we tell the false prophet from the true? 

God told the people,

You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?” If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.  (Deuteronomy 18:21-22)

By this test, we can easily dismiss the claims of Charles Russell (founder of the Jehovah’s Witnesses) and Joseph Smith (founder of the Mormons) as true prophets of God.

But as God pointed out before in chapter 13, even if a “prophet” performs signs and wonders, it’s not enough. 

God said,

If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, “Let us follow other gods” (gods you have not known) “and let us worship them,” you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer.   (Deuteronomy 13:1-3)

So anyone who preaches a false god is also a false prophet, as is anyone who tries to “turn you from the way the LORD your God commanded you to follow.” (Deuteronomy 13:5)

A lot of people who speak in God’s name (including Christians) are fortunate we don’t live in Old Testament times.  They would have been stoned a long time ago.

And so we need to be very careful of not only who we listen to, but of what we say in God’s name.

That said, God sent many true prophets to Israel.

And then he sent the supreme prophet. 

Moses said,

The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers.

You must listen to him…

I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.

If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account. (Deuteronomy 18:15,18-19)

That prophesy was fulfilled in Jesus.

He spoke the words of Father, and revealed who God was to us, not only through his words, but by who he was. 

And God said, “If anyone does not listen to him, I will call him to account.”

As Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

Which prophet are you listening to?

“I’m no leader.  Nobody follows me.”

That may be true, but often times, there are people that God has put in your life that he does ask you to lead. 

If you’re a parent, you’re definitely a leader, and God calls you to lead your children. 

If you’re a husband, God asks you to lead your family. 

If you have people working under you at your job, you’re a leader.

And God gives us several things here for us to remember as leaders.

First, we are responsible to him. 

That’s why God told the Israelites that when they chose the king. He was to be a man that would write out, read, and follow all the commands that God had given the Israelites. 

We too are answerable to God.  As leaders, we need to be careful how we treat people and how we act in general because God will hold us accountable for it. 

In fact, as leaders, we are held more responsible than people that are not.

Second, we need to remember that though we are leaders and have a higher position than others, we are still not to consider ourselves better than them. 

All that we have comes from God, including our position of authority.  And so we are to treat others with the respect that we expect for ourselves.

Third, we shouldn’t be using our authority for the purpose of just making our lives comfortable.  Our purpose shouldn’t be to be served, as Jesus said, but to serve (Mark 10:45).

Finally, we are to lead as God leads us. 

God told the future kings that they were not to lead the people back to Egypt.  Rather, they were to stay in the land God had led them to. 

In the same way, we shouldn’t be going wherever we want, doing whatever we want.  Rather we need to be following God’s leading in our lives. 

Because as we do, we help lead others down the proper path as well.

How about you?  Are you a good leader?

I talked with a woman today that’s going to six year-end parties this week. 

I don’t think I’ve ever been to six parties in one year, no less one week.

But it’s that time of year again.  A time of celebration.  And that’s a good thing.

Time and again in this passage, God says “rejoice,” “be joyful,” and “celebrate!” 

I think that it’s a good thing for Christians to remember. 

We’re not called to be people that mope around looking like we’ve been sucking lemons for the last ten years.  We’re to rejoice and be glad.  What do we have to be joyful about?

Our salvation. 

That’s what the Israelites celebrated when the celebrated the Passover.  That God delivered them from slavery and death in Egypt. 

We too have received salvation from God.  2000 years ago, Jesus came to this earth as a baby, and became one of us.  He then died on a cross to take the punishment for our sins, and not only that, rose up from the dead, conquering death. 

Now Jesus tells us, “Because I live, you also will live.”  (John 14:19)

His provision in our lives. 

The Israelites rejoiced during harvest time at God’s goodness towards them. 

In the same way, we should be rejoicing for all that God has provided for us.  Family.  Friends.  Food.  Shelter.  Everything we need.

So whatever you’re going through, remember to celebrate. 

Because in spite of whatever troubles or sorrows we may be going through, God has given us much to celebrate.

As I read this passage, God makes it very clear what kind of people he’d like us to be. 

He told his people,

If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs.

Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: “The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,” so that you do not show ill will toward your needy brother and give him nothing.

He may then appeal to the LORD against you, and you will be found guilty of sin.

Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.

There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land. (Deuteronomy 15:7-11)

Later when he talked about releasing indentured servants, he told the masters,

And when you release him, do not send him away empty-handed. Supply him liberally from your flock, your threshing floor and your winepress.

Give to him as the LORD your God has blessed you. (13-14)

Openhanded. 

Freely lending. 

Giving generously. 

Giving liberally. 

People that give. 

These are the kinds of people we need to be. 

Why?  Two reasons. 

First, because God has blessed us.  And with what we’ve been blessed with, God asks us to be a blessing to others. 

Second, God says that if we do so, God will bless us even more. 

Paul puts it this way,

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work…

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.

You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.  (2 Corinthians 9:8,10-11)

It’s very interesting as I look at this passage the purpose for the tithe God commanded here. 

He told the Israelites that a tenth of all the food they grew was to be set aside.  But it was set aside specifically in order that they remember who it was that gave them the food in the first place.

The Israelites would take the food they set aside, go to the place of worship that God ordained, and then eat it there in celebration of God’s goodness.

As I think about tithing, that really should be our attitude in giving: we should be rejoicing in God’s goodness to us. 

Too often, I must admit, it almost seems like a tax.  A painful tax, at that. 

One thing I never thought of tithing as was a celebration of God’s goodness. 

But that’s what it is.

Lord, whenever I give my tithe, help me to remember for what it is.  A celebration of your goodness.  Over the years, you’ve provided our every need.  And more.  And I thank you for that. 

Lord, let me never give grudgingly.  Rather let me always remember your goodness to me.  Thank you for your goodness.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

“I’ll believe it when  I see it.”

That’s a phrase that is commonly used when we find something hard to believe. 

Whenever there’s a typhoon warning for Nishinomiya (the city where I live), that’s my usual response. 

Why?  Because typhoons almost never come there.  A typhoon in Nishinomiya generally means a semi-strong breeze (maybe) and a light to heavy rain.

Now if I were living, say, in Wakayama (a place near Osaka) or Okinawa which often get hit by typhoons, I’d be less skeptical. 

But as it is, I can’t figure out why people in my area get so worked up about typhoon warnings.

When it comes to faith, there are people that say, “I’ll believe it’s true if I can have some physical evidence.” 

“Doubting” Thomas was that way.

But there are times when seeing isn’t believing. 

Moses points out an example of this in Deuteronomy 13. 

He said,

If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, “Let us follow other gods” (gods you have not known) “and let us worship them,” you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. (Deuteronomy 13:1-3)

I can’t help but wonder if Moses was thinking about the Egyptian magicians as he said this. 

When Moses was trying to convince Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go, he performed miraculous signs from God, but Pharaoh’s magicians were able to imitate some of those signs and wonders.

And so Moses points out here that God is not the only spiritual being with supernatural powers.  Satan and the demons do too. 

Because of this, when we see a miraculous sign or wonder, we are not to just automatically assume it comes from God.  We need to ask ourselves where this miracle came from. 

Did it come from God?  Or did it come from Satan? 

There is no other option available to us. 

We can’t say it’s some kind of “force” or “spiritual principle” that causes the miracle.  It either comes from God, or it comes from Satan.

How are we to tell the difference between the two? 

The key is found in verse 2.  If the person performing the miracle is preaching false gods, then their power is coming from Satan. 

Or if the person performing the miracle is preaching something contrary to the word of God, their power is coming from Satan. 

If they’re preaching something God has forbidden, their power is coming from Satan.

The day is coming when the Antichrist will come.  And great signs and wonders will be performed that will amaze the people.  (Revelation 13:11-14; Matthew 24:24) 

But it will be through Satan’s power that these miracles will happen, not God’s.  And because the people see these miracles, many will believe and be deceived.

So what do we do? 

Don’t just look at the miracle, but ask yourself:

“What are they teaching?  Is what they are teaching coming from God’s word?  Or does it contradict God’s word? 

“Is it based solely on God’s word?  Or is it taking things from other religions too?”

It worries me when I see Christians pointing at the miracles of groups like Soka Gakkai (a Buddhist sect) or yoga, and saying we can use the same “principles” as they do to perform miracles. 

Yes, miracles do happen in these groups or with these practices.  The question is, where is their power coming from? 

Is it really from a “spiritual principle?” 

Or is the principle itself derived from the power of Satan himself?

Seeing isn’t always believing.  So as Paul wrote,

Test everything.  Hold on to the good. (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

“Why can’t there be many ways to heaven?  Why does there only have to be one way?”

This is a common question that Christians are asked.  And there are many reasons that we can give. 

But one important one was given in this chapter. 

God told the people, “You must not worship the Lord your God in their way,” (verse 4) that is, in the way of the other countries who didn’t know God. 

In fact, he told them to tear down the altars, idols, and other religious items that other countries used in their worship of their gods.

God added later, “You are not to do as we do here today, everyone doing (that is worshiping) as they see fit.”  (verse 8) 

He then gave the Israelite specific instructions on how they were to worship him.

The point is, God will not accept just any kind of worship.  And a lot of things that seem all right to us, is not all right with God.  He said in verse 31,

You must not worship the Lord your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the Lord hates.

They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods. (Deuteronomy 12:31)

Obviously, we all abhor the idea of sacrificing children to a god, but back in those days, it was a quite common practice in the nations around Israel. 

People back then thought it was all right.  It was a way to win the gods’ favor in battle, or for the harvest, or for whatever it was they were seeking after.

There are many things today that God considers detestable practices as well.  Giving offerings to idols is one. This is still very common in Japan. 

The apostle Paul says when we do that, we’re actually associating with demons. 

In 1 Corinthians 10:20-21, he wrote,

No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons.

You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons.

Yet I’ve known of Christians that have made offerings at these kinds of altars anyway.  That’s not acceptable to God.

I’ve also known of Christians that got into astrology or tarot cards and thought it was all right. 

But God said that these things too are not acceptable to him either. (Deuteronomy 18:9-14; Isaiah 47:13-15)

Worshiping God in a way contrary to his word is not worship at all. 

Even if you claim to worship him, if you are doing things that God has forbidden, he will not accept it.

Jesus said, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”  (John 4:24).

Jesus teaches here that we are to worship God from our spirit. 

God’s not interested just in the form of worship.  He wants our heart.  He wants our soul.

But we are also to worship God in truth. 

In other words, we are to worship God as he reveals himself.  We are to worship God according to the truth that he has given us about himself. 

And that truth is found in his word.  If we try to worship him in a way contrary to his word, we are not worshiping in truth, and our worship will not be accepted.

How about you?  Are you worshiping God your way?  Or his?

I suppose one of the difficulties of following an invisible God is that it’s so easy to get pulled away from him by the visible.

We get pulled away by our hobbies.  We get pulled away by our girlfriend or boyfriend.  We get pulled away by our pursuit of money and things. 

And the thing is, it’s so easy to do.  Because these things are right in front of our eyes. 

We can see them, we can touch them, we can find instant gratification in these things. 

Not to say that these things are bad in themselves.  They’re not. 

But it’s very easy to let them take the place of our pursuit of God in our lives. 

God knew that.  So he told the Israelites

Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them. (Deuteronomy 11:16)

For the Israelites, this meant the Baals and other gods that the surrounding people followed. 

For most people today, it’s the god of money.  Or the god of power.  Or the god of sex. 

And so often we see people that get enticed away from their relationship with God by these things. 

Even in the time of the apostles, this happened. 

Paul once wrote about a man named Demas,

Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica.  (2 Timothy 4:10)

Demas had once been a fellow worker with Paul in his ministry (Colossians 4:14; Philippians 1:24). 

But somewhere along the line, Demas got enticed away. 

Perhaps it was money. 

Perhaps it was the pursuit of things. 

We don’t know, but it led to him abandoning Paul, and even worse (so Paul implies), abandoning God.

And the same thing can happen to us if we’re not careful.  So Moses told the Israelites,

Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.

Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth. (Deuteronomy 11:18-21)

In other words, keep God at the very center of your heart, soul, and mind. 

Wherever you are, wherever you go, whatever you do, remember to make God the center of your life.  And teach your children to do the same. 

In so doing, it helps prevent us and your children from being enticed away from God by what the world offers.

What are you pursuing?  Who are you pursuing? 

Are your thoughts focused solely on the things of this world? 

Or are they focused first and foremost on the one who created this world?

As John wrote,

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  (1 John 2:15)

One phrase really strikes me as I read it.

The LORD set his affection on your forefathers and loved them, and he chose you… (Deuteronomy 10:15)

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, were far from perfect people.  So too were the Israelites. 

Time and again, they complained and rebelled against God.  And yet God set his affection upon them. 

Yes, God got angry with them. 

Yes, he disciplined them. 

But it never changed his love for his people.  He continued to set his affection on them.

That gives me hope because I am so like the Israelites. 

I sin.  I fail. 

If I were God, I’d have given up on me a long time ago. 

Yet he continues to set his affection on me. 

And he sets his affection on you too.

How are we to respond to this?  God gives his answer in verses 12-13.

And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?

In other words, in response to his love for us, we are to fear him, love him, serve him, and obey him. 

Note that we don’t do these things to earn his love. 

He already loves us. 

He’s already set his affection on us. 

He’s already chosen us. 

Rather, we do these things in response to his love for us and all he has done for us. 

It was true thousands of years ago. 

It’s still true today.

Let us live everyday in response to the love that God has shown us.

We love because he first loved us.  (1 John 4:19)

I’ve probably mentioned before how I would’ve hated to lead the Israelite people. 

I’m sure there are a number of pastors that can certainly relate to Moses in how difficult it can be to lead people.

Moses at times lost his temper with them.  At times, he got utterly frustrated. 

But if there’s one thing he never lost, it was his heart for them. 

Time and again, when the people sinned, Moses interceded for them. 

Time and again, when God was about to bring judgment on the people, Moses stood in the gap for them, and pleaded for God’s mercy and grace.

Christian leaders certainly need that kind of heart for the people they lead.  But it’s also the kind of heart that all Christians need for the people around them. 

There are people that frustrate us.  There are people that anger us.  Even worse, there are people that hurt us. 

And it would be so easy to just say, “Okay, God.  Go get them.  Nail them to the wall.  Give them what they deserve.  I’ve had enough.”

But just as Moses prayed for a people that didn’t deserve it, we need to do so too. 

The problem with most people is that they are blind.  Satan blinds them.  Often times, people even blind themselves. 

As a result, they do the things that frustrate, anger, and hurt us.  And yes, they probably do deserve God’s judgment.  But then again, so do we. 

And just as we desire God’s mercy in our lives despite how often we frustrate, anger, and hurt God, we need to desire God’s mercy in their lives as well. 

We need to be praying that God opens their eyes.  We need to pray that they would turn so that God can forgive them, and bring healing in their lives.

That’s not easy.  But that’s how Jesus was.

Several years ago, I saw the movie “The Passion of the Christ.” 

The one scene that resonated most with me was when Jesus on the cross, and they did a flashback to the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus said,

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 

But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.”  (Matthew 5:43-45)

And there on the cross, Jesus was doing exactly what he had preached.  Praying for those who persecuted and murdered him.

How about you? 

Do you intercede for those who anger you?  Who frustrate you?  Who hurt you? 

Do you pray for God’s mercy on their lives?

Independence.  If there’s one thing I learned from my dad, it was how to be independent. 

I’m not sure, but I suppose my brother and sister would say the same.

But independence can be a dual-edged sword. 

While every parent desires that their child grow up and become an independent adult, independence taken to an extreme can lead to isolation.  And that’s never good. 

That’s especially true since none of us were created to be truly independent.  None of us can make it through this life alone, no matter how hard we try. 

We need each other.  And just as importantly, if not more importantly, we need God.

That’s what God was trying to teach the Israelites.  He said,

Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.

He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you. (Deuteronomy 8:2-5)

One of the main lessons God tried to teach the people in the desert was that they needed him. 

He allowed them to hunger at times, and he allowed them to thirst.  But ultimately, he provided their every need, not even letting their clothes wear out.  (I wish the same could be said of my clothes).

But now, just before he was to bring them into the land he promised to give them, he warned them.

You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.”

But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today. (17-18)

When we’re in need, it’s easy to for us to remember that we need God. 

But when we have everything we need, then it’s easy to forget we need him.  We forget that it is God that gives us the ability to earn a salary and buy the things we need. 

Instead, we think that it’s through our own efforts that we find success in life.  And so we no longer depend on God.  We depend on ourselves. 

But like I said, we’re not meant to live that way.

That was one of the lessons my dad had to learn. 

He had learned to be so independent that he could never really trust God 100%.  It was only when he lost his physical sight, that he gained new sight.  That he needed God and he needed others. 

Being blind, he couldn’t be independent any longer.

I suppose I’m still learning the same. 

I’m grateful for my dad’s lessons in being independent.  It taught me what it meant to be an adult.  But at the same time, it has sometimes been a block in my spiritual growth.  Instead of trusting God, I trust myself. 

And when God tells me to take a step of faith, I don’t because I’m not sure I can trust him.

So like my dad, I need to learn dependence.  I just hope that it doesn’t require me to lose my sight to do so.

Lord, teach me to depend on you.  To trust you.  To remember that you are all I truly need. 

Help me to trust you to the point that I will obey you.  That I will live on every word that comes out of your mouth. 

I thank you for my dad who taught me to be independent.  But Heavenly Father, now teach me what it means to depend on you.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

As I look at my life, I’m amazed at how many problems God has brought me through. 

I think about the time I was trying to get a long-term residency visa in Japan. 

In Japan, you can get one if you’re second or third generation Japanese, but you do have to prove that you are.  In my case, I had to find the family registry of my grandfather. 

The biggest obstacle to that was that I had no clue where the family registry was.  It was held in the city where my grandfather grew up, but no one in my family knew which city that was. 

I had no idea how we were going to find it with the hundreds of cities that are in Japan.

But as we were looking through some documents my mom had sent me, she included my grandfather’s old passport. 

I don’t know why she sent it, but when my Japanese friend looked at it, he found my grandfather’s hometown written there.  After that, finding the family registry was a piece of cake. 

Soon after that, everything else came together, and I got my visa.

The Israelites too probably had no idea how they were going to take over the land God had promised them.  The nations that were living there were much bigger and stronger than they were. 

But God told them,

You may say to yourselves, “These nations are stronger than we are. How can we drive them out?”

But do not be afraid of them; remember well what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt.

You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the miraculous signs and wonders, the mighty hand and outstretched arm, with which the LORD your God brought you out.

The LORD your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear.

Moreover, the LORD your God will send the hornet among them until even the survivors who hide from you have perished.

Do not be terrified by them, for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God. (Deuteronomy 7:17-21)

God basically told them, “Yes, these nations are stronger than you.  But that’s okay, I’m stronger than these nations.  Don’t be terrified.  Don’t be intimidated. 

“Remember how I’ve delivered you in the past.  I’ll do the same now.  I am a great and awesome God and I’ll take care of the problem for you.” 

And he did.

God says the same thing to us.  When we’re struggling through problems in our lives, when we don’t know what to do, he tells us:

“Yes, this problem may be bigger than you are.  But remember what I’ve done for you in the past.  And know that I’m a great and awesome God that can take care of any problem that comes your way.  Just trust me.”

There’s a song that we sing at our church called “Pass it on.”  And no, this is not the “Pass it on” from the church choral books of 25 years ago (does anyone still remember that song?)

Anyway, it says,

Every generation
They will tell their children
Of Your awesome power
And Your mighty acts

They will tell the stories
Of Your faithfulness and glory

And we will pass it on
To all who’ve yet to come

How You are slow to anger
And so rich in love

That all may celebrate
The wonders You have done

Giving You glory and honor
Blessing and praise

Together we’ll pass it on
The greatness of Your ways

I suppose working in children’s ministry as long as I did (7 years or so), the song resonates in my heart: this need to pass on our knowledge of God to the next generation that they may know him too.

And that was the command of God to the Israelites.  He said,

Impress [my commands] on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up….

In the future, when your son asks you, “What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?”  tell him:

“We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 

Before our eyes the Lord sent miraculous signs and wonders—great and terrible—upon Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. 

But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land that he promised on oath to our forefathers. 

The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today.  

And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.” (Deuteronomy 6:20-25)

What’s really sad is that the Israelites never really did this. 

Instead, as the next generation grew up, they quickly fell into idolatry and all sorts of sin. (Judges 2:10-13).

How about us?  Are we passing on what we know of God, our experiences with him, what he’s done for us, with our children so that they may know him too?

It’s so easy to just let it slide.  To give that responsibility to Sunday school teachers.  To hope that somehow our kids will find Jesus without our having to say a word. 

But Sunday school teachers only have our kids for an hour or so a week.  We have them all week. 

And we don’t have commands in the Bible telling Sunday school teachers to teach our children about God (although I strongly believe in the need for this). 

God has commanded the parents to do this.  It is a responsibility God has given us. 

And if we shirk that responsibility, if we try to “pass it on” to others, can we really be surprised when our kids walk away from God?

So let us do the job that God has given us.  To teach our children about him.  To tell them what he has done in our lives.  To teach them how they too can have a relationship with him. 

Let’s pass on what we know to them so that they may know him too.

As I think about my last blog and why we obey, it occurs to me that the answer I gave is incomplete. 

Certainly one reason we obey God is because he does desire our best, and if we do, we’ll find his blessing in our lives.

But there’s another reason that underlies even that.  And it’s found in what Jesus called the greatest command.

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5)

Why is this the most important command?  Because if we love him, won’t we desire to do the things he asks of us?

When a couple are in love, it is not burdensome to do things that please the other person.  Instead, it is a delight as we see our lover’s response to our actions. 

Whether it’s us giving them flowers or gifts,  whether it’s cooking dinner for them or cleaning the house for them, when love is the motivating factor behind our actions, we naturally desire to do what pleases them.

And it’s the same with our relationship with God.  If we truly love God, we will want to do the things that please him.

On the other hand, we’ll want to avoid doing the things that hurt him.

There have been times in my life where I have done things that have hurt people that I love and care about.  I didn’t mean to, but I did. 

And when I realized what I had done, I loved them so much I was willing to change so that I wouldn’t hurt them again.

When we sin, we hurt God.  And so when the person who really loves God realizes this, they do everything they can to avoid doing it again. 

This is not to say we’ll never fail or sin again.  We do. 

But it leaves no room for saying, “Well, God’ll forgive me so I’ll just indulge in this sin again.”

It would be like saying, “Well, my wife will forgive me, so I’ll just have this affair on the side.” 

If we truly love our wife, we’d never indulge in adultery.  And if we truly love God, we’d never indulge in any sin that would cause him pain.

So why do we obey? 

First and foremost, it should be out of our love for him. 

Jesus said,

Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.  (John 14:21)

Right now, my daughter loves to ask “What is this?” 

Every day, she’ll point at something and say, “What is this?”

I’m trying to give her the English words, while my wife gives her the Japanese.  We’re really hoping she’ll be bilingual when she grows up.

The next big question we’re waiting to hear from her is “Why?” 

I’m not looking forward to that.  Answering “What” is a lot easier than answering “Why?” 

And trying to answer “Why” can get a bit annoying at times.  Especially when she starts questioning our rules.  It would be very tempting to answer, “Because I said so!”

Anyway, as Moses talks to the Israelites in this chapter and reminds them of God’s commands, he gives the people the reason for them. 

God said,

Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever! (Deuteronomy 5:29)

Later, Moses told the people,

So be careful to do what the LORD your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left.

Walk in all the way that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess. (32-33)

God doesn’t give arbitrary rules.  He doesn’t say things for no reason.  Rather, it’s his greatest desire that things go well with us. 

It’s his greatest desire that (as Mr. Spock would put it), we live long and prosper.

Sometimes, it’s hard to see why God commands certain things.  But ultimately, when we obey him, we find that our lives are the better for it.  We may not understand now, but we will understand later.

So when you’re tempted to ask why, remember the reason: God loves you and wants the very best for you. 

Do you believe that?

The following words resonate with me as I read this passage.

Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below.  There is no other. (Deuteronomy 4:39)

This is where faith begins. 

It’s not where faith ends, but it’s where it begins:  with acknowledging that God exists.

In Hebrews 11:6, it says,

Anyone who comes to [God] must believe that he exists.

That’s a starting point, but to just believe God exists isn’t enough.  We also need to believe that there is no other.

We can’t believe that Buddha is God.  We can’t believe that Allah is just another name for God.  We need to accept God for who he reveals himself to be.

Perhaps you’ve heard the old story of the blind men trying to describe an elephant. 

One person touched the trunk, and said, “Oh, an elephant is like a snake.” 

Another touched its legs and said “It’s like a tree trunk.” 

Each person touched a different part of the elephant and came away with different impressions of what an elephant was. 

The moral of the story is that they were all right, and all wrong.  They all had bits of the truth, but not the whole. 

And so, the story goes, religion is the same way. Each religion has a piece of the truth of who God is.  Each thinks of God differently, but all of them are right in some aspects, and wrong in others.  Yet they are all talking about the same God.

But there’s a problem with this little parable. 

The problem is the blind men were all partly right and all partly wrong for one important reason:  the elephant couldn’t speak. 

The elephant couldn’t tell the men, “No, no, no.  You’ve got it wrong.  This is what I’m like. “

And that is exactly what God did with the Israelites.  He didn’t leave them to blindly figure out who he was.  He revealed himself to them.

He said,

Ask now about the former days, long before your time, from the day God created human beings on the earth; ask from one end of the heavens to the other.

Has anything so great as this ever happened, or has anything like it ever been heard of?

Has any other people heard the voice of God speaking out of fire, as you have, and lived?

Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all the things the lord your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?

You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord is God; besides him there is no other.

From heaven he made you hear his voice to discipline you.

On earth he showed you his great fire, and you heard his words from out of the fire.

Because he loved your ancestors and chose their descendants after them, he brought you out of Egypt by his Presence and his great strength, to drive out before you nations greater and stronger than you and to bring you into their land to give it to you for your inheritance, as it is today. (Deuteronomy 4:32-38)

And because God revealed himself, there was no excuse for  the Israelites. 

He had made clear to them who he was.  And so he said, “Now acknowledge that I exist and that there is no other.”

God says the same to us. 

He says, “There is no excuse for not believing in me.  There’s no excuse for having a wrong image of me.  I have revealed myself to you through my word.  I’ve told you what I’m like.”

The only question is, “Will we believe him?”

“Will God ever leave me?” 

That’s a question that many Christians struggle with. 

“I’m not such a good Christian.  I fail so many times.  Will God ever give up on me?”

Or, “I really messed up this time.  I went my own way, walked away from God, and really messed up my life.  God can’t possibly take me back, can he?”

But as I look at this passage, I think we find the answer to that question. 

He warned the Israelites what would happen if they turned their backs on him and started worshiping other gods. 

He warned that they would be exiled out of the land that God had given them, and he would give them over to the worship of “gods” who couldn’t hear, eat, or smell. 

In doing so, he would show them how powerless these gods were to help the Israelites in their time of distress. 

But then he said,

But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. 

When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the Lord your God and obey him. 

For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath. (Deuteronomy 4:29-31)

In other words, as Paul wrote,

if we are faithless, [God] will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself. (2 Timothy 2:13)

God made a promise to the people of Israel that they would be his people and he would be their God.  And though the people time and again turned their backs on God, he was always waiting for them to turn. 

Whenever they did, he was always waiting for them with open arms.

God does the same with us.  No matter how often we mess up, no matter how badly we’ve wrecked our lives, God is only waiting for us to seek him with all our heart and soul. 

If we do, we will find him.  All we have to do is turn to him.

When people look at us, what do they see?  Are we the type of people that people come to when they’re in trouble and in need of advice?

When they see us, do they see a people that are close to God?  Do they see a people filled with God’s wisdom and understanding?

God told the Israelites,

Observe [my decrees and laws] carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.”

What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him.  (Deuteronomy 4:6-7)

If we want to be a people of wisdom and understanding, we need to be a people that stay close to God and follow what he has said. 

We should be a people that when others see us, they are attracted to us because they see a righteousness, a wisdom, and a closeness to God that they themselves don’t have.

Do we have these things in our lives?  I don’t know about you, but I still feel lacking in these areas. 

There are probably too many times that I blend in with the people around me, instead of standing out.  And yet, that is what God has called us to do. 

Jesus said,

Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.  (Matthew 5:16)

I was in children’s ministry for many years when I lived in Hawaii, and I enjoyed it greatly. 

But after a time, I started to burn out. 

In my second to last year of working with kids, I took a few weeks off from teaching Sunday school, and I came back refreshed. 

The next year, I was feeling burned out again, and this time a break didn’t help.

But I felt guilty about leaving.  I felt responsible for the kids I was teaching, and I was worried about who would take over. 

In the end, however, I had to leave.

I learned a valuable lesson at that time. 

When it comes to God’s will, we are to do no more and no less than what he tells us and calls us to do. 

My call for children’s ministry ended at that time, probably because God wanted me to start focusing on Japan (an idea I was resisting at the time). 

And yet I continued to do what God was no longer giving me the grace to do.  As a result, I burned out.

I was reminded of this as I read this passage in Deuteronomy.  God told the people,

Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you.  (Deuteronomy 4:2)

Moses here was specifically talking about the laws and ordinances that God gave the Israelites.  But I think the application holds true for us as Christians. 

Obviously, if we don’t do the things that God has told us to do, we are in disobedience.  I was in disobedience to God, for example, when I resisted his call to Japan.

But we also need to remember that we are not to do more than what God has asked or told us to do.  Because when we do, we heap a burden on ourselves that God never intended for us to carry. 

When God was calling me to do children’s ministry, it was never a heavy burden for me.  I enjoyed it. 

But when that call ended, and I continued to do children’s ministry, the burden became to heavy for me to carry anymore.

But this is true not only of ministry, but of anything that God has commanded us to do.

The Pharisees and teachers of the law, for example,  added many things to God’s law that God never commanded. 

In doing so, they heaped a heavy burden on the people they taught.  A burden that the people couldn’t carry, and were never intended to carry. 

Jesus told them in Luke 11:46

And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.

How about you? 

Do you subtract from God’s word in your life?  Do you disobey the commands he has given you? 

Then you’re living in sin, and you need to repent.  You need to start doing what God has asked you.

Do you add to God’s word in your life?  Are you doing more than he has asked you to do? 

Then eventually you’ll burn out in your Christian life because you’re carrying a burden God never intended you to carry.

Don’t subtract from God’s word and don’t add to it. 

Instead, do exactly what he has told you to do. By doing so, you’ll find the life and joy that God intends for you to have.

Today my family and I were reminiscing about my dad who passed away last week. 

One thing that came up was something my dad had told me when I talked with him about an accident he had had that left him blind.  He said,

I started talking to God…but because I was doing all the talking, I wasn’t hearing God.  Then the Bible verse that says “be still and know that I am God” came to mind.

So I started listening rather than talking and that Sunday night I think God spoke to me because the next morning I told Lianne (my mother) this is what I heard:

Everybody has been praying for a miracle that I get my sight back, but [while] God said that would be a miracle He could do, He would give me a greater gift. 

He said that instead of restoring my sight, he would give me a new heart filled with love, compassion, and mercy.

My dad never did regain his sight in his lifetime, but he did receive that new heart, just as God had promised him.

As I look at this passage, Moses also had to deal with God’s “no” in his life. 

Because of Moses’ sin at Meribah (Numbers 20), God told him, “You will not enter the promised land.”

Here, Moses recounts how he pleaded with God to let him go, but God specifically told him, “That is enough.  Do not speak to me anymore about this matter.”

Moses could have pouted.  He could have complained.  He could have said, “Well if that’s how it is, I won’t follow you anymore.” 

But he didn’t.  He continued to faithfully serve God, and he prepared Joshua to become the leader of the Israelites after him.

There are people that say, “If you ask God for anything, he has to say yes.  You just have to have enough faith.” 

But here, God completely squashes that idea. 

There are times when God, for his own reasons, says no. 

In the case of Moses, it was because of his sin.  In the case of my dad, it was because God had another miracle in mind for him, the miracle of a changed heart.

The question we need to ask ourselves is, “How will we respond to God’s nos in our lives?” 

I pray that I would respond as my dad did and Moses did. 

Both of them were disappointed with God’s decision. 

It was truly my dad’s desire to see again, even to the day of his death. 

It was Moses’ desire to enter the promised land. 

But when God said no, they both continued to serve God faithfully.  

How about you?

Lord I thank you for the story of Moses.  I thank you for the story of my dad. 

Lord I don’t always understand why you say no to me.  But I trust you that your way is best. 

Lord, through your yeses and nos in my life, may I always be faithful to you.  As Moses was.  And as my dad was.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

This blog is dedicated to my father who truly has arrived after 79 years of life on this earth.  Until we meet again Dad…

I’ve already mentioned this story in an earlier blog, but as I read the recap of this story, another thing strikes me. 

The Reubenites, Gadites, and the people of the half-tribe of Manasseh (why don’t we say Manassehites?) had gained permission from Moses to settle on the land on the east side of the Jordan.

In other words, they weren’t staying in the promised land that God had prepared for the people. 

But Moses had told them, “You may stay in this land and take it as your possession, but you must go ahead of your brothers across the Jordan to help them to take possession of the land that is to be theirs. You are not to rest until they themselves have found rest in the land God is giving to them.”

And the Reubenites, Gadites, and the people of the half-tribe of Manasseh all agreed to do so.

The three tribes (well, two and a half tribes) had arrived.  They had found their place.  They had found their rest. 

But their job was not over.  God had commanded them to help those who had not arrived.  And he commands the same thing of us.

None of us, of course, have truly arrived.  All of us are continuing to press on forward to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus.  (Philippians 3:12-14).

But there are some of us who are further along in our walk with Christ than others. 

For example, some of us who have learned how to gain victory in certain areas of our lives through the experiences we’ve gone through.  And God wants us to help others to gain victory in their lives too.

It’s interesting to me that Moses told those who had “arrived” that they were not just to go with the rest of the Israelites across the Jordan.  They were to go ahead of them.  They were to help lead and pave the way for them. 

We are to do the same for our brothers and sisters in Christ who come after us. 

How do we do that?  By teaching them what we’ve learned.  By sharing our experiences with them.  By supporting them in prayer.  By standing by their side in the fights that they go through in life. 

Do you think you’ve arrived?  Do you think you’re already mature as a Christian? 

Remember two things:

Like Paul said in Philippians, none of us have truly arrived.  We need to keep pressing on to be all that Christ has called us to be. 

But to the extent that we have arrived, we need to reach out to our brothers and sisters, helping them along the path we’ve already traveled. 

Of course, we should help them avoid the pitfalls that we’ve fallen into. 

But we are to also help show them the paths of victory God has already revealed to us.

There are some battles in life that seem impossible to win.

It may be a rough marriage.  

It may be a struggle against sin.  

It may be health problems or financial problems.

The Israelites were facing an impossible situation of their own when confronting Og the king of Bashan.  All 60 of his cities were fortified with high walls and with gates and bars.

But when Og and his people came out to attack the Israelites, God said,

Do not be afraid of him, for I have delivered him into your hands, along with his whole army and his land. (Deuteronomy 3:2)

And the Israelites utterly wiped out the enemy.

I take two things from this.  

First, if God is on our side, we can overcome seemingly impossible odds.  Unwinnable battles become winnable.

Second, remember what God has done in the past.  

He told the Israelites,

Do to [the king of Og] what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon. (Deuteronomy 3:2)

In other words, God said, “Do you remember what happened to the king of the Amorites when they attacked you?  Well, I’ll do the same to Og and his army.  Now go out in boldness, and you will find victory.”

What battles are you fighting now?  What impossible odds are you facing?  

Remember that even the toughest odds can be overcome with God on your side.  

And remember your victories in the past. Doing so will give you courage to face the future and the mountains that you’re facing now.

There are times when I wish I could have more things.  

A new computer would be nice.  (Ours is ten years old — anyone remember Windows ME?).  

I’d also love a big-screen TV.  

I could probably go on and on about things that I’d like to have.  

But as I read this passage, there is one thing that strikes me:  that we are to be content with the things that God has given us.

God told the Israelites, “There are some people out there who will be afraid of you.  But you are not to take what is theirs. I’ve given that land to them.  I will not even give you an inch of what belongs to them to you.”

What reason did God give the Israelites for being content?  He said,

The LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast desert.

These forty years the LORD your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything.  (Deuteronomy 2:7)

In other words, “God has already blessed you.  He has watched over you.  You have not lacked anything.  And so because of this, don’t desire what belongs to others.  Be content with what you have.”

It’s very similar to what the writer of Hebrews wrote.  He said,

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,

“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.”

So we say with confidence,

“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?”

If God is for us, if he gives us everything we need, if he is always by our side, is there anything else we really need?

The church I attend started 7 years ago.  We just celebrated our 7th anniversary last Sunday, in fact.  

In those 7 years, we went from a team of about 12 (and 3 kids) to about 130.  We’ve been staying at the same place during that time, renting more and more rooms in the building in order to meet all the needs we have for the Sunday service.  

But we’re reaching our breaking point now.  We simply can’t fit very many more people into the building.  

It’s a good problem to have.  But it is a problem.  And so we’re really feeling like God is readying us for another place.

That’s what I think of when I see this passage.  God told the Israelites,

You have stayed long enough at this mountain.  Break camp and advance…

See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land the LORD swore he would give…” (Deuteronomy 1:6-8)

Obviously, (from the deleted portions you’ll have to read for yourselves), God was talking to the Israelites, telling them to leave Mount Horeb where they’d been camping for some time and to move to the land he had promised to give to their ancestors and to them.

The Israelites learned a lot at Mount Horeb.  

There, Moses met God for the first time.  Then, he received the ten commandments there, and passed it on to the Israelites.  They had all experienced God there.

But God was saying, “It’s time to move on.  Get up.  Go.  I’ve prepared a place for you.  Take possession of it.”

Considering how much the Israelites had groaned and complained about being in the desert, my guess is that they were happy to go.  

Yet when the time came to go into the land God promised, they were stopped by their fear.  

This despite the fact that God had made these promises to give the land.  And despite his promise to them that he would be with them.  

As a result, they were forced to wander around the desert until they all died off.

What does this all mean for us?  

There may come a time in your life when God tells you it’s time to move on.  

Certainly, our church seems to be at that point.  I certainly reached that point when God told me to come to Japan.  My pastor reached that point when God told him to leave his church and start a new one.

Yet it can be scary.  It’s scary to take leaps of faith.  But when God tells us it’s time to leave, what will we do?  Will we take that leap?  Or will we stay where we are?

I struggle with this.  And I’m thinking even now about where the next step for me is.  

I don’t know.  All I know, is that I need to be listening to God’s voice.  And when he says it’s time to go, I need to go.

And so do we all.  

How about you?  Is it time for you to leave where you are in order to do God’s will?