Fri.’s Devo - Rules of the Kingdom

Read: Deuteronomy 16:1-17:20; Luke 9:7-27; Psalm 72:1-20; Proverbs 12:8-9
The people were to celebrate Passover in the month of Abib. Abib was the 7th month on the civil calendar but the first on the religious calendar. Remember in Exodus 12:2 God gave them a new first month and this was it. Fifty days after Passover, the people were to celebrate the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost. Passover and Pentecost happened in the spring during the wheat harvest. This was to represent the revival of souls into the kingdom. In the fall, they harvested the grapes and the olives. This also represents a harvest into the kingdom. During this harvest they were to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. Three times a year, the men were to come to Jerusalem to present their offerings and celebrate before the Lord: Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, and Tabernacles.
Judges and leaders were to rule over the towns to make sure the people obeyed God’s laws and treated each other fairly. If they decided to set a king over themselves then the king must be a fellow Israelite. He must not accumulate a lot of horses from Egypt, or take many wives, or accumulate large amount of silver and gold. He was to write all the laws down by hand and keep it and read it over and over so that he would learn to fear God and obey him. If he did all these things he would reign a long time over Israel.
In Luke, Herod heard about all the things Jesus was doing and wondered if John the Baptist hadn’t risen from the dead. He tried to see Jesus.
Meanwhile, the disciples had come back from going out and ministering and seeing miracles happen at their own hand. Jesus took them to Bethsaida to rest but the crowd found out and met them there. Jesus was moved to see them and taught the people about the kingdom of God. He spoke all day and when the disciples counseled Jesus to send them home so they could eat, Jesus told them to feed them. This was not what the disciples expected to hear. They only had five loaves of bread and two fish but there were five thousand people to feed.
We all know the story. Jesus fed them and there were 12 baskets of food left over. Twelve stands for government - God’s government. The lessons was: in God’s government there is always more than enough.
After the day was over, Jesus asked his disciples who others thought he was, then he asked them who they thought he was. Peter said, “You are the Christ the Son of God.” Then Jesus told them what was about to happen. He would be turned over to the leaders of the religious order, be killed and then raise to life on the third day. He told them that denying yourself was the way to God’s kingdom.
As you read Psalm 72, I challenge you to put our president’s name in place of the king. Through God, we pray that he does all this for God’s people.
Lord, may we study to know Your promises and your laws that we follow you in wisdom and passion.