Read: Deuteronomy 18:1-20:20; Luke 9:28-50; Psalm 73:1-28; Proverbs 12:10
God wanted the people to take care of the Levite’s needs. They were not to be poor but to have the best because they stood for the Lord on the earth. Since the people were afraid of hearing God’s voice for themselves, God promised to raise up prophets that would speak for him. They were to listen to what the prophet said and test his words to see if they came true.
They were to set up cities of refuge in the middle of their lands so that the innocent would have a place to be safe.
They were to treat each other fairly and not steal each other’s land. It took two witnesses to condemn a person or set them free.
When they went to war, the priests were to stand before them and command them not to be afraid or terrified or panic because it is the Lord their God who goes with them to fight and He will give them victory. If they had distractions or fears then they were excused from battle so that they wouldn’t distract or spread their fear to their fellow soldiers. When they went against their enemies they were to totally destroy anyone that had breath because if they were allowed to live they would become a snare to them.
All of these laws pertain to us. We are to pay our pastors and ministers well and we, as ministers, are to have our needs met. We can enjoy the best God has if we have faith.
When Jesus died, God tore the veil that separated man from God. We can hear the voice of God ourselves.
Jesus is our city of refuge and we are safe from the accuser of the brethren when we run to Him.
We are to love one another as we love ourselves.
Our war is not against flesh and blood so when we go to battle against the spiritual demons and principalities we need to pray with like believers who are not afraid of them. We are not to be intimidated or terrorized by any spirit but we are to take authority over him because God has placed him under our feet and we do have the victory.
In Luke, Jesus and his disciples were in Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles. To celebrate this feast, everyone made temporary tabernacles to live in for a week. This was to remind the people that they were sojourners on the earth and their true lasting home was in heaven. So when they saw Moses and Elijah on the mountain they wanted to erect a tabernacle for them. We don’t know what Jesus, Moses and Elijah talked about, but as soon as Jesus got alone with his disciples, he told them he was going to be betrayed into man’s hands. I wonder if he didn’t hear this from the Old Testament prophets.
The disciples and Jesus experienced a “mountain-top” experience and as soon as they got down, the devil was there waiting and mad. Jesus was presented a boy who manifested demons in a most demonstrative way. I have found that the devil screams loudest when he has been hit the hardest.
Lord, help us to obey all of your precepts and may your law be in our hearts always. Help us to remember that this is not our home.
No comments:
Post a Comment