Read: Deuteronomy 21:1-22:30; Luke 9:51-10:12; Psalm 74:1-23; Proverbs 12:11
Today we read a lot of laws about murder and marriage…not that they are related, lol. When it came to murder, all blood had to be accounted for and atoned. If a person was found murdered and no one knew who did it, the nearest town had to remove the guilt by atoning for the blood or the people would be held responsible. God wanted to instill in his people the importance of a life. Every person was important to him.
God also wanted man to know that he was responsible for his actions especially towards another human being. We are to take care of one another.
A woman is not to take on the authority that God gave to the man and the man is not to shirk his responsibility as the head of his household, that would be exchanging clothes. God hates mixture because that is what muddies our conscience and leads to deception.
God also gave many laws protecting women. Women throughout history have been the most abused people group and God wanted them protected. Jesus reached out to women in his day and gave them dignity and love. The woman stands for the church and God wants to restore her dignity and honor.
In Luke, Jesus sent his disciples ahead of him into a town in Samaria where they were going to spend the night. The people of the town refused to let them stay. James and John wanted to call down fire from heaven and destroy them, but Jesus just continued walking. They were on their way to Jerusalem and Jesus knew what was awaiting him there. The disciples were clueless.
On their way two men approached Jesus. One was zealous and said that he would follow Jesus wherever he went. Jesus reminded him that he had no home on this earth. Jesus asked another man to follow him but he asked to go and bury his father first. Jesus saw through his excuse and told him to let the dead bury the dead; he needed to go and spread the kingdom of God. He was trying to tell both of these men that the kingdom of God was not on this earth and was so much higher and worth living for than anything on this earth.
Jesus appointed 70 men to go work in his harvest. They were to walk by faith just as he had. God would provide their needs.
Jesus invitation to follow him and work in his harvest is still open to all who will heed the call. Nothing on this earth is going to last, but the things we do for the kingdom are eternal and will never die.
Lord, help us to have a kingdom perspective and spend our energy on what is eternal.
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