Fri.’s Devo - No Other God Like Our God

Read: Deuteronomy 33:1-29; Luke 13:1-21; Psalm 78:65-72; Proverbs 12:25 Moses gave each tribe a blessing before he died. He explained that God loved them and that He held them in the palm of His hand. His people would be known for following in his steps and accepting his teachings. Whenever the people assembled, He was to be their king. Here are the blessings God gave to each tribe: To Reuben, God blessed them with endurance as a tribe. They were few in number so God prayed they would not die out. To Judah, God prayed for unity to fight against their enemies. To Levi, God blessed them for their loyalty to Him even when they chose Him above their own relatives. Their job was to teach the law to the people and to offer incense to the Lord and burnt offerings. God blessed them to continue their ministry and to prevail against their enemies. To the tribe of Benjamin, God blessed with His love, safety and perseverance. To the tribes of Joseph (Manasseh and Ephraim), God blessed their land. They were the farmers so God blessed their harvests. He told Joseph that they had majesty and favor. To Zebulun and Issachar, God blessed their travels and their time in their tents with prosperity. The mountains and the seas were mentioned in their blessing. Prosperity, riches and treasures were associated with their blessing. Gad was blessed with leadership and growth. They got the best land because they took the initiative to ask. Justice and obedience was said of them. Naphtali was blessed with favor and esteem from their brothers. The sons of Naphtali would walk in the Spirit and be safe and secure. Moses summed it all up by telling them that no other God was like their God. He would cross heaven to help them. He would be a refuge to them and drive out their enemies with his word. They would live in safety and prosperity and their enemies would cringe in fear of them because of their God. In Luke, Jesus explained that death comes to everyone and the only thing that matters is if you are ready for it. No one knows for sure how long their life will be. The people that were killed when the temple fell on them were not being punished by God. Judgment and justice comes to all. Jesus told the parable about the man who had a fig tree in his garden that had not bore fruit in three years. He wanted to get rid of it, but the gardener asked to give it one more year. He promised to give it special attention to help it bear fruit. If it didn’t in a year, he would cut it down. This is such a picture of the mercy and patience of the Lord. It was also a picture of Jesus’ giving the Jews more time to realize he was the Messiah. Jesus healed a cripple who had been cripple because of evil spirits. He did it on the Sabbath. The leader of the synagogue got so mad at him for healing the woman on the Sabbath. They told him that he could do this on any other day, just not the Sabbath. They were only trying to control him. Jesus explained that they would untie their ox or donkey on the Sabbath and lead it out for water. He was untying this woman from Satan’s cords and letting her go free. What was the difference? The leader in charge of the synagogue was shamed by this answer but the people rejoiced. Jesus explained that the Kingdom of God was like a mustard seed and yeast. It only takes a small amount of faith in God’s kingdom to do great things. Lord, help us to see past the facades to see the truth. Thank you that you are our God.