Sat.’s Devo - Moses and John

Read: Deuteronomy 5:1-6:25; Luke 7:11-35; Psalm 68:19-35; Proverbs 11:29-31 Moses made his address to the people that had witnessed God at Mt. Sinai. They might have just been children then or adults that would soon die before they crossed over Jordan, but he made it clear that God spoke to them audibly his commands then wrote them on tablets of stone so they would have them to refer to. They saw the fire on the mountain and the smoke as God showed them his glory. The tribal leaders asked Moses to tell God not to do that again because it scared them. They asked for God to speak to Moses and then Moses could tell them what he said. This pleased the Lord that they would have so much reverential fear of him and that is how God did it from then on. He told Moses the rest of his commandments and Moses told the people. They were about to enter into the land God had promised them and if they obeyed his commands they would live long in the land and prosper. They must love the Lord with all their hearts, soul and strength. They were to repeat the words of God to their children and teach them to obey them. They were to surround themselves with reminders of what God’s Word said. When they became prosperous, they were not to forget that God had delivered them from slavery. They were to continue to fear him and remember the covenant they made. They were never to worship the gods of the people around them or God would get so angry he would wipe them off the face of the earth. Obedience equals righteousness. In Luke, Jesus gave us a precursor to his future. He came upon a funeral of a widow’s only son. He was so filled with compassion that he reached out, touched the man and told him to get up. The boy came back into his body, sat up and began to talk. I would have loved to know what he talked about. I wonder if Jesus saw his own mother in this widow. His mother would be a widow and watch the brutal murder of her son and he would also rise from the dead and talk to her again. John the Baptist was in prison probably wondering when Jesus was going to come and get him out since the prophets said he would open prison doors and set the prisoner free. John sent his messengers to ask Jesus if he was the Messiah probably to remind Jesus of his plight. Jesus probably understood this but only could do what his father wanted him to do. Jesus reminded John of all he was doing and told him not to be offended. Sometimes it is so easy to get offended at God because He is not doing the one thing we want him to do when he has done so many other things for us. John was the last of the old covenant prophets. He had to be killed in Jerusalem. He, himself had said, “I must decrease and He (Jesus) must increase. John got his reward in heaven and I’m sure it was great. Jesus acknowledged that John was the prophet sent ahead of him who Malachi (3:1) had prophesied about. He said that of all that had ever lived, John was the greatest. That was Jesus’ eulogy about John. Then, Jesus added that even the least person in the Kingdom of God is greater than he is. In other words, in heaven everyone is greater than the greatest on earth. The Pharisees had rejected John’s ministry and his baptism so Jesus had some words to say to them. A generation is known by its leaders and heaven would remember their generation as the ones who were indifferent to anything God did. They had found fault in John because he fasted and didn’t drink wine and they found fault in Jesus who did both. Then he said, “Wisdom is justified of all her children.” He was saying that the fruit of John, Jesus and the Pharisees would be the proof of their teaching. What did their followers become? Lord, may our lives prove your wisdom. May we not be guilty of forgetting all the wonderful things you have done for us.