Fri.’s Devo - When You Come into the Land…

Read: Deuteronomy 18:1-20:20; Luke 9:28-50; Psalm 73:1-28; Proverbs 12:10 The Levites were to own no land in Canaan and were to be fed by the offerings of the people to the Lord. God was their special possession and their inheritance. The priests were given the shoulder, cheeks and stomach of the animals presented to the Lord. If a Levite chose to move to Jerusalem from his own home town, he would be welcomed by the Levites there and have his share in their offerings. When they entered into Canaan and began to possess the land, they were not to participate with any of the worship of the people there. They offered their children to Molech and practiced fortune-telling, sorcery , interpreted omens and engaged in witchcraft. They cast spells, functioned as mediums and psychics and called forth the spirits of the dead. God promised to raise up a prophet to speak to them through. When they began to possess the land, they were to set up cities of refuge for the innocent who was accused of murder. The more territory they took, the more cities of refuge they were to set up. If a person was guilty of murder, he was to be turned over to the avenger of blood and killed. In that way they would purge Israel from the guilt of murdering innocent people and it would go well with them. They were never to move the boundary markers of others property. No one could be convicted on the word of only one witness. There must be two or three. If a person was found to bring false charges against another, then the sentence he intended for the other person would be imposed on him. In all these cases, no mercy should be shown on the guilty. His sentence was to put fear in the hearts of the people so they didn’t try to do the same crime. When they went out to fight the enemy and they were much greater than them, the priest was to admonish them not to lose heart because the Lord was going with them to fight against their enemies. He would give them the victory. There were four exemptions the officers were to give the men in their army. The first was if they had just built a new house but had not dedicated it yet. The next was if anyone had just planted a vineyard but not yet eaten any of its fruit. The third was if someone had just become engaged to a woman and not yet married her. And the fourth was if anyone was afraid. All of these things would have distracted them from having their whole heart into being a soldier. When they met an enemy town not in the land that God had given them, they were to first give them a chance to make a covenant of peace. If they did, then the people of the town would become their slaves. If they refused, then they were to attack them and take the women, children, and livestock as plunder. If they were towns in the land God had given them they were to completely kill them all. This was to keep them from adopting their worship which was an abomination to God. If the war continued for a long time they were only to chop down the fruitless trees to use for weapons. The trees that bore fruit should be allowed to live. Trees represent people (Psalm 1). Eight days after Peter had proclaimed that Jesus was the Messiah, Jesus took Peter, John and James up on a mountain with him to pray. As he was praying, Jesus transformed into his glorified body. Moses and Elijah appeared with him and they spoke to him about his exodus from this world. The three disciples had fallen asleep and woke up to see this. Peter wanted to make tabernacles as memorials for them. A cloud covered them and God spoke from the cloud, “This is my Son, my Chosen One, Listen to him.” Then they were alone with Jesus. They came down the next day to face a child who was demon-possessed. The disciples had not been able to deliver him. Jesus rebuked the demon and healed him. When he gave the son back to his father, the crowd was in awed. Jesus told his disciples to remember that he was about to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. His disciples began arguing about who was the greatest. Jesus brought a child to them and told them that the least among them is the greatest.