Sun.’s Devo - Come Near

Read: Deuteronomy 21:1-22:30; Luke 9:51-10:12; Psalm 74:1-23; Proverbs 12:11 When a murder has been committed and there is no suspect, then the elder of the closest town must make an atonement for that man’s death to take the guilt of the murder away from Israel. *** There were many marriage laws. If you look closely, they all protect the woman. If a woman is brought as spoils of war and someone wants to marry her, she must first clean her past away, mourn her family a month and then marry. If she does not please the man who married her then she must be set free. *** If a woman shares the same husband with another woman and he loves the other woman more. If her son is the first born then he still gets a double portion of the inheritance - the right of the first born. *** If a couple has a rebellious son who is a glutton and a drunkard, they must bring him before the elders and they must try him. If they agree with the parents, then the men of the town must stone him. *** If a person is executed by hanging then he must not be left hanging over night. Any one who is hung is curses and the curse would spread to the land. *** You were to take responsibility for things you see like your neighbor’s runaway ox. *** Women were not to dress like men and vise versa!!! We need to put that on a plague at Hobby Lobby. Anyone who does that is detestable! I hope you realize that that doesn’t mean women can’t wear slacks… it is talking about men dressing in drag and trying to act like they are women. It has to do with the intention of your heart. *** There are many other laws about mixing two things together that are not meant to go together. It is because they mean something else. Linen and wool are opposites. Linen is worn by priests who are set apart and not to sweat with work but work for the Lord. Wool makes you sweat and is worn by sheep. It is unkempt and not holy. This is just saying you can’t mix holy with the profane. *** Then we go back to laws protecting the innocent women from being put out with no place to go. If they are innocent, their husbands can never divorce them. They will always have a home and provision. *** In Luke, Jesus is at the final stages of his earthly ministry. He is being rejected by the Samaritan town because he is on his way to Jerusalem. It was not time to curse them. *** Many along the way say they want to follow him but have excuses why they can’t. Jesus finally choses 72 of his followers and sends them out ahead of him to prepare the towns for his coming. If they received them, then they could stay at their house and preach from there. If they didn’t receive them then they were to wipe the dust off their feet to show that they were abandoned to their own fate. But they were to be warned that the Kingdom of God came near and they rejected it. Even Sodom would be better off than them. *** Lord, thank you for coming near to us. I pray that you come near to the churches that worship you in spirit and in truth and to every one who earnestly seeks you.