Mon.’s Devo - Do Not Fear the Enemy

Read: Deuteronomy 18:1-20:20; Luke 9:28-50; Psalm 73:1-28; Proverbs 12:10 The Levites were to get no inheritance from the land on the earth because their inheritance was in heaven. Their inheritance was the Lord himself. The Levites were to receive the best parts of the offerings given by the people. *** If the Levite moved to the place where God put his name, he was to be able to minister there just like he did in his own town and receive the offerings even if he was being supported by his family. *** They were not to take up any of the idol practices that the nations living in the land participated in. God would raise up prophets like Moses to speak to them. They would know he was a true prophet when what he says happens. *** When they settle in the land, them must appoint three cities of refuge. These would be a refuge for a person who accidentally killed another person. The city must be quickly accessible so the person could get there before an avenger of the murdered could get to them first and carry out his own vengeance. As they acquired more land, they were to add three more cities of refuge. These cities were to prevent the murder of innocent people. *** If someone was maliciously murdered, then that person must be turned over to the dead person’s avenger to be put to death. They must purge Israel from the murderer. *** Trials were held by the priests and judges in the land. Charges must fit the crime to purge evil from the land. *** When they went out to war, they would be facing armies greater than their own but they were not to be afraid; the Lord would fight for them and give them victory. Men who had just built a new house and hadn’t dedicated it, or just planted a vineyard and not eaten any of its fruit or just gotten engaged and hadn’t married yet, were exempt from fighting. If anyone was afraid, they were also exempt so they wouldn’t spread their fear to the other soldiers. *** When they approached the city they are going to attack, they were first to offer terms of peace. If they accepted the offer, then they would become their forced labor. If they refused their terms then they were to attack them and fight. They were to kill everyone but the women, children livestock and other plunder. They were free to keep them. This only applied to distant towns, not to the towns of the nations God specifically told them to destroy. These were the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hives, and Jebusites. These were the people who worshipped detestable customs in the worship of their gods which would cause them to sin deeply against the Lord. They were to be totally destroyed. *** When they were attacking such a city, they could cut down the trees to use in battle rams but only the trees that didn’t produce fruit. *** All of these laws had spiritual meaning. We have talked about the fact that the city of refuge is a place of rest that can only be found in Jesus. Then we are free from the penalty of the law which is represented by the avenger of blood. *** Our enemies are not flesh and blood but principalities that are represented by the different nations. For example, Hittite means “fear and terror”. We are to destroy those enemies by the blood of Jesus and not live under fear or terror. *** In Luke, on the eighth day, Jesus took his three: Peter, James and John. They watched as Jesus transformed into his glorious body and talked to Moses and Elijah about his exodus from this world. (Eight represents a close to the old and a new beginning. This transformation they saw was a picture of the new beginning after we end this Biblical week we are in.) *** When Peter saw this he wanted to build shelters of them but a cloud covered them and a voice came from heaven saying, “this is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him.” When the voice was finished Jesus was there alone. *** When they came back down, they were faced with a boy who had demons the disciples had not been able to cast out. Jesus called them a faithless and corrupt people and told the man to bring his son to him. When the demon acted out, Jesus rebuke the evil spirit and healed the boy. Then he gave him back to his father. The people were in awe. Jesus told his disciples again that he was going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. They didn’t understand and argued instead about who would be greatest in Jesus’ kingdom. Jesus told them that whoever welcomed a little child in his name welcomed him and his Father. The least among them is the greatest. *** When Jesus was told others were casting out demons in his name, Jesus told them not to stop them because, anyone who was not against them was for them. *** Lord, may we do the works that you did without fear of the enemy. May we cast out demons in your name.