Thurs.’s Devo - Moses Blesses the Tribes

Read: Deuteronomy 33:1-29; Luke 13:1-21; psalm 78:65-72; Proverbs 12:25 Moses was about to die and gives a blessing to every tribe. First he gives us some insight into what he saw when God came to him on Mt. Sinai. He saw God’s glory and ten thousands of his angels. He saw flaming fire at God’s right hand. He gave them the law making him their king. *** This is what he said of the tribes: Reuben had lost his right as the first born because he went into to his father’s concubine, but Moses prayed his tribe would survive, even if they were few in number. *** He prayed that God would hear Judah’s voice and contend for him and help him to fight against his enemies. He prayed that Levi would have the answer from the Lord and commended them for choosing the Lord over their own family. He prayed that God would bless Levi’s hands and crush his enemies. *** Moses prayed that Benjamin would dwell in safety under the shadow of the Most High. He prayed that Joseph would be blessed with favor and the best of everything the earth and heaven had to offer. *** Zebulun was blessed with trade as they were situated by the sea. He prayed that Issachar would give to the Lord of their abundance. *** He blessed all who helped Gad because they went in and helped all the other tribes fight and possess their land. ** Dan never gets a good prophecy. Here he is described as an offspring of Bashan, the evil nation where Og was the king. In Joseph’s prophecy (Gen. 48) he is compared to a snake. *** Naphtali is blessed with favor and the fullness of the Lord. Asher is blessed with popularity with his brothers, safety and strength. *** Then Moses reminds them of who God is. He is their eternal dwelling place who holds them forever in his arms. He is the one who destroys their enemies. They were saved by the Lord who gave them the power to triumph over their enemies. *** In Luke, Jesus gives them two examples of people who were killed and suffered. It was believed that bad things happened to people because they deserved it, but Jesus explained that all who die without repenting of their sins meet the same fate. *** Like the story of the fig tree, God had had much patience and compassion on them, but there was a limit to his mercy. Judgement is inevitable to everyone. *** Jesus healed a woman who had been bound up by Satan and could not stand up straight. She had been like this for 18 years. Jesus healed her but the Pharisees objected because it was on the Sabbath. Jesus reminded them of how they would unbind their own donkeys and lead them to water on the Sabbath and this woman who was much more important than a donkey had been bound and just needed the “water of the Word.” *** Jesus then explained that the Kingdom of God would start very small and grow until many were being refreshed with its life. *** Lord, thank you that we are part of your kingdom. May we spread your love and provide healing and love to those who need it.

Wed.’s Devo - Moses’ Last Day -

Read: Deuteronomy 32:28-52; Luke 12:35-59; Psalm 78:56-64; Proverbs 12:24 We read the end of the song which ends in the near death of their nation. God points out the difference between his children and the children of the enemy. In the end, God will bring vengeance on his enemies and their gods will have no power against him. He will avenge the blood of his children. *** Moses explained that them must sing this song and teach it to their children to warn them to follow the Lord so they could live long in the land. *** On that same day, God sent Moses upon on Mount Nebo so he could see the promised land and then die on the mountain. Aaron had also died on a mountain - Mount Hor. *** In Luke, Jesus is warning his disciples to stay diligent and keep trusting him just like God was telling the Israelites to do. Jesus was referring to his second coming. He promised to return and wanted to find them ready and awake, doing his will. *** Peter asked Jesus who he was telling this parable to and Jesus said it was for the ones who were faithfully following the Lord and looking for his return. *** Jesus didn’t come to bring peace to the earth but to shake it out of its complacency and cause friction which would lead to the right actions. *** He accused them of understanding natural signs of the time and being totally blind to the spiritual signs of the time. He encouraged them to work out disputes among themselves and not let the worldly system decide their fate. *** Lord, may we shake ourselves out of our complacency. May we have eyes to see the times we are living in and be found doing your will.

Tues.’s Devo - The Commissions

Read: Deuteronomy 31:1-32:27; Luke 12:8-34; Psalm 78:32-55; Proverbs 12:21-23 God had given them the example of what they would do when they got into the land. He had given them victory over Og and Sihon. They would do the same to the people in the land he was giving them. *** Moses brought Joshua forward in the audience of all the people and commissioned him to be strong and courageous because the Lord would go before them. ***Then Moses gave the priests and the sons of Levi a copy of the law and told them to read it aloud to the people every seven years in the year of jubilee and at the Feast of Tabernacles. *** God told Moses he was about to die and sleep with his family. He was to bring Joshua to the tent of meeting where the Lord would commission him to lead them in Moses’ place. *** After Moses dies, the people will break his laws and follow after other gods. God will become so angry with them, he will abandon them. All the evils promised them will come upon them. *** Moses was to teach them a song as a witness to them when they sinned. Moses wrote the song and taught it to the people, all in one day! Then the Lord commissioned Joshua, commanding him to be strong and courageous and bring the people into their land. Moses met with the elders of the tribes and told them that he knew that after he died they would sin and turn against the Lord. *** The song reminds them of their past and all the Lord did for them and their fathers, then it gives them a picture of their future sins. The song was given so that in the future when they are in the midst of the consequences of their idolatry, they will remember this song and repent. *** In Luke, Jesus explains that what we confess now is what we will confess in eternity, so it is imperative that we have the right confession now. When we have to defend the truth, the Holy Spirit will help us say the right thing. *** Jesus then gives us a story to illustrate that he is not talking about what we accomplish or attain on earth that is important. It is our testimony that will stand. Nothing else will follow us into eternity. *** We do not have to worry about the necessities of living, we are to seek life and God’s kingdom. God will take care of all our needs. God gives us nature to show us how much he cares about everything he made. *** Lord, thank you for reminding us that our treasure is in heaven. The treasure is You and your presence. Thank you that you never leave us and never forsake us.

Mon.’s Devo - Renewing the Covenant

Read: Deuteronomy 29:1-30:20; Luke 11:37-12:7; Psalm 78:1-31; Proverbs 12:19-20 God had them make another covenant with him like they did at Mt. Sinai when he gave them the law. These were the children who had seen all the things God did for them in Egypt but were children at the time. Their parents had made a covenant with God and now they needed to make a covenant with him. *** God reminded them of all he did for them in the wilderness and of the evil gods that the Egyptians worshiped. He warned them not to worship the gods of the people whose land they were about to possess, but to keep his laws. If any of their tribes turn from his laws, they will receive the curses and the land and all in it will become sick. *** When they see the consequences of the blessings and the curses they are to return to the Lord with all their heart. Then, he will restore their fortunes to them and have mercy on them. He will then bring them into their land and make them prosperous and multiply them. God will give them and their offspring a circumcised heart to love him. Then the Lord will put the curses on their enemies who persecuted them, but, God will then abundantly prosper and bless his people. *** So, the choice was theirs to make. They can choose to obey the Lord and his commands and live in the blessings and greatly prosper, or they can turn their hearts away from him and worship other gods. If they do, they will not live long in the promised land. The choice was death or life. *** In Luke, Jesus was invited to the home of a Pharisee. He did’t go through the ritual hand-washing that they did, and the man asked Jesus about it. Jesus told him that it was a farce to try to look so clean on the outside when their hearts were full of greed and wickedness. They tithed, but neglected to administer justice and love. They could be found sitting in the seats of honor in the synagogue and marketplaces. They did everything to look important and holy, but were actually instruments of spreading death. *** A lawyer spoke up and said he was insulted by what Jesus said. He should have kept his mouth shut. Jesus nailed his profession also. He told him the lawyers put burdens on the people that were too hard for them to bear. They built tombs of the prophets who their fathers killed. They even agreed with their fathers that they should be killed. Their generation would be charged with these deaths. By their actions they robbed the people of the key of knowledge. *** Thousands were gathering to see and hear Jesus. The Pharisees tried to give Jesus questions that would provoke him and cause him to sin so they could discredit him. Jesus warned his disciples about the leaven of the Pharisees. Their leaven was their hypocrisy - the fact that they did not practice or even believe what they taught. They may have the power to kill a person, by they didn’t have the power to decide how that person would live in eternity. Only God had the power to cast the wicked into hell. *** Jesus gave the example of sparrows who were sold for pennies and yet God took notice of them. His children are worth so much more than sparrows and he cares for every detail of their lives. *** Lord, thank you that you love and care for us. We are so privileged to be your children. May we daily renew our covenant with you to love you with all our heart, soul and mind.

Sun.’s Devo - The Blessings and the Curses

Read: Deuteronomy 28:1-68; Luke 11:14-36; Psalm 77:1-20; Proverbs 12:18 Reading the blessings makes you smile and feel so loved and protected. You see the desire of a loving Father to give the very best he has created to his children. I’m not going to list all the blessings of obedience, but they are enough to make you scratch your head and ask, “who would not want to obey the Lord and enjoy these blessings?” *** When I read the curses, I see how we have fallen into that category as a nation. But, I am seeing and feeling the shift away from the curses and onto the road that leads to the blessings. *** We know that Israel did not continue to follow the Lord and all these curses fell on them. We also know that scripture assures us that they will return to the Lord and enjoy the blessings in the end. We pray that is soon. *** In Luke, Jesus cast out the demon that had made the man mute. The religious leaders had to have an explanation of how he could do this, so they said he did it by the power of Beelzebub, a prince of demons. *** Jesus explained that a kingdom divided against itself would not be able to stand. He asked them how their sons cast out demons. Their sons would grow up and one day judge them. But, if he cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to earth. That would mean that someone stronger than who is over the earth had come to earth to take over. Satan was prince of the world until Jesus came and began knocking down his wall of defense. Jesus took away Satan’s protection and had begun ravaging his stronghold. *** Jesus explained that when demons were cast out they would roam the earth looking for a body to occupy. If they couldn’t find one that would go back to where they were cast out and see if it was still unoccupied. If that person had’t filled the evil with good, then the demon could reenter and bring seven more demons with it. Then the person would be worse off than it was before. *** Jesus reminded them of the way the Gentiles (the people of Nineveh, and the queen of Sheba) repented when they heard the truth. They would one day judge the Jews for rejecting The Truth when it came to them. *** Jesus talked to them about how they “saw.” If they were opened to truth, then it lit up their hearts to receive more truth. If they were closed to truth, then their hearts would have not light. *** Lord, may we have hearts full of light and discernment. May we see the truth and embrace it. May we see Satan’s kingdom crumble and your kingdom established on earth.

Sat.’s Devo - Amen!

Read: Deuteronomy 26:1-27:26; Luke 10:38-11:13; Psalm 76:1-12; Proverbs 12:15-17 When they came into the land God promised them and harvest their first fruits of the land, they were to bring them in a basket. They were to tell God who they were and where they came from starting with Abraham. They were to acknowledge all God did for them and how they lived in Egypt till they grew into a mighty nation. When they cried to the Lord for deliverance he brought them out with signs and wonders and brought them to this place. Then they were to set there basket down before the Lord. *** The third year was the year of tithing and all they gave would go to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless and the widow so that they would have plenty to eat. They were to ask God to bless them. *** Moses and the elders told the people to keep all the commandments that God gave them. They set up large stones and plastered them to write all the words of the law on them. They were set up on the side of the Jordan River in the promised land. *** Moses told six of the tribes to stand on Mt. Ebal and read the curses of the law and six of the tribes to stand on Mt. Gerizim and read the blessings of the law. *** First they read the curses. They would evoke a curse if they made metal images to worship, dishonored their parents, moved their neighbor’s landmark, mislead a blind man, perverted justice, lay with their father’s wife, an animal, or any relative, committed murder, took a bribe, or disobeyed the law. After every curse they were to agree with an “Amen.” *** In Luke, we read about how Martha complained about Mary who wanted to sit at Jesus’s feet leaving her with all the busy work. Jesus explained that Mary had chosen the part that no one could take from her. Mary had chosen the spiritual over the natural. *** One of the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray and Jesus taught them the prayer he must have prayed every day. In it he first glorified God and prayed for his kingdom to come. Then he asked for daily needs, forgiveness and help to walk in righteousness. *** Then he told them a parable explaining how we can pray for others. The parable about the man who needed something for someone else. He went to his neighbor who represented God and kept on asking for help until he got it. Jesus explained that we must be like him when we are praying for others and keep praying till we get the answer. God is faithful and will answer our prayers. God is our Father and wants to bless us with gifts even more than we want to give gifts to our children. His greatest gifts are Jesus and the Holy Spirit. *** Lord, may we desire eternal things that will last past our lifetime. May we seek your kingdom, your gifts and your righteousness first. Thank you that you hear and answer our prayers.

Fri.’s Devo - Practical Laws

Read: Deuteronomy 23:1-25:19; Luke 10:13-37; Psalm 75:1-10; Proverbs 12:12-14 God gave them commands about the different people they encountered. No eunuchs, nor their descendants to the tenth generation were allowed in the Lord’s assembly. No Ammonite or Moabite were allowed in the Lord’s assembly for the same amount of time. They hired Balaam to curse Israel and refused to let them pass through their land when they came out of Egypt. God turned Balaam’s curse into a blessing and did not allow him to curse Israel. But, they were not to hate the Edomites because they were their brothers. They were also not to hate the Egyptian because they lived among them. After three generations, their children could enter into the assembly of the Lord. *** God had rules for their hygiene to keep them from sickness. God had rules for honoring one another, taking care of escaped slaves and fair business practices. It was important that they made promises only if they could carry them out. *** Divorced people could not marry again if they had married someone else in between that time. People were not to be kidnapped and trafficked. Laws to protect the dignity and rights of the poor were to be observed. Everyone was responsible for their own actions. They were to treat the foreigner, the orphan and the widow with the same laws and respect they did for others. They were to always remember that they were once slaves in Egypt. *** They were to share their produce with the poor. When a person was condemned in court, his penalty was to be swift and in front of the judge. *** Only if brothers are living together and one dies without an heir was his brother to take his brother’s wife as his wife, so that the offspring could carry on the name of the dead husband. If he doesn’t do this, he is to be publicly shamed. *** God reminded them of what the Amalekites did to them when they came out of Egypt. They were to make sure their memory was blotted out of the earth. *** In Luke, Jesus cursed the different cities that he performed great miracles in. The ones who didn’t repent would receive no mercy in the Judgment. *** The seventy-two that Jesus had sent out came back joyfully reporting how the demons were subject to them. Jesus knew because he had seen Satan falling from heaven like lightning. Satan was being unseated. They had power over all the powers of the enemy and the demons would not hurt them, but the more powerful thing was that their names were written in heaven. *** Jesus rejoiced greatly that his disciples were beginning to do the things he taught them. This was the kingdom of God coming to earth shaking up the status quo in the spiritual realm. *** Jesus was asked by a lawyer what he could do to receive eternal life. He told him to love the Lord with all his heart and others as he loved himself. When the man told him he did this, Jesus gave him the story of the good Samaritan to show him that maybe he wasn’t loving all others as himself. It wasn’t just the people in his circle he was the love, he was also the outcast and the Gentile. Jesus told him to go and show mercy to these people. *** Lord, may we set our affections on what and who you set your affections on. May we walk in the authority you gave us and not be afraid of the devil and his small power. Thank you that you are the God of the impossible.