Mon.’s Devo - The Kingom of God Has Come

Read: Deuteronomy 13:1-15:23; Luke 8:40-9:6; Psalm 71:1-24; Proverbs 12:5-7 God warned them that prophets and dreamers would arise and try to get them to go after other gods. It would be a test to them to see if they would follow them. They were to purge the evil from their midst, even if it was their kin. Anyone who drew them away from the Lord were not to be allowed to live. Whoever discovered their evil tactic, were to be the first to throw the stone of death. *** If a whole city turns from God and begins to worship other gods, God’s people were to go to war against that city and kill its inhabitants. All of the spoil from that city was to be burned. *** There were certain animals that would be sinful to eat because of what that animal symbolized, or what that animal ate. What they ate represented what we are to eat spiritually. We are to eat the Word of God and things that are good and true and righteous. The animals they were allowed to eat had to have cloven hoofs, which mean they stand on a firm foundation. The Word is rightly divided and gives us stability. They were to eat animals that chew the cud. This is a picture of a person who meditates on the Word and what he hears before he swallows it as truth. *** They were to eat fish with fins and scales. The fins help it stay upright and the scales cover and protect it. All of these things are what the Word does for us. They were to tithe from the net worth of their field every year. They were to bring it to the place of worship and offer it there and eat it as a family. If they lived too far and had too much to bring, they could sell it in their town and bring the money to buy it again in the place of worship. *** At the end of three years, their tithes were dedicated to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless and the widow. *** At the end of seven years there was to be a kind of jubilee where all debt was to be released against their neighbor or kin. This did not apply to foreigners, only their own people. *** If they continued in God’s laws they would be a nation who lent to others and would not need to borrow. *** They were to be kind and giving to the poor. If they had a Hebrew slave working for them, they were to release him in the seventh year with provisions of food, drink and animals. They were to remember where they came from. They were once slaves themselves and God redeemed them. If that slave wants to stay and serve his master then his ear would be nailed to the door of the master’s house with an awl. This would make him his slave forever. *** We were once God’s servants, but when we make him our Lord, we are having our ears pierced to the door which is Christ. We are fellowshipping in his suffering which included being nailed to a tree. God no longer calls us his slaves, but his friends and his family (John 15:15). *** All the firstborn males of the herd and flock were to be dedicated to the Lord. If it was blemished it was to be eaten in the town and not brought to the Lord. They were never to drink its blood. The only blood we are to partake in is Christ’s. *** In Luke, Jesus returned to Galilee and was met by Jairus who was a ruler of the synagogue. His 12 year old daughter was dying. He came to beg Jesus to come to this house and heal her. On Jesus’ way to his house, a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years came to touch his garment hoping to be healed. When she did, Jesus felt healing power leave his body and heal her. When Jesus found the recipient of his power he told the woman that her faith had healed her. *** Jesus continued to the house of the child and found she had died. He told everyone she was just sleeping and he went and woke her up from death and her spirit came back to her body. Jesus was demonstrating to the people that he alone had power over sickness and death. *** Then, Jesus gave this power and authority to his disciples and sent them out to heal and proclaim the kingdom of God. We have been given the same power and authority and mandate to heal the sick, cast out demons and proclaim the kingdom of God. *** Lord, may we walk in your authority and power and may your kingdom come.