Thurs.’s Devo - God’s Laws

Read: Deuteronomy 21:1-22:30; Luke 9:51-10:12; Psalm 74:1-23; Proverbs 12:11 God’s laws were given to keep the land pure. If a dead body was found and no one knew how he died, the elders of the nearest city were to offer a heifer that had not been yoked. He was to be brought down to a valley with running water and break its neck. Then the priest were to come forward and wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley. This was their testimony that they didn’t shed his blood and didn’t see who had. By doing this they were removing any guilt from the people of Israel and atoning for his death. *** In this act the heifer stood for the man who died in a valley or veiled in secrecy. They washed their hands over him washing away the guilt of his death. *** If a man married a virgin captive from war and then decided he didn’t want to be married to her, he had to set her free to go wherever she wanted. He could not sell her or use her as a slave because he had humiliated her. *** If a man had two wives and loved one more, he could not take the right of the first born from the son of the wife he loved the least. *** If a man has a son who is a drunkard and a glutton and will not obey his father, he is to be brought before the elders of the city. They were to stone him and remove the evil from their land. *** If a man is punished by hanging on a cross, he must be taken down and buried on the same day because a hung man is a cursed man. To keep him hanging to the next day would defile their land. God’s mercies are new every morning. *** They were to restore any lost animals they found of their neighbors and help their neighbor in times of need. *** God hates mixture so women were to dress like women and men like men. They were not to sow two kinds of seeds together, or wear two kinds of materials together. God will not bless hybrids. *** They were not to kill both the young bird and the mother. Generations must not pay for the sins of their past generations. They were to take care to build with safety of others in mind. *** If a man accuses his wife of not being a virgin when he married her, and there is no evidence of her innocence then she was to be brought to the door of her father’s house and the men of the city would stone her to death. If her father can prove she was a virgin when she married then the husband was to be whipped, fined and could not divorce her all his life. *** The last line gives us a glimpse into what happened with Noah and Ham. To have relations with your father’s wife was to uncover his father’s nakedness. *** In Luke, we see Jesus becoming extremely determined and aware that he only has a short time left on the earth. He makes some statements that show how serious it is to follow him. Then he sends 72 believers ahead of him to tell the people that the kingdom of God has come near to them. Those who received the news would be blessed, those who didn’t would not fair well on Judgment Day. *** Lord, we know that you came near when you came to earth and you are near to us, even in us now. May we live the kingdom in a way that others would want to join us.