Read: Deuteronomy 31:1-32:27; Luke 12:8-34; Psalm 78:32-55; Proverbs 12:21-23
Moses was 120 years old and it was time for him to die. God promised Moses that he would take the people into the land that he had promised. They were to read all of the law every 7 years at the Year of Release during the feast of tabernacles. God gave Moses a song to teach the children of Israel so it would be a testimony against them when they sinned.
When Moses died, Joshua would lead them across the Jordan into their land. They would find it flowing with milk and honey just like he said. There, they would prosper, have all the food they wanted and become fat. They would begin to worship other gods, hate God and break his covenant. Great disasters would come down on them because of their choices. The song must have had a catchy tune so it would stay with them. I can imagine their children singing the words of this song, convicting them of their deeds.
In Luke, Jesus taught about the importance of honoring the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that he would forgive those who spoke against him but not those who spoke evil against the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was the one who would give them words to say against their accusers.
A man asked Jesus to tell his brother to divide their inheritance equally between them. Jesus discerned the man’s heart and spoke to him about covetousness. I would think that this man was already rich by the story Jesus told. Jesus went on to say that our spiritual life is more important than food and clothes. God will take care of our natural needs if we take care of our spiritual needs. If we seek the kingdom of God first, all our natural needs will be met.
Lord, help us to seek your kingdom first. May we be generous and keep our hands open to help all who have needs.
Tuesday, April 7, 2020
Monday, April 6, 2020
Mon.’s Devo - Our Choice
Read: Deuteronomy 29:1-30:20; Luke 11:37-12:7; Psalm 78:1-31; Proverbs 12:19-20
Never has this covenant that God called Moses to make made more sense to me than today in the light of what is going on in our nation. God had Moses remind the people of all the wonderful things he had done to deliver them from a land of slavery and idolatry. They traveled through lands where they witnessed the idolatry and detestable worship of the inhabitants. He warned them that just because he had done all this for them, they should not think they are okay if they are still following the desires of their evil heart. God would not continue to bless them, but the curses that fell on their enemies would fall on them. They must not abandon the covenant that God has made with them.
We are accountable for the things that God reveals to us, not the things that are hidden. If we obey, we are blessed. If we rebel, we are cursed. The choice is ours. Repentance is always available to us, so we can change our curse and turn it to a blessing. Rebellion is always our choice also which will change our blessing to a curse.
The command God gave them and gives us is not too difficult or beyond our reach. We can hear it and obey it. The choice of life and death is ours. We can choose to love and obey the Lord and live long in the land the Lord gave to us and our ancestors which is what we choose.
In Luke, Jesus went off on the Pharisees when they criticized him for not following their man-made washing ritual. Jesus gave them a list of their Pharisaical practices that were doing to make themselves look righteous when their hearts were full of death and self. Their forefathers had killed the prophets that God sent, while they raised monuments to honor them. In the same breath, they were rejecting The Prophet that God sent that all the other prophets had spoken about. They would be held responsible for what their fathers did from Abel to Zechariah. (From A - Z).
In our Psalm it says that “his anger rose against Israel, for they did not believe God or trust him to care for them.” We do not want that to be our epitaph in this season. We want it to be that we trusted in the Lord and he delivered us from all our fears.
Lord, we trust you in these times of uncertainty because they are not uncertain to you. We stand on the Rock of all Ages and declare your sovereignty over the earth and our deliverer! Help us to use what the devil meant for harm to bring many souls into your kingdom.
Never has this covenant that God called Moses to make made more sense to me than today in the light of what is going on in our nation. God had Moses remind the people of all the wonderful things he had done to deliver them from a land of slavery and idolatry. They traveled through lands where they witnessed the idolatry and detestable worship of the inhabitants. He warned them that just because he had done all this for them, they should not think they are okay if they are still following the desires of their evil heart. God would not continue to bless them, but the curses that fell on their enemies would fall on them. They must not abandon the covenant that God has made with them.
We are accountable for the things that God reveals to us, not the things that are hidden. If we obey, we are blessed. If we rebel, we are cursed. The choice is ours. Repentance is always available to us, so we can change our curse and turn it to a blessing. Rebellion is always our choice also which will change our blessing to a curse.
The command God gave them and gives us is not too difficult or beyond our reach. We can hear it and obey it. The choice of life and death is ours. We can choose to love and obey the Lord and live long in the land the Lord gave to us and our ancestors which is what we choose.
In Luke, Jesus went off on the Pharisees when they criticized him for not following their man-made washing ritual. Jesus gave them a list of their Pharisaical practices that were doing to make themselves look righteous when their hearts were full of death and self. Their forefathers had killed the prophets that God sent, while they raised monuments to honor them. In the same breath, they were rejecting The Prophet that God sent that all the other prophets had spoken about. They would be held responsible for what their fathers did from Abel to Zechariah. (From A - Z).
In our Psalm it says that “his anger rose against Israel, for they did not believe God or trust him to care for them.” We do not want that to be our epitaph in this season. We want it to be that we trusted in the Lord and he delivered us from all our fears.
Lord, we trust you in these times of uncertainty because they are not uncertain to you. We stand on the Rock of all Ages and declare your sovereignty over the earth and our deliverer! Help us to use what the devil meant for harm to bring many souls into your kingdom.
Sunday, April 5, 2020
Sun.’s Devo - The Kingdom of God on Earth
Read: Deuteronomy 28:1-68; Luke 11:14-36; Psalm 77:1-20; Proverbs 12:18
The blessings are so amazingly good and the curses are equally bad. The truth is that you can individually live in the blessings while your nation is living under the curses. Our job is to have our blessing spread out to our nation and turn their curse into a blessing. We do that by sharing our prosperity, loving and helping the poor, and working toward changing the laws. We are living in a great day where this is literally happening. But, we have to remember that the devil is our adversary in everything we are doing to see this happen. Greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world! We are living in the time when Jesus prayer is manifesting, “may your kingdom come on earth, as it is in heaven.”
Jesus gave us the perfect picture. He cast out the demon from the man who was dumb - unable to speak. This was the last of the tests the Pharisees had proclaimed that only the Messiah could do. They had to make a statement and instead of saying that Jesus was the Messiah, they proclaimed that he got his power from Satan. They chose the curse to be upon them.
Jesus told the religious leaders that the only sign they would get would be the sign of Jonah. Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days but rose from the dead to preach to the town of Nineveh and they repented. Jesus would descend to the belly of the earth and rise from the dead on the third day. Their unbelief would cause them to be eternally condemned. The way they saw was making them blind.
Lord, give us strategy into bringing your blessings upon our land. May we not give up in fighting for righteousness and seeing your kingdom manifest on earth.
The blessings are so amazingly good and the curses are equally bad. The truth is that you can individually live in the blessings while your nation is living under the curses. Our job is to have our blessing spread out to our nation and turn their curse into a blessing. We do that by sharing our prosperity, loving and helping the poor, and working toward changing the laws. We are living in a great day where this is literally happening. But, we have to remember that the devil is our adversary in everything we are doing to see this happen. Greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world! We are living in the time when Jesus prayer is manifesting, “may your kingdom come on earth, as it is in heaven.”
Jesus gave us the perfect picture. He cast out the demon from the man who was dumb - unable to speak. This was the last of the tests the Pharisees had proclaimed that only the Messiah could do. They had to make a statement and instead of saying that Jesus was the Messiah, they proclaimed that he got his power from Satan. They chose the curse to be upon them.
Jesus told the religious leaders that the only sign they would get would be the sign of Jonah. Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days but rose from the dead to preach to the town of Nineveh and they repented. Jesus would descend to the belly of the earth and rise from the dead on the third day. Their unbelief would cause them to be eternally condemned. The way they saw was making them blind.
Lord, give us strategy into bringing your blessings upon our land. May we not give up in fighting for righteousness and seeing your kingdom manifest on earth.
Saturday, April 4, 2020
Sat.’s Devo - Choose the Best
Read: Deuteronomy 26:1-27:26; Luke 10:38-11:13; Psalm 76:1-12; Proverbs 12:15-17
When they got to their land in Canaan, they were to bring to the Lord the first fruits of all their harvests. They were to bring it in a basket to the priest who would set it before the Lord and bless it. In the time of Christ, a young boy brought his lunch in a basket and gave it to the disciples. Jesus blessed it and gave it to all the people. It was the time of first fruits when he did this.
Every third year they were to bring a special offering just for the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows.
When they crossed the Jordan, each tribe was to set up a stone and they would coat them with plaster. They were to set them up on Mt. Ebal and write the commandments on them. The tribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin were to stand on Mt. Gerizim to proclaim a blessing over the people for all who obeyed God’s law. The tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali must stand on Mt. Ebal to proclaim a curse to those who disobeyed God’s law. The Levites stood and shouted to all of Israel the curses.
In Luke, we read the story about Mary and Martha. Martha is the detail worker and Mary is the lover of presence. Martha stands for the law which has to do with works. There will always be works to be done. Mary is the picture of grace. She hungers for the truth in rest. She just enjoys God’s presence. Jesus said that she had chosen the best.
It is true that we have “work” to do, but we do everything with the presence of God with us. We seek him first, then he lets us see what work is profitable and what is not. Everything we do should be done out of presence first.
Jesus gave us a parable about prayer. The essence of the parable is that when we have a daily need, we go to Jesus as our friend. We keep praying till we see the manifestation of our prayer. We don’t give up because our faithful provider will meet our need.
Lord, help us to chose the better and spend time in your presence, knowing that you will meet all our needs according to your riches in glory.
When they got to their land in Canaan, they were to bring to the Lord the first fruits of all their harvests. They were to bring it in a basket to the priest who would set it before the Lord and bless it. In the time of Christ, a young boy brought his lunch in a basket and gave it to the disciples. Jesus blessed it and gave it to all the people. It was the time of first fruits when he did this.
Every third year they were to bring a special offering just for the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows.
When they crossed the Jordan, each tribe was to set up a stone and they would coat them with plaster. They were to set them up on Mt. Ebal and write the commandments on them. The tribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin were to stand on Mt. Gerizim to proclaim a blessing over the people for all who obeyed God’s law. The tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali must stand on Mt. Ebal to proclaim a curse to those who disobeyed God’s law. The Levites stood and shouted to all of Israel the curses.
In Luke, we read the story about Mary and Martha. Martha is the detail worker and Mary is the lover of presence. Martha stands for the law which has to do with works. There will always be works to be done. Mary is the picture of grace. She hungers for the truth in rest. She just enjoys God’s presence. Jesus said that she had chosen the best.
It is true that we have “work” to do, but we do everything with the presence of God with us. We seek him first, then he lets us see what work is profitable and what is not. Everything we do should be done out of presence first.
Jesus gave us a parable about prayer. The essence of the parable is that when we have a daily need, we go to Jesus as our friend. We keep praying till we see the manifestation of our prayer. We don’t give up because our faithful provider will meet our need.
Lord, help us to chose the better and spend time in your presence, knowing that you will meet all our needs according to your riches in glory.
Friday, April 3, 2020
Fri.’s Devo - Mercy
Read: Deuteronomy 23:1-25:19; Luke 10:13-37; Psalm 75:1-10; Proverbs 12:12-14
God gave instruction of the people who may not be admitted into the assembly of the Lord. This included admission to public honors and offices in the religious and political arena. It also included any foreigners who wanted to become a part of their nation by marriage.
These people were the ones who had been mutilated by their parents for idol worship, the Ammonites and Moabites who didn’t welcome them with food and water when they came out of Egypt and the Edomites who hired Balaam to curse them when they were approaching the promised land. These people could not enter the sanctuary for 10 generations. The number ten means “a measure”. So, their 10 generations would be a time of testing to see if they changed their ways.
The laws were to teach the people mercy, fairness, compassion for the poor and to not be greedy.
In Chapter 24 we have the laws of divorce. Divorce was allowed if the husband was dissatisfied with his wife as long as the husband offered the wife a writ or document of divorce. This writ gave her rights to provision. Then she is free to marry again. In the New Testament, they were not giving the woman this document so they were not legally divorced causing them to commit adultery if they wanted to remarry. God hated “the putting away” which was not legal but God allowed divorce which was legal. Adultery cancels the marriage contract automatically unless forgiveness is given.
They were not to forget to destroy the Amalekites because they were unmerciful to them and had no fear of God. Amalekites means “perversion” which is the wrong version of truth. We have to put that to death.
In Luke, the disciples came back to Jesus telling them what they saw in the natural and Jesus told them what he saw in the spiritual. As they cast demons out of people, Jesus saw Satan lose his power in the heavenlies. Jesus rejoiced that God was showing them the spiritual realm.
An expert in the law asked Jesus what he should do to inherit eternal life. Jesus told him to love God with all his heart and his neighbor as himself. Then he told him a parable to explain it. Three men passed the dying Jew but only the third man stopped to help. The first man was a priest, the next was a Temple assistant. They both passed because they didn’t want to get “unclean”.
The third man was a despised Samaritan. He felt compassion, nursed him, took him to the inn and paid for his stay. The lesson was all about humility and mercy. Jesus told him to go and do the same.
Lord, may we be like the Good Samaritan who is not afraid to get messy and pay the price for another person to come to life.
God gave instruction of the people who may not be admitted into the assembly of the Lord. This included admission to public honors and offices in the religious and political arena. It also included any foreigners who wanted to become a part of their nation by marriage.
These people were the ones who had been mutilated by their parents for idol worship, the Ammonites and Moabites who didn’t welcome them with food and water when they came out of Egypt and the Edomites who hired Balaam to curse them when they were approaching the promised land. These people could not enter the sanctuary for 10 generations. The number ten means “a measure”. So, their 10 generations would be a time of testing to see if they changed their ways.
The laws were to teach the people mercy, fairness, compassion for the poor and to not be greedy.
In Chapter 24 we have the laws of divorce. Divorce was allowed if the husband was dissatisfied with his wife as long as the husband offered the wife a writ or document of divorce. This writ gave her rights to provision. Then she is free to marry again. In the New Testament, they were not giving the woman this document so they were not legally divorced causing them to commit adultery if they wanted to remarry. God hated “the putting away” which was not legal but God allowed divorce which was legal. Adultery cancels the marriage contract automatically unless forgiveness is given.
They were not to forget to destroy the Amalekites because they were unmerciful to them and had no fear of God. Amalekites means “perversion” which is the wrong version of truth. We have to put that to death.
In Luke, the disciples came back to Jesus telling them what they saw in the natural and Jesus told them what he saw in the spiritual. As they cast demons out of people, Jesus saw Satan lose his power in the heavenlies. Jesus rejoiced that God was showing them the spiritual realm.
An expert in the law asked Jesus what he should do to inherit eternal life. Jesus told him to love God with all his heart and his neighbor as himself. Then he told him a parable to explain it. Three men passed the dying Jew but only the third man stopped to help. The first man was a priest, the next was a Temple assistant. They both passed because they didn’t want to get “unclean”.
The third man was a despised Samaritan. He felt compassion, nursed him, took him to the inn and paid for his stay. The lesson was all about humility and mercy. Jesus told him to go and do the same.
Lord, may we be like the Good Samaritan who is not afraid to get messy and pay the price for another person to come to life.
Thursday, April 2, 2020
Thur.’s Devo - Take Responsibility
Read: Deuteronomy 21:1-22:30; Luke 9:51-10:12; Psalm 74:1-23; Proverbs 12:11
There is so much in this reading that I’m just going to touch on a few of the laws.
If someone has been murdered in a field and the murderer is unknown, then the elders were to measure the distance from the crime scene to the nearest town. Once the town is determined, the elders of the town were to take an innocent, untrained heifer and lead it to a valley that had not been plowed that had a stream flowing through it. They were to break the heifer’s neck and wash their hands over the heifer and proclaim that they did not shed this person’s blood nor see it happen. Then they would pray for the people a prayer of mercy and ask God to cleanse the guilt of murder from the community.
This is all a picture of atonement. One day, an innocent man would be taken through a valley to Golgotha and his blood would atone for all the murder and sin of the world. Pilate washed his hands and proclaimed Jesus innocent (Matthew 27:24). The people said that his blood would be on their hands and on their children. Barabbas was released and Jesus died.
A rebellious son is to be taken to the elders and they are to stone him to death to purge the evil from among you. That means that when we have a rebellious son, we bring him to the foot of the cross and get the intercessors to speak prayers of faith that will kill his flesh and raise the son to walk in righteousness.
Verse 22 talks about a person who has been hung on a tree. He is to be buried that same day to prevent the spread of sin. That is a person who has come to Christ (he died with Christ on the cross) and needs to be buried right away. Buried is to be baptized and have his sins buried with Christ. Baptism is very important to be able to live a sin free life. It washes the past sins away so we can start new.
Chapter 22 is all about taking responsibility for the unsaved. Donkeys that are lost are stubborn people who are unsaved. We are to help them even if they don’t belong in our family or in our church. We need to pray for them and help them find their way to Jesus.
Marriage is all about covenant. We are not to break covenants we have made with God. I think verse 22 is interesting because if a man and woman are caught in the act of adultery, both of them are to be stoned. In the case of Jesus’ time only the woman was brought out to be stoned. That was the injustice that Jesus addressed and set her free.
In Luke, Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem to be crucified or as Luke put it “to ascend to heaven.” That was much more positive! Some of the towns welcomed him and some didn’t. Lines were being drawn. The hearts of men were being exposed. Some said they wanted to follow but when it came down to actually following through, they came up with excuses. This was their day of accountability and many were choosing not to follow Christ. This is a picture of how people will be when he comes again. They will have great intentions but no follow through. To follow Jesus will cost us everything.
Lord, may we take responsibility for our own souls and the souls of those around us. May our prayers be as incense to you and may you pour out abundant mercy and grace on our nation.
There is so much in this reading that I’m just going to touch on a few of the laws.
If someone has been murdered in a field and the murderer is unknown, then the elders were to measure the distance from the crime scene to the nearest town. Once the town is determined, the elders of the town were to take an innocent, untrained heifer and lead it to a valley that had not been plowed that had a stream flowing through it. They were to break the heifer’s neck and wash their hands over the heifer and proclaim that they did not shed this person’s blood nor see it happen. Then they would pray for the people a prayer of mercy and ask God to cleanse the guilt of murder from the community.
This is all a picture of atonement. One day, an innocent man would be taken through a valley to Golgotha and his blood would atone for all the murder and sin of the world. Pilate washed his hands and proclaimed Jesus innocent (Matthew 27:24). The people said that his blood would be on their hands and on their children. Barabbas was released and Jesus died.
A rebellious son is to be taken to the elders and they are to stone him to death to purge the evil from among you. That means that when we have a rebellious son, we bring him to the foot of the cross and get the intercessors to speak prayers of faith that will kill his flesh and raise the son to walk in righteousness.
Verse 22 talks about a person who has been hung on a tree. He is to be buried that same day to prevent the spread of sin. That is a person who has come to Christ (he died with Christ on the cross) and needs to be buried right away. Buried is to be baptized and have his sins buried with Christ. Baptism is very important to be able to live a sin free life. It washes the past sins away so we can start new.
Chapter 22 is all about taking responsibility for the unsaved. Donkeys that are lost are stubborn people who are unsaved. We are to help them even if they don’t belong in our family or in our church. We need to pray for them and help them find their way to Jesus.
Marriage is all about covenant. We are not to break covenants we have made with God. I think verse 22 is interesting because if a man and woman are caught in the act of adultery, both of them are to be stoned. In the case of Jesus’ time only the woman was brought out to be stoned. That was the injustice that Jesus addressed and set her free.
In Luke, Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem to be crucified or as Luke put it “to ascend to heaven.” That was much more positive! Some of the towns welcomed him and some didn’t. Lines were being drawn. The hearts of men were being exposed. Some said they wanted to follow but when it came down to actually following through, they came up with excuses. This was their day of accountability and many were choosing not to follow Christ. This is a picture of how people will be when he comes again. They will have great intentions but no follow through. To follow Jesus will cost us everything.
Lord, may we take responsibility for our own souls and the souls of those around us. May our prayers be as incense to you and may you pour out abundant mercy and grace on our nation.
Wednesday, April 1, 2020
Wed.’s Devo - The Victory is the Lord’s
Read: Deuteronomy 18:1-20:20; Luke 9:28-50; Psalm 73:1-28; Proverbs 12:10
The Levites were to live off the sacrifices given of the people to the Lord. It was like the Levites represented God on earth. Wherever the Levites were called to go, God would provide for them. We, as overcoming Christians are the Levites of the Old Testament.
Moses prophesied about Jesus when he told them that God would raise up a prophet from among them who would tell the people everything God commanded him to say. In John 1:19-21, the people asked John the Baptist if he was “that prophet”. He told them he was the prophet that Isaiah talked about, not the one Moses predicted. In John 6:14, when Jesus fed the 5,000, the men recognized Jesus as “that prophet”.
Moses explained the cities of refuge for anyone accused of a murder that was not intentional, or if he was falsely accused. As they spread out in the land, they were to add these cities.
If the accuser was found to have brought false charges, then what he had intended for the innocent will be imposed on him. Our accuser is Satan and we need to turn back on him what he has intended toward us.
Moses gave them strategy for war. When they faced an enemy greater than themselves, they were not to panic or be afraid, because God will go with you and fight them and give you the victory. What a promise!!! God will always give us problems that are bigger than us, but the promise still stands. He will get the victory!
The people who were exempt from fighting for the time were people who had just built a house but hadn’t dedicated it yet, those who had just planted a vineyard and not eaten its first fruits and those who had just betrothed themselves to a wife but hadn’t married her yet. These are all pictures of the same thing. It means a person who is not yet born again. People who are not saved will not defeat the devil in warfare. They will be defeated and someone else would have to live out their destiny.
After they had eliminated the unsaved, the officer would ask if any remaining were afraid. The fearful Christian will frighten everyone else, so they don’t need to be a warrior, yet. Those who know their God will do exploits.
How they fought was determined by where they were. If they were in the land God had appointed for them, then they were to destroy everything and take no prisoners. This is a place God has given you to take - your family, your town, etc.
When they met towns outside the promised land, they were to offer peace first. If they chose it, their people would be their slaves, if not, then they would take the town but only kill the men. They could take the plunder, the women and the children and livestock. I’ll leave the interpretation to you.
If the war continues, they were not to cut down fruitful trees. There are fruitful people on the wrong side. They are to be left alone because we need what they produce. The others are to be used as weapons against themselves. Selah!
Jesus took Peter, John and James up on a mountain to pray. Moses and Elijah came and talked with Jesus about his resurrection. Moses stands for the law and Elijah stands for the prophet. They were Jesus’ two witnesses of who he was. Then God spoke and told the disciples that Jesus was his son - the Chosen One and to listen to him. Jesus was the fulfillment of the law and the prophets.
He proved his authority when he cast the demon out of the son and healed him. As the people marveled at God’s power, Jesus tried to tell his disciples what was coming, but all they could think about was who would be the greatest in his kingdom.
It is funny, how we can be just like the disciples and miss the point. In this upheaval the world is going through we have to remember that God is in control and he has power over what Satan is doing. We need to stay focused on the victory.
Lord, help us to walk fearlessly into battle agains a defeated enemy. We will take the ground you have given us to take on the earth. We will see your kingdom come to earth.
The Levites were to live off the sacrifices given of the people to the Lord. It was like the Levites represented God on earth. Wherever the Levites were called to go, God would provide for them. We, as overcoming Christians are the Levites of the Old Testament.
Moses prophesied about Jesus when he told them that God would raise up a prophet from among them who would tell the people everything God commanded him to say. In John 1:19-21, the people asked John the Baptist if he was “that prophet”. He told them he was the prophet that Isaiah talked about, not the one Moses predicted. In John 6:14, when Jesus fed the 5,000, the men recognized Jesus as “that prophet”.
Moses explained the cities of refuge for anyone accused of a murder that was not intentional, or if he was falsely accused. As they spread out in the land, they were to add these cities.
If the accuser was found to have brought false charges, then what he had intended for the innocent will be imposed on him. Our accuser is Satan and we need to turn back on him what he has intended toward us.
Moses gave them strategy for war. When they faced an enemy greater than themselves, they were not to panic or be afraid, because God will go with you and fight them and give you the victory. What a promise!!! God will always give us problems that are bigger than us, but the promise still stands. He will get the victory!
The people who were exempt from fighting for the time were people who had just built a house but hadn’t dedicated it yet, those who had just planted a vineyard and not eaten its first fruits and those who had just betrothed themselves to a wife but hadn’t married her yet. These are all pictures of the same thing. It means a person who is not yet born again. People who are not saved will not defeat the devil in warfare. They will be defeated and someone else would have to live out their destiny.
After they had eliminated the unsaved, the officer would ask if any remaining were afraid. The fearful Christian will frighten everyone else, so they don’t need to be a warrior, yet. Those who know their God will do exploits.
How they fought was determined by where they were. If they were in the land God had appointed for them, then they were to destroy everything and take no prisoners. This is a place God has given you to take - your family, your town, etc.
When they met towns outside the promised land, they were to offer peace first. If they chose it, their people would be their slaves, if not, then they would take the town but only kill the men. They could take the plunder, the women and the children and livestock. I’ll leave the interpretation to you.
If the war continues, they were not to cut down fruitful trees. There are fruitful people on the wrong side. They are to be left alone because we need what they produce. The others are to be used as weapons against themselves. Selah!
Jesus took Peter, John and James up on a mountain to pray. Moses and Elijah came and talked with Jesus about his resurrection. Moses stands for the law and Elijah stands for the prophet. They were Jesus’ two witnesses of who he was. Then God spoke and told the disciples that Jesus was his son - the Chosen One and to listen to him. Jesus was the fulfillment of the law and the prophets.
He proved his authority when he cast the demon out of the son and healed him. As the people marveled at God’s power, Jesus tried to tell his disciples what was coming, but all they could think about was who would be the greatest in his kingdom.
It is funny, how we can be just like the disciples and miss the point. In this upheaval the world is going through we have to remember that God is in control and he has power over what Satan is doing. We need to stay focused on the victory.
Lord, help us to walk fearlessly into battle agains a defeated enemy. We will take the ground you have given us to take on the earth. We will see your kingdom come to earth.
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