Thurs.’s Devo - God’s Song

Read: Deuteronomy 31:1-32:27; Luke 12:8-34; Psalm 78:32-55; Proverbs 12:21-23 God told Noah (Genesis 6:3) that man’s days would be shortened to 120 years and Moses lived that exact amount. He stood for the law and that was God’s decree against man. Moses assured them that God would go before them into the land and drive out their enemies before them. Moses called forth Joshua and told him to be strong and courageous as he led the people into the land. He was to be the one to divide the land among the tribes. Moses wrote all the words of the law in a book and gave it to Joshua and told him to read it to the people every seven years during the Feast of Tabernacles. It was time for Moses to die so God called him and Joshua to the Tabernacle where he He appeared to them in a pillar of cloud that stood at the entrance to the tent. God told Moses that the people would turn away from Him and worship foreign gods, abandon God and break his covenant. God told Moses to write down the words of a song and teach it to the people so they would understand what was happening to them when the terrible things God had said would happened occurred. Maybe it would cause them to repent and turn back. This song would be a testimony against them. Moses did what the Lord told him to do and put the book of instructions in the ark for the Levites to carry with them into the land. Chapter 32 is the words of the song. The song calls heaven and earth to testify for the Lord. It explains how wonderful and fair God is. It tells all the things God did for his people and yet how his people turned away from him and were stubborn and rebellious. The song tells of their birth as a nation and how God graciously took them out of a wasteland and brought them to a land filled with mild and honey. God chose them to be his special possession and gave the wonderful land to them. But, Israel forsook the Lord who loved them to follow gods who didn’t know them or have any life. They aroused God’s anger through their actions who brought terrible disasters upon them. The song continues tomorrow. In Luke, Jesus explained that what you profess here on earth stands in heaven. If you profess Jesus, then when you are called to stand trial on earth, heaven will profess through you. A man in the crowd wanted Jesus to make his brother divide their fathers’ estate with him. Jesus answered that he was not their judge but to guard against greed because life was not measured by what you have on earth. He told a parable about a rich man who accumulated much on earth but had no treasures with God. He had no relationship with God. He lost everything when he died suddenly. Jesus tells us not to worry about anything because worrying doesn’t accomplish anything. It only hurts us and our faith. Jesus used the birds and the lilies as examples of things God takes care of because he made them. How much more does he love us who are made in his image - his prized creation? How much more will he take care of us! Jesus ended with, “Whever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Lord, may the desires of our hearts be to love and follow you. We trust you to care for all our needs and use us to further your plan on the earth.

Wed.’s Devo - The Choice is Ours

Moses began his speech reminding them of all the amazing things God had done to the Egyptians to deliver them from their slavery. Then God said He had not given them minds that understand, eyes that see, or ears that hear. God had done miraculous things for them during their 40 years in the wilderness and gave them victory over King Sihon and King Og. This covenant God was giving them would be for them and their ancestors and would either be for their good or bad. They made the choice. God reminded them of the detestable gods of Egypt and the foreign cities they had seen on their travels. He warned them not to join in their worship because it would bear bitter and poisonous fruit. They should not think they are saved just because they are Israelites. Their salvation had to do with their obedience to God’s laws and their worship of him. If they turned away from them, God would erase their names from under heaven. God would separate them from the others and bring the curses on them. If the curses was their fate, other nations would see what happens when God’s people abandon their covenant with Him. God has secrets that we are not held accountable for but the things he reveals to us, we are to obey. If the people experienced the blessings and then the curses and wanted to return to the Lord, they could, and God would restore their fortunes to them. He would bring them back to their land and make them even more prosperous than before. God would give them a heart to love and worship him with all their hearts and He would put all the curses on their enemies. That day, God was giving them the choice between life and death, prosperity and disaster. God called on heaven and earth to be witnesses to their decision. If they chose life they would live long in the land he chose for them. In Luke, Jesus was rebuked because he didn’t do the ritual hand-washing that the Pharisees had made up. Jesus explained that if your heart was clean then everything you touch becomes clean. That was why he could touch a leper and it would become healed instead of himself becoming leprous. Jesus pointed out their hypocrisy. They tithed religiously yet ignored justice and didn’t love God. They loved being the elite of society but were just like billboards that had no life or substance. They looked good on the outside when their hearts were ugly and hard. Their ancestors killed the prophets and they covered it up by building monuments over their graves. They kept the real law from the people and made up laws which were too hard to follow. They removed the key to knowledge - the law - from the people and didn’t follow it themselves. Jesus warned his disciples that one day all the secret sins of the religious leaders would be exposed and all would know their sins. He told them not to fear these leaders who could only kill their flesh but not their spirit. God would take care of them so they need not fear. How applicable was today’s scripture. We can see that many of the leaders and elite of our nation have chosen the curses and everything they have done in secret is being brought out in the open. To those who have continued to trust in God, He is turning our curse into a blessing and we will end up more prosperous than all the previous generations. We need to keep trusting and not faint. Blessings and justice are coming our way and evil is being exposed and dealt with. Lord, thank you that you are the God of justice and rewards. We turn our hearts and expectations to you.

Tues.’s Devo - The Blessings and the Curses

Read: Deuteronomy 28:1-68; Luke 11:14-36; Psalm 77:1-20; Proverbs 12:18 Today we read the whole list of blessings and curses. The curses are the opposite of the blessings. If we read these every day as a nation, I wonder what kind of nation we would have. Who would ever choose the curses? If they obeyed God’s laws and worshipped the Lord alone, God would set them high above all the nations of the world and they would experience all the blessings of God. The list is wonderful and doesn’t leave out one blessing a person could want. They would live prosperously, safely and full of joy and love for one another. Life would be great. But if they refused to listen to God and obey all his commands, all the curses would fall upon them and overwhelm them. They would live in constant want, dread and oppression. Hatred and distrust would rule relationships. Death would be a relief. In Luke, Jesus healed a man that had a spirit of deaf and dumbness. When he began to speak, the Pharisees had to give an explanation because Jesus had just done the third of their requirements of the Messiah. They believed that only the Messiah could heal a Jewish leper, heal a man who was born blind and deliver a man who was deaf and dumb. This was the last one on the list. Jesus had done the others, so as the people looked to the Pharisees to get an explanation they gave Satan the credit. This was when Jesus rejected the Jewish nation. From this time forward, Jesus did not do his miracles in the open but only in houses away from the crowds. He also required that they have faith to be healed or delivered. Jesus identified them as God’s enemies since they were against the son He had sent. Then he schooled them on demons. Demons have to have a person to operate through so when they are cast out of one person, they have to find another living thing to occupy. If they can’t find a human, they will occupy an animal. If a person is delivered from a demon and doesn’t occupy that space with God and His word, the demon will return with a host of other demons. Then the person will be worse off than before. They kept asking Jesus for a sign which you would have to be blind not to see his miracles and hear his teaching and know he was the Messiah. But, they kept asking anyway. He told them that the only sign he would give them would be the sign of Jonah. What happened to him was a sign to the Ninevites. Jonah was resurrected after being dead for three days in the belly of the fish. Jesus would be resurrected after three days in the belly of the earth. The people of Nineveh would testify against the people of Jesus’ day because the people of Nineveh repented. The queen of Sheba would also be a testimony against them because she traveled for miles to hear the wisdom of Solomon and they had one before them with more wisdom than Solomon and they refuse to believe. In the law a person was guilty by the testimony of two witnesses. Jesus explained that how you saw things illuminated your spirit if it was healthy and right, but if it wasn’t then you would be filled with darkness instead. Lord, may the light of your Word and Your Spirit fill us so that we can see the truth. May we walk in your blessings.

Mon.’s Devo - How to Pray

Read: Deuteronomy 26:1-27:26; Luke 10:38-11:13; Psalm 76:1-12; Proverbs 12:15-17 When they were settled in their land, they were to bring the first fruits of their harvest to the Lord to the place of worship they had designated. They were to give their basket to the priest and declare their statement to God. In their statement they were to remind God how He brought Jacob as a wandering Aramean to Egypt. His family was small then but became a large and mighty nation. They were slaves in Egypt and oppressed with hardship and work, but God brought them out of Egypt with his powerful hand. With signs and wonders God gave them this land full of milk and honey. Then they were to give the Lord their offering and enter into the celebration of praise and thanksgiving for the provision God had given them. Every third year they were to give a special tithe of their crops to the Levites, foreigners, orphans and widows to provide for them. They were to declare their innocence and the innocence of their offering and ask for God’s continued blessing. That day, they renewed their covenant to obey the Lord and his commands. Moses and the leaders of Israel to set up an altar of stones coated with plaster and wrote on them this whole body of instructions so that they would have them to read. The stones with the curses whould be set up on Mt. Ebal and the stones with the blessing would be set up at Mt. Gerizim. The tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Nephtali were to stand on Mt. Ebal and read the curses. The curses they were to read are given us here. When they finished reading each curse, the people were to say “Amen” in agreement. In Luke, Martha complained to Jesus that Mary wasn’t helping her with serving but was more interested in sitting at Jesus feet and listening to his every word. Jesus told Martha that she was so worried about the details when there was only one thing worth concern and Mary had discovered it. How many times do I find myself worried about how God was going to do something instead of just enjoying his presence. The answer always lies in his presence not in worrying and doing. The disciples asked Jesus how they should pray. First they were to acknowledge who God was and what his will was which was to bring his kingdom to earth. Then they were to ask for what they needed for that day. They were to ask to be forgiven in the same way they forgave and to pray for the power to resist temptation. Jesus gave them a parable to show them how to pray for others. For others, you are to be like the man who needed more for his guests. Then you go to God and you ask until it comes. God is the good Father who wants to give us good things and will never withheld his Spirit from us if we ask. Lord, thank you for your instructions that guide us through life. Thank you for your Spirit that is your everlasting presence.

Sun.’s Devo - Compassion

Read: Deuteronomy 23:1-25:19; Luke 10:13-37; Psalm 75:1-10; Proverbs 12:12-14 Castration and illegitimacy all have to do with perversion - the wrong version of God’s intention for mankind. A person born illegitimately was not to enter the assembly of the Lord for 10 generations. Ammonites and Moabites could not enter for ten generations because they had hired Balaam to curse Israel. The Edomites and Egyptians could enter after three generations because the Edomites were their relatives and the Egyptians were just about their relatives since they lived among them for so long. The camp was to be kept clean from any waste that would cause shame since God walked among them to protecte them and to defeat their enemies. Refugees who came to them for safety must be allowed to stay and live wherever they chose. Women who were prostitutes at the pagan shrines were not allowed among them or any earring from their ears was allowed to be brought to the Lord. Earrings showed who you belonged to. Israelites could not charge interest on a loan to another Israelite. They were to keep all their vows, especially those made to the Lord. People were not to take advantage of one another. If a man married a woman who did not please him, he was to write her a document of divorce and make the divorce legal. He was not allowed to remarry her if she had married another man in between. That would be detestable to the Lord. A newly married man could not enter the army until he had enjoyed a year with his wife. When taking a surety for a loan, you were not to take the means of that person’s way of making a living from him or keep his cloak overnight since that would be his source of heat. Those who kidnapped and trafficked other Israelites must die. They were to follow the instructions for leprosy by the book. The poor and destitute should be payed daily for their wages since they lived day-to-day. Parents should not be held responsible for their children’s sins. Foreigners, orphans, and widows should be treated with respect and compassion. They were reminded that they were all once in their shoes in Egypt. They were to remember the poor when they harvested their crops. They were not to go back over their crops a second time but leave any left or dropped for the poor. (Remember Ruth.) If a man was accused rightly of a crime he was to get up to 39 lashes but never 40. Fourty means judged completely. The thirty-nine means that he has a chance to change. If two brothers live together on the same property and one of them dies without an heir, the living brother should marry his brother’s widow and have a son for the dead brother’s name. If he refuses to marry her then she must go to the elders and tell them. The man would then be brought before them and have a chance to do the right thing. If he still refused then she was to take off his sandal and spit in his face and declare that he was the man who refused to provide for his brother with children. His reputation would always be the one whose sandal was removed. (This happened in the story of Tamar and Judah.) They were to be totally honest with each other in business deals, and lastly, they must deal with the Amalekites who attacked them when they left Egypt. Their memory must be removed from the earth. (It was Solomon who would do this.) In Luke Jesus was talking about towns that would not accept his teachings. He cursed towns which had rejected him and his teaching: Korazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. He reminded them that the people who rejected them were rejecting Jesus and God. He also reminded them that he saw Satan fall like lighting. Satan has no more power - his power has now been given to Jesus’ followers. We have the power to curse Satan and all his evil spirits because our names are recorded in heaven. Jesus gives us the ability to see with spiritual eyes and hear with spiritual ears. One day and religious expert asked Jesus what he should do to inherit eternal life. He gave Jesus the first and second commandments. The man wanting to justify himself asked who his neighbor was. Jesus told the story of the good Samaritan. It flew in the faces of the religious hierarchy since they were the first two to walk by the hurt man on the road. It was the Gentile who stopped and took care of the hurt Israelite. He was the one who showed mercy. Lord, help us not to be caught up in doing the right thing instead of being the right thing. May we honor you and others with your love and compassion.

Sat.’s Devo - God’s Law -

Read: Deuteronomy 21:1-22:30; Luke 9:51-10:12; Psalm 74:1-23; Proverbs 12:11 When a person was found murdered in a field and the murderer was unknown, the nearest city was to atone for the murder. The elders of that town were to lead a heifer down to a valley that had a stream running through it. There they were to break its neck. The Levitical priest would then step forward and pronounce a blessing. Next, the elders would wash their hands over the heifer and confess that they did not shed this person’s blood or see it happen. Then the people would be absolved of the guilt of this person’s blood. Murder had to be atoned for so the elders acted as the murderer as they broke the heifer’s neck. The Levitical priest acted as Jesus who stepped forward and took the guilt himself before God, pronouncing a blessing and becoming the curse. The elders then washed their hands and were guiltless. Verses 15-17 remind me of the story of Rachel and Leah. Leah had the first son, Rueben, so he was entitled to the birthright even though Jacob loved Rachel the most and favored Joseph. It also reminds me of the story of Jacob and Esau. Jacob stole Esau’s birthright which was to be given by the father. He had to steal the blessing to make it official because the father gives the birthright through the blessing. Even God did not give Esau his blessing. He said later that Esau he hated and Jacob he loved. It makes me wonder what went on in the womb and who was suppose to come out first. I don’t know. In verses 22:1-4 God reminds us not to ignore our responsibilities to our neighbors. There are too many commandments to comment on them all but here are some summaries. God hates mixture: mixing crops, mixing animals, mixing materials, etc. Everything must remain pure and honest. Marriage must be pure and honest with no deception or it will not stand. In Luke it was getting close to Jesus time to die so he set his mind toward Jerusalem. He sent his messengers ahead of him to a Samaritan village but they wouldn’t welcome him because he was on his way to Jerusalem. The disciples wanted to call down fire to destroy their town but Jesus rebuked them for this and they went to the next village. Many confessed that they wanted to follow Jesus but had excuses when it came down to actually doing it. He did chose 72 others and sent them to all the towns and places he planned to visit. They were to see if the town was open to hearing the good news that the Kingdom of God was near them now. If they were receptive they were to accept their hospitality, if they weren’t they were to wipe the dust from their feet to show that they were abandoning them to their fate. Lord, please step forward for the sins of our nation. We repent of all the murdering and sin that has gone untoned for. We pray that your blood would atone for our sins. Thank you for your loving kindness.

Fri.’s Devo - When You Come into the Land…

Read: Deuteronomy 18:1-20:20; Luke 9:28-50; Psalm 73:1-28; Proverbs 12:10 The Levites were to own no land in Canaan and were to be fed by the offerings of the people to the Lord. God was their special possession and their inheritance. The priests were given the shoulder, cheeks and stomach of the animals presented to the Lord. If a Levite chose to move to Jerusalem from his own home town, he would be welcomed by the Levites there and have his share in their offerings. When they entered into Canaan and began to possess the land, they were not to participate with any of the worship of the people there. They offered their children to Molech and practiced fortune-telling, sorcery , interpreted omens and engaged in witchcraft. They cast spells, functioned as mediums and psychics and called forth the spirits of the dead. God promised to raise up a prophet to speak to them through. When they began to possess the land, they were to set up cities of refuge for the innocent who was accused of murder. The more territory they took, the more cities of refuge they were to set up. If a person was guilty of murder, he was to be turned over to the avenger of blood and killed. In that way they would purge Israel from the guilt of murdering innocent people and it would go well with them. They were never to move the boundary markers of others property. No one could be convicted on the word of only one witness. There must be two or three. If a person was found to bring false charges against another, then the sentence he intended for the other person would be imposed on him. In all these cases, no mercy should be shown on the guilty. His sentence was to put fear in the hearts of the people so they didn’t try to do the same crime. When they went out to fight the enemy and they were much greater than them, the priest was to admonish them not to lose heart because the Lord was going with them to fight against their enemies. He would give them the victory. There were four exemptions the officers were to give the men in their army. The first was if they had just built a new house but had not dedicated it yet. The next was if anyone had just planted a vineyard but not yet eaten any of its fruit. The third was if someone had just become engaged to a woman and not yet married her. And the fourth was if anyone was afraid. All of these things would have distracted them from having their whole heart into being a soldier. When they met an enemy town not in the land that God had given them, they were to first give them a chance to make a covenant of peace. If they did, then the people of the town would become their slaves. If they refused, then they were to attack them and take the women, children, and livestock as plunder. If they were towns in the land God had given them they were to completely kill them all. This was to keep them from adopting their worship which was an abomination to God. If the war continued for a long time they were only to chop down the fruitless trees to use for weapons. The trees that bore fruit should be allowed to live. Trees represent people (Psalm 1). Eight days after Peter had proclaimed that Jesus was the Messiah, Jesus took Peter, John and James up on a mountain with him to pray. As he was praying, Jesus transformed into his glorified body. Moses and Elijah appeared with him and they spoke to him about his exodus from this world. The three disciples had fallen asleep and woke up to see this. Peter wanted to make tabernacles as memorials for them. A cloud covered them and God spoke from the cloud, “This is my Son, my Chosen One, Listen to him.” Then they were alone with Jesus. They came down the next day to face a child who was demon-possessed. The disciples had not been able to deliver him. Jesus rebuked the demon and healed him. When he gave the son back to his father, the crowd was in awed. Jesus told his disciples to remember that he was about to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. His disciples began arguing about who was the greatest. Jesus brought a child to them and told them that the least among them is the greatest.