Deuteronomy 25 -- NOT God Holding A Grudge

God set the standard that the punishment should fit the crime here, as well as fairness at work, and the responsibility of families to take care of their members.  Care of family members was so important to God that He authorized the shameful act of spitting in the face of one who failed that duty as a public humiliation for that failure.

With God being known for His love, to see “God hates …” makes one perk up and take notice.  God hated people who used one set of weights for buying and a different set of weights for selling.  God is truth, and He despises dishonesty.

He is also loving enough of those He calls His own that He will remember those who have harmed them.  Although this would appear to be grudge-carrying, there was never any evidence of any sorrow or repentance on the part of the Amalekites for disobeying God’s word and harming His people.

Father, You are just and more than fair.  Satan would have us believe that with these commands You are sinking to our level and being mean and spiteful.  But instead, You are reacting to our sin as a judge should, trying to prevent us from sinning by showing us the harm we inflict on others, and You are faithful to make sure we understand that sin has long-term consequences.  Thank You for Your truth.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Deuteronomy 22-24 -- Sins Of Omission

The Bible doesn’t deal simply with sins of commission – the things we do that are sinful.  Here, Moses gives us God’s take on sins of omission as well – such as ignoring a plight of our neighbors and not helping, thinking that it’s none of our business. 

God also forbids sins of negligence where our failure to take reasonable care causes another person harm.

For the Jewish people, God had special commands for separateness to remind them that they were His holy people.  In the same way, we are called to separate ourselves from evil – to not mix with it and “spiritually infect” ourselves with sin by doing so.

God also gave special consideration to those needing extra protection, such as orphans, widows, and in many cases women in general.  Those lows did much to offer protection for the weak in what then was a very male-dominated area of the world.

Father, thank You for the reminder that I sin when I fail to help others in need.  I cannot simply say, “That’s not my job,” for You look after each and every one of us, and draw to Yourself with Your love.  And with these commands You are having us be more like You.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Deuteronomy 19-21 Remove The Evil

Over and over I read, “You must remove the evil among you.”

God gave Moses several illustrations for the people as they prepared to enter the land He was giving them.  In every case, God condemned any attempt by His people to tolerate evil behavior once it was discovered.  It was to be dealt with.

The reason for this was that by tolerating it, they were encouraging others to do it, since there would apparently be no consequences for the action.  The “land” seemed to hold the guilt, and God would not bless until the guilt was removed.

Father, we’d live in a different nation today if we’d simply follow Your Word.  We’ve allowed people who do not believe in You or obey You to fight for and achieve changes to our laws from what we first were given, all in the supposed name of compassion.  This has eroded our system to the point that consequences are meaningless and evil is rampant.  We are tolerating evil and guilt has not been removed from our land.  Please get us back on the right track, Father.  Make the corrections You desire at these next elections to remove from power those who would dare to defy Your will.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Deuteronomy 17-18 -- Prediction Of What They (And We) Will Do

God wants them to obey Him and to live in harmony with Him.  To that end, He says, “You must get rid of the evil among you.”  So long as we permit evil among us, we cannot fully obey God.

God told them their future in verses 14-20.  He’d warned them not to be like other nations, demanding a human king.  He wanted to be their only King.  But He knew them, and tells them here that they will disobey in their hearts and want to be like every other nation.  So knowing this, He warns them what to watch out for in their kings.  God exactly describes the acts their kings will someday do that will lead to the destruction of their nation for wanting a king in the first place.

He also agrees to send prophets to speak for him, because at Mt. Sinai the people feared hearing God’s audible voice again.  He tells them that anyone who does not listen to the special prophet will answer to God – a foreshadowing of Jesus and their own refusal to listen to Him.

Father, You love us so much that You want to keep us out of sin, yet it seems that our sin-infected hearts only get energized to sin whenever You draw a line – almost unable to wait to test those boundaries.  Instead, help me to observe them and stay well away from them.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Deuteronomy 16 -- Where Do We Throw Away The Yeast??

Of all things, this stood out this morning in what Moses was telling them about the Passover observation:  “But for seven days eat bread made without yeast, the bread of suffering, because you left Egypt in a hurry … There must be no yeast anywhere in your land for seven days.”

I know they didn’t have those little red and yellow foil envelopes of yeast like we do today.  I can’t imagine WHERE they got it, how it was made, nor how they disposed of it so that there was none in the land for seven days.  Then, how’d they get more of it for the rest of the year?

Yeast typically represents sin in the Bible.  With Passover being one of their top two religious observances, that would indicate the removal of sin from their nation for seven days.  How awesome to think of a nation free of sin for even seven days;  then how terrible to admit that there might be “a run on sin” to get it back for the rest of the year.

Father, it’s bad enough that we have to face and fight sin every day.  What a shame to think that it’s so ingrained in us that even seven days without it might seem like an eternity.  How wonderful it will be someday when we’re with You and all sin is removed and we never have to deal with it and its effects on us again!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Deuteronomy 14-15 The Spirit Of The Law

God dealt with the other ways He knew the people would try to fudge on some of His laws.  If they had meat from an unclean animal and “just hated to waste it”, He said this:  “You may give it to a foreigner living in your town … or sell it to a foreigner.  But you are holy people who belong to the Lord your God.”

He told them to give one-tenth of their harvest to Him.  But He knew they’d make excuses later, such as, “The place You’ve chosen for us to worship You is too far away” or “You’ve blessed me so that it will be too costly to transport it all to You!”  So He even gave them rules about that, too.  Closing every loophole we might try to create!

Loans to other Israelites were to be forgiven the unpaid portion every 7 years.  He told them they’d be tempted to consider that the 7^th year was coming up and they’d decide not to lend for that very reason.  Those were “evil thoughts” in His way of seeing it, and they weren’t to do it.

If a Hebrew sold himself as a slave, the Hebrew slave owner was to set him free after 7 years of service.  God even addressed the thoughts of those future slave owners who might not want to free their slaves as He commanded.

He also addressed their future thoughts of offering defective animals to Him, simply because they were firstborn animals. 

God knows our thoughts, even before we think them.  He knows we are sin-infected, and that we will spend valuable time trying to figure out ways to cheat His laws or get around them.  And here He’s told us that the spirit of the Law is as important as the letter of that Law.  For in trying to circumvent it, we are in effect rebelling against it.  He tells us to simply OBEY.

Father, today I think we rationalize our way around many of the things You have commanded.  But You are God and I am not, and I have no authority to rewrite Your word.  You seem to have captured it all in the New Testament catchall verse that says, “Anything done without believing it is right is a sin.”

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Deuteronomy 12-13 -- Don't EVEN Consider It

God was serious about what they were to do once they entered the Promised Land.  The current inhabitants had completely abandoned God for the worship of idols.  God’s first command was to completely obliterate all signs of such worship.  Nothing was allowed to be saved because of its historical significance.  If it remained, it would be a temptation.

Anyone who tried to persuade an Israelite to even explore the thought of worshiping some other god was to receive no mercy:  “Do not give in to such people.  Do not listen to them or feel sorry for them … You must put them to death.  You must be the first one to start to kill them, and then everyone else must join in.”

That sounds so harsh to our ears, knowing how religious freedom was carved into the American Constitution.  But these were God’s special people, and they were to be set apart as holy.

If the citizens of a city failed to police themselves and allowed hateful things to occur and to go unpunished, then the entire city was to be destroyed and everyone in it.  The deterrent effect of such a command was powerful.

God was protecting His people from themselves.  Often we are our own worst enemy, we lack accountability, and we indulge our whims to our destruction.  God was loving them enough to prevent that from happening.

Father, thank You for those strong words that show me how incredibly important it is to You that I don’t even crack open the door to temptation.  You know us all well and know what we are capable of.  Protect me from myself.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Deuteronomy 11 -- Why We Need To Tell It

“Remember today it was not your children who saw and felt the correction of the Lord your God.  They did not see His majesty, His power, His strength, or His signs and the things He did in Egypt … They did not see what He did to the Egyptian army … when He drowned them in the Red Sea … They did not see what He did for you in the desert … They did not see what He did … when the ground opened up and swallowed Dathan and Abiram and their families … It was you who saw all these great things the Lord has done …  Remember … Teach them well to your children …”

The people whom Moses was talking to had been under the age of accountability when they left Egypt, or else they were born during the 40-year trek through the desert.  Egypt was a distant memory, if that.  The generation of adults had all died off except for Moses, Joshua, and Caleb.  The children needed to hear, needed to understand, and needed to own the stories of what God had done for their parents and grandparents.  God didn’t want them to simply be “spiritual trust babies”, living off the spiritual heritage of their ancestors.  He wanted them to know and recite those events , making them come alive for their own children someday, saying “My dad told me …” or “My grandmother was there when …”  That close connection to history would serve them well.  They couldn’t let the stories go untold and thus lose an entire generation!

Father, even last night at youth You showed me the importance of passing on this heritage to the next generation, including not only stories of Your blessings, but our mistakes as well.  Keep me mindful of that as I raise my own sons, as well as when I teach.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Deuteronomy 9-10 Not What You Want To Hear From God

The Israelites were almost there.  Moses didn’t sugarcoat things as he prepared to separate from them.  God had given him quite a bit to remind the Israelites about.

First, they had to understand that God wasn’t doing all this for them because they were good.  He unabashedly told them that somebody had to drive out the evil people now inhabiting the Promised Land, and they happened to be handy.  He said, “It is not because you are good; you are a stubborn people … You would not obey the Lord from the day you left Egypt until you arrived here! … He was angry enough with you to destroy you … You rejected the command of the Lord your God.  You did not trust Him or obey Him.  You have refused to obey the Lord as long as I have known you!”

Moses pleaded for them with God, saying, “Don’t look at how stubborn these people are, don’t look at their sin and evil … they are Your people, Lord, Your own people …”

Getting a reprieve from God, the people now heard what was expected of them as a result:  “This is what the Lord your God wants you to do:  Respect the Lord your God, and do what He has told you to do.  Love Him.  Serve the Lord your God  with your whole being, and obey the Lord’s commands and laws that I am giving you today for your own good … Give yourselves completely to serving Him, and do not be stubborn any longer.  Respect the Lord your God and serve Him.  Be loyal to Him … He is your God, who has done great and wonderful things for you, which you have seen with your own eyes.”

They’d given God every reason to get rid of them and start over.  Yet in His love, He led Moses to teach them how they’d gone wrong, just as their parents had.  He wanted four things from them:  respect, love, obedience, and service.  If we too will work on those four goals on a daily basis, it will keep us from working on other things that might lead us to sin.

Father, You’d kept a visible presence among those people for 40 years and still they chose to sin.  It’s even tougher when You’re not visibly present.  Please soften my stubborn heart and help me to obey.  Let Your Holy Spirit’s voice inside me overwhelm the voices begging me to sin for my own sake.  Remind me often that those voices are lying to me, bent on my destruction, and that You love me more than I love myself.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Deuteronomy 6-8 -- Our Greatest Danger

After Moses described everything the Israelites needed to hear from God, he said, “The right thing for us to do is this:  Obey all these rules in the presence of the Lord our God, as He commanded.”  God hadn’t just given them rules and returned to Heaven.  He promised to be in their camp; therefore, they needed to realize this and obey.  They also had to come to believe certain things to help them obey:

“You are holy people who belong to the Lord your God.  He has chosen you from all the people on earth to BE His very own.”

“The Lord chose you because He loved you.”

“So know that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God.  He will keep His agreement of love for a thousand lifetimes for people who love Him and obey His commands….”

What about what they’d experienced in the desert for 40 years?  “Remember how the Lord your God has led you in the desert for these 40 years, taking away your pride and testing you, because He wanted to know your heart…. He took away your pride when He let you get hungry and then He fed you … During these 40 years, your clothes did not ear out, and your feet did not swell.  Know in your heart that the Lord your God corrects you as a parent corrects a child.”

God had to take stuff away from them to get them to depend on Him and to remove their pride and reliance on self.  Once that happened, He would begin to bless them again.  He knew the temptation toward pride would return.  So He spent the rest of chapter 8 warning them about letting pride creep back in and how it would take them away from Him.

Father, the only way to keep pride at bay is to continually acknowledge that, but for You, we’d have nothing.  We have to reach the point where we see every good thing as a blessing from You and having nothing to do with our own goodness.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Deuteronomy 5 -- Worth It!

Moses wanted the people to realize that they’d been part of a momentous event.  Nothing like this had ever happened before:

“The Lord our God made an Agreement with us at Mount Sinai.  He did not make this Agreement with our ancestors, but He made it with us … The Lord spoke to you face to face …”  They needed to know how incredibly special that was and not take it for granted.

In warning them about idol worship, He said, “If people sin against Me and hate Me, I will punish their children, even their grandchildren and great-grandchildren …”  He’s telling them to think about what their sin will do, not just to their relationship with Him, but with the relationship with Him that their kids and grandkids and great grandkids will have as well!  Too often, when we’re considering sin, we’re only thinking about ourselves.  God continues:  “… But I will be very kind for a THOUSAND LIFETIMES to those who love Me and obey My commands.”

This had more meaning to them than we realize.  You see, they weren’t that far removed from Adam and Eve.  There hadn’t been probably 100 lifetimes, if that many, since the earth was formed.  They could trace their family trees back to Adam.  So they understood God to mean that by obeying Him, He’d be blessing their families for all time!  That sure gave them reason to try to obey!

God looked at them (and us) and knew their propensity to sin.  He said, “I wish their hearts would always respect Me and that they would always obey My commands so that things would go well for them and their children forever.”  He loves us and wants that for us, even when WE don’t want that for ourselves!

Father, I’m sorry for times when I doubt Your great love for me, when circumstances cause me to take my eyes off the One who loves me that much!  Keep reminding me of the benefits of obedience.  I still seem to need a carrot on a stick in front of me.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Deuteronomy 4 -- Reason To Hear It Again

Moses makes sure to explain why they need to be listening to what God is telling them:  “I have taught you the laws and rules the Lord my God commanded me.  Now you CAN obey THE LAWS IN THE LAND YOU ARE ENTERING, IN THE LAND YOU WILL TAKE.  Obey these laws carefully, in order to show the other nations that you have wisdom and understanding…”

They had to know what to obey.  Now that they knew, obedience would be easier, and other nations would see how Israel benefited by obeying.

At a previous time while I was reading this, I noted the different descriptions of God in these verses:

1)      An approaching God in verse 7

2)      An adopting God in verse 20

3)      A jealous God in verse 24

4)      A just God in verse 25

5)      A discoverable God in verse 29

6)      A merciful God in verse 31

7)      A loving God in verse 37

8)      A teaching God in verse 36

9)      A rewarding God in verse 38

God had shown them enough about Himself that they should have trusted Him implicitly and never doubted.  Yet God reveals in verses 25-29 that, despite His love for them and His teaching them what to obey, their sinfulness will cause them not to obey.

Father, I too know these things about You, and yet despite all You do for me, despite the fact that Your Holy Spirit lives within me, guiding me toward obedience, my sin nature still causes me to want to rebel and disobey.  Beat it down, Father.  Help me to crush it.  Let me only obey You.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Deuteronomy 2-3 And Chrysler's Old Ad Campaign

God had promised protection for obedience, even for people who weren’t Israelites.  The people of Edom were descendants of Esau, the brother of Jacob (later called Israel), and as the Israelites traveled through their county, God had warned the people of Edom to let them have safe passage.  He also told the Israelites to pay them in silver for any water or food they consumed along the way.  So the land of Edom remained in the hands of its owners.

God made the same agreement with the people of Moab, who were descended from Abraham’s nephew Lot, and they too were able to keep their land.

The Amorites, however, failed to heed God’s warning and fought against Israel.  As a result, God removed His protection and they were completely wiped out as a nation. 

It wasn’t just the enemies of Israel who found themselves at odds with God.  Although he’d led the Israelites from their exodus from Egypt through all their wanderings for 40 years, and although he’d spoken directly to God, an act of disobedience disqualified MOSES from entering the land God had been leading him toward. 

Just as Israel was tasked with entering the Promised Land and removing the existing inhabitants, who had disobeyed God to the point where He wanted them gone, God had spent the 40 years of desert wanderings removing the Israelite generation that had left Egypt because they’d been unwilling to obey Him and take the land when they’d first arrived at the border.  God’s commands resemble the old advertising campaign used by Chrysler:  “Lead, follow, or get out of the way!”  He has little use for anyone who steadfastly opposes His will.

Father, for too long I opposed You, yet in love You kept reaching out to me until I finally was able to see and understand how much You really did love me, sinner that I am.  Thank You for bringing me into Your Promised Land and for giving me the chance to serve You.  How I wish I hadn’t wasted all those years fighting You!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Deuteronomy 1 -- Had They Only LISTENED!

God is retelling the story, through Moses, of the 11-day trip from Mt. Sinai, where the Law was given, to the Promised Land.  Only the audience was different.  Besides Moses, Joshua, and Caleb, all of the original cast had died.  God wanted to remind the children of those who’d left Egypt of what their parents had done wrong – not following God’s commands to take the land.  Now it was their turn to obey.

I thought of how vastly different those first books of the Bible would have been had they obeyed the first time.  Instead of sending in spies to the Promised Land, as the people requested, Moses would have simply walked in to the Promised Land with all the people in tow.  They would have quickly defeated all of their enemies and established themselves in the land, rather than spending 40 years in the desert eating manna.  What our fears DO to us!  What they should have feared more is God.  And He’s the One they should have trusted instead of their fear.

Father, help me to be assured when You speak to me.  Remind me that the consequences of disobedience will always far exceed the minor inconveniences that might crop up by following You.  As You reminded them, remind me often.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Leviticus 27 -- Thank You That We Don't Have To Do THAT

There’s much talk here about “gifts” to the Lord, yet there’s just as much talk about “buying them back” from God for 20% more than their value.  It seems like people wanted to give, but then wanted back what they’d given!  My commentary says that things that were consecrated or sanctified by a vow could be redeemed, but things that were proscribed or devoted were given completely and finally, and could not be redeemed.  What a mess!

I tend to agree with Matthew Henry’s comment in my commentary:  “We can rejoice that we are not under the dark shadows of the law, but enjoying the clear light of the gospel … That we are not under the heavy yoke of the law and the carnal ordinances of it, but under the sweet and easy institutions of the gospel … Having boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, let us draw near with a true heart, and in full assurance of faith, worshipping God with so much the more cheerfulness and humble confidence, still saying, Blessed be God for Jesus Christ!”

Father, thank You that we don’t have to be hip-deep in the blood of sacrifices because Your Son chose to die for us on the cross.  Let us never forget the terrible price He paid to free us forever from those obligations!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Leviticus 26 -- What The Signs Are Telling Us

God wanted obedience from His people then, just as He still does today.  So many feel that obedience means bondage to a set of rules, but instead it means freedom from worry about consequences.

God enumerated all of the blessings He would pour out to a nation who loved Him and obeyed Him.  By looking at them, I think it’s possible to determine whether or not God feels that our nation is being obedient or not.  He promises these blessings:

                Rain at the right time

                Abundant crops

                Safety

                Peace

                Lack of fear

                Protection from wild animal attacks

                Ability to defeat enemies

                Fertility

                Fruitfulness

                And most importantly, His presence with us.

With the extended droughts, crop failures, and inability to achieve final success in stamping out terrorism, it seems to say a lot today about how well we’re choosing to obey Him.

Father, how I pray that, as a nation, we come back to You – that we stop trying to cut You out of our government and our schools.  Father, please cause us to see what our national disobedience is costing us, and help us to deal with our national sin so that we may once again enjoy the full extent of Your blessings and grace.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Leviticus 25 -- What To Make Of This

I’ve never known how to take this chapter, because so many in the world try to blame God for allowing slavery.  But as I read today, God showed me the humanity of what He set up here as opposed to what the world imposed back then and even now. 

People found themselves in economic hardship back then as well as now, whether from circumstances beyond their control or by choices they had made.  In the rest of the world at that time, that would mean total devastation for the person and his family forever.  They were locked in by those circumstances or choices.

Here, God set limits on that.  He called for a general reset – a Jubilee – every fifty years that would return land to families forced to sell it.  Instead of slavery forever, He set up what amounted to “contracts for hire” for a limited time.  He also instituted buyback provisions so that these “contracts” could be undone.  This was vastly more humane than what existed then.  It also instituted hope, yet kept responsibility and accountability.  There wasn’t any free ride or entitlement to let people off the hook, but there was also the call for families to take care of their relatives.  If they failed to do so, then there was a safety net.  All was not lost.  There’s much wisdom in this.

Father, I’m sorry that I doubted You on this.  You are wise beyond all my ability to understand.  You can see things that we can’t.  Thank You for sharing that wisdom with us.  Help us to see these concepts as just and merciful, and not as enslaving.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Leviticus 23-24 -- What's In It For Us?

The Jewish feasts which Gold told Moses to institute had several sets of meanings.  For the Jews, the Sabbath recalled God’s rest after their creation.  The Passover remembered God’s power to save.  The Firstfruits recalled how thankful they should be for God’s provision, while the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) celebrated His strength and watchcare.  The Feast of Trumpets was a time to reflect on all God had done and to understand that no work on our part could change our standing before Him, while the Day of Cleansing reminded them of their sin and their need of a Savior.  The Feast of Shelters was associated with final harvest and God’s provision for them.

My commentary highlighted what these feasts foreshadowed for Christians:

The Sabbath reminds us that God created us.

The Passover speaks of Calvary – God saving us.

The Feast of Firstfruits reminds us of Christ’s resurrection – the first of all who will be resurrected.

The Feast of Pentecost notes the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Looking to the future, the Feast of Trumpets pictures Israel being regathered.

The Day of Atonement looks forward to the remnant of Israel repenting and acknowledging Jesus as Messiah.

The Feast of Tabernacles sees Israel enjoying the millennial reign of Christ.

So these weren’t just about history, and they weren’t solely for the Israelites.  They pointed them to their Savior.  I pray that they will see Him in them and that we will acknowledge all that God has done for us, prepictured for us all those thousands of years ago.

Father, there is no waste in anything You have us do.  These feasts were there for a reason.  Use them to remind us today of Your watchcare and love for us.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Leviticus 20-22 Giving Our Best

God set high standards for the Jewish priests who could present offerings before Him.  Physical perfection was required, and staying away from uncleanness to insure that they could present offerings meant they couldn’t defile themselves by touching dead bodies.  I can certainly understand God requiring ritual cleanliness – not bringing anything of sin into His presence.  I’ve had trouble determining how this reconciles with ministering to those who’ve just lost loved ones and are in need of comfort.  Priests were forbidden from even entering a house where people had died, and touching a person who had touched a dead person made priests unclean as well.  Ritual cleansing could apparently take care of things, but the priest would be disqualified from service until he’d fulfilled those requirements.

Offerings of livestock required sacrificing the best animals, too.  God would be offended by offerings of damaged or sick animals.

All of this didn’t mean that God hated those who were physically imperfect.  What He wanted them – and us – to see was that He expects us to offer Him 100%.  We honor Him by giving our best – not be withholding it for ourselves.  We won’t impoverish ourselves by giving in that way.  It’s impossible to outgive God.  By choosing to give our best, whether in offerings, time, talent, or anything else, we are respecting him as Holy.  That’s what He wants from us.

Father, help me never to give out of my leftovers.  I want to love You enough to give out of my firstfruits, trusting that You will take care of me if I trust fully in You.  May my offerings be acceptable to You, O God, in the New Year, whether of money, time, talents, or love.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford