OK readers, here's this week's schedule, which will take us almost all the way through the big and exciting book of Deuteronomy by the end of the week.
Sunday: Psalm 10-15
Monday: Deuteronomy 8-11
Tuesday: Deuteronomy 12-15
Wednesday: Deuteronomy 16-19
Thursday: Deuteronomy 20-24
Friday: Deuteronomy 25-28
Saturday: Deuteronomy 29-31
For those of you not in our class on Sunday, here is a very brief introduction to the book of Deuteronomy:
This book means "second law", and is a retelling by Moses of the teachings and events of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. It includes an extended review of the Ten Commandments (ch. 5) and Moses farewell address to a new generation of Israelites as they stand ready to take possession of the Promised Land. He reminds them of God's faithfulness and love, but also of God's wrath on the previous generation of Israelites because of their disobedience and lack of faith. Repeatedly he charges Israel to not only keep the Law, but to love and obey the one true God. There are blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. The book ends with the selection of Joshua as Israel's new leader and the death of Moses.
My favorite section from this book is from 6:4-9, dealing with the greatest commandment. Moses writes, "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."
Think of ways that we can actively remember to love the LORD our God with our hearts, souls, minds and strength this week as we are faced with temptations to sin and distractions of the world. Can you think of times to talk about Him as you "walk by the way"? What are some reminders you can put up to remember to love the LORD? The Israelites put reminders on their hands and heads and doorposts... what can we do? Feel free to leave your ideas as a comment.
God bless you all as you grow to love the LORD in reading Deuteronomy this week!
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6 comments:
How is the reading going for everyone so far?
The reading is going great for me so far! Reading with everyone else is really helping to me stay focused and keep reading because I don't want to be the only one who's behind. :) I had an idea for reminders of how we can love God: Put the verse in your locker. I know I go to my locker a lot, and if it's there it'll be a great reminder. If anyone wants me to make one for them, tell me, and I will! This might not work for people who go to San Benito though...I think they took your guys' lockers out....:(
Hi everyone!
I don't want to read into the text, but while reading this week, it seems to me that God's love is unconditional, but his blessings appear to be conditional. Through out today verses I noticed the words, "if you do this ..." "then I will do ..." Making blessings certainly sounding conditional.
Also I am wondering how we are supposed to interpret concepts like not to wear clothing with mixed fibers. It seems like an isolated law never mentioned again in scripture (or at least I couldn't find anything).
I realize that we are not under the law today but under grace, but the law was to point us to the need of a savior. I just can't relate some of these laws to life today or how they related to sins today.
Any thoughts from any of you on this?
Joy
Great questions Joy,
I was waiting to see if someone else wanted to comment on this first.
I believe you’re right: God’s love is unconditional and available to all, but His blessings are conditional. This truth is not only in the Old Testament, but in the New Testament as well (although it is clearer in the Old Testament). For instance, God’s offer of salvation in Christ is available to all in His love, but it is conditional in that only those who repent and believe can receive the blessing of it.
“Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus…” (Acts 3:19-20). The offer of forgiveness and love was for all, but the blessing of “times of refreshment” was only for those who would repent and turn.
With regard to the question about laws about food and clothing, we must remember that God was not only giving laws for their souls, but also national laws. He wanted them to be a healthy people, and he wanted them to be a different people from those in the nations around them. He wanted other nations to look upon the Israelites and know that they were different and set apart (made holy) by the LORD.
Although these laws may not directly convict us and point us to the need of a savior, they do show the holiness of God and that in the Old Testament, He wanted His people to be set apart from the other nations. Now in the New Testament times, He wants His people to be set apart (holy) by our lives… our behavior, motives, attitudes, values. By these things, it gives evidence not that we are a physically different people, but that we are a spiritually different people—those forgiven of sins and made to have peace with God with His Spirit now dwelling within us.
This is Pastor Curtis's brother from Canada. I'm not keeping tabs, just entering into the discussion occasionally.
Joy's questions are great and they are the reason many people struggle with the Old Testament. Later, as you read through the Prophets, you'll see how God's people got an attitude of entitlement: they thought that being chosen by God and his unconditional love meant that harm and suffering would never come their way. But being graciously chosen by God did not mean that they could have an attitude of entitlement. In fact, the people were being warned by Moses not to let obedience slide (Deut. 7:6-11) and not to think that God chose them because they were more righteous than the other nations (Deut. 9:4-5).
I'll add one more thought here as well...What's cool about the blessings and curses in Deut. 27 & 28 is the picture: Mount Gerizim (the mount of blessings) is a lush and green mountain; Mount Ebal is rocky and desolate. There's a spiritual picture there - obedience brings fruitfulness and disobedience brings barrenness.
What's even more cool is that there is an altar on top of Mount Ebal for sacrifices - again, a picture that even when we blow it, there is a sacrifice for sins that remains for us - a picture of Jesus Christ.
Blessings with the readings!
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