Notes 1/4/17

January 5, 2017

Chapter 26

Deuteronomy 26:2  That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name there.

A basket? That’s a pleasant thought. A basket filled with fruit. God desires fruit, more fruit, much fruit. Bring forth the fruits! Except ye abide in vine, no fruit. The fruit of the Spirit. The basket of fruit from the promised land. The Promise of the Spirit.

Deuteronomy 26:5  And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous:

Who is that Syrian? Sounds like Joseph, but he wasn’t a Syrian. Commentary says that it’s Jacob.

A Syrian was my father — That is, Jacob; for though born in Canaan, he was a Syrian by descent, his mother Rebecca, and his grandfather Abraham, being both of Chaldea or Mesopotamia, which in Scripture is comprehended under the name of Syria. His wives and children, by their mothers’ side, and his relations, were Syrians, and he himself had lived twenty years in Syria with Laban. – Benson Commentary

I suppose that this is talking about when Joseph brought Israel down into Egypt to live. I don’t remember any other time he went to Egypt, much less raise children there.

Deuteronomy 26:11  And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you.

Rejoice in every good thing. This is a good message right here.

Deuteronomy 26:12-13  When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine increase the third year, which is the year of tithing, and hast given it unto the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled;  (13)  Then thou shalt say before the LORD thy God, I have brought away the hallowed things out of mine house, and also have given them unto the Levite, and unto the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all thy commandments which thou hast commanded me: I have not transgressed thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them:

I’m not a-gin tithing. Tithing is good. I do have a problem with what tithing is mostly used for: the business of the church, pay the bills, pay the pastor, pay the this, pay the that, build this, buy that, new pews, new sound system, new carpet, new windows, new building program, blah, blah, blah.

I know all that has to be bought. BUT the bible explicitly says the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. These are almost entirely ignored in the church today. We’re doing something wrong. We got business meetings, but never discuss the business of saving souls, the business of praying, the business of propigating the gospel, the business of taking care of the strangers, fatherless, and the widows. Say what you will, but most churches are severely lacking in these areas.

Deuteronomy 26:17-18  Thou hast avouched the LORD this day to be thy God, and to walk in his ways, and to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and to hearken unto his voice:  (18)  And the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments;

Thou has avouched the Lord to be thy God. And the Lord hath avouched thee to be his peculiar people. Mutual avouching. As long as we have a voucher! No time. Must study that word. King James translators chose that word for a reason.

Chapter 27

Deuteronomy 27:9  And Moses and the priests the Levites spake unto all Israel, saying, Take heed, and hearken, O Israel; this day thou art become the people of the LORD thy God.

I thought they were always God’s people. Sure. But something happened that day. I wonder if there’s a similarity to the difference between servant and son in the new testament. Sonship. I know there was more to be a child at a certain point in life. Sonship was a child attaining something. I barely remember. Must study.

Deuteronomy 27:12-13  These shall stand upon mount Gerizim to bless the people, when ye are come over Jordan; Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin:  (13)  And these shall stand upon mount Ebal to curse; Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.

There’s another part in Deuteronomy about Gerizim and Ebal I believe. That famous scipture about setting blessing and curses before you.  Well, the next verse talks about the blessings on Gerizim and the curses on Ebal. Gerizim and Ebal. Choose our mountain.

Chapter 28

Deuteronomy 28:2  And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.

Wouldn’t you like to be overtaken by blessings.

Deuteronomy 28:3  Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.

Remember the law regarding fornicating for lack of a better word with a woman in the city and then with a woman in the field. City Girl vs. Country Girl? Anyhow, there’s meaning to city and field. 

1-14

These are all the blessings.

Deuteronomy 28:15  But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:

How about being overtaken by a curse. Yikes.

Deuteronomy 28:28  The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart:

This indeed is a curse. Very final. Very sad.

Deuteronomy 28:30  Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof.

This is the same list given regarding excuses for not going to war. Isrealites were allow to stay home from battle for these very reasons. Interesting.

Deuteronomy 28:35  The LORD shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head.

From the sole of they foot unto the top of thy head. That’s just about everything. From top to bottom. The thoroughness of God in the curses is sobering.

Deuteronomy 28:36  The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone.

Deuteronomy 28:41  Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity.

Deuteronomy 28:37  And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee.

I am astonished at the accuracy and prophecy of this section of the law. I’ve always associated these type of warning with the prophets. The prophets warned of the captivity. But I find it fascinating that it was way before the prophets and in the law.

Deuteronomy 28:53  And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee:

Amazing accuracy of the seige of Jerusalem. Exactly which one I’m not sure.

Deuteronomy 28:64  And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.

More accuarcy. From Bablyon to Assyria to Rome. Scattered.

There’s more even regarding their return to Israel which happened and is still happening. Just amazing. Before they had king, before they had a land, a capital, borders, before they were even a nation all this was predicted. Just amazing.

Deuteronomy 28:67  In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.

I don’t want to wake up. I don’t want to fall asleep. That’s some real fear. So sad.

Chapter 29

Deuteronomy 29:7  And when ye came unto this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, came out against us unto battle, and we smote them:

There they are gain. I’m telling you, there’s alot to these guys. They deserve some study.

Deuteronomy 29:14-15  Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath;  (15)  But with him that standeth here with us this day before the LORD our God, and also with him that is not here with us this day:

That opens up some possibilities, doesn’t it. Him that is not here with us this day. Glory to God, that’s good stuff.

Deuteronomy 29:29  The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Chapter 30

Deuteronomy 30:3  That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.

The return of Jews to their homeland 1948 predicted in the law before they even claimed their homeland in the first  place.

Deuteronomy 30:4  If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee:

It’s all just a miracle.

Deuteronomy 30:5  And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.

God has always been faithful.

Deuteronomy 30:11-14  For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off.  (12)  It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?  (13)  Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?  (14)  But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.

I know people might not like this: But, there is reasonableness to the law. I know it can’t ever be followed to the T without Christ. And I’m not saying that in Christ we will magically be able to perform all that’s in the law. What I’m saying is that there was compassion in the law. There was mercy. There were solutions. There was great truth and benefits in the law. Sometimes the law gets a bad rap, like God was unreasonable or something. God is reasonable. God is patient and log-suffering.

Deuteronomy 30:15  See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;

God is not heavy handed. He gives us choices.

Deuteronomy 30:19  I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

Choose life. (Pro-life and Pro-choice at the same time) Heaven and earth are God’s witnesses that Israel had a choice. They weren’t forced down the path of idolatry and captivity and curses. They chose that.

Deuteronomy 30:20  That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

He is thy life. This where we must all get to.

 

 

 

 

 

Deuteronomy 16:3 Remember the day…

January 4, 2017

Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life.

Remember the day… In five days, it’ll be twelve years to the day that I came forth out of the land of Egypt. That’s the day I got saved. I got born again. I passed from death unto life. I got regenerated. I got born from above. Bless His holy name! I remember the day. I remember almost everything about it. I can take you to the 12″ x 12″ tile, in the bathroom, in the parsonage, at the Bible Baptist Church, on Highway 77 outside of Odem, Texas that I bowed my head and from the bottom of my soul cried, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner!”

I remember the numbness of mind the night before. I remember the man of God preaching about hell that night. I remember that uh-oh feeling when he asked, “Does the Holy Ghost live inside you?” I remember the doubt percolating into my mind as I breathed the words to myself, “I’m lost.” I remember waking up the next morning confessing to my wife that I was lost. I remember for the first in my life ever being certain about something. I remember the fake, the phony, the whitened-sepulcher full of dead man’s bones. I remember my wife telling me to ask the Lord to show me myself. I remember confessing again what I was. I remember her taking me by the shoulders and looking me straight in the eyes and saying, “No. Ask the Lord to show you what you are.” I remember asking the Lord to show me what I was.

I remember what God showed me when I got underneath the running water of that bath. I remember when God turned the lights on in my soul. I remember the darkness. I remember the terror. I remember the devils. I remember the emptiness. I remember the screaming. I remember the crying. I remember the horror. I remember my wife dressing me. I remember my wife dragging me to the car. I remember the swine running across my lawn. I remember my wife driving me to the preacher. I remember the shame. I remember Brother Janow. I remember Sister Rita. I remember Brother Biggs. I remember the praying and the praying and the praying. I remember the singing. I remember I must tell Jesus I must tell Jesus. I remember Preacher Allen on the phone at Cracker Barrel praying for me. I remember nothing happening. I remember I knew how to get saved. I remember knowing this was the only chance I was gonna get. I remember knowing it was now or never. I remember it was saved or madness.

I remember everybody was hungry. I remember the bathroom. I remember the huge mirror. I remember the wretch in front of that mirror. I remember the shame. I remember the disgust. I remember the tears. I remember I was a sinner, lost and on my way to hell.

Oh, but bless the Lord! Praise his holy name! Glory to God! Yes! Yes! Yes! I remember when God leaned all the way down from heaven and whispered in my ear, “But I still love you.” I remember knowing that God loved me and wanted to save me. I remember knowing what I had to do. I remember the descent down to my knees. I remember, “Lord, help me!” I remember my heart getting ripped out. I remember my face hitting the floor. I remember, “Lord, have mercy on me a sinner!”

I remember the storm stopping. I remember “Peace be still.” I remember looking at that tile and thinking, “I just got saved.” I remember Brother Janow smiling. I remember hugging Brother Biggs. I remember SHOUTING! Yes. I remember the day that I came forth. I remember the day I was birthed in the family of God. I remember when I took my first breath as a child of God. And I want to remember it all the days of my life. It was the greatest day in my life. I met the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Notes 1/3/17

January 3, 2017

Chapter 21

Deuteronomy 21:9  So shalt thou put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the LORD.

1-9 is regarding a dead person that they don’t know how he died. Closest city has got to do something.

Guilt of innocent blood. Why is there guilt if it’s innocent?

An heifer not wrought with, and has not drawn in the yoke. Cut off the heifer’s head! Weird stuff.

Deuteronomy 21:12  Then thou shalt bring her home to thine house; and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails;

Shave her head? What?

Deuteronomy 21:17  But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.

There’s much important and special regarding the firstborn. No explanation for it. It’s just God ordained stuff.

Deuteronomy 21:18-21  If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them:  (19)  Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place;  (20)  And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard.  (21)  And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.

A gluttonous son? Stoned? What about gluttony? What is that? Nobody is guilty of that anymore. Stubborn and rebellious. The children of Israel. Very stubborn and rebellious. But not all. Stubbornness is as witchcraft and rebellion is as idolatry. Or visa versa.

Deuteronomy 21:23  His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

Jesus was took down right away. The law was followed even in death. Sinless perfection.

Chapter 22

Deuteronomy 22:1-3  Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt in any case bring them again unto thy brother.  (2)  And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or if thou know him not, then thou shalt bring it unto thine own house, and it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it, and thou shalt restore it to him again.  (3)  In like manner shalt thou do with his ass; and so shalt thou do with his raiment; and with all lost thing of thy brother’s, which he hath lost, and thou hast found, shalt thou do likewise: thou mayest not hide thyself.

Am I my brother’s keeper? I guess so.

Deuteronomy 22:4  Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ass or his ox fall down by the way, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again.

Sins of omission.

Deuteronomy 22:5  The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.

Hey look! This is still in the bible.

Deuteronomy 22:6-7  If a bird’s nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be young ones, or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young:  (7)  But thou shalt in any wise let the dam go, and take the young to thee; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days.

Good hunting advice.

Deuteronomy 22:10  Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together.

Oxen and asses just don’t get along. They don’t step the same. They’re not the same height. They don’t travel the same speed. Just a bad idea. The bible is sensible. There’s got to be a spiritual application to this.

Deuteronomy 22:19  And they shall amerce him in an hundred shekels of silver, and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel: and she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days.

Deuteronomy 22:22  If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.

Alot of people try to use that “except it be for fornication” clause in the NT to justify divorce. They say if a wife or husband commits adultery, then they are justified in divorcing them. Well, that’s not the way it worked back in the day. If a wife or husband committed adultery they were not divorced, they were stoned. I really believe that the divorce law applied either to the betrothal period or the very beginning of a marriage. Remember, marriages back then were sometimes financial deals. If there was a bad deal, then that was taken care of. But once the deal was settled, the marriage final, it was for life. (22:19) “he may not put her away all his days”

The “except it be for fornication” clause is just sense. If the spouse has committed adultery then you did not cause her to commit adultery, she’s already committed it. It’s just a clause of qualification or explanation. It is not a justification for divorce.

Deuteronomy 22:23  If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;

Deuteronomy 22:25  But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die:

In the city? In the field? I’ve got to study that one. City girl? Country girl?

Chapter 23

Deuteronomy 23:1  He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off, shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD.

Ouch! They stay outside the camp. Not just the tabernacle. The camp.

Deuteronomy 23:2  A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD.

10 generation outside the camp. This is how serious it is to God to for children to be born in wedlock. Serious thing.

Deuteronomy 23:3  An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever:

These are the children of Lot’s daughters. This is how bad God despised what they did.

Deuteronomy 23:7  Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a stranger in his land.

Mercy even for Egyptians.

Deuteronomy 23:13  And thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon; and it shall be, when thou wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee:

Bury your poop. It’s just sense. God’s law is practical and sensible. So the things we don’t understand are things that we don’t see the practicality or sensibility in it. That’s our problem, not God’s.

Deuteronomy 23:17  There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.

Notice sodomite is not capitalized. I remember some clown said that this verse was just referring to inhabitants of Sodom.

Deuteronomy 23:19-20  Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of any thing that is lent upon usury:  (20)  Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all that thou settest thine hand to in the land whither thou goest to possess it.

Can’t charge interest to your brother. Sorry.

Deuteronomy 23:21-23  When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.  (22)  But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee.  (23)  That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the LORD thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth.

Pay your vows. Vows are a big deal in the OT. Dr. Green – “You’ll never get anywhere with God unless you make some vows.”

Deuteronomy 23:24  When thou comest into thy neighbour’s vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure; but thou shalt not put any in thy vessel.

HEB is my neighbor. That’s why I taste the grapes before I buy them.

Chapter 24

Deuteronomy 24:1-4  When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.  (2)  And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man’s wife.  (3)  And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife;  (4)  Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the LORD: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

Touchy subject.

(1) “She may go and be another man’s wife.” Now does this mean she doesn’t commit adultery? Nope. That’s why (4) is so: “after that she is defiled.” That is why she is defiled. The bible doesn’t contradict itself. Jesus said that if you put away your wife, you cause her to commit adultery. Verse 4 confirms that in that now that woman is defiled. But people don’t care what the bible says. Marrying and giving away in marriage.

Deuteronomy 24:5  When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any business: but he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife which he hath taken.

So honeymoons should last a years? I can’t afford that.

Deuteronomy 24:8  Take heed in the plague of leprosy, that thou observe diligently, and do according to all that the priests the Levites shall teach you: as I commanded them, so ye shall observe to do.

One verse here, but chapter after chapter after chapter in Leviticus.

Deuteronomy 24:10-13  When thou dost lend thy brother any thing, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge.  (11)  Thou shalt stand abroad, and the man to whom thou dost lend shall bring out the pledge abroad unto thee.  (12)  And if the man be poor, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge:  (13)  In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee: and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the LORD thy God.

I need to look at the NT where Jesus talks about asking for a garment and giving a coat. There’s something else, but I’m too tired to think right now.

Deuteronomy 24:16  The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.

Thanks God for that. Both ways!

Deuteronomy 24:19-21  When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands.  (20)  When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.  (21)  When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.

Don’t be greedy. You got plenty. You could spare some. I need to remember this one!

Chapter 25

Deuteronomy 25:3  Forty stripes he may give him, and not exceed: lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother should seem vile unto thee.

By his stripes we are healed.

Deuteronomy 25:4  Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn.

I’ve always assumed that God is saying to let the ox eat. Is that correct? What does it mean to tread out the corn? Question for another day.

Deuteronomy 25:10  And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe loosed.

This is regarding a brother that supposed to take his dead brother’s wife and raise up children for him. I think most people would think that was weird. But we can apply this to taking financial care dead brother’s wife, can we not. I think alot of people do. Anyhow, that’s why you should tie your shoe laces. It’s a shame to not have them tied.

Deuteronomy 25:11  When men strive together one with another, and the wife of the one draweth near for to deliver her husband out of the hand of him that smiteth him, and putteth forth her hand, and taketh him by the secrets:

Why is this in the bible?

Deuteronomy 25:19  Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it.

God really has it in for the Amelekites! We got to study them one day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deuternomy 11:16 Be not decieved…

January 3, 2017

Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;

This is the one thing that God warns most about: serving and worshiping other gods. Through the law, there’s many warnings and admonishments to not go after the gods of the land that they were occupying. When you get to the prophets, this is the one thing that they are rebuked mostly for: idolatry. And now, 4000 years later, this thing of idolatry, have God’s people finally got it licked?

It’s not something you hear much about anymore. You never really hear of Christians abandoning their faith to go after Mohammed; or after Buddha; or any other religion for that matter. So is this something that we have to worry about anymore? I mean I haven’t heard of any child sacrifices to Chemosh lately. We are not idolatrous. That’s not something we do nowadays, right?

Wrong. Idolatry is still something we must take heed of. The bible says to take heed to yourselves that your heart be not deceived. Whoops. That’s a little more complicated. Why? Because the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9) It’s more deceitful than the devil and his devils. It’s more deceitful that the world and all it’s attractions.

I would say that the heart might be deceived while your conscience has no idea. I suppose that is indeed what qualifies deception; to believe something that is not true. In this case, that thing that is not true is that you are faithful to your God. Are we faithful to our God? Do we serve and worship him only?

The first and most important commandment: “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” (Deuteronomy 6:5) Maybe you’re faithful to be in your spot every Sunday morning? Maybe you’re faithful to tithe? Maybe you’re faithful to thank God for your food every time you eat? But are you faithful to love Him?

It’s amazing that Almighty God, creator of heaven and earth, His first desire of us is love. He desires that we love Him. It’s not do this or do that. It’s to love Him. So. In view of Deuteronomy 11:16, do we love something other than God? Where do we spend our heart, soul, and might? Is all of them set upon loving God?

I remember listening to Brother Janow many times in prayer, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me…” (Psalm 139.23,24) Anybody can be deceived, but nobody must be. Truth is the opposite of deception. God the Father desires truth in the inward parts (Psalm 51:6); Jesus said that He is the truth (John 14:6).; and the Holy Ghost can lead you into all truth.

The truth may not be pretty. When I think of this topic of idolatry, I remember and fear the visions of Ezekiel. It all looked good on the outside of the temple (Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost…); but Ezekiel beheld a little hole in the wall. And God said to dig. So Ezekiel dug and found a door. And God said, “Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here.” (Ezekiel 8:9)

Oh, but we’re all okay, right? There’s no way God’s people can be guilty of idolatry? I know it’s the biggest sin in the bible, but there ain’t none of that in our church, right?

“Nothing to see here…”

“We’re all holy here…”

“No idols here…”

Notes 1/2/17

January 3, 2017

Chapter 16

Deuteronomy 16:3  Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life.

Tortillas for 7 days!

Remember the day when thou camest forth all the days of thy life! Always remember and always celebrate, always relive, always rejoice and talk about the day you got saved. All the days of your life! Remember it!

Deuteronomy 16:12  And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt: and thou shalt observe and do these statutes.

It should always be at the forefront of our minds who we were before we were saved. Our lost condition, where God brought us from, what God had saved us from, who had dominion over us, where our abode was. Always give glory to God passing from death to life!

Deuteronomy 16:19  Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.

That’s a stern warning. Blind the eyes. Pervert the words. Gifts? Bribes.

Wrest judgment or respect persons? I wonder how much we do this and we don’t know we’re doing this? Wresting judgement. To pervert judgment, misapply. To force something that shouln’t be forced. Bible wrestling.

Chapter 17

Deuteronomy 17:6  At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.

Jesus was not put to death because of witnesses because they couldn’t get two to agree. I think that’s funny. I can picture the Pharisees getting angry because they couldn’t get him condemned no matter what they did. They finally condemned him because he said he was the Son of God and they cried blasphemy.

Deuteronomy 17:16  But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.

There is no going back to Egypt. Praise God. Once saved, always saved! In the wilderness, they wanted to go back. They said let’s make a captain and go back. God didn’t allow that. Nope. Once you’re out, you ain’t never going back. No more sacrifice for sin.

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Deuteronomy 19:3  Thou shalt prepare thee a way, and divide the coasts of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every slayer may flee thither.

The city of refuge again. I have to admit. Call me weird. It seems so out of place. It’s so different from everything else. It’s different from sacrifice, from offereing, from law, from anything.

Deuteronomy 19:9  If thou shalt keep all these commandments to do them, which I command thee this day, to love the LORD thy God, and to walk ever in his ways; then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, beside these three:

More cities of refuge added. More mercy. The expansion of the kingdom. More saved. More love. More forgiveness. Grace does more more abound.

Deuteronomy 19:14  Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour’s landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land that the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it.

Keep your hands to yourself. Why would someone do this? First thing that comes to mind is putting someone down to lift yourself.

Deuteronomy 19:15  One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.

Jesus said there’s two that beareth witness.

Deuteronomy 19:16  If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong;

The false witness against Jesus, according to the law, should have been crucified. Along with Barabas, Jesus took their place.

Chapter 20

Deuteronomy 20:1-4  When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.  (2)  And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people,  (3)  And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them;  (4)  For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.

Bless the Lord. If God be for us, who can be against us! Jesus is our high priest. He’s the one saying “fear not, do not tremble, neither be terrified.”

Deuteronomy 20:5-8  And the officers shall speak unto the people, saying, What man is there that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it.  (6)  And what man is he that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not yet eaten of it? let him also go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man eat of it.  (7)  And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her.  (8)  And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren’s heart faint as well as his heart.

Valid excuses for not going to battle

Isn’t that interesting. I don’t think alot of us would hold to this. We’d probably say, “No, you’re going to battle.” I have to think on this definitely. Excuses for missing work. Excuses for missing church.

Deuteronomy 20:11  And it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall be, that all the people that is found therein shall be tributaries unto thee, and they shall serve thee.

This reminds me of when Jesus sent the 12 out to preach the kingdom.

Deuteronomy 20:19-20  When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them: for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down (for the tree of the field is man’s life) to employ them in the siege:  (20)  Only the trees which thou knowest that they be not trees for meat, thou shalt destroy and cut them down; and thou shalt build bulwarks against the city that maketh war with thee, until it be subdued.

Trees? The tree of the field is man’s life. Cross?

Trees. Trees. Tress. I have to remember this stuff.

 

 

Notes 1/1/17

January 1, 2017

Chapter 11

Deuteronomy 11:1  Therefore thou shalt love the LORD thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway.

There’s that word alway again. It’s not all ways. It’s all the way. Jesus said I am the way. There’s not a bunch of ways to keep God’s statutes, judgements, and commandments. There’s one way. And that is God’s way. Like wise, Jesus did not promise that he’d be with us all ways. He did however promise that he’d be with us all the way. God promised to be with us in his way, not our ways. He said except ye abide in the vine ye cannot bear fruit.

Deuteronomy 11:12  A land which the LORD thy God careth for: the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.

I think it’s amazing how God takes care of the land, or in this day the economy, our business, our livelihood. It’s certainly not our great business sense or sales tactics. It’s just the grace of God customers keep walking in the door. Amen!

Stopped here Sunday Morning. Jeremy preached on this verse this morning. Spooky.

Deuteronomy 11:16  Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;

Why do we act like this ain’t possible. This is the one thing that God was extremely concerned about with the children of Israel, but now we act like this ain’t possible. We give it lip service regarding idolatry.

Deuteronomy 11:20  And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates:

I’d really like to try this.

Deuteronomy 11:26  Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;

God gives us a choice in this life. A or B. 0 or 1. Yes or No. Good or Bad.

Deuteronomy 11:30  Are they not on the other side Jordan, by the way where the sun goeth down, in the land of the Canaanites, which dwell in the champaign over against Gilgal, beside the plains of Moreh?

Champaign? Champagne? I thought maybe there might be a New Year’s Message here.

In the Arabah? open level countryside

Actually verse 29 is pretty interesting. Put the blessing upon mount Gerizim, and the curse upon mount Ebal? Put the blessing. Put the curse? Huh?

Chapter 12

Deuteronomy 12:3  And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place.

Overthrow, break, burn, hew down, destroy! That’s a list huh?

Here’s another one: Altars, pillars, groves, graven images, names.

Deuteronomy 12:6  And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks:

Burnt offerings, sacrifices, tithes, heave offerings, vows, freewill offerings, firstlings.

Your vows. That’s a New Years things right there.

Deuteronomy 12:12  And ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, and your menservants, and your maidservants, and the Levite that is within your gates; forasmuch as he hath no part nor inheritance with you.

Do you have a Levite within your gate? Could this be a picture of Jesus your intercessor or Holy  Ghost your intercessor. In your gate. What’s in your gate? You better make sure you have a Levite in there somewhere. Without that Levite, no sacrifice, no holy things.

Deuteronomy 12:15  Notwithstanding thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee: the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as of the roebuck, and as of the hart.

Deuteronomy 12:22  Even as the roebuck and the hart is eaten, so thou shalt eat them: the unclean and the clean shall eat of them alike.

When I first read these, I thought that God was saying they could eat unclean animals. But no, He’s saying that clean and unclean people can eat. Reminds me of the question about the Passover. There was a question earlier about whether or not unclean can celebrate Passover. Well, they could. Passover trumps unclean.

Deuteronomy 12:30  Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.

This is much like Deut 11:16. Nobody does this today. (sarcasm) We’re not guilty of this. No everybody is just holy (Korah) and loves God and is faithful to God. No idolaters here.

Chapter 13

Deuteronomy 13:3  Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

There’s a time for a prophet. (The prophets) There’s a time for a dreamer of dreams. (Joseph and Pentecost)

Deuteronomy 13:6  If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers;

Mark 10:29 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s,

Sometimes family just doesn’t want to come along. Don’t wait for them. 

Chapter 14

Deuteronomy 14:1  Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.

I’ve told my wife several times not to cut the hear between my eyebrows when she’s giving me a haircut. Now I have a scripture to back me up. I told her about it and she said, “It says for the dead!”

Deuteronomy 14:24-26  And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee:  (25)  Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose:  (26)  And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household,

I’m too sick to think of this right now.

Chapter 15

Deuteronomy 15:6  For the LORD thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee.

Lend and don’t borrow. Good advice. Good sign of God’s blessings.

Deuteronomy 15:7-8  If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother:  (8)  But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth.

The poor and the stranger. God is very considerate of them. Are we? Of course we’re not. Lend him sufficient for his need. Is $2.00 sufficient? Of course it’s not.

Deuteronomy 15:9  Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee.

Sad. This is exactly what I thought when I read about the release of the 7th year. I thought, nobody is going to lend money on the 6th year.

Deuteronomy 15:20  Thou shalt eat it before the LORD thy God year by year in the place which the LORD shall choose, thou and thy household.

Passover. Year after year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deuteronomy 8:16 Thy latter end…

January 1, 2017

Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;

Most of the time, things are pretty positive on New Year’s Eve. We think of all the good things that happened through the year, and we look forward and hope for the year to come. But maybe there’s someone out there this New Year’s Eve that’s looking back at the year, reflecting on the things that have happened, and not feeling so positive. Maybe there’s someone out there looking forward to another year with dread and not whole lot of hope.

Maybe right now things don’t seem to be going well. Please consider that now is not all that matters. It’s not that now doesn’t matter. It does. But perhaps what also matter or what matters more is the latter end. Rest assured that God is not just concerned with now but very much concerned about the latter end.

Preacher Allen would always say, “It’s not how you start. It’s how you finish.” (I’m sure he was quoting someone too, I just don’t remember who) Right now, we’ve been going through the Israelites journey through the wilderness. No. They didn’t start too good. And they didn’t go too good either. They didn’t believe God. The murmured and complained. They rebelled. They rose up against Moses. The built a golden god. They went after the gods of Moab. There was plague, fire, serpents, and alot of death. It was not exactly a pleasure trip.

Does that sound like your year? Or does the next year look like it’s gonna turn out like that? Let me say this: Children are never cast into battle. Soldiers are sent into battle. Soldiers are grown men, trained, armed, supplied, and battle-hardened. What are you getting at preacher? It was eleven days from Mount Horeb to Kadesh Barnea. You might think that there was a possibility that they could have waltzed into the Promised Land eleven days after Mount Horeb.

I don’t think so. They had already tempted God ten times. They weren’t ready. Being born again is a real thing. Being born again is truly a spiritual birth. That which is born of flesh is flesh. No child can walk physically right after they are born. That which is born of Spirit is spirit. No child can walk spiritually right after they are born.

Deuteronomy 8:2,3 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.

God has a purpose in what He allows you to go through. Please don’t think that God expected you after you were born again to take off running. That’s not how it works. John the Baptist, filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother’s womb, is not the rule. Even Jesus did not begin his ministry until he was 30 something years old, and not before he was filled with the Holy Ghost and tried in the wilderness.

Deuteronomy 8:5 Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee.

I used to have hard time relating to the topic of chastening because I thought chastening was simply punishing. But it’s not. Punishing is what the law does to the law-breaker. Punishment is for your detriment. Chastening is for your betterment. Chastening is what a father does to a son. Chastening is refinement. Chastening is moulding and making and forging. Chastening is pruning, purging, and purifiying. Chastening has the latter end in mind.

Hebrews 12:8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

This is what the Israelites had to go through. This is what every child of God must go through. Why? Because God has set his love upon you. Because you received Him and He gave you power to become sons of God. Maybe this New Year’s Eve as you look back at the year or look forward at the things to come, and things don’t look so bright. Consider the latter end; the end that God is planning for you. Praise His holy name that he’s been leading you all this way. What a glorious thing to take a few steps with God, even in chastisement; because every step you take brings you closer and closer to thy latter end.

Notes 12/31/16

December 31, 2016

Chapter 6

Deuteronomy 6:5  And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

This truely is the first commandent in importance. But in Deuteronomy, the second reading or giving of the law, it literally is the first commandment. Love. God desires your love. Have you ever desired the love of another one? Romantically? Filially? (I just invented that word)

Deuteronomy 6:7  And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

Are we doing this? I mean are we really doing this? It’s been a struggle all our married life. I suppose I’ve been the problem. The man should be the leader of the house. Right now we’re doing alright. We read NT in the morning and OT in the evening. I take notes and meditate and write everyday. Tell the kids and wife what I’ve learned. I’ve never been so saturated with the Word of God in my life, and I feel like we’re still not doing Deut 6:7 like it ought to be done.

Deuteronomy 6:9  And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

This right here might be a good idea. I think I’d like to do this.

Deuteronomy 6:11  And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full;

Is this not the Spirit-filled life? Doing what we cannot do. Letting someone else (the Holy Ghost) perform in us and we reap the benefits of his performance. God desires fruit and it’s not our fruits but the fruit of the Spirit.

Deuteronomy 6:16  Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.

Deuteronomy 6:25  And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us.

It is the law and the keeping of it. That is not our righteousness. Christ is our righteousness. However, the law is our righteousness in that Christ fulfilled the law in us.

Chapter 7

Deuteronomy 7:3-4  Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.  (4)  For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.

Be careful who you marry. She or he better be the same flavor of religion too. Not good idea for Baptist and Catholics to get married. Or Baptists and any other denom. In fact, I’ve heard it said, even Southern Baptists and Independent Baptists are not compatible. I don’t know about the denomination. I would say religion. I mean old-time religion. I leave it at that.

Deuteronomy 7:5  But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire.

Total opposite of embracing and tolerating and allowing.

Deuteronomy 7:7-8  The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:  (8)  But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

Not that we loved God, but that he loved us first. Jesus loved me this I know for the Bible tells me so.

Deuteronomy 7:14  Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle.

The spirit-filled life again. Fruit production. Not the wife, but the life. Bring forth the fruits meet for repentance.

Deuteronomy 7:26  Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.

Having a right healthy attitude about idols!

Chapter 8

Deuteronomy 8:2  And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.

This is the purpose of the wilderness. This is the purpose of the struggle between flesh and spirit. No child is born and cast into battle. No child is born and expected to take off running. Kadeshbarnea was a necessary thing. It wasn’t going to happen any other way. So don’t think that it could have happened another way for you or that you’re some failure. It’s not you, but sin that dwelleth in you. Romans 7.

God is doing to you what he planned. He’s leading you. He’s humbling you. He’s proving you. He’s searching thoughts and intents of the heart. It’s good.

Deuteronomy 8:3  And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.

He allowed them to hunger. He allows you to hunger. Blessed are they that thirst and hunger after righteousness for they shall be filled. That you may know that man doth not live by bread…

Deuteronomy 8:5  Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee.

This is chastening. What happened in the wilderness. The falling of the carcasses. The hunger, the thirst, the plagues. It’s chastening. But it’s not punishment. It’s refinement. It’s moulding. It’s leading. It’s teaching. It’s not for you detriment, but for your betterment. It’s preparation for the battles ahead, the promised land, the milk and honey.

Deuteronomy 8:16  Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;

What is in God’s mind is the latter end. God know the beginning from the end. The Israelites were obsessed with now. God was concerned about the latter end.

Deuteronomy 8:17  And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.

I know that my wealth, whether it be spiritual or physical, is not of my doing. In fact, it’s probably despite my doing. There’s no explanation for it other that God.

Chapter 9

Deuteronomy 9:2  A people great and tall, the children of the Anakims, whom thou knowest, and of whom thou hast heard say, Who can stand before the children of Anak!

Victorious giants then, defeated Og the remnant now.

Deuteronomy 9:3  Understand therefore this day, that the LORD thy God is he which goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face: so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the LORD hath said unto thee.

Consuming fire again.

Deuteronomy 9:6  Understand therefore, that the LORD thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiffnecked people.

Our righteousness is as filthy rags. Are we all stiffnecked.

Deuteronomy 9:7  Remember, and forget not, how thou provokedst the LORD thy God to wrath in the wilderness: from the day that thou didst depart out of the land of Egypt, until ye came unto this place, ye have been rebellious against the LORD.

God knows our frame. We’re not fooling him. God’s blessings are not given because we’ve attained, but because God has been merciful.

Deuteronomy 9:22  And at Taberah, and at Massah, and at Kibrothhattaavah, ye provoked the LORD to wrath.

There’s Massah again. Taberah? Kibrothhattaavah? Another day.

Deuteronomy 9:28  Lest the land whence thou broughtest us out say, Because the LORD was not able to bring them into the land which he promised them, and because he hated them, he hath brought them out to slay them in the wilderness.

Here’s that strange prayer again. I wonder if it’s okay to pray like this. What does got care about what other people think? And why should we reference that. Seems weird. But I’d like to examine that further. I’ve often thought in this fashion regarding my children. But always felt guilty to go down that route. Interesting.

Chapter 10

Deuteronomy 10:12  And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,

To love him. God is a kind and tender compassionate God.

Deuteronomy 10:19  Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.

Are we kind, tender, and compassionate to others?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deuteronomy 3:11 His bedstead was of iron…

December 31, 2016

For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.

Before the Israelites were to make their way over Jordan into Canaan, there were two kings that they conquered. One was Sihon king of the Heshbon and the other was Og king of Bashan. Apparently, they were both Amorite kings. There are several mentions of these kings in the Bible.

Ultimately, the land of Heshbon and Bashan were given to the tribe of Dan, and Reuben, and the half tribe of Manasseh which was on the wilderness side of the Jordan river. It was good land for cattle and the tribes requested this of Moses. As long as they agreed to go over and fight with the other tribes, then Moses seemed to approve.

But the utter conquering of these two kings before Jericho seems to be a precursor to the promised land victories. And it was used of God and Moses as an example of what God can do for them if they are obedient. Think of it as Promise Land Practice:

Numbers 21:35  So they smote him, and his sons, and all his people, until there was none left him alive: and they possessed his land.

So now in Deuteronomy, which some call the second law, Moses is recounting all the things that have befallen the children of Israel and good portion of Chapter 3 is dedicated to recounting their victories over the two Amorite kings, Sihon and Og. And in there is where we learn of the size and makeup of Og’s bed.

Og was the remnant of the giants. And it was the giants that were the main reason that Israel did not go over and possess the promise land right away. When they saw the giants, they had grasshopperitus. So it was a big deal to conquer this king. I would imagine that these huge monster like people were battle-hardened killing machines. Apparently it was significant that Og’s bed was made of iron. It had to be to support such a big man. If a cubit is roughly 18 inches, then nine cubits puts the length of the bed at 13 1/2 feet. So that gives us an idea of the warrior’s stature.

I say all this to say this: David prophetically said of Jesus crucifixion, “Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.” (Psalms 22:12) Now the land of these Amorites as the bible says was a land for cattle (Numbers 32:4). So no doubt there were a bunch of bulls there. And if you read commentary, everybody speculates that David is referring to the actual bulls that were from Bashan. They say that David uses these words to represent the utter strength and fierceness of the enemy.

Being the skeptic that I am, and having read so many references to Og king of Bashan, I can’t help but wonder if there was any thought of Og when this was written; for Og was a giant. I mean why the bulls of Bashan to represent that? The bulls of Texas are pretty strong and fierce too. Maybe the bulls of Bashan carry with it a reference to Og and the remnant of the giants.

Amos 2:9-10  Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath.  (10)  Also I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and led you forty years through the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite.

If you put this all together, it reminds me of when Jesus said, “For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool.” (Mark 12:36 ) The bulls of Bashan are the enemies of God.

Also consider Jesus’ parable about the man that planted a vineyard and let it out to husbandmen, When he sent servants to receive of them, they were beaten, wounded, and killed. And when he sent his son, they took him, and killed him, and cast  him out of the vineyard. Jesus said of the man that owned the vineyard, “He will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard  unto others.” (Mark 12:9)

We understand that this exclusiveness that the Jews held with God was abolished and given also to the Gentiles.  You see the similarity? The Jewish leaders, the ones that “railed on him, wagging their heads… mocking..” (Mark 15:29,30) are the bulls of Bashan. For in Psalm 22 also says of his tormentors “All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head.. They gaped upon me with their mouths.” What was taken from the Jews in whom these leader represented was given to others, as was the husbandmen, and as was Og king of Bashan.

So in essence, if the bulls of Bashan did reference Og king of Bashan, then it gives Psalm 22 more of a prophetic twist. If you are aware of what God did to Og, the first bull of Bashan, then it helps us to understand how God opens up the kingdom to all the Gentiles.

Romans 11:11 Through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles…

 

Notes 12/30/16

December 30, 2016

Chapter 1

Deuteronomy 1:1-3  These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red sea, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab.  (2)  (There are eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadeshbarnea.)  (3)  And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the LORD had given him in commandment unto them;

40th year, eleventh month. That’s about the end of these things.

11 days from Horeb to Kadeshbarnea. Days to the promised land from Horeb. Instead it would take 40 years.

Deuteronomy 1:17  Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God’s: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it.

Sounds like good advice for any leader, pastor.

Deuteronomy 1:32  Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God,

It comes down to that. Sin and transgression is rooted in unbelief. Whereas obedience and good works is based in faith. Amen Brother Rick!

Deuteronomy 1:41-43  Then ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned against the LORD, we will go up and fight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go up into the hill.  (42)  And the LORD said unto me, Say unto them, Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies.  (43)  So I spake unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and went presumptuously up into the hill.

This happened in Exodus. After they refused to possess the land, then they changed their mind. Well God didn’t change his. God would not sanction their advancements. Sad day indeed. What’s the lesson from this? The flesh cannot fight the battle. If the unbelievers, those whose carcasses would fall, represent the flesh, then they cannot go up even if they wanted to. The flesh is what it is. You can’t change it. You can only kill it.

Chapter 2

Deuteronomy 2:1  Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea, as the LORD spake unto me: and we compassed mount Seir many days.

By the way of the Red sea. Wasn’t that the sea that they crossed? Go back and look at that sea, the one that God parted for you. Don’t think this is bad. If the Red Sea represent great deliverance from sin, salvation in the highest, then it’s a good thing to see salvation of the Lord. Don’t forget where God has delivered you from. In this battle between flesh and Spirit… As the battle goes on and the struggle goes on, travel by way of the Red Sea. Stay close to where you’ve seen God work and move.

Deuteronomy 2:4  And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the coast of your brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir; and they shall be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore:

Deuteronomy 2:5  Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.

The children of Esau. Who were they again? Meddle not with them. Jacob children forever seperated from Esau’s children. Jacob’s children were enslaved in Egypt while Esau’s were free. Hmm?

Deuteronomy 2:7  For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.

He knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness. God knows our struggle. And God hath been with thee. He leadeth me, oh blessed though. O words with heavenly comfort fraught. If you are in the wilderness, rest assured that God is with thee. You can’t get to the other side of Jordan without him.

Deuteronomy 2:14-15  And the space in which we came from Kadeshbarnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, was thirty and eight years; until all the generation of the men of war were wasted out from among the host, as the LORD sware unto them.  (15)  For indeed the hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from among the host, until they were consumed.

Until they were consumed. For indeed the hand of the LORD is against the flesh. To destroy it. Jude 1:24  Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy

Deuteronomy 2:20  (That also was accounted a land of giants: giants dwelt therein in old time; and the Ammonites call them Zamzummims;

Zamzummims! Isn’t that funny?

Deuteronomy 2:24  Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the river Arnon: behold, I have given into thine hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land: begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle.

Sihon? I feel a study on Sihon coming up. He is mentioned quite a bit. Verse 30,31,32

Deuteronomy 2:30-32  But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him: for the LORD thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand, as appeareth this day.  (31)  And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have begun to give Sihon and his land before thee: begin to possess, that thou mayest inherit his land.  (32)  Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to fight at Jahaz.

Maybe Sihon is also a good type of the flesh. Or maybe the devil? Or maybe the world. I don’t know. But he sure gets talked about alot.  Look at this:

Deuteronomy 2:33  And the LORD our God delivered him before us; and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people.

Maybe he is unbelief? I don’t know, but he’s dead, alongside all those that murmured in the wilderness.  Kill or be killed.

Chapter 3

Deuteronomy 3:1  Then we turned, and went up the way to Bashan: and Og the king of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei.

Og, he’s another one along side Sihon that need to be studied. Sihon and Og. Bashan? Bulls of Bashan have compassed me. Oh! I wonder if Sihon and Og are the bulls of Bashan. Good question.

Deuteronomy 3:11  For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.

The size of Og’s bed? Why do I need to know that? It was made of Iron. One mean dude. He was a giant.

Deuteronomy 3:19  But your wives, and your little ones, and your cattle, (for I know that ye have much cattle,) shall abide in your cities which I have given you;

Cities? What about the tabernacle? The formation was a travelling nomadic war formation. No need for that once the land was subdued. Where was the tabernacle kept until the temple? Lots of time between now and then.

Deuteronomy 3:21  And I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, Thine eyes have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto these two kings: so shall the LORD do unto all the kingdoms whither thou passest.

These two kings: Sihon and Og. They’re a great example! Got to study these guys.

Deuteronomy 3:23-29  And I besought the LORD at that time, saying,  (24)  O Lord GOD, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might?  (25)  I pray thee, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon.  (26)  But the LORD was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me: and the LORD said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter.  (27)  Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold it with thine eyes: for thou shalt not go over this Jordan.  (28)  But charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him: for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which thou shalt see.  (29)  So we abode in the valley over against Bethpeor.

This is good stuff right here. In Numbers, when God told Moses that he and Aaron weren’t going over, it was sudden and nothing more was said. No conversation. No response. Nothing. Just the next journey started. But this passage here gives us a little more about what was said that day.

Verse 25 I pray thee, let me go over… This brings tears to my eyes. But no sense of hurt from Moses. Suppose he knows to live is Christ and to die is gain… When God tells him when he’s going to die he says that he’ll be gathered with thy people. Very comforting.

Pisgah. This place must also be studied. Pisgah’s lofty heights….

Chapter 4

Deuteronomy 4:2  Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

No addition. No subtraction. No math. Thanks God. My kids hate math.

Deuteronomy 4:3  Your eyes have seen what the LORD did because of Baalpeor: for all the men that followed Baalpeor, the LORD thy God hath destroyed them from among you.

Reminding them against about that Balaam induced incident. It was a big deal, 24,000 died of the plague that day.

Deuteronomy 4:4  But ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God are alive every one of you this day.

But ye… are alive. I’m crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live.

Deuteronomy 4:7  For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for?

Good question? Ask this about America too.

Deuteronomy 4:10  Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.

Specially the day. Why? Because that day was special. Why? Look at then Verse 12. They got the 10 commandments that day I believe.

Deuteronomy 4:12  And the LORD spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice.

The Lord spake unto you…  Ye heard a voice… Good stuff. That’s why is a special day. Do you remember the day you heard the voice of God? You better believe it.

Deuteronomy 4:15  Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire:

No similitude now. No similitude ever.

Deuteronomy 4:24  For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.

Where else is this verse?

Deuteronomy 4:32-34  For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it?  (33)  Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live?  (34)  Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?

Something to ask yourself. Good Question. There’s a 3 point message here I’m sure. Let’s try:

  1. Has there been or heard any such thing?
  2. Did ever people hear the vocie of God?
  3. Hath God taken a nation from the midst of another nation

Think on these things.

Deuteronomy 4:41-43  Then Moses severed three cities on this side Jordan toward the sunrising;  (42)  That the slayer might flee thither, which should kill his neighbour unawares, and hated him not in times past; and that fleeing unto one of these cities he might live:  (43)  Namely, Bezer in the wilderness, in the plain country, of the Reubenites; and Ramoth in Gilead, of the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, of the Manassites.

Why does he bring these three up and not the other three? Or why is this so important right now at this time in the text?

Deuteronomy 4:46-47  On this side Jordan, in the valley over against Bethpeor, in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon, whom Moses and the children of Israel smote, after they were come forth out of Egypt:  (47)  And they possessed his land, and the land of Og king of Bashan, two kings of the Amorites, which were on this side Jordan toward the sunrising;

There they are again: Sihon and Og.

Deuteronomy 4:49  And all the plain on this side Jordan eastward, even unto the sea of the plain, under the springs of Pisgah.

There has got to be a message about Pisgah.

Chapter 5

Deuteronomy 5:1  And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them.

There’s got to be a message in this verse too.

The statutes and judgments of God, this we must do.

Deuteronomy 5:2-6  The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.  (3)  The LORD made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day.  (4)  The LORD talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire,  (5)  (I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to shew you the word of the LORD: for ye were afraid by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount;) saying,  (6)  I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

Moses is doing Deut 4:9,10. God said to not forget what they’ve seen, but teach them to your sons and your son’s sons.  And specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb. That’s what Moses is doing in this. Face to face on the mount, out of the fire.

Deuteronomy 5:7-21  Thou shalt have none other gods before me.

The ten commandments were given specially on that day. That’s why we still hang them up today. Praise God.

Deuteronomy 5:24  And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth.

Alot of good stuff in here.