This week’s Bible Talk took us to 1 Tim 3 where we saw that those who lead the army of King Jesus into battle must be worthy men and women, tested and proven to be up to the task.
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Deuteronomy 30:1 – 32:47
There’s a massive tension in these chapters. In chapter 30, Moses sums up the choice before the people: “see, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction… now choose life” (Deut 30:15, 19), and yet in the same breath he hints that the people will choose death: “this day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you…” (Deut 30:19). This hint is expanded in chapters 31&32 as we are left in no doubt about what will happen: “these people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake me and break the covenant I made with them.” (Deut 31:16). In other words God knows what’s going to happen and yet he clearly states that the people must choose. This apparent tension is one that the Bible insists we learn to live with – the sovereignty of God on the one hand (nothing is outside of his knowledge, nothing happens against his will), and human responsibility on the other (we make genuine choices to obey or reject the revealed will of God). And though it might mess with our brains a bit, it really couldn’t be any other way could it?
The really good news is that through Jesus for us and the Holy Spirit in us we now have even greater freedom (or perhaps “capacity” is a better word) to “choose life”. Deut 30:14 is now more true than ever: “the word is very near you, it is in your mouth and in your heart so that you may obey it.” Check out Jeremiah 31:31-34, Ezekiel 36:25-27 & John 1:14 to get a better understanding of how blessed we are in Christ.
Have a great day!
Deuteronomy 28:1-29:29
As I was reading through the blessings for obedience I thought if only the people could keep following God’s commands they could live in perfection. But by now we should realise that the people won’t get it right and a whole lot of nasty stuff is gunna come there way for disobeying the LORD’s commands.
It’s amazing that God continues to fulfill his promises to Abraham even when he knows that the people can’t fulfill the law. I guess the great thing is that the promises made to Abraham weren’t dependant on the Israelites fulfilling the law but on God’s grace.
Have a read of Galatians 3:15-29.
15Brothers, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. 16The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,”[a] meaning one person, who is Christ. 17What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. 18For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.
19What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator. 20A mediator, however, does not represent just one party; but God is one.
21Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. 22But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.
23Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. 24So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ[b] that we might be justified by faith. 25Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.
26You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
It is great news that sinners like you and me don’t get what we deserve but that through Jesus (the only obedient Israelite) we have the sure hope of living in perfection in the news heavens and the new earth.
As a side note, I really love Deuteronomy 29:29.
The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of the law.
Deuteronomy 24-27
I find it amazing how day after day as I read God’s law, my inclination at many points is to think “that seems a little unfair/bloodthirsty/harsh/unloving etc etc etc”. The only possible explanation for this is that I must think that I know better than God!
It’s amazing that he puts up with me!
Part of the irony is that it is my (incomplete) understanding of God’s word by which I judge… God’s word!
I think there is a HUGE challenge for us as we read through the Old Testament to see ALL the ways in which Jesus fulfills what we read. To see the unity and continuity of the two testaments before we go looking for any disunity or discontinuity. The temptation is to read the OT and just shake our heads and say “thank God for Jesus”. What we should be trying to do instead is to truly understand and love God whether we are discovering him in the Old Testament or the new.
Let me share some of the things that I have discovered from today’s passage
I’m sure there’s more, but that’s enough for one day!
Deuteronomy 20-23
Wow!
Ya go away for a couple of weeks and 14 days pass you by! Funny that…
Reading Deuteronomy 20 (which the NIV subtitles “going to war”) I couldn’t help but think of Paul’s instruction for Timothy to “fight the good fight” in 1 Timothy 1 & 6.
No-one likes the idea (let alone the reality) of going to war but when you’ve got enemies who are determined to bring you down, you’re left with no option but to fight! The great thing about fighting for King Jesus is that he actually fights for us! Just as God promised to go before Israel when they faced their enemies, we can face our enemies – sin, the world, the devil & even death – in the sure knowledge that Jesus has “gone into the breach” ahead of us and won the victory! Read Deuteronomy 20:3-4…
today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be faint-hearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them. For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you the victory.
How cool that those words find their full meaning in Christ! So, brave comrades, whatever it might look like for you today, fight the good fight knowing that in Christ the battle has already been won!
Deuteronomy 16:1-19:21
In Deuteronomy 17:14-20 we hear of the requirements of those who would lead Israel as king over the people. Here it outlines what a true leader of Gods people will uphold and abhor.
Yet when the kingship is established in the years ahead for Israel after they possess the land, things don’t really go to plan.
Many would say the golden years of the nation Israel were around the time of Solomon.
But that actually became the problem. Remember what Deu 17:17 said:
He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.
Yet listen to 1 Kings 10:27
The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones
Strike one
Remember Deu17:16:
The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.”
Now listen to 1 Kings 10:28:
Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt [i] and from Kue
Strike 2
Remember Deu 17:17:
He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray
Now listen to 1 Kings 11:3:
He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray.
Strike 3… your out!
Here in Deu 17 we hear how a king of Israel should lead his people. They failed.
From Solomon the kings of Israel we basically on a downward spiral.
Christ would be the true king, who would obey were the kings failed,
listen to Phil 2:8:
8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
This week’s Bible Talk took us to 1 Timothy 2:8-15 where we discovered that God has designed a plan for the way things are to be done. We need to trust that God honours what He is doing. We can trust God wants what is best for us because he sent his Son to die for us.
Click on the following link to listen or to download.
If you’d like to join the conversation, just add your comment below.
Deu 5:23-8:20
Deuteronmomy 5:23-8:20 contains what is called the “shema” I think you would be pretty familiar with it:
5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Deu 6:5
Jesus would go on to say this was at the heart of the commandments, so it is well worth giving some thought to. Listen to this little dialogue that takes place in Mark 12:
28One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
29“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.[e] 30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’[f] 31The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[g]There is no commandment greater than these.”
32“Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
34When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.
You are not far from the kingdom, wow, that is high praise from Jesus.
What do you think is going on here?
Is it that this man gets it right, where the Pharisees get it wrong. They make it all about the rituals. Yet he makes it all about relationship.
The life of Gods people was always meant to be about relationship and not ritual.
A relationship that was secured by the love of God. John 3:16
Are you about ritual or relationship?
Going to Church, small groups, church meetings, ministries…
How’s your relationship?
Deuteronomy 3:1-5:22
Good morning! It is exciting seeing that God promises are starting to be fulfilled even more! A large nation is now about to enter the land they were promised.What a great time to remind the people of the LORD’s commands and to remind them that they have had a very special experience. That they have heard the voice of the God speaking out of fire and survived. It seems like a strange thing to say but Moses seems to repeat it a few times so it must be important.
I guess the verse that really struck me this morning was verse 9 from chapter 4.
Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.
I guess the main reason this verse struck me is I have been reading 1 Timothy 4 a lot and 1 Timothy 4:16 sounds similar.
Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
I guess God’s people need to remember what they have seen, all the miracles, that they were saved from Egypt and that they have heard the voice of God coming out of fire. They were to hold these things close to their heart. And they were to teach them to their children and grandchildren – so that they wouldn’t walk away from God.
Paul has similar words for Timothy and us. That we need to remember the gospel – the most amazing event ever. That we need to cling to it with our hearts, not adding or subtracting from it. Because if we do we will save ourselves and our hearers. I am thinking that for a lot of us, our first hearers are our family. I guess this isn’t a garantee that they will follow Jesus. But if our life and beliefs point to Jesus and his death and resurrection, that has got to be a big push in the right direction.
Anyway I hope some of that makes sense.
Clean Up Australia
Sunday 4 March
7.30pm
Tuesday 7 February
