Deuteronomy 26

Gratitude and faith.

The two go hand in hand and are exemplified in the presentation of firstfruits to the Lord. We take the beginnings of our harvest (whether a literal agricultural harvest or — for us, more likely — the monetary “fruit” of our labors) and we present that to the Lord in thanksgiving for all that He has already done for us, all the blessings He has already poured out on us. And we offer those firstfruits before we see the rest of the harvest, trusting that there will, in fact, be more to come.

If you are more inclined to give “lastfruits” — assessing what you have and begrudgingly tossing a few leftovers into the offering plate — then you are missing out. When it comes to our giving, it is not a matter of whether the Lord needs it. He doesn’t. He already owns everything. But He commands the giving of firstfruits because He knows that we need it. We need to develop those muscles of gratitude and faith, because our life is found in Him, and in Him alone.

So consider the example that we have here in the Lord’s command to Israel to offer firstfruits. Do likewise with gratitude and faith. You won’t regret it.

Deuteronomy 24-25

Does God have a heart for the poor, the sojourner, the fatherless, the widow, the oppressed? You bet, as should be abundantly evident in today’s reading and, frankly, throughout the Scriptures. But do we share His heart?

The first question in Search the Scriptures today asks us to take personal inventory of how well our lives line up with the standards laid out in Deuteronomy 24. How are you doing with that? What is the Lord revealing to you about yourself? (And that question is about yourself, not about the other guy, or the nation, or politicians, or anyone else.) How do you deal with those in need? Does anything need to change?

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See also: February 28 (2023) / Deuteronomy 24-27

Deuteronomy 22-23

Sometimes we have a hard time understanding parts of the Torah. Sometimes it gives us heartburn, and we think God is too harsh (but see the post from two years ago). Some people want to disregard some verses altogether, thinking they are no longer culturally relevant (e.g., Dt. 22:5). But sometimes Torah just makes perfect sense:

You shall not see your brother’s ox or his sheep going astray and ignore them. You shall take them back to your brother. And if he does not live near you and you do not know who he is, you shall bring it home to your house, and it shall stay with you until your brother seeks it. Then you shall restore it to him. And you shall do the same with his donkey or with his garment, or with any lost thing of your brother’s, which he loses and you find; you may not ignore it. You shall not see your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen down by the way and ignore them. You shall help him to lift them up again.

Deuteronomy 22:1-4

What, pray tell, is wrong with that? What is wrong with basic neighborliness? What is wrong with looking out for one another, and helping one another through difficulties?

And yet… Just look around at our culture and how far we’ve sunk. If someone finds a wallet on the sidewalk with $1,000 in it, what are the chances that the wallet will find its way back to its proper owner intact? Hopefully, we here would all do the right thing in this case, but I don’t honestly expect that the average Joe on the street would do so these days. In fact, if the wallet were to be returned, it would likely become a news story: “Local Boy Returns $1,000!” Read all about it!

But returning the wallet should be the norm, not the exception. And if the Church (or all those individual believers constituting the Church) were to “walk the walk” more consistently, perhaps it would be the norm. Maybe we need to pay closer attention to what God has to say to us here, not just in the verses above but in all of Scripture. And maybe we ourselves need to do what He says, not just read or hear the words. Perhaps if we ourselves lived the way God tells us to, the culture around us might notice — and repent.

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See also: February 27 (2023) / Deuteronomy 21-23

Deuteronomy 20-21

When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the LORD your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

…

Then the officers shall speak to the people, saying, “Is there any man who has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man dedicate it.”

Deuteronomy 20:1,5

In Deuteronomy 20:6-8, Moses goes on to provide additional reasons for letting a man go back to his house and avoid battle. But think about all of that. In the first verse we are assured that the nation as a whole need not be afraid because “the LORD your God is with you.” Yet the implication of the latter verses is that there nevertheless remains the very real possibility of warriors dying in battle. And, of course, that reality remains today: I am quite confident, for example, that the LORD was very much responsible for the victory of the Allies over the Axis powers in World War II, but thousands upon thousands of soldiers never came home, and thousands more were wounded; I am also quite confident that many of those who died were faithful Christians who were far more godly than many of those who came through the battles safe and sound.

So what does any of that have to do with those of us who have no experience of military combat? Plenty. We are all engaged in spiritual warfare (whether we realize it or not), and oftentimes that warfare manifests itself in very real suffering. Yet we Christians so often seem to think that if God is “on our side” then life should be easy and pain free, and if it is not, then either God isn’t doing His job or else our suffering is the result of sin in our lives. Admittedly, sometimes we do suffer the natural consequences of sin in our lives, but that certainly does not account for all, or even most, suffering experienced by the Christian. Consider Paul, for example, and all that he went through. (Just take a look at II Corinthians 11:24-27.) Do you think all that suffering was the result of sin on Paul’s part or unfaithfulness on God’s part? Hardly.

What I am saying here is that many of us (myself included) need to mature in our thinking, particularly with regard to our own suffering. We need to develop a deeper faith, one that trusts in God and His steadfast love and faithfulness, one that is not disturbed by difficult circumstances, loss, or suffering. Let’s dive in. Let’s go deeper.

Deuteronomy 18-19

The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen—just as you desired of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, “Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.” And the LORD said to me, “They are right in what they have spoken. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And whoever will not listen to My words that he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him.”

Deuteronomy 18:15-19

Here the LORD promises not to leave His people in complete silence after Moses departs. He promises to speak to them through prophets as intermediaries, just as with Moses, with the same kind of authority. And indeed down through Israel’s history we see any number of faithful prophets — Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, Amos, Micah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and John the Baptist, to name a few — who declare God’s words to His people.

But these verses came to be interpreted as pointing not only to a series of prophets but also (and more importantly) to one specific Prophet (with a capital “P”) Who would overshadow all the rest. As a result, in John 1:21 we see priests and Levites from Jerusalem asking John the Baptist, “Are you the Prophet?” John answers, “No.” John is not the Prophet, but he goes on to point to One Who is greater than he, meaning Jesus.

Jesus is the Ultimate Prophet. Not only does He speak God’s words, He is Himself God’s Word (John 1:1-18), the full and complete expression of Who God is (John 14:9). He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature. (Hebrews 1:3a)

If you want to know God, listen to His Prophet. Listen to Jesus.

Deuteronomy 16-17

Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God at the place that He will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths.

Deuteronomy 16:16a

We need rhythm and reminders.

I grew up in a Christian family. We always went to church, but it was (mostly) rather “low” church. We observed Christmas and Easter, of course, but I was largely ignorant of the rest of the liturgical calendar. For example, I don’t remember Lent ever being a thing for my family. In fact, I was in college before I ever noticed anyone with ashes on their forehead for Ash Wednesday. And I was the poorer for it.

We may not be subject to the specific feasts that the LORD appoints for Israel (all of which ultimately point to Christ), but the Church has for centuries followed a liturgical calendar that takes us through Christ’s life and teachings year after year. There is good reason for that. We need those reminders. And we need that rhythm.

We are, after all, creatures subject to the rhythms of the earth — days, weeks, and months, seasons and years, springtime and harvest. We cannot escape these rhythms of life. Rather than trying to fight against these rhythms, take advantage of them. Use them to develop godly habits, recognizing that if you do not develop good habits, you will most certainly develop bad ones! Develop a daily routine that deliberately makes room for focused time with the Lord. Make sure you take a Sabbath rest each week. Pay attention to the liturgical calendar of the Church — not just Christmas and Easter, but all of it.

Listen to what the Lord has to teach us through Israel’s feasts. Listen to the annual reminders that He lays out, reminders of Who He is and what He has done. Follow that example and form those rhythms of remembrance, and gratitude, and celebration. You will be the richer for it.

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See also: February 26 (2023) / Deuteronomy 16:18-20:20

Deuteronomy 14-15

We know from Mark 7:18-19, where Jesus declares all foods clean, that we are no longer subject to the Kosher dietary laws, so it can be tempting to simply skim over these regulations as irrelevant to us. But that would be a mistake. We need to look for God’s purpose in giving these laws in the first place.

First of all, a good case can be made for the idea that the dietary laws promote better general physical health. The “clean” animals are, well, actually cleaner and healthier than the “unclean” animals. (Hey, undercooked chicken can be hazardous, so do you really want to take a chance on vulture?) So the dietary laws can be seen as yet another way that God protects His people, even when they may not understand the underlying science.

More than that, though, the dietary laws serve to distinguish Israel from everyone else. These laws mark the Chosen People as separate and distinct from all their neighbors, while also serving as a test for the faithfulness and obedience of individuals within the community as well as of the community as a whole.

So if the dietary laws do not apply to us, then what marks followers of Christ? How might we be distinguished from those around us? How might we demonstrate the reality of our faith?

Love.

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

John 13:34-35

Deuteronomy 12-13

Please take a look at the post from February 25, 2023. I’ll wait…

As we said last week on March 30, idolatry is the sin with which we must contend. It must be absolutely eradicated from our lives. Utter ruthlessness is in order. So how are we doing with that?

Deuteronomy 10:12-11:32

And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good?

Deuteronomy 10:12-13

In view of Who the LORD is and what He has done, what He requires is, of course, entirely reasonable. It is the right and proper response for Israel and for us — except that, in and by ourselves, we just can’t do it. We are not up to the task. Even when we strip away all those statutes that arguably do not apply to us (e.g., the dietary laws) and focus only on those that clearly do still apply (like the Ten Commandments), with our very best efforts we still cannot manage it.

Many people don’t want to acknowledge that truth and cling to the idea that if they just “try harder” they will eventually get everything right. The result of that is twofold:

• Pride in one’s outward successes, evidenced in a self-righteousness that looks down on others; and
• Guilt and depression from the internal knowledge that, in fact, the failures remain

Recognizing that truth, does that mean that we can just say, “Oh, well!” and cast off the law as unattainable? Not at all! God’s commandments still reflect His character, and He means for us to reflect His character as well. The key to all of this is faith in the Risen Christ, the One Who came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. Apart from Him, we can do nothing. (John 15:5) With Him, well, that’s another matter altogether. (Philippians 4:13)

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See also: February 24 (2023) / Deuteronomy 9-12:28

Deuteronomy 9:1-10:11

Do not say in your heart, after the LORD your God has thrust them out before you, “It is because of my righteousness that the LORD has brought me in to possess this land,” whereas it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is driving them out before you. Not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart are you going in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations the LORD your God is driving them out from before you, and that he may confirm the word that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

Know, therefore, that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stubborn people.

Deuteronomy 9:4–6

Do you get the feeling that maybe, just maybe, God’s blessing of Israel is not because of their righteousness? Moses repeats that idea three times here, and then drives the point home by illustrating how Israel is patently rebellious, stubborn, and unrighteous, clearly not worthy of God’s good grace.

And so it is with us. I hope that most of us know that we do not — indeed cannot — earn our salvation, but we do not always act that way. We proclaim that salvation is by faith and not by works, but we build a doctrine of “free will” that, at its core, suggests that those who choose rightly can congratulate themselves for doing so. No, left to ourselves, none of us would ever choose rightly. We are fully and completely dependent on God’s love, mercy, and grace, so be thankful.

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:1–6

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See also: February 24 (2023) / Deuteronomy 9-12:28