Deuteronomy 29-30

We should all read Deuteronomy 30 again and again. Come and see God’s heart here. Despite the caricature of God as somehow delighting in punishing the smallest infractions, we see here a God Who longs to bless His people, if only they (we) would turn to Him with their (our) whole hearts. Even though God knows full well that His people are willful and stubborn, He nevertheless offers them life, His life. Even though He sees a future wherein His people must suffer all the curses due to their rebellion, He nevertheless calls them back to Himself and promises restoration.

Taste and see that the LORD is good! Take a good long look at the steadfast love and mercy of God here. Then take a look at your own heart. Are you following the LORD with all your heart, or are you drifting away a little here and a little there (or maybe a lot here and there)? Is drifting away worth it? You know it’s not. So make the right choice. Give yourself to the LORD, Who is your life. (Dt. 30:20; Colossians 3:4)

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One more thing…

You know how we lived in the land of Egypt, and how we came through the midst of the nations through which you passed. And you have seen their detestable things, their idols of wood and stone, of silver and gold, which were among them. Beware lest there be among you a man or woman or clan or tribe whose heart is turning away today from the LORD our God to go and serve the gods of those nations. Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit, one who, when he hears the words of this sworn covenant, blesses himself in his heart, saying, “I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.” This will lead to the sweeping away of moist and dry alike.

Deuteronomy 29:16–19

Hebrews 12:15 references this passage, saying that we should not allow a “root of bitterness” to spring up. I often hear folks partially quote Hebrews 12:15, mentioning the “root of bitterness” and they almost always mean that we should not let anger and resentment fester so as to “take root” as bitterness. I do not disagree with that advice, but that is not at all what this “root of bitterness” is talking about, neither in Hebrews 12:15 nor here in Deuteronomy. Read it again and see for yourself what is really being said in these passages. Maybe we need to study the Scriptures more carefully and be more comprehensive in our understanding.

Deuteronomy 28:15-68

Anyone familiar with the history of Israel as presented in the rest of the Old Testament Scriptures knows that the curses pronounced in today’s reading all eventually come upon Israel in stark reality as a result of Israel’s persistent failure to walk humbly with the LORD. In His love and mercy, the LORD is slow to implement these curses, doling them out over centuries, and sending multiple prophets with warnings and calls to repentance. The curses come to an Old Testament climax first in the Assyrian exile of the Northern Kingdom and then in the destruction of Jerusalem and the subsequent Babylonian exile of the Southern Kingdom.

But exile is not the end of the story. A remnant returns from the Babylonian captivity and tries to do better, and in some respects they succeed. For example, after the exile, blatant idolatry (of the sort rampant before the exile) is never again a major problem for God’s chosen people. Unfortunately, though, the “just try harder” approach with its external successes produces a much subtler idolatry in the form of self-reliance and self-righteousness as exemplified by the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. Zealous for the Law? Yes. Even more zealous for themselves? Quite. So much so that they fail to recognize and trust in the One sent to save them, so the curse continues and Jerusalem is thus again destroyed in 70 AD.

May we pay attention and learn from Israel’s experience. May we bend the knee before the LORD God Almighty. May we not flout His law, but instead uphold it, knowing that we cannot meet the standard by ourselves, but trusting that Jesus does. May we repent and lean on Him fully. We have no other hope.

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See also: March 1 (2023) / Deuteronomy 28-29

Deuteronomy 27:1-28:14

“Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.” And all the people shall say, “Amen.”

Deuteronomy 27:26

As we all (rightly) join in that “Amen” we sign our own death warrants. We should all agree that the Law is holy and righteous and good, as Jesus clearly attests (Matthew 5:17-20) and as Paul goes on to repeatedly affirm. (Romans 3:23, 7:27) And the blessings that God lays out for those who keep the Law should certainly incentivize us toward obedience. But try as we might, we cannot in ourselves fully keep the Law, and the Law does nothing to empower us to do so. Insofar as we trust in ourselves to fulfill the Law we are all thus under this curse. That’s the Bad News.

But this Bad News is really the gateway to Good News, because it is only when we understand and fully accept this Bad News that we can recognize our need for Someone to rescue us. The world around us repeatedly tells us, “Believe in yourself!” But believing in oneself brings only the curse. Jesus instead says, “Deny [renounce] yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow Me.”

So what will it be for you today?

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.

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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