February 26 / Deuteronomy 16:18-20:20

Deuteronomy 16:18-20:20 You shall appoint judges and officers …, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous. Justice, and only justice, …

February 25 / Deuteronomy 12:29-16:17

Deuteronomy 12:29-16:17 Today Moses sets forth a zero-tolerance policy against idolatry: Why such intolerance? Because the LORD loves His people. He desires to bless them. He desires that they have life. And life is found in relationship with Him. The greatest blessing anyone can have is the LORD Himself. Therefore, anything that gets in the …

February 24 / Deuteronomy 9-12:28

Deuteronomy 9-12:28 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,” … Not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart are you going in to possess their …

February 23 / Deuteronomy 5-8

Deuteronomy 5-8 With four chapters in today’s reading, there is quite a lot that we could talk about. But I would be remiss not to focus on the Greatest Commandment, upon which everything else depends: You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your …

February 22 / Deuteronomy 3-4

Deuteronomy 3-4 Know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. Deuteronomy 4:39 There are any number of things we can learn as we read through the Scriptures. We can be fascinated by ancient history and cultures. We …

February 21 / Deuteronomy 1-2

Deuteronomy 1-2 These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness…In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses spoke to the people of Israel according to all that the LORD had given him in commandment to them…Beyond the Jordan, in the land of …

February 20 / Numbers 34-36

Numbers 34-36 As we have seen before, unlike the other twelve tribes, the tribe of Levi is not to receive a large regional plot of land. The Levites have to live somewhere, though, so the LORD declares that they are to have 48 cities (or perhaps what we would now call towns) scattered throughout Israel’s …

February 19 / Numbers 32-33

Numbers 32-33 The tribes of Gad and Reuben and half of the tribe of Manasseh (Num. 32:33) look around at the land that the Israelites already occupy east of the Jordan River, the land of Gilead formerly ruled by Sihon king of the Amorites and Og king of Bashan, whom Israel previously defeated (as recounted …

February 18 / Numbers 30-31

Numbers 30-31 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Avenge the people of Israel on the Midianites…” Numbers 31:1-2a I suspect that most of us are uncomfortable with the above command against the Midianites (though I also suspect we’d be much less uncomfortable if we were to substitute “Nazis” for “Midianites”). As much as I would …