God Speaks
How the Israelites Are to Conduct Themselves Once They Are in the Land God Promised Them
Verse of the Day: “The LORD your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. You have declared this day that the LORD is your God and that you will walk in obedience to Him, that you will keep His decrees, commands and laws–that you will listen to Him. And the LORD has declared this day that you are His people, His treasured possession as He promised, and you are to keep all His commands. He has declared that He will set you in praise, fame and honor high above all the nations He has made and that you will be a people holy to the LORD your God, as He promised.” (Deuteronomy 26:16-19 NIV 2011)
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We Respond
Reflection: Consider the following questions regarding Deuteronomy 24-27:
1. What does this chapter tell me about God?
2. What does this chapter tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
Deuteronomy 24
1. “[T]he overarching theme of this chapter is the dignity of the individual, which [the LORD through] the Torah seeks to safeguard through its laws governing divorce, marriage, financial transactions, and treatment of workers and society’s most vulnerable, among other matters.”*
2. People–following their sinful nature and their own desires: would dismiss their wives on a whim and seek to take them back at will; would run off quickly to war leaving the new bride to fend for herself or seek other men for support and comfort; would be more concerned about loan repayment than the dignity or needs of the borrower; would kidnap people to “turn a buck” by selling them as slaves or for ransom; would forget that God (through Christ’s death) freed us from slavery to sin, self, and Satan; would cheat workers of their wages (by delay or otherwise); would kill, ostracize, or punish family members or friends for the crimes of others; would not hold individuals alone responsible for their actions; would treat strangers, the fatherless, widows, and the otherwise vulnerable with cruelty instead of acting out of empathy; would look out only for themselves rather than seeing to the interests of the needy and vulnerable.
*The Rational Bible: Deuteronomy by Dennis Prager p. 390
Deuteronomy 25
1. God’s compassion and justice are reflected in how He commands that we deal with criminals, widows, business ethics, and ruthless enemies.
2. People, because of their sin nature, are likely be over-zealous in punishing criminals, not honor or provide for childless widows, deal unscrupulously, or not hold ruthless people accountable for their actions.
Deuteronomy 26
1. God is the ultimate source of all that we have.
2. People who belong to God are to proclaim His praise, fame, and honor among all the nations.
Deuteronomy 27
1. God will cause blessings or curses to come on people who obey or disrespect Him, respectively.
2. People (especially Jews and Christians) have no excuse for not knowing what God expects of them.
Prayer:
3. How might I pray regarding Deuteronomy 24-27?
Dear sovereign God who saves, thank You that You care about the daily issues of life and how people treat each other whether that is husbands/wives, creditors/debtors, criminals/victims, landowners/field workers, innocent/guilty, or the well-off/vulnerable. Thank You for Your wisdom in giving sinful human beings—us–directions and laws so that we can know how to relate to each other with dignity and respect. Thank You that these laws are still relevant more than three thousand years after You directed Moses to teach them to the Israelites. Please by the power of Your Holy Spirit help us (me in particular) to put them into practice in this day and time. May increasing numbers of people turn from their wicked ways and demonstrate their love for You by how they treat each other. For Your glory, LORD.
Dear LORD God who is slow to anger and abounding lovingkindness, thank You for watching out for the dignity of criminals, widows, and even men in a fight. Please help me and others of Your adopted children to not just follow “religious” rules and rituals but to exhibit morality and ethics in our daily interactions. Please help me and others to fear the LORD properly. Thank You, Holy Spirit, for living in me and enabling me to correctly fear, trust, and obey God. May my daily life and interactions bring glory to Your name, LORD.
Dear gracious LORD God, thank You for all that You have promised and provided for me (both material and immaterial). Thank You for the ability to obtain all that I possess by hard work and sacrifice. I hereby bring back to You at least a 10% return on Your investment. I confess that I do not deserve all that You have given me. Another way I will express my thanks is by obeying the laws, commands, and decrees You have placed in Your word, the Bible. Although I have wandered far from You at times, You, Jesus, came from Heaven, died, and rose again so that I could be free from my own sin nature’s powerful yearnings, the devil’s entrapment, and this wicked world’s control. Thank You, Holy Spirit that Your presence in my life enables me to love God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength and to willingly treat my fellow human beings the way Your laws, commands, and decrees require. Thank You, Triune God, for treating me as Your treasured possession. I hereby dedicate myself to spreading Your praise, fame, and honor to all those around me, both near and far. For Your glory, LORD.
Dear LORD God, You graciously want Your children to understand and obey the rules for life You have given us. Please help me to understand and obey them. I pledge to write them out and study them so that I can explain them to others–especially the next generations. I will celebrate them with feasting and peace offerings. LORD, please help me to establish daily (and special) times for quietly listening to Your commands and instructions. How I obey You will demonstrate how much I love You. May I declare that You are my God by everything that I do. May I not deserve Your curses by letting anything steal my attention and affection away from You; by dishonoring my father, my mother, or anyone in authority over me including You; by stealing land or anything from my neighbor or other people; by leading the blind or anyone else astray; by having sexual relations with anyone other than my legal spouse of the opposite biological sex (or with animals); by secretly killing or attacking someone (physically, emotionally, or socially) or conspiring to do so; or by giving or receiving bribes against the innocent, rich or poor. I hereby agree that all of these rules for life are right and just and say amen with the intention of keeping them. May You receive all the glory, LORD. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Deuteronomy 24-27?
- I will do what I can to encourage a couple who is struggling to strengthen their marriage.
- I will pay any “employee” fairly and in a timely manner.
- I will contribute to my local food bank or bring food to a family in need.
- I will look for ways to show empathy to _____ (someone specific) who is needy or vulnerable.
- I will speak up about an injustice I see occurring.
- I will participate in organizations like Feed My Starving Children or Operation Blessing to assist the very needy.
- I will bring to my church leaders at least a tenth of what the LORD has enabled me to earn.
- I will give a special offering through my local congregation to support widows, orphans, and those unable to work..
- I will confess to God (privately or publicly) and receive or extend forgiveness for the breaking of these laws on the basis of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.