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Today's Reading is Deuteronomy 30... My thoughts on today's reading... If I were to ask you what your favorite chapter of Deuteronomy is, what would you say... as I paged back through my journaling Bible which I've been using this year with our readings, I found quite a few possibilities, but in rereading Chapter 30, I know it is absolutely my favorite. There is just so much memorable pats to this chapter. There is the reminder that if they found themselves in trouble, if they return to the Lord, He promises to restore them! Then comes verse 9, which I think is an important verse. Compare it to Jeremiah 31:31-34, where Jeremiah says a similar thing to God's people many years after Moses, but just as true, even more so for we who live after the coming of the Messiah. And then comes the closing verses, which I just find so beautiful. I love the contrast of choosing life or death, with obvious strong encouragement by Moses to these people he has led the last 40 years to make the best choice... to choose life. The Lord invites heaven and earth to witness that He sets a choice before His people, and encourages them to choose life! Not to bad of advice for us either!

Today's Reading is Deuteronomy 29... My thoughts on today's reading... Renewing a covenant is a way to recommit oneself to the promises made in the agreement. This works well, especially if both parties agree to the renewed covenant. Trouble is, God's covenant with His people was always one sided. He pledged to be their God, and despite their promise to be His people, they were constantly abandoning their relationship with Him. Once again, Moses is reminding them that while they have stepped away from the Lord again and again, He never abandons them, and His covenant with them is firm. Verse 18 warns them not to turn their hearts away, but then we hear that they choose to walk in the stubbornness of their hearts. so God warns them that to repeatedly do so, means that eventually He will have to do something to get their attention, even it if means that the other nations will talk... (check out verse 24 and following.) We usually say to ourselves as hear about these Old Testament people of Israel turning away from the Lord over and over, "why don't they learn from their mistakes?" How about us? Maybe we too have a little something to learn when it comes to obeying the Lord and keeping His commands.

Today's Reading is Deuteronomy 28... My thoughts on today's reading... To me, Chapter 28 is a painful chapter to read. Oh, there is the opening with all of the blessings that await the Israelites if they will simply obey the commandments of the Lord and not chase after other God's... but then we hear the terrible curses that await them if they choose do the exact opposite. And that is what is painful to read. Especially because we know that those curses are what happened to them, because of course, they didn't do what they were supposed to do. It's interesting that in verse 2, we hear how the good will overtake them if they obey, and then in verse 48, we hear how the results of the curses will overtake them if they don't... I guess I would hope that we would be overtaken by blessings instead of curses! Do you know what else pains about reading this chapter... I know that my own obedience, or rather lack of obedience means I deserve nothing but curses. Thanks be to Jesus who by His blood forgives me and you of our sins... but still, ought not we also strive to live in the new life He calls us to... shouldn't we be obedient to God's Word and commands? I know what the answer is, which is why it pains me to know that many times I don't.

Today's Reading is Deuteronomy 27... My thoughts on today's reading... Once God's people enter into the promised land, they are to set up stones on which they were to write the words of God's commands so they might remember them. There is a valley between two mountains in the Holy Land, Mount Gerizim being one and Mount Ebal the other... God's people are to gather in the valley, and then the leaders of the tribes, six on each mountain, and as they share the commands of God, they are to call out those things that will be a blessing to them as they keep the commands, and the curses which will be against them if they don't keep them. I'm reminded of a number of years ago when there was a push to have the Ten Commandments put up in public places. (Compare that to today, when I don't even think such a thing would be allowed any more, even if people wanted to!) But I mention it because while it is good to have reminders of God's Word and Commandments before His people, it does little good if they aren't obeyed. That was Israel's problem. You hear how they are suppose to shout Amen, which literally means, let it be so... but so often they didn't choose the path of blessings, but the way of the curses. I pray that as we hear God's Word that we seek not just to hear, but obey! Amen! Let it be so!

This Weekend's Reading is Deuteronomy 25-26... My thoughts on this weekend's reading... Still more guidance and laws for God's people are imparted by Moses in these two chapters, some of which are interesting to say the least. We hear about a person deserving of being punished by lashes, and the importance of a brother assuring that his deceased brother has a child to carry on his brother's name. I find the resulting punishment of the sister-in-law towards her husband's brother if he refuses to carry out this responsibility to be interesting... it boils down to her taking off his sandal and spitting in his face... talk about humiliating, which I guess is the point in this case. The we get a few little odds and ends... fighting, unjust weights and the charge to destroy the people Amalek for how they treated Israel... As we move into Chapter 26, we hear how it is important to give to the Lord His tithes, and in so doing use a chant that is still referenced to this day... "A wondering Aramean was my father..." The were also encouraged to care for the orphan, sojourner, and the Levite. As God considers them as His treasured possession, they in response are called to keep His commandments.

Today's Reading is Deuteronomy 24... My thoughts on today's reading... Again today, we get a series of various laws that God's people are encouraged to follow as they head into the promised land. As we read them, we need to be careful not to assume that they all apply to us exactly as they are recorded in Deuteronomy, as these were laws which they were to follow in their time, but not necessarily something that applies to us. I note that because as Jesus noted regarding divorce, the Lord gave that to them because of the hardness of their heart. Would that divorce wasn't necessary then or even now. Some of the laws were to provide them with ways to care for the poor, the widow and the orphan, and these are also good for us to look after in our day too, but probably not in the same way that they did in their day. Most of us are not farmers who are able to leave a portion of our gleanings for others to come along and collect, and today, no one would come on to another person's land and do that. But we do have ways to care through our churches, benevolent agencies and charities that allow to care for those in need. For example, for the orphan, we have the foster care system and groups like CASA for children who's parents are in the court system. I guess what I am saying is as you read the various laws in these last few chapters, look at the principles behind them and seek to follow them in that regard... or perhaps, simply remember to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind, and your neighbor as yourself and seek to find ways to do so.

Today's Reading is Deuteronomy 22-23... My thoughts on today's reading... Okay, so today's readings including some pretty random laws, some of which make sense to us, others which we might find a little different. The overall theme of much of these laws is that God's people are called to love their neighbor, act justly and show love to all while being obedient to God's law. For example, we might say losers weepers... you lost it, it's your loss, where the encouragement for Israel is to help out your neighbor in their loss, either by returning it if you are able, or holding on to it, in case your neighbor comes looking for it. Or building a parapet, a protective lower wall around your roof, so no one might accidently fall off. There are also guidelines for sexual immorality which seeks to protect from falsehood and preserve the life of the innocent, but punishing the sinful immorality to remove the stain of sin from the community. In chapter 23 we hear about who is able to enter into the Lord's place of worship, excluding for example the Ammonites and Moabites who were relatives to Israel as descendants of Lot, but who refused to help Israel as they traveled to the promised land. On the other hand, Edom who is descended from Esau and even Egypt are not to be rejected and in the 3rd generation are allowed into the assembly. There is also some guidance about personal hygiene... who ever thought that when you were reading the Scriptures you'd be thinking to yourself... TMI Moses... to much information, but of course it was instruction from the Lord through Moses to make the camp of the Israelites a sacred place. The remaining part of Chapter 23 includes a few other laws for their benefit. Again, remember that overall theme that Israel was to be holy, set apart and different than the surrounding nations.