Week 61, Day 3: False accusations
Today’s Reading: Deut 22:1-30
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
We have various laws given in this chapter, addressing several different areas. The one that I wanted to comment on today is regarding what is said beginning in verse 13. A man takes a wife but then later “turns against” her. He charges her with shameful deeds and publicly defames her saying that she was not a virgin. The parents were to bring out evidence (garments) to the elders proving that she was indeed a virgin when she got married. The man is then punished because he publily defamed a virgin of Israel. The elders chastise him and fine him a hundred shekels of silver. He is then not allowed to ever divorce her. I think that the reason that this passage stands out to me is how lightly our society today takes someone remaining a virgin until marriage. It is clear that the women of Israel were to keep themselves pure until marriage. If she was found to not be a virgin then she was supposed to be stoned for committing “an act of folly ” in Israel by playing “the harlot”. Such behavior was not to be tolerated but was to be purged from among them. It is shameful that fornication is so common among young people today. Even some so called Christians say that young people just need to “sow their wild oats”. Such thinking leads young people to go wild and destroy their morals. A destruction of their morals only feeds more sinful practices to follow. Got does not and never has looked with favor upon someone committing sexual acts before they are married. He designed such things to be enjoyed only in the marriage relationship. We are to keep the marriage bed undefiled.
Question: Why do you think that it is so important for us to teach young people to remain sexually pure and chaste until marriage? How can this be accomplised? Often young people seek to understand where to draw the “line” in their actions, what would you tell them to encourage them/ teach them to remain pure?
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Week 61, Day 2: An unloved wife
Today’s Reading: Deut 21:1-23
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
Moses instructs Israel regarding how they will handle a situation where the wife is unloved by her husband. I can see this as a very real possibility when you have a situation where a man has multiple wives. If anyone has any doubts about the trouble multiple wives can make for a household this kind of instruction emphasizes the trouble that could happen. Moses speaks of a situation where a man has two wives. He loves one but not the other. Similar to the statement in the NT that you cannot serve two masters. You will love the one and hate the other. This does not spell harmony in the home in any way. But the trouble does not end there. He is giving the instruction to ensure that the husband deal justly with the unloved woman. If she has the first son then he must honor the fact that he is the firstborn even if he does not love the mother. Again, think of the conflict that would be present between the children because of the favortism the husband might show. The action of taking multiple wives was allowed by God but it should be obvious that such a practice could cause huge problems within the home. But whatever happened, God expected the men of Israel to deal justly with their wives.
Question: What passage(s) would you point to indicate that marriage was intended to be between one man and one woman?
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Week 61, Day 1: Seige warfare
Today’s Reading: Deut 20:1-20
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
Moses now tells Israel about how they are to handle warfare with a city that they come upon. If the city is far away then they handle it differently than a city that is nearby. The cities of the nations nearby they were to kill everything that breathes (16). But those cities that are far off they were to offer terms of peace. If the city surrendered then they would become their slaves. If not then they would take the city and kill all the men. It is interesting to se that when they were seiging a city they were instructed not to cut down any fruit trees to make their seigeworks with. This makes sense for them to leave the trees they can eat from after the warfare is over but in the turmoil of the battle preparations I could also see someone not thinking of this on their own.
Question: Why did Moses instruct the Israelites to kill everything that breathes within the cities that are nearby?
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Week 60, Day 5: Manslaughter
Today’s Reading: Deut 19:1-21
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
Moses reminds Israel that they are to set up cities for the person guilty of manslaughter to flee to for safety. He also gives an example of an event where a man kills his friend accidently and is not deserving death (vs. 6). Thus the cities of refuge gave him a way to flee the avenger of blood and still live. Reading such passages makes me think that you cannot help but see places where our legislative laws are based on Bible principles. Where did the concept of manslaughter come from? These passages give us some concept of a condition where a man might kill another and yet not be deserving of death.
Question: Did the man guilty of manslaughter go without punishment?
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Week 60, Day 4: A Prophet from among you
Today’s Reading: Deut 18:1-22
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
Moses warns Israel not to allow those who practice witchcraft, one who interprets omens, a sorcerer, medium, spiritist, one who casts a spell or one who calls up the dead to be among them. Such a one was to be put to death. It seems that there have always been these kind of practices taking place. Today it is a weegie board, tarra cards, palm readers, wiccan priestests, and the like. Such actions are described as being detestable to the Lord. Christians today should not be involved with such actions, even as a joke.
In the midst of speaking about such things Moses tells them that God would raise up a prophet from among them who will tell them all that God commands for them. This prophet would be proven to be true by the truthfulness of what he said. The prophet would say certain things would come about and when those things came to be it proved that he was from God. If however what he said would take place doesn’t take place then they are not from God and are to be put to death for speaking falsely in the name of the Lord.
Question: Verse 15 is cited in Acts 3:22 in reference to someone else. Who is being spoken of in Acts 3:22?
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Week 60, Day 3: When You Have a King
Today’s Reading: Deut 17:1-20
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
I am impressed at times just how much Moses knew about what Israel would do. God had revealed to him so much of what would happen to Israel before they even entered in to possess the promised land. Here we have Moses telling the people that when they look around and say they want a king just like the nations around them that the king is to not do three things (14-20). He was not to multiply horses for himself or go to Egypt for the purpose of trading/ multiplying horses. They were not to have interactions with Egypt. Second, he was not to multiply wives for himself lest they turn his heart away. The passage does not state this as a maybe they’ll be a bad influence on him. The passage states it plainly that the multiple wives will turn his heart away. Thirdly, he was not to amass silver and gold for himself. I find this one very interesting. It would appear based on this that the king should have been working in such a way as not to try to horde great wealth for himself. Either he could spend it on projects to help the nation or he could just not collect as much in taxes. Either way, God tells them he is not to greatly increase silver and gold for himself. I also found it interesting that it is noted that his heart was not to be lifted above his countrymen. The king, even though highly exalted as their leader and protector – in a sense, was not to exalt himself. I see this as a reflexion that he was to keep in mind that he was a servant of God, serving God’s people in a special role. But God was their source of guidance and source of protection, not him. He was just like the rest of Israel, just a man. Very interesting.
Question: What benefit would it be for the king to make the copy of the law himself?
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Week 60, Day 2: Three Times
Today’s Reading: Deut 16:1-22
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
Moses reminds Israel that they are to appear before the Lord three times a year (vs. 16). For the Passover/ Feast of Unleavened bread, at the feast of weeks, and for the feast of Booths. These were not optional feasts that they were to attend. Moses also tells them not to come empty-handed before God. So their obligations are made clear to them. Moses is giving them all those last words of advice because he will soon not be with them. These feasts were very imiportant for an Israelite. But as we see, Israel was not faithful to continue in these things for long.
Question: How does this text refer to the bread they were to eat during the feast of unleavened bread (vs. 3)? Why do you think it is referred to as this?
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Week 60, Day 1: A Year for Remission
Today’s Reading: Deut 15:1-23
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
This chapter tells us about an interesting practice commanded by God. In the seventh year the Israelites were to forgive the debts owed them. Whatever was loaned, whatever service had been endebted was to be forgiven. This to me is a very interesting practice for God to command Israel. But God goes on to tell them that they are also not to think in their mind, “The seventh year, the year of remission, is near” and thus be hostile toward the poor. They were to give generously even though the seventh year was at hand. God promises that if they heed His command then the Lord will bless them in all their work (vs 10). This is like the phrase that was use sometimes that says you cannot out give God.
A reason is not given in the text as to why God commanded such a practice. In ways I would like to know why these kind of commands were given. But we are not given the reason so we cannot know for sure.
Question: What lessons about generocity might we be able to learn from this chapter?
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Week 59, Day 5: Because you are different
Today’s Reading: Deut 14:1-29
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
Moses goes on to tell the children of Israel that they are not to eat any detestable thing. He reminds them of the animals that they may and may not eat of. What I want to focus on in this post is why they were to make this distinction in their eating choices. It is because God has chosen them for His own possession as a holy people. Therefore they were to be different. God tells them what foods they are to abstain from as part of their distinctiveness. Because they are God’s people, a holy people, they were to have different standards for what they ate. Many have tried to explain why the distinctions are made between these animals. Why Israel could eat one animal but not another one. What I am emphasizing here is that because they belonged to God it required them to maintain a different lifestyle than those people who were of the nations around them. It has always been the case that God’s people had a different standard than those of the world. I am sure that the gentiles would not have understood why they didn’t eat certain things or may have thought it even strange, but that didn’t change the fact that in order to be pleasing to God the Israelites had to keep to God’s instructions.
Question: What commands today do you think cause Christians to stand out from those in the world? What commands might the worldly think strange?
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Week 59, Day 4: Do Not Allow It
Today’s Reading: Deut 13:1-18
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
Moses even tells Israel that there may come a time when a prophet or dreamer arises who gives some sign or wonder and yet instructs them to serve other gods. This is an interesting concept. Someone who is able to give some sign or wonder and yet he is trying to mislead the people. Moses tells them that this is God testing them to finnd out if they love Him with all their heart and soul (vs. 3). Israel knew very clearly that God did not want them to serve any other god. He had instructed them to destroy all the idols and not allow themselves to be seduced to follow after such practices. So if someone comes along, even if they could perform some wonder, they were not to be believed and were to be killed. I find the concept of God testing them very interesting. Would they pass the test? We know from their history that they did not pass the test. Would we pass the test? Do we pass the test? This concept makes me think about Paul’s statement in 2 Cor 13:5. Christians are to examine themselves to make certain that they have Jesus in them. We should each know how to know this and be able to know that we are abiding in Jesus.
Another concept from this passage is that the people of Israel were not to let anyone lead them astray. No one. Not their brother, or the wife they cherish, or even the friend who is as your own soul (vs. 6). Do we have such dedication in our service to God? Is He our hearts desire to the extent that no one here on earth, no matter how dear they are to us, would be able to entice us to depart from serving Him faithfully?
Question: How do we know that we are in Christ Jesus and that He is living in us?
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