People have been messing up by accident (or on purpose) for our entire existence… in Deuteronomy, we see a few different ways that God helped set up processes for when people are people and mess up.
In Deuteronomy 19 God has already established laws to follow, but He knows people will still mess up unintentionally, and so He takes the time to establish ways of showing justice and grace in those random, accidental sins. Killing people will always equal sin, yet God creates a safe haven to run to for those who commit this sin unintentionally (v. 4). Put yourself in that world and think of the magnitude of this gracious retreat to a neighboring city instead of facing death… in a culture where the governing law is “life for life” (v.21), having the opportunity to flee to a nearby city shows just how loving our God truly is. No murder (or sin) is exempt, but God makes a way out of the death penalty that someone should be subject to… sound familiar?
In Deuteronomy 20 we get a GREAT “refrigerator” verse: “…for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you. (v.4)”. God knew the Israelites weren’t strong enough to defeat their enemies on their own, He knew He had to go with them and fight FOR them. God uses the priests to weed out those who are not confident in His power, because He knows that a smaller, faithful army is stronger than a larger, cowardly one. And He knows that there are plenty of cowards and uncommitted people in His people! God knew that His people were easily influenced, which is why He tells them to utterly destroy their enemies, so that there is zero chance His people can be pulled away from Him in that way (v.17-18). God also knew that His people would get rid of good things when they shouldn’t, which is why He clearly states to leave the trees that can feed His people (v.19). He covered everything the Israelites needed, just because He is a Good God, who loves His people. Again… sound familiar?
-Sarah Blanchard Johnson
Questions:
Where do you feel in your life God has covered you like He covered the Israelites?
These chapters give us several examples of God revealing His character. How many words can you come up with using just these passages that describe God? I came up with 6…
Prayer:
Lord, we praise you because you are a Good God. Thank you for the way you have always covered your people even when we mess up. God, thank you for the gift of your son and the safe haven he is for our sins. I pray that today we all feel your grace covering us, and that we show everyone around us that same grace – ultimately, being a light for you and for your glory. Amen.
(Our SeekGrowLove 2023 Bible reading plan includes 7 theme weeks spread throughout the year. This week is the first and will focus on 1 God, 1 Messiah. The OT and Psalms readings will continue and the third reading will be a chapter that lends itself to the theme. At the bottom of each devotion is a link to the yearly schedule you may download and print if you would like to keep track of where we are going next. Thanks for reading along! Let’s keep Seeking God in His Word, Growing our Faith and Loving Him More and More!)
Deuteronomy 6 is seen as a foundational chapter for discussing the “oneness” of God. People sometimes divide the teachings of Christianity into orthodoxy (right teaching) and orthopraxy (right action). On that basis the idea of there being only one God generally gets put under the heading of a teaching. But I think God may see our faith as a more active part of our lives than that description brings to mind.
When Moses says, at the start of Deuteronomy 6, that he is relaying “the commandments, the statutes and the judgments which the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you” (NASB) he is continuing a thought from Deuteronomy 5 (see v. 31). Moses had described how it made the Hebrews afraid when they heard God’s voice at Horeb (Sinai) almost 40 years earlier. They had asked God not to speak aloud to them anymore, but to speak to them through Moses. The people gathered at that mountain knew that God was their God. God had already proven His faithfulness (He brought them safely from Egypt, after all), but God had also shown His judgment. They believed that to keep hearing that voice would mean their deaths. And God didn’t object to what they said. Maybe God even agreed that they risked death from being exposed so closely to God’s holiness, if only because they wouldn’t always respond to it properly. “Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me and keep all my commandments always, that it may be well with them and with their sons forever!” (5:29).
Moses says he is going to tell us “the commandments, the statutes and the judgments,” and what he starts with is that the Lord is God and is singular, which feels close to the core of the matter. This chapter opposed the nations in the land the Hebrews were about to enter. But the message is deeper than a warning against the idols that would all too often distract coming generations of Hebrews. This is about commitment and devotion in living for God. To love with your whole heart, your whole soul/life, and all your might – that is not something you can just fall into, it is something you choose, and which you need to keep on choosing.
Moses was about to die, this speech was his farewell address, and he offered a plan that could steer the course of the history ahead of him. The generation that was being told these things was able to remember the miracles of the desert; many of them still could recall the Exodus and crossing the Red Sea. The idea was for that knowledge, that certainty about God, to be presented to each generation so it could take hold of faith for itself. But things did not go that way.
Lord, please allow me to love you with my whole heart, soul and might. I know this is not the first time I have pledged this, and that I have not maintained that focus. But you, Lord, are a great God. You are worth turning back to, I will not give up on you because I am imperfect. And you are a merciful Lord who is willing to receive those who turn back. You will not give up on me because I am imperfect. Please help me to be renewed in what is appropriate for your glory, and to do service for your name and the name of your son, Jesus. Thank you, Lord. Amen
-Daniel Smead
Daniel Smead is a father of two, former pastor of the Eden Valley Church of God, former editor of the Church of God Adult Quarterly and sometime teacher at Atlanta Bible College. He lives in Minnesota with his family and attends the Pine Grove Bible Church. In his free time he is working on creating a board game centered around early Christian heresies.
reflection Questions:
The text says to bind these words on your hands and your foreheads. Some see this as a metaphor, saying to let the scripture affect what you do with your hands, and how you think. What are some ways you could do that?
Verse 24 says that we are to “fear the Lord our God for our good always”. Is it difficult to remember that God does not want anything for us that is bad for us? How do you remind yourself of that?
It sometimes seems impossible that the Hebrews were denying God’s existence, rather they failed to worship their God by choosing to describe God to themselves as something other than what God is. At Sinai they pictured God as a golden calf, wanting to see the unseeable God, making God more understandable for themselves. Perhaps at Jericho Achan – who had been present for Moses’ speech – managed to mistake God for someone who cared about human wealth and advancement more than purity. Perhaps you can think of some other applications of this principle. How clearly do you think you understand what God is like? How does that understanding help you?
Today we have three readings before us that seem very different from one another. They are different in many ways; approach, style, etc. but contain a similar message throughout.
The book of Deuteronomy details many hardships and troubles that God’s people faced. It also contains promises and hope. It reminds us that we have an active role in our faith. Our Heavenly Father did not create us with a certainty that we would listen and obey, that we would automatically choose Him. He created us with free will and allows us, each and every one of us, to make these life and death decisions on our own. He gives us all of the information we need and places the choice in our hands. To have life is to be with God. This book is about having an ongoing relationship with our loving God.
Psalm 76 is a song of victory of Israel over the enemies of God. Often times we see the rejoicing of the people and focus only upon the battle God won that led them to this point. He had delivered victory – that is evident to Israelite and Gentile both. There is more to it though, more here than a casual glance will reveal. The psalmist sings of weapons of war at rest. The Lexham English Bible says, the stouthearted sleep, both rider and horse slumber. Death is implied here but, in that death, God has brought peace. The slain, the peace of death, and for those who yet live peace through knowing Him, revering Him, “From heaven you pronounced judgement, and the land feared and was quiet.” Like with our overview of Deuteronomy, we see our need for a relationship with God, that life comes from Him.
And then we get to our final section of reading for today, as we finish 2 Corinthians with chapter 13 – which brings to mind 1 Corinthians 13 – the chapter all about love. From verse four through the beginning of verse eight, it details what real love is and what it is not. The first three verses are quite plain to say that what we do or say in this life matters little if it does not come from the type of love that God, and Jesus displayed for us.
We are merely messengers of the Gospel, the Good News. We are to ensure that others know of salvation through Jesus by our words and actions. It is not for us to judge one another or force a change. We are to faithfully bring the truth of God’s word to our family, friends, and acquaintances. It is that truth that will reveal both sin and the need for salvation, but it is still up to the individual to make that choice. If that choice is not to come to God through Jesus, then we are to still love them. We are limited to our knowledge of now, this moment, and even that is severely lacking. We do not know their future choices, so we love them. They are created in God’s image, so we love them.
Each of these sections of Scripture present the hardships that come with the choice we each face, to know and love God or deny Him. It is not just our choices though, but also those of everyone around us. We have this amazing knowledge of God, Jesus, and salvation. We, who have a relationship with Him through Jesus, have a hope beyond the troubles of this life. Loving God, and knowing His love, can comfort us in our most desperate moments.
We want that for others and sometimes get frustrated, angry, or hurt that they refuse to open themselves to this relationship. That is probably similar to how God felt about you and I before we made that choice. I believe that a huge part of our commission to go into the world to spread the Gospel is to love the sinner as God loves us who still sin. Be patient. Speak and live God’s word. That is what love is!
-Jeff Ransom
Deuteronomy Introduction
I love the book of Deuteronomy. Even though it retells many of the highlights of Exodus through Numbers, the tone of Deuteronomy is much different. Instead of just laying out the law as God had given it, and instead of just relaying historical facts, Moses was now encouraging the people to love and follow God- for their own good.
Moses wrote the book of Deuteronomy just before his death. This was his last opportunity to encourage the Israelites to obey God wholeheartedly. When he wrote it, almost everyone was dead who had been an adult when the Israelites had left Egypt. As a result, Moses was trying to remind the new generation of all that God had done for them (and their parents), and was trying to encourage them to follow God – and not just obey Him, but to love Him.
Deuteronomy 10: 12-13 is an example of this, “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?”
The book of Deuteronomy ends with Moses climbing a mountain, and looking out over the Promised Land – which he wasn’t allowed to enter because of one act of disobedience against God. And then Moses died. Can you imagine how disappointed Moses must have been, seeing the promised land, but not being able to enter? He had longed for this his whole life, and was finally denied entry.
This should be a warning to us. It reminds me of Luke 13:28, which says, “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out.”
I’ll close with Deuteronomy 30: 15-20, “See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”
-Steve Mattison
Reflection Questions
What do we learn from Moses and Paul about how to speak and live God’s word? How can you speak and live God’s word better than you have previously?
We all have choices to make. What choices have you made that have brought you closer to a relationship with God and the salvation he extends through His son? What choices have you made that have taken you further from God? What will you choose today?
What do you learn about God and His character in today’s Bible reading? Who needs to hear that and how will you share?
Chapter 16 begins with the reminder to celebrate the Passover. It was a time that was set aside to remember how their God saved them from Egyptian slavery. More specifically from the angel of death that passed over those Jewish people who placed the blood of a lamb on their door posts.
We also see the reminder of the Festival of Weeks (celebrating the harvest/first fruits) and the Festival of Tabernacles (remembering the years of wandering). Each were given specifications as to how and when to celebrate.
Each of these celebrations was to be a reminder of where they came from and to celebrate God’s provision. God provided a way out, he provided the harvest and he provided for the Jewish people in their 40 year wilderness wandering.
Knowing that God will provide in all life circumstances should give us joy and help encourage us in difficult times. God has been there before and he will be there again. He provides, always!
We all should set up reminders to celebrate the way God has worked in our lives. The reminders can help us remain thankful and never take for granted what God has done, is doing or what he will do in the future.
-John Wincapaw
Questions for Reflection and Discussion
Make a list of how God has provided for you. How will you express your thankfulness to the Lord? What reminders do you already have in place, and what reminders can you add to your home, your routine, and your calendar to ensure that you remember and thank God for the way He has provided?
What is the danger in not being intentional in remembering what God has done and provided?
What is your favorite holiday? Why? How do you celebrate it? What might God want you to remember as you celebrate? How could you do that better?
Each of the three festivals decreed in Deuteronomy 16 included bringing a sacrifice, gift or offering to the Lord. “No one should appear before the Lord empty-handed: Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you.” (verses 16b & 17) What can you give to the Lord so you do not come before Him empty-handed?
See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse—the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods.
Chapter 11 is a constant reminder for obedience. We see multiple reminders to be careful – which to me shows how easy it is mess up. If we are not paying attention we can easily fall.
The Israelites are about to finally leave the wilderness and go into the land that was promised. Before entering they are given some instruction to help them not fall away like those before them. It was focused on obedience to the law and commands that were being given to them.
We often think of obedience as a restriction from the things we would like to do. But here we are reminded that God desires blessing for us and those blessings are for those who make the choice of obedience.
Obedience isn’t just knowing God or about his commands. It is making the choice to follow them. Making the choice to have them be a priority in your life. Surrounding yourself with reminders to do what is right so you are not tempted to fall away.
It is a choice! We are not forced to do anything. God did not create humans as robots. He gave us the choice to obey or not. We make a choice everyday and that choice is tied together with love. If we love God we will obey him!
Those that love God will obey God. Those that obey God will be blessed by God.
-John Wincapaw
Questions for Reflection and Discussion
When have you experienced God’s blessings for obedience?
Can you think of a time you may have experienced God’s punishment or curses because of a time of disobedience?
What have you seen of God’s power and might with your own eyes? How can you pass this along to those younger than you who did not experience what you did? Why is that important to do?
Love is one of the most powerful things in the world. You love your friends and your church, but most importantly you love your family. God is our father and he gives unconditional love to us. As we should give him this love he also shows us many times in the Bible, that love comes with boundaries and rules. The commands in Deuteronomy 6 show this. In any relationship there has to be boundaries and rules in order for it to be a healthy and loving relationship. These rules, like not putting your lord your God to the test, must be followed. Love comes with these boundaries and rules to have a steady balance. Look at the relationships you have. The love you have with certain people comes with certain boundaries and rules.
-Genesis Dylewski
Questions for Reflection and Discussion
How do you show your love for God? With your heart? With your soul? With your strength? Are there any areas of your life where you feel you should love God more? How so?
What was to be taught to the children? How? Why? How well are you passing along the knowledge of who God is, and how to love and obey Him to the younger generation? What can you do this week and throughout the year to increase your involvement and effectiveness with teaching and encouraging the children and youth in their Christian faith and upbringing? What will happen if we don’t?
I am currently working towards a goal that has five parts to it. Parts One and Two – easy peasy. I’ve got those done. The first hardly took any time or effort. The Second, only took a few hours to accomplish and not much effort – I just had to sit down and get it done.
Parts Three, Four and Five all depend on the cooperation of others. I’ve come close to doing Part Three before and I wasn’t sure that I would see it happen this time around. But you know what? This week it happened! I am thrilled!
Part Four is something else that I’ve come super close to doing too. And right now, I’m halfway there. The thing is…I don’t have a plan for the last half. I’m stuck.
Part Five is something that I’ve never done before. And I do not know how it’s going to become a reality. But I’m keeping my eyes and ears open for opportunities to inch just a bit closer to that goal.
In Deuteronomy chapter 20, the Israelites are listening to Moses give them directions on how to handle going into battle. I’ve always found verses 5-9 interesting because God is giving soldiers permission to leave the fight if there is something to take care of on the home front. That’s not something that you see happening very often within modern day military organizations.
In our personal lives, we may not be facing off into a physical battle, but there are times when God calls us to do really challenging things; to face difficult circumstances; to push toward an audacious goal, dream, or vision. And at times our resources for doing these things sometimes seem to dwindle away. How are we supposed to do what needs to be done, when we don’t have the time, energy, money, tools, or people to see it through?
In Deuteronomy, God wanted His army to rely more on Him than on huge numbers of soldiers. It’s the same with us. God wants us to rely on Him more than ourselves or our resources.
And it’s hard. I am tempted to think “God didn’t come through before…why would He do it now?”
But that’s not being fair to God. God’s timing and understanding far exceeds anything that I could possibly comprehend. As Creator of the entire universe and Sovereign over all living things, I need to have faith and exercise trust to do what He puts before me.
God goes with me and He will fight for me and give me victory. To God be the Glory.
-Bethany Ligon
Today’s Bible reading passages can be read or listened to at BibleGateway here – Deuteronomy 19-20 and Luke 18
In some education circles, there is a debate on whether students should be hand-writing notes for class or if typing notes is sufficient. As recent as October 2020, Psychology Today posted that handwriting, more specifically cursive handwriting, is associated with positive benefits for our brain and how we make neural connections.
Of course, as Creator of all things, God already knows this. And it makes me wonder if this is why God instructed the Kings of the Israelites to write out the Law?
When we slow down and take the time to handwrite a verse or short (or long) passage of Scripture, we are doing ourselves a favor because God’s Holy Word is being imprinted in our minds. When this happens, we are more likely to recall and apply Scripture in our daily living.
So while it’s good to be reading these daily devotionals, remember to read the Word too. And while you’re at it, grab a notebook or index card and jot down a verse or two that stands out to you. Throughout your day, recall the verse and ask God how He wants you to apply His Word to your daily living.
If we keep God’s Word close and are careful to follow it, then as it says in Joshua 1:9, “You will be prosperous and successful”.
-Bethany Ligon
You can read or listen to today’s Bible reading passages at these links to BibleGateway – Deuteronomy 17-18 and Luke 17
“Three times a year all your men must appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose…No man should appear before the LORD empty-handed: Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the LORD your God has blessed you.” – Deuteronomy 16:16-17
Church potlucks! We at Lakeshore Bible Church in Tempe, AZ, love our potlucks.
By my estimation, in the last 12 months, due to the pandemic, I figure that we have missed out on at least four or five regularly calendared potlucks.
Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, plus two church congregational meetings/potlucks. I miss the casseroles, the crockpot meatballs, the pies and cakes. Who doesn’t love potlucks?!?
As I was reading through Deuteronomy 16 today, it struck me that the festivals that God commanded His people to celebrate were week-long church potlucks!
Here are the similarities:
1 – Church-wide Community. God called the Israelites to gather together at specific times each year at a specific place for a special occasion.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread was to remember how God brought the Israelites out of Egypt without much notice.
The Feast of Weeks is also known as the Feast of Pentecost or the Feast of the Harvest. During this seven day celebration, the people were to show joy and thankfulness for the blessing of the year’s harvest.
The Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths) is for remembering the journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, when the Israelites lived in tents for 40 years.
Likewise, we get together today, we often gather to celebrate a special holiday or occasion.
2 – Food! What is a celebration without food? During the three festivals mentioned in today’s reading passage, people are instructed with what to eat and how to prepare it.
3 – Ceremony of Remembering. At each of the festivals mentioned in Deuteronomy 16, part of the time was dedicated to remembering what God had done for His chosen people.
What I so appreciate about church potlucks today is the opportunity to sit down with others and spend time in conversation over a meal. Sometimes, these conversations are about current life events. But other times, these conversations include recollections of years gone by; how God acted on our behalf; and how our lives changed as a result.
While we may not have special ceremonies of remembrance during a church potluck, God’s prior interventions and current activities in our lives certainly are exchanged.
So while I might be stretching it a bit to do a direct comparison between the three feasts and today’s modern church potlucks, let’s not forget that it is God’s intention for His people to gather regularly and remember all the things He has done for us!
-Bethany Ligon
You can read or listen to today’s Bible reading passages at BibleGateway here – Deuteronomy 15-16 and Luke 16
You have been hand-selected to be a highly-valued and cherished child of the Most High and living God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
Do you believe that? I mean, do you truly and wholeheartedly accept that this is true?
So many people long to have confirmed that they belong and that they have purpose.
You, my friend in faith, have been confirmed for both!
As if the verses from today’s reading don’t state it plainly, let’s look elsewhere in the New Testament. According to Ephesians 2:19, You are a member of God’s household.
And in the same chapter, just 9 verses before, it declares that you are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for you to accomplish!
If you accept your position and your purpose, then you need to start acting like it.
Honor God by worshipping Him alone; avoid and get rid of anything, or anyone, that could lead you astray. (Deuteronomy 13)
Honor God by taking care of your body. (Deuteronomy 14:1-21). While this section of the chapter is referring to clean and unclean foods, something that the Israelites had to pay close attention to, we can extend the meaning to modern times and consider what we put into our bodies.
Honor God with your stuff and by being generous to those in need. (Deuteronomy 14:22-29)
Friend, God loves you more than you can possibly imagine. Love Him back, with all that you are.
-Bethany Ligon
You can read or listen to today’s Bible passages at BibleGateway here – Deuteronomy 13-14 and Luke 15
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