Israel's Pre-Written History Deut. 28

 

Deuteronomy 28 – Israel’s Pre-written History

 

“If thou shall hearken diligently…” “If” is the conditional part of the covenant. They are going to be blessed only if they obey God. There are twelve curses stated here but there are only six blessings. The blessings are told in Matt 5 in the sermon on the Mount, followed by the beatitudes.

At that time, they had already experienced captivity twice, and they were yet to go into another captivity that would scatter them throughout the entire earth. Scripture prophesied concerning Israel’s being dispossessed out of the land three times and regathered into the land three times. The first of these was prophesied of God to Abraham. Genesis 15:13,16. They went to Egypt for 430 years. Now in this lesson, God is bringing them back to the land for the first regathering. In the Book of Judges, we will find them settled in the land. In the time of King Zedekiah, he was carried away in Babylonian captivity. It was because of their disobedience. God had given them the “if”. If you obey, you will be blessed, If you disobey, you will be put out of the land. Israel was regathered from the Babylonian captivity. The prophets, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, tell of their return to the land. This was the second prophecy that was literally fulfilled. The third scattering of Israel was the result of being captured by Rome. Coming all the way from the west, they spoke a language that was entirely different from Hebrew. Josephus tells in his history how mothers were forced to give up their babies, and the flesh of the babies was eaten. This prophecy was literally fulfilled. And now the Jewish people are scattered throughout the world. They have yet to return to the land altogether.

The gospel of Christ is for Jew and Gentile alike, and it is for the “obedience to the faith among all nations.” Romans 1:5

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

 

The Future of The Land Deut. 27

 

Deuteronomy 27 – The Future of the Land

 

Now we have come to the Palestinian covenant. The covenants God made could be called eternal covenants and temporary covenants. The eternal covenant is a permanent covenant, and it is unconditional. The temporary covenant is a conditional covenant. The Palestinian Covenant is an unconditional covenant. This covenant has to do with Israel’s future.

These people are now standing on the east bank of the Jordan River. They are preparing to enter the land. This is the new generation; the old generation has died in the wilderness. They were told that when they crossed over into the land, the Ten Commandments were to be written in stone and displayed. Their tenure in the land, their dwelling there, would be determined by their obedience to God. That was a conditional arrangement. But the land was given to them with no conditions attached. God will bring Israel back into that land because it belongs to them. God’s law was to be put in front of them wherever they went – even on the doorposts of their homes.

When they get into the Promised land, the blessing of the people is to be declared from Mount Gerazim and the curses from Mount Ebal. God is the landowner, and that rent is obedience to God. When a generation will not obey God, that generation would be put out of the land, even though the land remained theirs as an eternal inheritance.

There are twelve curses given. As you read all the verses in this chapter, you will see that they all deal with the breaking of the Ten commandments.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

Thanksgiving - A Day of Reflection

 

Thanksgiving, A day of Reflection

 

Today is a day of reflection for me. I have had a wonderful Thanksgiving party with the tenants where I live. Another day of thanksgiving with family and extended family, and today I am spending a day of thanksgiving with my self-adopted children whom I helped raise since the boy was in kindergarten. I was considering all that I have and all that I have lost. Many of my loved ones have entered God’s heavenly kingdom. Even though I miss them dearly, I would never wish any of them back because there, their happiness is perfected. I rejoice in the fact that all my loved ones that are now in heaven had lived godly lives while here on earth. It solidifies the fact that if I too build my relationship with Jesus here on earth that I can obtain entrance into the pearly gates. Thereby I can praise the most awesome God and not be burdened by earthly matters.  God has done many wondrous things in m life. Where I was weak, He has made me strong.  Where I was nervous and unsettled, He has made me calm. I am more at home in my earthly flesh than I have ever been before, all because God has made me so.  I am glad for a day of Thanksgiving. Although, I am thankful every day to my God above, It gives me the opportunity to list even more all the things I am thankful for. God has given me so much throughout my lifetime, even through the grieving’s and sufferings.  He has blessed me with a peace that passes all understanding. Today, I can honestly say, I am thankful that God Loves me and I in turn can give back to Him. He has sacrificed so much for me and has loaned so much for me to take care of for Him while I am here that I strive to do my very best in pleasing Him with all that I have and in all that I do. I Love the One and Only God so much and I dearly hope and pray that you do too. If you do, it will certainly shine forth in your life. Love to all my Blog friends and Family.

Thanksgiving Deut. 26

 

Deuteronomy 26 - Thanksgiving

 

As the Israelite presented his offering of first fruits to the Lord, he was to review God’s gracious dealings with his people in delivering them from oppression in Egypt and in bringing them to the bountiful land He had promised them.

Thanksgiving for us is a day when we bring a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to God, and that’s good. Most of us, eat a big turkey dinner. If we go back and check the Pilgrims and the Puritans, we will find that they, out of their meager resources, made an offering to God on that day. Wonderful as it is to make an offering of thanksgiving and praise with our lips, we ought to back it up with our means.

The people were to give their first fruits to God to acknowledge Him as the Redeemer of the nation. God still wants us to put Him first and give Him glory for the blessing He freely bestows on us Prov. 3:5-10.

They were also to present the “third-year tithe” to help support the Levites and the poor in the land. As with the ceremony of first fruits, the people were to confess the Lord’s goodness in blessing the land and giving the harvest.

These two events remind us of the two great commandments, to Love God first and then to love our neighbor.  Grateful obedience is a hallmark of God’s special people.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

 

Punishment of the Guilty Deut. 25

 

Deuteronomy 25-Punishment of the Guilty

 

There were certain crimes that arose through difficulties between individuals. Their punishment was a limit of forty stripes. Apparently, God thought that was the way it was to be handled. The answer as to whether it was effective is found in the fact that Israel had a very low crime rate.

 Do Not Muzzle the Ox

 God told the Israelites not to do that because the ox was working for them, he is treading out their corn so let the ox eat. Paul uses this verse in his letter to the Corinthian Christians. I Cor. 9:14. He is saying that the man who is ministering to you in spiritual things is feeding you spiritual food. You, in turn, are to feed him with material things. 

 Protecting Widows

 When a man died, he would leave a farm with all his wheat and corn and his livestock of sheep and oxen. The widow was left to care for all of this. Then she was to go and claim one of her husband's brothers, a cousin or a nearest relative of his and ask him to marry her. If the brother or relative doesn’t want to marry her, she can take him to court. If he still refuses to marry her, he is disgraced for not taking care of her according to the law. Getting married was a family affair. This was God’s way of drawing families very close together, of protecting the widows, and also of protecting the land. This was the way the land would stay in the same family. It was a very good law for them.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

Divorce Deut.24

 

Deuteronomy 24   Divorce

 

Let me start this lesson out by saying God does not agree with wife swapping. If a second husband divorces a wife, she cannot go back to her first husband, because she has been defiled. In effect, that is wife swapping and God does not approve. Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? Because of the hardness of the hearts suffered them to put away their wives, but from the beginning God said there should be one man for one woman. Unfaithfulness to the marriage vow was the only grounds for divorce. There are a great many things which God permits in His permissive will. He permits it because of the hardness of our hearts. This is true in the personal lives of many individuals. God is merciful and gracious to us and permits things in our lives that are not in His direct will. God regards the sacredness of the marriage vow.

God wants happiness and holiness in our homes. We will enjoy those blessings if we obey Him and love one another.

 

Helping Others

 

When others have needs, don’t close our eyes (Prov. 28:27), your ears (Prov. 21:13), your hand, or your heart (Deut. 15:7; I john 3:17). Good words are not a substitute for good works (James 2:14-17; I John3:18). When we share with the poor, we give to the Lord, and He sees to it that there are dividends for them and for us (Prov. 19:17).

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Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

 

The Flesh and The Devil Deut. 23

 

Deuteronomy 23 The Flesh and The Devil

 

The world, the flesh and the devil are the three enemies a Christian contends with daily, even hourly, moment by moment.

You must be born again to be a child of God. One can be religious and not be born again. Such a one is not a child of God. Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a very religious man, a spiritual ruler of the people, a man who wore his emblems. Yet that man was illegitimate, and our Lord said to him that he must be born again. God doesn’t have illegitimate children. His children have all been born again. “But as many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12-13.

 

False Religions

 

False religion is satanic in origin. We are to beware of false religions. It has no place in the congregation of the Lord.

For the believer, Esau (Edom) represents our old nature, the flesh. We can hate the flesh, try to step on it, try to punish it, or mutilate it but none of it will do any good. The flesh is in rebellion against God, but it is a part of us, and hating it will not get us anywhere. “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” I John 2:15.

Just as the children of Israel were never called upon to plant flowers in the wilderness, neither are we called upon to join movements to try to straighten out the world. We are to give out the Word of God-that is our business. We are pilgrims and strangers here, just passing through.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

Relationships and Rules Deut. 22

 

Deuteronomy 22- Relationships and Rules

 

Brother Relationships

God had a good neighbor policy for His people in the day of the Israelites. They were not to assume a nonchalant attitude toward the neighbor, nor were they to pass by as if the neighbor’s problem was none of their business. They were to extend their help to the neighbor.

Dress Code:

God created us male and female, God is saying here that a man ought to look like a man, and a woman ought to look like a woman.

Protection For Birds:

If the Father is concerned about a sparrow, He is also concerned and knows all about us.

Building Code:

The roof of the Israelites house served as the front porch, patio, deck, etc. God says that the area is to be protected. There was to be a railing around it so little children would not fall off and so that people would not step off the roof in the darkness. God wants our home to be dedicated to Him, and He wants that home to be a safe place.

Mixtures:

God says the Israelites should not plow their field with a ox and an ass yoked together. The reason was because they don’t walk together- their gait is different, and they do not pull together. The same thing is true in marriage. God does not want a mixture of the saved and the unsaved. The child of God cannot mix with the world.

Marriage:

Adultery in Israel was to be punished by stoning. God honors marriage and God honors sexual purity. God’s Love for His people are expressed in His Law. This law regarding the protection of the sanctity of marriage is a fine example of His love and concern for the human family.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

 

The Laws of Murder Deut. 21

 

Deuteronomy 21 The Laws of Murder

 

If a man has obviously been murdered and his body is found, the officials of the city are to measure to find the closest city. Then that city is held responsible for the murder. It may not be that he was slain in the city, but the city is still held responsible. God holds a community responsible. The elders of that city were to come and ask forgiveness for the city, and forgiveness would have been granted them. When we come to God, and we confess our sins, “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9. Instead of judgment, there is mercy for us.

A criminal who was executed by hanging was not to remain on the tree all night. This was because everyone who hangs on a tree is accursed. A person who was put to death by stoning was then hung on a tree. This applied to a criminal of the worst type, to let it be seen that he died for his terrible crime. It would be a warning to others. The body was to be taken down from the tree by nightfall and buried. The reason was that the criminal was accursed of God.

“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, cursed is everyone that hangs on a tree.” Galatians 3:13. He became a curse for us to redeem us from the curse of the Law. He redeemed us from the penalty of sin, and He has brought us pardon.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

Warfare Deut. 20

 

Deuteronomy 20 Warfare

 

The question any nation should consider – and certainly a so-called civilized and Christian nation – is whether this is a war that God is in. If He isn’t in it, then we shouldn’t be in it either. We need to make sure that we are on God’s side.

God puts down four conditions which would keep a man from going to battle. 1. If a man has built a new home and has not had the opportunity to live in it. this is because his heart would be in the new home. 2. He had just planted a vineyard; Because he hasn’t had the opportunity to eat a grape off it yet. 3. He is engaged to a girl, and he gets drafted. He is in love with that girl; he wants to marry her. That is where his heart is, and he is not to go to war. 4. If a man was afraid, faint-hearted, fearful, he was not to go.

This law was applied to Gideon’s army. He started out with 32,000 men who rallied to him to free their nation from the oppression of the Midianites who impoverished them. Whoever was fearful and afraid could go home! 22,000 men picked up their gear and went home. Those who lapped like a dog and were all set to go wanted to free and save their nation. So, they were the ones who went to war, and the others went home.

Two things God wants us to know before we go: 1. We must be on His side. We must be fighting for what is right and know that God is with them. 2. We must be enthusiastic about it. If we fight a war, we are to fight to win- that is the purpose of it. And that is exactly what God says, we have no business to fight a war unless we are fighting to win it.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

 

Cities of Refuge Deut. 19

 

Deuteronomy 19 - Cities of Refuge

 

A man who had unintentionally killed a person could flee to a city of refuge. There he would be protected until a fair trial could be held. God made it perfectly clear that the cities of refuge were to be protection for the innocent man. He also made it clear that the cities were not for the protection of those guilty of murder.

The demands of the Law were terrible, and under no circumstances was one witness sufficient. Anyone today who says that he wants to live under the Law should really find out what it is.

If a false witness should arise, then the accused and the accuser were to stand before the Lord, represented by the priests and the judges. If the judges decided that the witness was false, then whatever he wanted to have done to the accused was the punishment which should be given to him. In that way, evil was to be removed from the nation. There is no mercy in Law, I thank God today that the Lord is not judging us based on Law. He saves us with His grace. Jesus Christ paid the penalty of the Law so that there is pardon for sinners. The throne of God has become a mercy seat because Christ died and His blood has been sprinkled there, that’s the blood of the covenant.

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

 

The Test of a True Prophet Deut. 18

 

Deuteronomy 18 The Test of a True Prophet

 

The priests came from the tribe of Levi. All Levites were employed in the temple service. God gave the Israelites instructions on how a priest was to be taken care of. He expects his people to support the people who are giving of their time in getting out the Word of God to the world. We should be a generous people. The priests and Levites depended on the sacrifices and tithes for their welfare.

When these people went into the promised land, they were not to resort to the pagan, heathen practices of the people of the land. We should be separated from the world. Israel did not obey this command and the land was defiled and the nation was disciplined. God says idolatry is an abomination to Him.

We, as Christians must be a discerning people. There is reality in the world of demons. There are fallen angels and a spirit world. People are intrigued with it. They use drugs and every other means they can think of to try to contact this unseen world. A child of God should avoid this life. If he doesn’t, he is turning away from the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. These nations in the land were judged and were removed from the land because of this very thing.

The children of Israel were to listen to God’s prophets because they were telling them the truth. This was to prepare them to listen to the final messenger, the final Prophet, the Lord Jesus. For believers today the Lord is God’s ultimate, God’s full, God’s final revelation to man. Only God can predict the future today. There were false prophets among the Israelites. We have people predicting the end of the world on a certain date, the rapture of the church on a certain date, calamities that are coming on a certain date. A true prophet is accurate in every detail, every time. Everything must have been revealed in Jesus Christ and in His Word.  Our warning is against false teachers who teach one thing but not from the Word of God.

 

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

Sundry Laws Deut. 17

 

Deuteronomy 17 – Sundry Laws

 

Every offering presented to God was to be without spot or blemish. How honest are we with God in our financial matters? He owns all the silver and the gold and all that we have. He doesn’t need our offering; we can’t give Him anything that He doesn’t already own. He permits us to offer to Him because it is a blessing to our own souls, and we are not blessed when we are beggarly and stingy with God. God does not want our leftovers. He wants our best.

Stoning was the penalty for idolatry, which was common in the cultures of that day. They worshiped the creature rather than the Creator. A great many people today feel that man’s wisdom and knowledge is accurate. We know it has been inaccurate in the past. They worshiped the sun, the moon, and the stars because they thought the heavenly bodies were friendly to them. If found practicing idolatry, there had to be two or more witnesses to condemn a man. God has always required two or more witnesses. God is always fair in His dealings.

They were to refer their cases to the priest or to the judges whom God had put over them. God is gracious and many times refuses our requests. Because the Law didn’t cover every situation, disagreements were to be taken to the priest. Then the people were to abide by the decision given. Disobedience to the judgment of the priest was to be punished with the death penalty. God says their king must be an Israelite and not a foreigner.

The raising of horses would get one entangled with Egypt because that was the place where very fine horses were bred. Solomon sinned by multiplying wives and horses to himself. It was his wives who turned his heart away from God. God warned against trying to corner the silver and gold market of that day. Solomon collected gold and silver for himself. The king was to be a man of the Word of God. He was to have a private copy of the Law of God, and He was to read in it every day of his life.

 

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

 

Three Feasts Deut.16

 

Deuteronomy 16 Three Feasts

 

The feast of Passover was instituted as a Memorial to Israel’s deliverance from Egypt and their adoption as Jehovah’s nation. It was Israel’s birth into a new relationship with God. It was to be served in one place, which was in Jerusalem. All the males of Israel were to go to Jerusalem at that time. It  was a reminder that we have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb of God. They were to number seven weeks after the Passover, which would be forty-nine; then the next day would be the Sabbath, the fiftieth day. This was known as the Pentecost. It celebrated the first or earliest fruits of the harvest. It lasted seven days and it, too, was to be kept in the place which the Lord should choose, which was Jerusalem. All males were required to attend. Three times a year they were to travel to Jerusalem to keep these feasts. It was to be a time of rejoicing. The Pentecost speaks of renewal and the coming of the Spirit of God to His people

The courthouse in that day was not a building. Instead of being in the center of town, it was at the edge of town, at the gate in the wall around the city. The reason for that was that it was the place where all the citizens entered or left the city. The Feast of Tabernacles looks to the future kingdom that God has promised His people when their pilgrim journey is ended.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

God Has a Poverty Program Deut. 15

Deuteronomy 15 – God has a Poverty Program

 

Every seventh year is a sabbatical year. In that year a release was to be made. Israelites could not take a mortgage that was going to last more than seven years. When the seventh year came around, money that had been lent or mortgages that had been made were all to be cancelled out. God had a system for Israel which equalized the opportunity so that it was possible for the poor man who really wanted to work to get something for himself. God’s system guarded against extreme wealth and extreme poverty.

If man had obeyed God in this respect, there would have been no poor among them; there would have been a balance of wealth. It is not the system that is wrong; it is man that is wrong. God makes it very clear that if His system had been used, the problem would have been solved. The nation never fully obeyed it, and the Jewish people don’t fully obey it today. God warned them not to rationalize their responsibility. God knows the human heart, He told them there would always be poor people in the land. “The poor always ye have with you…” John 12:8.

“You shall open your hand wide to your brother, and to the needy, in your hand.” Slaves were to be freed on the seventh year. When the slave was freed, he was not to be sent away empty-handed.

Jesus could have gone out free. He owed no debt of sin; He was no sinner.  He had no penalty to pay. But He loved us and gave Himself for us.

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

Israel's Diet - Deut. 14

 

Deuteronomy 14 – Israel’s Diet

 

The dietary law recorded in Leviticus has now been tested during the wilderness march for forty years. The diet which God gave to His people was more than just a religious ritual. There was a physical benefit from their observation of it.

We are living in a day of diets of all sorts. Everyone seems to be interested in diet.  God has not given specific dietary laws for you and me. It makes no difference whether we eat meat or don’t eat meat as far as our relationship to God is concerned.

The hoof of the animal was to be divided or separated. The separated hoof speaks of a separated life. Israel was to be separated from the world. Cleaving can mean to break apart or asunder, or it can mean to be attached to something. This is true also of separation. The important thing is not to be separated from certain activities or habits but to be separated unto Christ. When you are joined to Him, your “walk” will undergo a radical change.

That word “meditate” has the idea of chewing the cud. Chewing the cud is rechewing, going over it again. That is what we are to do with the Word of God—we are to go over and over it, meditating on it.

The unclean animals fail to meet these two requirements. The pig has the divided hoof but does not chew the cud. Such animals were designated as unclean and were not to be eaten.

God promised to bless His people in a material way if they would serve Him. Out of that blessing, they were to tithe for the Lord from the produce of the land as well as from the flocks.  This tithe was to be eaten before the Lord at the place of sanctuary. This would be a special feasting before the Lord.

The spiritual principle here is that we must be separated and obedient people. We must learn to distinguish between what God accepts and what He rejects. We should glorify God in what we receive and also in what we give.

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

 

False Prophets Deut. 13

 

Deuteronomy 13 False Prophets

 

God says that when a false prophet comes along and performs signs which come to pass, we are not to believe him if he denies the great truths of Christian Faith.

With the Israelites, any false prophet who attempted to take the people into some false cult or false religion was to be stoned to death. A false prophet is like a cancer, and a cancer must be cut out as soon as possible. History reveals that Israel did not obey God and they permitted false prophets to enter their life. This brought the judgment of God upon them, so much so we will learn they were taken into captivity because of idolatry.

It is a serious matter for a man to be the first one to throw a stone in the execution that would stone his own brother to death. That seems very severe, but ultimately it would save many lives. God’s way is the way that will save lives and protect a host of people. Judges today are way too lenient and allow criminals to go free and cause the cancers of this world to spread.

They were not to depart from the living and true God. As long as they would obey Him, there would be blessing.  However, they failed to obey Him, and the judgments did come upon them. They were not to do anything rashly.  A thorough investigation must be made, and truth arrived at before any action was to be taken. Any leader who tempts us away from the Lord and His word is an enemy and must be rejected. We must love truth more than we love people.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

One Place To Worship ---Deut. 12

 

Deuteronomy 12- One Place to Worship

 

The Israelites were commanded to assemble in one place for worship. This unified their worship and brought them closer together as a nation. They were one when they went up to Jerusalem for the feasts.

Believers do not meet in one place to worship God today; we meet around One Person, and that Person is the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are meeting to socialize or be entertained, that is idolatry. The thing that is to draw us together into a oneness is the person of Jesus Christ. The reasons the judgments of God came upon Israel, one after the other in the times of the judges, was because the people had lapsed into idolatry. The reason Israel went into Babylonian captivity was idolatry.  Anything that comes between our souls and God becomes an idol.

The designated place for the Israelites to worship was Jerusalem. Anything that was an offering to the Lord had to be eaten before the Lord in the one place which God would designate.

In Leviticus 17, while Israel was in the wilderness camp, they were told that every time an ox, or lamb, or goat was killed, it had to be brought to the door of the tabernacle and the priest would sprinkle the blood upon the altar and would offer the fat as a sweet savor to God.

The Lord tells them again that an animal may be killed for food, but they shall not eat the blood of the animal. The blood represents the life, which is the reason that scripture puts such an emphasis on the blood of Jesus Christ.

If the Israelites disobey God, God will treat them as He treats the other nations. God doesn’t watch the actions of some people and disregard others. We find that over and over again in the book of Ezekiel. Sin is sin. If Israel does not obey the Lord, she will not be spared.

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

 

 

Unlike Egypt Deut. 11

 

Deuteronomy 11 – Unlike Egypt

 

The Promised land was not like Egypt at all. It was a land easily irrigated. The land of Canaan was difficult to irrigate because it was hilly. It depended on the rain from heaven for irrigation. God did this purposely. He put them on a land that had to depend on Him for rain. This would draw the people closer to God. The minute water is put into that soil, the desert blossoms as a rose. It is water that it needs, and they are having trouble with water there even today. God told them that they would be dependent on rain.  If they would obey Him, He would bless them with the former and latter rains of fall and spring.

People think that if things come easily to them, they have done it; if things come with difficulty, then God must be in it. God is the One who provides for all our physical needs. Whether things come easily or with difficulty. He is still the provider.

The land was a gift from God. He gave to them a land which was greater than anything they ever occupied. This was approximately 300,00 square miles. They have never occupied more than about 30,000 square miles of it. “It had been given to them by God and it was theirs, but they failed to walk upon it, claim it, and enjoy it.”

Some Christians are sitting on the side lines and are poverty stricken spiritually. Others are tremendously rich spiritually. God makes it clear that He has blessed all believers with spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus.  Some believers claim those blessings; some do not. Some believers enjoy those blessings, some do not. It is a matter of utilizing that which we already possess. There are great spiritual blessings today which we are going to miss if we are not obedient to Him. “If you love me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15. Obedience offers a personal, wonderful, gracious relationship with God. The opposite is also true. Disobedience brings with it a curse.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com. J. Vernon McGee Commentary and NKJ Bible.

 

 

A Kingdom of Priests Deut. 10

 

Deuteronomy 10 – A Kingdom of Priests

 

As Levi was the priestly tribe, so today the church is a kingdom of priests. Every believer in Jesus Christ is a priest. The New Testament priest is to offer himself to God for worship, intercession, and service. Romans 12:1-2. And every believer, as a priest, has a gift to exercise in the church. The tribe of Levi was to have no material inheritance. God was their inheritance. Like Levi, our inheritance is in God. We are blessed with all spiritual blessings. If Israel had kept the statutes, they would have been blessed. When they broke them, judgment came upon them. These people under favorable circumstances, in a land geared to the Law, were unable to keep it. Thank God He saves us by grace today. In the Old Testament He never saved anyone by the law. They were saved by His mercy and grace to them, looking forward to the coming of Christ to die on the cross to take away their sins.

The will of God is the expression of the love of God Psalm 33:11. We should love God and prove it by our obedient service and our worship. If we Love God, we will also love others.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible. Nelsons Quick Reference Commentary.

 

 

God is Gracious Deut. 9

 

Deuteronomy 9 God is Gracious

 

God did not save the Israelites because they were good or an outstanding nation. God has not saved us because we are outstanding, or superior, or even good. The only kind of people God is saving is bad people who repent of their sins and turn to Him.

God gave the Israelites a report on the promised land a worse report than what the spies had brought back. God knew the land and God knew who was in the land, yet God had told them to go in. He knew all the difficulties. He had promised to go into the land with them. God tells them that He is driving out the other nations because they are wicked nations- not because the people He is putting in there are righteous. He knew all the time that they were a stiff-necked people, but He heard their cry in Egypt. If you recognize that you are a sinner and need a Savior, then you will need to cry to Him for Salvation. He will hear you. It is for Christ’s sake that God saves us, and God finds everything we need in Him.

Moses directs them back over their past history and refers specifically to the time when they made the golden calf. God calls them to remember this, but they forgot. Moses identified himself with the people when he said he would not go up into the land without the presence of the Lord. At that very moment when God was giving them the commandments, they were turning from Him -yet they were saying they would obey Him.

We all need to say the prayer of the Psalmist, “Search me, O God, and know my heart, try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Ps. 139:23-24.

Moses knew God and His ways, and he knew God hates sin. God has never ignored a sin we commit and never will. He punishes sin. Moses also knew the mercy of God, but we do not comprehend how wonderful He is! He is so gracious; He extends mercy to the sinner.

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible.

 

Remember The Past Deut. 8

 

Deuteronomy 8 – Remember the Past

 

As Moses is preparing the Israelites to enter the land, he encourages them to obey God. God wants them to remember the past. That He had been dealing with them, that He has been testing and training them. We are to remember that God has led us and blessed us. Remembering is our encouragement. It gives us assurance for the future. God tested Israel in the wilderness to humble them and to prove what was really in their hearts. Sometimes, God puts us in the furnace and heaps it on very hot, to test us and humble us.

God has been good to us. He has blessed us in many ways with material things.  The important lesson is that God gives us those things in order that we might see that there is a spiritual wealth, the Word of God. It is the Word of God that is the real wealth for a child of God today.

In the wilderness their clothes and shoes did not wear out. They got all their vitamins in the manna, which was a miracle food. It provided everything they needed for nourishment of their bodies. Spiritual manna is the Word of God. It will supply all your needs.

God promised to prosper Israel in the land. He does not promise to prosper the Christian in the things of this world. God’s promise, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ.” Eph. 1:3. Some of the choicest children of God today have been blessed with spiritual blessings and not with the things of this world. If you are on a low-income level, cash in on some of your spiritual blessings so that you may enjoy the riches He has promised you.

He promised to bless the Israelites if they obeyed Him, He promises the same to us today.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible. Nelsons Quick Reference Commentary.

 

Pray For Israel Deut. 7

 

Deuteronomy 7 – Pray For Israel

 Here God is going to cast out many nations in order for Israel to inhabit the promised land. The people in the land were so polluted and corrupt that God put them out of the land. These people were idolatrous, and they would have led Israel into idolatry.  God tells the Israelites that they are to utterly destroy their altars and break down their images.  All this polluting influence is to be completely destroyed. He gives these commands because He loves the Israelites. Man’s answer to God’s Love is obedience. God will bless any person who respond to His love by obedience. The faithfulness of God in their past and in our past should be an encouragement in the future. God gave the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites 430 years to see whether they would turn to God and turn from their sins. God is a God of mercy. The cup of their iniquities was full, and the judgment of God fell upon them.

God is a God of mercy and of love in the Old Testament as well as He is in the New Testament.

 

 

 

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible. Nelsons Quick Reference Commentary.

 

Love and Obey Deuteronomy 6

 

Deuteronomy 6 – Love and Obey

 God’s Love is expressed in Law, the great principle of law is love. You and I express our love for God in our obedience. Salvation is a love affair. “We love Him, because He first loved us.”  I John 4:19. The heart attitude of people is evidenced in their obedience or disobedience. The most wonderful thing in heaven will be to see the Lord Jesus and realize fully that He loves me and that He gave Himself for me. God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  He is one Jehovah.  “And thou shall love the Lord thy God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind, and will all your strength….thou shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Mark 12:28-31.  To learn to love Him, we must sit at His feet and come to know Him.  There is no such thing as loving God and hating His people.  We must be careful about saying we love Him and then showing our hatred to other believers.

 

God warns the Israelites that they should not forget Him after they get in the land and experience His blessings.  It is a strange thing that when people are blessed, they tend to forget the One who blesses them.

God had brought His people out of the land of Egypt.  His purpose is to bring them into the Promised land.  God has saved us out of death and sin and judgment.  He brings us into the body of Christ, into the place of blessing, into fellowship with Himself, and finally, into Heaven itself.  I have been saved.  We have eternal life.  I am being saved.  “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do His good pleasure.”  Phil. 2:12-13.  I shall be saved.  “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.” I John 3:2

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible.

Moses Interprets the Law Deut. 5

 

Deuteronomy 5  Moses Interprets the Law

 

 

This new generation entering the promised land needs training on the Law.  Moses’s forty years’ experience gives him authority to teach.

Here are four important steps we are to take in relation to the Word of God.

1.    Hear it      2. Learn it.  3. Keep it. That means to have the Word of God   down in your heart.   4. To do it.

No one is justified by law because no one can do the works of the law. It was added because of transgressions. It was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Gal. 3:19. It was temporary until the Son of God should come.

After that faith is to come.  The purpose of the Law is to show that we need a Savior. The Law reveals the mind of God.  The Law reveals how far short we have come of the glory of God. The Law was not given until they were out in the wilderness at Horeb, which is Mount Sinai. The Law was given to the nation Israel.

The first commandment prohibits the worship of many gods. Anything that you give yourself to, anything that stand between you and God.  To some, their bankbook is their god. Others worship the golf club, a child, grandchildren, television.  Anything that takes first place in your heart is your idol. -Thou shall not take the name of the Lord in vain.  Paul shows that all mankind is sinful. “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness” Rom. 3:14. God says He will not hold guiltless those who take His name in vain. -The Sabbath was not given to the church. It was given to Israel. – The father and Mother stand in the place of God to the child. These people are going into the land promised them, they are to honor their parents. God says, “fathers, provoke not your children to wrath; but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” Eph. 6:4 – Thou shall not murder. (Thought of premeditated killing). This commandment does not apply to a soldier under the orders of war. – Thou shall not commit adultery. This is one of the great sins that is pulling our nation down today. Hatred in the heart makes one guilty of murder. Lust in the heart makes one guilty of adultery. The command against covetousness shows that it is a sin just to feel an excessive desire for what belongs to another.

The Israelites promised to keep the Law, but they did not do it.  The Law is the mirror that tells us to start washing. It tells us to come to Christ. It is the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, that will cleanse us from all sins. When you come to Christ, He forgives you and cleanses you from all unrighteousness.

 

Moses' Admonishment Deut. 4

 

Deuteronomy 4 Moses’ Admonishment

 

Moses reminded the Israelites of their Holy relationship with God and of their privileges as His chosen people. He told them to take heed less they forget wat God had done for them. How God had come to them, what God had said to them, and what God expected of them because of His covenant. “To whom much is given, much shall be required.” He also warned them that disobedience would bring chastening, God forgives His people when they repent, but He is also a jealous God and will not permit His children to sin successfully.

God wants to preserve and prosper Israel.  Obedience to God is the only basis on which He can bless them. 

Our sins put up an umbrella between God and us.  Despite our sin, God loves you and me.  He has demonstrated that love at the cross of Christ.

The Blessing Israel received was the Promised Land. Israel was to be a witness to all the world.  They were to invite others to the House of the Lord.  Our commission it to go into all the world and preach the gospel.  Every believer in Christ should have some part in getting the Word of God out to the ends of the earth.

Their obedience, their faithfulness to God, would cause the other nations to hear these statutes and to notice that God’s blessing made Israel a great nation.  The Queen of Sheba came from the ends of the earth.

Their disobedience would turn them from the Lord and would bring judgment upon them.

They were to teach their children and their grandchildren.  Parenthood is a great responsibility, and it starts at home.  Most of the problems we face today started in the home. God made it very clear to Israel, when that nation failed, it failed in the home, and God judged it. Judgment will come upon any nation that rejects God. The reason Israel had not been consumed is because God is merciful. He said, He will not forsake them, nor destroy them. This is the same reason you and I have not been consumed. There is no good in us, but there is good in God. God Loves us and saves us by His grace.

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible.

God Fought For Israel Deut. 3

 

Deuteronomy 3 God Fought For Israel

 

Moses tells of the resistance of another Amorite King and the victory God gave to Israel. Og was an Amorite king, a man of gigantic stature (his bed was 13 ½ feet long! it was preserved as a museum piece at Rabbath among the Amorites). His kingdom seemed invincible. It held over sixty separate communities.  The fact that Israel was able to conquer this great, well-fortified kingdom was evidence that God fought for Israel. The high walls and gates were no problem to God.  He is limited only by our unbelief.

 

The conquered kingdom of Og was given to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half -tribe of Manasseh which chose to stay on the east side of the Jordan River.

 

Moses prayed earnestly to God to let him enter the land which had been his goal for forty years.  Though we repent of our sin, we will have to take the consequences of it in this life whether we like it or not.

 

 Moses is making it clear to this new generation that stands ready to enter the Promised Land that Joshua is the man the Lord has chosen to be their leader.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible.