Devotions

treasure in the sand

Posted on July 5, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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treasure in the sand

Deuteronomy 33:18-21 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 33:18 He said about Zebulun: Enjoy, Zebulun, your journeys, and Issachar, your tents.
Deuteronomy 33:19 They summon the peoples to a mountain; there they offer acceptable sacrifices, because they draw from the wealth of the seas and the hidden treasures of the sand.
Deuteronomy 33:20 He said about Gad: The one who enlarges Gad’s territory will be empowered. He lies down like a lion and tears off an arm or even a head.
Deuteronomy 33:21 He chose the first for himself, because a ruler’s portion was assigned there for him. He came with the leaders of the people; he carried out Yahveh’s justice and his rules for Israel.

treasure in the sand

Zebulun and Issachar were apportioned an area that overlays the land that in New Testament times was called Galilee, which would suggest that one of the hidden treasures of which Moses spoke would be Christ himself. He was the acceptable sacrifice, or sacrifice of righteousness. For centuries, many had little respect for this remote land. But God had hidden a surprise for us all there.

Lord, thank you for the Treasure you hid for us in the remote land of Galilee.

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two legacies

Posted on July 4, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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two legacies

Deuteronomy 33:12-17 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 33:12 He said about Benjamin: Yahveh’s cared about one rests securely on him. He shields him all day long, and he rests on his shoulders.
Deuteronomy 33:13 He said about Joseph: May his land be empowered by Yahveh with the dew of the sky’s bounty and the watery depths that lie beneath;
Deuteronomy 33:14 with the bountiful harvest from the sun and the abundant yield of the seasons;
Deuteronomy 33:15 with the best products of the ancient mountains and the bounty of the hills of the long past;
Deuteronomy 33:16 with the choice gifts of the land and everything in it; and with the favor of him who appeared in the burning bush. May these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince of his brothers.
Deuteronomy 33:17 His firstborn bull has splendor, and horns like those of a wild ox; he gores all the peoples with them to the ends of the land. Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and such are the thousands of Manasseh.

two legacies

Moses blesses the sons of Rachel here. He promises them the fullness of favored children. In future generations, great leaders and influential prophets will come from Benjamin and Joseph’s line. Even though the Messiah will come from Judah, Joseph’s commitment to God in times of trouble and times of success will show in the lives of his descendants.

You and I are building two legacies. People will remember us for the choices we make, and they will remember our descendants and disciples for the choices they make as well.

Lord, enable us to live responsibly, and to leave a legacy of commitment to you for those who follow us.

Happy Independence Day!

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Levi’s faithful one

Posted on July 3, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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Levi’s faithful one

Deuteronomy 33:8-11 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 33:8 He said about Levi: Your Darks and Lights belong to your faithful one; you tested him at Massah and contended with him at the Water of Meribah.
Deuteronomy 33:9 He said about his father and mother, “I do not regard them.” He disregarded his brothers and didn’t acknowledge his sons, because they watched your word and maintained your covenant.
Deuteronomy 33:10 They will teach your rules to Jacob and your instruction to Israel; they will place incense before you and whole burnt offerings on your altar.
Deuteronomy 33:11 Yahveh, empower his possessions, and accept the work of his hands. Break the back of his adversaries and enemies, so that they cannot rise again.

Levi’s faithful one

Levi was the tribe entrusted with the Darks and Lights — the way of determining the Lord’s direction in questions of uncertainty. They were entrusted with teaching the rules of the covenant in order to keep the covenant relationship. They were to maintain the worship in the tabernacle.

Under the new covenant, there is no one particular tribe or caste or specialized group who decides God’s direction for us. But if we are faithful to the Lord, he will show us his way. Levi’s faithful one is our faithful one — the Lord himself.

Lord, show us which way we should go — which choice we should make.

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king for a day

Posted on July 2, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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king for a day

Deuteronomy 33:4-7 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 33:4 Moses commanded us an instruction, a possession for the assembly of Jacob.
Deuteronomy 33:5 So he became King in Jeshurun when the leaders of the people gathered with the tribes of Israel.
Deuteronomy 33:6 Let Reuben stay alive and not die though his people become few.
Deuteronomy 33:7 He said this about Judah: Yahveh, hear Judah’s cry and bring him to his people. He fights for his cause with his own hands, but may you be a partner against his foes.

king for a day

Commentators disagree over who the “he” is in verse five. Some insist it is God, and some translations even supply the words “the LORD” in the verse, but the name is not there in the original text. The natural assumption of a reader is that Moses was acting as king as he pronounced blessings upon the tribes. But Moses never was installed as king, and this blessing was the last thing he was to do before climbing Mount Nebo and dying. So, if he did become king, he became king for a day. He had been servant of God for 120 years.

We never know what heights we will experience in God’s service, nor how long they will last. What matters is serving God no matter what position we hold. What matters is who holds us.

Lord, we commit ourselves to your service. You decide how.

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his sacred ones

Posted on July 1, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

selective focus photo of boy standing near miniature train toys

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his sacred ones

Deuteronomy 33:1-3 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 33:1 This is the empowerment that Moses, the man of God, empowered the Israelites with before his death.
Deuteronomy 33:2 He said: Yahveh came from Sinai and appeared to them from Seir; he shone on them from Mount Paran and came with ten thousand sacred ones, with lightning from his right hand for them.
Deuteronomy 33:3 Indeed he cares about the people. All your sacred ones are in your hand, and they assemble at your feet. Each receives your words.

his sacred ones

Who are these sacred ones of whom Moses speaks? Are they sacred angels, ready to do his bidding? Note the change in pronoun in verse 3. The sacred ones are in YOUR hand, and they assemble at YOUR feet. Who is the YOU to whom Moses is speaking? As part of his blessing to the Israelites, Moses encourages them to see that they are his army of sacred ones who can accomplish his mission. These Israelites and their children and grandchildren can get the job done if they only dared to try.

Believers in Christ are also his sacred ones. We, and those who come after us, are a mighty army equipped to accomplish his mission. We have his commands, and can get the job done if we only dare to try.

Lord, we dare to try. We accept your great commission, and are mustering your troops.

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his last summit

Posted on June 30, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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his last summit

Deuteronomy 32:48-52 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 32:48 On that same day Yahveh spoke to Moses, and this is what he said:
Deuteronomy 32:49 “Go up Mount Nebo in the Abarim range in the land of Moab, across from Jericho, and view the land of Canaan I am giving the Israelites as a possession.
Deuteronomy 32:50 Then you will die on the mountain that you go up, and you will be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people.
Deuteronomy 32:51 For both of you betrayed me among the Israelites at the Water of Meribath-kadesh in the open country of Zin by failing to treat me as sacred in their presence.
Deuteronomy 32:52 Although from a distance you will view the land that I am giving the Israelites, you will not go there.”

his last summit

As a long-distance hiker, I have gone up a lot of mountains. Sometimes I am enticed by the prospect of a spectacular view at an overlook. I have seen a lot of those. Sometimes I go up just because the trail leads there, and I just have to tick off another summit on my long list.

Moses was getting ready to ascend a mountain that he would never come down. This was his last summit. He had led his people through the long distance hike to Canaan, but he would never reach the promised land himself. He faces an end that he doesn’t want, but knows that it is his fault.

If it were me, I would probably say to God that if he’s going to kill me anyway, I would just as soon skip this last climb. But that is not Moses. He may have failed at a lot of things in his life, but he was not going to fail here.

Lord, give us the courage to follow you, even if it is into the darkness.

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not meaningless words

Posted on June 29, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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not meaningless words

Deuteronomy 32:44-47 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 32:44 Moses came with Joshua son of Nun and recited all the words of this song in the presence of the people.
Deuteronomy 32:45 After Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel,
Deuteronomy 32:46 he said to them, “Place in your heart all these words I am giving as a warning to you today, so that you may command your children to follow all the words of this instruction carefully.
Deuteronomy 32:47 You see, they are not meaningless words to you but they are your life, and by them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of.”

not meaningless words

The thing about a song is that you can sing the words and sing them quite enthusiastically without meaning them at all. A song can be play-acting, pretending. Good singers can even spread the emotion of the song, causing their listeners to feel those emotions passionately, and producing tears or uncontrollable laughter — while at the same time not feeling the emotions of the words at all themselves.

Joshua was encouraged not to be such a singer. Moses told him to place the words of his song in his heart as a warning, because the rebellion of which Moses spoke was going to come. Joshua was to make sure it didn’t happen on his watch.

Each of us is responsible for our own voice, in our own generation. We have to sing God’s song from the heart — making sure that the words we sing are not meaningless words.

Lord, burn in us a passion for your gospel, and the skill to proclaim your words from the heart.

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vengeance on his adversaries

Posted on June 28, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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vengeance on his adversaries

Deuteronomy 32:40-43 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 32:40 I raise my hand to the sky and declare: As surely as I live permanently,
Deuteronomy 32:41 when I sharpen my flashing sword, and my hand takes hold of judgment, I will take vengeance on my adversaries and repay those who hate me.
Deuteronomy 32:42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood while my sword devours meat – the blood of the slain and the captives, the heads of the enemy leaders.”
Deuteronomy 32:43 Rejoice, you nations, concerning his people, for he will avenge the blood of his servants. He will take vengeance on his adversaries; he will provide reconciliation for his land and his people.

vengeance on his adversaries

This part of Moses’ song records God’s oath in which he swears to take vengeance on his adversaries. Those who slaughter the innocent will feel the sharp tips of God’s arrows and the slicing edge of God’s sword.

Why sing of such a thing? One reason is that there will be ages of what will seem to be senseless violence against God’s people. We certainly know that was a true prediction. God calls on his people to trust him to provide reconciliation.

Reconciliation of every evil is going to happen. It is our choice what kind of reconciliation we can have. It will either be permanent destruction in hell, or permanent forgiveness through Christ’s death on the cross.

Lord, we recognize ourselves as your adversaries due to our own sin. We plead the blood of Christ as our reconciliation.

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no other contestants

Posted on June 27, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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no other contestants

Deuteronomy 32:36-39 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 32:36 Yahveh will indeed vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants when he sees that their strength is gone and no one is left – slave or free.
Deuteronomy 32:37 He will say: “Where are their gods, the ‘rock’ they found refuge in?
Deuteronomy 32:38 Who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offerings? Let them rise up and help you; let it be a shelter for you.
Deuteronomy 32:39 See now that I alone am he; there is no God but me. I bring death and I give life; I wound and I heal. No one can rescue anyone from my power.

no other contestants

Moses warns the Israelites that it matters who they trust in. At some point they are going to look around and discover that there really is no contest. God alone is God. All of the others are pretenders, who will not be around forever. All the sacrifices and worship to these false gods will mean nothing. At some point in the future, the only relationship that would give healing and life is the relationship with God.

So, Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” At some point in life, we will come to understand that all those other ways are the wrong way, all those other “truths” are lies, and all those other “lives” are death.

Lord, we seek you, because you alone are God.

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poisonous grapes

Posted on June 26, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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poisonous grapes

Deuteronomy 32:32-35 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 32:32 For their vine is from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are poisonous; their clusters are bitter.
Deuteronomy 32:33 Their wine is serpents’ venom, the deadly poison of cobras.
Deuteronomy 32:34 “Is it not stored up with me, sealed up in my vaults?
Deuteronomy 32:35 Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay. In time their foot will slip, for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly.”

poisonous grapes

Moses had just compared the gods of the nations to Israel’s God by saying that the nations had rocks which could not protect them. Now he compares grapes. He warns the Israelites that the wine produced by those nations is deadly. Don’t trust in them, because disaster is near. Their doom is coming quickly.

Oh, if this generation of Christians can only hear these words! We seem to listen to every bit of advice we can get from the world around us, as if it does not matter where your education comes from. Moses was not comparing grapes. He was comparing world-views.

Lord, give us the discernment and wisdom to stop listening to the world for advice!

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