Devotions

faith and reality

Posted on May 30, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

Photo by Luis Quintero on Pexels.com

faith and reality

Deuteronomy 29:19-21 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 29:19 When someone hears the words of this oath, he may celebrate himself, and this is what he says: ‘I will have peace even though I follow my own stubborn heart.’ This will lead to the destruction of the well-watered land as well as the dry land.
Deuteronomy 29:20 Yahveh will not be willing to forgive him. Instead, his anger and jealousy will burn against that person, and every oath written in this scroll will descend on him. Yahveh will blot out his name under the sky,
Deuteronomy 29:21 and Yahveh will separate him for harm from all the tribes of Israel, according to all the oaths of the covenant written in this book of the instruction.

faith and reality

Some people view religious faith as a kind of stubborn insistence on being at peace in spite of everything going on around them. They think of God as for them no matter what they do. This is not the faith the Bible proclaims. It is religious presumption.

Gospel faith comes only to a heart that recognizes one’s own failure, and asks forgiveness. Gospel faith seeks not to ignore or redefine reality but to reconcile with a holy God.

Ironically, those people who saw faith as a celebration of the self were setting themselves up to be recipients of all of the curses of Mount Ebal. They would be separated for harm from all the tribes of Israel.

Lord, keep us from religious presumption, and keep us near your altar, seeking forgiveness.

Posted in faith, forgiveness, peace, reconciliation | Tagged Deuteronomy 29 | 1 Comment

poison roots

Posted on May 29, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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poison roots

Deuteronomy 29:14-18 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 29:14 I am establishing this covenant and this oath not only with you,
Deuteronomy 29:15 but also with those who are standing here with us today in the presence of Yahveh our God and with those who are not here today.
Deuteronomy 29:16 “Indeed, you know how we stayed in the land of Egypt and passed through the nations where you traveled.
Deuteronomy 29:17 You saw their detested things and idols made of wood, stone, silver, and gold, which were among them.
Deuteronomy 29:18 Or else there may be a man, woman, clan, or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from Yahveh our God to go and worship the gods of those nations. Be sure there is no root among you bearing poisonous and bitter fruit.

poison roots

If you ask any Christian whether he or she wants to be an idolater, the answer will be “no.” But idolatry still exists among us.

The Israelites were the same. They had come from pagan roots, and those pagan roots would show up in their history, leading to idolatry, defection, and disaster.

Moses seems to caution his people to dig out those dangerous roots, but he doesn’t actually say that. What is the secret to ridding ourselves of idolatry — rooted in our ancestry? The answer is the same today as it was then. Establishing the covenant with God is the only way.

Today, God is covenanting with his people through Christ his Son. If we who name the name of Jesus Christ are not careful, the roots can emerge again in us. We need to cling to the new covenant, being careful to obey the commands of Christ, and focus on the Great Commission of Christ. If not, those dangerous roots will try to come back, “bearing poisonous and bitter fruit.”

Lord, inspire in us a careful observance of your new covenant through Christ.

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entering one covenant

Posted on May 28, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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entering one covenant

Deuteronomy 29:10-13 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 29:10 “All of you are standing today before Yahveh your God – your leaders, tribes, elders, officials, all the men of Israel,
Deuteronomy 29:11 your dependents, your wives, and the guests in your camps who cut your wood and draw your water –
Deuteronomy 29:12 so that you may enter into the covenant of Yahveh your God, which he is establishing with you today, so that you may enter into his oath
Deuteronomy 29:13 and so that he may establish you today as his people and he may be your God as he promised you and as he swore to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

entering one covenant

The whole community entered the one covenant. There was no separate covenant for the men, that didn’t include the women. There was no separate covenant for the parents that didn’t include the children. And there was no separate covenant for the foreign guests who hired on as immigrants to work for an Israelite family. Anyone entering into the land also entered into the covenant — with all its stipulations and all its benefits. God’s purpose was to showcase the land as a place he would bless, so the whole people had to participate in the witness. Everyone entering the land had to sign off on that purpose.

The new covenant in Christ is similar, except that the land of the new covenant is not limited. The new covenant commission is to enter into every land, and be witnesses to every nation. We enter into the covenant by committing ourselves to doing what he commanded us to do. Every land we touch is to be dedicated to him, and is to be permeated with his gospel.

The unity of the covenant family is also essential. Every husband commits his wife, and every wife her husband. Parents dedicate their children, and employers dedicate their workforce. The task of spreading the gospel is the primary task of the community. Everyone in the community has to commit to that purpose.

Lord, show us how to commit each other to your covenant purpose.

Posted in commitment, discipleship, missions, new covenant, purpose, witness | Tagged Deuteronomy 29 | 1 Comment

stubbornly faithful followers

Posted on May 27, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

Photo by Arthur Brognoli on Pexels.com

stubbornly faithful followers

Deuteronomy 29:7-9 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 29:7 When you reached this place, King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan came out against us in battle, but we defeated them.
Deuteronomy 29:8 We took their land and gave it as an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh.
Deuteronomy 29:9 Therefore, watch the words of this covenant and follow them, so that you will succeed in everything you do.

stubbornly faithful followers

The early defeat of Sihon and Og was one of the signs the Lord gave the Israelites. They had intended to move through those two territories without aggression. But they were attacked, and their victory over these two kings gave them a large territory east of the Jordon river. Two and one half tribes settled in these lands.

Moses uses this story as a sign that the Israelites could be successful in everything they do. But it was not a blanket promise, covering all contingencies. It was not a guarantee that they would walk unhindered into the promised land. There would be battles. The Israelites also had to watch the words of the covenant and be careful to follow them. If they lost their faithfulness, they would also lose battles. They needed to be stubbornly faithful followers.

Lord, we know you are with us as we face our life’s battles. Make us stubbornly faithful followers of Christ so that we stay with you.

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extraordinary

Posted on May 26, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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extraordinary

Deuteronomy 29:5-6 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 29:5 I led you forty years in the open country; your clothes and the sandals on your feet did not wear out;
Deuteronomy 29:6 you did not eat bread or drink wine or beer – so that you might know that I am Yahveh your God.

extraordinary

Ordinarily, the Israelites would have expected to stop and settle somewhere many times in that forty year wandering period. They would have to stop and make new clothing, grow their own grain, plant their own vineyards, so they could resupply themselves with clothing, food and drink. The Lord provided for them in an extraordinary way, to show that he was willing to do that for them in the land as well — as long as they stayed faithful to his covenant.

Why all this grumbling in the wilderness if God was providing for them in an extraordinary way? It was because God was providing for them in an extraordinary way, but these former slaves wanted to provide for themselves. In their hearts, they longed for the ordinary.

Christian, don’t set your heart on the ordinary. God wants to show the world how gracious he is, not how gifted you are. If you want to provide for yourself, you will have little chance to testify about him.

LORD, make us a people determined to testify of your grace. Purge us of our selfish self-dependence.

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internal miracle

Posted on May 25, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

Photo by Louis Bauer on Pexels.com

internal miracle

Deuteronomy 29:1-4 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 29:1 These are the words of the covenant Yahveh commanded Moses to establish with the Israelites in the land of Moab, in addition to the covenant he had made with them at Horeb.
Deuteronomy 29:2 Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “You have seen with your own eyes everything Yahveh did in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his officials, and to his entire land.
Deuteronomy 29:3 You saw with your own eyes the great trials and those great signs and wonders.
Deuteronomy 29:4 Yet to this day Yahveh has not given you a heart to understand, eyes to see, or ears to hear.

internal miracle

Moses points out here that the Israelites had seen all they needed to see in order to be blessed and a blessing. But the proper walk with God involves more than just seeing a miracle. They would also need “a heart to understand, eyes to see, or ears to hear.”

We as Christians are also tempted to think that all we need is for God to answer our prayers. But, deep inside we know that an external miracle would not be enough. We need an internal miracle — one that changes our heart, and opens our eyes and ears to who God really is.

Lord, I pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ today, that you would work the miracle in their hearts that would change them into who they need to be to share your glory with the nations.

Posted in change, deliverance, new birth | Tagged Deuteronomy 29 | 1 Comment

doubt and dread

Posted on May 24, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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doubt and dread

Deuteronomy 28:66-68 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 28:66 Your life will hang in doubt before you. You will be in dread night and day, never certain of survival.
Deuteronomy 28:67 In the morning you will say, ‘If only it were evening! ‘ and in the evening you will say, ‘If only it were morning! ‘– because of the dread you will have in your heart and because of what you will see.
Deuteronomy 28:68 Yahveh will take you back in ships to Egypt by a route that I said you would never see again. There you will try to sell yourselves to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you.”

doubt and dread

If a covenant subscriber rebelled against his covenant with the Lord, he would be on his way to destruction, and each moment lived would be plagued with doubt and dread. He would live like a death row inmate, never knowing his execution date, but always expecting it. That’s no way to live.

I need to reiterate that these are not general curses. They were given as part of the setting up of the Mosaic covenant, and they applied not to the pagans around them, but to the covenant subscribers. They were the horrible outcomes of an abandoned faith.

Lord, we want to embrace the life of confidence and hope that you have given us in Christ. Strengthen our resolve to stay with you.

Posted in commitment, faithfulness | Tagged Deuteronomy 28 | 1 Comment

glad to

Posted on May 23, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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glad to

Deuteronomy 28:63-65 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 28:63 Just as Yahveh was glad to cause you to prosper and to multiply you, so he will also be glad to cause you to be destroyed and to exterminate you. You will be ripped out of the land you are entering to take possession of.
Deuteronomy 28:64 Then Yahveh will scatter you among all peoples from one end of the land to the other, and there you will worship other gods, of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known.
Deuteronomy 28:65 You will find no peace among those nations, and there will be no resting place for the sole of your foot. There Yahveh will give you a trembling heart, failing eyes, and a lethargic throat.

glad to

We are used to emphasizing God’s willingness to restore those who repent, but the Bible gives equal emphasis to God’s willingness to destroy those who do not. It does no good for us to scream about God’s love to the world, if we are not honest about the other truth: God hates evil, and he will be glad to destroy it. The sad truth about hell is that it will have a number of people in it who are convinced that God loved them, and so ignored their sin. Yes, God loves everyone, but he loves no one enough to give their sin a pass. The penalty for sin is death. It will either be Jesus’ death on the cross, or the sinner’s death in hell. God is glad to do either, because he will rid his universe of sin.

Lord, we want to take sin as seriously as you do. We gladly run to Christ, seeking his deliverance.

Posted in deliverance, destruction in hell, sin | Tagged Deuteronomy 28 | 1 Comment

a responsible people

Posted on May 22, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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a responsible people

Deuteronomy 28:59-62 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 28:59 and Yahveh will bring extraordinary plagues on you and your descendants, severe and lasting plagues, and terrible and chronic sicknesses.
Deuteronomy 28:60 He will afflict you again with all the diseases of Egypt, which you dreaded, and they will cling to you.
Deuteronomy 28:61 Yahveh will also afflict you with every sickness and plague not recorded in the book of this instruction, until you are exterminated.
Deuteronomy 28:62 Though you were as numerous as the stars of the sky, you will be left with only a few people, because you did not obey Yahveh your God.

a responsible people

The Israelites were warned that all the benefits of God’s grace that they had received at his hand would be lost if they failed to live up to his commands. They should not regard themselves as an entitled people, but as a responsible people.

What would happen if Christians around the world really lived up to this truth? For one, we would pray less that God would bless our plans, and more that God would reveal his purpose, so that we could obey it. But he has already revealed his purpose in his word. What we really need is for our eyes to be opened to his purpose as revealed in his word. From our track record, it appears that we need this more than anything else.

Lord, thank you for your grace. Open our eyes to the responsibility that accompanies it!

Posted in discernment, responsibility, will of God | Tagged Deuteronomy 28 | 1 Comment

prosperous instead of predators

Posted on May 21, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

Photo by Jimmy Chan on Pexels.com

prosperous instead of predators

Deuteronomy 28:53-58 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 28:53 “You will eat your offspring, the meat of your sons and daughters Yahveh your God has given you during the siege and hardship your enemy imposes on you.
Deuteronomy 28:54 The most sensitive and refined man among you will look grudgingly at his brother, the wife he embraces, and the survivors of his children,
Deuteronomy 28:55 refusing to share with any of them his children’s meat that he will eat because he has nothing left during the siege and hardship your enemy imposes on you in all your towns.
Deuteronomy 28:56 The most sensitive and refined woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the land because of her refinement and sensitivity, will begrudge the husband she embraces, her son, and her daughter,
Deuteronomy 28:57 the afterbirth that comes out from between her legs and the children she bears, because she will secretly eat them for lack of anything else during the siege and hardship your enemy imposes on you within your city gates.
Deuteronomy 28:58 “If you are not careful to watch all the words of this instruction, which are written in this scroll, by fearing this glorious and awe-inspiring name – Yahveh, your God –

prosperous instead of predators

A few months ago, I was feeling ill, so I decided to skip the evening meal, and just go to bed. But after lying in the bed for a while, I discovered that I could not sleep. My stomach was growling so loudly that it was keeping me awake! I got up and ate a few crackers and that helped me sleep. I could have survived without it, but my hunger was insistent.

Anyone who has ever experienced hunger knows that it has a way of exposing selfishness. The siege threatened in this text would bring hunger to the whole land, and make otherwise sensitive and refined people into predators who consume their own. It is hard to imagine such a scene. But it was entirely preventable. The Israelites had merely to stay faithful to their own covenant with God, and they would have stayed prosperous, and not become predators.

I fear that some Christians go their whole lives without considering the fact that they too are under a covenant. Many of the commands of the Mosaic covenant do not apply to us in the same way, but all of the commands of Christ do. If we ignore the commands of our Lord, we run the risk of suffering like this, and it too is entirely preventable.

Lord, draw us to your words, that we may live by them, becoming prosperous instead of predators.

Posted in commitment, discipleship, new covenant, obedience, suffering | Tagged Deuteronomy 28 | 1 Comment