Devotions

victimless crime

Posted on May 2, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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victimless crime

Deuteronomy 27:23 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 27:23 ‘The one who sleeps with his mother-in-law is afflicted with a curse.’ And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’

victimless crime

One of the reasons for the pronouncement of the curses on Mount Ebal is that any one of these sins might be committed in relative secrecy. The Israelites needed to remind themselves that there is no hiding from God. A murderer cannot get away with the crime because his victim is dead. The blood of the victim cries out to God from the ground.

But what about the apparent victimless crime of a secret affair between a man and his mother-in-law? God sees whatever we do in secret. There is no hiding from him. He is the primary party who is injured. His name is defamed, and he is the victim.

Lord, lead us to lives that honor you, not injure you.

Posted in adultery, depravity, discernment, hypocrisy, integrity, sexuality | Tagged Deuteronomy 27 | 1 Comment

illegitimate relationships

Posted on May 1, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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illegitimate relationships

Deuteronomy 27:22 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 27:22 ‘The one who sleeps with his sister, whether his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter is afflicted with a curse.’ And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’

illegitimate relationships

The Israelite community was made up of human beings, and we human beings love to go beyond the limits. Naturally, Moses had to establish those limits as it had to do with the sin of incest. The family in Israel had the sacred function of reflecting God’s purity and integrity. All of the children were to be legitimate. All of the relationships were to be honest and straight.

Our generation has seen a blurring of the lines when it comes to legitimate relationships. If things continue in the direction of the past few years, even incest will start demanding its right to be counted as a legitimate choice, and the laws will start defending that deviancy. If it could happen in the New Testament church (1 Corinthians 5:1-6), it could happen to us now.

Lord, wake our nations up to the slippery slope we are on. Rescue us from our tendency to tamper with your purpose, and substitute our own preference.

Posted in family, purpose, sexuality, Uncategorized | Tagged Deuteronomy 27 | 1 Comment

determining deviancy

Posted on April 30, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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determining deviancy

Deuteronomy 27:21 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 27:21 ‘The one who has sexual intercourse with any animal is afflicted with a curse.’ And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’

determining deviancy

The typical dogma we are being taught today is that sexual mores are determined and supported by the society at large, and that they can change as the society becomes more tolerant of people’s personal choice. Less behavior is considered deviant.

The Israelites learned that God was the determiner of what is deviant, and what could be accepted. The people could either accept God’s definition of normal, or be victims of the curse associated with deviancy.

Lord, give us wills surrendered to your will — hearts that beat as your heart.

Posted in change, commitment, dependence upon God, depravity, discernment | Tagged Deuteronomy 27 | 1 Comment

respecting the contract

Posted on April 29, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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respecting the contract

Deuteronomy 27:20 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 27:20 ‘The one who sleeps with his father’s wife is afflicted with a curse, because he has violated his father’s marriage bed.’ And all the people will say, ‘Amen! ‘

respecting the contract

The Israelites were surrounded by nations with all kinds of deviant sexual habits and traditions. The next few pronouncements highlight that fact. They are intended to help the Israelites see themselves as different, more committed to lives of integrity. The father’s marriage contract establishes a boundary that the son cannot cross. To do so would be to violate both that contract, and the covenant of which it was a part.

As Christians, our activities and relationships are not open books for us to write. They are part of our covenant with Christ. There are things we cannot do, because those things would violate both human contracts and the divine covenant.

Lord, teach us to respect both our covenant with you, and the contracts and relationships of others.

Posted in commitment, consideration of others, discipleship, faithfulness, marriage, new covenant, sexuality | Tagged Deuteronomy 27 | 1 Comment

supporting the marginalized

Posted on April 28, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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supporting the marginalized

Deuteronomy 27:19 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 27:19 ‘The one who denies justice to a guest, a fatherless child, or a widow is afflicted with a curse.’ And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’

supporting the marginalized

God loved the Israelite people, and he wanted them to build strong, healthy families. But he did not want them taking advantage of the marginalized among them. He required that they protect the foreigners who lived among them as their guests and the orphans and widows. The strong were to make sure that justice happened for the weak.

Christians also have a responsibility to “visit orphans and widows in their distress” (James 1:27). It means more than merely acknowledging their suffering. It means helping them out of it.

Lord, make our communities havens of rest and support for the marginalized.

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Posted in consideration of others, discipleship, justice, poverty, responsibility | Tagged Deuteronomy 27 | 1 Comment

duty to the disabled

Posted on April 27, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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duty to the disabled

Deuteronomy 27:18 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 27:18 ‘The one who leads a blind person astray on the road is afflicted with a curse.’ And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’

duty to the disabled

Cruelty to others for one’s own amusement has always been regarded as wrong. When those others are handicapped, the transgression is compounded. The Israelites were to take care of each other, and to be particularly careful to help those with disabilities.

The special people among us who suffer from disabilities are a test for us, to determine the authenticity of this love we talk about. If we cannot love our neighbors whom we can see, it does no good to talk about our love for God. He identifies with the blind and crippled.

Lord, show us how to help all those among us who need special help. Remove from us the evil that takes advantage of someone else’s weakness.

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Posted in consideration of others, depravity | Tagged Deuteronomy 27 | 1 Comment

the sacred right to work

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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the sacred right to work

Deuteronomy 27:17 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 27:17 ‘The one who moves his neighbor’s boundary marker is afflicted with a curse.’ And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’

the sacred right to work

To move a neighbor’s boundary marker is to steal part of his potential for earning a living. Personal property was important to God. He wanted the citizens of his nation to have the ability to earn a living, and provide for their families. He did not want people to lose this ability because of someone else’s greed and cunning.

There are lots of factors that contribute to poverty and unemployment. God’s word for us today is that we should make sure we are not part of that equation. We should hold sacred a person’s right to work and produce an income, because God does.

Lord, show us how to encourage others to live up to their potential. Show us the ways that we keep others from doing so.

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appreciating parents

Posted on April 25, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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appreciating parents

Deuteronomy 27:16 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 27:16 ‘The one who dishonors his father or mother is afflicted with a curse.’ And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’

appreciating parents

Most of us encounter the command to honor parents when we are young, so the misconception continues that obedience to one’s parents as a small child is what God is after. But this passage makes it clear that the curse for dishonoring parents comes upon an adult who disregards his or her responsibility to parents.

There are a number of ways an adult can show dishonor to parents. Perhaps the most insidious is simply by ignoring them. Parents are a gift to an adult. Our sky Father wants us to appreciate all our gifts.

Lord, show us how to appreciate and utilize the gift of parents.

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secret idols

Posted on April 24, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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secret idols

Deuteronomy 27:14-15 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 27:14 The Levites will answer in a loud voice to every Israelite:
Deuteronomy 27:15 ‘The person who makes a carved idol or cast image, which is repulsive to Yahveh, the work of a craftsman, and places it in secret is afflicted with a curse.’ And all the people will answer, ‘Amen!

secret idols

When I first went overseas as a missionary, I was astonished at the blatant idolatry I saw. I said to myself, “How can these people openly flaunt their disobedience to God’s commands?” I knew that idol worship is wrong, and it was hard to me to grasp a system of living that — not only tolerated it, but endorsed it.

Such was the case of the pagan nations all around Israel. They prided themselves on their many gods and goddesses.

But Israel was different. They affirmed monotheism, and officially detested idols just like God did. Then they secretly made and set up idols as well. Such people, who claimed to be one thing and were in fact another, these were cursed under the old covenant.

Jesus also pronounced tragedy upon the hypocrites in his day as well. And Paul condemned those who claimed to hate idols, yet secretly robbed temples to get them (Romans 2:22).

Christian, God sees what you and I do in secret. There is nothing hidden from his eyes.

Lord, remove our secret idols from us; purge us of our hypocrisy.

Posted in genuineness, hypocrisy, idolatry, integrity | Tagged Deuteronomy 27 | 1 Comment

stipulations

Posted on April 23, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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stipulations

Deuteronomy 27:11-13 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 27:11 On that day Moses commanded the people, and this is what he said:
Deuteronomy 27:12 “When you have crossed the Jordan, these tribes will stand on Mount Gerizim to empower the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin.
Deuteronomy 27:13 And these tribes will stand on Mount Ebal to deliver the affliction: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.

stipulations

The pronouncements on Gerizim and Ebal prefigure the work of Old Testament prophets. The prophets predicted empowerments (blessings) from God for obedience, or affliction (curses) for disobedience. They simply reminded the Israelites that they had publicly agreed to these as stipulations to their contract with God.

All of the tribes who were chosen to affirm the empowerments on Gerizim were children of Rachel and Leah. Wesley comments that this is to show “both the dignity of the blessings above the curses, and that the blessings belong only to those who are evangelically such, as this is expounded and applied, Galatians 4:22, even to those that receive the Spirit of adoption and liberty.”

Under the new covenant there are empowerments as well, and all of them are tied to our relationship with Christ by faith. The afflictions assigned under the new covenant are for those who reject Christ, lead others away from him, or betray him. It is a serious thing to know a little gospel, but to live outside its protection.

Lord, make us people who live inside your empowerments, and under the protection of your gospel.

Posted in blessings, discipleship, gospel, Jesus Christ, new covenant | Tagged Deuteronomy 27 | 2 Comments