Devotions

better homes and gardens

Posted on May 6, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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better homes and gardens

Deuteronomy 28:1-6 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 28:1 “Now if you faithfully obey Yahveh your God and are careful to do all his commands I am commanding you today, Yahveh your God will put you far above all the nations of the land.
Deuteronomy 28:2 All these empowerments will come and overtake you, because you obey Yahveh your God:
Deuteronomy 28:3 You will be empowered in the city and empowered in the country.
Deuteronomy 28:4 Your offspring will be empowered, and your land’s produce, and the offspring of your livestock, including the young of your herds and the newborn of your flocks.
Deuteronomy 28:5 Your basket and kneading bowl will be empowered.
Deuteronomy 28:6 You will be empowered when you come in and empowered when you go out.

better homes and gardens

The Israelites, as the Mosaic covenant community were to be empowered so that they could demonstrate God’s power to the nations. Their empowerment consisted of better crops, better livestock, better homes and better cities. That was not code for “going to heaven when you die.” The betterment was the actual outcome to obedience to the Mosaic instruction.

There are additional blessings under the new covenant with Christ, but the principle of empowerment for the purpose of witness remains the same. We who are saved by grace are to be a city set on a hill, advertising God’s goodness to a world who needs him. The means of this betterment is also the same — obedience. When we obey the commands of Christ, he empowers our lives, so that we demonstrate his goodness, drawing others to him.

Lord, thank you for saving us by your grace. Show us how to obey your commands so that others can experience this grace as well.

Posted in discipleship, faithfulness, new covenant, obedience, witness | Tagged Deuteronomy 28 | 1 Comment

final affliction

Posted on May 5, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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final affliction

Deuteronomy 27:26 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 27:26 ‘Anyone who does not put the words of this instruction into practice is afflicted with a curse.’ And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’

final affliction

The final affliction is a catch-all that includes every part of the covenant instruction. The Israelites were expected to live by the whole counsel of God, not to cherry pick certain parts of it. When Jesus condemned the religious parties of his day, it was mainly because they had decided which parts of the law were important to them, and ignored the weightier matters.

Only in Jesus do we find a heart so pure and a life so disciplined that he was able to put all of God’s words into practice. For all of the rest of us, we were caught by this catch-all, so we needed our savior’s work on the cross.

Lord, thank you for providing rescue from the final affliction.

Posted in deliverance, Jesus Christ, law | Tagged Deuteronomy 27 | 1 Comment

caring for lives

Posted on May 4, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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caring for lives

Deuteronomy 27:25 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 27:25 ‘The one who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent throat is afflicted with a curse.’ And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’

caring for lives

A soldier in an unjust war, an official who is bribed to look the other way, a judge who ignores a case because it is not politically expedient… these are just a few of the ways that this passage has relevance in today’s culture. All around the world today people are dying because it is financially expedient for them to do so. It is not God’s will for that to keep happening. It is Satan who is the murderer from the beginning. Jesus came to give us life, not to take it from us.

Lord, make us people who care about the lives of those who are in danger, whether it is the child in the womb, the elderly, the poor, the refugee or the drug addict.

Posted in abortion, consideration of others, integrity, justice | Tagged Deuteronomy 27 | 1 Comment

getting away with it

Posted on May 3, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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getting away with it

Deuteronomy 27:24 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 27:24 ‘The one who secretly kills his neighbor is afflicted with a curse.’ And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’

getting away with it

The murderer who gets away with it might think he or she is free and clear, but these words would haunt. God sees all and knows all. The blood of the first murder victim cried out to him from the ground. Nothing really happens in secret.

The God who challenged the Israelites to love their neighbors watches closely for evidence of that love. He takes vengeance on the murderer.

Lord, may our love for you and those around us be evident — especially to you.

Posted in Cain & Abel, justice, presence of God, sin | Tagged Deuteronomy 27 | 1 Comment

victimless crime

Posted on May 2, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

black and white black and white depressed depression

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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.

watch the video

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.

watch video

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