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.

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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.

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shut up and listen up

Posted on April 22, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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shut up and listen up

Deuteronomy 27:9-10 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 27:9 Moses and the Levitical priests spoke to all Israel, and this is what they said: “Be silent, Israel, and listen! This day you have become the people of Yahveh your God.
Deuteronomy 27:10 Obey Yahveh your God and follow his commands and prescriptions I am giving you today.”

shut up and listen up

Every now and then, someone close to me has something to say to me. I may not want to, but on those days I need to shut up and listen up. I don’t need to respond, to converse, to give excuses, or reason out and explain everything. I need to hear what my friend or spouse or child is saying. I need to understand their point of view. Because even though I spend lots of time studying the Bible, sometimes God speaks to me loudest through them. I may not like what they say. It usually makes me feel uncomfortable to hear it. But it is what I need to hear.

This passage records a day like that for the nation of Israel. Moses and the priests had to get the attention of their nation that day and point them in the right direction. The fact that Yahveh was their God implied that they had a responsibility to obey him and follow his commands.

Lord, make us people who know when to shut up and listen up.

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an altar of stones

Posted on April 21, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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an altar of stones

Deuteronomy 27:4-8 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 27:4 When you have crossed the Jordan, you are to set up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I am commanding you today, and you are to cover them with plaster.
Deuteronomy 27:5 Build an altar of stones there to Yahveh your God – do not use any iron tool on them.
Deuteronomy 27:6 Use uncut stones to build the altar of Yahveh your God and offer ascending offerings to Yahveh your God on it.
Deuteronomy 27:7 There you are to sacrifice offerings for healthy relationships, eat, and enjoy the face of Yahveh your God.
Deuteronomy 27:8 Write clearly all the words of this instruction on the plastered stones.”

an altar of stones

The altar was to be the place to feast and celebrate the presence of God among the Israelites, and the sacrifice was to ensure that the Israelites would have healthy relationships (shalom) among themselves, and between them and their God.

Later, an Israelite prophet would see a vision of a stone coming out of a mountain without human hands, which would topple the image representing human kingdoms.

The whole Mosaic sacrificial system was itself prophetic of the coming king and his kingdom — a new relationship with God made possible by his sacrifice of his Son.

As part of that system, the altar the Israelites were to build could not be fashioned by iron tools. There could be no indication that this coming kingdom would be man-made.

Lord, we surrender to your kingdom today. We don’t want to make you into our image; we want you to make us into yours.

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our end of the contract

Posted on April 20, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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our end of the contract

Deuteronomy 27:1-3 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 27:1 Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, and this is what he said: “Watch every command I am giving you today.
Deuteronomy 27:2 When you cross the Jordan into the land Yahveh your God is giving you, set up large stones and cover them with plaster.
Deuteronomy 27:3 Write all the words of this instruction on the stones after you cross to enter the land Yahveh your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as Yahveh, the God of your fathers, has promised you.

our end of the contract

The words of the covenant were so important to God that he commanded the Israelites to put them on large stones so that they would be visible reminders. These stones were not to be worshiped. They were to stand as reminders of the contract the Israelites had with the Lord. The land itself — with its abundant agriculture — would be a reminder that God was keeping his part of the agreement. The words would remind the people to keep up their end.

God is blessing us every day with his abundance and life to enjoy it. We need our Bibles to remind us that our God expects us to keep covenant with him. The Bibles themselves can become idols, so we should always be careful to value the relationship with God the books help build, rather than the physical books themselves.

Also, bibles are not “basic instructions before leaving earth.” Like the stones at the Jordon crossing, the Bible is designed to help us live on this side of eternity.

Lord, show us how to use our bibles to keep up our end of your covenant with Christ.

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a sacred people

Posted on April 19, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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a sacred people

Deuteronomy 26:16-19 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 26:16 “Yahveh your God is commanding you this day to do these prescriptions and rules. Do them carefully with all your heart and all your throat.
Deuteronomy 26:17 Today you have affirmed that Yahveh is your God and that you will walk in his ways, watch his prescriptions, commands, and rules, and obey him.
Deuteronomy 26:18 And today Yahveh has affirmed that you are his own possession as he promised you, that you are to watch all his commands,
Deuteronomy 26:19 that he will elevate you to praise, fame, and glory above all the nations he has made, and that you will be a sacred people to Yahveh your God as he promised.”

a sacred people

The Israelites were called to be a sacred people. What did that entail? It required that they commit themselves to being God’s possession by paying close attention to all that God commanded, and obeying those commands. It was not legalism, because there was a purpose beyond the laws. The plan of God was that he would elevate his sacred nation above all other nations, so that all those other nations would be drawn to him. Their purity and passion for truth and fairness was to be a beacon of light to the dark world around them.

That is God’s plan for his church today. The believers in Christ are to be a city on a hill, shining with God’s perfection, unity and glory.

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9 NET).

Lord, we are your possession. Use us to draw a dark world to your light!

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declaration of obedience

Posted on April 18, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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declaration of obedience

Deuteronomy 26:11-15 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 26:11 You, the Levites, and the guests among you will enjoy all the good things Yahveh your God has given you and your household.
Deuteronomy 26:12 “When you have finished paying all the tenth of your produce in the third year, the year of the tenth, you are to give it to the Levites, guests, fatherless children and widows, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied.
Deuteronomy 26:13 Then you will say in the presence of Yahveh your God: I have taken the consecrated portion out of my house; I have also given it to the Levites, guests, fatherless children, and widows, according to all the commands you commanded me. I have not violated or forgotten your commands.
Deuteronomy 26:14 I have not eaten any of it while in mourning, or removed any of it while contaminated, or offered any of it for the dead. I have obeyed Yahveh my God; I have done all you commanded me.
Deuteronomy 26:15 Look down from your holy dwelling, from the sky, and empower your people Israel and the land you have given us as you swore to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.

declaration of obedience

Notice that the Israelite worship involved a declaration of obedience to the covenant commands.

Neither of God’s covenants with his people were merely about worship and faith. Those are essential elements of both the Mosaic covenant and the new covenant under Christ. But this passage demonstrates that without obedience to the covenant commands, covenant worship would not be accepted. Likewise, Jesus condemned those who merely called him Lord without doing what he said to do.

I have been in many worship services that pretended that God does not care how disobedient we are, as long as we believe in him. That is not true. There is still a vital link between our obedience to Christ and our ability to properly worship him. We are saved by grace, and that salvation makes obedience possible. We will all struggle to obey Christ, but we cannot afford to jettison our responsibility to obey. It is part of our witness, and witness is also a vital element of both covenants.

Lord, open our hearts to accept the whole gospel, and to seek living in your kingdom today — which means obeying our king.

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generational gratitude

Posted on April 17, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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generational gratitude

Deuteronomy 26:1-10 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 26:1 “When you enter the land Yahveh your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you take possession of it and stay in it,
Deuteronomy 26:2 take some of the first of all the land’s produce that you harvest from the land Yahveh your God is giving you and place it in a basket. Then go to the place where Yahveh your God chooses to have his name dwell.
Deuteronomy 26:3 When you come before the priest who is serving at that time, say to him, ‘Today I declare to Yahveh your God that I have entered the land Yahveh swore to our fathers to give us.’
Deuteronomy 26:4 “Then the priest will take the basket from you and place it before the altar of Yahveh your God.
Deuteronomy 26:5 You are to answer by saying in the presence of Yahveh your God: My father was a lost Aramean. He went down to Egypt with a few people and was there as a guest. There he became a great, powerful, and populous nation.
Deuteronomy 26:6 But the Egyptians mistreated and humiliated us, and forced us to do hard labor.
Deuteronomy 26:7 So we called out to Yahveh, the God of our fathers, and Yahveh heard our cry and saw our misery, hardship, and oppression.
Deuteronomy 26:8 Then Yahveh brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, with terrifying power, and with signs and wonders.
Deuteronomy 26:9 He led us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.
Deuteronomy 26:10 Notice I have now brought the first of the land’s produce that you, Lord, have given me. You will then place the container before Yahveh your God and bow down to him.

generational gratitude

The first harvest offering was a way of showing gratitude for God’s presence and power, and for thanking him for keeping his promise to past generations. Likewise, our worship today should be long-sighted, not short-sighted. We come together not just to thank God for providing our daily bread, or taking care of our immediate family. Worship is about that and so much more. It is a recognition of the link that we have with the faithful of all past generations,and that link is a relationship with the same God.

Lord, when we come together to worship you, remind us of all your blessings — including the ones we were not around to see.

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