remember Miriam

Posted on April 6, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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remember Miriam

Deuteronomy 24:8-9 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 24:8 “Be careful with a person who has a case of serious skin disease, watching carefully everything the Levitical priests instruct you to do. Be careful to do as I have commanded them.
Deuteronomy 24:9 Remember what Yahveh your God did to Miriam on the journey after you left Egypt.

remember Miriam

This instruction is a clue for us that skin diseases in the Israelite camp were more than a medical issue. Yahveh had inflicted Miriam with a skin disease as punishment for her involvement in inciting rebellion. So, the instructions concerning the treatment and containment of skin diseases in the Mosaic corpus are important because the Israelite camp could not tolerate persons who appeared to have been similarly judged by God. The containment of these diseased individuals is in line with the general admonitions for God’s people to avoid anything unclean or impure.

God’s people in any age and under any covenant are encouraged to avoid the appearance of defilement, corruption or condemnation. We need to regularly examine ourselves, and remove anything that might lead others to see us as impure. God walks among our camp, and he pays attention to the witness we are giving.

Lord, show us how to rid our camp of anything that would counter our testimony about you.

For today’s video, I am joined by Dr. John Roller, pastor of First Advent Christian Church, of Hickory, North Carolina.

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jobs and the will of God

Posted on April 5, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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jobs and the will of God

Deuteronomy 24:6-7 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 24:6 “Do not take a pair of grindstones or even the upper millstone as security for a debt, because that is like taking a throat as security.
Deuteronomy 24:7 “If a man is discovered stealing a throat of one of his Israelite brothers, whether he treats him as a slave or sells him, the kidnapper must die. You must purge the evil from you.

jobs and the will of God

I avoid using the typical word “soul” in my translation because it is so theologically charged that it obscures the meaning of most of the texts where the Hebrew word nefesh is found. Instead, I use the word “throat” in most cases. The point of today’s passage is that taking away a person’s livelihood is the same as taking his life. Since the grindstones or millstone are the way a person lives and eats, the Israelite was prohibited from taking it as security.

Enslaving a fellow Israelite was also stealing a throat — taking away a brother’s freedom to live on his own. Such an offense was punishable by death.

What God wants for you and me is to be free from the bondage of debt, or any other kind of slavery. He wants us to be able to provide for ourselves and our families and to demonstrate his care of others, not the exploitation of others.

Lord, thank you for the jobs you have given us. We pray for all those around us to find meaningful and profitable employment so that you are glorified. We also ask you to keep us from being obstacles to their freedom to do so.

Rev. David Davis joins me today to reflect about jobs, the pandemic, and Palm Sunday!

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work and marriage

Posted on April 4, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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work and marriage

Deuteronomy 24:5 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 24:5 “When a man takes a bride, he must not go out with the army or be liable for any duty. He is free to stay at home for one year, so that he can bring joy to the wife he has married.

work and marriage

When I was a soldier, my leaders made sure I knew that the job came first. Even during basic training, they intentionally scheduled my extra duties on days that my wife and daughter were planning to visit me.

God wanted an army of happily married men. He set up rules like the one in today’s text so that the chain of command would not interfere with those happy marriages.

Husband, bringing joy to your wife is a higher priority with God than bringing joy to your boss. Wives, bringing joy to your husband is a higher priority than pleasing your boss — or your children.

Happy marriages are God’s showcase, and ensure a victorious battlefield and a happy and productive workplace as well.

Lord, your present righteousness and future kingdom are our first priority. Since you want us to have happy marriages, we promise to work hard at it.

Today’s devotional is included completely in the video segment below:

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never less than the best

Posted on April 3, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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never less than the best

Deuteronomy 24:1-4 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 24:1 “If a man marries a woman, but she becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, he may write her a divorce certificate, hand it to her, and send her away from his house.
Deuteronomy 24:2 If after leaving his house she goes and becomes another man’s wife,
Deuteronomy 24:3 and the second man hates her, writes her a divorce certificate, hands it to her, and sends her away from his house or if he dies,
Deuteronomy 24:4 the first husband who sent her away may not marry her again after she has been defiled, because that would be repulsive to Yahveh. You must not cause mistakes on the land Yahveh your God is giving you as an inheritance.

never less than the best

The intent of this instruction seems to for those who marry to not settle for less than the best. God wants our marriages to be happy. I’m glad my wife settled for me, but she could have done a lot worse. Happy marriages show off the fact that our spouses are gifts from God.

Thank you God, for giving us the very best!

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usurping the harvest

Posted on April 2, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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usurping the harvest

Deuteronomy 23:24-25 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 23:24 “When you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat as many grapes as you want until you are full, but do not put any in your container.
Deuteronomy 23:25 When you enter your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck heads of grain with your hand, but do not put a sickle to your neighbor’s grain.

usurping the harvest

My first response to this is “Hey, you, get out of my vineyard, and stay away from my field! My cultural expectation is a bit different than that in the ancient near east. But I have to realize that as part of the covenant community, Israelites were probably used to a smaller personal bubble than I am.

The instruction in today’s text established limits to a person’s involvement in his neighbor’s livelihood. He could inspect, but he could not usurp the harvest.

We can enjoy the benefits of another person’s hard work, but we should be ready to compensate him or her. It is only fair to do so.

And in those cases where people don’t expect compensation, we should acknowledge their part by showing appreciation for them.

It takes an entire community to produce a harvest.

Lord, thank you for the neighbors all around us who are planting and maintaining a harvest for you. Show us how to show our appreciation for their hard work.

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people of our word

Posted on April 1, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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people of our word

Deuteronomy 23:21-23 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 23:21 “If you make a solemn pledge to Yahveh your God, do not be slow to keep it, because he will require it of you, and it will be counted against you as a mistake.
Deuteronomy 23:22 But if you refrain from making a vow, it will not be counted against you as a mistake.
Deuteronomy 23:23 Be careful to do whatever comes from your lips, because you have spontaneously voluntarily vowed what you promised to Yahveh your God.

In many areas of the world, today is known as April Fool’s Day. People try to fool others by saying outrageous lies and trying to get them to believe them. Such behavior can be humorous on April Fool’s Day, but as a habit, it can be disastrous. God wants us to be people who tell the truth, people of our word.

people of our word

Each of the restrictions in this section have to do with protecting the community. As representatives of God and his coming kingdom, the Israelites had to avoid doing anything that would shame God and turn people against him. Delayed and broken promises do that. If someone claims to represent God but cannot keep his or her word, then God’s reputation is marred. So, the instruction is to be careful not to make promises — and if you do, keep them. The world is watching to see if we have the integrity to do what we spontaneously voluntarily vowed.

Lord, make us people of your word, and people of our word.

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one citizenry

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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one citizenry

Deuteronomy 23:19-20 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 23:19 “Do not charge your brother interest on silver, food, or anything that can earn interest.
Deuteronomy 23:20 You may charge a foreigner interest, but you must not charge your brother Israelite interest, so that Yahveh your God may empower you in everything you do in the land you are entering to take possession of.

one citizenry

Charging interest on a loan is the quickest way to create a separate class of citizen. That was not to be in the covenant community. The outsiders were those who were not part of the covenant. Within the covenant, there was only one citizenry. You do not take advantage of fellow citizens.

Likewise, in the new covenant with Christ, all the old barriers and classes were to be broken down and absolved. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28 NASB).

Lord, keep us from any activity or any structure that creates barriers between us and our brothers and sisters in Christ.

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free and clear

Posted on March 30, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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free and clear

Deuteronomy 23:15-18 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 23:15 “Do not return a slave to his master when he has escaped from his master to you.
Deuteronomy 23:16 Let him stay among you wherever he wants within your city gates. Do not mistreat him.
Deuteronomy 23:17 “No Israelite woman is to be a cult prostitute, and no Israelite man is to be a cult prostitute.
Deuteronomy 23:18 Do not bring a female prostitute’s wages or a male prostitute’s earnings into the house of Yahveh your God to fulfill any solemn pledge, because both are repulsive to Yahveh your God.

free and clear

Although God did not endorse either, both slavery and prostitution were a part of ancient near eastern life. What is at stake in this passage is whether the Israelites would be seen as part of the problem, rather than part of the solution. If an Israelite returned a slave who escaped to him for refuge from a cruel master, he would be endorsing the slavery and the abuse. If an Israelite harbored a cult prostitute — even taking as rental part of that prostitute’s earnings, then his participation in the temple worship would defile it.

There are still lots of social and moral evils that pervade our societies, and God wants no part of them. Because we are children of God through adoption, we need to forsake those evils as well. We are his temple, and we cannot bring the earnings of a prostitute into that temple — they would defile it. We are set free by him. If anyone seeks refuge from their slavery through us, we should not return them to their bondage.

Lord, show us how to live free and clear of sin in a world still tainted with it.

_______________

In today’s video, I share a prayer I wrote a few years ago, which is relevant to our current Coronavirus pandemic: “A prayer for Overcoming Adversity.”

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sacred septic

Posted on March 29, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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sacred septic

Deuteronomy 23:12-14 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 23:12 You are to have a place outside the camp and go there to relieve yourself.
Deuteronomy 23:13 You are to have a digging tool in your equipment; when you relieve yourself, dig a hole with it and cover up your excrement.
Deuteronomy 23:14 You see, Yahveh your God walks throughout your camp to protect you and deliver your enemies to you; so your encampments must be sacred. He must not see anything indecent among you or he will turn away from you.

sacred septic

Personal hygiene discipline was one of the ways the Israelites showed their commitment to purity. For them, it was not just a matter of keeping the camp free of odor, it was a way of keeping sacred. The entire camp was to be kept from anything that might be considered indecent because God himself walked throughout their camp to protect them and give them victory over their enemies. Without his protection and power, they would be lost.

We show our commitment to God in a thousand ways. Sometimes it will be the things we consider ordinary and mundane which will demonstrate to the world around us that we have chosen righteousness.

Lord, we chose the life of purity, because you walk throughout our camp.

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night happenings

Posted on March 28, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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night happenings

Deuteronomy 23:9-11 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 23:9 “When you are encamped against your enemies, be careful to avoid anything offensive.
Deuteronomy 23:10 If there is a man among you who is not pure because of a bodily emission during the night, he must go outside the camp; he may not come anywhere inside the camp.
Deuteronomy 23:11 When evening approaches, he is to wash with water, and when the sun sets he may come inside the camp.

night happenings

The Hebrews called it euphemistically a “night happening.” If any kind of bodily emission occurred during the night, it rendered a person ritually impure, and he had to be excluded from the camp the next day. This rule was to protect the warriors from defilement. To fight with honor, they needed pure hearts and undefiled consciences.

While this rule has to do with ritual defilement, not sin, the whole concept of defilement is a lesson about a person’s moral life and its effect on others.

As a soldier, I remember feeling conflicted within when my leaders encouraged vulgar talk and immoral behavior. It made me wonder whether I was really on the right side. If you are going to be a warrior, you need to walk with integrity.

Lord, I pray for the soldiers who protect our nations. Give them pure hearts and undefiled consciences.

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