God of the sky and the land

Posted on November 25, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
agriculture clouds countryside cropland

Photo by Ákos Szabó on Pexels.com

 

God of the sky and the land

Deuteronomy 4:39 Today, recognize and keep in mind that Yahveh is God in the sky above and on the land below; there is no other.

Deuteronomy 4:40 Watch his prescriptions and commands, which I am giving you today, so that you and your children after you may prosper and so that you may live long in the land Yahveh your God is commanding you for all the days.”

God of the sky and the land

Many of the nations surrounding Israel acknowledged the existence of a sky god, but chose to serve and sacrifice to idols representing lesser deities. Perhaps they thought that these beings could be more easily manipulated by their ceremonies, taboos and rituals.

But the Israelites were challenged to believe and live out a pure monotheism. The one God made both the sky above and the land beneath. He is the only God they need. By following the instructions of the God in the sky, his people would prosper on the land.

Lord, you are all sufficient, and all we need.

Posted in dependence upon God, idolatry | Tagged | 1 Comment

lesser and weaker

Posted on November 24, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
close up photography of brown and yellow toy figure

Photo by Lewis Burrows on Pexels.com

 

lesser and weaker

Deuteronomy 4:36 He let you hear his voice from the sky to instruct you. He showed you his great fire on the land, and you heard his words from the fire.

Deuteronomy 4:37 Because he cared about1 your fathers, he chose their descendants after them and brought you out of Egypt by his presence and great power,

Deuteronomy 4:38 to take possession from nations greater and stronger than you and to bring you in and give you their land as an inheritance, as is now taking place.

lesser and weaker

I have been considering the record of the Mosaic covenant and mission as an analogy of the new covenant and Great Commission for followers of Christ.

I noticed in today’s text that the Israelites were lesser and weaker than the nations they were called to replace. They were to possess the land because of God’s compassion and grace, not their superior wisdom or strength.

Such is the case with us, Christian. Our Lord did choose us based on any quality that we already had without him. We are saved by grace. If we gain anything spiritually it is from him. If we have strength, it’s his strength.

Lord, keep us from the prideful lie that we were chosen because of our inherent goodness or faith. Our faith in you is from you.

1אָהַב

Posted in dependence upon God, grace, pride | Tagged | 1 Comment

what God has done for you

Posted on November 23, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
mt fuji

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

 

what God has done for you

Deuteronomy 4:33-35

Deuteronomy 4:33 Has a people heard God’s voice speaking from the fire as you have, and stayed alive?

Deuteronomy 4:34 Or has a god attempted to go and take a nation as his own out of another nation, by trials, signs, wonders, and war, by a strong hand and an outstretched arm, by great terrors, as Yahveh your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?

Deuteronomy 4:35 You were shown these things so that you would know that Yahveh is God; there is no other besides him.

what God has done for you

The fact of the Exodus was indelibly burned into the memory of the Israelites. Moses challenged them to consider what God did for them.

Christian, have you considered what God has done for you? He allowed his own Son to be put to death in your place. He has promised a permanent life for you. He has shown you such grace so that you will know that he is God and there is no other.

Lord, thank you for your amazing grace.

Posted in grace, miracles, thanksgiving | Tagged | 1 Comment

the earlier days

Posted on November 22, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
person pinpointing pen on calendar

Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com

 

the earlier days

Deuteronomy 4:30 When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, in the future you will return to Yahveh your God and obey him.

Deuteronomy 4:31 He will not leave you, destroy you, or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them by oath, because Yahveh your God is a compassionate God.

Deuteronomy 4:32 “Indeed, ask about the earlier days that preceded you, from the day God created humankind on the land and from one end of the sky to the other: Has anything like this great event ever happened, or has anything like it been heard of?

the earlier days

Moses pleads for the Israelites to recognize just how special they are. He wants them to succeed on the mission, although he concedes that even when they fail, God’s compassion will be there to restore them.

He encourages the Israelites to look into their history. What God has done for them is above and beyond anything their ancestors had experienced.

Christian, have you been blessed? Don’t throw that blessing away. Allow the Sacred Breath to make you a witness to Christ and his kingdom.

Lord, when we feel discouraged, remind us of how you have blessed us.

Posted in blessings | Tagged | 1 Comment

are we there yet?

Posted on November 21, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
woman using map on gray car compartment

Photo by Element5 Digital on Pexels.com

 

are we there yet?

Deuteronomy 4:27-29 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 4:27 Yahveh will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be reduced to a few survivors among the nations where Yahveh your God will drive you.

Deuteronomy 4:28 There you will worship human-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see, hear, eat, or smell.

Deuteronomy 4:29 But from there, you will search for Yahveh your God, and you will find him when you seek him with all your heart and all your throat.

are we there yet?

The Mosaic mission involved three phases: deliverance, possession and witness. But God knew that the third phase would not work out as well for some generations. Being a loving God, he made it possible for the Israelites to be delivered again from the idolatrous nations he would exile them in.

The Great Commission of Jesus Christ also involves three stages:

  • Deliverance through the blood of Christ appropriated by repentance.
  • Possession of the mind of Christ through training in righteousness by the word and the Sacred Breath.
  • Witness to the nations of the gospel of Christ, established by living out his commands.

Christian, where are you in this process? Don’t presume the trail is over just because you made it to the first stop.

Lord, lead us all the way. Don’t allow us to settle for part of your plan.

Posted in deliverance, missions, sanctification, witness | Tagged | 1 Comment

The broader scope of the mission

Posted on November 20, 2019 by Jefferson Vann

 

pen calendar to do checklist

Photo by Breakingpic on Pexels.com

the broader scope of the mission

Deuteronomy 4:25-26

Deuteronomy 4:25 “When you have children and grandchildren and have been in the land a long time, and if you act corruptly, make an idol in the form of anything, and do what is evil in the sight of Yahveh your God, angering him,

Deuteronomy 4:26 I call sky and land as witnesses against you today that you will rapidly1 be destroyed2 from the land you are about to cross the Jordan to take possession of. You will not live long there, but you will certainly be exterminated.

the broader scope of the mission

The Mosaic mission was to take possession of the land, but it came with no guarantee of permanent possession. If the Israelites began to live like the pagans before them, they would die like the pagans before them. The broader scope of the Mosaic mission was to turn the land into a witness of God’s holiness and glory.

Have you considered the broader scope of the Christian mission? We have been chosen so that we could bear fruit that will last. Our objective is not to get people to heaven, but to get the holiness of heaven into people.

Lord, show us how to live the broader scope of Great Commission. Show us how to bear lasting fruit.

1מהר

2אָבַד

Posted in missions, sanctification | Tagged | 1 Comment

a consuming fire, a jealous God

Posted on November 19, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
fire wallpaper

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

 

a consuming fire, a jealous God

Deuteronomy 4:21-24

Deuteronomy 4:21 “Yahveh was angry with me because of your thing. He swore that I would not cross the Jordan and enter the good land Yahveh your God is giving you as an inheritance.

Deuteronomy 4:22 I won’t be crossing the Jordan because I am going to die in this land. But you are about to cross over and take possession of this good land.

Deuteronomy 4:23 Be careful or else you will forget the covenant of Yahveh your God that he established1 with you, and make an idol for yourselves in the shape of anything he has forbidden you

Deuteronomy 4:24 because Yahveh your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

a consuming fire, a jealous God

The fire burning on the mountain was to stay in the minds of the Israelites to remind them that their God was a consuming fire and a jealous God.

God is never envious. There’s nothing anyone can have that he does not have. He has infinite power, life, knowledge, presence, time, wisdom etc.

But God is jealous of those who dare to call themselves by his name— who claim citizenship in his kingdom. He will tolerate no betrayal among their ranks. He consumes those who abandon him.

Lord, may your holy fire on Zion remind us to stay loyal to you.

1כָּרַת

Posted in faithfulness, loyalty | Tagged | 1 Comment

representing the invisible God

Posted on November 18, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
trees and grass field under cloudy sky during daytime

Photo by Tahir Shaw on Pexels.com

 

representing the invisible God

Deuteronomy 4:14-20 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 4:14 At that time Yahveh commanded me to teach you prescriptions and rules for you to follow in the land you are about to cross into and take possession of.

Deuteronomy 4:15 “Diligently watch your throats – because you did not see any form on the day Yahveh spoke to you out of the fire at Horeb –

Deuteronomy 4:16 or else you will act corruptly1 and make an idol for yourselves in the shape of some figure: a male or female form,

Deuteronomy 4:17 or the form of some animal on the land, some winged creature that flies in the sky,

Deuteronomy 4:18 some creature that crawls on the ground, or some fish in the water under the land.

Deuteronomy 4:19 When you look to the sky and see the sun, moon, and stars – all the stars in the sky – or else you might be led astray to bow in worship to them and serve them. Yahveh your God has provided them for all people everywhere under the sky.

Deuteronomy 4:20 But Yahveh selected you and brought you out of Egypt’s iron furnace to be a people for his inheritance, as you are today.

representing the invisible God

The mission of the Israelites was to represent the invisible God to a world steeped in idolatry. The fact that God spoke to them from the burning mountain without a form was to remind them to stay away from the images of human and animal bodies that had so thoroughly captivated the nations around them. The Israelites had been slaves to the idolatrous Egyptians. They were to purge themselves of that mania.

Christian, is there a form that fascinates you? Do not gaze at it. Even if it is a gift from God, it can easily ensnare you.

Lord, may the gospel of Christ shine through us clearly, with no hint of idolatry to obstruct it.

1שָׁחַת

Posted in idolatry, missions | Tagged | 1 Comment

remembering the covenant

Posted on November 17, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
lest we forget cross

Photo by Eric Smart on Pexels.com

 

Deuteronomy 4:11-13 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 4:11 You came near and stood below the mountain, a mountain blazing with fire into the heart1 of the sky and enveloped in a totally black cloud.

Deuteronomy 4:12 Then Yahveh spoke to you from the fire. You kept hearing the sound of the words, but didn’t see a form; there was only a voice.

Deuteronomy 4:13 He declared his covenant to you. He commanded you to do the Ten Words,2 which he wrote on two stone tablets.

remembering the covenant

God spoke to Moses through the burning bush, and he kept that memory as a reminder of his mission. Moses now reminds the Israelites that God spoke to them as well. His words came to them as they watched a burning mountain.

The key to the Israelites completing their mission is remembering the covenant God established with them at Sinai.

Christian, God has established a covenant with us as well. He has spoken to us not through a burning bush or a burning mountain— but through a bleeding Son. Christ has fulfilled his part of the agreement by dying in your place. He asks you to put your faith in him, and share your faith with others.

Lord, thank you for the new covenant, bought with your blood. May we always remember how you spoke to us.

1לֵב

2Exod. 34:28; Deut. 4:13; 10:4.

Posted in Jesus Christ, missions, new covenant, written on the Appalachian Trail | Leave a comment

our responsibility to teach

Posted on November 16, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
alphabet class conceptual cube

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

 

Deuteronomy 4:9-10 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 4:9 “Only be careful and diligently watch your throats,1 or else2 you will forget the things your eyes have seen and they will slip from your mind as long as you live. Teach them to your children and your grandchildren.

Deuteronomy 4:10 The day you stood before Yahveh your God at Horeb, Yahveh said to me, ‘Collect3 the people before me, and I will let them hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me all the days they live on the land and may instruct their children.’

our responsibility to teach

Every Israelite was to be a teacher— passing on the word of God to his children and their children. This was a solemn responsibility. The Lord knew his people were prone to be distracted, so he reminded them to stay on task.

Preachers and evangelists are a wonderful gift from God to their congregations. But their presence does not absolve us of the responsibility to train the next generations individually.

Lord may my readers know the joy of teaching their children and grandchildren about Jesus.

1נֶפֶשׁ

2פֵּן

3קהל

Posted in children, responsibility, teaching | Tagged | 1 Comment