fire and mission

Posted on November 29, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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fire and mission

Deuteronomy 5:5 At that time I was standing between Yahveh and you to report the word of Yahveh to you, because you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain. And this is what he said:

Deuteronomy 5:6 I am Yahveh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.

fire and mission

Moses interceded for the Israelites because they were afraid of the manifestation of God as fire on the mountain. Why was Moses not afraid? He had seen God manifest as fire before. His memory of the burning bush experience gave him courage to face God again. He was also in a unique position to recognize that God used fire as a catalyst for mission. So Moses understood that God was calling the Israelites to respond to his deliverance in Egypt by walking free from idolatry and the failure of the past.

Lord, you are still a consuming fire. Show us how to rescue as many as possible from your coming wrath.

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an internal battle

Posted on November 28, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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an internal battle

Deuteronomy 5:1 Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “Israel, listen to the prescriptions and rules I am proclaiming as you hear them today. Learn and watch them carefully.

Deuteronomy 5:2 Yahveh our God established a covenant with us at Horeb.

Deuteronomy 5:3 Yahveh did not establish this covenant with our fathers, but with all of us who are alive here today.

Deuteronomy 5:4 Yahveh spoke to you face to face from the fire on the mountain.

an internal battle

God would give the Israelites victory over their enemies by empowering them in battle. But Moses urges the people to prepare for an internal battle— in which victory would mean keeping the land, and witnessing to God’s glory within it.

In the same way, the blood of Christ has given us victory over the penalty of our own sins. But we need the Sacred Breath within us for fighting the internal battle we will all face in this life.

Lord, thank you for making our destiny certain, and giving us what we need to fight our internal battles.

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the transjordon possessions

Posted on November 27, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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the transjordon possessions

Deuteronomy 4:44-49

Deuteronomy 4:44 This is the instruction Moses placed before the Israelites.

Deuteronomy 4:45 These are the reminders,1 prescriptions, and rules Moses proclaimed to them after they came out of Egypt,

Deuteronomy 4:46 across the Jordan in the valley facing Beth-peor in the land of King Sihon of the Amorites. He lived in Heshbon, and Moses and the Israelites defeated him after they came out of Egypt.

Deuteronomy 4:47 They took possession of his land and the land of Og king of Bashan, the two Amorite kings who were across the Jordan to the east,

Deuteronomy 4:48 from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley as far as Mount Sion (that is, Hermon)

Deuteronomy 4:49 and all the Arabah on the east side of the Jordan as far as the Dead Sea below the slopes of Pisgah.

the transjordon possessions

There were three sections of land the Israelites took possession of before crossing the Jordon River. Moses oversaw the battles to procure these lands, and their distribution.

I have been thinking about the Israelite possession of the promised land as analogous of the Christian possessing the mind of Christ as a result of sanctification. Is it going too far to suggest that the possession of the transjordon lands might be a reference to what we can learn about God and living righteously through the Old Testament? This comes to mind because the Old Testament was originally divided into three parts.

Whether or not that guess is correct, it was gracious of our Lord to allow Moses a part in the conquest, even if he could not cross the Jordon.

Lord, thank you for the things you allow us to experience.

1עֵדוּת

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respect for life

Posted on November 26, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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respect for life

Deuteronomy 4:41-43

Deuteronomy 4:41 Then Moses separated1 three cities across the Jordan to the east.

Deuteronomy 4:42 Someone could flee there who committed manslaughter, killing his neighbor accidentally without previously hating him. He could flee to one of these cities and stay alive:

Deuteronomy 4:43 Bezer in the open country on the plateau land, belonging to the Reubenites; Ramoth in Gilead, belonging to the Gadites; or Golan in Bashan,

respect for life

What strikes me as I ponder the instructions about the cities of refuge is that they reflect a deep respect for human life. Even those who accidentally kill someone else will have their lives interrupted by relocation. The life of the victims had to be respected even if their deaths were accidental.

But this respect for the lives of the victims did not justify vengeance killing. If someone was found guilty of murder, their punishment would not be at the hands of a vengeful mob.

Lord, instill in us a respect for all life, as divine gift from you.

1בּדל

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God of the sky and the land

Posted on November 25, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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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.

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lesser and weaker

Posted on November 24, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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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

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what God has done for you

Posted on November 23, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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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.

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the earlier days

Posted on November 22, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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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.

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are we there yet?

Posted on November 21, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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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.

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The broader scope of the mission

Posted on November 20, 2019 by Jefferson Vann

 

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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

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