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

the purpose of obedience

Posted on November 15, 2019 by Jefferson Vann

 

dart pin in the middle of dartboard

Photo by icon0.com on Pexels.com

Deuteronomy 4:5-8

Deuteronomy 4:5 Look, I have taught you prescriptions and rules as Yahveh my God has commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of.

Deuteronomy 4:6 Be careful and do them, because this will show your wisdom and understanding in the eyes of the peoples. When they hear about all these prescriptions, they will say, ‘This great nation is indeed a wise and understanding people.’

Deuteronomy 4:7 For what great nation is there that has a god near to it like Yahveh our God is to us whenever we call to him?

Deuteronomy 4:8 And what great nation has righteous prescriptions and rules like this entire instruction I set before you today?

the purpose of obedience

Israel was to demonstrate obedience to God, and that obedience was to show their connection to him, and their wisdom and understanding. That obedience was to draw the nations to God, which was the mission of the Mosaic covenant!

Christian, have you considered the commands of Christ? Our obedience to his commands is to be how we draw people to him. If we are genuinely obedient to the commands Jesus gave us, the nations around us will sit up and take notice.

Lord, give us the wisdom to reflect your commands by our actions.

Posted in missions, obedience, witness, written on the Appalachian Trail | 1 Comment

life or death quest

Posted on November 14, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
ambulance architecture building business

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

 

Deuteronomy 4:1-4

Deuteronomy 4:1 “Now, Israel, listen to the prescriptions1 and rules I am teaching you to follow, so that you may stay alive,2 enter, and take possession of the land Yahveh, the God of your fathers, is giving you.

Deuteronomy 4:2 You must not add anything to what I command you or take anything away from it, so that you may watch the commands of Yahveh your God I am giving you.

Deuteronomy 4:3 Your eyes have seen what Yahveh did at Baal-peor, for Yahveh your God exterminated every one of you who followed Baal of Peor.

Deuteronomy 4:4 But you who have remained faithful to Yahveh your God are all alive today.

life or death quest

For the Israelites, accomplishing God’s mission meant more than just being successful at what they did. It was literally a life or death quest. If they didn’t follow God’s commands and take possession of the land, they would not stay alive. The rebels who fell at Baal-peor were a visual reminder of that fact.

Oh, Christian, if we could only regard our mission with such reverence! If we made the task of making disciples of all nations a life or death quest, it would not be so easy to get sidetracked.

Lord, teach us to revere our mission.

1חק

2חָיָה

Posted in commitment, evangelism, missions | Tagged | 1 Comment

No, yes, yes

Posted on November 13, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
aerial alpine ceresole reale desktop backgrounds

Photo by SplitShire on Pexels.com

 

Deuteronomy 3:27-29 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 3:27 Go to the top of Pisgah and look to the west, north, south, and east, and see it with your own eyes, because you will not cross the Jordan.

Deuteronomy 3:28 But command Joshua and make him strong and tough, because he will cross over ahead of the people and enable them to inherit this land that you will see.’

Deuteronomy 3:29 So we stayed in the valley facing Beth-peor.

No, yes, yes

Moses got three answers to his prayer. He had prayed that he could see the promised land, and God’s answer was definitely no. But God did allow him the mountain-top experience of viewing it on Pisgah.

God’s third answer to Moses’ prayer was to give him a final mission. Training Joshua was to be his reward in this life.

Lord, teach us to find our joy in accomplishing your mission.

Posted in contentment, missions, prayer, submission | Tagged | 1 Comment

no is enough

Posted on November 12, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
smoking not allowed warning

Photo by Tim Savage on Pexels.com

Deuteronomy 3:23-26

Deuteronomy 3:23 “At that time I begged Yahveh, and this is what I said:

Deuteronomy 3:24 Yahveh God, you have begun to show your greatness and your strong hand to your servant, because what god is there in the sky or on the land who can perform deeds and mighty acts like yours?

Deuteronomy 3:25 Please let me cross over and see the beautiful land on the other side of the Jordan, that good hill country and Lebanon.

Deuteronomy 3:26 “But Yahveh was angry with me because of you and would not listen to me. Yahveh said to me, ‘That’s enough! Do not speak to me again about this matter.

no is enough

If anyone ever had a truly personal relationship with God, Moses did. Yet that personal relationship with God did not guarantee that Moses would always want what God wants. Moses wanted to see the land that he had been leading the Israelites to. God didn’t want that. God didn’t even want Moses to keep praying for that.

The Bible does encourage believers to keep storming heaven with our prayers. We should always pray and never give up. But if God has his reasons for not giving us what we want, we need to respect that. Paul fervently prayed for removal of his thorn in the flesh. But God said no. Paul learned to glory in that weakness.

Lord, we trust you. When you say no, that is enough for us.

Posted in contentment, prayer | Tagged | 1 Comment

Seeing his imprint

Posted on November 11, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
footprint on sand

Photo by Elviss Railijs Bitāns on Pexels.com

 

Deuteronomy 3:21-22 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 3:21 “I commanded Joshua at that time, and this is what I said: Your own eyes have seen everything Yahveh your God has done to these two kings. Yahveh will do the same to all the kingdoms you are about to enter.

Deuteronomy 3:22 Don’t be afraid of them, because Yahveh your God fights for you.

Seeing his imprint

Moses had been given the task of strengthening Joshua. Part of the task was training him to register what he had seen with his own eyes. Faith for Joshua began when he dared to believe that God was fighting for him. It was not so much seeing what was not there as it was recognizing what was. The defeat of Sihon and Og was either luck or God. Moses taught Joshua to see God’s imprint.

Lord, you are at work in our lives. Open our eyes so that we can see your imprint.

Posted in discernment, faith | Tagged | 1 Comment

sacrificing for your brothers

Posted on November 10, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
standing family near fireplace

Photo by Victoria Borodinova on Pexels.com

 

Deuteronomy 3:18-20 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 3:18 “I commanded you at that time: and this is what I said: Yahveh your God has given you this land to take possession of. All your militarily qualified sons1 will cross over in battle formation ahead of your brothers the Israelites.

Deuteronomy 3:19 But your wives, dependents, and livestock – I know that you have a lot of livestock – will stay in the cities I have given you

Deuteronomy 3:20 until Yahveh gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they also take possession of the land Yahveh your God is giving them across the Jordan. Then each of you may return to his possession that I have given you.

sacrificing for your brothers

At this stage, there was already considerable land and several cities which had been conquered. But Yahveh did not want the young men who were qualified to fight to stay behind in that territory. He wanted them to keep fighting so that their brothers would also have some of the land God had promised. This meant that they would have to temporarily leave their wives, children, and possessions. They were being challenged to sacrifice for the benefit of their brothers.

God has not called us to obtain land, but to make disciples in every land. It is fitting as we consider this new mission for us to ask how we can best secure a place in the kingdom for our brothers and sisters who are not yet in it. We should take those best qualified for missionary service, and send them to the field. Such service requires sacrifice on the part of the missionaries, and their senders.

Lord, give us the courage to send our best qualified to enlarge your kingdom.

1‎כָּל־בְּנֵי־חָֽיִל

Posted in commitment, discipleship, evangelism, missions | Tagged | 1 Comment