a promise to avoid

Posted on December 27, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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a promise to avoid

Deuteronomy 8:19-20.

Deuteronomy 8:19 If you ever forget Yahveh your God and follow other gods to serve them and bow in worship to them, I testify against you today that you will be destroyed.
Deuteronomy 8:20 Like the nations Yahveh is about to destroy before you, you will be destroyed if you do not obey Yahveh your God.

a promise to avoid

We are often challenged to memorize and claim the promises of God. This promise is never listed, but it too is a promise of God. He promises to destroy anyone who knows him, yet chooses to forget him and follow other gods. Those who push the promises tend to avoid this one, and others like it.

Christian, our God is holy and jealous of those who call themselves by his name. He will not tolerate betrayal and abandonment. If the world, the flesh, or the devil seek your loyalty, know that you will pay the ultimate price for that act of idolatry. Run away from temptation!

Lord, we have given ourselves to you. We trust you to give us strength to pay attention to your promises: all of them.

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purpose for prosperity

Posted on December 26, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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purpose for prosperity

Deuteronomy 8:15 He led you through the great and terrible open country with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, a thirsty land where there was no water. He brought water out of the flint rock for you.
Deuteronomy 8:16 He fed you in the open country with manna, which your fathers had not known, in order to discipline and test you, so that in the end he might cause you to prosper.
Deuteronomy 8:17 You may say to yourself, ‘My power and my own ability have gained this wealth for me,’
Deuteronomy 8:18 but remember that Yahveh your God gives you the power to gain wealth, in order to confirm his covenant he swore to your fathers, as it is today.

purpose for prosperity

Prospering at what she does can give a person a sense of self-worth, pride of accomplishment, extra income to share or the ability to live with a higher standard or enjoy leisure activities or invest in things.

Not one of those could be counted as the purpose for the wealth the Israelites would experience. Instead, their prosperity was given by God in order to confirm his covenant.

The Lord is blessing us, and intends to bless us more in so many ways. By staying within the parameters of his covenant with us, we ensure that others will take notice of those blessings, and attribute them to God.

Lord, thank you for the blessings we constantly receive from your hand. May we stay faithful to your covenant with us.

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full of themselves

Posted on December 25, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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full of themselves

Deuteronomy 8:10 When you eat and are full, you will celebrate Yahveh your God for the good land he has given you.
Deuteronomy 8:11 “Be careful or else you will forget Yahveh your God by failing to watch his commands, rules, and prescriptions that I am commanding you today.
Deuteronomy 8:12 When you eat and are full, and build beautiful houses to live in,
Deuteronomy 8:13 and your herds and flocks grow large, and your silver and gold multiply, and everything else you have increases,
Deuteronomy 8:14 be careful that your heart doesn’t become proud and you forget Yahveh your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.

full of themselves

The Israelites were going to get what they wanted, but God knew that it would be too much. Their newfound prosperity would make them proud, and their fullness would make them full of themselves.

Celebrating the holidays, we can also run the risk of forgetting our Lord. In the midst of fun, food and family, there should be a seat at the table for the one who gave it all to us. This is especially true since none of those blessings are eternal. But permanent life is ours as a gift from our Savior, whose human birth we celebrate this day.

Thank you, Lord, giver of all good things.

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a good land

Posted on December 24, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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a good land

Deuteronomy 8:5 Keep in mind that Yahveh your God has been disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son.
Deuteronomy 8:6 So watch the commands of Yahveh your God by walking in his ways and fearing him
Deuteronomy 8:7 because Yahveh your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with streams, springs, and deep water sources, flowing in both valleys and hills;
Deuteronomy 8:8 a land of wheat, barley, vines, figs, and pomegranates; a land of olive oil and honey;
Deuteronomy 8:9 a land where you will eat food without shortage, where you will lack nothing; a land whose rocks are iron and from whose hills you will mine copper.

a good land

Moses told the Israelites that there was a reason they had been facing hardship. God was disciplining them so that they would be obedient to his commands when they came into the good land he was leading them to.

Christian, as we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Savior, perhaps it would be helpful to remember some of the hardships we have faced over the past year. Maybe some of those difficulties will prepare us for an amazing outpouring of blessings in the New Year.

Lord, thank you for the hardships you have allowed us to experience this year. We believe that all things are working together for our good. So we thank you for the preparation.

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helpful hunger

Posted on December 23, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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helpful hunger

Deuteronomy 8:1 “Carefully do every command I am commanding you today, so that you may live and increase, and may enter and take possession of the land Yahveh swore to your fathers.
Deuteronomy 8:2 Remember that Yahveh your God led you on the entire journey these forty years in the open country, so that he might discipline you and test you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would watch his commands.
Deuteronomy 8:3 He disciplined you by letting you go hungry; then he gave you manna to eat, which you and your fathers had not known, so that you might learn that a human does not stay alive on bread alone but stays alive on everything that comes from the mouth of Yahveh.
Deuteronomy 8:4 Your clothing did not wear out, and your feet did not swell these forty years.

helpful hunger

Our Lord quoted from this text when Satan tempted him to turn a stone into bread when he was fasting. Sometimes our Father guides us into periods of temporary hunger. He wants us to learn dependence on him. But there is more to it than that. Rushing to get our needs met is something Satan wants. Steady focus on God’s word is what our Father wants.

Lord, when the hunger comes, remind us to turn it into something helpful, by focusing on your commands.

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destined to be destroyed

Posted on December 22, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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destined to be destroyed

Deuteronomy 7:25 Burn up the carved images of their gods. Don’t crave the silver and gold on the images and take it for yourself, or else you will be ensnared by it, for it is repulsive to Yahveh your God.
Deuteronomy 7:26 Do not bring any repulsive thing into your house, or you will be set apart for destruction like it. You are to abhor and detest it utterly because it is set apart for destruction.

destined to be destroyed

One of the Old Testament principles which inform the biblical concept of hell is explained in this text. The Israelites were to consider all idols as set apart for destruction. To bring such an object into one’s home was to share its fate. Idolaters were set apart for destruction like the idols which ensnared them.

This is one of the earliest images of the nature of hell in the Bible. The New Testament agrees with the principle as seen in Jesus’ warning that God can destroy both soul and body in hell (Matthew 10:28).

Father, give us the wisdom to purge from our lives all those unholy things which are destined to be destroyed.

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checkmate

Posted on December 21, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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checkmate

Deuteronomy 7:20 Yahveh your God will also send hornets against them until all the survivors and those hiding from you are destroyed.
Deuteronomy 7:21 Don’t be terrified of them, because Yahveh your God, a great and awesome God, is among you.
Deuteronomy 7:22 Yahveh your God will drive out these nations before you little by little. You will not be able to destroy them rapidly; or else the wild animals will become too numerous for you.
Deuteronomy 7:23 Yahveh your God will give them over to you and throw them into great confusion until they are exterminated.
Deuteronomy 7:24 He will hand their kings over to you, and you will destroy their names under the sky. No one will be able to stand against you; you will exterminate them.

checkmate

In chess, when you capture the opponent’s king, you win the game. It is called checkmate. The Lord promised to hand the kings of the land over to the Israelites. None of these mighty rulers would be able to stand against them.

Christian, is there a sin you just can’t find yourself able to shake off? Don’t give up the fight against it. Treat it like one of those kings, and claim this text as a promise from God.

Every time you get victory over that temptation, say “check “ — and trust God to bring you to checkmate against it. You will destroy their names under the sky.

Lord, we trust you to help us overcome every obstacle to possessing the mind of Christ.

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your God will do the same

Posted on December 20, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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your God will do the same

Deuteronomy 7:17 “If you say to yourself, ‘These nations are greater than I; how can I take possession from them?’
Deuteronomy 7:18 do not be afraid of them. Be sure to remember what Yahveh your God did to Pharaoh and all Egypt:
Deuteronomy 7:19 the great trials that you saw, the signs and wonders, the strong hand and outstretched arm, by which Yahveh your God brought you out. Yahveh your God will do the same to all the peoples you fear.

your God will do the same

It was only logical that the Israelites would compare themselves in the flesh with the nations they were called to drive out. It was no contest in the flesh. The children of Israel would lose quickly.

But the Lord reminded them that they did not have to rely on their own skill, abilities and might. They had the Lord himself, a mighty warrior— who would fight for them as he did in the past.

Christian, are you making your assessments according to the flesh? Remember the mighty power with which the Lord pulled you out of the serpent’s mouth. He’s got this.

Lord, we choose to trust you to fight the battles we must face.

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Kriptonite

Posted on December 19, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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Kriptonite

Deuteronomy 7:14 You will be empowered above all peoples; there will be no infertile male or female among you or your livestock.
Deuteronomy 7:15 Yahveh will remove all sickness from you; he will not place on you all the terrible diseases of Egypt that you know about, but he will inflict them on all who hate you.
Deuteronomy 7:16 You must destroy all the peoples Yahveh your God is delivering over to you and not look on them with pity. Do not worship their gods, because that will be a snare to you.

Kriptonite

The Israelites were to be like an invincible army of supermen. They would have more children, be impervious to common diseases, and wipe out everyone who dares to oppose them.

But these supermen would be vulnerable to one Kriptonite. Worshiping other gods would remove their protection. If they failed their God, they would be condemning themselves to destruction.

Lord, burn this fact into our memory so that we stay true to you.

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your offspring and produce

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
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your offspring and produce

Deuteronomy 7:12 “If you listen to and are careful to watch these rules, Yahveh your God will watch his covenant loyalty with you, as he swore to your fathers.
Deuteronomy 7:13 He will care about you, empower you, and multiply you. He will bless your offspring, and the produce of your land– your grain, new wine, and fresh oil– the young of your herds, and the newborn of your flocks, in the land he swore to your fathers that he would give you.

your offspring and produce

Note the progression of these promises compared to the covenant with Adam. Our first parents were responsible to be fruitful and multiply and fill the land. Under the covenant with Moses, God promises to multiply the Israelites. Our first parents were responsible to subdue the land. Under the covenant with Moses, God promises to subdue the land for the Israelites. All the Israelites had to do was to follow the rules they had already agreed to obey.

Christian, when you came to Christ, and you agreed to be part of his kingdom, did you not understand that God wanted to bless this planet through you? If you have children, he wants them to be a blessing from God— not just to you, but to everyone. If you own a business, God wants to use that business not just to pay your bills, but to empower your community. It all depends on how faithful you are in following the commands of Christ.

Lord, everything we have is yours. Bless others through it.

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