Deuteronomy repeats, explains, and expands the narrative of the exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt to the Promised Lan and the Law of Moses given on Mount Sinai. Lots of it, the majority is repeated from the early books of the Old Testament but new material and new perspectives are to be found.
It seems to me that the whole journey of the Israelites, the law or commandments, and the ensuing trials and tribulations can be viewed as a metaphor for our personal struggles in life.
With some insights into wisdom such as ‘Know this day the things that your children know not’ and ‘would persuade thee secretly, saying… consent not to him, hear his not, but though shall presently put him to death.’
But we don’t worship idols like those of Biblical Times, right? No molten calf here, right? What about idols of the modern secular world?
I surely worshipped my career over God, family, and even my own personal health and well-being. ‘Golf is my passion,’ is the same as ‘Golf is my Idol’ at times. Fame and fortune on the good worldly side isolation and gluttony on the other side. Nothing bad, nothing terrible, all choices that I am entitled to make with my hard earned Free Will. So we rationalize to ourselves.
If then you obey my commandments… that you love the Lord your God, and serve him with all your heart, and with all your soul…
Beware lest perhaps your heart be deceived, and you depart from the Lord, and serve strange gods, and adore them, and the Lord being angry shut up heaven, that the rain come not down, nor the earth yield her fruit, and you perish quickly from the excellent land, which the Lord will give you.
Lay up these my words in your heart and minds… teach your children that they meditate on them, when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest on the way, and when thou liest down and risest up.
For if you keep my commandments… the Lord will destroy all these nations before your face, and you shall them, which are greater and stronger than you. Every place that your foot shall tread upon, shall be yours…
God will destroy all my personalized modern idols is I surrender to His Will.’
You God trieth you, that it may appear whether you love him with all your heart, and with all your soul, or not. Follow the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and hear his voice: him you shall serve, and to him you shall cleave.
And thou shalt take away the evil out of the midst of thee…
God, please take away the evil in the midst of me and my life.
Help me to ‘remember that I also was a bondservant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God made me free…’ Let me let go of my addictions and hurts and hang-ups and habits that don’t serve You or me.
Don’t let ‘gifts blind my eyes or change my words,’ away from Your love, acceptance and compassion.
With a renewed spirit and mind, a clear and present conscience, ‘make me merry at festival time!
Day 63: Reading The Bible with a TROML Perspective; Psalm Deuteronomy: For This I Pray, Don’t Let it Happen to Me!
Read and inspired by the Old Testament, The Book of Deuteronomy Chapters 11-16
Bible Notes:
This Book is so called Deuteronomy, which means a second law, because it repeats, explains, and expands the Law given on Mount Sinai. It contains three discourses of Moses encouraging the Israelites, who will shortly enter The Promised Land, to observe the Law.
The last four chapters describe the last days and the death of Moses on Mount Nebo in the Land of Moab.
Deuteronomy Chapter 11: Demonstrations of the power of God; Description of The Promised Land; Blessings which follow obedience; Punishment for idolatry; Close adherence to God’s words required; A blessing and a curse.
Know this day the things that your children know not…
But it is a land of hills and valleys, expecting rain from heaven.
If then you obey my commandments… that you love the Lord your God, and serve him with all your heart, and with all your soul…
Beware lest perhaps your heart be deceived, and you depart from the Lord, and serve strange gods, and adore them, and the Lord being angry shut up heaven, that the rain come not down, nor the earth yield her fruit, and you perish quickly from the excellent land, which the Lord will give you.
Lay up these my words in your heart and minds… teach your children that they meditate on them, when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest on the way, and when thou liest down and risest up.
For if you keep my commandments… the Lord will destroy all these nations before your face, and you shall them, which are greater and stronger than you. Every place that your foot shall tread upon, shall be yours…
Behold I set forth in your sight this day a blessing and a curse. A blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day. A curse, if you obey not the commandments of the Lord your God, but revolt from the way which I now shoe you, and walk after strange gods which you knew not.
Deuteronomy Chapter 12: Places of idolatry to be destroyed; The place of sacrifice; Blood is forbidden for food; Tithes must be eaten in the holy place; Laws for eating flesh; Warning against idolatry.
Destroy all the places in which the nations, that you shall possess, worshiped their gods upon high mountains, and hills, and under every shady tree.
You shall not do so to the Lord your God, but you shall come to the place, which the Lord your God shall choose out of all your tribes, to put his name there, and to dwell in it.
You shall not do there the things we do here this day, every man that which seemeth good to himself.
That you may have rest from all enemies round about: and may dwell without any fear.
Only beware of this, that thou eat not the blood, for the blood is for the soul; and therefore thou must not eat the soul with the flesh.
Deuteronomy Chapter 13: False prophets must be slain; Relatives and friends who urge idolatry; Idolatrous cities.
You God trieth you, that it may appear whether you love him with all your heart, and with all your soul, or not. Follow the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and hear his voice: him you shall serve, and to him you shall cleave.
And thou shalt take away the evil out of the midst of thee…
Would persuade thee secretly, saying…
Consent not to him, hear his not, but though shall presently put him to death.
Deuteronomy Chapter 14: Disfiguring the body forbidden; Clean and unclean animals; Clean and unclean fowl; Nothing that dies of itself shall be eaten; Annual tithes; Charitable offerings.
You shall not cut yourself, nor make any baldness for the dead.
Eat not the things that are unclean.
Every beast that divideth the hoof in two parts, and cheweth the cud, you shall eat.
But whatsoever is dead of itself, eat not thereof Give it to the stranger… because thou art the holy people of the Lord thy God.
And the Levite… the stranger… the fatherless… and the widow shall come and shall eat and be filled.
Deuteronomy Chapter 15: Year of remission; Charity to the poor; Freedom of servants; Sanctification of firstlings.
In the seventh year thou shalt make a remission, which shall be celebrated in this order. He to whom anything is owing from his friend or neighbor or brother, cannot demand it again, because it is the year of remission to the Lord.
Of the foreigner or stranger thou mayst exact it: of thy countryman and neighbor thou shalt not have power to demand it again. And there shall be no poor nor beggar among you: that the Lord thy God may bless thee in the land which he will give thee in possession.
Remission—pardon; forgiveness, as of sins or offenses.
If one of thy brethren… come to poverty: thou shalt not harden thy heart, nor close thy hand, but shalt open it to the poor man.
Beware lest perhaps a wicked thought steal in upon thee, and thou say in thy heart: The seventh year of remission draweth nigh; and thou turn away thy eyes from thy poor brother, denying to lend him that which he asketh… neither shalt thou do any thing craftily in relieving his necessities…
When thy brother, a Hebrew Man, or Hebrew woman, is sold to thee, and hath served thee six years, in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free…
Remember that thou also was a bondservant in the land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God made thee free, and therefore I now command thee this.
Deuteronomy Chapter 16: The Passover; Pentecost; Feast of tabernacles; Three times a year all males appear before the Lord; Judges and magistrates; Groves and images forbidden.
Thou shalt not eat with it leavened bread: seven days shalt thou eat without leaven the bread of affliction, because thou camest out of Egypt in fear: that thou mayest remember the day of thy coming out of Egypt, all the days of thy life.
And thou shalt make merry in thy festival time…
Three times a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God… in the feast of unleavened bread, in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles,
Thou shalt appoint Judges and magistrates… that they may judge the people with just judgment… thou shalt not accept person not gifts: for gifts blind the eyes of the wise, and change the words of the just.
Speak Your Mind