We should not be so stupid and foolish as Israel was. We must remember that God is a “consuming fire.” The language of this poem/song reveals that God wants to bless his people, but he will chastise them severely if they rebel against him. The Bible reveals that God is both good and severe. If we want to enjoy God’s blessings, we must remain faithful and obedient to his commands. If we flagrantly disobey God’s commands, we will experience God’s severe, stern discipline. Read More ...
Serving or leading people can be very discouraging. You pour your time and effort into people, only to see them turn away from everything they were taught and pursue the opposite. We must remember that our service is ultimately to God. We serve God by serving people. We cannot control how people respond. All we can do is be faithful. Moses and Joshua were both faithful. Even the greatest leaders have mixed results when it comes to how people respond to their exhortations and teachings. Read More ...
Like Moses, I urge all of us to “choose life.” First, choose to be saved through repentance of sin and faith in Christ. And second, choose to live in repentance and obedience. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul that you may live (vs. 6end). Follow vs. 10. Read More ...
In this chapter, Moses continues the theme of potential blessings and curses for Israel. If they remain faithful and loyal to God by keeping the terms of the covenant, Israel will enjoy immense blessings. They are virtually guaranteed to be successful and prosperous in the PL, a land flowing with milk and honey, if they simply keep the terms of the covenant obediently. Read More ...
Like the Israelites, we should be highly motivated to obey God’s commands. We should respond with a hearty “Amen” to God’s commands to us. We should be motivated to obey God and do our best to avoid disobedience. Read More ...
Are you among the people of God? When you put your faith in Christ, you become one of God’s children; you identify as one of the people of God. As God’s people, we are obligated to obey God’s commands, worship him rightly, and persevere in the faith. Read More ...
If you fail to fulfill your family responsibilities, it is a shame. You are failing to build up your brother’s house. You are failing to do your part for the health and welfare of the family. It’s unlikely that anyone will pull off your shoe and spit in your face, but it certainly is true that you are behaving disgracefully if you refuse to build up your brother’s house. Read More ...
The unsaved world is often harsh and heartless. Unbelievers often do not treat others with basic human dignity and respect. But Christians should be different. We should distinguish ourselves from the unsaved world by respecting basic human dignity. We must not sink to the level of the ungodly world around us by being disrespectful and dishonorable in how we treat others. If we have no respect for human dignity, we are inviting God’s judgment. If we expect God to bless the work of our hands, then we must respect the human dignity of all people, especially of the most vulnerable among us. Read More ...
Christians must not break their marriage vows and they should not pursue divorce without adequate biblical grounds—adultery, abandonment, abuse. Christians must insure that grounds for divorce never occur in their marriages. Christians must maintain strong marriages where divorce is not even an option. Read More ...
The best way to purge evil and to do right is to follow God’s commands. Our conditions and situations today are far different from those pertaining in ancient Israel. But we can still demonstrate a high regard for human life, for our families, and for outsiders. We can still show compassion and be fair in how we treat people. Our aim should be the same—put away the evil and do what is right in the sight of the Lord. Read More ...