Blessings, Curses & Being Aware

Today's reading is from Deuteronomy 27, 28, 29.

The readings towards the end of Deut. become sweepingly broad. The writer is describing the overall nature of the covenant with God.

In obedience the covenant is filled with blessings.

In disobedience the covenant is full of curses.

I can't help but read this and sense the national dimension to our relation to God. Granted, the US is not Israel. God's covenant with Israel was a special one, and not to be confused with anything related to the United States. People do that at times and it isn't a fair exegesis of scripture.

But, what is fair is that its obvious God sees the nations of the earth and there are ways in which the nations express faith in GOd, and there are ways in which they do not...and that is worth thinking about.

Peace


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The Art of Worship

Today's readings are in Deuteronomy 24, 25, 26

The first of these readings give law regulations for cases of divorce. Jesus would state 1400 years later that is was "because of the hardness of the heart" that God made allowance for divorce to occur. Other laws followed relating to miscellaneous social items...all important in their own way.

Two interesting (they are all interesting in their own way) principles that surface in the passage is God's welfare system and ways in which the poor are treated, and the last chapter of our reading in relation to worship. First the poor. Many of the laws that relate to the poor seem to want to do one main thing: preserve their dignity as human beings. Reading the passages makes us aware that to be poor doesn't mean God looks at them as lacking in character or respect. The way in which we respond to the poor has much to do with our own blessing.

"When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that the lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands."

Charity is an old world that meant "love" long before it meant to give to the poor.

The last part in chapter 26 is a beautiful example of worship. Worship is not limited to extemporaneous acts of praise. It can be methodical, liturgical, and still beautiful. I love this chapter as an expression of worship and the formula is reminiscent of thanksgiving as the first and greatest act of real worship.

"A thankful heart prepares the way for the Lord."

Peace


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Laws & Consequences

Today's reading is in Deuteronomy 21, 22

Much of what is in these passages still has a lot of relevance, in principle form, to today. It's easy to read this and dismiss the value, or relevance of what it's saying. DO we really need to not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together? And, what about those "tassels on the four corners of the cloak"? Yet, pay attention, not to the specifics, but to the principles and values that the laws are based on. For example, the tassels aren't well defined here, but in Numbers 15:37-41 they are explained:

Numbers 15:37-41 (NIV)
37 The LORD said to Moses,
38 "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel.
39 You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the LORD, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by going after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes.
40 Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God.
41 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD your God.'"

We call this "Mnemonic" device for remembering. Good teachers use things like this as tools for remembering all of the time.

The positive principles that are found in this passage are balanced by warnings, usually related to actions that would be destructive to social order. God knew that a nation of people who act out of selfishness and use others for their advantage would implant within the nation something akin to "cancer", that would slowly, but surely, if untreated, lead to the destruction of the nation. That's why the phrase "...you must purge the evil from Israel" appears several times.

It might appear strange to us, but it's well worth the time to meditate on it.

Peace

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Cities of Refuge and Concerns of War

Today's readings are from Deuteronomy 19 and 20.

The first part of this restates the creation of "Cities of refuge" in the new land. Remember, Deuteronomy means second law and is a re-statement of the principles of the first law. So why do it? The main thing is to reemphasize that capital offenses, such as pre-meditated murder are not to be tolerated; but justice demands fairness in terms of dealing with those offenses. In this way, Israel as a nation was far ahead of the nations of its day.

The second part has some interesting rules connected to who goes to war and what happens when warfare occurs, even down to the trees they could cut to use for part of the warfare.

As we read, it's easy to dismiss the value of this all. We don't have these cities of refuge, and we have a military that fights with technological means, but the principles of justice, mercy, even concern for the environment all stand out and remind us that every generation has to learn how to do these things no matter what they have or don't have.

Peace


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Kings and Prophets

Today's readings are in Deuteronomy 17 & 18

As this young nation gets ready to enter into the land, two new offices of leadership are recognized for the first time - Kings and Prophets.
They are completely different offices, but both exert leadership and influence on the lives of the people.
The section we're in continues to be an expansion on the theme of the first three commandments that refer to God. Moses will not be going into the land and as leader of the nation he has already given leadership over to Joshua. The law gives rights to humans charged with serious crimes; but individual responsibility is established, nonetheless.

The fact that Moses outlines the responsibilities of a King suggest that God made allowance for that kind of leadership "down the road". It would be several hundred years - after the period of the Judges - before Israel would seek a King. Perhaps the major hesitations have to do with their tribal distinctions as 12 tribes, and the desire to keep those distinctions as a part of their identity. Or perhaps as Moses' instructions made clear, they are very familiar with the dangers of leadership: the amassing of possessions and power that can then be used "over" people to dominate, instead of "under" them to serve. It would be wise for leaders to heed the advice that daily they should read the "book of the law" and heed it's commands and warnings.

The role of the Prophet is also introduced. The Israelites had dealings with prophecy in a negative way back in Numbers 22-25 with Balaam. But, God did not deem the deceptive prophesies to justify getting rid of prophets. In fact, he embraced the idea that after they entered the land a fresh word from God was still needed - even though the law was complete. Prophets in a simple way are charged to and warned, that their prophecies are legitimate but they must be of God.

"If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed."

Much of modern Christendom has decided to do away with prophets and prophecy - I'm afraid that it is the effects of a rational system that no longer believes in spirituality and mystery. Then again, in places where prophecy is embraced, Paul's advice from I Thess. 5, also has to be added to this:

"Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt, but test them all; hold on to what is good,"

Why is it so hard to practice that? We must recognize God wants to still share with us - "I will be with you always", Jesus says. So, actively listening for the voice of God through others seems the only thing to do.

Peace

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Loving Obedience

Today's readings are from Deuteronomy 11, 12, 13

Reading through the Bible in one year is best done in daily steps. I remember the first time I tried reading through the entire scriptures; I would find the need to sit down and read several days at a time just to catch up, and it felt like the whole year was just trying to keep up to get through it all. It's a bit like fasting followed by overeating...not recommended. I say all of that for those who find themselves at times struggling to "catch up"...the key might be in leaving what you didn't read behind and just start anew...AND, that is the lesson out of the reading today.

Anything we do for God needs to be done out of loving obedience. The problem, as Moses so aptly describes in this reading, is that we lose focus and we are tempted to substitute faithfulness and loving obedience for expediency and cultural accommodation. His warning was to the Israelites to live with a sense of loving obedience to God, and not sucked up in the cultural morass that would be tempting when they entered the land.

We're not conquering in a physical sense; but in the spiritual sense we are still in spiritual warfare. The apostle Paul's reminder is needed:
Ephesians 6:12 (NIV)
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
Steadfastness is a character quality of loving obedience, and humility is how that is walked out.

Peace

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The Need for Remembering

Today's readings are from Deuteronomy 8, 9, 10

Alzheimer's Disease is a terrible disease. I saw it firsthand when my mother contracted it in her 60's. She lived ten more years with it, but it was a steady downhill slope of forgetting. The problem is that it's bad enough to forget where you are, what you're suppose to be doing, why you went one place or another; but it's worse to forget relationally. To forget who your friends are, to not recognize your grandchildren, or even your children.

We all have times of forgetfulness...most of the time it's harmless. It usually is no big deal, although at times it can lead to stress in relationships...as in forgetting a lunch meeting, or to return a phone call. Most forgetfulness is unintentional - we simply get busy with other things and forget! Yet sometimes forgetting is part of a bigger issue - we don't want to remember. We tell ourselves a lie, that the person is not that important, or they can wait, or they won't mind...the kind of things that a husband can do to his wife when he "presumes" upon the relationship and begins to take advantage of it, instead of nurturing, valuing, or caring for what it means.

As the Israelites get ready to enter a land, God calls them to remember.

"Remember how the lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the lord."

Remembering was a way of recalling God's faithfulness. He had been faithful all of these years, there was no reason to believe he would not continue to be faithful to them in the land they were about to possess. He had used times of humbling to remind them that we don't live out of our own ingenuity, or life skills, but out of the word that sustains and gives life, direction, and wisdom to live. It was important to "remember" this - why?

"Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery...But remember the lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today."

It's an odd thing - the very thing that leads to prosperity, success, making it is that God is the one who makes our living possible. He is the one who supplies "all good things"... as the book of James says in chpt 1, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

We must not forget...give thanks frequently, be generous, think Kingdomly and not materialistically...it's about working against Spiritual Alzheimers.

Peace

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