An Example for God's Servants (Deut. 34:9-12)

7/26/2009 8:19 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                              Focus:  An example for God’s servants

 

Bible Reading & Meditation               Reference:  Deuteronomy 34:9-12

 

            Message of the verses:  “9 ¶  Now Joshua the son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; and the sons of Israel listened to him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses. 10  Since that time no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, 11  for all the signs and wonders which the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, all his servants, and all his land, 12  and for all the mighty power and for all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.”

            In this last sub-section of this entire book Dr. Wiersbe speaks about some of the things in the life of Moses and he compares him to the Lord Jesus Christ and so I want to take some time to write some of these comparisons this morning.

            “The secret life of Moses was not his own abilities, but his humble walk with the Lord.  He spent time with God, he listened to God’s Word, and he followed God’s orders.”

            “Moses was a man who focused on prayer and the ministry of the Word.  As Jesus with His apostles, he taught the people the Word and then he prayed for them to receive it and grow.”

            “In many respects, Moses comes across as a very Christlike person.  Like Jesus, he was born into a godly home at a difficult time in Jewish history, and like Jesus, his life was threatened.  When Moses have up the treasures of Egypt, it was like Jesus, who became poor that He might share spiritual riches with many (2 Cor. 8:9).  Like Jesus, Moses was rejected by his people when he tried to help them the first time (Ex. 2:11-15), but he was accepted by them when he came to them the second time (4:29-31; Acts 7:23-36).  Israel rejected Christ at His first coming, but they will receive Him when He comes again (Zech. 12:1—13:1).”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Dr. Wiersbe writes something in this section that I will quote for this section of my SD:  “God has different ways of training His servants, and each person’s training is tailormade by the Lord.”  I believe that God has this tailormade way to train me in order to serve the Lord in the way that He wants me to serve Him.  I know that I am not a perfect person, but deep in my heart I have a strong desire to serve the Lord and to worship Him in all that I do.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1. Put on the spiritual armor:  the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.
2. Continue to learn contentment.
3. Give my self to the Lord for worship and service.
4. Trust the Lord to guide my path today.
5. Trust the Lord to see me through our worship service this morning without having trouble with IBS.
6. Trust the Lord to search my heart for unconfessed sins that I may confess them to the Lord.

 

7/26/2009 8:58 AM

A Warning for God's Servants (Deut. 34:1-8)

7/25/2009 10:41 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                              Focus:  A warning for God’s servants

 

Bible Reading & Meditation               Reference:  Deuteronomy 34:1-8

 

            Message of the verses:  “1 ¶  Now Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the LORD showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan, 2  and all Naphtali and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, 3  and the Negev and the plain in the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. 4  Then the LORD said to him, "This is the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there."

    5 ¶  So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. 6  And He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; but no man knows his burial place to this day. 7  Although Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died, his eye was not dim, nor his vigor abated. 8  So the sons of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses came to an end.”

            Moses died and the Lord along with Michael buried him and no one has ever found the grave where he was buried in.  Moses did not enter the Promised Land because of the sin that he committed when he hit the rock to give the children of Israel water instead of speaking to it as the Lord told him to do.  Moses was doing this in his own strength and giving glory to him and also Aaron instead of giving glory to the Lord and that was the sin that he committed.  Moses prayed and asked the Lord on numerous occasions about letting him go into the Promised Land, but the Lord would not allow this to happen.

            Moses was the man that the Lord used to give the Jewish religion to the children of Israel and there are some Jews today that will not read any other portion of Scripture except the five books of Moses.

            As stated in and earlier SD Moses was permitted to go into the Promised Land on the Mt. of transfiguration with Jesus and Elijah and also James, John, and Peter, but as before he died he was only allowed to view it from a distance.

            Jude is the one who speaks of Michael disputing with Satan about the body of Moses and he did not rebuke Satan but said “The Lord rebuke you.”  What the confrontation is all about is not said anywhere in the Scriptures.  Michael’s name means “Who is like God?” and Satan said, “I will be like the Most High.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Moses was a great man that the Lord used to accomplish what He wanted to accomplish through him because Moses was faithful and he was humble.  God is God and He is not a respecter of people as seen in the case of Moses’ sin against Him and so this teaches me to do the things that are commanded for me to do as best I can and depend upon the Lord through His Holy Spirit to lead me and to guide me.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1. Put on the spiritual armor:  the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.
2. Give myself to the Lord for worship and service.
3. Trust the Lord go guide my path today.
4. Trust the Holy Spirit to search my heart for unconfessed sin and keep a short list with the Lord.
5. Continue to learn contentment.

 

7/25/2009 11:47 AM

The Happiness of God's People (Deut. 33:26-29)

7/24/2009 9:55 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                              Focus:  The happiness of God’s people

 

Bible Reading & Meditation               Reference:  Deuteronomy 33:26-29

 

            Message of the verses:  “26 ¶  "There is none like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to your help, And through the skies in His majesty. 27  "The eternal God is a dwelling place, And underneath are the everlasting arms; And He drove out the enemy from before you, And said, ‘Destroy!’ 28  "So Israel dwells in security, The fountain of Jacob secluded, In a land of grain and new wine; His heavens also drop down dew. 29  "Blessed are you, O Israel; Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD, Who is the shield of your help And the sword of your majesty! So your enemies will cringe before you, And you will tread upon their high places.’”

            This entire 33^rd chapter of Deuteronomy is written in Hebrew poetry.

            In verse 26 Moses writes the God of Jeshurun, and this word is a name for Israel, and Dr. MacArthur writes that this name means “righteous (Lit the upright one).  A name for Israel which sarcastically expresses the fact that Israel did not live up to God’s law after entering the land.  God uses this name to remind Israel of His calling and to severely rebuke apostasy.”

            These are the last words that Moses would write and he uses them to bless the children of Israel to tell them that God will take care of them and that they can trust Him when they go into battle with their enemies in the land.  Dr. Wiersbe writes:  “Israel’s greatest danger wasn’t the armies around them so much as the appetites within them.” 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I must say that as I come to the end of the first major section in the Bible, that of the first five books I am a bit saddened, but also excited to move on to the next section, the history section of the Bible to find out what the Lord will teach me and how that I can apply what He teaches me to my life so that I can serve and worship Him and also walk with Him in a better way.

            I can surely identify with Dr. Wiersbe’s statement that most time problems come from within rather than the ones that I face without.  I can agree with what Moses wrote in Deuteronomy 31:20 “20  "For when I bring them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten and are satisfied and become prosperous, then they will turn to other gods and serve them, and spurn Me and break My covenant.”  There is a difference between the other gods that Moses is writing about and the idols that I face, but none the less there is also some similarities between the two too that cause me to have problems in serving the Lord the way that I want to.

 

 

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1. Put on the spiritual armor in order to stand against the wiles of the devil:  The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.
2. Give myself to the Lord for worship and service.
3. Trust the Lord to guide my path today.
4. Keep a short list with the Lord of sins and seek the Holy Spirit to search my heart in order to find any hidden sins in my life so that I may confess them to the Lord.
5. Continue to learn contentment.

 

7/24/2009 10:47 AM

God's Blessing for the Tribes (Deut. 33:6-25)

7/23/2009 10:00 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                              Focus:  God’s blessing for the tribes

 

Bible Reading & Meditation               Reference:  Deuteronomy 33:6-25

 

            Message of the verses:  “6 ¶  "May Reuben live and not die, Nor his men be few." 7  And this regarding Judah; so he said, "Hear, O LORD, the voice of Judah, And bring him to his people. With his hands he contended for them, And may You be a help against his adversaries."

    8 ¶  Of Levi he said, "Let Your Thummim and Your Urim belong to Your godly man, Whom You proved at Massah, With whom You contended at the waters of Meribah; 9  Who said of his father and his mother, ‘I did not consider them’; And he did not acknowledge his brothers, Nor did he regard his own sons, For they observed Your word, And kept Your covenant. 10  "They shall teach Your ordinances to Jacob, And Your law to Israel. They shall put incense before You, And whole burnt offerings on Your altar. 11  "O LORD, bless his substance, And accept the work of his hands; Shatter the loins of those who rise up against him, And those who hate him, so that they will not rise again."

    12 ¶  Of Benjamin he said, "May the beloved of the LORD dwell in security by Him, Who shields him all the day, And he dwells between His shoulders." 13  Of Joseph he said, "Blessed of the LORD be his land, With the choice things of heaven, with the dew, And from the deep lying beneath, 14  And with the choice yield of the sun, And with the choice produce of the months. 15  "And with the best things of the ancient mountains, And with the choice things of the everlasting hills, 16  And with the choice things of the earth and its fullness, And the favor of Him who dwelt in the bush. Let it come to the head of Joseph, And to the crown of the head of the one distinguished among his brothers. 17  "As the firstborn of his ox, majesty is his, And his horns are the horns of the wild ox; With them he will push the peoples, All at once, to the ends of the earth. And those are the ten thousands of Ephraim, And those are the thousands of Manasseh."

    18 ¶  Of Zebulun he said, "Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going forth, And, Issachar, in your tents. 19  "They will call peoples to the mountain; There they will offer righteous sacrifices; For they will draw out the abundance of the seas, And the hidden treasures of the sand." 20  Of Gad he said, "Blessed is the one who enlarges Gad; He lies down as a lion, And tears the arm, also the crown of the head. 21  "Then he provided the first part for himself, For there the ruler’s portion was reserved; And he came with the leaders of the people; He executed the justice of the LORD, And His ordinances with Israel."

    22 ¶  Of Dan he said, "Dan is a lion’s whelp, That leaps forth from Bashan." 23  Of Naphtali he said, "O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, And full of the blessing of the LORD, Take possession of the sea and the south." 24  Of Asher he said, "More blessed than sons is Asher; May he be favored by his brothers, And may he dip his foot in oil. 25  "Your locks will be iron and bronze, And according to your days, so will your leisurely walk be.”

            It was noted by Warren Wiersbe that the mention of Simeon is not in this list, for that tribe eventually mixed in with the tribe of Judah.

            Here is the order of the tribes that are mentioned in this section:

                        Reuben, Judah, Levi—sons of Leah

                        Benjamin, Joseph—sons of Rachel

                        Ephraim, Manasseh—sons of Joseph

                        Zebulun, Issachar—sons of Leah

                        Gad—son of Zilpah

                        Dan, Naphtali—sons of Bilhah

                        Asher—son of Zilpah

            In this long section the Lord through Moses writes something about all of these tribes of Israel and I will not write commentary on all of these, but some of them I will chose to write something about.

            Reuben was Israel’s first born, yet he slept with one of Jacobs wives, one of the handmaids that came with Jacob and his wives when they left Laban’s house and traveled to what would be where the nation of Israel would eventually live.  In 1 Chron. 5:1-2 it reads as follows:  “1 ¶  Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel; so that he is not enrolled in the genealogy according to the birthright. 2  Though Judah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came the leader, yet the birthright belonged to Joseph).”

            Judah was not only the royal tribe, where the Messiah would come from, but was also a military tribe and marched at the front of the army.

            Simeon and Levi were the ones who avenged their sister Dinah’s being rapped by killing all the men of Shechem and so as Jacob was pronouncing the blessings of each of his sons right before he died he said that both Simeon and Levi would be blended into the other tribes and so Simeon became part of the tribe of Judah and Levi became the priestly tribe and lived all over the nation of Israel performing these duties.

            I have taken the time to copy and past Warren Wiersbe’s total commentary on this section and have saved it on my E drive under Spiritual Diaries/2009 Spiritual Diaries/July.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Be sure your sin will find you out is written in the Proverbs and when it comes to the tribes of Israel and some of the sins of the fathers they were truly seen in their children and grandchildren and so on down the line.  I am sure that not all of these people in these tribes were great sinners for in the book of Revelations there are twelve thousand from twelve of the tribes who will go out and preach the Gospel during the time of the tribulation.  It has always be kind of a mystery to me as to why all of these things happened, but when it comes to the things that I don’t understand in the Scriptures I trust the Lord for He cannot make any mistakes.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1. Trust the Lord to guide my path today.
2. Put on the spiritual armor:  The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.
3. Give myself to the Lord for worship and service.
4. Continue to learn contentment.
5. Keep a short list of sins between the Lord and me and seek the Holy Spirit to search my heart for hidden sins.

 

7/23/2009 11:01 AM

 

The Glory of God (Deut. 33:1-5)

7/22/2009 7:57 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                              Focus:  The glory of God

 

Bible Reading & Meditation               Reference:  Deut. 33:1-5

 

            Message of the verses:  “1 ¶  Now this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the sons of Israel before his death. 2  He said, "The LORD came from Sinai, And dawned on them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran, And He came from the midst of ten thousand holy ones; At His right hand there was flashing lightning for them. 3  "Indeed, He loves the people; All Your holy ones are in Your hand, And they followed in Your steps; Everyone receives of Your words. 4  "Moses charged us with a law, A possession for the assembly of Jacob. 5  "And He was king in Jeshurun, When the heads of the people were gathered, The tribes of Israel together.”

            This section begins the last chapter in “Be Equipped,” Warren Wiersbe’s commentary on the book of Deuteronomy, and it also begins the last chapter in his first set of commentaries on the first five books of the Bible.  I began the study in Genesis on the second to last day of 2005 and so it has taken me three years and seven months to cover the first five books of the Bible and before that it took about six or seven years to cover the New Testament and the Lord has blessed my studies and I have learned a lot from His Word.

            In this last chapter of Dr. Wiersbe’s book entitled “The End of an Era” he covers the last few verses in chapter thirty-two of Deuteronomy and then chapters thirty-three and thirty-four, but thus far I have not seen any commentary on those last verses of chapter thirty-two and this is a mystery to me so I will include those in this section as they are very important verses in the Scripture, but first I want to write on the first five verses in chapter thirty-three.

            Moses is credited to writing the 90^th Psalm, and along with the first five book of the Bible, and so at the end of chapter thirty –four his writings will be complete and as it says at the end of chapter thirty-two he will go up on Mt. Nebo and take a look at the promised land and their he will die, he will be gathered to his people, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, along with Aaron and all the saints who had gone before him, for they are all his people.

            “Moses writes this section in the third person the same way that David wrote in 2 Samuel 7:20 when he was overwhelmed by the promises of God.”  This first few verse probably describe what Moses when through when he was on Mt. Sinai receiving the Law of God, for he speaks of the “holy ones” in verse two who are the angels who help to give the law as Paul spoke of in Galatians.  The holy ones in verse three are the children of Israel.  Dr. Wiersbe points out the grace of God as seen in this section and writes:  “God’s sovereign grace and love are never reasons for pride on the part of sinful people.  Rather, they are truths that should humble us and make us want to serve Him with all our hearts.”

            On the words “holy ones” Dr. Wiersbe writes the following:  “Our standing before God is that of being righteous in Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 5:21), but our present state in this world is that of being tempted and frequently failing.  The victorious Christian life means living up to our standing through faith in the power of God.” 

            I will now cut and paste the last verses from Deut. 32:  “44 ¶  Then Moses came and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people, he, with Joshua the son of Nun. 45  When Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel, 46  he said to them, "Take to your heart all the words with which I am warning you today, which you shall command your sons to observe carefully, even all the words of this law. 47  "For it is not an idle word for you; indeed it is your life. And by this word you will prolong your days in the land, which you are about to cross the Jordan to possess." 48  The LORD spoke to Moses that very same day, saying, 49  "Go up to this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab opposite Jericho, and look at the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the sons of Israel for a possession. 50  "Then die on the mountain where you ascend, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people, 51  because you broke faith with Me in the midst of the sons of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, because you did not treat Me as holy in the midst of the sons of Israel. 52  "For you shall see the land at a distance, but you shall not go there, into the land which I am giving the sons of Israel.’”

            Moses spoke the words of this song to the children of Israel along with Joshua the son of Num.  You can see the love that Moses has for the Word of God and tells the children of Israel to follow all of these words for they are life to them.  Israel was so privileged to be the nation who God chose to give His Word too and this is true with the Church today who has the Word of God.

            As stated earlier Moses was about to die and go to be with the Lord whom he loved and the Lord goes over the sin that Moses had committed in the later verses of this section, a sin that has kept him from entering the Promised Land.  On a side note about this it is believed that Moses will return during the tribulation period as one of the two witnesses and as far as entering the Promised Land Moses did that when he came to meet the Lord Jesus Christ on the Mt. of transfiguration right before the Lord was to go to the cross, he came with Elijah as they represented the Law and the Prophets.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I have a great love for the Word of God and have a great desire to study it and to obey the Word of it and this is all seen in these two sections of Scripture.  I also truly love reading the commentary of Warren Wiersbe and also John MacArthur who both help me to understand the Word of God in order for me to grow in my walk with the Lord.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1. Give myself to the Lord for worship and service today.
2. Put on the spiritual armor:  The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.
3. Trust the Lord to guide my path today.
4. Keep a short list with the Lord of sins and trust the Holy Spirit to search my heart of unconfessed sins so that I can confess them to the Lord.
5. Continue to learn contentment.

 

7/22/2009 9:07 AM  

The Vengeance of God Against His Adversaries (Deut. 32:26-43)

7/21/2009 9:43 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time           Focus:  The vengeance of God against His adversaries

 

Bible Reading & Meditation               Reference:  Deut. 32:26-43

 

            Message of the verses:  “26 ¶  ‘I would have said, "I will cut them to pieces, I will remove the memory of them from men," 27  Had I not feared the provocation by the enemy, That their adversaries would misjudge, That they would say, "Our hand is triumphant, And the LORD has not done all this."’ 28  "For they are a nation lacking in counsel, And there is no understanding in them. 29  "Would that they were wise, that they understood this, That they would discern their future! 30  "How could one chase a thousand, And two put ten thousand to flight, Unless their Rock had sold them, And the LORD had given them up? 31  "Indeed their rock is not like our Rock, Even our enemies themselves judge this. 32  "For their vine is from the vine of Sodom, And from the fields of Gomorrah; Their grapes are grapes of poison, Their clusters, bitter. 33  "Their wine is the venom of serpents, And the deadly poison of cobras. 34  ‘Is it not laid up in store with Me, Sealed up in My treasuries? 35  ‘Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, In due time their foot will slip; For the day of their calamity is near, And the impending things are hastening upon them.’ 36  "For the LORD will vindicate His people, And will have compassion on His servants, When He sees that their strength is gone, And there is none remaining, bond or free. 37  "And He will say, ‘Where are their gods, The rock in which they sought refuge? 38  ‘Who ate the fat of their sacrifices, And drank the wine of their drink offering? Let them rise up and help you, Let them be your hiding place!

    “39 ¶  ‘See now that I, I am He, And there is no god besides Me; It is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heal, And there is no one who can deliver from My hand. 40  ‘Indeed, I lift up My hand to heaven, And say, as I live forever, 41  If I sharpen My flashing sword, And My hand takes hold on justice, I will render vengeance on My adversaries, And I will repay those who hate Me. 42  ‘I will make My arrows drunk with blood, And My sword will devour flesh, With the blood of the slain and the captives, From the long-haired leaders of the enemy.’ 43  "Rejoice, O nations, with His people; For He will avenge the blood of His servants, And will render vengeance on His adversaries, And will atone for His land and His people.’”

            With these verses the song of Moses is finished as he and Joshua give this song to the leaders of Israel who in turn will teach it to the rest of the children Israel who in turn were to teach it to their children and their children’s children and so on down the line so that they would obey the Law of God and not have to go through the horrible things that were written in the Law of God if they did not follow the commandments of the Lord.  Israel was certainly a blessed nation for they had the very Words of God given to them, and in those very Words was the prophecy of the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ the Holy One of God who would take their place in death for them in order to give them eternal life if they would only believe Him, which of course most of them did not do. 

            In verses 39-43 Dr. Wiersbe points out that this is a prophecy that has never truly been fulfilled and he believes that it will be fulfilled during the battle of Armageddon when the Lord will judge the gentile nations and then will come about what Paul writes in Romans that “all Israel will be saved.” 

            Israel’s had the problem of worshiping idols, idols that the nations around them worshipped and so God would have to judge Israel for this sin and He would use the nations around Israel to judge Israel, yet when theses nations defeated Israel they though that they were doing it from their own power and therefore God would in turn judge them for judging Israel and so it will be at the end of time as we know it on this earth right before the Lord Jesus returns and takes up His seat in Jerusalem where He will rule the earth from their for 1000 years.

 

           

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1. Trust that the Holy Spirit will continue His work in my heart to stop watching too much TV.
2. Trust the Lord to guide my path today.
3. Continue to learn contentment.
4. Give myself to the Lord for worship and service.
5. Put on the spiritual armor:  the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.
6. Keep a short list with the Lord and seek the Holy Spirit to search my heart for hidden sins in my life that I may confess them to the Lord.  (1John 1:9)

 

Memory verses for the week:                                  Ephesians 3:14-21

 

14.  For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,

15.  from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,

16.  that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,

17.  so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, and that you, being rooted and grounded in live,

18.  may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,

19.  and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

20.  Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,

21.  to Him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever.  Amen.

 

7/21/2009 10:41 AM

The Faithfulness of God in Chastening His People (Deut. 32:15-25)

7/20/2009 9:02 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time Focus:  The faithfulness of God in chastening His people

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  Deut. 32:15-25

 

            Message of the verses:  “15 ¶  "But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked— You are grown fat, thick, and sleek— Then he forsook God who made him, And scorned the Rock of his salvation. 16  "They made Him jealous with strange gods; With abominations they provoked Him to anger. 17  "They sacrificed to demons who were not God, To gods whom they have not known, New gods who came lately, Whom your fathers did not dread. 18  "You neglected the Rock who begot you, And forgot the God who gave you birth.

    “19 ¶  "The LORD saw this, and spurned them Because of the provocation of His sons and daughters. 20  "Then He said, ‘I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end shall be; For they are a perverse generation, Sons in whom is no faithfulness. 21  ‘They have made Me jealous with what is not God; They have provoked Me to anger with their idols. So I will make them jealous with those who are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation, 22  For a fire is kindled in My anger, And burns to the lowest part of Sheol, And consumes the earth with its yield, And sets on fire the foundations of the mountains. 23  ‘I will heap misfortunes on them; I will use My arrows on them. 24  ‘They will be wasted by famine, and consumed by plague And bitter destruction; And the teeth of beasts I will send upon them, With the venom of crawling things of the dust. 25  ‘Outside the sword will bereave, And inside terror— Both young man and virgin, The nursling with the man of gray hair.”

            Prophecy seems to be a main theme in this section for the things that are described  here are things that will happen in the future from this writing and in fact are still happening even to this day in the lives of the children of Israel.

            The thing that God hates most is idol worship, and that is why the nation of Israel was judged so many times in the OT culminating with the nation of Babylon coming down to take them captive in 586 BC.

            Warren Wiersbe points out that verse twenty-one culminated with the Romans defeating the Jews in 70 AD and then the Jews were dispersed throughout the whole world and before that God turned His attention to the gentiles to save them and to make Israel jealous.

            This section speaks of God being the Father of the nation of Israel by using the word begot and because He was their Father and because they turned away from Him to worship idols and demons (1 Cor. 10:20), God had to discipline them because that is what a Father does.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Idol worship is not just for OT believers, and it is not just for heathens today, but anything that comes between the God that I love and me is an Idol.  TV is an idol that has become between God and me and the Holy Spirit has been working on my heart in order for me to stop watching the amount of TV that I have been watching and I need to be faithful to the Holy Spirit and stop watching too much TV. 

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1. Not watch so much TV today; in fact this would be a good day to not watch it at all.
2. Give myself to the Lord for worship and service.
3. Trust the Lord to guide my path today.
4. Continue to learn contentment.
5. Keep a short list between myself and the Lord of sins that I commit and trust the Holy Spirit to search my heart and convict me of hidden sins in order to confess them to Him.  (1John 1:9)
6. Put on the spiritual armor of God:  The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.

 

Memory verses for the week:                                  Ephesians 3:14-21

 

14.  For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,

15.  from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,

16.  that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,

17.  so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

18.  may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,

19.  and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

20.  Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,

21.  to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

 

7/20/2009 9:46 AM

The Goodness of God to His People (Deut. 32:5-14)

7/18/2009 9:23 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                    Focus:  The goodness of God to His people

 

Bible Reading & Meditation               Reference:  Deut. 32:5-14

 

            Message of the verses:  “5  "They have acted corruptly toward Him, They are not His children, because of their defect; But are a perverse and crooked generation. 6  "Do you thus repay the LORD, O foolish and unwise people? Is not He your Father who has bought you? He has made you and established you.

    “7 ¶  "Remember the days of old, Consider the years of all generations. Ask your father, and he will inform you, Your elders, and they will tell you. 8  "When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, When He separated the sons of man, He set the boundaries of the peoples According to the number of the sons of Israel. 9  "For the LORD’S portion is His people; Jacob is the allotment of His inheritance. 10  "He found him in a desert land, And in the howling waste of a wilderness; He encircled him, He cared for him, He guarded him as the pupil of His eye. 11  "Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, That hovers over its young, He spread His wings and caught them, He carried them on His pinions. 12  "The LORD alone guided him, And there was no foreign god with him. 13  "He made him ride on the high places of the earth, And he ate the produce of the field; And He made him suck honey from the rock, And oil from the flinty rock, 14  Curds of cows, and milk of the flock, With fat of lambs, And rams, the breed of Bashan, and goats, With the finest of the wheat— And of the blood of grapes you drank wine.”

            In this section I can see the goodness and faithfulness of God towards Israel and in turn Israel was unfaithful to God.  God is referred as Father in verse six, one of only six or seven times in the OT depending on which translation is read.

            Verse ten is a reference to God calling Israel the apple of His eye which is seen a number of times in the OT.  The word is translated as pupil in verse ten which comes from a Latin word that means apple, but the Hebrew word actually means “little man” as when one looks intently at another persons eye and sees his reflection in their eye and what they see is a little person, thus this is what the Hebrew word means.

            Verses thirteen and fourteen speak of the goodness that God has given Israel in the land of Canaan, things like honey, wine, and wheat.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  One of the main points of this section of Scripture is the goodness of God to His people and yet His people do not treat Him with the awe and respect that He deserves and when I look at this I wonder why I don’t always treat the Lord in this way, a way that brings honor and glory to Him for that is what pleases the Lord.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1. Love the Lord with all of my heart mind and soul.
2. Continue to learn contentment.
3. Trust the Lord to guide my path today.
4. Keep a short list with the Lord and ask the Holy Spirit to search my heart for sin that I might confess them to the Lord.
5. Put on the spiritual armor:  The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of truth, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.
6. Give myself to the Lord for worship and service.

 

7/18/2009 10:02 AM

The Character of God (Deut. 32:1-4)

7/17/2009 5:20 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                        Focus:  The character of God

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  Deut. 32-1-4

 

            Message of the verses:  “1 ¶  "Give ear, O heavens, and let me speak; And let the earth hear the words of my mouth. 2  "Let my teaching drop as the rain, My speech distill as the dew, As the droplets on the fresh grass And as the showers on the herb. 3  "For I proclaim the name of the LORD; Ascribe greatness to our God! 4  "The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.”

            Moses begins this song with the setting like in a court room as seen in verse one, and he wants all of the earth to listen to what he has to say.  In verse two the setting changes to a rain shower, not a storm but a gentle rain shower that comes over the earth to water the hard soil or as the dew comes to water the plants in a gentle way.

            Moses now moves on to speak of God, and begins to speak of some of the attributes of God as he ascribes to the Lord greatness and in verse four calls Him the Rock and tells that His work is perfect for there is no imperfection in God nor can there ever be.  God is just and all His dealings are done in justice.  God is faithful, righteousness and He is upright as seen in verse four.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Our Bible study that is to start this fall is about the attributes of God and how I am to look at God to know Him better as seen through some of the attributes that the Scriptures use to describe God.  In these verse some of these attributes are given and it is good to know them for by them I can know God better which is certainly a goal of mine in this life, to know God better and better.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1. Give myself to the Lord for worship and service.
2. Trust the Lord to guide my path today.
3. Continue to learn contentment.
4. Keep a short list with the Lord and seek the Holy Spirit to search my heart for hidden sins.
5. Put on the spiritual armor of God:  The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.

 

7/17/2009 5:53 AM

Heeding God's Warnings (Deut. 31:14-22)

7/16/2009 10:33 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                        Focus:  Heeding God’s warnings

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  Deut. 31:14-22

 

            Message of the verses:  “14 ¶  Then the LORD said to Moses, "Behold, the time for you to die is near; call Joshua, and present yourselves at the tent of meeting, that I may commission him." So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the tent of meeting. 15  The LORD appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood at the doorway of the tent. 16  The LORD said to Moses, "Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers; and this people will arise and play the harlot with the strange gods of the land, into the midst of which they are going, and will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. 17  "Then My anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide My face from them, and they will be consumed, and many evils and troubles will come upon them; so that they will say in that day, ‘Is it not because our God is not among us that these evils have come upon us?’ 18  "But I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they will do, for they will turn to other gods. 19  "Now therefore, write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the sons of Israel; put it on their lips, so that this song may be a witness for Me against the sons of Israel. 20  "For when I bring them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten and are satisfied and become prosperous, then they will turn to other gods and serve them, and spurn Me and break My covenant. 21  "Then it shall come about, when many evils and troubles have come upon them, that this song will testify before them as a witness (for it shall not be forgotten from the lips of their descendants); for I know their intent which they are developing today, before I have brought them into the land which I swore.’

    22 ¶  So Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the sons of Israel.”

            Moses is about to die and be taken away from the children of Israel and Joshua will become the leader of Israel.  God calls to Moses that he might bring Joshua along with Moses to the tent of meetings where the Lord would speak to them and commission Joshua as the leader of the nation of Israel.  God would speak to them out of the pillar of fire and what He was about to tell them was what would become the history of the nation of Israel.  God tells it in a song and the song will be written down by Moses and he will teach it to the leaders who will in turn teach it to all of the people.  The song has four parts in it and this will be the theme of the next four SD’s.  The character of God (verses 32:1-4); the kindness of God to His people (verses 5-14); the faithfulness of God in chastening His people (verses 15-25); and the vengeance of God against His adversaries (Verses 26-43).

            Israel would not just be influenced by their neighbors to worship idols, but according to verse twenty prosperity will also be a reason for them to turn their back against the Lord and worship idols.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life:  Idols are anything that comes between the Lord and me so that I will have trouble with my worship of Him and affluence is also a reason why I would bring things (which are idols) between God and me and prohibit true worship of the Lord.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1. Give myself to the Lord for worship in service today.
2. Trust the Lord to guide my path today.
3. Continue to learn contentment.
4. Keep a short list of sins between me and the Lord.
5. Put on the spiritual armor; the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.

 

7/16/2009 11:16 AM