Bible Reading Reflection from Deuteronomy 20-25

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (KD), a reading update (reflection) from one chapter of the Bible a day] 

𝔻𝔼𝕌𝕋𝔼ℝ𝕆ℕ𝕆𝕄𝕐 𝟚𝟘:𝟙𝟡-𝟚𝟘

"When you besiege a city a long time, to make war against it in order to capture it, you shall not destroy its trees by swinging an axe against them; for you may eat from them, and you shall not cut them down. For is the tree of the field a man, that it should be besieged by you?  Only the trees which you know are not fruit trees you shall destroy and cut down, that you may construct siegeworks against the city that is making war with you until it falls."

@__________ will like this passage being a student of forestry 🙂

Cutting down of trees is permitted for construction of a siege wall, but not fruit trees, even for that [for a siege wall at war time].

Respect the fruit trees of anyone, even of your enemies, hmm! All because you can eat the fruits. Not because of anything!

The rules of war described in this passage are very impressive. Gideon obeyed this principle. But the Israelites massacring the people of Jabesh Gilead in Judges 21 clearly portrays the failures of Israelites!

 

𝔻𝔼𝕌𝕋𝔼ℝ𝕆ℕ𝕆𝕄𝕐 𝟚𝟙:𝟙𝟝-𝟙𝟞

"If a man has two wives, the one loved and the other unloved, and both the loved and the unloved have borne him sons, if the firstborn son belongs to the unloved, then it shall be in the day he wills what he has to his sons, he cannot make the son of the loved the firstborn before the son of the unloved, who is the firstborn."

Very interesting passage. Moses (God) gave counsel to even fallen sinners so that their sins will not multiply on and on.

Having two wives has been already sinful, God knew how the Israelites will stumble in sin; and instead of forsaking them, God still planned out to save them from utter wickedness.

And I see here the [righteous] Law of God is greater than the [romantic] Love of humans. Law says, "firstborn," Romantic Love says, "my love."

 

𝔻𝔼𝕌𝕋𝔼ℝ𝕆ℕ𝕆𝕄𝕐 𝟚𝟚:𝟙

"You shall not see your countryman's ox or his sheep straying away, and pay no attention to them; you shall certainly bring them back to your countryman."

When I and my friends were children, we would sometimes imagine, fancy, and wonder what a lot of money means. We would ask, "What will you do if you find a bundle of money fallen in the road?" The question assumes that it's like winning a lottery, it's yours, you own it. Hmm! Moses didn't think like that! And BTW, I never found a bundle of money, not even a 1-rupee coin! 😬😂

God wants us to be helpful (loving). This is not only about neighbors. Look again, it says "countryman." What a sinful city we are in, Delhi! Full of cheating! I read a news article not long ago about some people selling fire extinguishers duping the uneducated as oxygen for a covid patient!

Loving one another extends to all relationships: even to their donkeys and garments! (v2-4)

 

𝔻𝔼𝕌𝕋𝔼ℝ𝕆ℕ𝕆𝕄𝕐 𝟚𝟛:𝟙𝟜

"Since the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp to deliver you and to defeat your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy; and He must not see anything indecent among you or He will turn away from you."

The dominant theme, idea, picture we see from this chapter is: God is holy; we cannot do as we like before Him. There's a proper way to worship Him, and a proper way to live as His people.

Nowadays, people’s attitudes are: God should be okay with whatever makes me comfortable. That's why they come to church for worship any time they like, dressing anyway they like, talking anything they like, singing any song they like.

They wake up anytime they like. They read and pray and skip anytime they like. There's no discipline.  There's no piety. They think, "God's must be so good to accommodate all my lifestyle."

Sadly, it just shows that worshippers are greater than the One who is worshipped!

And Deuteronomy 23 is basically saying, "You fool, No!"

 

𝔻𝔼𝕌𝕋𝔼ℝ𝕆ℕ𝕆𝕄𝕐 𝟚𝟜:𝟚𝟙-𝟚𝟚

"When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not go over it again; it shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing."

In short, be kind and considerate towards the poor and the underprivileged. Israelites knew they once were such in Egypt; their experience must be used to uplift such people.

There will always be poor people, but we must always strive to reduce poverty. God commands the rich, strong, wise, powerful people, skilled people to uplift the rest of the society.

Is it an accident that we were born in a poor society? Maybe like the Israelites, we will be delivered from poverty, and then when we become more stable and civilized someday, we must do so for others who aren't!

 

𝔻𝔼𝕌𝕋𝔼ℝ𝕆ℕ𝕆𝕄𝕐 𝟚𝟝:𝟝

"When brothers live together and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the deceased shall not be married outside the family to a strange man. Her husband's brother shall go in to her and take her to himself as wife and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her."

Bible teaches us a high view of family, a high view of marriage, a high view of children.

These days, full of broken families: parents living separately, not talking to others, children not talking to parents, etc. God designs people to love their family members more than anyone outside their family members. Nowadays, no love in the family, no family values.

Marriage is till death separates. Nowadays, multiple marriages, divorces for all kinds of stupid reasons. God designs marriage to be a lifelong covenant, nowadays it has become a contract they can call off anytime.

Nowadays, children are worthless as dungs, they can abort them anytime they want. It has become evil to have children, they protest; children are evil to them.

This verse, Deuteronomy 25:5 reminds us of a high view God has of family, marriage, and children.

In the context of Israelites [then], it was even more, because it included the inheritance, promised land, and lineage, which is not that applicable to strangers like us now.

Bible Reading Reflection from Deuteronomy 13-19

 [Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (KD), a reading update (reflection) from one chapter of the Bible a day]

𝔻𝔼𝕌𝕋𝔼ℝ𝕆ℕ𝕆𝕄𝕐 𝟙𝟛

Kill anyone and everyone who tries to lead you astray in worshiping a false god. Hmm!

God is serious that He is only the one to be worshipped. There is none like Him.

May we be serious about "the seriousness of God"!

 

𝔻𝔼𝕌𝕋𝔼ℝ𝕆ℕ𝕆𝕄𝕐 𝟙𝟜:𝟚

"For you are a holy people to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth."

Chapter 14 contains the don'ts of the Law. The reason is they are different. They belong to God.

We want to be famous like the rest of the world. We want to be rich to eat the delicious foods of the world. We want glory, power, honor and to be able to go to all the places of the world and be held in awe by all. We want many great things for ourselves. We really love ourselves. We really do everything for ourselves. We really serve ourselves. We really idolize ourselves! We are our own god.

God wants the Israelites to live for Him. He gives them all things but asks them to avoid a few things for His name's sake. God gave Adam and Eve everything and asked them to avoid only one tree for His name's sake.

Every time, God is the same. He gives everything for us, allows us to do everything, but with few exceptions.

If I were God, I would send everybody to hell, and I will put myself in the first batch!

 

𝔻𝔼𝕌𝕋𝔼ℝ𝕆ℕ𝕆𝕄𝕐 𝟙𝟝:𝟙𝟙, 𝟜

v11. "For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.’"

v4. "However, there will be no poor among you, since the LORD will surely bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess"

No poor in the ideal plan. Yes, poor people are everywhere in reality. Obedience and disobedience!

Well, the poor must not be despised but be cared for. And poverty must be reduced as much as it can be

 

𝔻𝔼𝕌𝕋𝔼ℝ𝕆ℕ𝕆𝕄𝕐 𝟙𝟞:𝟚𝟘

"Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, that you may live and possess the land which the LORD your God is giving you."

In a society, justice is a top priority to pursue. Leaders are to be a man of principle—justice.

Our leaders of nation, state, district, town, village are hardly known for justice. They are known for corruption, bribery, VIP culture. They are known for opportunism, slander, and nepotism!

Let's look out for just people! Let’s elect just people for the leadership.

 

𝔻𝔼𝕌𝕋𝔼ℝ𝕆ℕ𝕆𝕄𝕐 𝟙𝟟:𝟙

"You shall not sacrifice to the LORD your God an ox or a sheep which has a blemish or any defect, for that is a detestable thing to the LORD your God."

I am 100% confident that when I grew up in my grandma's home, my grandma and all the villagers offered the best products of their labor (fields, cattle) to God (church). I would often hear, "This is so good, this has to be brought to Church."

I also grew up seeing people giving the best and cleanest note (money) in the hour of offering. Indeed, what a commendable practice! There's a warrant for this practice based on this verse1 of Deut. 17.

However, we failed in many areas. We must consider such thing as well: Have we given our best time to God (early morning or whatever time you think is best)? Are you serving God in the best days of your life? Or are you waiting for the days of your gray hairs?

BTW, I also saw some families who had many sons, proposing to send at least one of them for the work of Christian ministry, which is commendable. Only that they didn't send the first son or the best child.

BTW, I also saw people putting on their best dress on Sunday, when they come to church Sunday morning to worship God. Nowadays, people are so casual!

God wants the best! There is only one perfect man in the universe. And God used that person for a sacrifice. God demands His life. He was offered up to God for a pleasing sacrifice, Lord Jesus Christ!

 

𝔻𝔼𝕌𝕋𝔼ℝ𝕆ℕ𝕆𝕄𝕐 𝟙𝟠:𝟚𝟚

"When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him."

There are lots of people in Manipur who are prophesying and predicting this and that thing to come in the name of the God of the Bible. Let me be very clear:

They are doing so by the leading of the spirit of Satan, who transformed himself into an angel of light. Or at best, they are being deluded, being biblically uneducated, ill-informed, and ill-taught. To them the saying is appropriate, "Better to be untaught than to be ill-taught!"

According to the Scriptures, the test of a prophet is not: how many of his prophecies/ predictions are true? The real test is: is any of his prophecies found to be false?

The standard is: even if he is 99% correct, if it's not 100% correct, he is not of God. He is a presumptuous prophet. Remember this verse Deuteronomy 18:22.

I dare say, all of them are presumptuous prophets. Lucky that, our generation doesn't have the guts to stone them to death!

 

𝔻𝔼𝕌𝕋𝔼ℝ𝕆ℕ𝕆𝕄𝕐 𝟙𝟡:𝟚𝟙

"Thus you shall not show pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot."

This is legal justice! Well, we don't want justice when we are the guilty party. We want mercy. We look for excuses, forgiveness, leniency.

But when we are the victims, we want to repay them exactly, actually doubly! 😬

It looks that our cry for justice is often driven by selfishness.

Bible Reading Reflection from Deuteronomy 8-12

 [Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (KD), a reading update (reflection) from one chapter of the Bible a day]

𝔻𝔼𝕌𝕋𝔼ℝ𝕆ℕ𝕆𝕄𝕐 𝟠:𝟚-𝟛

"And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might 𝕙𝕦𝕞𝕓𝕝𝕖 you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he 𝕙𝕦𝕞𝕓𝕝𝕖𝕕 you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD."

God seeks humility in man! God wants us to be people of humility. That's what we see even in the incarnation of Jesus, our Lord. Paul in Philippians 2 exhorts us to have the mind of humility which was in Jesus Christ to the point of His death. The good news of this is humility precedes exaltation. And pride goes before destruction!

 

𝔻𝔼𝕌𝕋𝔼ℝ𝕆ℕ𝕆𝕄𝕐 𝟡:𝟝-𝟞

"It is not for your righteousness or for the uprightness of your heart that you are going to possess their land, but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD your God is driving them out before you, in order to confirm the oath which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. ‘Know, then, it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stubborn people’."

Two things are clear:

1. Israelites are unworthy.

2. Canaanites are too wicked.

Some stupid people mocked the Bible saying, God is so cruel to chase out native people to give lands to Israelites. They see cruelty when in reality is a demonstration of grace!

No matter what, Canaanites deserved to perish just like any sinners, more so because of their wickedness. The unworthy Israelites given land they didn't belong to, is a grace.

This world is a story of God's people. Whatever happened to the wicked people is not relevant compared to what happened to God's people. It always is this way. Even the secular world says, "Histories are written by the winners," Indeed, History is His [God’s] Story.

 

𝔻𝔼𝕌𝕋𝔼ℝ𝕆ℕ𝕆𝕄𝕐 𝟙𝟘:𝟙𝟘

"I, moreover, stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights like the first time, and the LORD listened to me that time also; the LORD was not willing to destroy you."

Deuteronomy 10 is by the far the most impressive passage in this book so far, especially v12-22, but since I have known that for quite some time, it will be laziness of me if I share from this passage this time again. So, I've chosen v10 for my sharing today.

Notice the word "like the first time"

1. God was angry with Israelites that He decided to annihilate them. (No wonder why Hitler and Hamas wanted to annihilate them as well). God proposed to make Moses and his descendants great ones. (Which Moses humbly denied, and no wonder why God called him the humblest man on the face of the earth). BTW, apart from Moses, his descendants were quite ordinary. Aaron's descendants were some of the most popular people in biblical history. Moses had that offer from none other than God; he turned down because Moses wanted the glory of God than anything (his greatness).

2. Not only God was angry with the Israelites, but Moses was angry too. (Moses, a great shepherd of Israel, prayed for forgiveness, not for the sake of Israelites, but for the sake of God's Name, that the nations around them will not mock God for His “inability” to fulfill His promise of bringing them to the promised land.) Moses concluded that the Israelites didn't deserve to have Yahweh as their God, so, he destroyed the tablets. (He received those tablets after 40 days and nights of alone-time with God without food and water. Who would waste such tablets received through such perseverance?) However, like God, Moses was forgiving, he went up to the mountain again, without food and water for 40 days and nights spending alone-time with God for the [new] tablets for the sake of the people.

Two more Observations:

1. God and God's leaders would do anything for the godliness of God's people.

2. When God's people are ungodly, they weary the bones and life of God's leaders and God!

 

𝔻𝔼𝕌𝕋𝔼ℝ𝕆ℕ𝕆𝕄𝕐 𝟙𝟙:𝟙𝟟

"Then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and he will shut up the heavens, so that there will be no rain, and the land will yield no fruit, and you will perish quickly off the good land that the LORD is giving you."

I am not an Israelite nor a farmer, but I never take rain for granted. I always see the majesty of God in the rain.

Rain is a great leveler. It makes everyone still. Even the busiest street takes a pause when there's rain!

 

𝔻𝔼𝕌𝕋𝔼ℝ𝕆ℕ𝕆𝕄𝕐 𝟙𝟚: 𝟠, 𝟛𝟘

v8. "You shall not do at all what we are doing here today, every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes."

The theme of the book of Judges is "everyone’s doing what is right in his own eyes," which Moses sternly warned against it. Moses was right. How chaotic their life was!

That's why we have church, leaders, teachers, and pastors. We all have the Holy Spirit indwelling us, yet we are too foolishly ignorant and arrogant to live rightly before God.

Some professing Christians never become a member of a church. Even some of them who became a member hardly attended a church. Their life is displeasing to God, and most probably they aren't truly saved at all!

v30. "Beware that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How do these nations serve their gods, that I also may do likewise?’"

The word of God is sufficient to instruct us on how to please God, or on how to run a church, how to do a mission, or how to reach out to people. Some Christian leaders sought to learn from the world—the world of business, mass media, psychology, etc. on how they have reached out to people (customers) and insist to practice in the church. Moses warned the Israelites not to seek how other nations have served their gods because Yahweh is different.

Churchgoers aren't customers. We don't do anything to please the attendees or members primarily, we do to please God.

Worship is to please God, not to make people comfortable or feel good. This, we need to recover again. When we do this, worship will be both pleasing to God and members again!

Bible Reading Reflection from Deuteronomy 1-7

 [Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (KD), a reading update (reflection) from one chapter of the Bible a day]

𝔻𝔼𝕌𝕋𝔼ℝ𝕆ℕ𝕆𝕄𝕐 𝟙:𝟚𝟞-𝟚𝟟

"Yet you were not willing to go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD your God; and you grumbled in your tents and said, ‘Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us.’"

I see the expression of this serious sin in self-pity. It is also not lacking in the one who lacks courage, confidence, and conviction. Complaint and Grumbling are the deeds of the flesh! Trusting, Watchful, and Diligence are the companions of a spiritual man.

To accuse the most loving person in the universe that He hates them is a blasphemy! Not Loving? If people can accuse God of not loving enough, don't worry, they will hurl at you [that you’re not loving]. But unfortunately, it could be true when it's against us!

I was reading Malachi 1 in another group [WhatsApp Bible group]. And there [in the times of Malachi], the people dared to question the love of God!

And again, how often have we? And how dare we commit such treason, insult, blasphemy, sin against God? 🤦‍♂️

 

𝔻𝔼𝕌𝕋𝔼ℝ𝕆ℕ𝕆𝕄𝕐 𝟚:𝟚𝟝

"This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the peoples everywhere under the heavens, who, when they hear the report of you, will tremble and be in anguish because of you."

God really does this even today. He puts the fear of man in the instincts of animals and reptiles. And He puts fear in some people in a unique way. Some people fear to harm godly people.

While I was in Shillong, I had a friend who was a drug addict. He would steal our (hostellers’) phones to fund his drugs. One night, he broke into a phone booth two times and stole many phones. But somehow, he restrained himself from stealing my phone because he recognized my phone, but he stole some of our mutual friends' phones anyway! While I don't mean to say I was godly, but he knew I was one of the young student Christian leaders.

{BTW, a story is told about Billy Graham's stolen Bible. He couldn't understand why people would steal Bible [God’s book], and that also with his name written on it. And as he was narrating his perplexity, his patient listeners laughed out loud saying, "that's the reason why it was stolen" In fact, even I myself might get tempted to steal Billy Graham's Bible, especially if his name and signature and notes are in there! 😬😂}

 

𝔻𝔼𝕌𝕋𝔼ℝ𝕆ℕ𝕆𝕄𝕐 𝟛:𝟚𝟞

"But the LORD was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me; and the LORD said to me, ‘Enough! Speak to Me no more of this matter.’"

While the Scriptures exhort us to be importunate in prayer, there are some instances where God forbids the saints to stop asking for certain things!

Sometimes, it's difficult to discern when to continue or stop praying for certain things. In my life, I normally got the impression that I should stop, but I think, actually, I should continue. Because to stop is much easier than to continue. In the case of Moses, he would continue and God had to tell him to stop.

Would we continue until we make sure beyond doubt not to continue!

 

𝔻𝔼𝕌𝕋𝔼ℝ𝕆ℕ𝕆𝕄𝕐 𝟜:𝟚𝟠-𝟛𝟙

"But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days you will return to the LORD your God and listen to His voice. For the LORD your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them."

Moses knew the psyche of man. He predicted their idolatry. Moses also knew the faithful of God. He promised them salvation if they repent!

The Faithfulness of God is one of the dominant themes of the Bible!

 

𝔻𝔼𝕌𝕋𝔼ℝ𝕆ℕ𝕆𝕄𝕐 𝟝:𝟙

"Then Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: ‘Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the ordinances which I am speaking today in your hearing, that you may learn them and observe them carefully.’"

Moses reminding them who God is and what He has done for them. Sometimes, reminders are boring, yet how necessary they are. We are a forgetful people!

Casual Reading of Deuteronomy could be boring, but if we seek to understand it is not boring.

 

𝔻𝔼𝕌𝕋𝔼ℝ𝕆ℕ𝕆𝕄𝕐 𝟞:𝟜

"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!"

This is one of the most famous and well-memorized verses of all the households of Israel, known as Shema.

In a Hebrew Class, we, seminarians were encouraged to memorize in Hebrew, and I still remember: "𝚂𝚑𝚎𝚖𝚊 𝚈𝚒𝚜𝚛𝚊𝚎𝚕 𝚈𝚊𝚑𝚠𝚎𝚑 𝙴𝚕𝚘𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚞 𝚈𝚊𝚑𝚠𝚎𝚑 𝙴𝚔𝚑𝚊𝚍! " The Israelites are said to recite this section twice a day, morning and evening!

It teaches that there's no other god for Israel, but Yahweh alone; and there's no other god that can be called Yahweh than their God. Yahweh is totally different and far above any gods. He alone is to be worshipped and loved as their God, Yahweh, the God of the Bible!

 

𝔻𝔼𝕌𝕋𝔼ℝ𝕆ℕ𝕆𝕄𝕐 𝟟:𝟟-𝟠

"The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt."

Deut. 7:7 is a great verse to commit to memory. This is true in our personal life too. God does not choose us to be Christians because of who we are or what we can become. It doesn't and never depends on us. We are just pathetic, worthless, filthy people. God chose us in His love. God preserves us by His faithfulness. And God will perfect us by His glory!

Have a high view of God, and a low view of man! Big God, puny man!