Short Reflection from Deuteronomy 1-17

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (PG) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]

[9:35 pm, 05/06/2022] S.R:

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟙:𝟚𝟟

"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.’"

Hmm! Regarding (treating) the love of God to be the hatred of God, I could see the relevance of this incident in many areas of life!

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟚:𝟙𝟞-𝟙𝟠

"So it came about when all the men of war had finally perished from among the people, that the LORD spoke to me, saying, 'Today you shall cross over Ar, the border of Moab.’"

Surely, God didn't mind killing every sinner. He did wait for everyone from the first generation to die off before letting them enter the promised land.

He did drown the whole world. Even if a majority of the churches across the world in our time affirm false and compromised doctrines such as affirming homosexuality, etc., God will not, and shall wipe away those churches as Jesus has warned in the book of Revelation. To be alone with God is better than to be with the majority of the opinions and favors of the world!

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟛:𝟚𝟝

"Let me, I pray, cross over and see the fair land that is beyond the Jordan, that good hill country and Lebanon."

Moses did want to go to the promised land, the land of his ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the land of milk and honey. God didn't grant his request. God declined his prayer! Hmmm!

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟜:𝟚𝟜

"For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God."

Moses and Prophets, Jesus and Apostles kept warning people that God is a consuming fire. Modern day preachers don't seem to get the message of the Bible.

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟝:𝟞

"I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery."

The Christians of this generation are too uneducated biblically. How many would be able to remember the 10 commandments? The church itself has forgotten to catechize the basics of Christianity.

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟝:𝟙𝟠

'You shall not commit adultery."

Westminster Larger Catechism of Faith says in Q&A 139 that "undue delay of marriage is a violation of this seventh commandment" hmmm! 😆

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟞:𝟛

"O Israel, you should listen and be careful to do it, that it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey."

Better to be over-careful than careless. Btw, Pharisees were rebuked not for their religious duties but for their satisfaction in their duties (work-based self-righteousness).

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟞:𝟡

"You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

Sure, there are some scripture portions we do and should paste on our wall, door, and refrigerator!

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟟:𝟟

"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,"

How low we are and yet, what love is this that God chooses us!

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟠:𝟚𝟘

"Like the nations that the LORD makes to perish before you, so you shall perish; because you would not listen to the voice of the LORD your God."

God shall judge everyone justly!

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟡:𝟚𝟠

"Otherwise the land from which You brought us may say, ‘Because the LORD was not able to bring them into the land which He had promised them and because He hated them He has brought them out to slay them in the wilderness.’

God's honor is important. God's glory is important. Prayer without a desire or mention to honor and glorify God, I suppose, will not go up beyond the roof of the house!

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟙𝟘:𝟙𝟡

"So show your love for the alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt."

Loving strangers, loving neighbors, I wish to see these increase in me.

However, I also do observe that those who proclaim the loudest aren't doing better than the rest of us.

Even those who signal themselves to follow this truth aren't doing anything better.

It's difficult to find faithful people to watch and learn.

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟙𝟙:𝟚𝟟-𝟚𝟠

"the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I am commanding you today; and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way which I am commanding you today, by following other gods which you have not known."

Blessings or Curse!

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟙𝟚:𝟠

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

We have the book. Let's study it and do it accordingly. Not according to our ideas or desire!

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟙𝟛:𝟡

"But you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people."

Honor killing but not for family or caste but for God?

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟙𝟜:𝟚𝟞

"You may spend the money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen, or sheep, or wine, or strong drink, or whatever your heart desires; and there you shall eat in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice, you and your household."

Giving with celebration.

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟙𝟝:𝟙𝟙

"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.'"

It's not right to wait for the poor to catch up with the rich because it's impossible to eradicate poverty. The rich must help the poor.

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟙𝟞:𝟙𝟚

"You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and you shall be careful to observe these statutes."

God reminds the Israelites again and again of their past status and how much we ought to do the same. Not to make us feel bad but to make us feel glad for what God has now made!

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟙𝟟:𝟙𝟠

"Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests."

People say church and state should be separated. That politician can be secular. That politician can afford to be sinful and get away. Well, not so according to the Bible. This verse is prescribing him to be like the duties and position of a pastor.

Short Reflection from Selected Chapters of Numbers

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (AG) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]

Leviticus, Numbers, and Chronicles are tough to put up updates from each chapter. I have done it once last year. This time, I decided to just skip updating from each chapter. So, these 4 updates will do. (Btw, I have read the entire book this night at one-sitting.)

ℕ𝕦𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝟞:𝟚𝟛-𝟚𝟟

"Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, 'Thus you shall bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them: The LORD bless you, and keep you; The LORD make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.' So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them."

What a wonderful passage is this, right?

The most striking word for me tonight among all these wonderful words is "keep"— that the Lord will keep them. It's about the protection of God, that the Lord will preserve them.

This is my prayer for you all, friends. That the Lord will keep you.

 

ℕ𝕦𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝟙𝟙:𝟙𝟝

"So if You are going to deal thus with me, please kill me at once, if I have found favor in Your sight, and do not let me see my wretchedness."

There were times, I just wanted to die, and asked the Lord to take my life if my life would be dishonoring the Lord and cause people to blaspheme God. And I found comfort in this verse.

Tonight, my prayer is a little different. I pray that the Lord will keep me to see His goodness come to pass.

 

ℕ𝕦𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝟚𝟝:𝟙𝟚-𝟙𝟛

"Therefore say, 'Behold, I give him My covenant of peace; and it shall be for him and his descendants after him, a covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the sons of Israel.'"

See, how the Lord honored the one who honored Him. Let's be zealous for God, friends!

 

ℕ𝕦𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝟛𝟚:𝟚𝟛

"But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out."

Hmmm! "Your sin will find you out" that's pretty scary. But that's why we come to the Lord confessing our sins too since we have 1 John 1:9. However, sin has consequences. And the grace of Jesus Christ is sufficient for us to go through all consequences.

Short Reflection from Leviticus 26

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (LRAU) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]

𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕔𝕦𝕤 𝟚𝟞:𝟙𝟠-𝟚𝟘

"If also after these things you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. I will also break down your pride of power; I will also make your sky like iron and your earth like bronze. Your strength will be spent uselessly, for your land will not yield its produce and the trees of the land will not yield their fruit."

I was reading the book of Leviticus to meditate and put up an update for today. I read chapter 1; no verse seemed to stand out. This time I decided to not re-read again and again. So, I moved on with the chapter, no verse stood out. I moved to chapter 3, 4, 5, till the end of the book. Well, it's Sunday, I guess I had a lot of meditation already. But we've got to update. So, this verse.

The Lord will not give up on His requirements, rather He will increase the chastisement 7 times. I cannot confirm it directly in my experience, but I think I have gone through this. Here and there, sometimes I was obstinate, and I had to receive a lot of blows.

However, it's true the Lord disciplines whom He loves. Where could I go but to the Lord? Only the Lord grants repentance. Only the Lord changes the heart of a sinner. And that's true for the redeem too.

Short Reflection from Exodus 21-40

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (BRU-F) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]

𝔼𝕩𝕠𝕕𝕦𝕤 𝟚𝟙:𝟙𝟝

"He who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death."

I grew up hearing people say that "Parents are the visible form of the Almighty God, obey them." Or "Parents are the representation of God in your life, obey them." They are certainly wrong btw. It's not in the Bible. It's even anti-biblical, far from being found in the Bible.

However, children are to obey their parents in the Lord. And to honor their parents. And in this verse, never to strike their parents.

 

𝔼𝕩𝕠𝕕𝕦𝕤 𝟚𝟚:𝟚𝟡

"You shall not delay the offering from your harvest and your vintage. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me."

I think it's good to give offerings and "tithes" and contributions on time. It's good to pay rental fees on time too. You know when you don't get money on time, it's not pleasant na? Let's give on time too!

 

𝔼𝕩𝕠𝕕𝕦𝕤 𝟚𝟛:𝟠

"You shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of the just."

Bribe is still illegal by the law of the land. Much more evil in the eyes of the Lord.

 

𝔼𝕩𝕠𝕕𝕦𝕤 𝟚𝟜:𝟚

"Moses alone, however, shall come near to the LORD, but they shall not come near, nor shall the people come up with him."

The idea of equality in all things is just impractical. Nor is it possible even in their dream world, heaven. There is a hierarchy of importance, value, and roles.

Even here, Moses was singled out among leaders.

 

𝔼𝕩𝕠𝕕𝕦𝕤 𝟚𝟝:𝟚

"Tell the sons of Israel to raise a contribution for Me; from every man whose heart moves him you shall raise My contribution."

Apart from the required tithes, God still wanted the Israelites to be generous. The tithes under the Law constituted over 25% of their income. And they are encouraged to give more without further obligation but generously.

 

𝔼𝕩𝕠𝕕𝕦𝕤 𝟚𝟞:𝟙

"Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twisted linen and blue and purple and scarlet material; you shall make them with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman."

God deserves the best works of humans. If the Taj Mahal can be built for a wife, God deserves much more of our praise, glory, honor, and our love.

 

𝔼𝕩𝕠𝕕𝕦𝕤 𝟚𝟟:𝟚𝟘

"You shall charge the sons of Israel, that they bring you clear oil of beaten olives for the light, to make a lamp burn continually."

Sometimes, commanding the people of God and requiring their contribution is necessary. Even Apostle Paul urged his readers to be generous in giving!

 

𝔼𝕩𝕠𝕕𝕦𝕤 𝟚𝟠:𝟛𝟝

"It shall be on Aaron when he ministers; and its tinkling shall be heard when he enters and leaves the holy place before the LORD, so that he will not die."

People must treat the worship of God sacred, solemn, and fearful.

 

𝔼𝕩𝕠𝕕𝕦𝕤 𝟚𝟡:𝟜𝟝

"I will dwell among the sons of Israel and will be their God."

Again and again, here and there, God expressed His presence in the midst of His people. The real problem is people don't like the presence of God; they want the presence of Moses instead of God. They want pastors to pray for them instead of them praying to God.

 

𝔼𝕩𝕠𝕕𝕦𝕤 𝟛𝟘:𝟛𝟠

"Whoever shall make any like it, to use as perfume, shall be cut off from his people."

God demands that He be treated specially and uniquely. God is not like anything. He is other!

 

𝔼𝕩𝕠𝕕𝕦𝕤 𝟛𝟙:𝟙𝟠

"When He had finished speaking with him upon Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God."

It was oral first then written.

 

𝔼𝕩𝕠𝕕𝕦𝕤 𝟛𝟚:𝟚𝟝

"Now when Moses saw that the people were out of control--for Aaron had let them get out of control to be a derision among their enemies--"

Aaron wasn't a strong leader. He bowed down to the sinful demands of the people. He wasn't a political leader but a spiritual leader; so, he shouldn't have done it.

Yesterday, in our meeting, I suggested that this coming Sunday (friendship Sunday) it would be good to find a friend in the church and pray together. One brother said that the idea of prayer might make people uncomfortable. Well, I said, the church is a place of prayer; if they are uncomfortable, let it be. I am not going to stop preaching the gospel in my church because a visitor doesn't find it uncomfortable.

 

𝔼𝕩𝕠𝕕𝕦𝕤 𝟛𝟛:𝟙𝟝

"Then he said to Him, 'If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.'"

Sure, we should be terrified to go anywhere the Lord is not favorable.

 

𝔼𝕩𝕠𝕕𝕦𝕤 𝟛𝟜:𝟡

"He said, 'If now I have found favor in Your sight, O Lord, I pray, let the Lord go along in our midst, even though the people are so obstinate, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your own possession.'"

How we need God when the people are rebellious! God wanted to abandon them, and how would Moses a mere man control them, if the Lord didn't put the fear of the Divine in their sight? Even in our modern churches, we need God to put the fear of the Divine in the hearts of the congregations. Oh! I pray for that in my church, among the people I dwell!

 

𝔼𝕩𝕠𝕕𝕦𝕤 𝟛𝟝:𝟙𝟘

"Let every skillful man among you come, and make all that the LORD has commanded"

An invitation to the skillful to serve the Lord willingly and gladly. It would be an honor to work for a reputed professional. God is more pro than anyone and reputable than anyone.

 

𝔼𝕩𝕠𝕕𝕦𝕤 𝟛𝟞:𝟚

"Then Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every skillful person in whom the LORD had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him, to come to the work to perform it."

I pray that the Lord will stir up the hearts of many congregants, His people to build up the body of Christ, in commitment, sincerity, love, faithfulness, and sound doctrine.

 

𝔼𝕩𝕠𝕕𝕦𝕤 𝟛𝟟:𝟙

"Now Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood; its length was two and a half cubits, and its width one and a half cubits, and its height one and a half cubits;"

This verse is full of "he made" referring to Bezalel. I think we better start comparing skillful people to Bezalel to increase our Bible vocabulary among God's people.

 

𝔼𝕩𝕠𝕕𝕦𝕤 𝟛𝟠:𝟚𝟚

"Now Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the LORD had commanded Moses."

Bezalel on his part has completed his work. Later on, the people would finish and Moses would approve their work and it was also approved by the Lord too!

 

𝔼𝕩𝕠𝕕𝕦𝕤 𝟛𝟡:𝟜𝟚-𝟜𝟛

"So the sons of Israel did all the work according to all that the LORD had commanded Moses. And Moses examined all the work and behold, they had done it; just as the LORD had commanded, this they had done. So Moses blessed them."

It's so nice to see the obedience of Israelites like this. They were rebellious people, but there were times they were faithful too! 👍

 

𝔼𝕩𝕠𝕕𝕦𝕤 𝟜𝟘:𝟛𝟜

"Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle."

They completed the instruction given to them and the Lord approved their work.