THE DANGERS OF UNDUE INFLUENCE

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations - the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you - and when the Lord your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally.”

“Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy. Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, for they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods, and the Lord's anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you.”

“This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles, and burn their idols in the fire. For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be His people, His treasured possession.”

Deuteronomy 7:1-6

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

To this day, I still remember guidance from my parents when I was growing up, guidance concerning the important of choosing who I associated with. They cautioned me about using wisdom when it came to selecting friends because of the influence they could (and would) have on me. After all, they had invested a lot of hard work instilling right and righteous principles within me and knew that all their hard work could be put in jeopardy if I hung out with the wrong person or crowd.

Thankfully, I listened to them, took their advice, and then put it into practice. In return, I did successfully come through my childhood not failing or falling because of the undue influence of others. Since then, I have adopted the same practice, making sure I don’t invest a lot of time with anyone who might seek to compromise my values. Being in favor with the Lord has always been more important than trying to fit in and do whatever was needed to be accepted.

What a blessing it was and still is to have parents that loved and cared for me so much! Maybe you can relate. 

Well, as we start our look at the seventh chapter of the Book of Deuteronomy, we see where God, Israel’s Father as well as ours, had the same general principle in mind for His people as they prepared to enter and possess the land of Canaan, the land He had promised to them. He knew that as His nation “grew up” in their new Promised Land, they would be in the midst of cultures that could potentially bring spiritual corruption if they weren’t careful to steer away from them and adhere only to God’s directives and expectation.

From our scripture passage, we learn that the Israelites would be inheriting land from the “Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites”. These “seven nations were all “larger and stronger” than Israel but God vowed to deliver them over to His people. As He did this, we see where He only placed one expectation on the Israelites as they went into battle. They were to totally destroy the seven nations, showing no mercy when they did.

God demanded that the people of Israel were to “break down” the “altars” of their enemies, smashing “their sacred stones”, cutting “down their Asherah poles”, and burning “idols in the fire”.

Why?

Because if they failed to totally destroy these people and their sinful objects of worship, then Israel would run the risk of being infiltrated by their people and adversely influenced by their sinful ways.

Through His instructions, God sought to keep His people from being morally compromised and spiritually damaged by the nations they were to defeat and displace. He commanded the Israelites to “not intermarry” with the other nations nor “give their daughters to another nation’s sons or take another nation’s daughters for their sons”.

This is because the Lord knew that if the Israelites integrated with the pagan, polytheistic religious practices of the seven mentioned nations, then they would run the risk of being turned away from Him and towards the service of “other gods”. And if this happened, God made it clear how He would respond for His anger would burn against His people and He promised to “quickly destroy” them.

I think we can see clearly that it was in Israel’s best interest to comply with their Lord’s commands and demands.

My friends, things haven’t changed a bit today nor has the Lord’s concerns. For the world and the enemy within present all kinds of undue influence that can entice and draw believers away from the Lord and just as in the days of the Old Testament, we need to be extremely careful when it comes to who we choose to associate ourselves with.

As we consider this, we need to remember about a thing called “guilt by association”, the concept that is grounded in the fact that one can be associated with the principles and reputation of a person or group, even if someone doesn’t actively participate in their ways. For example, if a person who professes themselves to be Christian, hangs out with other believers who live in ungodly ways, you can bet that people will start to look at you and your claimed faith with skepticism or even start to label you as being hypocritical.

Obviously, this is something we want to avoid at any cost as Christians. We simply can’t allow ourselves to be compromised or discredited when it comes to the ministry work Jesus has called us to do.

In today’s message, we find our God sending a clear message of concern about the matter of proper association with others and as in all things He expects, we need to heed His guidance, ever ensuring that we will walk the straight and narrow path He sets before us, the straight and narrow path that leads to true life, now and forever (Matthew 7:14).

There’s simply too much at stake for us to go astray and fall into the undue influence of Satan and those he uses to war against our Lord.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

WHAT WILL WE TELL OUR CHILDREN?

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“Fear the Lord your God, serve Him only and take your oaths in His name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and His anger will burn against you, and He will destroy you from the face of the land. Do not test the Lord your God as you did at Massah. Be sure to keep the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees He has given you. Do what is right and good in the Lord's sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land that the Lord promised on oath to your forefathers, thrusting out all your enemies before you, as the Lord said.”

“In the future, when your son asks you, ‘What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?’ tell him: ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Before our eyes the Lord sent miraculous signs and wonders - great and terrible - upon Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. But He brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land that He promised on oath to our forefathers. The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as He has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.’"

Deuteronomy 6:13-25

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

This scripture passage that closes Deuteronomy, chapter 6 continues with the reminder to serve God and God alone, to revere and respect His awesome power and to remain obedient to His commands and decrees. If one would do these things, doing what was good and righteous in the Lord’s sight, then all would go well for that person and, in the case of Israel, they would be able to go in and take over the land promised to their fathers by the Lord.

In today’s message, I would like to focus on the second paragraph, verses 20 through 25, for it’s there that we find Moses giving God’s people the following direction:

“In the future, when your son asks you, ‘What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?’ tell him: ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Before our eyes the Lord sent miraculous signs and wonders - great and terrible - upon Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. But He brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land that He promised on oath to our forefathers. The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as He has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.’"

Here, we find Israel’s leader stating the obvious for there would come a day when the people’s children would grow up and inevitably ask questions about the way things were. One of those questions might be focused on why there are stipulations, decrees, and laws that must be followed and where that requirement originated.

As we have seen throughout this book so far, it’s obvious that the Lord never wanted Israel to forget all that He had done for them as well as all the direction and guidance He had provided. Within this, we need to note how it wasn’t just enough for the Israelites to not forget what they were to do and how they were to live. They were also responsible for passing all this down to their children so they would know their history and the God who was with them as much as He was with their ancestors.

Given this, the people of Israel were to give precise and thorough answers to their children’s questions, educating them about the past. They were to tell them about their Egyptian enslavement at the hands of Pharaoh and how there was a mightier hand, the hand of the Lord that rescued them from captivity with unmatched miraculous power. This included great “signs and wonders”, some of which were terrible as God brought judgment against Pharaoh and his people.

After that deliverance, God continued to be with His people, bringing them through the desert wilderness while giving them navigation, protection, and provision all the way to where they found themselves now, on the brink of crossing the Jordan River into Canaan so to “go in and take over the good land that the Lord” had “promised on oath” to their forefather – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. As they did this, God vowed to thrust out all the enemies that were before them.

As they did all this, they were to remember their responsibility and obligation to “obey all” of God’s “decrees and to fear” Him so that they would “always prosper and be kept alive”. In the end translation, if the Israelites were “careful to obey all (the) law before the Lord (their) God, as He (had) commanded”, then that faithful obedience would serve as their “righteousness.’"

Indeed, Israel had a great deal to share with their children, all so they might come to know and respect the almighty, powerful God of Israel, the Lord of their ancestors and Lord of their life as well.

As I meditated on this passage with the Holy Spirit, it brought me to one fundamental question:

What will we tell our children, the ones who belong to God but have been entrusted into the care of us, earthly parents?

For as they grow older and want to know about the lives we have lived, when they ask us for guidance and wisdom, when they ask us to testify about our past experiences, what will we tell them?

Will we draw follow the blueprint found in today’s scripture passage, always referring them to the Lord by sharing all that He has done in, through, and around us?

Will we testify about how He has cared for us so much and been there to edify us, heal us, encourage us, test us and, most of all, love us throughout our lives?

Will we excitedly share with them how God didn’t wish for anyone to perish and so He surrendered His one and only Son Jesus out of love, allowing Him to die so someone who believes in Him as Savior will live forever?

I don’t believe there’s any doubt what the Lord wants us to do as He makes it clear through sharing His expectations with the Israelites while speaking through Moses. He wants His people to tell their children all about Him and what He has done, particularly when it comes to how He has provided deliverance while working great wonders and miracles all around us. He wants us to instruct our children regarding His Word, making sure they know His laws, commands, decrees, and stipulations.

In sum, we are to educate our children every day in regard to the Lord’s Word, will, and way and the best way we can do that is by pointing them to and connecting them with Jesus, the One who is the Way and the Truth and the Life, the only One who was perfectly obedient and sinless in the sight of God the Father.

What will we tell our children?

Our God gives us the answers and expects us to do as He says.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

APPRECIATING THE GREAT PROVIDER

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“When the Lord your God brings you into the land He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you - a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant - then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”

Deuteronomy 6:10-12

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Our scripture passage for today from Deuteronomy, chapter 6, is comprised of a mere three verses but the words within are of extreme importance for they place the reader’s focus and direct attention on God as the Great Creator and Provider for all created things.

As we have seen in this book to date, Moses has been priming Israel for their entry into the land God had promised to give them, the land He “swore” to their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He was still their leader but soon would be replaced by Joshua who would have the privilege to lead the Israelites across the Jordan River into Canaan.

I have always loved how Moses, despite knowing he wouldn’t be able to enter the Promised Land with his brothers and sisters, never stopped caring for them, those he had led since departing enslavement and bondage in Egypt. We have seen how he dedicated his time to remind them about what God had commanded. He also recapped their sinful mistakes of their past to help them avoid repeating them while also sharing new words of wisdom with them.

In today’s passage, he not only gives the people of Israel something new to consider but his words speak to believers today as well. Look again at those verses here:

“When the Lord your God brings you into the land He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you - a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant - then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.” Deuteronomy 6:10-12

Now, on the surface, these words might seem centered solely on remembrance. After all, Moses exhorts the Israelites to “be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery”. But if we focus only on the matter of not forgetting, I think we are missing the bigger message contained within, a message which encourages appreciation for God and all He has done. To that end, Moses reminds the people of Israel about several important matters:

First, It is the Lord and Him alone who is really bringing them into the Promised Land.

Yes, Joshua might have been designated by God to be the Israelites’ leader as they crossed the Jordan but rest assured that it was God, and God alone, who was bringing Israel into Canaan. They wouldn’t have been able to do it if it wasn’t His will for them to do so.

Today, it is God, and Him alone who brings us to where He wants us to be as well. Given this, we shouldn’t take credit for it ourselves or give credit to others, removing the glory from Him that He deserves. I’ve firmly believed, and have seen it happen in my life, that God always puts us where He wants us to be. And when we submit to His will in that place, we will see how we are there to fulfill His purposes. With this truth in hand, we only need to just trust and believe in Him, responding to His direction in obedience wherever He leads us.

Secondly, the Israelites were receiving the Promised Land because of a covenant promise made with their ancestors.

As mentioned, Canaan was land sworn to “Abraham, Isaac and Jacob”, the fathers of Israel. And so the Israelites were gaining the nation as an inheritance, a fulfillment of God’s covenant promise and we know God always keeps His promises.

This absolute fact helps us as we walk through life each day as Christian believers. For we should always remember that when God puts us in places that He wants us to be, He is always and ever with us there. We know this because He promised He would always be present walking alongside us, wherever we He would lead us. He assured us through His Word that He would never leave nor forsake us.

Friends, is this not good news for us, good news we need never forget?

For the God of all things, the God of infinite power and wisdom, never leaves our side. We will face hardships in life as we move in accordance with His will but He will always help us make it through those times, the times when He is actually helping refine and purify our faith. Indeed, through His strength and help, we can make it through anything and everything (Philippians 4:13).

Give thanks today and every day for the Lord who never breaks a promise.

Finally, everything the Israelites were about to inherit didn’t come from any work they had done.

The land of Canaan was filled with “large, flourishing cities” that Israel would conquer and possess as their own but they didn’t build those cities or the houses within that were “filled with all kinds of good things”.

They would enjoy fresh water to quench their thirst from wells that someone else dug. Ditto for the “vineyards and olive groves” that had already been planted, vineyards and olive groves that would allow them to “eat” and be “satisfied”.

No, Israel didn’t play a part in producing anything that they would inherit.

But God did.

He, the Great Provider, was the One and only One who made the way for Canaanite cities and houses to be built, wells to be dug, houses to be filled with the richest provisions, and vineyards and olive groves which were planted and harvested. All the Israelites were gaining came from God and so Moses encouraged them to not forget that, giving the Lord the credit He was due.

My brothers and sisters, in our scripture passage today, we see the nation of Israel called into a state of appreciation for their God, the God who truly does bring down every good and perfect gift from above (James 1:17).

My prayer for us in these present times is that we would never lose sight of the God who is at work within any and every life situation and circumstance as we follow His will, realizing that He has brought us there, is there with us in the midst of things, and is ready to provide whatever is needed to bring us through so His purposes are ultimately carried out. Everything we have has been given by Him, abundant blessings for us to live for Him in this life as we move toward the eternal life to come, the eternal life none of us have earned and yet have been granted by grace through belief in His Son Jesus. 

Let us always give Him all the glory, honor, and praise, now and forevermore.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

THE ONE TRUE GOD

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all His decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your fathers, promised you.”

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down, and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

Deuteronomy 6:1-9

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In Deuteronomy, chapter 5, we found Moses, the leader of the Israelite people, reiterating the Ten Commandments verbatim to God’s people. It was obvious that the Lord definitely wanted to drive these expectations home as His people were about to finally enter into Canaan to take possession of the land He had promised them.

As we turn the page to chapter 6, we find Moses continuing to emphasize the importance of keeping all of God’s decrees and commands so that they might “enjoy long life” and see things “go well” which would include increasing “greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey” as the Lord promised they would. As we covered in yesterday’s message, the Lord wanted the best for His people then, just as He does today, but in order to gain His best, they (and we) need to live in obedience to His will, Word, and way.

We see this matter of obedience over and over again in the scriptures and for good reason because it really is at the center of where one lands in their relationship with God. Indeed, the human failure found in sin is completely grounded in willful disobedient against what the Lord has commanded. It is always counter to the way Jesus lived and to be a proper Christian, one needs to be Christ-like in every way. Nothing else is acceptable behavior.

A disciple of Jesus can read their Bible, pray, and go to church every week but if they aren’t committed to obedience, all in on being faithful and loyal to God, they are destined to fall in and out of sinfulness. And so the reason that God had to address obedience so is because the Israelites refused to show they had fully understood God’s expectations for them and if we’re honest, we will find too often find ourselves in the same situation, failing to show our Lord that we comprehend His demand for complete compliance with what He calls is to do.

Before I close today, we need to see where Moses gives us something further to consider when it comes to the matter of obedience for look again at these words from our passage:

“…The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

These verses served to challenge the Israelites, just as they should us in these present times. Anyone reading this should step back, reflect, and ponder these main points:

First, the Lord God Almighty is the ONE God. He is the only God and has no rival or equal. He is THE God, the God through which all things were created and the One who reigns supremely and sovereignly over all His creation.

Given this, He and He alone is the One worthy of all our worship, honor, glory, and praise...the One we should bow down to and obey.

Secondly, this supreme Lord of all things is the one and only God who should receive every ounce of our love. Not just some of it but all of it.

This means that we love God with every fiber of our being, spiritually and physically, with all our heart and mind and soul and strength. This is what God commands and therefore it is what we are to do.

This majestic God of everything in Heaven and on earth showed us how to love like this when we were sinners who were separated from Him and destined for an eternity of suffering in Hell. A Lord who lacked love or empathy or compassion would have just left His created people in that place. After all, they were going to get what they deserved.

But the one true God doesn’t operate that way. Yes, He is a God of judgment but He is also a God of great mercy and grace, no better displayed than in these verses found in the third chapter of John’s Gospel:

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. John 3:16-17

The God of all things knew that a sacrifice of epic proportion was needed to atone for the sin of all mankind. In the Old Testament, it was the blood of the Lamb that protected the Israelites in Egypt and resulted in death passing over them so they might be saved (Exodus 12:1-30). In the New Testament, Jesus was the one who John proclaimed to be the “Lamb of God” who had come to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29). And indeed, He did just that, shedding His blood while nailed to the cross at Calvary and it was that blood that washes away the sin of anyone who simply believes in Him as Savior (1 John 1:7).

In other words, Jesus became our Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7) and this all was born from God’s total love for us. The least that we can do is to love Him the same in return.

Finally, we, as saved believers of Christ Jesus, need to tell others about the one true God.

God’s word exhorts us to tell all people about Him and His expectations and this includes our children. As believers, we are to allow the Word of God to dominate our lives, allowing it to be present in everything we do. This includes when we are sitting down or walking along, when we lay down to sleep or get up to begin a new day. We’re to make sure the Word is present in our lives, inside and out, and within our homes, in clear view of ourselves and anyone who might pay visit.

Truly, God wants everyone to know and understand Him and He wants to use us as instruments to this end.

And so the central question for us from today’s scripture passage is this:

Do we truly love our God with all our heart and mind and soul and strength?

If we’re honest, I think we all have room to get better in obeying this command and rather that condemn ourselves for it, let’s instead commit to get better at it each and every day. Let’s all strive to be hyper-sensitive about absorbing the Word of our Lord and sharing that Word with others, especially in regard to the good news of the Gospel, the Gospel that Jesus commanded us to share (Matthew 28:18-20).

For God has given us His all. It’s time to give Him ours in return.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

LIVE AND PROSPER

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Moses summoned all Israel and said:

“Hear, O Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn them and be sure to follow them. The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. It was not with our fathers that the Lord made this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here today. The Lord spoke to you face-to-face out of the fire on the mountain. (At that time, I stood between the Lord and you to declare to you the Word of the Lord, because you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain.) And He said:

‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.’

‘You shall have no other gods before Me.’

‘You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in Heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep my commandments.’

‘You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name.’

‘Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor the alien within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.’

‘Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.’

‘You shall not murder.’

‘You shall not commit adultery.’

‘You shall not steal.’

‘You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.’

‘You shall not covet your neighbor's wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor's house or land, his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.’”

“These are the commandments the Lord proclaimed in a loud voice to your whole assembly there on the mountain from out of the fire, the cloud and the deep darkness; and He added nothing more. Then He wrote them on two stone tablets and gave them to me.”

“When you heard the voice out of the darkness, while the mountain was ablaze with fire, all the leading men of your tribes and your elders came to me. And you said, ‘The Lord our God has shown us His glory and His majesty, and we have heard His voice from the fire. Today we have seen that a man can live even if God speaks with him. But now, why should we die? This great fire will consume us, and we will die if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any longer. For what mortal man has ever heard the voice of the living God speaking out of fire, as we have, and survived? Go near and listen to all that the Lord our God says. Then tell us whatever the Lord our God tells you. We will listen and obey.’”

“The Lord heard you when you spoke to me and the Lord said to me, ‘I have heard what this people said to you. Everything they said was good. Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear Me and keep all My commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!’

‘Go, tell them to return to their tents. But you stay here with Me so that I may give you all the commands, decrees and laws you are to teach them to follow in the land I am giving them to possess.’”

“So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.”

Deuteronomy 5

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Much of what we have seen in the Book of Deuteronomy so far has been Moses providing the Israelites a historical review covering their release from Egyptian captivity to their present state, nearing the time to cross the Jordan and inhabit Canaan, the land God had promised them. As we see in today’s scripture passage from the fifth chapter, we see that this review included a refresher on God’s commands and expectations for His people, specifically in this case on the Ten Commandments. In fact, we find Israel’s leader repeating everything that God had told him to pass onto the Israelite people when he met with the Lord on Mount Sinai (refer back to Exodus, chapter 20).

Going back to our study of the Ten Commandments in Exodus, you will find that I spent a lot of time addressing each individual commandment then so here I want to place my focus on the dialogue that happened after the commandments were reviewed. Here’s what we find in our passage:

“These are the commandments the Lord proclaimed in a loud voice to your whole assembly there on the mountain from out of the fire, the cloud and the deep darkness; and He added nothing more. Then He wrote them on two stone tablets and gave them to me.”

“When you heard the voice out of the darkness, while the mountain was ablaze with fire, all the leading men of your tribes and your elders came to me. And you said, ‘The Lord our God has shown us His glory and His majesty, and we have heard His voice from the fire. Today we have seen that a man can live even if God speaks with him. But now, why should we die? This great fire will consume us, and we will die if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any longer. For what mortal man has ever heard the voice of the living God speaking out of fire, as we have, and survived? Go near and listen to all that the Lord our God says. Then tell us whatever the Lord our God tells you. We will listen and obey.’”

“The Lord heard you when you spoke to me and the Lord said to me, ‘I have heard what this people said to you. Everything they said was good. Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear Me and keep all My commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!’

‘Go, tell them to return to their tents. But you stay here with Me so that I may give you all the commands, decrees and laws you are to teach them to follow in the land I am giving them to possess.’”

“So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.”

From these verses, there are three main points that apply to us today as much as they did to the people of Israel a little less than 3,500 years ago.

First, the Lord God Almighty we serve wishes to partner with mere sinful human beings like us.

Indeed, we don’t surrender ourselves to do the will of a God who isn’t personable or approachable. No, for as Israel learned and professed:

“The Lord our God has shown us His glory and His majesty, and we have heard His voice from the fire. Today, we have seen that a man can live even if God speaks with him.”

The Israelites found hope and encouragement in the fact that God was willing to partner with them and in sharing in that fellowship, they wouldn’t perish but rather flourish in life. They also knew that submitting to a leader like Moses who could serve as a liaison with God was beneficial.

Today, we know that the same God of ancient Israel is our God and He still desires to partner with anyone who places their full faith and trust in Him so to accomplish His kingdom work here on earth. We also recognize and realize that the Lord can and does speak truth to us through leaders such as pastors and writers like myself who have the great privilege of receiving and sharing the Word of God with others.

One last note on this before I move on because it has never ceased to blow my mind how the perfect Maker and Master of all things willingly chooses to partner with imperfect people like us. After all, we’re sinners that fall so far short of His glory (Romans 3:23) and grace.

Our God is infinitely almighty and powerful. Nothing is beyond the work of His hands and so that means He can do anything without us. And yet, He still chooses to use anyone who commits themselves to obediently and loyally pledge their committed service to His holy name.

Truly, we serve an amazing and awesome God.

The second point we need to glean from this chapter is that the Almighty God we serve completely expects His people to be obedient so He, in turn, can give them His best.

You know, God must get so discouraged (and even angry) when we willingly choose to turn from Him and fall into sinfulness. After all, He surrendered and sacrificed His one and only Son Jesus to bear the very sins we still commit and die so to atone for those sins and purchase our pardon. In other words, both God and Jesus gave up their all in order to save us from the transgressions we still revert to.

Some people might choose to try and excuse themselves by saying that they were born into sin and so can’t help themselves but that simply doesn’t cut it with God. It’s nothing more than waving the white flag over sin, a cop out that communicates that we have no recourse to do anything about it.

Friends, our Lord understands what we deal with. Jesus came and walked among us, fully human and yet fully God and sinless. He isn’t naïve as to what we deal with every day and stands ready to help us when the temptation to sin comes. Here’s what we find in the scriptures on this matter:

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

In the end translation, we know our weaknesses better than anyone outside of God Himself and our enemy Satan, of course. In order to offset the latter who holds immense power to draw us into doing what we shouldn’t do, we need to draw from a greater power from our Lord, a power that has already gained victory over the enemy, a power that will help “provide a way out” of our sins so we can endure and defeat our temptations.

Part of that “way out” is through constant communion and fellowship with the God who longs to partner with us, the God who sent us the Holy Spirit the moment we believed in His Son as Savior. That Spirit will convict and guide us away from wickedness and righteousness when we submit to Him and His leading. Further, the Lord has given us His Word and as the Apostle Paul informs during his discourse on the full armor of God, this Word is the weapon we use against the tempting of the devil when it comes:

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Ephesians 6:17

Jesus showed us how to use the weapon of the Word in the fourth chapter of Matthew, fending off Satan’s advances not just once but three times. In doing so, He showed us how to do likewise and when we do, then we ward off the urgings to sin against God and find ourselves living in His favor while experience the abundance of His blessings in life, all because of our willful obedience.

Finally, the almighty God we serve wishes for us to walk the straight path of righteousness.

In our scripture passage for today, we find Moses saying this to his fellow Israelites:

“…be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.”

The way to living in a way that would please God was paved with compliance with all that He had commanded without compromise or deviation. If the Israelites would do that, then their Lord would ensure that they wouldn’t just merely live but prosper as they inhabited the land they were being given.

As for our lives today and our way to righteousness, Jesus shared this in His Sermon on the Mount:

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13-14

The point here is that there is only one right road to walk in life and that road is narrow because there aren’t any alternatives to it...no off ramps or detours. Just one narrow path and it might seem hard to remain on it but it’s really not as long as we follow the guiding of the Holy Spirit and stay obedient to the entirety of the scriptures.

The truth is that Jesus walked this narrow road with perfection and if we’re going to do likewise, we need to follow in His footsteps so not to stray off the path to the left or right. When we do this, we can expect to never fall into bad favor with our God, living and prospering in this worldly life until that day when we are called to our own eternal promised land, a land of beauty and glory beyond our feeble imagination.

As the old hymn states so well, “What a day of rejoicing that will be!”

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

GIVING ALL TO THE ONE WHO GIVES HIS ALL TO US

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“You saw no form of any kind the day the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire. Therefore watch yourselves very carefully, so that you do not become corrupt and make for yourselves an idol, an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman, or like any animal on earth or any bird that flies in the air, or like any creature that moves along the ground or any fish in the waters below. And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon, and the stars - all the heavenly array - do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the Lord your God has apportioned to all the nations under Heaven. But as for you, the Lord took you and brought you out of the iron-smelting furnace, out of Egypt, to be the people of His inheritance, as you now are.”

“Be careful not to forget the covenant of the Lord your God that He made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything the Lord your God has forbidden. For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.”

“After you have had children and grandchildren and have lived in the land a long time - if you then become corrupt and make any kind of idol, doing evil in the eyes of the Lord your God and provoking Him to anger, I call Heaven and earth as witnesses against you this day that you will quickly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not live there long but will certainly be destroyed. The Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the nations to which the Lord will drive you. There you will worship man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell.”

“But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find Him if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the Lord your God and obey Him. For the Lord your God is a merciful God; He will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which He confirmed to them by oath.”

Deuteronomy 4:15-20, 23-31

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As Deuteronomy, chapter 4 closes, we find Moses continuing his counsel to the Israelites, reminding them about what God expected in regard to idol worshipping. This counsel could be really summed up in two words: zero tolerance.

For we can go back to when God gave Moses the Ten Commandments to pass onto His people in Exodus, chapter 20 and read the following:

“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in Heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.” Vv. 4-6

As we see, the Lord’s direction wasn’t vague. He made it perfectly clear that they weren’t allowed to even make an idol let alone bow down and worship one. When it came right down to it, the nation of Israel was not permitted to place any other god or gods before their God, the only true God, for there was nothing in Heaven or on earth that could rival or supplant Him. He and He alone was the Maker and Master of all creation and expected created things to revere Him as such.

Now, as we return to Moses’ words here at the conclusion of Deuteronomy, chapter 4, we know that the Israelites had broken this commandment on more than one occasion thus the importance of the reminder as they were preparing to enter Canaan, a land full of paganism and polytheistic practices. And since we know how this story goes before it even happens, the wonderful benefit of having history at our disposal, we know that the Israelites will again break this command against idolatry and end up experiencing the judgment spelled out by Moses in this passage:

“After you have had children and grandchildren and have lived in the land a long time—if you then become corrupt and make any kind of idol, doing evil in the eyes of the Lord your God and provoking him to anger, I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you this day that you will quickly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not live there long but will certainly be destroyed. The Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the nations to which the Lord will drive you. There you will worship man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell.”

All of this could have been avoided if the people of Israel would have just placed their full trust and hope in God but once they will enter the Promised Land, they would experience the pull of many counter-cultures with their own religious systems, religious systems that often played on and encouragement fulfillment of human desires. After not displacing all these people as God demanded, the Israelites found themselves corrupted by them and failed to remember “the covenant of the Lord” which ordered them to “not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything” that God had forbidden.

And so Israel had to learn the hard way. They found out first-hand that God was a “consuming fire” and “a jealous God.” as He brought judgment on them for the unfaithful, spiritual adultery against Him. First, through the Assyrian assault of the northern kingdom of Israel, followed by the Babylonian conquest of the southern kingdom with the ensuing 70 year exile, God did indeed “scatter” His people “among the peoples (the Assyrians and Babylonians)” with “only a few” able to “survive among the nations to which the Lord” drove them. Like the imposed forty year penalty for disobediently not crossing the Jordan River into Canaan the first time, a generation would perish and not get to experience God’s restoral after the exile in Babylon ended. We find Moses sharing God’s promise of redemption and restoration in the final verses of our scripture for today:

“But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find Him if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the Lord your God and obey Him. For the Lord your God is a merciful God; He will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which He confirmed to them by oath.”

Indeed, the Israelites would be permitted to return to rebuild their nation, especially the holy city of Jerusalem and God’s temple. During that time, they also would get to rebuild their relationship with Him and we can read about how this played out in the Old Testament books of Ezra and Nehemiah.

Okay, so how does this relate to us as believers today?

Well, the world we live in contains many things that would tempt us, seeking to draw us toward sin and away from the Lord, stealing our focus from Him and placing it on our own wants and desires. Often times, these are things we can possess, material items that we can touch, feel, and yes, even worship. They become very real to us because we can see them and know they are real and exist whereas God is completely unseen in the same tangible ways. Further, God can’t be held onto and embraced like a human person nor can He be possessed by anyone. No one can exclusively claim Him as solely being their own.

Conversely, He can do this - and does this - easily with us. If we would only allow Him, He will completely posses us if we would only submit and surrender fully to Him. For when we lay our own longings aside, He brings us more than we could ever want or need as He consumes us, not with fires of judgment but rather with the fiery baptism of the Holy Spirit whenever we place our belief in His Son Jesus (Matthew 3:11).

Friends, like the people of Israel, the end of this passage for today brings us all good news. For just as God predicted that His people would stray from His expectations and fall into sin, He knew that we would do the same for we’re all sinners who fall short of His glory (Romans 3:23). And yet, He also knew that they would want to come back to Him and when that would happen, He would lavish them with His grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love, just as He will do for anyone today who may have gone astray.

Our God has made the way for sinners to return to His good favor, particularly when they find themselves in distress from the poor choices they have made. The scriptures are clear that the Lord’s redemption is possible but in order for that to happen, one must genuinely want to change, to turn their life around in a direction that points them toward God and away from the world. This re-centering happens when anyone comes to the Lord and repents before Him, confessing their transgressions while truthfully committing to never repeat them so to more become the person He wants them to be.

In the end translation, we serve a Lord who is a merciful God, a blessed heavenly Father who loves His children and wants the best for them. To that end, He demands our absolute obedience and yielding to His autonomy over our lives. There is no room for anything or anyone else. Only Him.

And when He is in full charge of us, we will only worship and love Him with the fullest measure of our heart, mind, soul, and strength. In other words, we will give all to the One who gives His all to us.

I can tell you from experience that there’s no better life to live than that.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

GIVING PRAISE WHERE IT'S DUE

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“The Lord was angry with me because of you, and He solemnly swore that I would not cross the Jordan and enter the good land the Lord your God is giving you as your inheritance. I will die in this land; I will not cross the Jordan; but you are about to cross over and take possession of that good land.”

Deuteronomy 4:21-22

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Have you ever been around someone who never would admit they were wrong, even when it was obvious they were? These same people seem inclined to always pin the blame on another when they are the real problem?

Maybe you’ve known a person like this but if we’re really honest with ourselves and the Lord, I think we can see where we’ve actually been that kind of person at one time or another in our lives.

In today’s scripture passage, we see a classic example of someone passing the blame for something they did onto another but we should note this wasn’t just any someone but rather Moses, the esteemed, God-appointed leader over the people of Israel, the man originally ordained to lead the Israelites into the land of Canaan. This was the person that God held in such high regard that He allowed him to enter His presence before passing on His commandments and guidance to given to His people.

Yes, Moses was one of the heroes of the Old Testament but like all the other, he was human and a sinner…just like you and me.

We see things go off the rails from an accountability standpoint in the very first verses of today’s passage as Moses said this:

“The Lord was angry with me because of you, and He solemnly swore that I would not cross the Jordan and enter the good land the Lord your God is giving you as your inheritance.”

Here, we see Moses lamenting the judgment God had imposed on him which we know forbade him from crossing the Jordan River and entering Canaan with the rest of the Israelites. He tells his brothers and sisters that the Lord had become angry with him because of them but the real truth of the matter was that it was Moses’ own actions that led to his punishment. Let’s go back in the scriptures to that fateful day when Moses and Aaron ended up falling out of favor with God:

So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence, just as He commanded him. He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.

But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in Me enough to honor Me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”Numbers 20:9-12

Here, we’re reminded of how Moses and Aaron had gathered the Israelites together and then Moses rebukes them all, referring to them as “rebels”. You’ll recall the people and their animals were parched and thirsty, in desperate need of water and so they took the concern to Moses who in turn took it to the Lord. This prompted the Lord to tell Moses exactly what he and Aaron were to do:

“Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.” Numbers 20:8

Note the disparity between what God called the two brothers to do and what actually happened.

For we see where God ordered them to “speak” to the rock which would then “pour out water” for “the community so they and their livestock” could drink. But what did Moses do? He “raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff” and while water did gush out from the rock, Moses had disobeyed God’s command and both he and Aaron would suffer the consequences for it. Rather than doing what the Lord demanded so He would gain the glory, Moses took it upon himself to make it look as if he and Aaron possessed the power to bring the water from the rock, therefore gaining honor for themselves.

And so in sum, Moses and Aaron didn’t allow credit and praise to go to God, where it was due.  Then, Moses doubled down on his wrong by deflecting the blame toward the Israelites when it should have been a time of confession for his own wrongs, wrongs that led to God's discipline. 

Friends, in these present times, we get to serve an awesome God who performs miraculous, powerful works and miracles every day. His power, glory, and majesty are always on full display, often revealed most in the things that we most often take for granted in life. And so when it comes right down to it, He and He alone is worthy of all glory, honor, and praise. 

He is also a God who holds believers accountable when they willingly and willfully try to rob him of the credit He deserves. Like a father corrects his child, so too does God discipline His children...and for that, we should be thankful and give Him praise.  

In closing, my prayer is that we would respond to today’s message by adopting the same heart attitude of the Psalmist who wrote the following in the 105th Psalm:

Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known among the nations what He has done.

Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts.

Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always.

Remember the wonders He has done. Vv. 1-5

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.