HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER...ALWAYS

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In Christ, Mark

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

“If a man has two wives, and he loves one but not the other, and both bear him sons but the firstborn is the son of the wife he does not love, when he wills his property to his sons, he must not give the rights of the firstborn to the son of the wife he loves in preference to his actual firstborn, the son of the wife he does not love. He must acknowledge the son of his unloved wife as the firstborn by giving him a double share of all he has. That son is the first sign of his father's strength. The right of the firstborn belongs to him.”

“If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and will not listen to them when they discipline him, his father and mother shall take hold of him and bring him to the elders at the gate of his town. They shall say to the elders, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us. He is a profligate and a drunkard.’ Then all the men of his town shall stone him to death. You must purge the evil from among you. All Israel will hear of it and be afraid.”

Deuteronomy 21:15-21

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

Today’s excerpt from Deuteronomy, Chapter 21, contains two distinct passages on how the Israelites were to deal with their sons.

In the first passage, we see where the rights of the very firstborn son were upheld, even if the father engaged in polygamy.

The scenario given involves “a man (who) has two wives and…loves one but not the other” with both bearing “him sons but the firstborn is the son of the wife he does not love”. With these circumstances in place, there would be a danger that “when (the father) wills his property to his sons”, he might give “the rights of the firstborn to the son of the wife he loves in preference to his actual firstborn, the son of the wife he does not love”. This would be in direct violation of the Israeli customs regarding the inherent rights of firstborn sons and be unjust. In this instance, the actual firstborn son would be penalized just because his father loved his mother less than the other wife.

Given this possibility, God gives clear direction that would ensure that the firstborn son would be taken care of. The father was to “acknowledge the son of his unloved wife as the firstborn by giving him a double share of all he has” because the firstborn son was “the first sign of his father's strength”...the first product of his procreative power…and thus “the right of the firstborn belong(ed) to him”.

Once again as in so many instances in the Bible, we see where the Lord places a priority on justice.

Speaking of justice, we also see it evident in the second portion of our scripture only this time it isn’t favorable for the son.

Why?

Because the son in this second scenario is “stubborn and rebellious”…one “who does not obey his father and mother and will not listen to them when they discipline him”...”a profligate (one who fully lacks moral restraint) and a drunkard”. This was in direct violation of God’s commandment to “"Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” (Exodus 20:12)

Because of this, we see where the consequences for an obstinate disobedient child were severe. For when the parents had done all they could do to get the son under control, the next step was to take the son “to the elders at the gate of his town”. Once there and after the parents had told the elders about the son’s unwillingness to comply with their guidance and the moral expectations of society, “all the men of his town (would) stone (the stubborn son) to death”. This was intended to be a deterrent to this sinful behavior for God showed He wouldn’t tolerate a clear violation of His commandment.

Now, obviously this Old Testament cultural norm wouldn’t work too well today but this doesn’t mean that God has changed His expectation about that children are to honor their father and mother. The truth is that it’s just as valid now and yet…ask yourself this:

How often is it violated today? How often do children take the liberty to disrespect their parents?

I would wager to say it is violated far more than it ever was during the days of early Israel…and that is truly sad to me but I wonder how God feels about it. I can’t imagine he’s too pleased.

So why do so many children have such an issue with respecting their parents?

Well, often it’s because parents mistreat them in some way and thus lose their respect. And yet, does God’s word give us an out clause when it comes to honoring our parents? Try to find one and you’ll find it doesn’t exist.

Why?

Because it’s not up to children to decide whether their parents deserve honor or not. That’s God’s job and trust me when I say He will hold parents accountable for any wrongs they commit against His children…because that’s who they are. All children belong to Him and then He entrusts them to worldly parents, expecting them to provide proper care. Indeed, worldly parents have an incredible responsibility and with that comes with an equal accountability to the Lord who won’t accept failure in this area.

Before I finish, one final thought on honoring parents. For we all have one Father when it comes down to it and we all are His children, children that He expects to honor and respect Him in every way. Unfortunately, I’m afraid that we fail to live up to this expectation more times than not and if we lived in the days of ancient Israel, many of us probably would have been dragged outside the gates of our towns and stoned to the death for our insubordination.

And yet, here we are. Not despised but loved, not condemned but forgiven, all because we have a Father who shows us grace and mercy despite our rebellious, sinful spirits. I would submit to you that we need to emulate our Lord and extend that same grace and mercy to our parents.

Perhaps if we did, we would live in a better world today, a world where we leave the judging to God while we ever seek to honor Him by respecting others, including our parents, while striving to live like His Son, Jesus who perfectly honored His Father.

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.

LEAVING THE PAST BEHIND

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.

“When you go to war against your enemies and the Lord your God delivers them into your hands and you take captives, if you notice among the captives a beautiful woman and are attracted to her, you may take her as your wife. Bring her into your home and have her shave her head, trim her nails and put aside the clothes she was wearing when captured. After she has lived in your house and mourned her father and mother for a full month, then you may go to her and be her husband and she shall be your wife. If you are not pleased with her, let her go wherever she wishes. You must not sell her or treat her as a slave, since you have dishonored her.”

Deuteronomy 21:10-14

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

As Israel entered Canaan and took possession of the land the Lord promised, other nations would try and war against them to try and take their land away. Because of this, we saw earlier where the Lord made it clear that any attempt to attack His people would be fruitless, at least for now. You’ll remember that He promised to deliver into Israel’s hand any enemy who tried to war with them, ordering the Israelites to lay waste to any nations that were within the Promised Land. Essentially, there was to be no remnant left of the people who worshipped false gods and idols.

As we move to today’s passage, we find God further addressing conflicts with enemy nations, specifically discussing how an Israelite male should handle an encounter with a “beautiful woman…and (find themselves) attracted to her”. When that circumstance presented itself, the man was permitted to take her as his wife but only under certain conditions. For the scriptures tell us the woman was required to “shave her head, trim her nails, and put aside the clothes she was wearing when captured”, all acts that were customary for any woman who was entering the Israelite way of life. Ultimately, they represented leaving their prior life so to join the holy family of Israel.

After this happened, note where the man was supposed to wait to see if their relationship was to work out before they went through with the marriage. After all, the woman leaving her family for a completely new culture and lifestyle was extremely difficult and not all women would be able to successfully make the adjustment. women would be able to adjust and make the change. This is why we find the scriptures mandating that the Israelite man was not to marry the woman until “after she has lived in your house and mourned her father and mother for a full month”. This would allow time to see if things were going to work or not. If not, it’s important to see that there were protections built in for the woman. We read where the man wasn’t allowed to abuse her or “sell her…as a slave”. Instead, he was to “let her go wherever she” wanted.

As I was looking at this passage, I tried to do so under the cultural contexts of the day it was written. Think about it for today we wouldn’t think about requiring a woman to shave her head, trim her nails, or cast off her old clothes as she enters into any relationship, regardless of what she represented before. It’ something that would seen as odd and inappropriate in our time but not in early Old Testament Israel. It was just the way their society operated.

Despite this, we can definitely gain something from the symbolic nature of head shaving, nail trimming, and clothing abandonment rites of that day. For the matter of leaving one’s prior life behind for another is more than applicable in present times if we see how it parallels the way Christians are called to enter into a personal relationship with Jesus. This new commitment requires one to be changed and transformed, leaving the world’s ways behind while adopting His ways instead. Surrendering who they used to be, Jesus believers are no longer to live for themselves or anything else except Him, taking up their cross and laying down their lives sacrificially just as He did for them.

Consider these verses that underscore this truth:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24

When one comes to Jesus, they truly become a new creation. They can’t help but be as they adopt His ways over all others.

They discard their deceitful ways for a new, truth-centered, obedient attitude.

They willingly walk toward perfection in righteousness and holiness, never reaching it but never ceasing to attain it by drawing as close as they can to the Author of perfect righteousness, Jesus Christ.

And they continue to seek reformation and refining until that day when He calls all believers to Him and they dwell with Him in person. My friends, what an awesome day that will be but until then, let us ever seek to be like Jesus in every way, working every day to carry out His call to make disciples, baptizing them while teaching them to obey all He commanded.

Indeed, there’s still much work to be done. In helping others leave their past behind for a new life in Christ.

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.

WASHED BY INNOCENT BLOOD

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.

“If a man is found slain, lying in a field in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess, and it is not known who killed him, your elders and judges shall go out and measure the distance from the body to the neighboring towns. Then the elders of the town nearest the body shall take a heifer that has never been worked and has never worn a yoke and lead her down to a valley that has not been plowed or planted and where there is a flowing stream. There in the valley they are to break the heifer's neck.”

“The priests, the sons of Levi, shall step forward, for the Lord your God has chosen them to minister and to pronounce blessings in the name of the Lord and to decide all cases of dispute and assault. Then all the elders of the town nearest the body shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley, and they shall declare: ‘Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done. Accept this atonement for your people Israel, whom You have redeemed, O Lord, and do not hold your people guilty of the blood of an innocent man.’ And the bloodshed will be atoned for. So you will purge from yourselves the guilt of shedding innocent blood, since you have done what is right in the eyes of the Lord.”

Deuteronomy 21:1-9

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

As Deuteronomy, Chapter 21 opens, we see where the subject is the shedding of innocent blood. Specifically, God uses the following scenario to frame His guidance:

“If a man is found slain, lying in a field in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess, and it is not known who killed him,,,”

In this instance, we read where there was a series of prescribed steps that involved the elders, judges, and priests carrying out certain functions which included measuring the distance from the discovered body to the neighboring towns. Then, “the elders of the town nearest the body” were to “take a heifer” that had “never been worked” nor “worn a yoke” to “a valley” near “a flowing stream” that had “not been plowed or planted”. In that valley, the heifer was to be slain and the elders were to “wash their hands over” the sacrificed heifer, declaring the following:

"Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done. Accept this atonement for your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, O Lord, and do not hold your people guilty of the blood of an innocent man."

By doing this, Israel was to “purge from (themselves) from the guilt of shedding innocent blood”.

Fast forwarding to the days of Jesus, it’s too bad that this same matter of not shedding innocent blood wasn’t honored. For we know that Christ came to the nation of Israel as their long awaited and prophesied Messiah who was completely sinless and yet was brutalized before being crucified on a cross outside of Jerusalem located on a hill called Golgotha (fittingly translated as “the place of the skull”).

At that time, there were no measurements taken to the nearest city or town, no heifer selected and slain, and no hands washed with the exception of Pontius Pilate, the pagan Roman governor of Judea who had examined Jesus and found Him not guilty of any crime. Yet, the Jewish religious authorities and the people they encouraged still cried out, “Crucify Him!”.

Given this, the scriptures tell us that Pilate “took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd” saying:

“I am innocent of this man's blood...It is your responsibility!" Matthew 27:24

To which the people proclaimed:

“Let His blood be on us and on our children!" v.25

And so it was…and remains today.

For we can’t wash our hands of Jesus anymore than the people of Israel. None of us are innocent because none of us are free from sin. And it was your sin and my sin and the sin of all mankind that were nailed into the innocent, unblemished, sacrificial Lamb of God and as His blood streamed down the cross from His thorn-pierced head and nail pierced hands and feet, we were washed clean of the very sins that He died for.

What a blessed cleansing and washing this was…but at such a great cost.

Friends, as we live every second of every minute of every hour of every day, let us not forget the cross where the innocent Son of God was slain, not accidentally but intentionally, and how our Savior willingly allowed His death to happen so that we might be saved from our sins.

As I close, let me share these words of one of my favorite hymns that proclaims the power found in the innocent blood shed by Jesus:

Verse 1

What can wash away my sin?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus;

What can make me whole again?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Chorus

Oh! precious is the flow

That makes me white as snow;

No other fount I know,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

 

Verse 2

For my pardon, this I see,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus;

For my cleansing this my plea,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Chorus

Oh! precious is the flow

That makes me white as snow;

No other fount I know,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

 

Verse 3

Nothing can for sin atone,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus;

Naught of good that I have done,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Chorus

Oh! precious is the flow

That makes me white as snow;

No other fount I know,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

 

Verse 4

This is all my hope and peace,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus;

This is all my righteousness,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Chorus

Oh! precious is the flow

That makes me white as snow;

No other fount I know,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

 

Verse 5

Now by this I’ll overcome—

Nothing but the blood of Jesus,

Now by this I’ll reach my home—

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Chorus

Oh! precious is the flow

That makes me white as snow;

No other fount I know,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

 

Verse 6

Glory! Glory! This I sing—

Nothing but the blood of Jesus,

All my praise for this I bring—

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Chorus

Oh! precious is the flow

That makes me white as snow;

No other fount I know,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

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.

 

AN ATTITUDE OF PEACE

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

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

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

“When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. He shall say: ‘Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them. For the Lord your God is the One who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.’"

“The officers shall say to the army: ‘Has anyone built a new house and not dedicated it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else may dedicate it. Has anyone planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else enjoy it. Has anyone become pledged to a woman and not married her? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else marry her.’ Then the officers shall add, ‘Is any man afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his brothers will not become disheartened too.’ When the officers have finished speaking to the army, they shall appoint commanders over it.”

“When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace. If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you. If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city. When the Lord your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it. As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves. And you may use the plunder the Lord your God gives you from your enemies. This is how you are to treat all the cities that are at a distance from you and do not belong to the nations nearby.”

“However, in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—as the Lord your God has commanded you. Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods, and you will sin against the Lord your God.”

“When you lay siege to a city for a long time, fighting against it to capture it, do not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them, because you can eat their fruit. Do not cut them down. Are the trees of the field people, that you should besiege them? However, you may cut down trees that you know are not fruit trees and use them to build siege works until the city at war with you falls.”

Deuteronomy 20

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

One thing was certain as Israel was about to enter the Promised Land. They weren’t entering a land that wasn’t already occupied and those who were there weren’t going to surrender without a fight. Conflict was inevitable.

There was one other thing that was sure. The Israelites weren’t any ordinary force coming into Canaan for they had the Lord on their side…the Almighty, Omnipotent God of all Creation…the God who promised He would be with Israel and deliver their opposition to them. We know this is truth from our scriptures today where we read this:

“When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. He shall say: ‘Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be faint-hearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them. For the Lord your God is the One who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.’"

What an assurance this must have been for Israel! For they knew God was with them before they even entered any conflict, working things out in their favor in accordance with His will.

And so it is with us as well today.

For it’s inevitable that we will enter into our own skirmishes in life as well. Sometimes these happen when we enter new territories but more often than not, they occur on ground that is more common and familiar to us like the workplace, in our home, or perhaps with family members close and afar. Regardless of the situation, the part or parties involved, or the location of the adversary, God is with us nonetheless and is ready to lead us through any battle we might encounter, a truth we should never forget.

Before I close, there is one other important part of this scripture passage for today. Look at these words again:

“When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace. If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you. If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city.”

Note here that the Israelites weren’t supposed to enter into immediate attack on every city it came upon. No, the first thing they were to do is offer peace before conflict and although we don’t know how many cities accepted this offer, I would have to guess there were some. This tasking for Israel was important because resolution of a potential battle can sometimes happen quickly if the right initial attitude is taken…an attitude of peace.

I know I can vouch for this from personal experience. In fact, I have found that I can often bring someone with a combatant attitude to my place of peace by refusing to exchange the same combatant attitude with them. Maybe you can relate to this. For have you ever witnessed two people get into an argument with one another and watch it escalate as neither person is willing to back down? Usually it results in one person trying to one-up the other until words turn into physical altercations. No one wins in these circumstances and, more often than not, someone just gets hurt.

Conversely, have you ever witnessed someone who wanted to get into an argument with someone but the other person remained calm, collected, and unwilling to enter into heated discussion with the other? Perhaps you noticed in these circumstances where the dispute ramped down to the level of the calmer person much like throwing cold water on a burning flame? Either that happens or the angry person just walks away frustrated because the peaceful person refuses to engage them in anger.

I have learned in my life that this approach is golden and use it all the time because I want to be an instrument of peace, not strife…just like Jesus, the Prince of Peace. And I can do it because the Holy Spirit is alive within me.

So how about you?

How do you handle matters of conflict?

Are you an instrument of dissension or peace?

Do you see God as always being with you…ready to guide and direct you through any clash when it comes?

Friends, God’s Word today is speaking loudly, bringing us great wisdom and good news. Thanks be to God that we never need to fear walking this world alone. Thanks be as well that as we do walk it, we can do so with an attitude of peace.

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.