Deuteronomy 17 Devotional by Pastor Mark Hudson Worship in the life of Israel centered the individual and the community.  What may sound absurd to most people in the U.S., spirituality was not something that an individual could decide on their own.  Spirituality was a response to God.  Worship was never intended to be something where one expresses themselves in any way they desired.  That was not worship; that was paganism.  Worship was an obedient response…

Deuteronomy 16 by Pastor David Groendyk This section of Deuteronomy serves as a commentary of sorts on the fourth commandment: “Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Deut. 5:12). Of course, there was the one main weekly Sabbath which was Saturday for the Israelites, but there were also other types of “sabbaths” they had to keep. Chapter 15 told about the year of release where all debts and slaves were released after seven years,…

Deuteronomy 15 Devotional by Pastor Lawrence This chapter serves as a commentary on the second greatest commandment regarding the duty to love your neighbor as yourself, particularly a poorer neighbor. The first section deals with giving mercy to one’s neighbor in terms of what they owe you. If after the seventh year, the year of release, transpires and they are still indebted to you, you ought to release them of all obligation that they might…

Deuteronomy 14 Devotional by Pastor Mark Hudson In Deuteronomy 14, we hear the reminder of what is clean and unclean; what they may and may not eat.  This might be a good time to use this chapter as a reminder of the concepts of holy and common and the category of clean and unclean.  I am summarizing from Gordon Wenham’s discussion of these categories in his commentary on Leviticus (pp. 14-29).  This chapter is like…

Deuteronomy 13 Devotional by Pastor Lawrence This chapter serves as another commentary upon the first of the Ten Commandments when the Lord says to Israel, “You shall have no other gods before me.” In each of the examples given, whether in the prophet, or the close relative or friend or even the worthless fellows in another city in Israel, their abominable sin is in seeking to lead Israel astray to serve others gods, and the…

Deuteronomy 12 Devotional by Pastor Mark Hudson Here is an outline for a rather easy to understand chapter. 12:1                 superscription 12:2-4              Destroy Canaanite religious sites 12:5-14            Worship Yahweh at His chosen site 12:15-28          Permission to slaughter  non-sacrificially 12:29-32          No adoption of Canaanites worship   (McConville p. 213) We start with the theme that have read often: destroy the Canaanites and anything related to their worship.  God wanted no mixing of a little Canaanite worship and a…

Deuteronomy 11  by Pastor David Groendyk   In a sense, this chapter is a preview of what’s to come at the end of the book when Moses describes in detail that obedience to these laws will lead to blessings and disobedience will lead to curses. At least four times we see Moses simply say, “Keep these commandments!” Each time he provides a reason or consequence of their choice to obey or disobey. “Keep my commandments…

Deuteronomy 10 Devotional by Pastor Lawrence Reminding Israel once again of their rebellion at the foot of Mt. Sinai in worshipping the golden calf and of their many stubborn ways manifested throughout the forty years in the wilderness, Moses exhorts this new generation to fear the Lord, to walk in his ways, to love and serve him with all their heart by keeping his commands. Even though there are many laws that are given unto…

Deuteronomy 9 Devotional by Pastor Mark Hudson We cannot escape the command that God gave His people to displace the indigenous people.  God is the one leading the charge.  “Know therefore today that He goes over before you as a consuming fire . . . He will destroy them and subdue them before you. So, you shall drive them out and make them perish quickly, as the Lord has promised.”  We see a promise from…

Deuteronomy 8 Devotional by Pastor Lawrence After repeating the Ten Commandments and reminding Israel of how the Lord had led them out of slavery in Egypt and through the barren wilderness for forty years, Moses gives God’s people a very serious warning not to forget the Lord their God and to be very careful in keeping His commands.  Because they would be tempted toward pride and forgetfulness in the Promised Land, Moses shares with them…

Deuteronomy 7 Devotional by Pastor Mark Hudson   The easiest outline is offered by McConville in his commentary: 1-6       Destroy false worship 7-11     Israel as holy people 12-16   Blessing 17-26   Destroy false worship This not the first time we have seen Moses address herem.  This is God’s command to kill every living thing in a town or regions.  It was a brutal, violent act that a holy God commanded.  This is, and should be, a…

Deuteronomy 6 by Pastor David Groendyk We are right at the beginning of a very large section in Deuteronomy where Moses reiterates the laws, commandments, and stipulations that the people must follow in order to keep the covenant (chs. 5–26). The famous Ten Commandments appeared in chapter 5, and some scholars have noticed that the rest of this section of laws appears to be arranged like a commentary on those Ten Commandments (i.e., chs. 6–11…

Deuteronomy 5 Devotional by Pastor Lawrence As part of the covenant renewal ceremony between God and his people, Moses has recounted for Israel all that has taken place since the time of the exodus and their first entering into a covenant with God at the foot of Mt. Sinai. Now, beginning in this chapter, there is a retelling of the Law of God as it is summarized in the Ten Commandments. Unlike all the other…

Deuteronomy 3 Devotional by Pastor Lawrence After recounting Israel’s refusal to take the land of Canaan by faith and their forty years of wandering in the wilderness in chapter one, Moses retells Israel’s victory over Sihon one the kings of the Amorites in the southern region of the Transjordan in chapter two. In chapter three he describes Israel’s victory over another king of the Amorites in the northern region of the Transjordan and how two…

Deuteronomy 4 Devotional by Pastor Mark Hudson Chapter 4 ends the first section of Deuteronomy.  Chapter 5-26 is the next section.  Here is one way to see changes in topics in this chapter.  What follows is the outline in J.G. McConville’s commentary. 1-8       Commands, God’s nearness, Egypt and People 9-14     The encounter: vision and the word 15-24   Worship God alone; no idols 25-31   Curse and blessing: idolatry 32-40   God is near – on earth;…

Deuteronomy 2 Devotional by Pastor Lawrence As Moses leads the next generation of Israel in this covenant renewal ceremony with the Lord, he continues to recount for them what happened to the previous generation from the time they left Mt. Horeb (Sinai) till that very moment in which they were standing in the Transjordan area waiting to cross over the Jordan River to take their land. After recounting their initial rebellion in refusing to invade…

Deuteronomy 1 by Pastor David Groendyk As you begin to read the book of Deuteronomy, remember where you are in Israel’s history. The entire nation is encamped on the other side of the Jordan River from their Promised Land. It won’t be long until Israel occupies Canaan, thus fulfilling one of God’s greatest promises from all the way back in Genesis 12. This is a momentous and historic occasion. Of course, Israel doesn’t defeat Canaan…

John 21 Devotional by Pastor Lawrence In this epilogue to John’s gospel, the beloved disciple of Jesus wraps up the loose ends concerning Peter and his denial of Christ. After boasting before the disciples in the upper room that he would never fall away from Jesus, three times Peter denied that he was his disciple and felt the bitter shame of his betrayal when the rooster crowed and he saw Jesus beholding his duplicity. But…

John 20 Devotions by Pastor Mark Hudson One of the reason, people find the Bible believable is the perspective of the authors.  If you read the Bible, you find some pretty horrible things in the stories of  the Bible.  If we would write our family history, our tendency is to leave the more unpleasant stories out or at least minimize them.  That is not the way the Biblical authors do it nor does God, THE…

John 19 Devotional by Pastor Lawrence Having nothing substantial to charge Jesus with before a Roman court, the Jewish leaders said that Jesus claimed to be the king of the Jews inferring that he was instigating an uprising against the Romans. Although Jesus never denied being the King of the Jews, or even being the King of Kings, his desire was not to overthrow King Herod nor to oust the Roman authorities from Judah. On…

John 18 Devotional by Pastor Lawrence In the previous chapter we see Jesus praying extensively in his role as our great high priest. In this chapter we get a glimpse of Jesus as our great king. While still in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus and his disciples are accosted by the religious authorities who have sent their thugs to capture the one who has been troubling them these last few years. Jesus knows that they…