Yes, God is serious — Joshua 7-9

Posted on March 22, 2011 by parklinscomb

Well, the fall of Jericho went according to God’s plan — mostly. Who knows why we never seem to take God seriously, but Achan didn’t. In our reading today he takes a bit of loot from the banned city of Jericho, and it was a huge problem.

The “ban” boils down to this, everything under the ban is considered “holy”. Holy certainly means that something is separate or different from common things, it is a bit more than that, especially in this context, it is something that belongs to God and is specifically for God’s use alone. For example, knives that were used in the Tabernacle or Temple were considered holy, and that meant that they were only to be used for sacrifice of the animals in service to God. They weren’t to be used as steak knives, to whittle with, or even cut a string. And things given to God were considered holy or under the ban. God also could claim things to be His and His alone — put them under the ban. Jericho and everything in it was one of those things. And something about holiness that you may not know — it’s sort of counter-intuitive — if something holy touches something common, the common thing becomes holy. This is important to know as this story progresses, because Achan decides to take some of the holy things in Jericho and hide them in his own family’s tent. Guess what that makes Achan and the rest of his family.

No one knew what Achan had done at first, until Israel shockingly and distressingly was defeated by little Ai. When Joshua and Israel came in terrible distress at this unexpected defeat, God told them that someone had taken something forbidden, something from the banned city of Jericho. Achan was eventually “fingered” by God as the offender, and the consequence was that his entire family and everything he owned was killed and destroyed! Why? Achan had put them all under the ban by bringing the holy (banned) things into his tent! The principle is  contained here…

“The graven images of their gods you are to burn with fire; you shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it for yourselves, or you will be snared by it, for it is an abomination to the LORD your God. You shall not bring an abomination into your house, and like it come under the ban; you shall utterly detest it and you shall utterly abhor it, for it is something banned.” Deuteronomy 7:25, 26, NAS95.

The treasure looked good, nobody was looking, and did God really care anyway? It’s all too common a rationalization, isn’t it?

Give this a few moments of thought: Christians are called saints, holy ones. What does this imply for us? What use are we to make of ourselves?

Ai was eventually conquered, of course, because Achan’s sin had been atoned for and God was with them again. But Joshua’s challenges were not over yet. Some of the Canaanites could read the handwriting on the wall and attempted to use their wits to save their lives. The Gibeonites came to Joshua looking like they’d been traveling for weeks and months and it was a good enough ruse to fool Joshua into entering into a covenant and treaty with them. Later when he found out that they were really from only a few miles away he … kept his word and learned a really big lesson about checking with God first, before going into covenant with them.

Perhaps you expected Joshua to break the treaty of peace with the Gibeonites. Most westerners would; after all, they lied to Joshua, the misrepresented themselves, they cheated. But to Joshua and to God, one’s word was one’s word. The compromise is that they Gibeonites became slaves to the Tabernacle and put under the ban in that way — still for God’s exclusive use as wood choppers and water carriers (some of the hardest work to be done for the Tabernacle in service to God).

There’s a couple of lessons here for us to take in — God expects us to consult with Him (today, the Bible) and He expects us to keep our word.

” O LORD, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill? … He swears to his own hurt and does not change;” Psalms 15:1-4, NAS95.

See you tomorrow, Lord willing.

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The conquest begins — Joshua 4-6

Posted on March 21, 2011 by parklinscomb

Well, those of us who live in New England, who were hoping for spring, are having a little set back today with a little more snow; but God is faithful and spring really is just around the corner. Today’s reading is another confirmation of that truth; Israel is crossing the Jordan and taking Jericho — the conquest has begun.

As Israel crossed the Jordan God had Joshua do something interesting that as an archaeology fan I would love someone to discover — a couple of piles of stones. While the ark was still in the Jordan River and “holding back” the water, Israel was told to gather 12 stones from the spot where the Levites were holding the Ark in the middle of the channel of the Jordan River. These stones were then stacked into a memorial at Gilgal to remember this miraculous crossing of the Jordan River at spring flood stage. Similarly, 12 stones were to be gathered from the west bank and stacked in the middle of the Jordan as another visual reminder of where the Levites stood on dry ground as Israel crossed into the Promised Land. It is probable that the 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan and stacked in Gilgal has been dismantled at this point in history. It’s the pile of stones in the middle of the Jordan that intrigues this archeology fan, because it is less likely that it might have been taken down by men. Why is this a big deal? It would be substantial evidence for both the Exodus and the miracle of the crossing of the Jordan. So, if there’s anyone out there with some ground penetrating radar who has an interest in archaeology, here’s a place to silence some doubters — for a while anyway. Now it might not be there any more — relics sometime become objects of worship. But just maybe…

And did you notice the appearance of the preincarnate Christ? It’s the Captain of the Lord’s hosts who required Joshua to take off his shoes for he was on holy ground — you never see an angel do that. Yes, Jesus the Son of God is not just a man “adopted by God” as the Jehovah’s Witnesses (so called) claim. He, as John 1:1ff tells us, was from the beginning with the Father.

Then, of course, there’s the taking of Jericho. What a battle plan! And what a result! Archaeology, by the way, believes that the wall of Jericho fell down outwardly. It’s not unusual to find felled walls in an archaeological dig, but the walls don’t fall outwardly, they fall inwardly because of the enemy on the outside penetrates the walls from the outside going in. Jericho’s walls fell outwardly, though, telling us at minimum that some really unusual went on — the Bible tells what that something unusual was, God felled them without any help from Israel.

The lesson here for us is that God’s ways don’t always seem quite right by the standards of worldly wisdom. Marching around a walled city silently for six days, then marching more on the seventh day ending with a shout is the height of doing nothing directly constructive — which was the point for Israel and us. It was and still is God who does great things — we need to just obey, as crazy as the obedience might seem. I wonder how many prayers we ourselves sabotaged by asking God to do something and then taking over. Yes, we need to do what we can, but sometimes we just need to give God room to work while we obediently do the “crazy” thing. More often than not, this takes the form of acting in faith, stepping out on the water, or taking steps as if God had already given us what we asked for. This gives God “room to work”, and He, not we, gets the credit.

See you tomorrow, Lord willing.

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Finally – Joshua 1-3

Posted on March 20, 2011 by parklinscomb

There’s a leadership change in now among the Israelites, but not a change of direction in our reading today. Moses has gone to meet his reward for a life led heroically, and now Joshua is Israel’s leader — but God continues to be their King.
But taking the reins of leadership is, for Joshua, not something to be taken casually or lightly. There was a river to cross, there were ferocious enemies to conquer, there were giants to take down, and there were women and children to protect while the warriors prosecuted the war of conquest. There were going to be trials, temptations, and plenty of opportunities to mess up in a place where a misstep could be fatal for them all. It was a huge undertaking, way beyond what Joshua knew he was capable of; so, God gave Joshua the assurance and encouragement he needed. “Be strong and courageous.” He says it not once, but a number of times; and I’d suggest that there may be more here than may meet the casual eye.
“Be strong,” God said. Was this about working out more at the gym? No, it was more about pressing forward in what he was going to be doing with strength and vigor — confidence and assurance. With God at the command and a sure understanding of what He wanted, there should be not a place for weakness, timidity, or a slack hand. And there’s a lesson here for us isn’t here? Isn’t it time for us as Christians to leave timidity behind? That’s what Paul urged young Timothy to do as he reminded him that God doesn’t give a spirit of timidity, but one of power, love and discipline (2 Tim. 1:7). part of faith is understanding that if God has truly commanded it, there is no reason to hang back not fully committed. If God has commanded it, we need to be “all in”.
But God also encouraged Joshua to be courageous. Courage, it has been said, is not the lack of fear, but the doing of what must be done in spite of the fear. fear isn’t always a baad thing; it often saves us from dangerous situations or foolish decisions. Joshua was going to attack fortified cities, a race of giants, armies better equipped than his own, and without Moses to pull them out of trouble — the only leader they had ever known up to this point. But there are times when fear has to be controlled, whether you’re Joshua or Joe Christian in the 21st century.
There’s a song that I like:
If you say go, we will go
If you say wait, we will wait.
If you say step out on the water, and they say it can’t be done,
We’ll fix our eyes on you and we will come.
There’s more to our reading today about Rahab hiding the spies sent to Jericho, and the miraculous crossing of Jordan to the Promised Land. but we’ll call it a day for today. God bless your week. We’ll see you tomorrow, Lord willing.

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Last words — Deuteronomy 31-40

Posted on March 18, 2011 by parklinscomb

Well, I missed yesterday. Hope you missed me, but I also hope you still kept up with the daily reading. I was engaged in a funeral most of the day yesterday and returned home pretty well spent. Had I gone ahead and written, this blog may have turned out to be nothing but babble — or at least more than usual. 🙂

Today’s reading is, of course, essentially Moses’ last words to Israel, and tragically, they aren’t all really optimistic ones. For example, in 31:21 Moses reveals to Israel that the seeds of their unfaithfulness were already present with them on the east side of the Jordan. And as a witness to them about this warning against unfaithfulness Moses gives them another song (unlike the victory song immediately after the Red Sea crossing) to be kept in the national memory (32:1-43). In this song are a number of interesting tidbits.

First, as just a bit of clarification, Jeshurun (you see it being used twice here) is simply another name (nickname) for Israel, meaning “upright one” — sort of ironic, given the unfaithful predictions made in this passage about Israel.

And this song does emphasize the infidelity angle (as in a marital relationship) in which the Lord (the husband) has provided food, clothing, blessings, and protection to Israel (the wife), but the wife has nevertheless spurned Him and pursued other gods. But these “other gods” are not gods at all (v. 17, 39), they are demons (evil spirits); there are no other gods! Now, despite the fact that we think of ourselves as monotheists, I think it is still important for us to reflect on what we are relying on that has made us “fat, thick, and sleek” (v. 15). Is it “our” intellect, “our” skills, “our” money, country, system, boldness, charisma, good looks, politics, medical plan, etc. that really has prospered and protected us? Or isn’t it the God who gave these things that is the real source of the prosperity and protection we enjoy? To put it another way, when the parents give the teddy bear to their child, it’s a mistake for the child to look to the teddy bear as his/her source for food, clothing and protection. The teddy’s a nice gift, but the sources of blessings and the proper objects of love and obedience are the parents.

And, then, in the midst of all this, Moses drops a simple but heavy thought, our destinations depend on the paths we take:

“For they are a nation lacking in counsel,
And there is no understanding in them.
Would that they were wise, that they understood this,
That they would discern their future!”
Deut. 32:28, 29, NAS95.

God through Moses is telling them — and us — that the ultimate future can predicted on the basis of the thoughts, the words, the character, the deeds, the lives that we take up. A man’s character — a nation’s character, a church’s character — is his fate! Too often we discount and scorn this truth, thinking that “We know what we’re doing. We can turn things around, if they start to get out of control. Why should our beliefs or anyone’s beliefs lead to a bad destination for me, my family, or my country?” But it does, it really does.

And I love the blessing at the end of the blessings of chapter 33 that speaks of Israel’s (and by extension, our) ability to rely on the everlasting arms of God (vv. 26, 27). And then this:

“Blessed are you, O Israel;
Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD,
Who is the shield of your help
And the sword of your majesty!
So your enemies will cringe before you,
And you will tread upon their high places.”
Deut. 33:29, NAS95.

Lastly, Moses is called away home — just shy of the Promised Land. Leaders, how serious is God about your obedience? Even though I am not the judge, it’s probably safe to assume that Moses will be welcomed into Heaven. Still, consider how even he — the man whom the Lord knew face to face (34:10) — was not given a “break” in the matter of obedience, and was not allowed to enter Canaan. No tenure, no seniority, no special favors were given to Moses despite the difficulty of the responsibility. With the privilege of leadership comes a tremendous responsibility to rule well, godly, justly, and obediently.

See you tomorrow, Lord willing.

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No excuses — Deuteronomy 28-30

Posted on March 16, 2011 by parklinscomb

I think I know why liberal theologians don’t like Deuteronomy: it’s way too black and white for anyone who’d like a heaping portion of gray for their religion. Without a doubt, the book of Deuteronomy draws a clear line in the sand about expectations and consequences. There’s nothing vague about it.

Our reading today begins (in chapter 28) with the blessings of Mt. Gerizim and an “expanded version” of the curses of Mt. Ebal. The essence of it boils down to this simple equation: obedience = blessings. Now, He wasn’t trying to set up a works theology here, but God was trying to impress upon Israel (and us) the linkage between sin and death, deed and consequence, obedience and blessing. It’s a simple linkage, but we often find ourselves motivated to ignore the connections — and that’s a serious mistake, because the consequences don’t go away just because we’ve stuck our heads in the sand. God’s way has always borne blessings; it comes out of His very generous love towards us that seeks our best interests. Far from God being the “Cosmic Killjoy”, the truth is that Satan and sin are! They result in death, they result in pain and suffering, they end in curses. As just one example: “Family” done God’s way leads to the wonderful blessings that “family” done any other way will never know.

Sadly, Israel still was a little hard-hearted or blind about to these things. Deut. 29:4 declares Israel to still be blind, deaf, and thick-between-the-ears. To paraphrase,

“Do you really think that the clothes of other people don’t wear out? Yours haven’t. Did you think that shoes last forever? Yours have. What did you think was happening? Did you think that the whole world goes out every morning to pick up manna? Well, they don’t. Do you think that everyone who wanders through the desert finds plenty of water to drink? Think again.”

And, by the way, if you’ve been a Christian for a while (maybe all your life), be sure not to miss the similar blessings that you enjoy. Do we think that husbands and wives just naturally behave themselves? They don’t. Are you horrified sometimes at the things that you see on the news or on TV shows and think, “I’m glad that things like that only happen rarely or only on TV”? In many cases, they happen a lot, to a lot of people, who don’t know the Lord. The truth is that we are often living in a bit of a sheltered world, sheltered by the things that the Lord has commanded, that we and our family have obeyed — and we don’t even recognize it.

We’re not that good, folks.

Lastly, in Deut. 30:11-14 we find a passage that Paul quotes in Romans as he uses the concept of how accessible God’s law is, in order to talk about faith in Christ. But to see this passage in its original context is especially excuse-altering. God is saying here that this law that He is giving isn’t rocket-science, you don’t have to be a genius to understand it — anybody can. It isn’t knowledge that must be retrieved from a far land (like, for example, the Gentiles would have to). No one had to journey to the Heaven of God to obtain the golden oracles (like the Gentile mythologies sometimes did). He’s laid it out very clearly in black and white, life and death, prosperity and adversity terms. All that’s left is to do it. So…

See you tomorrow, Lord willing.

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Sundry Laws — Deuteronomy 25-27

Posted on March 15, 2011 by parklinscomb

As we’ve read through the book of Deuteronomy, have you gotten a picture of what a society completely under God’s rule be like? Just, holy, fair, righteous, are a few words that come to my mind. Granted, punishment for some sins (that modern culture thinks of as being minor or not a sin at all) are swift and severe, but have you ever thought that possibly those sins are actually more serious than we give them credit for being? But that’s not really part of our reading today, I just I’d encourage you to look back over our readings for more of a macro picture.

I know that it’s only a minor principle, but it’s one that we ought to take note of: 25:4, “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing.” Masters, employers, and other bargain hunters are often looking to get work or goods at as small a price as possible. In some respects, of course, this is a fundamental principle of business or trade — you can’t make money by paying too much for things. But on the other hand, if you oppress or starve the source of your production, you’re doing yourself no favor either. The ox, in real life and in metaphor, is the source of the farmer’s (business man’s) ability to gain; if you starve him, he won’t be able to produce anymore. Give the workman, the salesman, the store what they’re due — it’s the cost of doing business. Paul, by the way, uses it as a foundational principle later for paying those in full-time ministry.

In 25:16-19 and 26:1-15 there is some interesting stuff, but maybe not for the reason that you may initially think. There are liberal theologians who teach that the book of Deuteronomy was really written in the days of King Josiah — that Deuteronomy was really a product of the priests of Josiah’s day (2 Kings 22), and deceptively “found” by over-zealous priests eager to see the Mosaic Law restored. But 25:16-19 and 26:1-15 are passages that would have had absolutely no purpose for an 8th century priest to include in his “pseudepigraphal” forgery — king Saul had already taken vengeance on the Amalekites 200 years before Josiah’s day, and a command to bring in an offering of the very first crop after Israel came into Canaan (as well as the second tithe) would have no purpose at all. Liberal attempts to discredit the Bible fall short once again.

Almost everyone is familiar with the command to love the Lord with all one’s heart, soul, and strength, but did you notice the different in 26:16? “You shall therefore be careful to do them (the commands of the Lord) with all your heart and with all your soul.” Did you realize that our attitudes in obedience make a difference to the Lord. We ought to have realized it, because we all know that it makes a difference to us, when we issue our own commands to children, employers, etc. Nobody wants eye-rolling, heavy-sighing, drag-your-feet, minimal-effort obedience, right? Such attitudes are what you’d expect of a slave; if you’re a Christian, you’re a child of God — act like it!

Lastly, we get into the beginnings of the blessings of Mt. Gerizim and curses of Mt. Ebal. It’s interesting what the people are commanded to do, when they actually execute this command later in Canaan — answer with an “Amen” (I agree, so be it). It’s the first example of a responsive reading / sermon. It was the Lord’s effort to make sure that Israel really understood how important obedience was by making them answer after each line of the blessings and curses. It might be an interesting exercise to read through the Sermon on the Mount and after each verse, ask the congregation to say the “Amen”(I agree, so be it).

Hope you have a great week ahead. See you tomorrow, Lord willing.

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Taking Responsibility — Deuteronomy 22-24

Posted on March 14, 2011 by parklinscomb

Sundays are always a busy day for ministers, but they’re also pretty encouraging. I’m writing this at the end of a Sunday — a Sunday for changing to daylight savings time, no less — so I’m a little mind-weary at the moment, so I’ll keep my remarks short. But don’t let the shortness of the remarks make you think that there’s not much here. It’s nothing of the kind.

Let me start with the beginning of chapter 22 and the call of God to be responsible. God gives several examples of how the person belonging to God can’t just choose to not get involved. If people lose something and you find it, you can’t just neglect the other person’s need for his property. It’s the principle of “Golden Rule” at work — it’s what we’d hope someone else would do for us. Perhaps where this principle of getting involved is most applicable is in the area of evangelism. Many would like to choose to be uninvolved, let the lost find their own way.

A second thing I thought would be stimulating to discuss was the topic of slavery. A common argument used by homosexual advocates to justify the sin is to try cast the Bible as an antiquated, wrong-headed book; and they often attempt to resort to an accusation that the Bible approves of or at least allows slavery. This argument founded upon a poor reading of the text warped by an agenda — the outcome has no chance of being true to Scripture or valid as an argument.

Although slavery was allowed, it was not slavery as we know it in American history. Slavery in Israel was part of a survival strategy during dire times of poverty like it was in most ancient cultures. But on top of that, in this very text we find a clear prohibition of the kind of slavery that was practiced in the 1700’s and 1800’s in America — kidnapping and selling someone as a slave. And notice, also, that if an Israelite discovered a runaway slave, he was actually under obligation to not turn him in but rather to treat him well. Neither of these principles were in practice in American slavery. The Bible doesn’t defend American slavery; it defends only the practice of slavery that fit the parameters God set down which was intended to help men in poverty, not oppress them. Far from the Bible being antiquated, it’s wisdom demonstrates its true, divine authorship and ultimate timelessness.

What are your thoughts?

I hope to see you tomorrow, Lord willing.

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The ultimate advisor — Deuteronomy 16-18

Posted on March 11, 2011 by parklinscomb

As in so many readings — and I’ll say it again — there are so many things to comment on here and so little time! So let me get started.

God understood a need for someone to be a final arbiter in difficult circumstances. Moses filled this function during his lifetime, but Moses was about to go the way of all the earth soon. So (17:8.9) the Lord appointed a sort of supreme court in the high priest or a judge (in the sense of Samuel, Samson, or Gideon). Such godly men were apparently (due to the fact that they were supposed to go to the Tabernacle or Temple) to receive their answer from the Lord Himself (possibly with the help of the Urim and Thummim). Is there meaning for us in this?

Well, it clearly isn’t that we have a final human arbiter — uninspired (and I’m making an assertion here that I haven’t got time to explain at this point) men are notoriously mistaken about right and wrong. But God’s word is not, and our advantage over the Israelites is that we have so much more written, so many more prophecies, so many more instructive stories and examples and parables and refinements of the Lord’s will. “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16, 17, NAS95. And if all else fails, that’s also why God gave His church elders and preachers: “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11-13, NAS95.

And when it came time for Israel to have a king — it really was God’s intention to give Israel a king in time, Israel just seemed to have “jumped the gun” a little — God wanted even the king to be directed by this same written authority. The king was to have his own hand written copy of the Scriptures that he would keep near his person all the time — as his ultimate advisor. Sadly, we’ll not read in the rest of Scripture whether or not any of the kings ever did such a thing; it seems really clear, however, that there are a lot of problems, sins, and errors that would have been avoided. And while we’re thinking about that, isn’t that true of us, too?

I also find it interesting that the king should handwrite his own copy. Most of understand the value of taking notes in a class. Oh sure, you hear the teacher and learn a little something, but you retain so much more when you write it down. There’s just something memory-enhancing about writing it that God knew and wanted the kings to benefit from. If you’re serious about getting to know God’s word, it could be a good exercise to write it down word for word yourself.

And I’ll not take too much time to elaborate here, but chapter 18:9ff forbids the practice of the occult: spiritism, necromancy, witchcraft, etc. It has become an increasingly embraced practice in our modern world — possibly as a function of the “Goth” world. But dabbling in the occult is no innocent pastime; it is inviting interaction with malevolent spirits in opposition to God.

So how will we know the future and the spiritual stuff we need to know? Listen to God. How will we know who speaks for God? If 100% of the prophecies come to pass (Deut 18:21,22). Spiritists and others will occasionally be right — even a broken clock is right twice a day. But no spiritist, no necromancer, no sorcerer, no fortune-teller will ever be 100% accurate. Only God and His prophets. It’s one of the ways that we can test the authenticity of the Bible itself — all of its prophecies have been fulfilled with the exception of the “end time” prophecies.

Hope you have a great day walking in the Lord’s will. See you tomorrow, Lord willing.

 

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Party On! — Deuteronomy 13-15

Posted on March 10, 2011 by parklinscomb

Although some would find it hard to believe, did you realize that from time to time God actually commanded certain celebrations? Sadly, God is sometimes seen as the “Cosmic Killjoy” who demands dour faces and dull gray colors. The chapters of our reading today reveals a different reality.

But before He commands the joy, He demands holiness. Chapter 13 is a rather stern warning about falling away to idolatry and paganism. In a world of liberal tolerance and inclusivity of ideas, we might squirm in our seats about the black and white call for the death penalty for being a false prophet or an enticing influence to worship other gods. But our discomfort may reveal a certain numbness, callousness, that we may have developed toward false teaching or religion. Don’t misunderstand, I have never, do not, and would not advocate violence toward beliefs. As Paul puts it,

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places,” (Ephesians 6:12, NAS95)

and

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5, NAS95).

My point is merely that we often don’t understand just how serious such things are; they are serious enough to justify God saying what He is saying in Deut. 13. They are not “just” ideas or teachings. They are not “merely” different ways to get to God. They misdirect, misinform, and disinform men and women about the most important matter in the universe, their souls.

But there’s more on God’s mind here than punishing the guilty; there’s also just the joy of life. What a surprise for some to hear that God wants us to enjoy life! But that’s exactly what

“”You shall surely tithe all the produce from what you sow, which comes out of the field every year. “You shall eat in the presence of the LORD your God, at the place where He chooses to establish His name, the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and your flock, so that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always. “If the distance is so great for you that you are not able to bring the tithe, since the place where the LORD your God chooses to set His name is too far away from you when the LORD your God blesses you, then you shall exchange it for money, and bind the money in your hand and go to the place which the LORD your God chooses. “You may spend the money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen, or sheep, or wine, or strong drink, or whatever your heart desires; and there you shall eat in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice, you and your household.” Deuteronomy 14:22-26, NAS95.

And God wanted them to spread that joy around, too. So, God insisted that they remember the poor and the Levite in their celebrations. And moreover, every seven years (sabbatic year) Hebrew debts were cancelled and Hebrew slaves were freed! Debt and slavery were in ancient times survival techniques in times of poverty and setting a regular time of release from these (including Jubilee every 50th year) is a clear manifestation of God’s concern for the poor and expectation of generosity from His people. It was no small matter to ask masters who had paid good money for help to lose that help through emancipation. It was no small matter for a creditor to write off as loss a lump of money he had expected to get back. But generosity was important — then and now.

See you tomorrow, Lord willing.

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A covenant of the heart — Deuteronomy 10-12

Posted on March 9, 2011 by parklinscomb

One of the difficult facets of a covenant like Israel’s was that it was a promise made by great-great-grandfathers. It was a covenant you are born into with stipulations that you never personally agreed to. Such agreements often grow weaker as the time between then and now grows longer. God had doubtlessly seen the human weakening of the commitment to the covenant in a matter of just a single generation. And that’s why he calls upon Israel to “circumcise your heart and stiffen your neck no longer” — a call that gets repeated a few more times in the Old and New Testaments.

A bit of that may get lost in a contemporary translation — circumcision is not for one’s heart, and isn’t a stiff neck something you get if you slept crooked the night before? Of course, circumcision is for the foreskin of one’s male member; but it specifically was a sign of the covenant God made with Abraham. Every Jewish male had this sign in the flesh of his foreskin, and sometimes it was thought that it was all that needed to be done to be pleasing to God. Moses strongly objects to thinking like that. He called for taking the covenant “to heart” — seriously. And the idea of the stiff neck was taken from dealing with stubborn animals and prideful people, both of which tend to resist being led with a stiff neck. In other words, stop resisting God’s lead; be a willing party to God’s gracious covenant and obey.

The next couple of chapters (chapters 11 and 12) are largely urgent pleas to submit to the Lord’s commandments with a little bit of carrot and a little bit of a stick — there is reward for obedience and there are consequences for disobedience — with the emphasis on the carrot. As God explains the covenant to Israel again, He underscores the stark contrast for them: “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse; the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD you God, which I am commanding you today; and the curse, if you do not listen…” (Deut. 11:26-28). We can be a blessing or a curse to ourselves, and we can be a blessing or a curse to others. Which way are we living?

See you tomorrow, Lord willing.

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