Deuteronomy (Program #9) – The Rehearsal of the Law (2)

Deuteronomy Chapter 7 begins in a way that might be very difficult for us to reconcile with our natural thought.  “When Jehovah your God brings you into the land which you are about to enter to possess, and clears away many nations from before you – And Jehovah your God delivers them up before you and you defeat them, you shall utterly destroy them; you shall make no covenant with them, nor shall you show them any favor.”

God’s word to the children of Israel was as they were preparing to enter the good land was to utterly and absolutely destroy the people that were inhabiting the land. To us today this may seems far too extreme. But what view do we bring to the Scriptures?

Galatians (Program #34) – Live and Walk by the Spirit

The book of Galatians reveals 2 categories of people: those born according to flesh and those born according to Spirit. We might think this refers to Christians and non-Christians, and in a sense, thats true. But in fact as believers in Christ, our experience testifies that we can be in either category. The great conflict of flesh and Spirit is our focus on today’s life study of the Bible.

Deuteronomy (Program #8) – The Rehearsal of the Law (1)

The word Deuteronomy means a second speaking or re-speaking . In Deuteronomy what is been re-spoken by Moses to the assembled nation of Israel was the commandments, the law, the ten commandments, the ordinances, statues and judgments. These were originally given to the people some 38 years prior at Mt Sinai.  The reason for this repeating of the word is that Moses was facing a new generation that had grown up after the law was originally given to their fathers. By now the fathers were all dead. And God’s purpose was with this new, young generation.

The words here of Moses, are the words of a loving, caring father’s speaking to his children. How much all of us as God’s children today needs to hear His word spoken again and again and how much even we ourselves shall speak this word to our own children again and again.

Galatians (Program #33) – Born of the Spirit to Receive the Spirit (2)

At Christ’s death on the cross, we were redeemed. We might think that the purpose of redemption is so that we could be saved and go to heaven. But, Galatians 4:5 says that God has redeemed us so that we might receive the Sonship. To receive Sonship means that we’re born of God and thereby receive the divine life and nature. Stay with us today as we focus not on our future in heaven, but on how to live and walk in Spirit as the very sons of God.

Deuteronomy (Program #7) – A Book Concerning Christ

Deuteronomy is a book very much concern with the good land. For 40 years the children of Israel journeyed with the goal of entering into the good land of Canaan. All that they had experience and passed through was for this. And for us as Christians we need to understand that good land represents the goal of our journey as well. Because the good land is a type of our all inclusive Christ.

Listen to the description of it that is found in Deuteronomy 8:7-10 “For Jehovah your God is bringing you to a good land, a land of waterbrooks, of springs and of fountains, flowing forth in valleys and in mountains; A land of wheat and barley and vines and fig trees and pomegranates; a land of olive trees with oil and of honey; A land in which you will eat bread without scarcity; you will not lack anything in it; a land whose stones are iron, and from whose mountains you can mine copper.  And you shall eat and be satisfied, and you shall bless Jehovah your God for the good land which He has given you.”

Deuteronomy (Program #6) – A Review of the Past (2)

It should come as a surprise to no one really that God is revealed in the Bible. But that is not all of course many things are revealed but primarily three things are shown to us in the Bible: God, mankind in general and even yourself in particular and of course Christ.

Well, it is very easy to see God manifested in the pages of the Bible and if we look at the story of God’s people through out history in the pages of the Bible we will also see man but to see Christ unveiled is not so easy.  Deuteronomy, we find is an extract of the entire Bible and it too primarily reveal these three main things.

Deuteronomy (Program #5) -A Review of the Past (1)

Deuteronomy begins with Moses reviewing 40 years of history to the assembled children of Israel. Kadesh-barnea is at the gate of Canaan in the very place where they had arrived some 38 years before.

Deut 1: 19 And we set out from Horeb, and we went through all that great and awesome wilderness, which you saw, on the way to the hill country of the Amorites, as Jehovah our God commanded us; and we came to Kadesh-barnea.  Verse 21 “See, Jehovah your God has set the land before you; go up, possess it, as Jehovah the God of your fathers has spoken to you. Do not fear, neither be dismayed”…. “Yet you would not go up. Rather you rebelled against the word of Jehovah your God;”

The unbelief and disobedience that the people showed on that day caused their father to falter and not going to possess the land.  As we see Moses now is preparing a new generation to overcome that past and to be strong to enter in and possess the good land.

Deuteronomy (Program #4) – A Review of the Past (1)

Deuteronomy is a wonderful yet little known book in the Bible. It begins with Moses reviewing the 40 years history of the children of Israel as they wondered in the wilderness deal to their flesh and unbelieving hearts.  God used this long period, first to consumed that unbelieving generation but also to review three persons in a detail way.

Today we come to Deuteronomy to see God manifested, man exposed and Christ unveiled and presented. Hallelujah for this ministry.

In the Bible , it’s easy to see God, all of the miraculous events and creation and demonstration of His power and majesty and in passages like this one where the failures of God’s people are exposed again and again. We also get a very clear picture of what mankind is like in general and what we ourselves are like personally. But to see Christ in the Bible especially in the Old Testament in the book like Deuteronomy is not so easy.

But thank the Lord again for this ministry bringing us to Christ as the all inclusive One signify by the good land and also Christ as the word of God to supply us enable us to win and possess Him as the good land. So, Christ is both the goal and Christ Himself is also the way. Just as He said, I am the way, the reality and the life.  So, our Christ is the goal and our Christ is the way, what a Christ we have in Deuteronomy.

We have Him as the goal and the way. That’s an interesting composition.  We want to see how we open the program today and that is to say that In the Bible primarily these three are seen God, man and Christ. And that also is what we see in Deuteronomy which see as an extract or abstract of the whole Bible.

Galatians (Program #29) – How to Restore the Fallen One

Now, we can sow unto the Spirit and eventually we will reap from the Spirit eternal life. Since we cannot avoid sowing, let’s all learn by the Lord’s grace to sow unto the Spirit.

We are in chapter 6 now, the last chapter of this book of Galatians. At the end of chapter 5, the Apostle Paul gives the charge for all of the believers, to walk by the Spirit. Today in chapter 6, it somewhat continues his charge. But now, it incorporates the matter of sowing and reaping. These two things are not so unrelated. They are intricately related…

Deuteronomy (Program #3) – The Crucial Points (2)

What is revealed in Deuteronomy is what is revealed in the whole Bible. The entire Bible shows us that God is loving, righteous and faithful. The Bible also exposes how unfaithful we are. It shows us how defeated we have been in the pass and how much failures we will have in the future. But in spite of all of these. God will still enable His chosen people to enter into the rich Christ to possess Him, enjoy Him, experience Him and even to live in Him. This is Deuteronomy, and this is our Bible.