When God calls us into difficult situations, we can trust Him to guide and provide. sonic

When injustice and evil threaten, remember that God knows all and is faithful.

God is caring and preparing His people according to His plan and His purposes.

The second woman in Jesus' genealogy is Ruth, a Moabite widow who forsakes her home and family of origin and resettles in Bethlehem.

Like Israel, we should have confidence in Yahweh and no illusions about ourselves. Without the mediation of Jesus, we would be on the same brink of destruction on which Israel found herself.

Hebrews 3:1-6

Our Response (Romans 12:1-2)

God’s people look different—do you?

1. What “illusions” about ourselves do we carry as modern believers that prevent us from recognizing our deep need for Jesus?
2. Which of the five “prescriptions” for success is the easiest for you to swallow? Which is the hardest?
3. What is one change you can make this week that will differentiate you from the people around you?

The whole system (including Jesus’ upgrades in the Sermon on the Mount) is set up for human failure—the law was (is) powerless to save. It has always been the grace of God, reaching out to the brokenness of humanity that has set the relationship right.

1. Talk more about why the covenantal promises are not universally applicable to the church.
2. What things keep you from loving the Lord with all your heart, soul, and strength?
3. How do Paul’s words in Romans serve to encourage you and remind you that it’s all about Jesus?

God was setting up a physical kingdom on earth and populating it with tenants whom he called up and rescued from the hand of evil in Egypt. They were moving into a land owned by God and they needed to understand the stipulations for their occupancy. Really, they were roommates, co-inhabitants of God’s land

As the Israelites prepare to enter the promised land, Moses charges them with four critical tasks:

1. Don’t keep doing all the dumb stuff your parents did…
2. Their behavior was linked to the reputation of their God
3. Do not be enticed by the cheap and attractive alternatives
4. The evil of idolatry must be rooted out, not just nipped in the bud.

It’s been forty years since the Israelites left Egypt. That generation has passed away and now Moses recounts the “how we got to be where we are” to their children and challenges the people to move forward in obedience.

Deuteronomy – second law; but really more of a renewal and reinforcement of the covenant
Establishes Boundaries: Geographical, historical, spiritual, and moral—God gives the people THE SPECIFIC WAY to live in COVENANT RELATIONSHIP with Him

Why Deuteronomy?
1. They probably felt that the covenant wasn’t really their covenant.
2. There were questions that needed to be addressed.
3. God desired His people be a model for the nations.

Summary: Deuteronomy establishes the covenant to a new generation of Israelites and teaches them how to live in a theocracy.

Three Events
1. The One with the Quail Fiasco
2. The One with the Spineless Spies
3. The One with the Rebellious Rabble

REMEMBER: God can do again what you have seen him do before—He initiates and He directs—YOU NEED TO OBEY.
When the Israelistes did things God’s way, they had success; when they tried to do things their own way, spurning the covenant and their relationship with God, they were miserable failures.

Table Discussion
1. Browse through Deuteronomy 2 and 3 noting the times of success and the differences in the people’s attitudes and behaviors.
2. Get vulnerable—share a time when you did things your own way and your enterprise was a failure.
3. Share a time when you sought the Lord, obeyed, and experienced success even when the situation looked bleak