Readings for FEBRUARY 13-19

February 13

After the plague when 25,000 Israelites died, God ordered another census of the people. This head count was to certify that all those original men did not survive the forty years. Notice that in the second numbering God adds an inheritance for the tribes. Earlier when the tribes were to bring offerings to the Lord, the offerings were the same no matter how small or large the tribe was. (see Numbers 7 and 8) This time the land is allotted to them based on the number of names, the number of people. In the land inheritance, Joseph is left out, his sons Ephraim and Manasseh are in, Levites are left out in the land allotment as well. They would be supported by the tithes of the people.

The total number of fighting men now totals 601,730.  After 40 years, they didn't really increase in number of fighting men.  Interesting that in the numbering of the Levites it makes it clear that both Moses’ parents were from the tribe of Levi.

Numbers 26:63-65
These are the ones counted by Moses and Eleazar the priest when they counted the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho. Not one of them was among those counted by Moses and Aaron the priest when they counted the Israelites in the Desert of Sinai. For the LORD had told those Israelites they would surely die in the desert, and not one of them was left except Caleb. 

Because of their disobedience, not one of the original adults who left Egypt went into the land, except Caleb and Joshua. They were the only two who trusted God to lead them into Canaan.  However, they had to wander in the desert and experience the consequences of the collective sinful behavior of the Israelites - but they were rewarded in the end.

Can we as Believers in Jesus trust the Lord, even in the face of great adversity? Even when no one else trusts Him?  Even if we have to wander in the "wilderness"?  Just as Joshua and Caleb were rewarded, we will be greatly rewarded as well!

FEBRUARY 14

Moses asks the Lord for a successor, someone to lead the people so that they would not be like sheep without a shepherd. Even though he must have greatly desired Joshua to be that man, yet he doesn’t ask for him. He leaves it in the Lord’s hand. And look what happened, God gave him Joshua!

There is an interesting verse - Numbers 27:16 May the Lord, the God of all the spirits of all mankind... (see John 3:16)
God is God of all people, whether or not they believe.  God is God, no matter what!

The tribes of Reuben and Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh ask for land on the east side of the Jordan River.  Moses was at first reluctant to allow this.  He was afraid that God would punish them again as He did when the spies were fearful of going into the land 40 years earlier.  To their credit these two-and-a-half tribes offer to help the other tribes fight for their land before taking possession of the land east of the river.  Moses warns them that they will suffer the consequences if they fail to honor this offer.

The Israelites were told to drive out the inhabitants of the land, destroy their idols, and demolish their high places (places of pagan worship). If not, these inhabitants would become barbs in their eyes and thorns in their sides. What an understatement! If only the Israelites had obeyed God completely. These idols and high places will be a source of great disobedience on the part of God's people.  If the Israelites had obeyed God at the beginning of their journey from Egypt, some 40 years earlier, they would not have had to fight for the land.  God had promised that He would drive out the inhabitants with the hornets. But they did not obey and now must fight for the land.

There is also a modern-day application to these verses in Numbers 33:50-56.  What happens to a nation where carved images, cast idols, and high places (pagan influences, other "gods", etc) are allowed into the country?  When Islam is given equal credibility to Christianity, when Allah and God are declared to be the same, what are the consequences?  All we need to do is to read the history of the nation of Israel and the nation of Judah to see how God deals with that issue and make the application to today.  

The boundaries that are listed in the readings for today from Numbers 33-34 are the boundaries of the land that Abraham walked.  Remember, the boundaries that God promised Abraham were much larger. (Genesis 15:17-21).  These promises were conditional on Abraham's obedience. All Abraham had to do was to walk and claim the land.  So, Abraham and his descendants were given the land that Abraham actually walked, much smaller than what God originally promised.  This is just one example of the consequences of disobedience. Partial obedience is disobedience.

The people are reminded of what the Amalekites did to them along the way. They attacked those who were weary and worn out or who were lagging behind. Great lesson for us. When we are at our weakest, we are easy prey for the enemy. But equally important, when we are at our strongest, we are also easy prey. Whenever we are doing something big for the kingdom, we get Satan's attention and he tries to "cut us off".

In the plans for the cities for the Levites, it seems as if God is placing a “pocket” of Levites to essentially surround each of the towns. Maybe to be a buffer for them spiritually? Has God placed any of us as a spiritual buffer for others?

FEBRUARY 15

The entire book of Deuteronomy was spoken by Moses, in the last five weeks of his life, his last will, and testament to his people. In this book, Moses writes the Lord spoke to me. In the other four books of the Torah it says the Lord spoke to Moses.

Page 204 

Moses was to choose men as leaders. The leaders of thousands were commanders of 1000 soldiers. The leaders of hundreds were judges.  Leaders of 50 people are those who taught the Torah and those that were over 10 people carried out police duties.

Moses addresses the people in preparation for the transfer of leadership. He knows that his life is near the end. He is keenly aware that his sins have kept him from entering the land of Canaan, the Promised Land. And yet in many of his statements, he seems to be transferring the blame away from himself and on the people. He repeatedly says, "because of you...".  He seems to have forgotten the "striking of the rock" incident. In fact many of Moses' words seem to be in contradiction to what is recorded earlier. Check out Deuteronomy 1:19-25 and compare with Numbers 13. God's directions concerning the land were to just check it out.  God wanted them to see the lushness of the land and report back.  Moses gave specific directions to the spies adding some directions that God hadn't given him.

In his first address, Moses mentions that when they camped at Horeb (Sinai) in Arabia they were only 11 days out from the Promised Land, and yet it took them 40 years, because of their disobedience and lack of trust. 

After reading about all the battles, carnage, destruction, and death, it is painful to remember that none of this had to happen if they had only trusted God and obeyed Him concerning the taking of the land.  God was going to drive out the inhabitants of the land, not kill them.

Pg. 203-204 are descriptions of the land they walked for those 40 years.  It wasn’t all desert.  There were hills, mountains, wilderness, timber, grasslands, coastlands, as well as desert. 

Moses gives the people a history of their nation, their relationship with God and their purpose in the conquest of the land. God's plan was for the people to take the land regardless of what they found there.  These people are the descendants of the original group.  They were either young children when they left or were born during the 40 years. All those who were 20 years of age or older, even though some of them would be only about 60 years old, are now dead, except for Moses himself and Joshua and Caleb.

Pg. 206-207 God says that He will put terror and fear of them on all the nations.  The people will hear reports of them and will tremble and be in anguish. We can read in several places that God said He would send in  hornets to drive the people out.  Hornets can be literal or figurative.  Also God says not to be afraid of them.  He will do their fighting for them.

Pg. 208 mentions Horeb and how the Lord spoke out of the fire.  There is a mountain in Arabia that has a burned top.

pg. 210 God says He has given His people the land for all time.

pg. 212

There is an extremely important verse hidden away in today's reading.  It explains a reason for prayer.

Deuteronomy 4:7
What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him?

Reason to pray?  It brings the Lord near us!  The Hebrew word for "near" is "qârôb".  The definitions for that word are "near - of place, of time, of kinship, of personal relationship".  So when we pray, God comes to us where we are, at the time we pray, in a closer personal relationship with Him.  Wow!

Moses reminded the people to obey God's laws, to teach them to their children, to stay away from idols. He tells them not to add to His commands or subtract from them (But isn't this what Moses did?). Good advice for us today too!  (Deuteronomy 4:2, 12:32, and Revelation 22:18).

Moses felt that the people had seen too much of God‘s greatness to be misled by idols in the land but the children and grandchildren for whom the miracles would be history, rather than experience would be more susceptible to the pagan idols of the land of Cannan.

Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols in the fire. God said it was not sufficient merely to chop down an Asherah or idolatrous tree. Even its roots must be removed from the ground. The Canaanites set up their idols, wherever the surroundings manifested the powers of nature, powers that they associated with their idols and pagan gods.
God reminds the people that idolatry is the same thing as adultery. Remember our relationship with Jesus is like that of a marriage. When we worship anything over and above Him we are committing spiritual adultery.

“Do not be afraid of them; the Lord your God himself will fight for you.” When God says He has given us victory, CLAIM IT. TRUST HIM!

FEBRUARY 16

Oh, today’s readings are so rich! (Deuteronomy 3-8) Where to begin?

The commentary on today's reading says that the purpose of the law was to bring the people into a proper relationship with God and to regulate their conduct. The law was the instrument for measuring.  It was through the law that the people could have a relationship with God and the law measured their conduct.  Today we have Jesus as our instrument for measuring.  It is through Jesus that we can have a close personal relationship.  Jesus is our role model on how to behave.  Jesus is now our righteousness.

Deuteronomy 6:25 And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.

Moses reminds the people that when God SPOKE the Ten Commandments to them, He added nothing more. If only they had listened to God then, and gone into the land that He promised them, there would have been no need to add all the other regulations, commandments, stipulations, decrees, laws, sacrifices, etc. They would not have even had to build the tabernacle. They could have just gone into the land, straight to Jerusalem and built the temple. God even says to them that if they will keep his commandments, believe Him, trust Him, obey Him, follow Him, make no treaty with the inhabitants, destroy their idols, then they would be blessed, that they would prosper, prolong their days, that things would go well with them and their children FOREVER! .....HELLO???

Their first big mistake was when God told them way back in Exodus 19 to listen to Him (God) speak to Moses so that they would put their trust in Moses. But did they listen? Of course not, they were afraid they would die if God Himself spoke to them. If they had heard God speak to Moses, maybe there wouldn't have been all those complaints against Moses and maybe they wouldn't have questioned Moses' authority.  They wouldn't listen to God.  They wouldn't listen to Moses either. 

Commandments concerning children were very specific. We are to talk about the commandments when we sit, when we walk, when we lie down, and when we get up. In other words, we should take advantage of every opportunity to talk to our children about Him. If only we could live out His commands concerning the children. How different would our culture and our world look?

God was very clear about destroying the pagan altars, sacred stones, Asherah poles and idols of the nations. God warns that His people are not to serve false gods.  Do we do that today?  He said He would throw the people into confusion.  There is great confusion today concerning God's Word and His Holy Days. God set His people apart from the pagans and called them to be holy.  Satan still tries to confuse God's people as he did with Eve in the garden when he said, "Did God really say..." (Genesis 3:1-5).  Satan's message is still the same because it is so effective....just create doubt and confusion. 

“Holy to the Lord” What a great phrase! The Lord chose us (believers in Jesus) to be His treasured possession.

There are some very specific blessings listed in Deuteronomy 7 for obedience.  God promises "You will be blessed more than any other people", among the many other blessings that are listed.

Moses reminds the people that they spent time in the desert to be humbled and tested and disciplined.

We are warned to beware of pride. We may be tempted to say...My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me. Deuteronomy 8:17b  

Often we forget to thank Him when things are going well but are quick to turn to Him in times of trouble.

Deuteronomy 8:18a  
But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you ability to produce wealth, 

FEBRUARY 17

Ouch!  Some powerfully stinging words in today's reading!  God reminds the people that He will go before them and subdue their enemies in the land.  But...He also reminds them that He is doing this NOT because of their righteousness or integrity. Great lesson for us as well.

The people are reminded of their past sins and rebellions against God and the consequences of those sins of disobedience.

Another reminder: Moses stayed on the mountain with God for 40 days and 40 nights. He ate no food and drank no water. Not once, but this visit to the mountain for 40 days and nights without food and drink was done twice!  Normally an average person can survive only 30 days without food and ten days without water. What confirmation of how God can miraculously take care of the physical needs. Should we even think about doubting that He can take care of our spiritual needs?  If we don’t understand that God is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent, then we will have a difficult time understanding what God is able to do.

Listed in the reading today is a Summary of God's Will:God said to Break down their alters, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols in the fire. God said it was not sufficient merely to chop down an Asherah or idolatrous tree. Even its roots must be removed from the ground. The Canaanite set up their idols, wherever the surroundings manifested the powers of nature, powers that they associated with their idols.

1. Fear the Lord
2. Walk in His ways
3. Love Him
4. Serve Him
5. Observe His commands

We are told that these commands that we are to observe, this summary of God's will are for our own good. Ponder that for a bit!

Deuteronomy 11 reminds us that His blessings upon us are contingent.  We must faithfully obey the commands.  The only command listed here is "to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul".  And then the blessings will come.  God promised to send rain so that they would enjoy abundant harvests.  However the Lord's anger will burn against them if they turn away from Him and worship other gods.  We need only look around at our world today and see that there is a famine in the land - a famine of hearing God's truth.

Again God gives this admonition. It is such an easy thing to do, just teach the children... and look at the promise at the end if we do!

Deuteronomy 11:18-21
Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the LORD swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.

Another reminder: God told the Israelites that He would give them every place they set their foot.

Deuteronomy 11:24-25
Every place where you set your foot will be yours: Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River to the western sea. No man will be able to stand against you. The LORD your God, as he promised you, will put the terror and fear of you on the whole land, wherever you go.

This area is much larger than the area of Israel today. God promised them that He would give them all the land where they would set their foot. Way back to Abraham, God told him to walk the land and He would give him every place he set his foot. The land that He offered Abraham is larger than the land promised to the Israelites in the reading for today in Deuteronomy, because Abraham did not walk the entire land that God promised him. God makes the same offer again, of walking the land, but with a smaller territory.  There are consequences for disobedience.

Interestingly, the boundaries of the present day Israel are the boundaries of the battle of Armageddon. 

Again the people are given a warning against worshiping false gods in the land.  These words are not just for those people 3,500 years ago.  They are equally applicable today.  Do we worship false gods? What form do these gods take? Anything that replaces God in our lives is an idol. That can take many forms.

God sets before us blessing and curse, life and death...that we may choose blessing and life!

FEBRUARY 18

As we begin reading about the laws given to Moses, we may be tempted to skip over them, thinking that they have no relevance to us today. If so, think again and read the following verse.

Romans 7:7a
What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law.

"Only after struggling through the tedious process of reading and trying to understand these laws does one fully comprehend the bondage of the law of Moses and appreciate the blessings of grace."

Most of these laws fit under one or more of the "Big 10" Commandments.  According to Jewish tradition there are a total of 613 laws.  Often the specific 613 laws are given as clarification details or include the consequences for breaking the laws. The Ten Commandments list no specific penalties for disobedience, but only blessings attached for keeping Commandment 5.

Deuteronomy 16:21
Do not set up any wooden Asherah pole beside the altar you build to the Lord your God… We cannot "baptize" the pagan and claim it for God.

Mark 7:7
However, they worship Me in vain, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." 

The people are warned about giving their children to Molech.  This is another way of saying that the pagans were sacrificing their children to the pagan god Molech.  God ordered a strict penalty for those who sacrificed their children.  That same warning applies to us today.  Do people in effect sacrifice their children to the gods and goddesses of sex-on-demand, with no consequences for themselves, when abortions are performed?

Deuteronomy 14:2
For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the LORD has chosen you to be his treasured possession.

Take some time to let this verse sink in. When we choose Jesus as personal Lord and Savior we become His treasured possession. How would our lives look if we lived our lives daily as if we are His treasured possession?

The Biblical "two-witness" rule is commanded.  The punishment for idolatry is death, but only on the testimony of two or three witnesses and then, the witnesses are the ones to be first in putting the offender to death.

God tells the people when they go into the land  "destroy completely all the places on the high mountains and on the hills and under every spreading tree where the nations you are dispossessing worship their gods.  Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and burn their Asherah poles in the fire, cut down the idols of their gods and wipe out their names from those places."

In other words, they were to destroy any remnant of any worship of false gods.  God continually warns the people about the dangers of worshiping other gods and the lifestyle associated with it.

Deuteronomy 12:31
Do not worship the LORD your God in the way they worship their gods, for in the worship of their gods they do all the disgusting things that the LORD hates.

God says, "Don't worship me in their way."  We are told that even if a family member or our closest friend secretly entices us to move away from worship of God, we are not to yield or even listen.

Deuteronomy 12:9
since you have not yet reached the resting place and the inheritance the LORD your God is giving you.

What is our resting place? What is our inheritance? Many times in Scripture, rest is synonymous with salvation and eternal life. Our resting place is in heaven. Our inheritance is our eternal life and all the rewards associated with it.

The Israelites were promised an inheritance, rest from their enemies, and a life of safety.  These promises however were contingent on destroying all the pagan influences.

The people are told they will be going to a specific place for their burnt offerings and sacrifices.  "Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings anywhere you please."  Burnt offerings are for sins.  Jesus is our sin offering.  The only place we are to acknowledge our sins and the forgiveness of our sins is with Jesus at the cross.  And nowhere else or with any other person; pastor, preacher, priest - only with Jesus!

There are several references in Deuteronomy 12 to slaughtering their animals and eating the meat. God is now giving them permission to eat the animals.  This leads one to believe that they were not allowed to eat the meat of the animals while they were wandering in the wilderness.  Could this be why they were craving meat early on and why God gave them the quail?

God continually reminds us through His Word that there are rewards for obedience, "because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the Lord your God".  Those rewards are not necessarily only physical in nature.  God blesses us abundantly spiritually!

A suggestion for today - live Deuteronomy 14:2! For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the LORD has chosen you to be his treasured possession.

Put the verse on your mirror, on your refrigerator, on the wall of your cubby at work, on your desk, on the dashboard of your car, etc. We think your day will go a lot better if you do!!!

FEBRUARY 19

Many would say that the Old Testament laws do not apply to believers today quoting this verse.

Colossians 2:14 
God wiped out the charges that were against us for disobeying the Law of Moses. He took them away and nailed them to the cross. 

The laws were not nailed to the cross.  The penalty for disobedience was nailed to the cross in Jesus.  He paid the penalty for the disobedience. God did not change His mind about what is displeasing to Him.  For example  God repeatedly warns against the use of mediums or attempting to consult the dead?  He says those are detestable to Him. 

Deuteronomy 8:9
When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there.

Immediately following this verse, those detestable ways are listed specifically.

There are distinct admonitions listed in Deuteronomy 13 concerning signs and wonders done by false prophets. God warns us that these miraculous signs and wonders are done in order to entice us to follow false gods.  In fact, God says that if we listen to these false prophets and dreamers, we are being tested to see if we love God with all our heart and soul.

Deuteronomy 18:15-19 tells of a true prophet. Many think this passage refers to Jesus. Could it be that God is simply telling them that there will always be a "go-between" - a prophet who speaks for Him? And that the people should listen?  It is easy to compare this true prophet to John the Baptist.  John was a prophet like Moses (from the line of Levi) and certainly spoke words from God.  There are several passages of Scripture in the New Testament in which people referred to Jesus as the Prophet.

In the laws requiring offerings and sacrifices God gives the Israelites specific instructions. He says time after time, after time that He wants the firstborn, the first offspring, the best, the firstfruits, etc. God doesn't want the leftovers! What exactly does that mean for us?

Several times we read that the people were to do certain things, "at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name."  The place where God put His Name is Israel, specifically Jerusalem, Mt. Zion.  This is the place where Abraham was ready to sacrifice his son Isaac, the threshing floor of David, and where Solomon built the temple, known today as Temple Mount.

There were specific instructions for the triennial.  At the end of every three years, special tithes were given for the aliens, fatherless, and the widows in their towns.  This is a great example of giving to people today as we see the need, not just giving to an established church.  The results of this obedience?  so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. Deuteronomy 14:29 and also Deuteronomy 15:10.

The tithe to the Levites was really a tax from the other tribes. The tithe was ten percent off the top. Gifts and offerings were above that. They are not taxes but are free will gifts to be given from the heart as the Lord has blessed.  Tithes and offerings are not the same.

A special instruction for the Israelites when settling in the land was to regard the fruit of any fruit trees as forbidden for the first three years after the planting. Most gardeners teach that one should not eat the fruit from the fruit trees in their earliest years.  In fact some would say to pluck off the blossoms in order for the trees to thrive better and bear more abundantly afterward. The word forbidden is from the Hebrew word ‛ârêl and means uncircumcised. The fruit for the first three years was to be regarded as having not yet been consecrated to the Lord or as unclean.  Think about what this means for believers in Jesus today.  If we have a circumcised heart, we are saved, we are consecrated, we are declared, "clean".  The opposite is true for an uncircumcised heart or an unbeliever.

When God commanded a Sabbath day of rest, He compared our rest to His rest on the seventh day after creation.  There is much speculation as to what day is the Sabbath.  Some say Saturday.  Some say Sunday.  But did God name the days of the week?  Just when did He start counting?  Do we know which day of the week is the seventh day? How can we know?"

Romans 14:5-6a
One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. 

Leviticus 19:30
Observe (hedge, guard, protect) my Sabbaths and have reverence (respect and honor) for my sanctuary (God's holiness).  I am the Lord.

When God says to hedge, guard and protect His Sabbaths, He wasn't just referring to the weekly Sabbath.  He was also referring to all the Sabbath days, including the commanded Holy Days (Feast of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, Tabernacles).

Concerning the Sabbath day of rest, the seventh day, did God need to rest? Was He tired? Hardly!

Isaiah 40:28
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

At the end of the creation on each "day" we find these words, "and there was evening and morning.." But at the end of the seventh day, those words are significantly absent.  We are still living the seventh day.  God's seventh day of rest is the carrying out of the plan of salvation and redemption. What God did on the seventh day was to look back on all He had accomplished and decided it was good! We are still enjoying the fruits of God's labor.  Is that how He wants us to spend our Sabbath day, looking back on everything that we have done, said, seen, heard, etc. during the previous week?

What can we say about our week? Can we look back and say that it was good?