Judges 12-15

...after Samson drank, his strength returned, and he revived. That is why he named it En-hakkore (Spring of the One Who Cried Out), which is in Lehi to this day. (15:19b)

Is there something you have yet to cry out to God for? He often allows us to be immersed in overwhelming circumstances to teach us to cry out to Him, so that we might learn how truly attentive He is to our lives, how desperately He longs for us to find a place of intimacy with Him. Cry out to Him, trust Him, call to Him...He answers!

Pastor Fred

Judges 11

This one story stumps me every time. The story of Jephthah and his daughter gives me pause every time I read it, and still there is no more clarity for me than when I read it years ago for the first time. Some say that he really didn't offer her as a burnt offering but rather she was required to live celibate her entire life, yet there is no evidence that was a practice for Judaism in the period of history. Others argue that he did in fact offer her as a burnt sacrifice, even though this was strictly forbidden by God. The text clearly states that he kept his vow and his vow was quite clear...a burnt offering.

For me, I hope there always remains mysteries in God's Word. It has the opposite effect on me as as opposed to some others. For, me, I find great peace in such mysteries. The moment that in my humanity the mysteries of His divinity disappear, I am less secure. Not that I will not long for the revelation of every mystery given for me to find in this life as is the example the Apostle Paul gives us, but that even if I were to obtain every mystery possible in my humanity, the scale will still remain unmoved in the balance that remains in His undiscovered divinity...leaving for us an eternity of discovery, a revelation that moved Paul to declare that to live is Christ but to die is gain!

Pastor Fred

Judges 9-10

Treachery always awaits a life being lived in open disobedience to God...so much of the story of Israel is given to us so that we do not have to walk down their path. I say "open disobedience" because there is a Biblical principle that He only holds us responsible for the truth we possess. That is why I like to use the phrase, "calling people to live up to the truth that they know."

Where are we not living up to the truth we know? May we never stop asking ourselves that penetrating question. Personal examination keeps us off the road to treachery!

Pastor Fred

Judges 8

In verses 22-27 we find a convicting story of a man who withstood the temptation of prestige, power, and wealth. Gideon would not be their king. How would we do under such pressure, with such an opportunity before us, knowing it was not our destiny...but would we relent?

And yet, in his greatest stand, we see he soon succumbed to the relentless forcers of darkness. God told Cain to beware, that sin was always crouching at the door and that he must master it. Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5:8-9 that Satan is roaming to devour. Sin, temptation, it is relentless. One victory does not deter it. As we see with Gideon, he withstood only to fall.

May it not be so with us! We will not relent! James promises us that if we submit ourselves to God and resist the Devil, he must flee from us! It is always our choice ultimately...do not relent! Whose gift will you accept, heaven's or hell's?

Pastor Fred

Judges 7

I always say the wrong 300 got all the notoriety! Hey, all the Spartans died in the end...Gideon didn't loose one soldier among his 300! Leonidas, step aside!

Pastor Fred

Judges 6

What has God put in our lives to teach us how to war spiritually (Judges 3); yet, we have let it become our master?

Paul writes in Ephesians 6:11-13 that we do not battle against this physical realm but rather the spiritual realm and that we should be well spiritually armed/prepared. And if we ever feel ill equipped, we should remember Romans 16:20, "The God of peace will soon crush Satan beneath your feet, the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you."

And then, God comes in our fear and buoys us further still, speaking to us as He did to Gideon, "...mighty warrior." He always calls us to what we are to be.

Pastor Fred

Judges 4-5

Judges 4:3 reads, "Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, because Jabin had 900 iron chariots, and he harshly oppressed them 20 years."

Judges 5:31 reads, "Lord, may all your enemies perish as Sisera did. But may those who love Him be like the rising of the sun in its strength. And the land was peaceful 40 years."

Oppression or peace, our choice.

Pastor Fred

Judges 3

Although we have explored this idea before, let us return once again to the difference between the test and the temptation. There is a critical difference as Satan is the tempter, never God. However, God does often test us as indicated here in Judges 3. The text reads that some nations were intentionally left in the land, not driven out supernaturally before they arrived as with some other tribes, so that this new generation could develop the ability to war. This was essential because God wanted His nation to not only possess the land but to be able keep the prize.

Testing is different than tempting in that tempting hopes failure and testing hopes success. Satan always desires that we fail while God always hopes that we overcome. God never tempts because He never hopes failure for us. Satan never tests because he never hopes success for us. The Book of James tells us that if we submit ourselves to God and resist the Devil, he will flee (James 4:7). This is the strategy for success for both tests and temptations...press in deeper to God and we will always overcome regardless of the circumstances that motivated our trial.

Pastor Fred

Joshua 23 - Judges 2

In 2 Kings 23, we read the most remarkable story of courage, a leader calling his people to be willing to abandon every aspect of their lives that displeases God and embrace everything that will bring Him delight. May such courage be found in all spiritual leaders today!

As King Josiah stood before the people in 2 Kings 23, he stood between the two great pillars of the temple, Jachin and Boaz, which translate respectively, "He shall establish & In it is strength." Life between the pillars, that is our calling, to live in absolute surrender to God and His way and then and only then will we be "established in the strength of His covenant!"

Here in the closing chapters of Joshua and the beginning moments of Judges, we find a nation moving in and out of the pillars...and the inevitable results of both predicaments, either unavoidably blessed or inescapably chastised.

Where are you?

Pastor Fred

Joshua 22

In verse 8 we find a wonderful reminder that we can speak words of blessing and words of life over others! This is very different from a prophetic words spoken over them. A prophecy is us saying that this will come to pass, God giving you supernatural insight to proclaim and declare. Blessings are like prayers...there are moments we call out to God on their behalf...it's God choice and in many ways, even the life lived by the person over whom we are speaking, as to whether or not it will come to pass...so bless away, don't hold back...fill the lives of everyone you know with blessings, words of life!!!!!!

And in verse 30-31, come on, the verses before and after are some of the most instructive verses on conflict in all of Scripture. The tribes west of the Jordan misunderstood the action of the tribes to the east of the Jordan and came for war. First, the tribes to the west should not have assumed anything, lesson number one. But, the tribes to the east did not take offense, they humbled themselves, they did not allow themselves to be provoked, they explained, they were gracious...lesson number two. Then, the tribes to the west understood, reconciled, embraced them, unity! The tribes to the east could have replied, "Who do you think you are..." Sound familiar? We let the mistep of the person approaching us become the issue instead of keeping what God calls us to have in focus, and that is reconciliation!

Paul said that we should endeavor to keep the bond of peace, check it out, see if you can find it, it's in Ephesians...he was in prison when he wrote this letter so he wasn't talking about a bond like an adhesive but rather that we should be imprisoned to our commitment to unity...are you, am I?

Pastor Fred

Joshua 20

The Avenger of Blood...

This was a relative or friend of the murdered person. They were not punished if their act of taking a life was warranted, if they were serving in the role of the Avenger of Blood. However, if it was an accidental death, they had no right to avenge.

Our sin calls for our death, The Avenger of Blood is the judgment that we deserve, we deserve to be overtaken by its pursuit...except Jesus, he has stood in our path, intercepted The Avenger...we can live, are you alive?

Pastor Fred

Joshua 15-19

In these chapters we begin to see various tribes failing to fully displace those who had previously inhabited these cities and their surrounding regions God had now portioned to Israel. There are many lessons here for us.

One, is there any sin that lingers in our lives? Any aspect of our old lives, the life we lived before we made a vow of devotion to Jesus? Any desire, habit, pattern, attitude...that we have yet to drive out? In 2 Samuel 5:6-7, we see that decades later, the Jebusites are still a stronghold that the tribe of Judah, David's own tribe, had failed to conquer. Listen people, our unconquered sin becomes the curse of the next generation!

Too we find in these chapters a striking contrast to the story of Caleb, now 85, who conquered the region of Hebron where "the greatest man among the Anakim" lived, that would be giants if you didn't realize! So maybe you look around at others who appear to have conquered sin and problems in their lives with relative ease, and we become envious, bitter, coveting their success. If God has called us to conquer something, and He most certainly has called us to conquer sin in our lives, then it is within our grasp! He does not call us to failure but to victory! We may have fallen but we do not have to remain in defeat...drive it out, with His help, under His strength, the victory is promised!

The Israelites allowed the strength of the enemy and the surprising effort it was going to take to rout them to eclipse God's promise...don't do that, don't repeat their mistake! The promises of God should always eclipse whatever circumstances refute His promises. This what Paul was talking about when he wrote to the church of Corinth, letter 2, chapter 10...drive it out!!!!

⁴The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. ⁵We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Pastor Fred

Joshua 14 & 21

Why do we still tithe today? We are doing a two part sermon, first is tonight (www.thecitylifechurch.com), to explore this thought further. But in part, because just as the spiritual well being of the nation of Israel was dependent on people being fully devoted with their time and energy to the ministry, so it is today. Our communities would suffer immeasurably more if there were no clergy supported by their neighbors so the work of God can go forth!

In chapter 21 we see that not only was their standard of living made possible by the tithe of the people in Israel, a total of 48 cities were given for the Levites and their families to have places to live! They had no allotment of land as with the other tribes...they were fully supported by the people...may it still be today!!

Pastor Fred

Joshua 11-13

In verse 20 of chapter 11, we find again a moment that can give us pause. "For it was the Lord's intention to harden their hearts (speaking of those the Israelites were to drive out), so that they would engage Israel in battle, be completely destroyed without mercy, and be annihilated, just as the Lord had commanded Moses."

Such occurrences only come after we have rebuffed His loving, forgiving advances for the last time. God knows our futures and once He have crossed the threshold of rebellion where there is no longer hope for repentance, and only God knows when that has come, we are at His disposal to advance His will.

In fact, may we never forget that we are always at His disposal to advance His plans; so I ask you, why not be a part of His plan for your blessing instead a part of His plan to our own destruction? Either way, we cannot out-run His sovereignty...may you be overtaken by His reward and not His recompense!

Pastor Fred

Joshua 8-10

We cannot stand against Him. We cannot out maneuver Him. We cannot out wait Him. God, reveal the Ai, the Gibeonite, and the Amorite in me.

Joshua 7

If He says "No," it is not to diminish the joy we possess in this life but rather to keep us form harm and bless us with a greater portion! May we never settle for a gratuity, a tip on the goodness of this life when He wants us to have a full portion!

Joshua 6

I love verses 1 & 2! "Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. Then the Lord said to Joshua, See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands..." What, are you kidding me?! What Joshua saw was the very opposite of what God said! Are you, am I, trusting in His promises or the pronouncement of our present circumstances? Which will we believe?

Joshua 5

Remember, circumcision was the ritual for entering into a covenential relationship with God. If we are looking for what evidence God seeks today of our sincerity in having entered into such a relationship with Him through a vow of devotion to Jesus, then spend some time reading in 1,2, & 3 John and reflect on what the "flint knife" of Scripture demands be cut away.

Joshua 4

Leading strong doesn't mean leading alone; if control is how we abate our insecurity, we will fracture the very community we are endeavoring to preserve.

Joshua 3

Are we moving in faith towards obstacles that stand in the way of God's promise to us? Is our faith acting? Verses 15-16 say, "Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away..." Are we moving in faith towards obstacles that stand in the way of God's promise to us?

Joshua 2

Did God send a woman to rescue a nation or a nation to rescue a woman? Read Matthew 1:5 and see what you find...

Joshua 1

When God is saying to us "be strong and courageous" it's not because we are entering a season of ease and obstacle free living...but rather resistance and fear. But where there is no circumstance to overcome, there is little treasure to be possessed!

Deuteronomy 33

Here we find again the reference to two of the most elusive inclusions in Scripture, the Thummim and Urim. We find them first mentioned in Exodus 28:30, they were to be placed in the breast-plate of the high priest. The purpose for them was to discern the will of God. The New Unger's Bible Dictionary says this, "These formed the medium through which the high priest ascertained the will of Jehovah in regard to any important matter affecting the theocracy (Numbers 27:21).

Still, all agree, that there is no definitive explanation in the Bible or extra-Biblical sources, like the historian Josephus, where we have anything more than speculation. Josephus in his writings (Ant. 3.8.9) "identifies them with the sardonyxes on the shoulders of the ephod and says that they were bright before victory or when the sacrifice was acceptable, dark when any disaster as impending." (New Unger's Bible Dictionary) Still, no one knows with any certainty, all is ultimately conjecture when it comes to the Thummim and Urim.

I believe that they are the OT type of the indwelling Holy Spirit in the life of the devoted follower of Christ. Ours is not to know how they were used in ancient Israel but rather that since we have an eternal High Priest in Christ, the will of God is made plain to us through His Spirit, the Holy Spirit as we read Paul explain in 1 Corinthians 2:8-16. You have a Thummim and Urim in you...the mind of Christ!

Pastor Fred

Deuteronomy 32 & 34

A popular quotation is found in this chapter. We often hear people say something to the effect, "that if God can put to flight a thousand with one and ten thousand with two..." but the text actually uses this imagery for inflicting judgment on His children, not in moments of the righteous overcoming evil. While this may not be the proper textual support for the latter sentiment, the principle still hods true as God continually enabled Israel to overcome their enemies who were both superior in number and technology. My frustration with poor textual usage is that the intended treasure is overlooked. In this instance, that God loves us enough to discipline us, to frustrate us, to cause us to fail when we should have clearly succeeded, if in our failure we are restored to Him.

Chapter 34 and also verses 48-52 in chapter 32 speak to us about never forgetting that there is a vast difference between consequence and condemnation. Moses was not condemned, eternity was not lost to him but there was a heavy consequence he had to suffer. We must not let our beloved doctrine of grace displace the equally important doctrine of judgment. Just because we have the hope of His grace does not mean we are never judged. In fact, I would argue that there is no true grace without judgment. His judgment brings us to repentance and our repentance postures us to receive His grace.

Romans 8 is so often quoted, "There is now therefore no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus..." That is true, that there is no condemnation, meaning that we are not condemned to death, an eternal death even though that is what we deserve. There is however consequence for moments of failure. God allows us to walk through consequences so that we are motivated to walk deeper into maturity. The devoted follower of Christ is not expected to live perfectly but we are clearly called to be continually marching towards perfection, Matthew 5:48, never completely reaching the purity of heart Christ Himself possessed but certainly expected, each of us who call Him Lord, to be ever advancing toward that end!

1 John 5:16-17 speaks to such a differentiation, pointing out the sin that leads to death, condemnation, and those that do not. The sin that leads to condemnation is that of the utter rejection of God. As Hebrews 10:26 points out, that even those who have "received the truth" can ultimately reject God unto their own eternal peril. But we as devoted followers of Christ, when we still succumb to temptation at times, God brings consequence to motivate us forward in our striving for perfection. This is one of the reasons Church discipline is critical, against which is often argued that if we forgive, how can there be consequence? To truly forgive means that we embrace our personal responsibility to help someone overcome their sin, which often involves measured consequences that are Biblically based, intended to restore the one who has sinned relationally to everyone affected and to their own sense of intimacy with God. I would counter then that there can be no real forgiveness without a willingness to bring consequence when appropriate. The former is no forgiveness at all but rather spiritual laziness, choosing to be dismissive of the persons deeper need, transformation.

Pastor Fred

Deuteronomy 31

Verses 12-13 is a timeless call to Biblical literacy! And in verse 19 we are reminded that one of the most profitable ways to bring about Biblical literacy is through Scripture infused worship, songs that are build upon the timeless truth of our most sacred Writings. What began has hymns are still today found in what we would categorize as "contemporary," lyrics that instruct and through sining there is the recitation of truth, both to be learned but also as moments of confession, declaring that what we say in word will be reflected in the sentiments of our hearts!

Also, verse 16 is a reminder of the foundational presence rest should have in our lives. In Hebrews 4 we learn there are four: paternal rest, purpose rest, physical rest, and perpetual rest. The first is a restfulness that comes from having a passion filled, life defining, moment by moment governing relationship with God. Next, purpose rest is the peace that comes from walking in destiny, our unique God-given calling. Third, a weekly Sabbath! Last, the calm that we carry from knowing that Heaven is promised to us in Christ.

Pastor Fred

Deuteronomy 30

In verses 11-14 we find Ecclesiastes 4:11b...in which Solomon wrote that God has put eternity in the hearts of man. We must remember that even though human nature demands self-rule, our sinful nature inherited from Adam himself, we must too recognize that God also has placed something inside of us that resonates deeply with His advances towards us. Deep inside, for every person, God's call to relationship with Him and the righteousness that ensues is that for which we all thirst.

Pastor Fred

Deuteronomy 29

What a powerful example we find of God's grace in verse 4, "Yet to this day the Lord has not given you a mind t understand, eyes to see, or ears to hear." If He had, would they have not rebelled? No. We must trust the sovereignty of God and also the justice of His nature. If He withheld revelation, it was to protect them from further judgment. Luke 12:48 reminds that to whom much is given, much is required...not just with material possession but with righteousness and revelation.

I want to point out as well the hope we should find, centuries later, in verses 14 and 15, "I am making this covenant and this oath not only with you, but also with those who are standing here with us today in the presence of the Lord our God and with those who are not here today." This isn't referring to absentees but the generations to come! Galatians 3:29 tells us that if we Christ's, then we are Abraham's seed and heirs according to promise! God has made an oath to us if we are Christ's faithful!

Pastor Fred

Deuteronomy 27-28

It just seems like such a clear choice doesn't it...but that is the cleverness of deception which has only one antidote, truth, Psalm 119!

Pastor Fred

Deuteronomy 26

Verse 16 is ultimately God's desire. Not that we just obey but do so with all our heart, out of desire, not compulsion and obligation, but devotion!

Pastor Fred

Deuteronomy 25

According to the study note in The Apologetics Study Bible, The custom described here (the so-called "levirate marriage") must be understood in terms of a number of qualifications. First, the marriage to a widow was expected but not mandatory (Ruth 4:5-6). Then, since monogamy was the only sanctioned form of marriage, the surviving brothers must not be married in order to fulfill the obligation. Finally, the purpose was to preserve the deceased brother's name and by this means to guarantee his ongoing identity...

Remember too, this was how a person inheritance of land and material resource was kept in tact. The first born male of that marriage was as well given the name of the deceased first husband. This culture was so rich with generosity, prodigal generosity! While the specific practices certainly do not transfer to us today, they must translate! Give!!

Pastor Fred

Deuteronomy 21-24

Those who seemingly suffered under such harsh rules were in fact honored by God to serve His purposes in demonstrating to the world our desperate need for a Savior. Were the generations enslaved in Egypt cursed by God or blessed by Him for being chosen to be used by Him to create the wealth that would in turn be used to finance a new nation, a nation that would reveal God to the world and give us a Messiah? If your circumstances are in innocence, no matter how pressing, they are ultimately His blessing.

Pastor Fred

Deuteronomy 19-20

In chapter 20, verse 8, although there is forgiveness now accessible because of Jesus atoning death for mankind, we must never forget the contagiousness of sin. Paul speaks to this in Galatians 6 where we are implored to bear one another's burdens, and restore those who have sin gently but with caution lest we too be swept away into the very sin of which we are rescuing them. There is no doubt that the wisdom of Galatians 6 also extends to the sin of thinking of ourselves more highly than we should when we rescuing others from their sin but equally, that would not forget that sin is contagious, our humanity is innately susceptible to temptation. However, being susceptible is not the same as being fearful! Come one, we can live with a confident hope that we will not continue in the sin of our pasts...and one safeguard is simply this, Pauls advice in 1 Corinthians 15:33, "...bad company corrupts good character..."

Pastor Fred

Deuteronomy 18

If you are in a church where the pastor is bi-vocational, become the biggest advocate in the congregation for that pastor to be able to focus entirely on the ministry of the church. This chapter demands that society never forget the importance of having people who are able to give themselves fully to the work of ministering to the spiritual needs of the community. The community suffers otherwise!

Pastor Fred

Deuteronomy 17

In verses 14 and a 15 we have great example of God knowing all that will come, foreknowledge. There is nothing that will occur that He has not already seen! How can you not trust Him?

These verses speak to what takes place eventually in 1 Samuel 8, where Israel asks for a king. I believe this chapter in 1 Samuel is deeply, deeply instructive to leaders. Never forget that what prompted the people to want to be like the rest of the nations around them was the miserable failure of Samuel's sons. This is a great example of why Moses was judged so harshly when he struck the rock instead of speaking to it. Leaders are judged by a much higher standard because the implications of their actions are so far reaching. Sin begets sin.

Pastor Fred

Deuteronomy 16

Can you imagine... there is the tithe, that is a tenth of everything annually to the temple, then there is the tenth that is supposed to be used to have a family festival each year, then every third year, that festival was to include extended family, neighbors, travelers, poor, priests, and all! Then, come on, at least three times a year during the main feasts: Passover, Weeks, and Booths, there was an offering you gave in proportion to the measure of God's financial blessing to you that year...plus all the other various offerings at the temple for various circumstances and calls to support the poor and travelers as occasion represents... so much of the a person's income in the Old Testament was given, not consumed. We often read Acts 2 and the generosity and commonality of the early Church as being a novelty but in many respects, it was a return to what God had always expected, less to advance our own personal standards of living and more for sharing!

Pastor Fred

Deuteronomy 15

I love the seven year cycle of debt forgiveness we find in the Old Testament. But before you get too excited, remember, that the lending practices took into consideration this cycle. So for example, if you were only months away from a seventh year, no one would lend you beyond what you could pay back in the time remaining. This practice protected people from over-leveraging themselves because no lender would risk having to absorb debt.

Also, note the apparent contradiction between verses 4 and 11. But when we come to such moments, we need to remember Biblical contradiction always means a lack of understanding on our part and never an incompleteness in the text. Verse 11 speaks to the reality that there will always be poor cycling into financial crisis and verse 4 is speaking to how that the poverty population should not perpetually be the same people. The systems God put into place were intended to empower people to cycle through poverty, back into prosperity.

Pastor Fred

Deuteronomy 14

Jesus' teaching that what comes out of our mouths is what makes us unclean and Peter's vision at Joppa where God says to him, "...rise and eat..." means ultimately, enjoy that bacon for breakfast! During a trip Vannessa and I took to New Orleans, a friend recommended a restaurant named Cochon, which is French for pig, was exquisite. We joked how grateful we are to have dietary freedom which too easily for me becomes avarice but that's another conversation...

The lesson we take form this should be the practice of asking some deeper questions, what is my spiritual diet like? Am I feasting upon The Pathways? What is coming out of my mouth? What are the sentiments and desires of my heart? As Peter calls the eternal part of us, the hidden person of the heart, is that part of us well fed?

Pastor Fred

Deuteronomy 13

There is a vast difference between tempting and testing. In the Lord's Prayer, we pray to not be led away into temptation, meaning, that God will help us with your innate human weakness to succumb to choices that betray our vow of devotion to Christ. James clearly tells us in his epistle that God will never tempt us. Testing is however something very different. God exposes us to situations and circumstances that could very well lead to our choosing disobedience; however, He exposes us to such moments not hoping that we will fail, that's temptation, but to strengthen us, to create for us an opportunity to overcome, a test. Temptation hopes for failure, testing hopes for success! God only every tests...

Pastor Fred

Deuteronomy 5-12

The reason we have the same problems today as has humanity throughout history is because of what we find written in chapter 12, verse 8, "You are not to do as we are doing here today; everyone is doing whatever seems right in his own eyes."

Why is that happening, because the words of counsel given to us in chapter 6, verses 6-9 and chapter 11, verses 18-20. We must immerse ourselves in the influence of God, making His Spirit, His instruction the most dominate influence over our will.

In chapter 11, verses 26-28a God plainly tells us that there is both a blessing and a curse waiting for us, which are you choosing...it is your choice.

Pastor Fred

Deuteronomy 1-4

According to the Open Bible, the Hebrew title for Deuteronomy is Haddebharim, The Words, taken from the opening phrase in 1:1, "These are the words..." The parting words of Moses to the new generation are given in oral and written form so that they will endure to all generations. Deuteronomy has been called "five-fifths of the Law" since it completese the five books of Moses. The Jewish people have also called it Mishneh Hattorah, "repetition of the Law," which is translated in the Septuagint (ancient Greek translation of the Jewish Scriptures/OT) as To Deuteronomion Touto, meaning This Second Law." Deuteronomy, however, is not a second law but an adaptation and expansion of much of th eoriginal law given on Mount Sinai. The English title comes form the Greek title Deuteronomion or Second Law. Deuteronomy has also been appropriately called the Book of Remembrance.

If you are looking for a great study Bible, the Open Bible Expanded Edition in the NASB has wonderful helps, great facts and insight at the beginning of each book, including a timeline and subject outline of each book. Check it out!

Numbers 36

I hope whatever church you call home allows women to have a voice of influence! If not, try reading a great book entitled God's Women - Then and Now by Gill and Cavaness, two of Zelophehad's daughters of today!

Numbers 35

Cities of Refuge, what a profound picture of Jesus for us. Don't you love the Proverbs 18:10, "The name of the Lord is strong tower and the righteous run into it and are safe."

These cities are also deeply instructive when in our innocence, we may have offended someone and the sensitivity we are commanded to have toward them. Cities of refuge were not for the guilty. The elders of the city arranged for a hearing and if the person in question was found guilty, they were slain. But if the death was proven to be accidental, the one who caused the death was required to live in the city of refuge until the reining high priest died. Interesting isn't it. It doesn't say that if he is innocent, he is allowed to return home and the family members of the deceased person are forbade from exacting revenge. No, the innocent is expected to bear the burden of sensitivity for the deceased's family members.

Oh God, deliver us from our sense of entitlements!

Numbers 34

There are always boundaries with God, are you within them?

Numbers 33

"They departed..." Never stay when God is calling you forward. The paradise you think you have today will become your purgatory if it is not presently the promise He has for you.

Numbers 32

Moses never abandons his duties even though he knows he will not be allowed to enter the Promised Land...true character!

Numbers 31

We must never forget that death is only the beginning. Even when that death comes in our judgment, if we are reconciled to God as Moses was, Heaven is our inheritance still.

This verse, the latter part of verse one, "After that, you will be gathered to your people." is one of the most definitive texts in Scripture that speak to life after death. It doesn't say that "after that, your life will end" or that "after that, your existence will cease" or any other expression that would instruct that this life is all there is...every word in Scripture is strategic, God teaches in every verse the Truth we are to embrace...death is only the beginning, this life, awake in the womb.

A few thoughts about Balaam, remember him? You would think a talking donkey and seeing an angel would be enough to get you back on the straight and narrow, not for him. In what ways has God made Himself real to you but yet you still resist Him?

Final thought on this chapter. Whenever we see what appears to be brutality at the hand of God, we must always remember that God is love, perfect love and perfect in all His ways. Even when it seems that what He is doing contradicts the very essence of His nature, we must not let our ignorance displace His sovereignty, when understanding eludes us, trust.

Numbers 30

Keep your promises...

Numbers 28-29

Are we praying...daily, a little extra on our weekly Sabbath (you do practice a weekly Sabbath right?), also pick a day once per month for something more still, then, at certain times throughout the year, maybe on your families birthdays, Christmas, New Years, July 4...what are some other annual times that could call your family to prayer...we may not follow all the feasts that are culturally bound to Judaism but the principles carry on...pray.

Numbers 27

Zelophehad's daughters...did God overlook something or in His infinite wisdom, did He create a scenario that requires us to act for what is right, not just for ourselves but for society. Women owning land was a scarcity in any culture of ancient times and this burgeoning nation was no exception.

I am so inspired by how God in working with Moses on Mount Sinai left out, with great intentionality, this essential aspect of the Law, what of this one family, would there be no inheritance for them? Can you imagine the conversation among those ladies: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah? One of them saying, "We need to go to Moses and tell him..." The doubts, women did not own land! What they were proposing, there was no basis for it, except the stirring of God's Spirit! Come on! Trust His leading! Even if it is ground breaking, crush that ground, destroy the barrier that has withstood all others!

Jesus, we commit to follow You, to stand and declare that which You whisper in our ear we will shout it from the roof tops!

Numbers 26

Check out the study note in my Apologetics Study Bible for verses 52-56...

The instructions are to divide the land proportionally and also to distribute it by lot. Critics have viewed these as mutually exclusive and incompatible procedures, yet both are mentioned in several contexts. Numbers 33:53-54 emphasizes the proportional aspect, while Joshua 15-19 focuses on the distribution by lot. Eleazar could have used lots, such as the Urim and Thummim, to determine the general region of the allocation and then Moses determined the actual extend of territory with the tribal proportions in view.

This is a great example of finding the reconciling interpretation. We must always start with the Bible is incapable of contradicting itself. God has inherently placed this principle at the heart of Scriptural interpretation to help press us forward in our analysis of His Word. If we have an apparent contradiction, we have an incorrect interpretation. Not until all is reconciled have we found the truth!

Numbers 25

On a trip Vannessa and I took to New Orleans in February of 2010, we were on a street car taking in the sites of a city so rich in history and sitting on a bench diagonally from us had a bag from an adult store, Hustler, that had printed on it, "Relax, it's just sex."

I thought to myself, "I'm sure that's what someone said to help convince the men of Israel to attend the Baal Party being held by some of their neighbors." I should have asked that man carrying the bag if he had ever read Numbers 25, "Hey, relax, it's just a plague and a spear."

We must never forget that God's ordinance are never to rob us of pleasure but rather to keep us from settling for less!

So what's the big deal about sex? Well for starters, if you aren't married, your sexuality is an impressionable part of your person. God made it that way so your first sexual encounters will be with the only person with whom you will have such sacred moments of pleasure, making your sexuality responsive only to them. Our sexuality is really not our own but our spouse's, we are entrusted with it until it is ready for their imprint, and their imprint alone.

Our sexuality is also a gateway to joining our soul to another person. We are made to be one with another person of the opposite gender and when we engage in sexual encounters with others, we create a spiritual tie to them. If you have had sexual encounters with others, those ties need to be broken so that when you meet your future spouse, you can find an other worldly unity that is only possible in the hands of Sovereign God, joining two people whose "hidden person of the heart" is completely unencumbered.

If you are married now and had sexual encounters prior to being married, talk to your pastor about renouncing those ties. If this is unfamiliar to them, look up Cleansing Stream on the web and contact them about resources they have available. Also, Jack Hayford of The Church On The Way has some great teachings on this topic. Another must read is Doug Weiss' book entitled Sex, Men, and God.

"Relax, God always has our best interest at heart."

Numbers 22-24

The Apologetics Study Bible has this note for for 22:1 - 24:25...

The Book of Balaam contains the story of the renowned pagan divination expert. Hired to pronounce a curse upon Israel, he pronounced a blessing instead upon God's chosen. As one seeking Israel's demise at the bidding of the Moabite king Balak, Balaam was the very antithesis of Moses; yet God used him in a way similar to Moses to pronounce the future blessing of the Lord upon His people. Moses is curiously absent from this story because of his sin of rebellion and irreverence at Meribah (20:2-13). God demonstrated that He can use whatever means necessary to bring blessing to His people. Even the person most adamantly opposed to His will can become an instrument of His purpose.

So let me ask you, if we are all going to be instruments of His will regardless, why not be an instrument with the promise of blessing, both now and in eternity?

Want to know what happens to Balaam ultimately, read chapter 31, verse 8.

Numbers 21

Read John 3, and see if you can find John's reference to verses 4-9 in Numbers 21.

This is a great way to broaden your knowledge of Scripture, your own cross referencing. When you come across a verse that relates to another verse in the Bible, make a note of each corresponding verse in the margin. So when you find those verses in John 3, write next to them, Numbers 21:4-9 and then by Numbers 21:4-9, write John 3: (?)

Numbers 20

So is striking a rock and speaking to it really that different? After all that Moses has done for God, could something that seems so trite be so egregious?

Leadership has a greater measure of responsibility. Why? Because our mistakes affect everyone entrusted to our care. Our example is to be followed, our influence is impacting to others. In the same way James in his epistle cautions people to not be too eager to teach since they will be assuming the fruit of their teachings as it is found in the lives of their students, so too it is with leaders, we are accountable to God for the fruit of our leadership as it grows in the lives of those with whom we have influence.

So when God gives us as leaders instructions to follow, remember, He has a reason for every detail, and we have a sacred duty to leave nothing out!

Numbers 17-19

We are all priests. 1 Peter 2:5 declares such, with the authority of Scripture. But our being priests does not liberate us from our need for spiritual authority in our lives. We must remember that even among the tribes of Levi, the Levites had an order, a structure that was authority based. We all need leaders over us who we can trust, listen to, invite into our lives to speak openly to us about areas of our lives that need correction.

I fear that our political freedom and a cursory glance of Scripture has led many to the deceptive place of individualism. Ephesians 4 calls to us that we have no fulfillment apart from the Body of Christ, connected, dependent upon, submitted to, bound to Him and His children!

Numbers 16

Looking at verses 41-50, the sin/sacrifice equilibrium had become out of balance and 14,700 people died before the "listing" of judgment stopped but with Jesus, forgiveness is immovable, no weight of sin can dislodge His atoning work! So as Paul wrote in Romans 6 and 7, do not use His grace as permission to live a life of debauchery but rather freedom to run after righteousness!

Numbers 15

In verses 37-40 we find Rob Bell's reference to one of his many moments of genius in the book Velvet Elvis, the particular chapter related to these verses in number is Tassels. He writes that the Hebrew word for corners is kanaf, as the priests were instructed to have tassels hanging from the corners of their garments to remind people as they were going about their day, saw the tassels, would be reminded to ask themselves whether or not their lives were being instructed by God's instructions. We like to say at our church that to be a fully devoted follower of Jesus means that it is passion filled, life defining, and moment by moment governing!

So in Malachi where he writes that there will be healing in the wings of the Messiah, the word he uses for wings is kanaf so over time, a belief was born that there would be power in the healing of the tassels of His prayer shawl. So fast forward to the woman with the issue of blood, what does she reach for, the edge of His garment, why, because it was His kanaf!

And she was healed...God reminding us that we are promised a healing of body, mind, soul, and spirit when we reach for His ways!

Numbers 14

This chapter is a sobering reminder that while we have to choose to be repentant, He chooses our restitution. The people of Israel coming to a revelation of sinfulness, that they should not have resisted Moses' rule, should not have lost their faith in God in sight of the obstacles to enter the promised land, should not have given themselves to the poor leadership of the 10 who despaired after having spyed out the land. Their repentant hearts saved them from in immediate death, but God in His sovereignty sets the price of restitution and for them, since rebellion had characterized them in their journey thus far, they were to die in the wilderness. I would rather die in the wilderness a repentant man, keeping my assurance of heaven than revel in rebellion in the promised land only to spend an eternity apart from Him!