“The things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever.” DEUTERONOMY 29:29 How do you make your way in a world where God has kept so much secret? You live with what God has kept secret by trusting what He’s revealed. Here are seven promises that belong to you. 1. The future of your children: You don’t know your child’s future, but you know that God has been faithful to you. “The promise is for you and for your children” (Acts 2:39). 2. The reason for your suffering: You don’t kno...
Feb 27, 2024•3 min
“The secret things belong to the LORD our God.” DEUTERONOMY 29:29 Faith lives with unanswered questions. Grasp this and it will help you when you are having trouble making sense of life. Here are seven secrets that belong to the Lord. 1. The future of your children: Will they marry? Will they be happy? Will they prosper? These questions were surely in the minds of those who heard Moses on the verge of the Promised Land. 2. The reason for your suffering: Maybe the question “Why?” is a painful one...
Feb 26, 2024•3 min
“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” DEUTERONOMY 29:29 All of life is divided into two parts. There are things that God has kept secret, and things that God has revealed. God keeps some things secret: You should expect to face questions you cannot answer. Don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know.” You don’t need to pretend that you have an answer for every question. Part o...
Feb 25, 2024•2 min
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” JOHN 10:27 When you know who Jesus is, you will see what it means to follow Him. 1. Jesus is the true prophet. Following Him means believing His Word. To be a Christian means that the words of Jesus define truth for you. You give up the right to say, “Jesus says this, but I think that.” You place yourself under the authority of the Word of God. 2. Jesus is our great high priest. He came to offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sins. T...
Feb 24, 2024•2 min
“He has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” REVELATION 19:16 Even the greatest king in the Old Testament, David, failed in his calling and found himself hanging on the mercy of God. This is the position every true Christian leader is always in. So, in the fullness of time, God sent His Son. Because He is “God with us,” He carries all authority in Himself. In His humility, Jesus does not come riding into Jerusalem on a great horse; He comes into Jerusalem riding on a donkey. And thi...
Feb 23, 2024•2 min
“It shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes.” DEUTERONOMY 17:19 The king will have his own political philosophy. He will have his own vision and values. He may lean to the left, or to the right, but he must allow the Word of God to rebuke him and correct him. The Word of God will always be shaping his thinking and challenging his ideas. This is why one of the great crie...
Feb 22, 2024•2 min
“When he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law.” DEUTERONOMY 17:18 Nobody else in Israel was required to write out the book of the law by hand. But the king was given such great trust and such great responsibility that when the king was crowned, his first task was not to rule the nation, but to learn how to rule, and he was to begin by writing out the entire book of Deuteronomy—by hand! “It shall be with him” (17:19). This handwritten copy of ...
Feb 21, 2024•3 min
“Let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” 1 CORINTHIANS 10:12 If God has given you a position of authority and responsibility, you must be particularly aware of these temptations, because these are temptations that all leaders face: 1. Power: “He must not acquire many horses for himself” (Dt. 17:16). Most leaders would like to have more power. But God says to be very careful about that. All kings have horses—but do not acquire great numbers of horses for yourself. Don’t try ...
Feb 20, 2024•3 min
“The man who acts presumptuously by not obeying the priest who stands to minister there before the LORD your God, or the judge, that man shall die. So you shall purge the evil from Israel.” DEUTERONOMY 17:12 God’s people are to hold their leaders in honour. If a person shows contempt for leaders in the church, we don’t put them to death, but it may be necessary to put them out of the church. The Scripture says: “As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have n...
Feb 19, 2024•2 min
“You may... set a king over you whom the LORD your God will choose.” DEUTERONOMY 17:15 Leaders are to be qualified in character and ability. Moses gives us seven marks of a godly king, and all of them are reflected in the New Testament qualifications for deacons and elders. 1. The king must be anointed by God (17:15). “Pick out from among you seven men... full of the Spirit” (Acts 6:3). 2. The king must be from among God’s people—not a foreigner (17:15). “Pick out from among you seven men...” (A...
Feb 18, 2024•3 min
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession. 1 PETER 2:9 We live in a fallen world where even the best leaders are sinners in the process of being redeemed. So, when God gives authority, He spreads it out. No one person could hold all four offices of leadership. The priest could not be a king. The prophet could not act as the judge. Christopher Wright, in his commentary on Deuteronomy says, “The clear distinction and separation of the different k...
Feb 17, 2024•2 min
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. ROMANS 13:1 God gives leaders to His people. Here are four offices that God established for His people—judges, kings, priests, and prophets—and what He expects from each one. 1. Judges: “You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the LORD your God is giving you... You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, f...
Feb 16, 2024•3 min
“You shall keep the Feast of Booths seven days.” DEUTERONOMY 16:13 The Feast of Booths reminded God’s people that when they came out of Egypt, they lived in tents or booths in the desert for forty years. You’re living in a wonderful house in the Promised Land, so live in a booth for one week a year to remind yourself that this earth is not your home: “You shall dwell in booths for seven days” (Lev. 23:42). One day this tent, which is your body, will be destroyed, but that won’t be the end of you...
Feb 15, 2024•3 min
We ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. MATTHEW 5:6 In New Testament times, the Feast of Weeks was known by another name. If you count forward seven weeks from the Passover (forty-nine days), the following day (the fiftieth day) was known as Pentecost. “When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place” (Acts 2:1). Luke says that “there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout ...
Feb 14, 2024•3 min
“Begin to count the seven weeks from the time the sickle is first put to the standing grain.” DEUTERONOMY 16:9 The Feast of Weeks was the day when people brought the first sample of the harvest as a gift to the Lord. In Exodus 23:16, it is called, “the firstfruits of your labour.” In the New Testament, Jesus is described as the firstfruits: “Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor. 15:20). The firstfruits was a sample, a taste, a pledge of wh...
Feb 13, 2024•2 min
And when the hour came, [Jesus] reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, ‘I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer’... And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you...’ And likewise, the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.’” LUKE 22:14-15, 19-20 When Jesus gathered with His disciples for th...
Feb 12, 2024•3 min
“Observe the month of Abib and keep the Passover to the LORD your God.” DEUTERONOMY 16:1 The story of the Passover is in Exodus 12. God’s people were slaves in Egypt, and it had been like that for over 400 years. They were oppressed by a cruel tyrant who defied God and abused His people. God said, “Let my people go,” but Pharaoh cared nothing for God. So, God came down in judgment and mercy. His judgment broke the power of Pharaoh, and His mercy protected His people. The wages of sin is death, a...
Feb 11, 2024•2 min
“You shall rejoice before the LORD your God... at the place that the LORD your God will choose.” DEUTERONOMY 16:11 What we celebrate says a great deal about us. You can tell a great deal about a family, a church, or even a nation by what they choose to celebrate. When someone sends you a birthday card, they are celebrating your life. We celebrate anniversaries because we value marriage. All over the world Christians celebrate Christmas (the birth of God’s Son) and Easter (the death and resurrect...
Feb 10, 2024•2 min
“For there will never cease to be poor in the land.” DEUTERONOMY 15:11 Our Lord referred to these words when Mary poured an expensive jar of ointment over Him. Judas protested, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold, and the money given to the poor?” And Jesus said, “The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me” (John 12:8). Some have misinterpreted these words to mean that since there is nothing we can do to solve the problem, we don’t need to do anything. But it is important to read...
Feb 09, 2024•2 min
“I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’” DEUTERONOMY 15:11 Moses gave two commands: first, to grant a release from debts at the end of every seven years (15:1) and second, to be openhanded toward the needy and poor (15:11). In these commands, God is calling the people to live with a right heart. He warns us about four dangers. 1. A hard heart: “If among you, one of your brothers should become poor... you shall not harden your h...
Feb 08, 2024•2 min
“At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release. And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release what he has lent to his neighbour.” DEUTERONOMY 15:1-2 God cares about the needs of the poor. This Sabbath law of cancelling debts is a flagship, leading the way for many other Old Testament laws that were given to alleviate poverty and to help God’s people in times of need. Think about the practical effects of these kind laws: Restraint for lenders. Under this law, no ...
Feb 07, 2024•3 min
“But there will be no poor among you; for the LORD will bless you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.”DEUTERONOMY 15:4 When God’s people entered the Promised Land, each family was given a portion of land. These former tent dwellers, who had very few possessions, became property owners with land and the means of sustaining an income. And what God gave to them they were able to pass on to their children. If ever there was a land of equal opportunity, this was it. God’s people had a f...
Feb 06, 2024•2 min
Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction. 1 CORINTHIANS 10:11 As we study the book of Deuteronomy, it is important to remember that the particular applications of the Ten Commandments that are laid out here were given to the nation of Israel. It would be a great mistake to draw a direct line from these Old Testament laws (given to Israel) to the Christian today. For example, in Deuteronomy 14, we have laws about clean and unclean food. But i...
Feb 05, 2024•3 min
“Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’” DEUTERONOMY 8:17 Moses was describing a person who is locked into the circle of pride, but here’s how you break free: “You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day” (8:18). Here was Moses’ point: You say it was my power and my might that produced this wealth, but where did th...
Feb 04, 2024•2 min
“Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required.” LUKE 12:48 When you move into a new home, there is a temptation for you to face. When you graduate with a degree, there is a spiritual danger for you to overcome. If your salary increases to six figures, there is a subtle test that you will encounter. These are all good gifts to be welcomed and celebrated, but remember, the blessing of God carries within it the subtle test of success. This is the opposite of what we normally think....
Feb 03, 2024•3 min
“Take care lest you forget the LORD your God.” DEUTERONOMY 8:11 When you experience the blessing of the Lord, the second thing that can happen is that you forget the Lord. That’s the circle of pride, and it will have a very different effect in your life: 1. You forget the Lord: To forget the Lord doesn’t mean you forget that He exists. It means that you no longer have Him in mind. You lose sight of His hand in the events of your life. If this happens to you, notice what happens next. 2. You expe...
Feb 02, 2024•2 min
“You shall bless the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.” DEUTERONOMY 8:10 When you experience the blessing of God, one of two things will happen. The first thing that can happen is that God’s blessing increases your gratitude and love for the Lord. That’s the circle of praise, and here is what it looks like: 1. You fear the Lord: “You shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him” (8:6). Fear the Lord as you love Him and love the Lord a...
Feb 01, 2024•3 min
“When the LORD your God brings you into the land... then take care lest you forget the LORD.” DEUTERONOMY 6:10, 12 This was the warning given to God’s people who were entering the Promised Land. Watch out! You’re going to face three dangers as God’s blessings flow into your life. Opportunity: “Great and good cities that you did not build” (6:10). Cities are places of opportunity. They have infrastructure with large populations. Business thrives there. Cities are built over decades and generation...
Jan 31, 2024•3 min
“When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the LORD our God has commanded you?’ then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. And the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.’”DEUTERONOMY 6:20-21 As you live with one consuming passion for the Lord, your life will provoke questions. It will need explaining. The way you live will be so different from other families that your children will want t...
Jan 31, 2024•2 min
“It is the LORD your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear.” DEUTERONOMY 6:13 Moses tells us how we can align our lives around one consuming passion for the Lord. Your heart. “These words that I command you today shall be on your heart” (6:6). The command is to love the Lord with all your heart. But it has to begin with your heart, and it is learned over a lifetime. Let the Word of God daily lead you to the cross. Your conversation. “You shall teach [God’s comma...
Jan 30, 2024•3 min
