READING FOR NOVEMBER 15, 2024: DEUTERONOMY 10, 1 PETER 4, PSALM 119:25-32 DEUTERONOMY 10 We as people have disobeyed God from the time He created us. Yet, He never gave up on us but kept giving us second chances. Here Moses tells us of receiving replacement tablets for the ones he smashed in anger over Israel’s worshiping the golden calf. Imagine what it was like for Israel to possess stone tablets that God Himself wrote upon. What a tangible proof of God’s existence, His love, His holiness, and His will for His people.
God certainly wanted the people to value these stone tablets. Moses obediently placed them in the ark that he constructed for them and the other important artifacts as reminders of God’s provisions for Israel. In fact, these physical items were so important that God ordered Moses to set aside the Levites to care for them: “At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister and to pronounce blessings in his name, as they still do today. That is why the Levites have no share or inheritance among their fellow Israelites; the Lord is their inheritance, as the Lord your God told them” (Deut. 10:8-9).
Despite the best efforts of Indiana Jones, these holy items are presently lost to us. No mention is made of them after the Temple’s destruction by Nebuchadnezzar. Nowhere in scripture is there any indication that anyone should now search for these relics. Notice God’s requirement for all of Israel in verses 12 and 13 did not depend on these items: “And now, Israel, What does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?”
Moses immediately reemphasizes the special relationship the God of the “highest heavens” had with Israel: “Yet the Lord set his affection on your ancestors and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations—as it is today” (vs. 15). God chose to work through Israel. Did that mean God played favorites and did not love other peoples? Are we also second-class people? Not according to verses 17 and 18: “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.”
The full extent of God’s love for the foreigner was/is His plan to utilize Israel in order to bring about the possibility for a relationship with God for all peoples through Jesus: Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility” (Eph. 2:12-13). We all are afforded this second chance.
READING FOR NOVEMBER 15 CONTINUED: 1 PETER 4, PSALM 119:25-32 1 PETER 4 How can we be like Christ? By being willing to suffer for our faith without sinning and being dedicated to living our days on earth for the will of God no matter the cost. This means neither hating those causing our pain nor denying our allegiance to Jesus. If we in fact live this way, it will surprise those who are hurting us. Have any of us had such an experience? If so, we should be totally grateful that God has deemed us worthy to suffer this way.
But what about the gospel being preached to the dead in verse 6? This is as difficult to understand as 3:19. Once again, the question about getting a second chance to respond to Jesus after death comes up. Here is a possible interpretation: 1) Those who reject Christ malign Christians (vs. 4); 2) God, however, will hold those who reject Him accountable for their sins (vs. 5); 3) Christians who are now dead had the Gospel preached to them when they were alive (vs. 6a); 4) they also were maligned by non-believers when they were alive, but now they live according to God in the spirit (vs. 6b). This line of thinking should give those receiving this letter hope that their suffering for God will not be in vain nor permanent.
Peter stresses the end is near. Whether it is the Lord’s return or our physical death, this is so true. That being the case, we need to pray seriously, love each other deeply, and not complain about serving. We need to be cautious about speaking our opinions if they aren’t supported biblically. It never hurts to back up a statement with biblical references. Peter closes the chapter in much the way James spoke about suffering. Reframe it as a positive if it is truly due to our faith. Of course, make sure we are not suffering for being in the wrong. His final comment is to keep the faith and put our lives in the hands of the mighty and loving Creator.
PSALM 119:25-32 This section of Psalm 119 reminds us that even those who live according to God’s Word will be laid low by life. The Bible is no guarantee of an easy life. It does promise to guide the reader to effectively cope with these life challenges. Even though God knows all the Psalmist’s experiences, he recounted all of them to God and received a positive response. This suggests the wisdom of our keeping God constantly involved in all our affairs. Notice the Psalmist asks God to teach him His Word. Just the intellectual act of reading is not enough. We need to ask God for understanding of what we are reading. Then we need to stop and reflect upon it: meditate on the meaning and application of God’s Word for our lives.
The Psalmist admits there are times when our soul is weary. It is wise to be aware of that, so we aren’t surprised when it happens. He gives a remedy for these gloomy moments, though: 1) find strength through the Bible; 2) avoid deception through the Bible; 3) set our hearts on the truths of the Bible; 4) hold fast to the guidelines of the Bible; 5) obey the commands of the Bible. In this way, we are broadened from a merely worldly view to an eternal perspective.
