READING FOR NOVEMBER 19, 2024: DEUTERONOMY 12, 2 PETER 1, PSALM 119:41-48 DEUTERONOMY 12 Moses continues to give Israel instruction for how to live when they finally settle in the land God has given them. Interestingly he says they are to live this way for “as long as they live in the land.” Possibly this hints that there will be times in the future, such as the Babylonian exile and after the destruction of Jerusalem, when it will not be possible to live this way because they won’t be in the land. In the former case, God later clearly states this will be a temporary situation of 70 years: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place” (Jer. 29:10). In the latter case, The Temple, the place of sacrifice, along with the entire city would be destroyed in A.D. 70. This would be less than 40 years after the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the cross made the entire sacrificial system forever obsolete.
Once the people possess the land, the first act Moses commands is the destruction of all objects of worship of foreign gods. By removing traces of these gods, it makes Israel less likely to break the first and foremost commandment. What might be some current applications for us? Consider these directions for Paul that certainly still apply: “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips” (Col. 3:5-8). We need to intentionally smash these sins to death just as much as Israel needed to break down altars to other gods and burn their Asherah poles. Again, it might be helpful to visualize smashing each of our sin tendencies to death.
There can be no more relevant verse in the Bible than Deut. 12:4. We must not worship our God according to ways the sinful world worships its false idols, such as those mentioned in Col. 3:5-8. God has given us a Savior in Jesus, His presence in the Holy Spirit, and His word in the Bible. Other ways to worship and serve God may be more inclusive in a human sense but are not acceptable to our Holy God. Moses begins to review aspects of appropriate worship in the following verses. This is a summary of what was presented in detail before but with the addition of mentioning a place God would identify later as being “the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name.” This will eventually be the Temple in Jerusalem. It would remain there until Jesus, who said this to the Samaritan women: “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem” John 4:21. Moses states the sacrificial offerings must be made according to the strict guidelines already presented in the previous scriptures. He concludes the chapter with another warning about practices of the nations to be displaced. The most grievous is child sacrifice. These were evil nations who, because of their dreadful practices, had to be stopped from spreading by God.
READING FOR NOVEMBER 19, 2024 CONTINUED: 2 PETER 1, PSALMS 119:41-48 2 PETER 1 Even in Peter’s greeting he includes the essence of the Gospel: We become Christians not from doing good works or being born into a Christian family. It is through faith in Jesus that we receive His righteousness and enter the Kingdom of God. Through this grace we gain experiential knowledge of Jesus, which, along with the subsequent wisdom given through the Spirit’s illumination of His word, brings peace. This peace can be enjoyed in the midst of the most tumultuous circumstances, such as experienced by these early believers. Do we feel sometimes that we don’t know enough to live in godly obedience in these current troubled times? Peter says we have everything we need if only we access God’s promises.
Peter then delineates how this godly virtuous cycle or upward spiral works: When we start with faith, we then strive to add goodness; to goodness we add knowledge; to knowledge we add self-control, to self-control we add perseverance; to perseverance we add godliness; to godliness we add mutual affection; to all this we add love. If we possess all these spiritual virtues, we can be productive for God. If we don’t, we are severely disabled and not living into our redeemed identity as Christians. Let’s do a spiritual inventory to see if we lack any essential virtue(s). It’s also a way of confirming that we really are Christians.
Peter reveals that his time on earth is fleeting, thus he feels leeway to speak frankly. Some of us are in the same boat and need to convey essential information about God before we pass. He stresses that his message about Jesus is not mythology but history that he witnessed himself. In fact, all of scripture is meant to be considered as God’s word, not just a figment of the writers’ imagination. Yes, the writers were human, but they were guided by God’s Spirit.
PSALM 119:41-48 These verses highlight the priceless benefits God’s word brings us. We experience God’s promised salvation and never-failing love or favor through God’s word. When we are mocked for our faith, we find the perfect response to those mocking us through trusting in God’s word. When we verbalize God’s word we can wait in hope. Need some hope today? Read a Bible passage aloud and be encouraged.
Here is a statement on the surface seems counterintuitive to nonbelievers but is certainly true in this writer’s experience: When we obey God’s word, we experience freedom. How can we get the word out about this surprising cause and effect? The Psalmist also states we can speak God’s word to world leaders without any shame. If one thinks about it, consider how much greater God’s word is than anything a mere president, king, or prime minister could speak. The Psalmist recommends we delight, reach out to, and love God commands. In fact, these eight verses are particularly delightful. Read them once more and let them sink in.
