READING FOR NOVEMBER 7, 2024: DEUTERONOMY 4, JAMES 3, PSALM 118:1-9 DEUTERONOMY 4 Moses delivers a powerful sermon to Israel that also has implications galore for us. He commands that they obey all God’s word, not adding to it nor subtracting from it. This is so needed today. When we hear “teachers” or read posts, do we know if what they are saying is consistent with Biblical truth? When we read devotionals or study books together in groups, is the material we use derived from only selective biblical passages, avoiding those parts that are less culturally accepted? Moses reminded the people of God’s judgment when Israel adopted the worship practices of the surrounding people at Baal-peor. So too will He judge us when we adopt the practices of our self-absorbed culture. This is a great reason to keep reading and obeying all the Bible in our three-year plan.
Moses goes on to say that when we really proclaim and live out God’s truth a watching world will be astounded by such wisdom. There is no need to adapt the truth to fit the culture. God wants us to hold fast to it so that others can differentiate between it and their current flawed beliefs. Yes, of course, this should be done lovingly and understandably. Speaking the truth in love is essential, but not speaking the truth at all is 180 degrees away from being loving.
Moses wants the people to remember God’s commands and His faithfulness in the past and teach all this to the next generations. He gives all parents the task of conveying spiritual truth to their children. It’s not a job sloughed off on youth group leaders or pastors. How have we done by our younger generation? How many of our children and grandchildren have received Jesus as their Savior and are actively involved in church? How many are living according to Jesus’s Matthew 19 principles of sexuality and the Matthew 25 ways of serving others? It might be late in the game, but it is never too late to be a godly parent or grandparent.
Moses especially warns the people not to adopt the idols of the surrounding peoples. What are idols? Theologian Paul Tillich defines them our ultimate concern: “Whatever concerns a man ultimately becomes god for him.” This be could anything that dominates our thoughts: such as career, money, entertainment, family, reputation, sports, nature, politics, etc. Certainly, God is often replaced by some or all of these idols. Put God first!
As a wise and humble leader, Moses reminds the people of his own disobedience so that they won’t make the same mistake. If they do stray from the truth, he tells them that God’s compassion is great, and His promises are still trustworthy. Where would we be without them? No other people up till then had a relationship with God that Israel had. His blessings to His people were unprecedented. Through Jesus, the blessings to us even exceed what they experienced. As Moses advised Israel, there is no other source of such riches and purpose.
READING FOR NOVEMBER 7 CONTINUED: JAMES 3, PSALM 118:1-9 JAMES 3 James cautions the Jewish believers about too many of them becoming teachers. He says the reason is that teachers will be judged more strictly. Paul had a similar concern about teachers that he conveyed to Timothy: “Instruct certain people not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to useless speculation rather than advance the plan of God, which is by faith, so I urge you now. But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from a sincere faith. Some people have strayed from these things and have turned aside to fruitless discussion, wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions” (1 Tim. 1:3-7). Those of us who teach need to be careful about solely giving our opinions or even affirming the opinions of others in the group. Of course, there will always be a range of interpretations that can be supported by the text, but we should not let comments stand that are clearly opposed to the what the Bible teaches: “All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). If we read Acts 15, we see that James was a leader who led with wisdom and diplomacy. He really practiced the teaching he puts forth here about choosing words carefully. This warning certainly extends today to social media. How easy it is to sever relations though an unkind word spoken or posted. This is true for the church, family, and in business. James’s admonition to be slow to speak and quick to listen found in chapter 1 aligns with the ancient, yet timely, wisdom provided by Solomon:“When there are many words, wrongdoing is unavoidable, but one who restrains his lips is wise” (Prov. 10: 19). Note that our destructive words might also be indicative of inner impurity: “The evil person out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart” (Luke 6:45). PSALM 118:1-9 The Psalmist commands the reader to give thanks to God because of His quality of goodness. Then he tells three specific people groups to says these words: “His mercy endures forever.” The groups are Israel, the house of Aaron (the priests), and those who fear God. Obviously, an individual could belong to all three of these groups, but it was possible that person could be a God fearer without being Jewish. For example, in Acts 13:16 Paul said in Pisidian Antioch, “Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen.” Thus, this command applies to us; however, this might not be a statement non-believers can make. They have not yet experienced God’s forgiveness for their sins and thus are still under God’s wrath: “The one who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36). The Psalmist makes these claims about God’s enduring mercy even though he has experienced distress, hatred, and disappointment with other people. Thus, not only is God’s mercy not incompatible with tragic life circumstances, but it might be impossible to fully experience God’s forever- enduring mercy without first being in positions of personal helplessness. Think about it.
