Deuteronomy (Program #17) – The Rehearsal of the Law (11)

The politics of the world shows us a few models for how mankind govern himself. There are dictatorships and monarchies on one hand and various forms of democracy on the other. One is according to the opinions of one man and the others are according to the opinions of the people. Logically as God’s people, a kind of spiritual nation we may bring one or the other of these model into the Church. But Israel, God’s Old Testament people received detail instructions of how they were to be governed. Neither as a democracy or as autocracy but with a divine government a government by God and according to what God is.

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Deuteronomy (Program #16) – The Rehearsal of the Law (10)

Through out the centuries, mankind has struggled to properly and justly govern himself. How grateful we are as a nation to be living in a democracy where we have so much freedom. No doubt this is God’s mercy to us. When so many people on this earth are living under the oppression and tyranny of dictators of unrighteous monarchs.   But as wonderful as the democracy is, in the Bible God’s way for the governing of His people was not a democracy neither was it by dictators or kings. What God desires for His people, Israel and for us His people today within the Church is a theocracy that is government by God’s divine ruling.  This matter is covered in some detail by Moses in the book of Deuteronomy as the children of Israel who were preparing to enter into the good land.

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Deuteronomy (Program #15) – A Word Concerning Division and Apostasy

Deuteronomy includes a lengthy portion where God through Moses is instituting His divine government among His people Israel. Divine government means government by God and according to what God is. This is call theocracy, it is neither democracy a government according to the opinions of the people nor it is autocracy which is government by a dictator or monarchy.  Many people may be apprehensive about this term because through out history it is often misapplied but according to the Old Testament picture there is a genuine theocracy may be not among earthly nations but certainly among God’s people. A theocracy that reflects the person of God, the God of love and of righteousness and holiness and absolute fairness and justice.  So, in the coming few programs we want to keep this view of God, the God who knows man and man’s condition and what man’s need to be preserved for His eternal purpose.

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Deuteronomy (Program #14) – The Rehearsal of the Law (6 & 7)

The word slavery has a powerful and we would say even a painful connotation in today’s society.  Yet in the Bible it often refer to to describe an aspect of everyday life for many of God’s people. In a sense it helps to remember that we all had a background of a very real kind of slavery, that’s slavery to the world and to sin. In Christ God has set us all free. This is the promise of the gospel and the hope of our Christian life. For in Christ not only are the captives set free, but the poor and the needy are fed and are clothed and sheltered. Deuteronomy, is an Old Testament book with many wonderful pictures of these aspects of the life of the New Testament believers.

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Deuteronomy (Program #13) – God’s Choice—The Definite Ground for the Worship of God

The Bible often speaks of God’s love and we take great comfort from the love of God. But the Bible also speaks very much about the things that God hates. You may say “well I know that God hates sin”, that’s true. But specifically they are a few sins that God hates above all others because they damage the very person of God and His Christ or they damage His corporate expression which is the Body of Christ. Many times it is verses from the Old Testament that help us to see things if our eyes are opened.

Deuteronomy 13:4  says “You shall follow Jehovah your God; and you shall fear Him, keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and hold fast to Him.. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has advocated apostasy from Jehovah your God.”  Apostasy, an Old Testament word but there is a New Testament equal, we will find out from this life study of Deuteronomy.

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Deuteronomy (Program #12) -The Rehearsal of the Law (5)

Many people take great solace and comfort in the fact that we live in the land that allows us absolute freedom and how and where to worship God. Surely this is a cherish and value freedom that we thank God for. But how much freedom does the Bible give to the people of God in choosing where and how to worship?

In the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy we see that Moses had a lot to say on this issue. Deuteronomy 12:13 says “Be careful that you do not offer up your burnt offerings in every place that you see; But in the place which Jehovah will choose, there you shall offer up your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I am commanding you.”  The place that Jehovah will choose is the focus of this chapter in Deuteronomy.  An important and interesting fellowship today and one we all will come to realize which is very, very much in God’s heart.

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Deuteronomy (Program #11) – The Rehearsal of the Law (4)

The matter of God blessing His people is so often spoken of in Christian circles these days. Popular books, detailed the right prayer to pray with the latest method of bringing ourselves into a place where God can bless us.

Surely, God does desire to bless His people, perhaps you pray such a prayer of faith and God had answered you with some material possession. But if the Lord would mercifully open our eyes we would see that even in the Old Testament book like Deuteronomy, the highest blessing for God’s people is just Christ Himself and that we would hold Him fast and live in the sweetness of His presence.

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Deuteronomy (Program #10) – The Rehearsal of the Law (3)

To the assembled nation of Israel preparing to cross over the Jordan river and enter Canaan, Moses had this to say, “Hear, O Israel! You are about to cross over the Jordan this day in order to enter in and dispossess nations greater and mightier than you, cities that are big and fortified up to heaven, know therefore today that Jehovah your God is the One crossing over before you as a consuming fire; it is He who will destroy them, and it is He who will subdue them before you, so that you may dispossess them and destroy them quickly, as Jehovah has said to you.”

Surely these words must had filled the people with hope and expectation. but Moses also brought their earlier failures to remembrance, “Remember; do not forget that you made Jehovah your God furious in the wilderness; from the day that you came forth from the land of Egypt up until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against Jehovah.”  Moses once again preparing this new generation to overcome, enter and possess the land.

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Deuteronomy (Program #9) – The Rehearsal of the Law (2)

Deuteronomy Chapter 7 begins in a way that might be very difficult for us to reconcile with our natural thought.  “When Jehovah your God brings you into the land which you are about to enter to possess, and clears away many nations from before you – And Jehovah your God delivers them up before you and you defeat them, you shall utterly destroy them; you shall make no covenant with them, nor shall you show them any favor.”

God’s word to the children of Israel was as they were preparing to enter the good land was to utterly and absolutely destroy the people that were inhabiting the land. To us today this may seems far too extreme. But what view do we bring to the Scriptures?

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Deuteronomy (Program #8) – The Rehearsal of the Law (1)

The word Deuteronomy means a second speaking or re-speaking . In Deuteronomy what is been re-spoken by Moses to the assembled nation of Israel was the commandments, the law, the ten commandments, the ordinances, statues and judgments. These were originally given to the people some 38 years prior at Mt Sinai.  The reason for this repeating of the word is that Moses was facing a new generation that had grown up after the law was originally given to their fathers. By now the fathers were all dead. And God’s purpose was with this new, young generation.

The words here of Moses, are the words of a loving, caring father’s speaking to his children. How much all of us as God’s children today needs to hear His word spoken again and again and how much even we ourselves shall speak this word to our own children again and again.

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