Author: judyinthesky91

Daily Word

Deuteronomy 18

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Read Deuteronomy 18 – Gifts, bad neighbors and liars – The Lord set the Levites aside as priests and he detailed the portions of the offerings that they could claim. It should be a joy to give to the Lord, and a pleasure to see the priests well taken care of. The Lord even made provision that no one judge the priests, even if they are receiving support from their family. Their share was their share. (:8)
Now, the promised land was full of wicked people with detestable traditions. The Israelites had to be very careful not to imitate them. God gives the example of not sacrificing their children as a burnt offering, practice fortune-telling, use sorcery, interpret omens, engage in witchcraft, cast spells, function as mediums or psychics or call forth spirits of the dead. :10-11 These are the very reasons the LORD is driving these people from the land and giving it to the Israelites. (:12) Beloved, we would be wise to hate what the LORD hates. Humans have a curiosity about the occult… when I was a little girl, horoscopes and Ouji boards were considered harmless entertainment. It was not until Jesus rescued me that I realized how deceptive and sinister these occult practices were – God forbids it. If you have any history of dabbling in these practices, I plead that you would confess, and pray to be cleansed of all unrighteousness right now.
Moses continues the list of cautions to warn the people about true and false prophets. The LORD told Moses, “I will raise up a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell the people everything I command him.” :18 And the LORD addresses how to tell his true prophet from an imposter; namely, if the prophecies don’t hold water, you will know it wasn’t a prophecy from the LORD. (:22)
Beloved, if your church/pastor declares prophecies that have not come true or been revised – RUN! Because of Jesus, you are worthy of an authentic faith, unhindered by those who would lead you astray. God’s Word is true, loving and trustworthy. If you discover something that doesn’t measure up in your life, confess it to Jesus, your Abba Father.

Daily Word

Deuteronomy 17

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Read Deuteronomy 17 – Courts and kings –  The LORD outlines how justice is to be decided in :2-13.  It must be on the testimony of more than one witness and if it is too hard to decide in the local court they were to take it to the place the LORD would choose. (:8) Beloved, this shows how close their relationship with the LORD was.  He was their King and he would lead them to the Levitical priest or judge on duty to decide the case. (:9)  Justice was to be decisive and acted on immediately.  And if anyone was arrogant enough to reject the verdict of the judge or priest – that person was to die.  God gives the explanation that this would purge evil from Israel and hearing about it would cause people to be afraid, saving them from such arrogance.

It is interesting that the LORD added this part on choosing a king.  He was their King, yet he knew they would eventually desire a human king as other nations had.  His requirements are excellent – Israel could have saved so much grief by adhering to them… and I can’t help long for a president in our nation who would meet them. 

The king was to personally copy this body of instructions on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests and read from it daily. (:18)  That is a king worthy of leading a nation!  

Beloved, with this all fresh in your heart, why don’t you take some time to pray for our courts and government.  It is not too late to return to the LORD!

Daily Word

Deuteronomy 16

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Read Deuteronomy 16 – Celebrate!  Celebrations remind us who we are and where we came from.  Celebrations are important to God – joy and gratitude are essential.  My sweet husband had a recent birthday and we celebrated with his family.  After a beautiful meal, the birthday candles were lit, the room dimmed and our loved ones began singing happy birthday…. feelings came up as I sang along, feelings of joy at the life we have lived, gratitude for our loved ones, gratitude to God for drawing us all to Him.  We are getting older, but the best is yet to come because we are His! 

In our chapter, the LORD speaks of three celebrations that must take place every year for the Israelites.

The Festival of Unleavened Bread marks the LORD’s rescue of Israel from slavery in Egypt.   When I read verse :3, I thought about my own salvation, the rescue from my Egypt of sin.

The Festival of the Harvest celebrates the bounty the LORD provides.  It occured 7 weeks from the first cut of grain.  It’s wonderful, “Celebrate with your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, the Levites from your towns and the foreigners, orphans and widows who live among you.” :11b Do you see the joy and unity… they were to include non-Jews in this celebration, drawing all people among them to the LORD in celebration.

And the Festival of Shelters, “This festival will be a happy time of celebrating …to honor the LORD your God at the place he chooses… for seven days… for it is he who blesses you with bountiful harvests and gives you success in all your work.  This festival will be a time of great joy for all.” :14-15.

Beloved, these celebrations were both reflective and dress rehearsals of things to come.  When you read about them, can you think of how they came to life in the New Testament?

Daily Word

Deuteronomy 15

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Read Deuteronomy 15 – Just imagine a world where everyone got a clean slate every seven years. That is the world God ordained for Israel. Have you ever lent money to someone who couldn’t repay? It hangs over one’s head – whether you play the part of borrower or lender. And one could argue that it’s not fair, but when God says to cancel a debt, don’t you suppose he will honor your faithfulness far beyond the amount? Proverbs 19:17 assures, “If you help the poor, you are lending to the LORD – and he will repay you!”
This went for personal debt as well as for slaves. A person could sell himself/herself as a slave, but in the 7th year they were released from service with provisions. This was like a commemorative act from when the LORD brought the Israelites out of Egypt (:13-15).
However, the slave had the option of remaining in the masters household, as things were good, there was love for your family and he/she felt well taken care of. In such case, that slave would be marked with an awl piercing of the earlobe, and this was a bond for life(:16-17). This is much like we experience when we give our life to Jesus as LORD and Savior.
And the LORD required the firstborn of all the animals be dedicated to him, unless it was lame or blemished, in which case it could be used for food. One would never sacrifice an animal with a defect. We see this illustrated in Genesis with Cain and Abel in Genesis 4, Cain gave halfheartedly to the LORD with his crops, while Abel gave the best portions from his flocks. Abel’s gift was accepted, but Cain’s was not. I know this is a strange concept to us today, but remember that a day would come when Jesus would be the perfect sacrifice for all times. These blood sacrifices were preparing hearts for the ultimate atonement of Jesus Christ.
Beloved, one could read Deuteronomy and be perplexed by the seemingly strange requests. My hope is that you are forming the notion that Jesus is on every page and the LORD has something special just for you in every chapter.

Daily Word

Deuteronomy 14 part 2

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Re-read Deuteronomy 14:22-29 – The LORD addresses tithing.  There was an economy back then that was more practical than mere money.  People grew crops, harvesting grain, wine, and olive oil.  People raised flocks and herds, for food, farm labor, and trade.  The Lord instructed them to set aside one-tenth of all of it as tithe.  They were to bring it to the designated place of worship, :23.  Now, notice the grace in verse :24-27, if the designated place of worship was too far, they were permitted to sell the tithe portion, carrying the money to the designated place of worship.  Upon arrival they were to use that money to buy any kind of food and wine they desired and then feast in the LORD’s presence, celebrating with their household and the Levite (the priest).  

Do you see God’s heart in this – the LORD wants them to rejoice with him as their tithe!  The tithe is not burdensome, it is a celebration and always meant to draw the LORD’s people closer to him in gratitude, reverence and honor.

The three year tithe (:29) was extended to the Levite as well as sojourner, the orphan and the widow. The LORD was prepared for social welfare long before the government got involved.  Doing these things for the LORD puts a sense of reverence and honor to the task that our modern day taxes have never given me… and the LORD has a blessing attached, “Then the LORD your God will bless you in all your work.” :29

Are you seeing the win of obedience on this?  Do you ever feel like you’re spinning your wheels at work?  Wouldn’t it be more excellent to join the LORD as he leads you?

The LORD loves a cheerful giver (see 2 Corinthians 9).  If this is a foreign concept to you, I encourage you to pray over the matter.  Giving is such a joy; do not deprive yourself of this close connection to Jesus.  It is a thrill to think of what he can and will do with our mustard seed sized tithe!  I can only speak for myself and share that this was a slow lesson for me in the beginning, but now it is my favorite part of payday.  It is an amazing privilege that the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY lets little old me, and you, take part in the good work he is doing on earth.

Daily Word

Deuteronomy 14

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Read Deuteronomy 14 – I read this chapter and thought, what on earth am I going to say?  All these do’s and don’ts, I wondered what portions were strictly for the Jews entering the Promised Land and what portions we “have to comply” with.  I was in the wrong state of mind.  So I set it down, prayed for God to show me His love in these verses, and read it again…. and He knocked my socks off with His LOVE!

“You have been set apart as holy to the LORD your God, and he has chosen you from all the nations of the earth to be his own special treasure.” :2  This is Israelite specific, but we have a similar truth in Christ, “…for you are a chosen people.  You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession.  As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9  

Beloved, all the do’s and don’ts are there to save these ancient people and us from mediocrity!  God has called us into a far more than we can ask or imagine, so we are to always strive to live up to his calling.  And when we fall short (and we assuredly will), we can know that Jesus’s love for us does not change.  He is our Great High Priest, we can confess to Jesus and he has us covered!

There are a lot of food restrictions and if you look closely, you’ll find that these were health related as well as for obedience… don’t eat things that eat other things.  Don’t eat roadkill.  I’m paraphrasing.  I had to look deeper at :21, “You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”  This was a pagan fertility ritual at the time, but also, it is the reason you would be hard pressed to get a cheeseburger in Israel today – as the milk from the cheese may have come from the mother of the calf that became the burger.  (David Guszik commentary).  Also, rest assured you are not offending the Lord by eating cheeseburgers, bacon, lobster, or anything on the don’t list,  as these restrictions were laid to rest when God gave Peter the dream in Acts 10.  (extra credit opportunity!)  

We will pick up the rest of this wonderful chapter tomorrow.

Daily Word

Deuteronomy 13

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Read Deuteronomy 13 – “Some people are so open-minded their brains fall out.” I don’t recall who said that, but it has certainly rung true to me. Our chapter deals quite seriously with those who lead others astray under the guise of open-mindedness.
The LORD allows testing in some cases to see if one’s heart is true (:3). The Israelites were called to be discerning with regards to prophets and visionaries, and put to death any who encourage rebellion against the LORD (:5). Likewise, we must remain discerning. There will be imitators. They will produce signs and wonders, but the heart of their message will not be Jesus.
We had an old friend over for Easter supper a few years back. He was dating someone new and we all sat down for the meal. After grace, the girlfriend steered the conversation towards new age experimentation. Soon we realized she was only speaking to our teenager, right there at the Easter dinner table! It was a bizarre moment and one we cut short. In the days that followed, this couple made attempts through social media to continue enticing away from the LORD and we cut all ties. “Suppose someone secretly entices you…and says, ‘Let us go worship other gods’ – gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known.” :6 The LORD knows evil people are sly. They know how to tap into FOMO… fear of missing out, as the kids say. Be on guard and ready to walk away.
Verses :12-17 speak about the towns the Israelites will occupy in the land the Lord is giving them. He says if they get reports of scoundrels leading fellow citizens astray they are to carefully examine the facts. If they discover them to be true, the entire town is to be destroyed – all people, animals and things – no plunder is to be taken, but piled up and burned in the middle of the open square. One commentary I read said this was a protection against false accusations for profit… Does God know how easy it is to get us off course or what?
Remember, this passage is specific to the Israelites as they were establishing the Promised Land, so don’t go killing anyone. Yet, I think you’ll find great and serious instruction to help you guard your own heart, to know when to walk away from temptations that would take you away from Jesus.

Daily Word

Deuteronomy 12

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Read Deuteronomy 12 – Wasn’t that a lovely break we took in Psalm 40 when I last wrote?  May you always be mindful of when your heart needs to pause from the ‘should’s’ of life.  The Lord truly cares about your heart above all else.  Okay, shall we get back on course with our chapter?  

The Israelites are given some preparation instructions for worship.  Step one is to clean house (:2-3).  The Lord commands that all the places of worship created by the previous inhabitants be utterly destroyed.  He is protecting them from being led astray.

The Lord assures them that He will select the place where they are to offer sacrifices, and grants permission for them to kill and eat as needed apart from an act of worship. This is a freedom, a liberty the Lord is expressly granting them, with the only warning to ensure there is no blood (:15,16,20-25).

They are commanded to provide for the Levite; that is the tribe set aside as priests. (:12,18-19).

Our chapter ends like it began, instructing the Israelites to:  “take care that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? – that I also may do the same.’ “ :30  The Lord HATES the abominable things these nations did to serve their gods.  They even burned their children alive as human sacrifices to their gods. (:31)

I pray you do not get lost in these instructions to the Israelites about things that may seem far removed from Christian life today.  Blood sacrifices are no longer required as Jesus shed his blood as our once and for all sacrifice.  And we are still not to dabble in occult practices, even under the guise of curiosity, lest we be led astray. Remember, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”  Hebrews 13:8  He desires a life of joyful worship from us, as he did for our ancient brothers and sisters.  “And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God in all that you undertake.” 18b.

Daily Word

Psalm 40

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Read Psalm 40 – Beloved, I am in a season. I have been rereading Deuteronomy 12 and my mind wanders. Heavy things are happening in my life and I am desperate for something more intimate than the cautions to the Israelites.
I share this, not for pity, but that you may also be attune to times when you need to change gears… God’s Word is not labor. It is His gift to us that we may know Him and how he delights to draw us near.
When I was pouring out my heart this morning and feeling like a disappointment; he drew me to Psalm 40. “I waited patiently for ADONAI, till he turned toward me and heard my cry. He brought me up from the roaring pit, up from the muddy ooze, and set my feet on a rock, making my footing firm. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will look on in awe and put their trust in ADONAI.” 40:1-3. I am using my COMPLETE JEWISH STUDY BIBLE today… there’s something about the richness of their word for the LORD, ‘ADONAI’, that makes my heart swoon.
And the air around me was feeling like muddy ooze – life can get so heavy – and knowing that God’s Word can relate to my heart does give me the ‘song of praise’ King David mentions.
“How much you have done, ADONAI my God! Your wonders and your thoughts toward us – none can compare with you! I would proclaim them, I would speak about them; but there’s too much to tell!” :4 Beloved, gratitude changes the very air we breathe!
My friends, can you join me today in this life giving Psalm? How is the LORD, ADONAI, reaching out to your heart in these precious 17 verses? He is great and glorious, our helper and rescuer, there is joy to be had for all who seek him… I’ll let you go on your own treasure hunt for these; they are all found in Psalm 40.

Daily Word

Deuteronomy 11

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Read Deuteronomy 11 – Choices… The Lord loves us so much that he designed each of us with freewill.  Freewill is a risk, but what good is love if there is no other option?  Love is only true love when we lay all other temptations aside and choose it.

Because the Israelites had seen the mighty deeds of the LORD with their own eyes, he is giving them the instruction to obey every command.  And he gives a WHY – so that they may have strength to go in and take over the land they were about to enter. (:7-8).  

God could have just zapped the inhabitants of the land in a divine and miraculous way, but he required that the Israelites take part in the take over.  It would be hard.  Hard things are worthwhile and more valuable to the one who worked for it. The land is wonderful, full of hills and valleys so they will not have to dig irrigation ditches as they did in Egypt.  God tells them it is, “a land that the LORD your God cares for.  He watches over it through each season of the year!” :12  But they still had to do their part.  

The LORD cautions them to guard their hearts lest they are deceived and turn away from the LORD and serve and worship other gods. :16  Beloved, that can happen so easily; Satan is a master at subtly whispering temptations that pull one away from Jesus… Maybe things come up on Sunday that keep you from church, maybe you stop reading your bible once or twice… then before you know it you find yourself so far away you aren’t sure how to get back.  Be on guard and protect your time with the LORD, that is how you show him your love. (:22)

Verses :26-32 present an interesting picture.  They are to pronounce the blessing at Mount Gerizim and the curse at Mount Ebal.  We love blessings!  We don’t love curses.  But as much as it’s good to know what you are aiming for, the prize, the blessing; it is also important to know what’s at stake, the downside, the curses.  May the words of verse :26 echo in your heart and mind:  LOOK, TODAY I AM GIVING YOU THE CHOICE BETWEEN A BLESSING AND A CURSE!