Archive for month: May, 2022

Hi  GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 2:1-15.
 
Deuteronomy 2:1-13 (NIV)
1  Then we turned back and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea, as the LORD had directed me. For a long time we made our way around the hill country of Seir.
2  Then the LORD said to me,
3  “You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north.
4  Give the people these orders: ‘You are about to pass through the territory of your brothers the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, but be very careful.

On verses 1-13:  Moses recounts how God specifically warned that first generation of Israelites not to provoke or harass the people living in the lands that they passed by, especially after they themselves had lost their chance to enter the Promised Land.  So God warns that first generation of Israelites not to touch the descendants of Esau living in the land of Seir, or the descendants of Lot living in the land of Ar.  “For I will not give you any part of their land”, God said in both cases (v5, 9), since God had given those lands specifically to those other groups.  It’s as if God knew that this first generation of Israelites would be tempted to take over the lands of other peoples after having lost out on their own Promised Land.

Hi  GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 1:34-46.
 
Deuteronomy 1:34-36 (NIV)
34  When the LORD heard what you said, he was angry and solemnly swore:
35  “Not a man of this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your forefathers,
36  except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet on, because he followed the LORD wholeheartedly.”
 
On verses 34-36:  Caleb’s story shows us that just because the people around you are not responding to God with faith, that doesn’t mean you have to follow their lead.  Like Caleb you can choose a unique path of responding to God with faith, even when those around you are not.  Dare to be different in a good way, and you will be uniquely blessed in the process.
 
Caleb’s story also shows us that when we follow God wholeheartedly, not only are we blessed, but those who come after us will be blessed as well.  There’s a generational blessing that comes when a person decides to respond to God in faith.

Hi  GAMErs!

Today we begin the book of Deuteronomy.  You might say that Deuteronomy was Jesus’ favourite book in the Old Testament.  When Jesus was asked what was God’s greatest commandment, Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy 6:5.  When Jesus was being tempted by the devil, Jesus fought back with quotations from Deuteronomy 8:3, 6:16, and 6:13. Since Jesus saw the power and importance of Deuteronomy and kept this book close to His heart, I pray we would do the same.

Here is some background information on Deuteronomy that you might find helpful:
–        Deuteronomy is the fifth book in the Old Testament.  It is also the fifth and final book of the Pentateuch (a name for the first five books in the Bible, also sometimes called the Torah).
 
–        It is widely believed, and with good reason, that Moses was responsible for the writing of the entire Pentateuch including Deuteronomy (other than the last chapter describing Moses’ death).