CbC June 29 – July 5

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June 29, Sunday———————-ACCOUNTABILITY REMINDER!

Reading A180 — Deut. 10 — Reviewing the Tablets                       Audio: Deut. 10 (ESV)

An audio recording of the following comments is available below:

God’s Requirements — After reviewing the stories of God speaking the Ten Commandments from Mt. Sinai and writing them twice on stone tablets, Moses summarized five things God required of His followers at that time and still requires today.  All those responsibilities are toward God.  The first is “to fear the LORD your God” (v. 12a).  This fear is that of respect.  It is recognizing who He is in all His greatness.  The second requirement is “to walk in all his ways” (v. 12b).  This seems to refer to our orientation to Him, being His follower, imitating Him in our thinking and actions, and making Him our priority in how we live.  The third obligation is “to love him” (v. 12c).  We should not only copy Him as our supreme example but also center our affection on Him.  We are to desire Him and long to be with Him in personal fellowship.  The fourth requirement is “to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul” (v. 12d).  That requirement involves actions but includes attitudes.  Serving is working for the benefit of another, and we are told here to do it wholeheartedly.  The final obligation is “to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD” (v. 13).  That is obedience.  True followers of God do what He says.  Jesus said that we cannot love Him without obeying Him (John 14:15).  This would be a good time to honestly grade ourselves in terms of how we fear, walk, love, serve, and obey the Lord.

ACCOUNTABILITY REMINDER  If you are up to date in your reading as
of today, but did not report yesterday, please click here to leave your
email address or let me know at accbibleread@gmail.com.

June 30, Monday——————–ACCOUNTABILITY FINAL DAY

Reading A181 — Deut. 11 — Concluding Exhortations                     Audio: Deut. 11 (ESV)

An audio recording of the following comments is available below:

Benefits of Obedience — As Moses concluded this long sermon to Israel, which began in chapter 5, the obvious emphasis is on the importance of obedience.  A total of eight times, he challenged them to “keep … obey … [or] do” God’s commandments.  If they were obedient, they would “take possession of the land” (v. 8), God would “give rain … give grass” (vv. 14-15), “drive out all these nations” (v. 23), and give them a “blessing” (v. 27).  Sometimes Christians will complain that God doesn’t seem to always keep His side of the promise of blessing for obedience.  Why not?  One reason is that we judge our performance by our own standard, which we tend to relax for our benefit.  Do we really “keep … his commandments always”? (v. 1).  Do you truly “obey … with all your heart”? (v. 13).  Another reason is that we don’t see God’s bigger picture.  He may be temporarily withholding some blessing in order to multiply it later.  He may be giving a temporary dry spell to turn our eyes toward Him in appreciation for what He has given us in the past.  He may be alerting us to a sin or our fading attention toward Him.

ACCOUNTABILITY FINAL DAY!  If you have not yet reported for this month,
please let me know your reading status today at accbibleread@gmail.com.

July 1, Tuesday

Reading A182 — Deut. 12 — No Other Gods                                   Audio: Deut. 12 (ESV)

An audio recording of the following comments is available below:

Worshiping God Alone — The second sermon of Moses begins here and goes through chapter 26.  The “statutes and rules” (v. 1) of this section become more detailed in preparation for their crossing the Jordan River and dwelling in the Promised Land.  Like the Ten Commandments, it begins with, “You shall have no other gods before me” (cf. Ex. 20:3).  There is a continuing emphasis on obedience.  Three times, they are warned to be “careful to do…,” and three other times, they are instructed to “take care.”  Those caution statements were about the worship of other gods.  The nations they were to conquer had many places of worship, on “mountains … hills and under every green tree” (Deut. 13:2), which they were to “tear down … destroy … dash … burn … [and] chop down” (v. 3).  They were told not even to “inquire about their gods” (v. 30).  Despite all these warnings, it was the incorporation of the worship of these false gods that would be the eventual downfall of Israel in the north and then Judah in the south.  There is still only one God, Yahweh, and we are to worship Him alone.  We are not even to wonder about what false religions believe.  God has given us the ultimate truth, His sacrificing Son, and His indwelling Holy Spirit.  We are to have “no other gods.”

July 2, Wednesday

Reading A183 — Deut. 13-14 — Tests, Food, and Parties             Audio: Deut. 13-14 (ESV)

An audio recording of the following comments is available below:

All Your Heart — How committed are you to God?  Do you “love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul”? (13:3).  How much do you “walk after … fear … obey … serve … and hold fast to him”? (v. 4).  God presents three hypothetical tests in chapter 13.  First, a convincing false prophet may be able to perform signs, but he encourages people to worship other gods (v. 1).  Would you tolerate him by listening to him?  The second test involves a close relative, mate, or friend who wants to add something to the worship of Yahweh (v. 6).  Would you choose to protect them from exposure and punishment? (v. 8).  Finally, there was the test of preventing massive slaughter of a whole city who rebelled against God to worship other gods (v. 15).  Would you try to prevent that?  Thankfully, we don’t have to face most of those situations, but it suggests a challenge for us, too.  How firm is our willingness to take a stand for God?  What is the depth of our love and our walk with the Lord?  Which is more important to us, good relationships or truth?  Love for people or love for God?  Showing mercy or being faithful?

July 3, Thursday

Reading A184 — Deut. 15-16 — Freedom and Feasts                  Audio: Deut. 15-16 (ESV)

An audio recording of the following comments is available below:

Sevens — Most of the content in these two chapters includes laws that had been commanded earlier.  One thing that struck me was how many times the number seven was chosen by God to set significant events and celebrations for Israel.  That number is mentioned ten times in this reading.  First, every seven years, Hebrews were to be released from debts they owed to other Jews (15:1).  A second freedom event occurred during the seventh year after an Israelite had submitted himself as a “slave” to work for another Hebrew (v. 12).  This was seen as an act of charity, where the temporary “owner” paid the “slave” at the rate of “half the cost of a hired worker” for six years (v. 18).  When he left, the master was to provide him generously with animals, grain, and wine (v. 14).  The third set of sevens was at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, immediately following Passover, which was celebrated for seven days (16:3).  Finally, the Feast of Booths was observed for seven days (v. 13).  A second thing that struck me as I read was how many times Jerusalem was referred to as “the place that the LORD will choose.”  Yes, it was seven times, too!

July 4, Friday

Reading A185 — Deut. 17-18 — Coming King and Prophet           Audio: Deut. 17-18 (ESV)

An audio recording of the following comments is available below:

A Prophet Like Me — This reference of “a prophet like me” (18:15) is only found here in the OT.  It anticipated a future, God-sent individual who would communicate God’s truth to His people as Moses had been doing.  It also expected this person to have great status, like Moses.  It was not just speaking of one of many coming prophets, like Elijah or Elisha.  The New Testament twice repeats this quote from Moses and applies it as a reference to the promised Messiah.  When Peter was preaching to the crowd in the temple after healing the lame man at the Gate Beautiful, he identified this special prophet as being Jesus (Acts 3:22).  Before Stephen was stoned for his declaration of Jesus as the Messiah, he also quoted this expression of Moses (Acts 7:37).  This “prophet like me” would be greater than the king promised in Deut. 17:15. That king was instructed to write “a copy of this law … and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God…” (vv. 18-19).  The NT “prophet like me,” however, would Himself be the Word of God.

July 5, Saturday

Reading A186 — Deut. 19-20 — Safe and Sacrificed Cities          Audio: Deut. 19-20 (ESV)

An audio recording of the following comments is available below:

Murderers and Idolaters in Danger — God was using Moses to prepare Israel for what it was going to be like to enter and live in the Promised Land.  They were told in chapter 19 about the three geographically-spaced cities to which a man could flee who had accidentally killed another man.  He would be safe there while the truth could be established in court.  A guilty killer would be safe there only until the completion of the trial.  A guilty murderer or a false accuser would eventually pay the death penalty.  The innocent individual would continue to be safe.  Chapter 20 is about conquering cities, which would not be safe places.   Moses communicated confidence in their successful takeover in the land in that they “shall not be afraid … for the LORD your God is with you” (20:1).  That is the same reason we should not be afraid when we face threatening circumstances: God is with us, which is sufficient.  Moses even suggested that they would not need a full army to take the cities, so the officers could generously send soldiers home who had a new house, a new vineyard, or a new wife (vv. 5-8) that they could enjoy first.  God had already told Israel five times that His purpose was for them to “drive out” the current inhabitants (Ex. 23:28; 33:2; 34:11; Num. 33:52; Deut. 11:23).  If they refused to leave, their cities would be devoted to complete destruction as a sacrifice to God (v. 17), which was judgment against their sins of idolatry and protection against their potential influence on Israel’s belief in Yahweh (v. 18).