What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him?
Deuteronomy 4:7
But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.
Psalm 73:28
The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
Psalm 145:18
Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.
Isaiah 55:6
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Philippians 4:5
"...a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God."
Hebrews 7:19
Come near to God and he will come near to you.
James 4:8
I could, and should, ponder this one for a long time. He is the God of all the universe, uncreated Creator of all things, all-powerful, almighty, and yet He is near to those who trust in Him and turn to Him. What a gift, what a life, to live near to Him all of my days!
All the way my Savior leads me;
What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercy,
Who through life has been my Guide?
Heav’nly peace, divinest comfort,
Here by faith in Him to dwell!
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well;
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well.
All the way my Savior leads me,
Cheers each winding path I tread;
Gives me grace for every trial,
Feeds me with the living Bread.
Though my weary steps may falter,
And my soul athirst may be,
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! A spring of joy I see;
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! A spring of joy I see.
All the way my Savior leads me
O the fullness of His love!
Perfect rest to me is promised
In my Father’s house above.
When my spirit, clothed immortal,
Wings its flight to realms of day
This my song through endless ages—
Jesus led me all the way;
This my song through endless ages—
Jesus led me all the way.
-Fanny Crosby
Showing posts with label deuteronomy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label deuteronomy. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Picture of a king
This is the description of a godly king given by Moses to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 17:
"He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite. The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, 'You are not to go back that way again.' He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.
"He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite. The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, 'You are not to go back that way again.' He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.
"When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel." Deuteronomy 17:15-20
This goes against so much of what we see and understand and have as examples through history. Israel didn't always follow these guidelines faithfully, but here is the root of God's heart for leadership and authority. The king is to be one of them, humble and not self-serving, not chasing after multitudes of women, not seeking out riches but burying his head in God's word. This is government.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Submitting to love
"And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?"
Deuteronomy 10:12-13
The Bible, the Old Testament especially, can seem a little harsh at times. Repeated over and over again are commands that we will love and serve the Lord first and the Lord only, worshiping Him and obeying Him and honoring Him and following Him. Submission is not a concept of which I have always been particularly fond, whether to God or to another human being, but it's a concept I've started to understand a little more this year.
We are trained to want to be in control. In our ideal world, we call the shots and make the decisions and serve our own interests, and it's all about us. To submit would be to sacrifice that self-interest and to lose all of the benefits, right? Not necessarily. What if you were submitting to One who knew better than yourself what would be good for you? What if you were submitting to One whose love for you surpassed even your own self-love? What if submission to another's commands and laws and orders would actually bring you the most satisfaction and fulfillment?
What if the One we were submitting to looked something like this?
"To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. Yet the LORD set his affection on your forefathers and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations, as it is today. Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt. Fear the LORD your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. He is your praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes."
Deuteronomy 10:14-21
Deuteronomy 10:12-13
The Bible, the Old Testament especially, can seem a little harsh at times. Repeated over and over again are commands that we will love and serve the Lord first and the Lord only, worshiping Him and obeying Him and honoring Him and following Him. Submission is not a concept of which I have always been particularly fond, whether to God or to another human being, but it's a concept I've started to understand a little more this year.
We are trained to want to be in control. In our ideal world, we call the shots and make the decisions and serve our own interests, and it's all about us. To submit would be to sacrifice that self-interest and to lose all of the benefits, right? Not necessarily. What if you were submitting to One who knew better than yourself what would be good for you? What if you were submitting to One whose love for you surpassed even your own self-love? What if submission to another's commands and laws and orders would actually bring you the most satisfaction and fulfillment?
What if the One we were submitting to looked something like this?
"To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. Yet the LORD set his affection on your forefathers and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations, as it is today. Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt. Fear the LORD your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. He is your praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes."
Deuteronomy 10:14-21
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Disobedience and disbelief
"All disobedience to God's laws, and distrust of his power and goodness, flow from disbelief of his word, as all true obedience springs from faith."
-Matthew Henry, from his commentary on Deuteronomy 1
God's Word is pretty straightforward. Love Him, love others, honor and obey Him, acknowledge your sinfulness and His grace through Jesus on the cross. All of the commandments basically melt down, as Jesus pointed out, to "Love God and love your neighbor." And yet we disobey. And Matthew Henry hits the nail right on the head with his commentary: when we disobey, it is because we disbelieve in God's goodness, His promises, and His faithfulness to do what He has said (both the positive and the negative). If we obey Him, it will be the best thing we can do, the best life we can live (not easiest, but best) and the best consequences we can reap. If we disobey Him, it will be the worst. And if we really believed that, we would act accordingly, repenting of sin and stepping out in faith. So why don't we?
-Matthew Henry, from his commentary on Deuteronomy 1
God's Word is pretty straightforward. Love Him, love others, honor and obey Him, acknowledge your sinfulness and His grace through Jesus on the cross. All of the commandments basically melt down, as Jesus pointed out, to "Love God and love your neighbor." And yet we disobey. And Matthew Henry hits the nail right on the head with his commentary: when we disobey, it is because we disbelieve in God's goodness, His promises, and His faithfulness to do what He has said (both the positive and the negative). If we obey Him, it will be the best thing we can do, the best life we can live (not easiest, but best) and the best consequences we can reap. If we disobey Him, it will be the worst. And if we really believed that, we would act accordingly, repenting of sin and stepping out in faith. So why don't we?
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