February 17 – Day 48 – Deuteronomy 4-6; John 16 Day 323 – Acts 27-28; Matthew 10

[NOTE: For those who are continuing the 1-year Bible reading plan we started on April 1, 2018, just go to the end of this entry and you will find the Day 323-Acts 27-28; Matthew 10 summary!]

Deuteronomy 4 starts with Moses urging Israel to obey God and all His commands. Moses moves on to urge them not to worship idols. Moses reminds the Israelites God alone is the one, true, living God and therefore, He will not tolerate the worship of idols. Moses even reminds the Israelites he has been excluded from entering the Promised Land for disobedience, so they must be obedient. At the close of the chapter Moses introduces what is coming in the chapters ahead. He tells the people he is going to introduce laws they must obey.

In Deuteronomy 5, Moses restates the Ten Commandments. After doing so he urges the Israelites again to obey those commands and all the commands they will receive through him. As we read through the Ten Commandments a second time, we see again how important God considered the Sabbath, and honoring parents. These are the only commands with additional explanation. As 21st century followers of Jesus, we are not “under the Law,” and yet these commandments apply to us.  Jesus told us He didn’t come to destroy the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfill them.  Many different interpretations of that statement have been offered, but surely it means at least this: Jesus came to show us the depth of meaning of each of God’s commands, and to fulfill them, because we could not. As those living in the Spirit, we are not to devote our time in attempting to be perfect rule followers. That has never worked for God’s people. We are to learn and understand the principles the laws offer, and then live them out in the power of the Holy Spirit. That way God will be glorified, and we will grow individually and together into all God has for us.  Honoring the Sabbath is a command Jesus addressed directly. He said the Sabbath was made for us, not us for the Sabbath. In saying that Jesus made it clear we aren’t to worry about whether there’s a lose thread on our t-shirt as we go to worship, (because that would be ‘bearing a burden,’ which is work, and thus breaks the Sabbath, according to the traditions of the Pharisees!) but we are to stop one day each week to rest, to be renewed, and to reflect on God’s glory and power. Corporate worship ought to be part of that weekly Sabbath, but it is only one part of a bigger picture of putting God first in our lives.

Deuteronomy 6 is one of the most beautiful calls for whole-hearted commitment to God offered in the entire Bible. Indeed, it includes the statement Jesus said is the greatest commandment in the Law: we must love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our strength. The Israelites were called to remember this commitment, and to share it with their children at the start and end of each day, and when they went out and came in. In other words, they were always to put God first in their lives. Moses reminded the Israelites this would be the only way their lives would be blessed and that they would live victoriously in the new land God was about to give them.

In John 16, Jesus tells the disciples of the coming of the Holy Spirit. I have always appreciated Jesus’ telling the disciples when the Holy Spirit comes, He will remind them of everything Jesus said. The reason I appreciate this, is because it tells us when we read God’s word and put it in our minds, the Holy Spirit will be able to call it out when we need it. The disciples had seen and heard Jesus perform miracles, teach, and cast out demons. Their memories were of events they had experienced personally. The Holy Spirit would bring these to mind so they could retell them to others, and one day to record them in the gospels. Once we have read these accounts, the Holy Spirit can, in the same way, bring them to our minds, so we will be able to retell them and help those who need God’s truth, encouragement, correction, and support.

Many times, over the years, when someone has asked me a question, or when I have been meeting with a hurting or questioning person, the Holy Spirit has brought to my mind a word of Scripture that has been just what was needed in the moment. John 16 acknowledges the disciples didn’t understand a great deal of what Jesus said and did while He was with them. The Holy Spirit would bring a clarity to these events after Jesus left, and He came, that they never knew even as they experienced the events as they happened!

Day 323-Acts 27-28; Matthew 10

Acts 27 and 28 record Paul’s journey to Rome. The journey included a terrible storm while they were at sea, being shipwrecked, and nearly put to death, because of the Roman law that if a prisoner escaped the guards were to bore the punishment, and finally landing on the island of Malta. While there Paul was bitten by a poisonous snake, which led the natives to declare Paul was a murderer, and the “gods” wouldn’t allow him to escape justice. Then when Paul showed no ill effects from the snake bite, the natives proclaimed him as a god. (How easily human minds are changed!) Upon his arrival in Rome, Paul was put under house arrest, but given some freedoms. He was able to present the good news of Jesus to some Jews who lived in Rome, but once again most rejected the truth, because of Paul’s inclusion of the Gentiles. The book ends with Paul still under arrest. According to church tradition, Paul was eventually executed by the Romans for treason, that is because he was unwilling to bow down and call Caesar God. Paul was faithful to Jesus to the end and offers us one of the most incredible examples ever, of what God can do to a life fully-devoted to Him.

As we return to Matthew 10, we find Jesus selecting the twelve men He wanted to be His apostles. Jesus called the men, and then sent them out into the harvest on their first mission trip. Before He sent them, Jesus told them they would face difficulty, suffering, and persecution. He told them He hadn’t come to bring peace, but a sword. This chapter flies in the face of much modern American Christianity, which promises a life of ease and plenty. It’s true that when Jesus returns or we go to Him, life’s suffering will end, and we will experience unending joy. But here on this earth, we will face challenge, and difficulty as part of the abundant life Jesus promised us in John 10. Read Matthew 10 a couple of times and remember how honest Jesus is about the cost of following Him. He is always worthy of our following, even more so, because of His telling us the cost up front.

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