[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 332 – 1 Corinthians 10-11; Matthew 19 summary!]
Deuteronomy 33 records Moses’ blessing for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. Much as Jacob had blessed his sons before he died (which we read at the end of Genesis), Moses blessed each of the twelve tribes before he died (which we are reading at the end of Deuteronomy). As we read through the blessings, we see Moses didn’t offer the same blessing for each of the tribes, and as we might expect his longest blessing was offered to the tribe of his own origin: Levi. Throughout the Bible we find blessings are never “equal.” Often the firstborn is not given as great a blessing as the second-born. Jesus treated three of His disciples to greater opportunities than the other nine. We find out God isn’t “fair” in His distribution of gifts, blessing, land, and other aspects of life. How is this possible? It’s possible, because God makes the rules, and the only place we find “all men” are created equal is in the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America. I put “all men” in quotes, because when the document was written, women weren’t equal, and only men who were white property owners were part of the “all” who were created equal. Even they weren’t created equal, as each was endowed by God with different natural aptitudes and skills, and each who belonged to Jesus Christ was given different spiritual gifts by God as well.
My purpose is not to denigrate our founding fathers, nor to say I think God is wrong not to treat us the same. My purpose is to show equality is a great standard to follow in living out our roles as citizens of the United States of America, and that equality is for all people. When it comes to how we treat each other as Jesus’ followers, we are to treat each other with love and respect. But we can’t treat each other the same or equally, nor is there any place in the Bible that tells us we ought to do so. As Moses offered varying blessings to each of Israel’s tribes, we will live with differing relationships toward all the people in our spheres of influence. We will be closer to some than others. We will show preference to some over others. So long as we do that in love and in the power of the Holy Spirit, that is good.
Deuteronomy 34 records the final acts of Moses and his death. Some seeking to criticize the idea Moses authored the first five books of the Bible, have asked, “Did he write Deuteronomy 34, too? Of course not! He could have written a portion of it, but Joshua or someone else would have written the account of his death, would have recorded that no one knew exactly where he was buried and these comments: “There has never been another prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew fact to face. The Lord sent him to perform all the miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, and all his servants, and his entire land. With mighty power, Moses performed terrifying acts in the sight of all Israel.” Indeed, Moses was an incredible servant of the Lord, yet, because of a couple acts of disobedience, he was not permitted to enter the Promised Land. Was that fair? As the first couple paragraphs remind us, fairness is not God’s first standard. God’s decisions are beyond our standards of fairness. He decided Moses would not enter the Promised Land, so Moses didn’t. Moses carried out many amazing tasks and accomplishments in his life, and is remembered as a prophet like no other.
As we reread John 4, let’s turn to the end of the chapter, where we read about the “official” in Cana who asked Jesus to heal his son. Jesus’ response doesn’t seem “fair.” (Because we’re on that topic today!) Jesus’ response when the man asked for Him to heal his son was, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” Jesus didn’t ask what the son’s problem was. He didn’t seem to show compassion. He cut right to the point: Only signs and wonders bring faith to you people. The father didn’t care about Jesus’ bluntness. His son was dying. That’s what he pointed out to Jesus. If Jesus didn’t come down to the man’s house, his son was going to die. Jesus took the opportunity to show He didn’t need to be present physically to perform a miracle. He dismissed the man by saying, “Go. Your son will live.” The man went home and found out his son was fine. When he asked when the son got better, the man realized it was the exact moment Jesus had said, “Go. Your son will live.” The man became a believer that instant, as did his household.
Interesting: Jesus said, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe,” and then He performed a sign, and a whole family believed. Jesus hadn’t told the man about the demand for signs, because He wasn’t going to perform one. Jesus knew human nature. He still does. When He does signs and wonders these days, often through His followers, some believe, and others don’t. It was the same in Jesus’ day. Some who saw the amazing signs Jesus performed, decided to go out and determine how to kill Him. Others, such as this official, saw a sign and believed. Our task is to be faithful to Jesus, whether we see signs or not, whether He uses us to perform signs or not. It’s easier for some when they see signs, but even then, some continue in disbelief. That’s why following Jesus requires belief or faith, and it was so even for those who saw Him perform signs and wonders in person!
Day 332 – 1 Corinthians 10-11; Matthew 19
In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul starts by “reminding” the people from Israel’s history the great detriment of sexual immorality. I put “reminding” in quotes, because the Corinthian believers were mainly from a pagan background. Paul was incorporating Jewish history into their collective memories and pointing out that as in the past when God’s people had turned to sexual immorality and it ended badly, so would it in the present day. He concluded this discussion with a reminder that God always provides a way out for us when we are tempted. Next, Paul moved on to comment on the importance of not indulging in idolatry. He related his comments to the importance of maintaining the purity of the Lord’s Supper, and to be certain we don’t combine it with elements of idolatrous or demonic worship. Finally Paul reminded us that our freedoms in Jesus ought never be used to cause another believer to stumble. Paul reminded us consistently to think of the response of our brothers and sisters to our actions. Not that we ought to base our actions on what they think, but our actions ought not lead them away from Jesus.
As 1 Corinthians 11 begins, Paul offers a conclusion to his words in chapter 10: Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ. What a powerful truth. When we watch other Jesus followers, it is crucial for us to examine whether they are, indeed, following Jesus’ example. If they are, then we are to follow them. If they are not, the we must not follow their example. As the chapter continues, Paul speaks about propriety in worship. While his comments might seem strange to us, because he tells women they need to have their heads covered in worship, and when they pray and prophesy in worship. He tells men not to cover their heads. He then relates all that to the order of creation, and the roles of men and women. While the details are for the culture of that time, the principle remains: When we lead in worship, we are to be prepared to honor God in what we do and how we do it. The chapter closes with Paul’s correction of the Corinthian’s behavior in participating in the Lord’s Supper. Their practices had been shameful. Because the Lord’s Supper was combined with their eating a meal together, and this took place in meetings in their homes after work, some were arriving early and eating all the food and drinking all the wine, leaving the latecomers without anything. Paul reminded the Corinthian believers their practices were dishonoring God, and when we dishonor God by eating the bread and drinking the cup in an unworthy manner, the result can be illness and even death.
As we return to Matthew 19, the religious leaders come to Jesus and ask Him about divorce. Jesus makes it clear that divorce was not part of God’s original plan but was permitted because of human hardness of heart. He went on to say, the only legitimate reason for divorce is adultery. He also added, “What the Lord has joined let no one separate. Next, Jesus had to admonish the disciples for trying to keep parents from bringing children to Him to bless them. Finally, a rich young man comes to Jesus seeking His answer for how one obtains eternal life. Jesus tells the man to obey the Law of Moses. The man tells Jesus he has done that since his youth. Jesus then tells the man he lacked only one thing–he needed to go and sell everything he owned, give it to the poor, and he would have riches in heaven. Then he could come and follow Jesus. The man wouldn’t do it. He went away sad, because he was extremely wealthy. As the chapter closes Jesus uses this experience to remind the disciples that the Kingdom works on different economics than the world. When we give up worldly goods, we multiple our blessings in the Kingdom of heaven. Only when we put God first does that happen, so the best place for us to be is in the will of God, because when we are He promises to care for our ultimate needs.