Deuteronomy 18-21

God’s message to me: Many are turned to false beliefs by unintentional lies. They are told that fortune tellers and mediums are all fakes and witchcraft has no power. When they learn this isn’t true they seek the truth the wrong way.

King Saul went to see a witch who was a medium. The spirits warned her he was the king of Israel and she called up the ghost of a prophet of God who told Saul what would happen to him for disobeying God. These were real things but they were not God’s way of doing things which is why they were wrong. People think they can employ fortune telling, astrology, witchcraft and other things in the service of God. God has forbidden these things to His people and so they are wrong.

Promises: God will give you victory over your enemies if you simply follow His rules of engagement. Offering peace to the enemy does not mean offering surrender to their views. In fact it means the opposite. When offering peace it is in exchange for surrender to you.

It makes no sense to demand Israel offer land in exchange for peace with those who want them destroyed. The results of such folly are always the same and can be seen in Gaza. Israel left Gaza and everything they built there. The Palestinians could simply come in and run the businesses and use the supplies to create one of the most popular and prosperous tourist traps on the planet. Instead they used the land to launch rockets at Israel for the entire 3 years of the ceasefire until Israel, at the end of the ceasefire, went back in and stopped them.

It should have gone like this. If “Palestinians” want peace, they must immediately surrender and end all hostile actions. They must pay taxes to the Israeli Government and make themselves subject to that government. Any attempt to resume hostilities will result in immediate and total annihilation of the hostile force.

Commands: Forget all the false paths offered by the New Age religions which are really nothing but recycled paganism. Follow what God has told us to do and how God has told us to worship. It is true that some in the past have used these other ways in their worship of God and it is also true that they are no longer among us. That is because they did what was wrong, no matter the reason. Jewish astrology, Christian mediums, Godly psychics, etc. they are all false paths which need to be ignored in favor of what the bible tells us to do.

Timeless principles: When a person uses fraud to gain another's property or have another person punished for something they didn’t do then the person using fraud should have done to him what he intended to do to the other.

How can I apply what I’ve learned: There are a number of subjects here but eh key one is in regard to worship. Worship only as God has commanded and do not try to “improve” your worship by following the rituals of others. God has laid down specifically how he wants us to worship Him and made it clear that going outside those guidelines is the path to death.

more to learn for in-depth study: Another test of false prophets. What they predict does not come true. Prophecy is not an either/or situation. It happens. God’s prophecies have always been fulfilled and fulfilled literally. He doesn’t “prophecy” what will happen “if”. His prophecies are what will happen and why. If a prophecy doesn’t come true it is not of God. Remember also that a prophecy that does come true but is intended to make you do something god otherwise forbids then it is a test and you should still not sin by doing what God has forbidden.

The refuge cities were given for protection of those who did not kill intentionally. Israel was also commanded to build highways to these cities so that the person running for his life would find his was easily and quickly.

DETERRENTS They claim that the death penalty does not deter crime but, statistics show a marked decrease in crime where civilians are permitted to carry and use weapons in defending themselves and a further decrease where the castle doctrine allows people to protect their property. If the death penalty and prison terms are not deterrents why do criminals go so far to avoid getting hurt or killed. Homes where the owner is known to be armed are less likely to be burglarized than those without a gun. The young hoods targeting German tourists in Florida did so because local residents had the right to carry guns and they didn’t want to get shot. When the bible talks of putting evil away from yourself and ensuring that those remaining hear and fear it is talking about deterrents. Such deterrents are the key to maintaining civilized behavior, not the sign of uncivilized behavior.

HE WHO IS HANGED IS CURSED OF GOD. If a hanged man remains in the tree overnight the land surrounding is cursed. This law is VITAL. Christ was hung on a cross and made a curse for our sake. Judas hung himself at sunset and wasn’t found until morning. The land was cursed and could not be used for farming so it was purchased as a graveyard. That land belonged to a potter which is where we get the term “potter’s field” to refer to the grave yard used for burying the poor and indigent.

Innocent blood must be avenged. If the guilty cannot be determined then a sacrifice was made by the elders of the nearest city. Christ is the ultimate sacrifice for our sins but, the duty of government to uphold the law and protect society does not change. It is still the responsibility of Government to punish crime. While we are taught to turn the other cheek our government authorities are told to punish the persecutor and the persecutor is warned that “if thou doest evil, be very afraid, for he bareth not the sword in vain” regarding government agents and law enforcement.

Blessing of war:

hear, O Israel: Today you are on the verge of battle with your enemies. Do not let your heart faint, do not be afraid, and do not tremble or be terrified because of them; for the Lord your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.

Who goes to war:

new home owners who have yet to dedicate their house do not
those who have planted a new vineyard and not tasted of it’s produce do not
men engaged to be married do not
anyone afraid to go into battle does not go

Rules of engagement:

Always offer peace first in exchange for surrender placing them under tribute
Cities outside the land of inheritance which choose to fight will be conquered and the fighting men killed with the plunder of the city taken as a gift from God.
Cities within the promised land that fight will be utterly destroyed with all people killed.
Never use food trees for siege works. Only trees not useful for food can be used to build siege works and all food trees are to be left intact.

tomorrow: Deuteronomy 22-25