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God’s message to me: Every bad thing can be turned to blessings through God if I serve Him as He commands. Every good thing can be turned to a curse if I refuse to glorify God in it.
Promises: Deuteronomy 27:15-26 Deuteronomy 28:1-68 The promises of the Lord are both blessing and curse. For those that love Him and honor His commandments the good of every promise is theirs to claim. For those who fail to serve him with gladness in abundance the opposite of every good promise will be their reward and they will instead serve others in bondage and despair.
Commands: The rules regarding distribution of the tithe get a little complicated under Hebrew law where much of government was handled through the temple. There were many offerings and tithes and per person fees paid to support the temple, the Levites and the priests and each was budgeted in it’s own way to serve those needs as well as charity. As Christians, we simply bring our tithes and offerings to the church and the church leadership is responsible to God for their stewardship of those funds. I have heard people, including pastors, refer to handling the congregations money. This is wrong. The money belongs to God, not the church or it’s congregation and only He is judge of what is right or wrong in it’s handling. This is why we choose good and God fearing men to lead us then trust in God to lead them.
Timeless principles: Most people think they are good and believe they are doing their best to follow God’s commands. They admit to lying, the occasional curse word and maybe a little lust but they think they do OK beyond that. It pays to know and understand God’s word.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Read it, Study it, write it down, post it in obvious places and commit it to memory. “Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee.” Even knowing all the rules it is impossible for man to obey them completely without God’s help and intervention. Want a little proof? Take the good test.
more to learn for in-depth study: Deuteronomy 27: 3 “YOU SHALL WRITE...” I know I’m repeating myself and I don’t care. Not only did God carve the law in stone, and command the law and the history to be documented in writing; God also commanded billboards to be made at the entrance to the promised land so that all the people could plainly see the words of the law in print as they entered and when they passed back and forth to the lands of the tribes who established their territory before the Jordan river.
tomorrow: Deuteronomy 29-31
Showing posts with label curses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label curses. Show all posts
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
Numbers 22-24
God’s message to me: No one has power over God. Balak sought to overcome Israel with magic. He tried to hire Balaam to curse them. Balaam heeded the words of God and blessed Israel because God blessed Israel.
Promises: No power can overcome God. Balaam was known by the fact that those he blessed were blessed and those he cursed were cursed. He could not do this without God and he could not do it against God’s will. He was hired to curse Israel but the Holy Spirit made him bless them.
Commands: Follow God’s plan. Balaam was told to go with the men if they came to bring him. Instead he got up early, saddled his donkey and went with them before they asked. God allowed his donkey to see the foolishness of this action while Balaam was still blinded by his own intentions.
Timeless principles: God blesses those who bless Israel and curses those who curse Israel. He also knows what is to come. In addition to blessing Israel Balaam accurately predicted the downfall of several nations that would come against them.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Bless the Nation of Israel.
more to learn for in-depth study: The prophecy Balaam made about the downfall of kingdoms will be fulfilled in coming chapters. Try writing down the kingdoms that were named on a slip of paper and marking them off as their defeat is described.
tomorrow: Numbers 25-26
Promises: No power can overcome God. Balaam was known by the fact that those he blessed were blessed and those he cursed were cursed. He could not do this without God and he could not do it against God’s will. He was hired to curse Israel but the Holy Spirit made him bless them.
Commands: Follow God’s plan. Balaam was told to go with the men if they came to bring him. Instead he got up early, saddled his donkey and went with them before they asked. God allowed his donkey to see the foolishness of this action while Balaam was still blinded by his own intentions.
Timeless principles: God blesses those who bless Israel and curses those who curse Israel. He also knows what is to come. In addition to blessing Israel Balaam accurately predicted the downfall of several nations that would come against them.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Bless the Nation of Israel.
more to learn for in-depth study: The prophecy Balaam made about the downfall of kingdoms will be fulfilled in coming chapters. Try writing down the kingdoms that were named on a slip of paper and marking them off as their defeat is described.
tomorrow: Numbers 25-26
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Leviticus chapter 26-27
God’s message to me: The Sabbath is important to God. Whether it is the traditional Sabbath(the last day of the week is Saturday)or the New Testament Day of worship(Moved to Sunday by the first century church because Christ rose from the dead on the first day of the week). This is an important and holy day which must be respected.
Promises: Follow God’s commands and you will have prosperity, victory against overwhelming odds, peace, health and long life. Ignore God’s commands and He will break your pride. He will allow all manner of trouble to come until your pride is broken and you repent. He will go so far that the surrounding nations will be astonished at the pain you experience. He speaks of having bread from the work of 10 women and still not being satisfied. I have to say I see this in the obesity epidemic. In Somalia, the black hawk down incident had us running when no one was chasing us. How many outbreaks of E. Coli and Salmonella have swept across this nation in the past couple years, tainting our food, and striking fear in our hearts.
Commands: Follow God’s commands. Keep the Sabbath Holy(considering how often this is repeated throughout the bible you would think people could understand. It wasn’t that long ago that most businesses were closed on Sunday. Some still follow the Sabbath as Saturday. These people do still close their businesses and take the day off work. What happened to the rest of us? Do New Testament Christians think they are exempt from one of God’s most important and repeated laws?)
Timeless principles: God blesses those who obey Him and turns His back on those who, unrepentantly disobey Him.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: OK, this should be obvious. Keep the Sabbath Holy. Go to church. At the very least your should take this as a day of worship. This isn’t a day of work either.
Remember that the Israelites were farmers. Even on the Sabbath, the cows need milked and you need to make sure the sheep don’t do anything stupid. Maintenance is expected. God maintained His creation on the 7th day. Beyond those basics, though, this is a day of rest and should be treated as such.
more to learn for in-depth study: The Sabbath is exceedingly important. Not only the 7th day of the week but the 7th year and the Jubilee. You can see in this passage that the land would lay desolate and make up for it’s Sabbaths when the people were removed for their sins. You see this enacted later in the captivities suffered by Israel. Each period of time in which the people ignored the law is followed by a period of captivity during which the Sabbaths were made up for as the land rested with the Israelites in captivity elsewhere.
tomorrow we begin the book of Numbers and cover chapters 1-3
Promises: Follow God’s commands and you will have prosperity, victory against overwhelming odds, peace, health and long life. Ignore God’s commands and He will break your pride. He will allow all manner of trouble to come until your pride is broken and you repent. He will go so far that the surrounding nations will be astonished at the pain you experience. He speaks of having bread from the work of 10 women and still not being satisfied. I have to say I see this in the obesity epidemic. In Somalia, the black hawk down incident had us running when no one was chasing us. How many outbreaks of E. Coli and Salmonella have swept across this nation in the past couple years, tainting our food, and striking fear in our hearts.
Commands: Follow God’s commands. Keep the Sabbath Holy(considering how often this is repeated throughout the bible you would think people could understand. It wasn’t that long ago that most businesses were closed on Sunday. Some still follow the Sabbath as Saturday. These people do still close their businesses and take the day off work. What happened to the rest of us? Do New Testament Christians think they are exempt from one of God’s most important and repeated laws?)
Timeless principles: God blesses those who obey Him and turns His back on those who, unrepentantly disobey Him.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: OK, this should be obvious. Keep the Sabbath Holy. Go to church. At the very least your should take this as a day of worship. This isn’t a day of work either.
Remember that the Israelites were farmers. Even on the Sabbath, the cows need milked and you need to make sure the sheep don’t do anything stupid. Maintenance is expected. God maintained His creation on the 7th day. Beyond those basics, though, this is a day of rest and should be treated as such.
more to learn for in-depth study: The Sabbath is exceedingly important. Not only the 7th day of the week but the 7th year and the Jubilee. You can see in this passage that the land would lay desolate and make up for it’s Sabbaths when the people were removed for their sins. You see this enacted later in the captivities suffered by Israel. Each period of time in which the people ignored the law is followed by a period of captivity during which the Sabbaths were made up for as the land rested with the Israelites in captivity elsewhere.
tomorrow we begin the book of Numbers and cover chapters 1-3
Monday, February 2, 2009
Leviticus chapter 13-14
A Little info from watching Day of Discovery. Leprosy is still a major problem today in some parts of the world. It is characterized by a lack of pain sensation. Many of the sores associated with lepers are simply damage and infections from wounds caused by not knowing your hurt. Hot pots don’t burn. Getting a cut doesn’t bother as much and the eyes are particularly damaged because the victims don’t know there is a problem until the damage is done. The idea that parts of the body fall off was debunked when it was realized that they were dealing with a rat problem. Victims can’t feel the bite and with no reaction to being bitten rats feel free to make a meal. The Missionaries profiled on the program made great strides in improvi8ng life for India's lepers with a key roll given to pet cats that protect them from rats.
God’s message to me: God is making it clear that He knows the problems we face and how to deal with them.
Promises: I can be forgiven and made clean. There is very little in the bible that could not be forgiven and resulted in the death penalty. several things that could result in a death sentence could be forgiven by victims or relatives of victims with atonement resulting in forgiveness.
The ceremonial cleansing for lepers looks a lot like the cleansing of priests and, we will later see a very similar description of cleansing those who take oaths of service to God. To me, this shows God can clean anyone and the cleansing process is the same for everyone. Contrary to the politically correct view there is only one way for God and other paths are no better than the profane fire offered by Aaron’s sons.
Commands: BE REASONABLE. There are those who would take the idea of God’s protection to extremes. The Lord gave the job of handling the lepers to the priests who held special protection from God. For everyone else He set rules in place regarding quarantine and sanitation to protect the “average Joe”.
For those called to help the sick and those with a heart to bring them comfort we trust God for our protection and take the reasonable precautions he has provided. I certainly had little fear of illness from treating patients when I was in the Ambulance Service. I knew God wouldn’t send me into a situation and not protect me. On the other hand, I didn’t hesitate to wear protective clothing, latex gloves and even masks and eye protection when appropriate. I knew, when I didn’t have these things available, I could count on God’s protection while treating patients but I also knew that I had protective gear for a reason.
Timeless principles: The first time I read this section the problem with mold in houses was just starting to make a lot of headlines. It struck me, that the bible was describing the exact same problem and the solution. We have built an extensive and expensive industry on containment and removal of this hazardous mold which we often take to extremes when it isn’t warranted. The bibles plan was perfectly reasonable. Wash and disinfect. If that doesn’t kill it cut it out and get rid of it. If it appears elsewhere the entire clothing article, piece of furniture or house or whatever should be gotten rid of.
It seems extreme but, it’s the same thing experts do today with the exception of the first steps. To often we skip the easy solutions and move to the extreme out of fear.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: This is a lesson that applies to all of life. Problems will arise in all things. Try the simple solutions first and give them time to work. If they fail you can move on to the more extreme measures but, there is no point in rushing to the extreme until you know it is necessary.
more to learn for in-depth study: Leprosy, today, is a specific diagnosis of a specific disease. Leprosy in the bible, based on the variety of symptoms mentioned, appears to refer to a number of contagious illnesses as well as to mold infestations in the case of clothing, materials and buildings with leprous plagues. God provided the priests with several basic diagnostic tests in addition to His direct connection with them in the temple to help the priests decide who might or might not be contagious. This also marks an early form of Quarantine which extended to having the lepers removed from the camp after diagnosis. They could still remain with their people but lived away from them and warned anyone coming near them by crying “Unclean” so that the spread of disease would be minimized.
The cleansing and sacrifices for lepers who had healed made perfect sense under the circumstances. God promised to protect his people from the common diseases of the land. Obedience to His command would result in health and vitality without concern for the major illnesses. As a result, leprosy and other major illnesses could be legitimately seen as a curse from God for something they had done. Indeed, Moses sister would be cursed with leprosy for a time after attacking Moses choice in wives later in the story.
Today, we rarely blame illness on a curse from God. I say rarely because some churches do claim that is the cause. Remember that the promise was made to the children of Israel when conquering a land filled with people doing things that were an abomination to God. They were going to see the results of God’s anger on these people and God promised not to curse them as he had cursed the people living in Canaan. Indeed, this fact could be seen to show some plagues are God’s reminder to people in rebellion against Him even in the modern era.
Tomorrows assignment: Leviticus chapter 15-17
God’s message to me: God is making it clear that He knows the problems we face and how to deal with them.
Promises: I can be forgiven and made clean. There is very little in the bible that could not be forgiven and resulted in the death penalty. several things that could result in a death sentence could be forgiven by victims or relatives of victims with atonement resulting in forgiveness.
The ceremonial cleansing for lepers looks a lot like the cleansing of priests and, we will later see a very similar description of cleansing those who take oaths of service to God. To me, this shows God can clean anyone and the cleansing process is the same for everyone. Contrary to the politically correct view there is only one way for God and other paths are no better than the profane fire offered by Aaron’s sons.
Commands: BE REASONABLE. There are those who would take the idea of God’s protection to extremes. The Lord gave the job of handling the lepers to the priests who held special protection from God. For everyone else He set rules in place regarding quarantine and sanitation to protect the “average Joe”.
For those called to help the sick and those with a heart to bring them comfort we trust God for our protection and take the reasonable precautions he has provided. I certainly had little fear of illness from treating patients when I was in the Ambulance Service. I knew God wouldn’t send me into a situation and not protect me. On the other hand, I didn’t hesitate to wear protective clothing, latex gloves and even masks and eye protection when appropriate. I knew, when I didn’t have these things available, I could count on God’s protection while treating patients but I also knew that I had protective gear for a reason.
Timeless principles: The first time I read this section the problem with mold in houses was just starting to make a lot of headlines. It struck me, that the bible was describing the exact same problem and the solution. We have built an extensive and expensive industry on containment and removal of this hazardous mold which we often take to extremes when it isn’t warranted. The bibles plan was perfectly reasonable. Wash and disinfect. If that doesn’t kill it cut it out and get rid of it. If it appears elsewhere the entire clothing article, piece of furniture or house or whatever should be gotten rid of.
It seems extreme but, it’s the same thing experts do today with the exception of the first steps. To often we skip the easy solutions and move to the extreme out of fear.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: This is a lesson that applies to all of life. Problems will arise in all things. Try the simple solutions first and give them time to work. If they fail you can move on to the more extreme measures but, there is no point in rushing to the extreme until you know it is necessary.
more to learn for in-depth study: Leprosy, today, is a specific diagnosis of a specific disease. Leprosy in the bible, based on the variety of symptoms mentioned, appears to refer to a number of contagious illnesses as well as to mold infestations in the case of clothing, materials and buildings with leprous plagues. God provided the priests with several basic diagnostic tests in addition to His direct connection with them in the temple to help the priests decide who might or might not be contagious. This also marks an early form of Quarantine which extended to having the lepers removed from the camp after diagnosis. They could still remain with their people but lived away from them and warned anyone coming near them by crying “Unclean” so that the spread of disease would be minimized.
The cleansing and sacrifices for lepers who had healed made perfect sense under the circumstances. God promised to protect his people from the common diseases of the land. Obedience to His command would result in health and vitality without concern for the major illnesses. As a result, leprosy and other major illnesses could be legitimately seen as a curse from God for something they had done. Indeed, Moses sister would be cursed with leprosy for a time after attacking Moses choice in wives later in the story.
Today, we rarely blame illness on a curse from God. I say rarely because some churches do claim that is the cause. Remember that the promise was made to the children of Israel when conquering a land filled with people doing things that were an abomination to God. They were going to see the results of God’s anger on these people and God promised not to curse them as he had cursed the people living in Canaan. Indeed, this fact could be seen to show some plagues are God’s reminder to people in rebellion against Him even in the modern era.
Tomorrows assignment: Leviticus chapter 15-17
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