How many of us want someone else to be the go-between us and God’s Word? Let him or her hear God’s voice? Let him or her receive God’s fire? Many are afraid of God. Not Moses. He was the Lord’s disciple. He was with God. He proclaimed the Lord’s Name and stood for Him. Thus, he got the fire.
The Lord said, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” “For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.” “I show mercy thousands to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” [2] I am glad that the Lord is jealous for me and for you. He loves us. In His Word, He reveals to us His great mercy.
“You shall not take the Name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His Name in vain.” [3] When someone loves another, the name of that person is highly treasured. We should love the Lord like that.
We should not support shows or movies that blaspheme God’s Name.
It is disturbing to me that most of the Hollywood’s famous studios were pioneered by people of Jewish descent, but they used these platforms to defile nations rather than call them into a relationship of reverent respect for the God of the Bible. Or the band KISS led by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of Jewish descent not influencing people to believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but instead trying to upstage God with their ungodly behavior. The devil must love to see descendants of Abraham behaving in such ways and influencing others to do the same. I must confess that I was one of their disciples until Jesus came into my life and delivered me from them. Glory to God!
“Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore, the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.” [4]
The Sabbath is time set aside to remember! Remember what? Remember God your Savior! Give Him glory! Remember what He said!
Walking through this world is like walking through a coal mine in white clothes. It is difficult not to be impacted by our surroundings. So, it is good to come before the Lord each week with others who love and follow Him, to worship Him, to meditate on His Word and to pray.
“These Words the Lord spoke to all your assembly, in the mountain from the midst of the fire… and He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.” [5] Here we have the recipe for life, namely, fire from God (His Spirit) and the written Word of God.
The Lord prays for us, “O, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever! [6]
The Lord is saying the same thing through Moses that He said through Jesus, namely, be My disciples. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” “These words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” [7] Let My Word be everywhere, but especially in your heart, and in the heart of your children.
The Lord gives us a vision of what He will do for us if we listen and obey Him, “I will give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant.” But He also warns us, “Beware, lest you forget the Lord...” [8]
“You shall not tempt the Lord your God.” [9]
How do we tempt God? We tempt Him by following some other god’s leading, namely ourselves, or the world’s. This kind of betrayal tempts God to break covenant with us since we have broken covenant with Him.
Bob Dylan wrote a song, saying, “You got serve somebody. It might be the devil or it might be the Lord, but you got to serve somebody.” This is true.
The Lord says to us, “You are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the Lord loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers…” [10]
When God calls us to Himself, it is a very special blessing. It is a marriage! We should be devoted to Him as He is devoted to us.
The Lord urges us not to fear those around us who do not believe in Him. “If you should say in your heart, these nations are greater than I; how can I dispossess them? You shall not be afraid of them, but you shall remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt… So shall the Lord your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid.” “The Lord your God, the great and awesome God, is among you. The Lord your God will drive out those nations before you little by little; you will be unable to destroy them at once, lest the beasts of the field become too numerous for you.” “No one shall be able to stand against you until you have destroyed them.” [11]
The Lord warns us not to take spoils that will defile us. “ You shall burn the carved images of their gods with fire; you shall not covet the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it for yourselves, lest you be snared by it; for it is an abomination to the Lord your God. Nor shall you bring an abomination into your house, lest you be doomed to destruction like it. You shall utterly detest it and utterly abhor it, for it is an accursed thing.” [12]
How did the Lord prepare their hearts for all these blessings? He took them through a season of humility much like Jesus did with His disciples. “He [the Lord] humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man, lives by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these 40 years. You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord your God chastens you.” [13]
The Lord Jesus leads His disciples through humble seasons, but we do not lack anything because His Word and His presence is so wonderful. It is great to walk with Jesus.
Since the first and great commandment of God is not to have any gods before Him, I have asked the Lord to expose idols to me that I might be aware of them and shun them.
I read in Psalm 41:9, “Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.” Jesus quoted this verse in John 13:18 in reference to Judas Iscariot.
Judas Iscariot was a type of Lucifer. Lucifer was with God in the beginning according to verses of Isaiah 14, Ezekiel 28, and Revelation 12, but then, betrayed God and led others to do the same. The greatest hurt Lucifer likes to do to God is to get people to betray God.
He tempted Jesus to worship him in Matthew 4. Jesus rebuked him.
The Old Testament prophets and Jesus suffered much from imposters who posed as religious leaders but were servants of Satan. We must be so careful and prayerful about these matters. One thing for sure. Pride comes before destruction.
Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Both Jesus and His apostles warned us against the deceitfulness of riches. [14]
We need to beware of religious leaders today who are not preaching the Gospel and not making disciples of Jesus. When Jesus was in the temple, “He taught the people” and “preached the Gospel.” “The chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him.” [15]
Jesus was like the prophets of old. He told the people the truth about God. Those who did not know God but were imposters opposed Him. Luke tells us that “They watched Him.” “Sent spies who pretended to be righteous that they might seize on His words in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor.” “They could not catch Him in His Words in the presence of the people.” [16] Dirty politics is nothing new to our generation!
Despite their spite, Jesus offered to the enemies of the Gospel the Gospel. He asked them, “How can they say that the Christ is the Son of David? Now David himself said in the Book of Psalms: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool. Therefore David calls Him ‘Lord;’ how is He then his Son?”[17] Jesus was in effect saying, “I am the Christ, the Son of David. I am the Lord.” He told them clearly that He was the Messiah.
Jesus Messiah leads His followers into an eternal kingdom which flows with better substances than milk and honey. It is loaded with better minerals than silver and gold. It is a kingdom without upheavals and political wrangling. It is the Kingdom of God. How blessed we are to know Jesus! I wish everyone knew Jesus!
[1] Deuteronomy 5:5
[2] Deuteronomy 5:7, 9-10
[3] Deuteronomy 5:11
[4] Deuteronomy 5:12, 15
[5] Deuteronomy 5:22
[6] Deuteronomy 5:29
[7] Deuteronomy 6:5-9
[8] Deuteronomy 6:10-12
[9] Deuteronomy 6:16
[10] Deuteronomy 7:6-8
[11] Deuteronomy 7:17-24
[12] Deuteronomy 7:25-26
[13] Deuteronomy 8:2-5
[14] Matthew 26:15; Mark 4:19; 1 Timothy 6:17-19
[15] Luke 20:1
[16] Luke 20:20, 26
[17] Luke 20:41-44
Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Both Jesus and His apostles warned us against the deceitfulness of riches. [14]
We need to beware of religious leaders today who are not preaching the Gospel and not making disciples of Jesus. When Jesus was in the temple, “He taught the people” and “preached the Gospel.” “The chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him.” [15]
Jesus was like the prophets of old. He told the people the truth about God. Those who did not know God but were imposters opposed Him. Luke tells us that “They watched Him.” “Sent spies who pretended to be righteous that they might seize on His words in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor.” “They could not catch Him in His Words in the presence of the people.” [16] Dirty politics is nothing new to our generation!
Despite their spite, Jesus offered to the enemies of the Gospel the Gospel. He asked them, “How can they say that the Christ is the Son of David? Now David himself said in the Book of Psalms: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool. Therefore David calls Him ‘Lord;’ how is He then his Son?”[17] Jesus was in effect saying, “I am the Christ, the Son of David. I am the Lord.” He told them clearly that He was the Messiah.
Jesus Messiah leads His followers into an eternal kingdom which flows with better substances than milk and honey. It is loaded with better minerals than silver and gold. It is a kingdom without upheavals and political wrangling. It is the Kingdom of God. How blessed we are to know Jesus! I wish everyone knew Jesus!
[1] Deuteronomy 5:5
[2] Deuteronomy 5:7, 9-10
[3] Deuteronomy 5:11
[4] Deuteronomy 5:12, 15
[5] Deuteronomy 5:22
[6] Deuteronomy 5:29
[7] Deuteronomy 6:5-9
[8] Deuteronomy 6:10-12
[9] Deuteronomy 6:16
[10] Deuteronomy 7:6-8
[11] Deuteronomy 7:17-24
[12] Deuteronomy 7:25-26
[13] Deuteronomy 8:2-5
[14] Matthew 26:15; Mark 4:19; 1 Timothy 6:17-19
[15] Luke 20:1
[16] Luke 20:20, 26
[17] Luke 20:41-44
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