Bible Food Deuteronomy 8 through 23

Good morning,

We begin reading in Deuteronomy 8 where Moses is telling the people that God made them wander through the wilderness for 40 years and made them struggle to prove them and see if they will keep His commandments or not.  

God could have taken them directly into the land; but it's like you want to see if someone is really on your side so you drag them around for a while to see if they complain or if they leave you.  Sure enough; they complained.  But God took care of them the entire time in the wilderness.

God showed them that man does not live by bread only but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.  Moses warns also for the children of Israel not get rich and forget their God.  We should definitely remember and do that today as well; because so many people get wealthy and believe it was of their own strength.  

If Israel turned to other gods; God will surely make them perish and proof is in the pudding of other scriptures in which they perished from their land.

In chapter 9 God tells Israel how He is not giving them this good land because they are righteous; but because of the wickedness of the people in the land, plus acovenant He made with Abraham.  This is so because Israel is a stiff neck and rebellious people and the Lord is telling them to go get the land; but not because they are good but because the people (in the land) are bad.  

Moses let's them know he interceded very well for the children of Israel because the Lord was ready to destroy all of them, even Aaron but Moses interceded as the high priest and that is what Jesus is doing for us today to the Father.

In chapter 10 Moses continues giving recap and preparation for them to take the land and let's them know that all God requires of them is to fear the Lord, walk in His ways, and LOVE HIM, serve Him with all your mind and body (that is the soul).  Also to keep the commandments of the LORD, it is for our good.

We also read about the circumcision; and surprising it is not the circumcision of the flesh; but of the mind.  So we should circumcise our mind and not be rebellious and stiff necked anymore.  

Circumcising your mind started here in the wilderness and not with Paul.  You would have to be convinced of something in your mind first before you proceed to do it in your flesh.

In chapter 11 we see that the Lord has His eyes on that land (Jerusalem) always and if we keep His commandments He will do us well and not evil.  We are to teach them (the commandments) to our children and the Lord will be with you and no one will be able to stand before you.  
Imagine a world that taught their children not to steal, kill, commit adultery, lie, be envious, jealous, and covet, and to honor their parents and respect their elders and everyone did it.  That would be near a utopia in itself.
Moses put before the children of Israel, blessing and curses and we'll get into details of that soon.
Moses gives reminders in chapter 12 of the burnt offerings, the taking care of the Levite, the destroying of the temples of the people of the land they are coming in to destroy and not add to the word nor diminish just do everything as is.
Deuteronomy 13 tells us not to trust anyone, a prophet who has a dream or says the "holy ghost" spoke to him, the Lord says let that prophets dream be backed up by the Word of God.  The Lord may do this to weigh your mind and see where you're at.  Don't follow anyone who tells you to go serve other gods.  And the person who tried to persuade you, that person shall be killed.
Chapter 14 tells us of the dietary law, reminding us what foods we can eat and what we cannot eat.  In chapter 15 reminds of the statue of the year of Jubilee and to help the poor that we have ability to help.  
The passover and feast of the Lord are shown in Deuteronomy 16.  Three times a year are all males required to come up to Jerusalem and deal before the Lord, in the feast of Unleavened bread, the feast of weeks, and the feast of Tabernacles.
If Israel decides later to be like other nations around them and set a king over them the king shall serve the Lord and order the people to do so; he must not hoard all the money, collect too many wives, and cattle to himself, and he must be of one of the tribes of Israel and not a stranger.
The Lord lets us know about Jesus in chapter 18; in that He will raise up a prophet from among their brothers and that prophet will be like Moses and whoever does not listen to this prophet, the Lord will require it of that person.  This is why the Lord did it this way and not showing up in His strength:
¹⁶According to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.
 ¹⁷And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken.
Deut 20; tells of statues of men going to war.  If a man has a house or wife that is not dedicated; let him dedicate his place and lay with his wife before another man does so while he is at war.  And when Israel subdued a nation a nation in war; they should kill the men; but keep the women who have not known man, and the children alive.
Chapter 21 gives judgements on different things like inheritance in having two wives, a rebellious son; but the most interesting thing is why the Jews hurried to take Jesus off the cross; it is because the land would be defiled if He remained on the cross.
²²And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree:
 ²³His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.
In Deuteronomy 22, it talks about the marriage statue.  Adultery is utterly prohibited and is an abomination unto the Lord.
This chapter ends with God telling us to love our brother as we love ourselves, even our brothers from other nations and shows us God Himself was living on the earth with Israel because He tells them when they have a bowel movement they should take their shovel and cover it with dirt so that the Lord doesn't step in it nor see it while He is with you.  Isn't that something.
 ¹²Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad:
 ¹³And thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon; and it shall be, when thou wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee:
 ¹⁴For the LORD thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee. 
With that have a fantastic day and tomorrow we'll read through Deuteronomy 24 through 34.  Peace in Jesus name.
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Thanks

Bible Food Day 13

Good morning to the is the 7th day of the week and I bid you a happy Sabbath.

Here we get the journeys of the children of Israel when they came out of Egypt the day after the passover (Numbers 33).  They removed and pitch in a lot of places, particularly because of their evil report that they couldn't defeat the people in the land.  Aaron died in the 40th year they were removed from Egypt, dying at 123 years of age.

The Lord told Moses to tell the people to destroy the people and everything they own as far as pictures, idols, etc, and divide the land.  But if they don't destroy the people, they will be thorns in their sides and the Lord will do to them as He thought to do to the people of Canaan.  I guess if you keep things around you must have liked it a bit; eventually you will take ownership of it.  God knows His creation well.

Numbers 34 starts with Moses giving commandments of the borders of the land they are taking at the command of the Lord.  Also the people should not forget to give the children of Levi cities and suburbs to deal with a total of 48 cities for the Levities.  The Lord even set up a jail system; appointing cities of refuge if a man slays or kills someone on accident can go there to live because the family will attempt to kill that person.  They had to stay there until the death of the current high priest.

In chapter 36 Moses answered the questions the people had regarding the daughters who wanted their inheritance since their father had no sons.  Their tribe men were concerned that if the women went and married another tribe that the tribe's groom will seize their inheritance.  So Moses commanded from the Lord that in this case the daughters should marry within the tribe so that it stays in the tribe of their father for ever.

We move into Deuteronomy now.

Moses addresses the people and gives recaps of what he has been teaching from the Lord since they left Egypt.  It is the 40th year since they left Egypt; and Moses is telling of the downfall that caused them to wander in the wilderness for 40 years.  Because of murmuring they were not able to go directly into the land; but wandered in the wilderness a year for every day they murmured.

As they went through Mt. Seir; the Lord let Israel know He has not given them the land belonging to Esau; but to simply pass through and pay for everything you receive from them.  The same instructions for the children of Moab, not to take their land, because the Lord gives every people their own land and inheritance and it is theirs. No one should take it.

The children of Israel, at the Lord's command, destroyed a lot of people, Bashan, Amorites, killing the men, women, and children.  In Deuteronomy chapter 3 Moses asked one more time if he can go into the land but the Lord denied him and commanded he ask not again concerning that matter.  That's like a kid who keeps bugging a parent about going to an amusement park and the parent says "no, and don't ask again."

In chapter 4 we hear that the Lord commands not to add to His words, nor subtract from His Words, but to keep it as is.  The Lord also commands the children of Israel keep the laws, commandments, and statues of the Lord because this is their wisdom in the eyes of the Lord.  So if the children of Israel do not keep the laws of the Lord; they have no wisdom in the eyes of the other nations.  Moses gives the recount of when the Lord visited the entire nation on Mt. Sinai in which the people feared greatly.

Moses keeps reminding the people that the Lord was angry with him for the people's sake; and Moses tells to keep the commandments because the Lord is a consuming fire and full of jealousy.  Moses prophesies that when the children corrupt themselves by not to keeping the commandments; the Lord will scatter them into all nations where they will serve other gods; but if you seek God, even during the tribulation in the latter days.  Yes, Moses knew about the scattering of Israel and the great tribulation and the return of Israel.

The Lord God gave a lot of vision and understanding to Moses; this was truly a great prophet.   ⁴⁰Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, for ever.

Prolong your days on the earth, which the Lord God gives you forever... no heaven!?  Moses even knew the kingdom of God will be on the earth.

Deuteronomy chapter 5 is about the covenant God made with the people.  This is an agreement; and God did not make this covenant with their fathers; but with the sons of Jacob.  The covenant is the Royal Law, the Ten Commandments we already read and outlined in Exodus 20.

We also see why God does not appear in fire to people today or do any appearing; it is because Israel asked God to talk to them through a mediator and not directly because they feared they would die.  Also because we are filthy with sins.

Chapter 6 tells that the Lord our God is One; that means even today we are not to serve Him in 2 different ways; and the children of Israel are to teach about the Lord to their children and to the strangers and love your brother as you love yourself and also ⁵And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.  You are to teach your children all of this that the Lord has done so they know why you serve the Lord.

Chapter 7 tells of the instructions of destroying the 7 nations of the Canaanites.  To destroy them utterly, and not to take their children as wives, because they will corrupt you.  A weak person will succumb to a wife or husband ways.  Moses reminds the people that God did not choose Israel because they were some great people; but rather to keep the covenant God made with Abraham.  If Israel keeps the covenant with God; He will keep the covenant with them.

This chapter ends with the Lord warning the people to keep His commandments and to not be as the people of the land; and the children of Israel shall live well if they do all that the Lord commanded Moses to do.  That ends day thirteen; see you tomorrow as we go further in Deuteronomy.   Praise God.

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Thanks