April 2024 – Page 3 – Praying Pint

51.k. Wilderness – 15.q. “He shall read in it all the days of his life”

Deu 17:14-20 “When you come to the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, ‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,’ you may indeed set a king over you whom the LORD your God will choose. One from among your brothers you shall set as king over you. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the LORD has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again.’ And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold. “And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.

God looked forward – some 400 years forward – into Israel’s future, to the time when they would demand a king. God warned them to set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses, and that person had to be an Israelite and not a foreigner. It is interesting to consider whether or not God wanted an earthly king over Israel. 1 Samuel 8:6-9, the record of Israel’s demand for king, puts the request for a king in a negative light. One might ask if God really did want Israel to never have an earthly king, and if He wanted them to recognize Him alone as king. It is a debatable issue; but consider that Israel’s history without a king (the time of the book of Judges) was not a period of national glory. Perhaps we can say that God wanted Israel to have a king, but of His choosing, and at His timing. Saul is a perfect example of a king out of God’s will, chosen by the nation and at their timing; David is a perfect example of a king chosen by God and in His timing.

The future king of Israel must not put undue trust in military might.

The future king of Israel must not put undue emphasis on physical indulgence and personal status.

The future king of Israel must not put undue emphasis on personal wealth.

Each of these issues is a matter of balance. The king had to have some military power, but not too much; one wife and certain comforts, but not too much; some personal wealth, but not too much. Such balances are often the hardest to keep. Solomon was a notorious breaker of these commands. He had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots (1 Kings 4:26), and Solomon had horses imported from Egypt (1 Kings 10:28). He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart (1 Kings 11:3). He surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches (1 Kings 10:23). et, all along, we might see Solomon knowing the commands of Deuteronomy 17, yet deceiving himself by asking the self-justifying questions, “How much is ‘multiply’? I can handle this. I haven’t gone too far.” It might seem self-evident that 700 wives and 300 concubines is multiplying wives to yourself, but one should never underestimate the ability of the human heart to deceive itself in such situations.

Each of these three areas reflects the places where many modern Christian leaders fall: In regard to power, pleasure, or money. God’s commands for leaders have not changed; and neither has the need to be on guard against the self-deception in these things which felled Solomon.

It is striking to think of the king of Israel, laboring over parchment with a pen, making a personal copy of the law of Israel. This shows how greatly God wanted the word of God to be on the hearts of His rulers; God wanted every king to also be a scribe. The word of God was to be constant companion of the king of Israel, and something he read every day. All need the word of God; but the greater our responsibilities, the greater our need to depend on the truth of God’s word. Staying in the word of God was intended to build a reverence for God and a holy life in the king.

It is striking to consider that reading a book – the Great Book, the Bible – can keep a person from sin. We may not understand all the spiritual work behind the word of God, but staying in the word will keep one from sin. It has been well written in many Bibles: “This book will keep you from sin. Sin will keep you from this book.”

Staying in the word of God would keep the king properly humble and help him to not think of himself as above those he ruled over. (Guzik)

“The Scriptures, diligently read and studied, are a powerful and probable means to keep him humble, because they show him that, though a king, he is subject to a higher Monarch, to whom he must give an account… sufficient to abate the pride of the haughtiest person in the world, if he duly consider it.” (Poole)

In all cases, God’s choice, if we can but know it, should direct, determine, and overrule ours. Laws are given for the prince that should be elected. He must carefully avoid every thing that would turn him from God and religion. Riches, honours, and pleasures, are three great hinderances of godliness, (the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eye, and the pride of life,) especially to those in high stations; against these the king is here warned. The king must carefully study the law of God, and make that his rule; and having a copy of the Scriptures of his own writing, must read therein all the days of his life. It is not enough to have Bibles, but we must use them, use them daily, as long as we live. Christ’s scholars never learn above their Bibles, but will have constant occasion for them, till they come to that world where knowledge and love will be made perfect. The king’s writing and reading were as nothing, if he did not practise what he wrote and read. And those who fear God and keep his commandments, will fare the better for it even in this world.(Henry)

Pathway to Victory – Devotion

The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.

–1 Peter 3:12

“Why doesn’t God always answer our requests for help and guidance? The Bible says one reason for God’s silence may be unconfessed sin in our lives. Look at Isaiah 59:2: “Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.” That verse was not written to unbelievers; it was written to God’s people, the Israelites. God was saying, “Even though you belong to Me, your disobedience has formed a chasm between you and Me so that I cannot hear your prayers.” In Psalm 66:18, the psalmist said, “If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear.” Scripture is clear: sin in our lives is a barrier that keeps God from hearing or answering our prayers.

You might say, “Wait a minute, Pastor. I thought the moment I trusted in Christ as my Savior, God forgave all my sins, and the barrier between me and God was torn down.”

There’s a difference between God’s judicial forgiveness and His parental forgiveness. Judicial forgiveness happens the moment you realize you can’t save yourself from your sins and instead you trust in what Christ did for you on the cross. At that moment, you are forgiven of all your sins, past, present, and future. Your status with God also changes–you are no longer an enemy of God; you become a child of God. That is God’s judicial forgiveness.

Even though you’re a child of God, you still experience His parental disapproval for your mistakes. When your child disobeys you, do you disown them? No, but there’s going to be a rift in your relationship. And as long as that relationship is fractured, you’re probably not going to give them whatever they ask for. Only when they acknowledge their mistakes and improve their behavior will you be open to their requests. It’s the same way in our relationship with God. As Christians, we still sin. We no longer need God’s judicial forgiveness, but we do need His parental forgiveness in order to bridge that broken relationship. One reason for God’s silence may be to get our attention and remind us that we need His parental forgiveness.

Maybe right now there’s an area of your life in which you’re disobeying God. That sin may be responsible for God’s silence. You need His forgiveness.”

Repent and turn away from the sin you are harboring in your life

51.j. Wilderness – 15.p. “If any case arises requiring decision”

Deu 17:8-11 “If any case arises requiring decision between one kind of homicide and another, one kind of legal right and another, or one kind of assault and another, any case within your towns that is too difficult for you, then you shall arise and go up to the place that the LORD your God will choose. And you shall come to the Levitical priests and to the judge who is in office in those days, and you shall consult them, and they shall declare to you the decision. Then you shall do according to what they declare to you from that place that the LORD will choose. And you shall be careful to do according to all that they direct you. According to the instructions that they give you, and according to the decision which they pronounce to you, you shall do. You shall not turn aside from the verdict that they declare to you, either to the right hand or to the left.

God allowed for courts of appeal in Israel. These were higher courts where cases were taken beyond the local judges to the priests, the Levites – who were understood to be wiser judges because of their knowledge of God’s Word. The authority of the judges had to be respected, therefore contempt of court was a capital crime. God thought it essential that the courts and the judges be respected by the people of Israel. (Guzik)

Courts of judgment were to be set up in every city. Though their judgment had not the Divine authority of an oracle, it was the judgment of wise, prudent, experienced men, and had the advantage of a Divine promise. (Henry)

Note that cases that were hard to decide and complicated in how to rightly and justly minister judgments were to be moved up to a higher court of justice. If you take a look at our form of legal justice system we have a similar form, Judges, Appellate, and Supreme Court. The difference between ours and what we read here is that the Law and its application was based on God’s Word. Ours is not so much based on God’s Word but rather man’s ideas of right and wrong. We get it right sometimes and we get it wrong sometimes. For example; When emanate domain was being abused by states and cities it was finally brought before the Supreme Court to get clarity on its application. I think they got this right. When the Supreme Court declared abortion was a fundamental right of women and millions of pre-born babies were killed, I know they got it wrong. When pornography was deemed “expression of art” and people had a right to choose to look at it or not, I know they got it wrong. When the 10 commandments were deemed offensive and could not be in schools or Federal Buildings (like court rooms), I know they got it wrong. Such it is when God’s Word is removed from being the underlying foundation for judgment of right and wrong.

The worldly system of justice is void of God. Now there are godly men and women in seats of the courts across this country, but they do have to follow the rule of law based on previous judgments handed down by other courts or by the Supreme Court. Their hands are tied so to speak.

It is hard to know right from wrong when God’s Word and the Holy Spirit of God are denied time or space in our hearts and minds. Neglect of His Word leaves us to the whims of godless people who make convincing arguments for justice. Many Christian people are lost and they navigate life on baby food principles of God’s Word and have no relationship with the Holy Spirit of God. Churches spoon-feed them baby food to keep them comfortable and “Happy”. There is no conviction of personal sin or the sin of our country against God. There is no repentance, shame, or embarrassment. They are content wandering around lost and oblivious to God’s Word, things of God, and the leading of the Holy Spirit in their lives. They could no more take a righteous stand for God than a stone.

Far too many Christians are weak in knowledge of God’s Word, its application in their lives, and the need for both.

When were you cut to the heart and convicted of sin by reading God’s Word? When were your eyes opened to see the sins of this country against God? When did the Holy Spirit lead and direct your thoughts, words, and actions? It surely will not happen when you neglect God’s Word. It will not happen when you are content living like the world around you. It will not happen when you give no thought to God’s holiness and the sinfulness of sin. It will not happen if you intentionally choose to live permanently as a baby.

There has to be an intentional choice and desire to live wholly to God and for the honor and glory of Jesus Christ. You can say this all you want but neglecting God’s Word will never bring growth and understanding between things of God and things of this world. Do not let this world entice you to what it deems as important or worthwhile.

Let the Word of God richly indwell your heart, mind, and soul.

51.i. Wilderness – 15.o. “So you shall purge the evil from your midst.”

Deu 17:2 “If there is found among you, within any of your towns that the LORD your God is giving you, a man or woman who does what is evil in the sight of the LORD your God, in transgressing his covenant, and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun or the moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have forbidden, and it is told you and you hear of it, then you shall inquire diligently, and if it is true and certain that such an abomination has been done in Israel, then you shall bring out to your gates that man or woman who has done this evil thing, and you shall stone that man or woman to death with stones. On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one who is to die shall be put to death; a person shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness. The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

Judges are also commanded to make sure that any who have gone after idolatry are to be investigated, and if found to be guilty, are to be executed. There was never to be capital punishment unless there was evidence from at least two independent, unimpeachable sources. We may comfort ourselves that we would never judge someone guilty of murder so quickly, without proper evidence. Yet many will murder someone’s reputation in their own mind or in the minds of others with no witnesses, much less one. Remember 1 Timothy 5:19 does not say “except from two or three gossips”; it says except from two or three witnesses. If a matter is false, it does not become true because many people hear it or many people repeat it. Additionally, the witnesses had to be so certain of what they saw, that they were willing to initiate the actual execution. The execution was a community event, in the sense that it was supported by the community. The whole village would know the justice of what was being done. (Guzik)

No creature that had any blemish was to be offered in sacrifice to God. We are thus called to remember the perfect, pure, and spotless sacrifice of Christ, and reminded to serve God with the best of our abilities, time, and possession, or our pretended obedience will be hateful to him. So great a punishment as death, so remarkable a death as stoning, must be inflicted on the Jewish idolater. Let all who in our day set up idols in their hearts, remember how God punished this crime in Israel.(Henry)

If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the Lord thy God giveth thee,…. In any of their cities in the land of Canaan: man or woman that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the Lord thy God: as all that is wrought is in the sight of the omniscient God; here it means not any kind of wickedness, for there is none lives without committing sin of one sort or another, all which is known to God the searcher of hearts. (Gill)

Sometimes I wonder if we fully understand the gravity of sin. Do we understand that just because someone does not see us sin does not mean that God has not seen it? He is aware not only of the sin but the thoughts and intentions of why you are doing it. We may easily discount our sin and sinfulness but every last word spoken, every thought we have allowed time in our minds, and every action we have taken will be judged by God – For all will come before the Judgment Seat of Jesus Christ.

How much sin do we tolerate because we either give it no thought or it is unknown by others? How much sin is in our pathetic lives because we choose to neglect God’s Word and thereby are never growing or finding the need to repent? How much sin is in our lives because we intentionally choose to deafen our ears to the Holy Spirit’s conviction? How many days go by without the thought of the sinfulness of sin and the Holiness of God? We are not without blemish but are we offering the absolute best of ourselves? Are we giving our whole self as a sacrifice to God for the purpose of honoring and glorifying Jesus Christ? Do we worship something else in our lives over God?

If worshiping God for you is on Sundays at Church, there is a high probability that you are worshiping something else the rest of the time. If you are neglectful and complacent with the word of God and things of God, there is a high probability you are worshiping something else above God. If you are deaf to the Holy Spirit’s leading throughout the day the is a high probability you are worshiping something else. If you are critical of what others are doing but fail to see your judgmental spirit there is a high probability you are….. certainly not worshiping God.

Oh that we would seek to purge the evil from our own hearts as much as we seek to purge it from others.

Enduring Word – Devotion

And that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. (1 Corinthians 15:5-8)

No one saw the actual resurrection of Jesus. No one was present in the tomb with Him when His body transformed into a resurrection body. If someone were there, perhaps in a brilliant flash of light, they would have seen the dead body of Jesus transformed. We know that Jesus could miraculously appear in a room with all the doors locked and the windows shut (John 20:19, 26). Yet the resurrected Jesus was not a phantom; He had a real flesh and bone body.

Though no one saw the actual resurrection of Jesus, many people did see the resurrected Jesus. Paul presented these witnesses to the resurrection, to establish beyond all controversy that Jesus was raised in a resurrection body.

The first witness presented was Cephas. Jesus made a special resurrection appearance to Peter (Cephas) in Luke 24:34. We can assume that Jesus spoke to some special need for comfort and restoration in Peter.

Paul presents the twelve as witnesses. This probably refers to the first meeting Jesus had with His assembled disciples, mentioned in Mark 16:14, Luke 24:36-43, and John 20:19-25. This was the meeting where Jesus appeared in the room with the doors and windows shut and breathed on the disciples, giving them the Holy Spirit.

The meeting of Jesus with over five hundred brethren at once is suggested by Matthew 28:10, 16-17. Paul is saying, “Go ask these people who saw the resurrected Jesus. These are not a handful of self-deluded souls; there are literally hundreds who saw the resurrected Jesus with their own eyes.”

The James mentioned here would be James, the brother of Jesus, who was a prominent leader in the early church (Acts 15:13-21). In the gospels, Jesus’ brothers were hostile to Him and His mission (John 7:3-5). But after His resurrection, Jesus’ brothers were among the followers of Jesus (Acts 1:14).

All the apostles refers to a few different meetings, such as in John 20:26-31, 21:1-25, Matthew 28:16-20, and Luke 24:44-49. Jesus ate with them, comforted them, commanded them to preach the gospel, and told them to wait in Jerusalem for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Finally, Paul could add his testimony (last of all He was seen by me), and his encounter with the resurrected Savior was after Jesus ascended to heaven.

The changed character of the apostles and their willingness to die for the testimony of the resurrection, decisively eliminate fraud as an explanation of the empty tomb.

Understand and appreciate all these but add a final piece of evidence – your own experience of the resurrected Jesus.

51.h. Wilderness – 15.n. “And they shall judge the people with righteous judgment”

Deu 16:18-20 “You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the LORD your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous. Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

The perversion of “Justice” is wrong and is to be righteous – (good, upright, worthy, ethical, moral, just, honest, faultless, uncorrupted, pure, God-fearing, justified, sound, valid, reasonable, and innocent).

2 Timothy 3:1-5 But know this: Hard times will come in the last days. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, demeaning, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people.

When our sports, social media influencers, and TV star’s opinions are counted as worthy of listening too, when our governing (federal, state, and local) politicians are ungodly, unholy, and give no thought to God, when our social and media news outlets spew hate, anger, fear, and division, when our courts are administered by corrupt men and women, when our teachers and professors disavow any reference and fear of God, when our churches preach and teach soft baby food messages that do not grow and mature it’s congregations but rather make people feel comfortable, when the Word of God is neglected, when a persons devotion amounts to nothing more than listening to “Christian” music, when there is nothing to drive a person to repentance, when there is more time spent watching TV or social media stuff, and when Christians are silent, it is no wonder justice is perverted, good is called bad, wrong is called right, and people are lovers of self, unholy, unloving, boastful, proud, demeaning, without self control, etc…. Know that “last days” are here.

People are led astray and deceived so easily. There is little to no thought in their minds about serving, obeying, and growing in wisdom and knowledge of God and things of God. They have become unable to see the wickedness and injustice rampant around them. They are blinded by the way things are and have neglected God’s Word to the point of being unable to know and see the signs of the times. They are sheep being led astray by wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Sodom and Gomorrah were prosperous, living at ease, and gave no thought to or about God. They were corrupt in every way. They followed after the deep sinful desires of their hearts and minds. Jesus said it would have been more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah than the city(s) that reject the message of the Kingdom of Heaven at hand.

How much more do we need to see to know the state of our country, states, and cities? How much further away from God can we get unless God causes a revival and turns hearts toward Him?

Justice is perverted when the Word of God is rejected or neglected. There is no guide for decisions to be rendered other than by the thoughts and whims of those making the decisions and judgments. Right is right and wrong is wrong when there are Holy Spirit-filled people, who love God, love God’s Word, and seek to honor and glorify Jesus Christ. Many times we want justice but we base the outcome we want on selfish and self-righteous thoughts.

Here are three shocking statistics to think about for a moment:

Fewer than 1 in 5 Americans (18%) are Scripture Engaged.
Only 2 out of 5 Americans (39%) are considered “Bible Users,” meaning they use their Bible 3 or more times a year.
Of the 42 million Americans who attend a Bible-believing church, only 21% see the Bible as relevant to all of life.

Know this: God is withholding His wrath and anger against ungodliness. He is doing this because of His grace, mercy, and love and not wanting any to perish and suffer eternal damnation. We can not keep blinders on and deafen our ears to the injustices and wrongs that are rampant around us. We can not be silently standing by. We need to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ and call out sin as sin against God.

Oh that our hearts and minds would find it worthwhile to dive deep into God’s Word rather than allowing them to be consumed by worldly influences.