Things that stood out for me:
9 “When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations.
Think about the blessings that God has given to us. It may not be land as it was in their case but think about our environment: our schools, our workplaces, our community centres/sports arenas, our grocery stores, and every other place we "live" out our lives. In these places, there are "abominable practices" that happen. There's un acceptable language, shady/dishonest business practices, questionable behaviour, and more. While we "live" in these places, our actions should not reflect what surrounds us but rather what God desires for us.
4 “This is the provision for the man slayer, who by fleeing there may save his life. If anyone kills his neighbour unintentionally without having hated him in the past—5 as when someone goes into the forest with his neighbour to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down a tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbour so that he dies—he may flee to one of these cities and live,
There are consequences to our actions whether an action was intentional or not. However God commands a way out of repaying an accident with intentional harm. I couldn't help but think of the horrible accident that resulted in the Humbolt bus incident last year. Just like the illustration from Deuteronomy about the accidental slip of the axe head, I believe the bus driver did not intentionally mean to kill all of those people when his truck collided with their hockey bus but he did, in fact, end their lives. There are still consequences to an accident, in this case felling from all the person knows to the unknown (and living with others who are escaping their own fate) but they still can live and try and reconcile.
7 but you shall devote them to complete destruction,[j] the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, as the Lord your God has commanded, 18 that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices that they have done for their gods, and so you sin against the Lord your God.
We need to devote ourselves to "complete destruction" of those things that lead us to "abominable practices" in our lives. Too bad we don't always submit to that...just like they didn't.
3 And all were astonished at the majesty of God.
Can you imagine the first hand accounts of actually walking and learning from Jesus? Witnessing the transfiguration, seeing demons being cast out, constantly being in awe by the things said and done. It's hard to imagine.
3 For I was envious of the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
Sometimes we are reluctant to let go of those "abominable practices" because we see others getting away with it or something way worse (in our eyes). What we fail to realize that our time here on earth is so incredibly short compared to eternity. Prosperity on earth is short-lived.
10 10 Good people are good to their animals;
the “good-hearted” bad people kick and abuse them. (MSG)
You can tell so much about people who show kindness and love to people and animals that are beneath them. Watch any crime show and you will learn that many serial killers started by abusing animals. It's a good warning to see how people treat their animals and to think that's likely how they will treat you as well.
Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Deuteronomy 21:1-22:30, Luke 9:51-10:12, Psalm 74:1-23, Proverbs 12:11
1 comment:
The Osalm passage was a good reminder that the sinful gain of the wicked is short term, but reward for the believer lasts for eternity.
Post a Comment