Burunche’s Blog

Deuteronomy 15:7 – 11 “If there is a poor man among your brothers within any of the gates in the land that the LORD your God is giving you, you are not to harden your heart or shut your hand from your poor brother. Instead, you are to open your hand to him and freely loan him whatever he needs.

Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought in your heart: “The seventh year, the year of release, is near,” so that you look upon your poor brother begrudgingly and give him nothing. He will cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.

Give generously to him, and do not let your heart be grieved when you do so. And because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything to which you put your hand. For there will never cease to be poor in the land; that is why I am commanding you to open wide your hand to your brother and to the poor and needy in your land.”

Yesterday we raised the question of the seventh year release. These verses seem to suggest that debts will be forgiven during the seventh year. God knows the human heart and He is fully aware that there will be men who might try to avoid lending because they know that they will gain very little profit from the loan. That is why God is ordering the Israelites to open their hands and FREELY loan their poor brothers whatever they need.

God hears the cries of the poor! When someone has resources and refuses to share them, the poor may complain to God, and God takes notice. God will bless open- handedness; however, God cannot bless a miser!

APPLICATION: The matter of giving generously or of lending generously is a fundamental principle of the Kingdom of God. God has given us the earth and everything that is in it. When we calculate and try to share as little as possible with those around us, we are telling God that we don’t trust Him and that we insist on being our own sources of supply. But this is ridiculous! God controls the weather and crops. God controls the affairs of men. None of us has the slightest control over how long we live or the resources that we will have. When we refuse to share, God can cause those resources to evaporate.

Once more we need to look closely at Luke 6:38. “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over [with no space left for more]. For with the standard of measurement you use [when you do good to others], it will be measured to you in return.”

Proverbs 19:17 tells us that “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.” The Quaker William Penn said, “He who gives to the poor lends to the Lord. But it might be said, not improperly, that the Lord lends to us to give to the poor.”

Giving and receiving/Sowing and reaping. We are blessed to be a blessing to others. The Jordan River runs into and out of the Sea of Galilee, and the water remains fresh. But when the Jordan River reaches the Dead Sea, the water is full of chemicals and is undrinkable. We have a choice: allow God’s blessings to flow through us or try to keep them for ourselves. Only one way will please God. Choose wisely.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Help us to give freely so that You may bless others through us. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Deuteronomy 15:1 – 6 “At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. This is the manner of remission: Every creditor shall cancel what he has loaned to his neighbor. He is not to collect anything from his neighbor or brother, because the LORD’s time of release has been proclaimed. You may collect something from a foreigner, but you must forgive whatever your brother owes you.

There will be no poor among you, however, because the LORD will surely bless you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance, if only you obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commandments I am giving you today. When the LORD your God blesses you as He has promised, you will lend to many nations but borrow from none; you will rule over many nations but be ruled by none.”

As soon as someone invented money, money lending came into existence. Historians believe that Hammurabi, the ruler of Babylon during the 18th century B.C.E., actually invented one of the first lending systems. (https://www.koho.ca/learn/history-of-lending/) During the famine that drove Jacob and his sons to Egypt, Joseph gave grain to the Egyptians in exchange for their land. Certainly, by the time the Israelites left Egypt, they were practicing money lending, and there were probably some wealthy money lenders in the group that Moses was leading. But now God was ordering the Israelites to forgive debts owed by other Israelites every seven years. This meant that for six years they could extract interest, but in the seventh year, those debts had to be forgiven. Notice that the rules were different for foreigners; there was no cancellation of debts for foreigners.

Bible scholars continue to argue as to whether this was a total cancellation of debt or merely a forgiveness of the interest on a debt during the seventh year. Why did God order the Israelites to forgive debts to one another every seven years? God ordered that there be a total suspension of agricultural labor every seven years, making it difficult for someone to make payments on a loan that year. The principle was one of trusting God; the Israelites were to trust that if they treated their fellow tribesmen compassionately, God would bless them and make up for any losses incurred during that seventh year.

Here God was making incredible promises. If the Israelites would just obey God and follow all His commandments, they would become bankers to the world, lending to others but not borrowing from anyone. Holding the purse strings, the Israelites would actually rule over those debtor nations.

APPLICATION: The amazing thing about God’s promises is that they continue to work. For centuries, Jewish bankers have helped influence the course of history in various European nations as well as in America. Even in Israel today, the banking industry is a vibrant industry.

What do these verses mean for those of us who are not Jewish? We need to be careful about lending to others and then about the fashion in which we demand repayment. We also need to remember the times when others have had to help us. In Matthew 18:23 Jesus told a story of a man who owed a ruler 10,000 talents. Since one talent would represent 20 years of daily wages, this amount would equal 20 years x 10,000, or 200,000 years’ wages for a workman. When the ruler forgave this mind – boggling debt, that man then went out and threw another man in prison over a debt of 100 days’ wages. Jesus was making the point that when we confess our sins to God, God will graciously forgive us. But if we do not forgive our brothers and sisters when they offend us, we are as wicked as the man who was forgiven the enormous debt, only to hold his debtor liable for a far smaller amount.

When we are compassionate to others, God can be compassionate to us. There may be times when we must literally forgive a monetary debt someone else owes us. But if we refuse to forgive others when they offend us or if we are not willing to be generous when necessary, we are putting ourselves in a dangerous position. Jesus told his disciples that the measure they gave out would be the measure they received. Luke 6:38 tells us, “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over [with no space left for more]. For with the standard of measurement you use [when you do good to others], it will be measured to you in return.”

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to be compassionate to those around us, realizing that You have already given us so much. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Deuteronomy 14:22 – 29 “You must be sure to set aside a tenth of all the produce brought forth each year from your fields. And you are to eat a tenth of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks, in the presence of the LORD your God at the place He will choose as a dwelling for His Name, so that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always.

But if the distance is too great for you to carry that with which the LORD your God has blessed you, because the place where the LORD your God will choose to put His Name is too far away, then exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place the LORD your God will choose. Then you may spend the money on anything you desire: cattle, sheep, wine, strong drink, or anything you wish. You are to feast there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice with your household. And do not neglect the Levite within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.

At the end of every three years, bring a tenth of all your produce for that year and lay it up within your gates. Then the Levite (because he has no portion or inheritance among you), the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow within your gates may come and eat and be satisfied. And the LORD your God will bless you in all the work of your hands.”

There are two different forms of tithe mentioned here. The first tithe is the ten per cent of all produce that is to be set aside and then taken to the central place of worship and eaten “in the presence of the Lord.” God even allows for those living at a great distance to sell that ten per cent, converting it to money, and then carrying the money to the place of worship where they may buy provisions for the feasts.

God actually is commanding His people to feast and celebrate! And in other parts of Scripture, God lays out the pattern of feasts that are to be celebrated. But God wants to make sure that the Levites who are serving Him in the temple are not left out and forgotten. Remember that the Levites do not have a large inheritance of land because of their special calling to serve the Lord in the temple.

The second tithe is to be offered every three years. Ten per cent of that year’s produce is to be kept for the Levites, the foreigners, the orphans, and the widows, so that nobody will starve. God promises His people that if they will be faithful to obey, He will bless them abundantly.

APPLICATION: “Don’t let any resource stick to your fingers!” If we have one piece of advice on practical holiness, that statement would certainly qualify. There is always a tendency to become anxious and afraid. What if our sources of supply fail? What if we lose our jobs? What if we fall sick and cannot work? What if we are injured? The list of horrible possibilities is endless.

Either you’re going to trust God or you won’t trust Him. When my husband Bob was a brand new Christian, he was struggling with paying his bills. Car payments, things for children, rent – all these bills were mounting up. Finally, one Sunday Bob heard a sermon on tithing, giving ten per cent of his income to God. Bob shrugged his shoulders; what could it hurt? From that day forward, things began to happen. Even though Bob’s salary didn’t get any bigger, his money went further and covered his needs.

$2.37! That’s what I had left in my checking account the night God asked me to empty it. I was a single surgical resident when God called me to become a pediatric surgeon. Traveling to all those interviews consumed a great deal of money. That Wednesday night I was in church when I felt God asking me to write a check that would drain my bank account completely. While I deliberated, God asked me,”How much good will $2.37 do?” Chuckling to myself, I wrote out a check and dropped it in the collection plate. I lived across the street from the hospital where I worked, and I got many of my meals from the hospital while I was on call. But I was unprepared for what God did next.

Suddenly, neighbors began leaving vegetables on my doorstep. Two different couples invited me to share meals with them. And someone else donated food left over from a potluck. For the rest of that month, God took care of all my needs without a single penny entering my checking account. After that, I never lacked again. I had learned a valuable lesson: when God asks you to give, do it!

During our years as missionaries, we have had large sums of money that have passed through our hands to others. We can testify that as long as we are faithful to keep passing that money on, God will keep providing for us and helping us bless more people.

Why not try tithing? Give God ten per cent of your income and see what He can do with it. You will be blessed beyond all measure.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Help us to trust You, knowing that You will give back far more than we ever gave in the first place. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Deuteronomy 14:1 – 21 “You are sons of the LORD your God; do not cut yourselves or shave your forehead on behalf of the dead, for you are a holy people belonging to the LORD your God. The LORD has chosen you to be His prized possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth.

You must not eat any detestable thing. These are the animals that you may eat: The ox, the sheep, the goat, the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep.

You may eat any animal that has a split hoof divided in two and that chews the cud. But of those that chew the cud or have a completely divided hoof, you are not to eat the following: the camel, the rabbit, or the rock badger. Although they chew the cud, they do not have a divided hoof. They are unclean for you, as well as the pig; though it has a divided hoof, it does not chew the cud. It is unclean for you. You must not eat its meat or touch its carcass.

Of all the creatures that live in the water, you may eat anything with fins and scales, but you may not eat anything that does not have fins and scales; it is unclean for you.

You may eat any clean bird, but these you may not eat: the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture, the red kite, the falcon, any kind of kite, any kind of raven, the ostrich, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, the little owl, the great owl, the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, the cormorant, the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, or the bat.

All flying insects that swarm are unclean for you; they may not be eaten. But you may eat any clean bird. You are not to eat any carcass; you may give it to the foreigner residing within your gates, and he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. For you are a holy people belonging to the LORD your God. You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”

“You are sons of the LORD your God; do not cut yourselves or shave your forehead on behalf of the dead, for you are a holy people belonging to the LORD your God. The LORD has chosen you to be His prized possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth.” In ancient times, it was common for mourners to deface themselves, cutting themselves or shaving their hair as a form of identifying with the dead. But God wanted the Israelites to be a nation of priests focusing on life and not on death. The Israelites had already left the Egyptian culture with its elaborate emphasis on death; God wanted to make sure that His people realized that they were making a complete break with such practices.

Why all the dietary laws? The distinction between clean and unclean animals did not begin with Moses. Even Noah recognized distinctions between clean and unclean animals. (Genesis 7:1 – 3 “Then the LORD said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. You are to take with you seven pair of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate; a pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate; and seven pairs of every kind of bird of the air, male and female, to preserve their offspring on the face of all the earth.”)

There are many reasons given for these lists. Many of the unclean animals and birds are scavengers whose flesh might be contaminated and deadly. Some of the rodents such as rabbits can carry diseases. The same thing can be said for the seafood that is prohibited. It’s ironic that the Israelites were allowed to sell carcasses to foreigners while they themselves were not to eat those same carcasses. God wanted His people to be holy in every aspect of their lives, including the things that they ate.

“You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.” Mother’s milk is life – giving. To boil a young goat in its mother’s milk would pervert the original purpose of that milk. Notice that God was not forbidding the Israelites from eating young goats but merely forbidding the use of a mother’s milk in the preparation.

APPLICATION: What do these laws have to do with those of us who are not Jews? It is a sad mistake to brush over these lists just because we feel they are long and tedious. One important lesson is that God wants to be involved in every aspect of our lives. 1 Corinthians 10:25 – 31 “Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.”

If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat anything set before you without raising questions of conscience. But if someone tells you, “This food was offered to idols,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience—the other one’s conscience, I mean, not your own. For why should my freedom be determined by someone else’s conscience? If I partake in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks? So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God. ”

God wants His people to be holy, and He is very practical about that desire. At the same time, God also wants His people to be mindful of those around them, so that they will not bring confusion or appear to be participating in pagan rituals. Traditionally, eating meat dedicated to an idol implied that those eating were gaining strength from that idol. Obedience and consideration for those around us – these are elements of practical holiness.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Thank You that You want every bit of our lives to be holy. Help us to discern Your Will for our lives and to do it. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Deuteronomy 13:12 – 18 “If, regarding one of the cities the LORD your God is giving you to inhabit, you hear it said that wicked men have arisen from among you and led the people of their city astray, saying, “Let us go and serve other gods” (which you have not known), then you must inquire, investigate, and interrogate thoroughly. And if it is established with certainty that this abomination has been committed among you, you must surely strike down the inhabitants of that city with the sword. Devote to destruction all its people and livestock.

And you are to gather all its plunder in the middle of the public square, and completely burn the city and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the LORD your God. The city must remain a mound of ruins forever, never to be rebuilt.

Nothing devoted to destruction shall cling to your hands, so that the LORD will turn from His fierce anger, grant you mercy, show you compassion, and multiply you as He swore to your fathers, because you obey the LORD your God, keeping all His commandments I am giving you today and doing what is right in the eyes of the LORD your God.”

UTTER DESTRUCTION!!! Can you imagine it? The Israelites go in and conquer a city and take it over, only for wicked men among them to entice the entire city to revert to the worship of pagan gods. For the Israelites sitting on the east side of the Jordan River, they are SURE that they would never do such a thing, but God knows better. God knows full well that there are those Israelites who have never actually chosen to follow Him but who are going along to see how they can benefit. Once turned loose in Canaan, these men have the potential to sway others whose faith is weak and entice them into idol worship and fertility rites.

Since God knows all the thoughts and intentions of human hearts, God also knows those who are likely to do terrible things. This is why God is warning the Israelites and instructing them to completely demolish any city that turns away from God to serve idols.

Why must the plunder be completely destroyed as well? Once an entire city has perverted itself, everything in that place has been devoted to demons and can no longer be kept. The only safe treatment is to make a burnt offering out of all the plunder and then to reduce the city to rubble, never for it to be rebuilt.

APPLICATION: Here in West Africa, Christians know that if someone repents and chooses to follow Jesus, any charms or idols or other objects devoted to demons must be burned with fire. The story is told of a missionary in northeastern Ghana who was called by a village to come help them destroy an idol. This idol was either stone or petrified wood and had withstood all attempts to burn it. These events took place in dry season when no rains would fall for months. As the missionary was speaking to the people, jet black storm clouds began gathering in the west and moving toward the village. That in itself was a wonder because storms here always move in from the northeast. The people quickly crowded into a large palava hut; there were so many of them that they were packed in. Suddenly a bolt of lightning struck the center pole of the palava hut, ran right out the door, missing the feet of the crowd, and struck the idol, vaporizing it on the spot! Needless, to say, the entire village repented and became Christians.

Evil is not to be played with or tolerated. We even need to be careful about trinkets that we may have collected as tourists. Pray over any carvings, paintings, or other objects that you might have in your home. If you do not have peace about keeping that item, then burn it, no matter how lovely it might be and no matter who has given it to you.

PRAYER: Father God, help us to be careful about the things we treasure and keep in our homes and the things we give others. Lord, give us discernment. Help us to realize that You desire us to be holy and that You will help us if only we will ask. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Deuteronomy 13:1 – 11 “If a prophet or dreamer of dreams arises among you and proclaims a sign or wonder to you, and if the sign or wonder he has spoken to you comes about, but he says, “Let us follow other gods (which you have not known) and let us worship them,” you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. For the LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love Him with all your heart and with all your soul. You are to follow the LORD your God and fear Him. Keep His commandments and listen to His voice; serve Him and hold Him fast.

Such a prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he has advocated rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery; he has tried to turn you from the way in which the LORD your God has commanded you to walk. So you must purge the evil from among you.

If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you embrace, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (which neither you nor your fathers have known, the gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the earth to the other), you must not yield to him or listen to him. Show him no pity, and do not spare him or shield him.

Instead, you must surely kill him. Your hand must be the first against him to put him to death, and then the hands of all the people. Stone him to death for trying to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and will never again do such a wicked thing among you.”

Signs and wonders! Remember that when Moses and Aaron first went to Pharaoh in Egypt, Pharaoh refused to listen to them because his own magicians could duplicate some of the signs that Moses performed. It was only when the magicians failed and could no longer copy the miracles that Moses was doing that the magicians themselves advised Pharaoh that this was truly the hand of God. Throughout the ages, there have been those who could do magic of one kind or another, sometimes by slight of hand and sometimes through demonic power.

Notice that God is warning the Israelites that indeed, prophets may arise whose prophecies are fulfilled. But the test of a true prophet is whether or not he leads people closer to the One True Living God or farther away. God is warning the Israelites that they must not compromise and that even if such a prophet is their closest relative or loved one, he or she must die by stoning. God even warns that anyone who realizes that a relative or loved one is a false prophet must throw the first stone and neither pity nor protect them. Failure to purge the evil as soon as it appears will only allow more evil to flourish. Tolerating evil only allows it to multiply and to become worse.

APPLICATION: Any gardener can tell you about thistles. Thistles might look pretty for awhile, but if not rooted out as soon as possible, they can take over a garden. The root systems for thistles are extensive and failure to eradicate the roots will only allow the thistles to grow back.

Evil is like thistles; it has long tough roots and must be eradicated quickly. Many times we try to ignore evil in hopes that it will somehow go away, but we are only giving that evil a chance to grow.

Each of us needs to search our own hearts to see where we have tolerated evil. Do we criticize others sharply, excusing ourselves by calling it discernment? Do we indulge in food, shopping, or some forms of entertainment, telling ourselves that we deserve it? Are we so addicted to our cell phones and tablets that we ignore the needs of those around us?

Proverbs 4:23 tells us, “Above all else, guard your heart,  for everything you do flows from it.” We must guard our hearts and minds! Philippians 4:8 tells us, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

God warned the Israelites not to tolerate any evil whatsoever. We too should be careful. Guard your heart!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Help us to guard our hearts and to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Deuteronomy 12:29 – 32 “When the LORD your God cuts off before you the nations you are entering to dispossess, and you drive them out and live in their land, be careful not to be ensnared by their ways after they have been destroyed before you. Do not inquire about their gods, asking, “How do these nations serve their gods? I will do likewise.”

You must not worship the LORD your God in this way, because they practice for their gods every abomination which the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.

See that you do everything I command you; do not add to it or subtract from it.”

Revelation 22:17 – 20 “The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let the one who hears say, “Come!” And let the one who is thirsty come, and the one who desires the water of life drink freely. I testify to everyone who hears the words of prophecy in this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! (John the Apostle, describing the visions God gave him on the island of Patmos.)

Reading through Deuteronomy, you realize that God doesn’t think much of the Israelites’ abilities to remember or follow orders. Once more, God is promising to cut off the nations now inhabiting the Promised Land, but God is also warning the Israelites against taking up the pagan religions these people practice. God is very specific: “You must not worship the LORD your God in this way, because they practice for their gods every abomination which the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.” Does God love those people currently inhabiting Canaan? Yes. But unfortunately, those people have steadfastly turned away from the One True Living God to worship demons, even going so far as to make burnt offerings of their own children. The shedding of innocent blood brings curses on a land, and these people have brought curses on themselves.

God is also concerned that the Israelites not twist or pervert His Word. God has given specific instructions and expects them to be followed. God is not interested in someone changing wording to make the commandments more palatable or reducing the requirements for sacrifices.

In the last book of the Bible, the Book of Revelations, God continues to warn us about the need to respect His word. Those who refuse to respect the Word of God and who insist on changing it to suit themselves will eventually suffer eternal torment.

APPLICATION: Anyone buying a new piece of equipment is careful to read the manufacturer’s instructions. Failure to follow the steps outlined in the instruction manual might lead to a disaster or even destroy a valuable purchase before it gets used.

it is amazing but true that the same people who will carefully follow instructions for a new computer or a flat screen television feel no need to pay attention to God’s Word. There are those who present a cafeteria – style Gospel; they pick out the parts they like and ignore everything else. There are others who refuse to believe that God can do miracles, so they find all kinds of strange explanations for events such as the crossing of the Red Sea, the provision of manna, etc. Why do people do these things?

The fundamental problem with people who try to change God’s Word is this: they neither know God nor respect Him, and they have an exalted idea of their own importance and intellect. There is a story circulating in which a scientist comes to God and tells God that he can now make a living man from dirt. God says, “Fine. But create your own dirt.”

When Satan fell from heaven, taking one third of the angels with him, he fell because he thought that he was more powerful than the God who had created him. Men still make that same mistake. But our lives are very fragile, and at any moment we can suffer strokes, heart attacks, or other illnesses. If the COVID – 19 pandemic has taught us nothing else, it should have taught us that nobody is immune. Even young healthy people who run marathons and work out in gyms have died from this virus.

The Bible contains our Manufacturer’s Instructions. Doesn’t it make sense for us to follow them completely?

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Help us to treasure Your Word, to study it, and to memorize it so that we will follow Your Will for our lives. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.

He never really thought that it might be like this. The pressure of the mask on his face, struggling for each breath – never in his wildest dreams had he imagined such pain or such struggles. And then he began noticing…

Certainly, his family was in the room, but now there were others. He felt a cold nose on his bare leg and looked down to see Ruffy, the family Newfoundland standing at the bedside. He remembered when Ruffy had died of old age under a lilac bush in the front yard, but now Ruffy was standing there, very much alive and bigger, blacker, and glossier than he remembered. And Ruffy looked at him with eyes full of love.

Then as he continued to look, he saw other animals crowding into the room – the 4-H sheep, the calves, his cow Elsie and her daughter Whiteface, and all the other dearly remembered family pets. The animals were waiting as if for a signal.

Suddenly, he heard his mother calling him, “Russie! Russie! Russie!” He hadn’t heard that beloved voice in more than 41 years. Looking around the room, he gazed one last time at his wife and daughters and his son – in – law. And then he knew. The animals had come for him, but now one more figure was entering the room. As he looked up, he saw the face of Jesus – that face he had longed to see for so many years, that look of perfect love and perfect acceptance. Jesus reached out his hand, and Rus and the animals crossed into heaven.

And echoing in the room were the words of Mr. Valiant – for – Truth from The Pilgrim’s Progress:

“Then said he, “I am going to my Father’s; and though with great difficult I am got hither, yet now I do not repent me of all the trouble I have been at to arrive where I am. My sword I give to him that shall succeed me in my pilgrimage, and my courage and skill to him that can get it. My marks and scars I carry with me, to be a witness for me that I have fought His battles who now will be my rewarder.’ So he passed over, and all the trumpets sounded for him on the other side.”

Deuteronomy 12:20 – 28 “When the LORD your God expands your territory as He has promised, and you crave meat and say, “I want to eat meat,” you may eat it whenever you want. If the place where the LORD your God chooses to put His Name is too far from you, you may slaughter any of the herd or flock He has given you, as I have commanded you, and you may eat it within your gates whenever you want. Indeed, you may eat it as you would eat a gazelle or deer; both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat it. Only be sure not to eat the blood, because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat. You must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water. Do not eat it, so that it may go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is right in the eyes of the LORD.

But you are to take your holy things and your vow offerings and go to the place the LORD will choose. Present the meat and blood of your burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD your God. The blood of your other sacrifices must be poured out beside the altar of the LORD your God, but you may eat the meat. Be careful to obey all these things I command you, so that it may always go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the LORD your God.”

God wants His people to draw a sharp distinction between the sacred and the ordinary. God has already commanded that only particular animals be set apart for sacrifices and that these animals only be sacrificed at the place of worship He chooses. But God is fully aware that travel may be difficult, so if the distance between someone’s home and the temple is too great, they may still celebrate a feast. If the family does not travel to Jerusalem, the family may slaughter any of their animals and everyone can take part, whether or not they are ritually clean.

Again, God is warning His people to pour the blood from any animal they slaughter out on the ground and not to drink it or to eat it. To repeat one of the messages from yesterday:

“In Leviticus 17:10–12, we learn that blood was God’s ordained means of atonement: “I will set my face against any Israelite or any foreigner residing among them who eats blood, and I will cut them off from the people. For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life. Therefore I say to the Israelites, ‘None of you may eat blood, nor may any foreigner residing among you eat blood.’”

This Old Testament act of atonement pointed forward to the shedding of Jesus Christ’s blood on the cross for the forgiveness of sins: “Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins” (Hebrews 9:14, NLT; see also Hebrews 10:1–18). Each time an animal was sacrificed on the altar and its blood poured out, it communicated a picture of the Savior. Jesus Christ suffered in our place. His blood is the life that was given so that we might have eternal life.” (https://www.gotquestions.org/blood-is-the-life.html)

APPLICATION: When we first came to Ghana, we were introduced to the practice of pouring libation. “A libation is a ritual pouring of a liquid as an offering to a god or spirit or in memory of those who have died. It was common in many religions of antiquity and continues to be offered in various cultures today. … The libation could be poured onto something of religious significance or into the earth.” (https://www.definitions.net/definition/libation)

Although there are controversies, most Christians in Ghana refuse to pour libation, considering it an act of ancestor worship, worship of traditional gods, or both. Christians also believe that when Jesus poured out His blood on the cross at Calvary, he made the ultimate blood sacrifice.

Years ago, we had a hospital worker who visited us on the pretext of welcoming us; however, as soon as he could, he attempted to pour libation on the ground at the old mission house where we were then living. We stopped him and prayed over the ground, neutralizing any curses that he might have been invoking against us. We also prayed to break off any spiritual hold that this man was attempting to gain over us. Although this man had claimed to be a Christian, by the time we knew him, he was thoroughly caught up in the traditional religion of his clan. Eventually God removed him from the hospital. Interestingly enough, our dog who was generally friendly threatened to bite this man, perhaps another indication of the spirit in which this man was operating!

The Bible records numerous instances in which drink offerings were poured out to God with His approval. 2 Samuel 23:14 – 16 “At that time David was in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was at Bethlehem. David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!” So the three mighty men broke through the Philistine camp, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem, and brought it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out to the LORD,…” David felt that his men had risked their lives to bring him that water and that the only appropriate thing to do was to offer it to the Lord.

We must be careful about what we offer to God! Many times the offering God desires most is our obedience on some small point; meanwhile, we would do almost anything rather than obey. If you find yourself saying, “Surely, God doesn’t REALLY want me to do that,” you need to check your heart!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to be willing to be willing to yield at any point in our livers when You are asking us to obey. Help us not to try to cover up by offering You anything as a substitute. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Deuteronomy 12:10 – 19 “When you cross the Jordan and live in the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, and He gives you rest from all the enemies around you and you live in security, then the LORD your God will choose a dwelling for His Name. And there you are to bring everything I command you: your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, and all the choice offerings you vow to the LORD. And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levite within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.

Be careful not to offer your burnt offerings in just any place you see; you must offer them only in the place that the LORD will choose in one of your tribal territories, and there you shall do all that I command you.

But whenever you wish, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your gates, according to the blessing the LORD your God has given you. Both the ceremonially clean and unclean may eat it as they would a gazelle or deer, but you must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water. Within your gates you must not eat the tithe of your grain or new wine or oil, the firstborn of your herds or flocks, any of the offerings that you have vowed to give, or your freewill offerings or special gifts. Instead, you must eat them in the presence of the LORD your God at the place the LORD your God will choose—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levite within your gates. Rejoice before the LORD your God in all you do, and be careful not to neglect the Levites as long as you live in your land.”

Location! Location! Location! That’s the number one consideration in real estate. Here God is making a similar point, but why? Remember that many of the possible sites for worship in the Promised Land have been spiritually contaminated by pagan rituals. God knows that if the Israelites insist on worshiping Him in any of those places, the demons still inhabiting those locations will hook into the Israelites and their worship will rapidly deteriorate into orgies or worse. The blood sacrifices that should be made to the One True Living God will wind up honoring demons instead. Eventually this actually happened, as the Israelites failed to obey God.

God already has a site for the center of His worship ready. Mount Moriah was sanctified by Abraham’s willingness to obey God and to even give up his only son, if that had been necessary. God has protected that location all these years, guarding it against the time when it would be used by the Israelites.

When God laid out the structure for the Jewish religion, He ordered that there should be regular festivals at which all the men should appear and bring “burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, and all the choice offerings you vow to the LORD.” God wants His people to celebrate, but He wants them to celebrate in a holy fashion.

“And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levite within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you. Be careful not to offer your burnt offerings in just any place you see; you must offer them only in the place that the LORD will choose in one of your tribal territories, and there you shall do all that I command you.” These celebrations are for everybody in the family, including the servants. Why does God specially mention the Levites?

The Levites were the tribe set apart as priests to conduct worship. Although there were villages with limited lands set aside for the Levites, God did not allot large amounts of land to them. Had the Levites been given the same amount of land as other tribes, they would have turned away from conducting worship to farm and conduct business. God is laying the care of the Levites on all the rest of the Israelites.

Why is God forbidding the Israelites from eating or drinking the blood of the animals? Blood represents life, and the blood of animals belongs to God, the Giver of life. In addition, many diseases are carried in blood; God may have instituted these restrictions to protect the Israelites. Some pagan rituals encouraged worshipers to drink the blood of animals and even of humans as a means of gaining power. God wants his people to have nothing to do with this! During sacrifices, the priests were to pour the blood of the sacrificed animal on the altar; that blood was holy and not to be mishandled.

In Leviticus 17:10–12, we learn that blood was God’s ordained means of atonement: “I will set my face against any Israelite or any foreigner residing among them who eats blood, and I will cut them off from the people. For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life. Therefore I say to the Israelites, ‘None of you may eat blood, nor may any foreigner residing among you eat blood.’”

This Old Testament act of atonement pointed forward to the shedding of Jesus Christ’s blood on the cross for the forgiveness of sins: “Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins” (Hebrews 9:14, NLT; see also Hebrews 10:1–18). Each time an animal was sacrificed on the altar and its blood poured out, it communicated a picture of the Savior. Jesus Christ suffered in our place. His blood is the life that was given so that we might have eternal life.” (https://www.gotquestions.org/blood-is-the-life.html)

APPLICATION: When Jesus died on the cross at Calvary, He made the ultimate blood sacrifice, rendering animal sacrifices unnecessary. We should be able to thank and praise God wherever we find ourselves. But we should not be foolish; there are places in the earth that are spiritually dangerous.

Several years ago, two men came to northern Ghana to begin a new ministry. When these men asked our friends who were veteran Bible translators with forty years of experience for advice, our friends warned them not to visit a particular shrine that had an unsavory reputation. Despite these warnings, the newly arrived missionaries chose to visit the shrine and to undergo all the required rituals. Sadly, that act of arrogance spelled failure for these hopeful missionaries.

Today we no longer have Levites; however, we do have ministers who devote their lives to preaching God’s Word and to helping His people. Many times, these men and women have made enormous sacrifices to follow the call of God. We will be blessed when we help those in the front lines.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Help us to obey Your commands and to rejoice in Your goodness and mercy. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.