Burunche’s Blog

Deuteronomy 19:15 – 21 “A lone witness is not sufficient to establish any wrongdoing or sin against a man, regardless of what offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If a false witness testifies against someone, accusing him of a crime, both parties to the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD, before the priests and judges who are in office at that time. The judges shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is proven to be a liar who has falsely accused his brother, you must do to him as he intended to do to his brother.

You must purge the evil from among you. Then the rest of the people will hear and be afraid, and they will never again do anything so evil among you. You must show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot.”

This passage lays out the principle of lex talionis, the law of retribution and has helped form a basis for legal procedures for thousands of years. While God has established the cities of refuge, at the same time God is also laying the foundation for a just and fair legal system. One important point is the requirement of two or three witnesses in any case, rather than merely one witness. These witnesses had best be honest; if they are found to be lying and falsely accusing someone, they will suffer the penalty they hoped to incur on someone else!

When Jesus was on trial, two men came forward and gave false testimony that Jesus had threatened to destroy the temple and to rebuild it in three days. This statement was taken out of context; Jesus was actually speaking about his own death and resurrection. Rather than cross examine these witnesses , the high priest gleefully accepted their testimony. Mark wrote that even in this testimony, the two witnesses did not agree. (Mark 14:59) This incident illustrates the potential for failure of the system.

The fairness of such a trial clearly depended on the righteousness of the judges and the priests. If the legal panel was corrupt, then the innocent might be falsely accused and punished. But amazingly enough, this system evidently continued to function well for centuries. Penalties meted out were severe; life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot. Anyone causing bodily harm or committing murder would suffer as he had made others to suffer.

APPLICATION: While we can certainly understand the need for witnesses in a court case to speak truthfully, we need to ask ourselves how many times we spread false rumors about others, engaging in character assassination. A story is told of a wise pastor who had a lady in his church who was a terrible gossip. Nobody’s reputation was safe when this lady began sharing misinformation. Finally one day, the pastor asked the lady to come to his office. Handing the lady a full glass of water, the pastor then asked her to run around the church as quickly as she could without spilling the water. By the time the lady returned, the glass was mostly empty. “Now,” the pastor ordered her, “please collect all the water you have spilled.” “But Pastor,” the lady argued, “that’s impossible!” “True,” replied the pastor. “And recovering lies told about others is equally impossible.”

Jesus spoke about the law of lex talionis to his disciples, advising them that in the kingdom of God there was a new way to act.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also; if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well; and if someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

When Jesus came, he brought the rules of the Kingdom of God with him. Instead of focusing on vengeance, true followers of Jesus are to forgive. This does not mean that false witnesses should not be punished; however, it does mean that there is no more room for avengers of blood. Even when Jesus was dying on the cross at Calvary, he prayed that his heavenly Father would forgive those who were crucifying him. Focusing on vengeance only makes us increasingly bitter. Forgiveness frees us. None of us knows the human heart as God does, and none of us is as qualified to judge as is God. Rather than seeking vengeance, let us forgive and leave vengeance to God, who knows hearts and motives. Romans 12:17 – 19 tells us, “ Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Carefully consider what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible on your part, live at peace with everyone. Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.”

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Help us to speak only the truth about our neighbors and to be as careful with their reputations as we are with our own. Help us also to forgive and to allow you to settle our disputes, rather than seeking vengeance and harboring hatred. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Deuteronomy 19:1 – 13 “When the LORD your God has cut off the nations whose land He is giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their cities and houses, then you are to set apart for yourselves three cities within the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess. You are to build roads for yourselves and divide into three regions the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that any manslayer can flee to these cities.

Now this is the situation regarding the manslayer who flees to one of these cities to save his life, having killed his neighbor accidentally, without intending to harm him: If he goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut timber and swings his ax to chop down a tree, but the blade flies off the handle and strikes and kills his neighbor, he may flee to one of these cities to save his life.

Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue the manslayer in a rage, overtake him if the distance is great, and strike him dead though he did not deserve to die, since he did not intend any harm. This is why I am commanding you to set apart for yourselves three cities.

And if the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as He swore to your fathers, and gives you all the land He promised them, and if you carefully keep all these commandments I am giving you today, loving the LORD your God and walking in His ways at all times, then you are to add three more cities to these three.

Thus innocent blood will not be shed in the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed. If, however, a man hates his neighbor and lies in wait, attacks him and kills him, and then flees to one of these cities, the elders of his city must send for him, bring him back, and hand him over to the avenger of blood to die. You must show him no pity. You are to purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, that it may go well with you.”

Tragedies happen! Two men are carrying a heavy rock, one slips and falls, and the rock crushes the other man. Two men are cutting wood and suddenly an axe head flies off, striking the second man and killing him instantly. In modern times, one vehicle might hit a patch of black ice, crashing into another vehicle and killing the occupants of the second vehicle. The examples are endless. Many times when tragedies occur, we want to blame God, forgetting that we live in a fallen sinful world. But God in His mercy is already aware of the potential for tragedies and the possibility that an innocent person might be blamed.

At the time this command was given, the law of lex talionis prevailed – “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” Anyone causing the death of another person accidentally could still be hunted down by one of the dead person’s relatives, here designated as “the avenger of blood.” If the innocent person involved in the tragedy could not reach shelter quickly, he or she might be killed. The shedding of innocent blood would bring curses on a land; therefore, God ordered that six cities of refuge be established. The innocent person could run to one of these cities and remain there in safety.

What if the murder was premeditated and the murderer fled to a city of refuge? At that point the city elders were charged with removing the murderer from their midst and handing him over to the avenger of blood to die, showing no pity.

APPLICATION: It was an unimaginable tragedy! One of our cousins was felling trees with his teenage grandson whom he loved dearly. One tree that had been partially cut suddenly fell in a wrong direction, striking the grandson and killing him instantly. (Lumberjacks call such trees “widow makers with good reason.”)This tragedy devastated our cousin, who blamed himself and grieved for the rest of his life.

No matter how careful we are, any one of us might accidentally do something that will hurt, maim, or kill another. We are not careful with our words, and those words might be as devastating as a knife to the heart if taken wrongly. We commit little murders every day without realizing it.

These days we don’t have cities of refuge; instead, Jesus Christ has shed his blood for our sins on the cross at Calvary so that all those who believe in Him may find refuge in God the Father. Christmas is approaching and Christians are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ who is the Prince of Peace. 1 John 1:8-10 tells us, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us.”

All of us are stuck with a sin problem. What can we do about it?” So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.”(Hebrews 6:18)

Jesus has come to give all of us hope and to free us from our sins. But the choice is ours; we can accept what Jesus has done for us and believe in Him, or we can refuse.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help everyone who reads these words to realize their need for refuge from themselves and from their sins. Help them to accept the reality of Jesus’ birth, life, and sacrifice of Himself for their sins. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Deuteronomy 18:15 – 22 “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to him. This is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God or see this great fire anymore, so that we will not die!” Then the LORD said to me, “They have spoken well. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. I will put My words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. And I will hold accountable anyone who does not listen to My words that that prophet speaks in My name. But if any prophet dares to speak a message in My name that I have not commanded him to speak, or to speak in the name of other gods, that prophet must be put to death.”

You may ask in your heart, “How can we recognize a message that the LORD has not spoken?” When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD and the message does not come to pass or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.”

EARTHQUAKES!!! FIRE!!! SMOKE!!!! THE DEAFENING SOUND OF AN ENORMOUS RAM’S HORN BEING BLOWN!!!! When the Israelites were shaking in their sandals below Mount Sinai, they had plenty of reasons. Finally, things became so terrifying that the Israelites begged God to speak to Moses and to let Moses speak to them. “Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God or see this great fire anymore, so that we will not die!”

God agreed with the Israelites and spoke his words through Moses; however, God also promised that He would raise up others who would speak for Him. “I will put My words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. And I will hold accountable anyone who does not listen to My words that that prophet speaks in My name.” But the Israelites were bound by oath to listen to God’s prophets and to follow what they would say.

Later in the Old Testament we realize the Israelites were much better at begging than they were at listening. Even when prophets were obviously legitimate and many of their prophecies had already come to pass, the Israelites still wanted to argue with God. Read the last several chapters of the Book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah had been prophesying for many years. Now the Babylonians had captured Israel and an assassin backed by the Ammonites had murdered Gedaliah, the military commander left in charge of the Israelites left behind. The remaining Israelites came to Jeremiah, begging for him to tell them what God wanted them to do. But they weren’t really interested in God’s Will; they already knew that they wanted to run off to Egypt and they were hoping that somehow God through Jeremiah would rubber stamp their schemes. When God through Jeremiah exposed the treachery of the remnant and warned them that they all would die if they left for Egypt, they all refused to listen and went to Egypt anyway. In this case, God did hold those people responsible and when the Babylonians invaded Egypt, they all died. Had they followed God’s instructions and remained in Judah, they would have lived.

Prophecy is a tricky business! There are many self – styled prophets; however, God has three tests for the truth of a prophecy: Does the prophecy come true? Does the prophecy line up with God’s word? In whose name is the prophecy being given?

“But if any prophet dares to speak a message in My name that I have not commanded him to speak, or to speak in the name of other gods, that prophet must be put to death… When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD and the message does not come to pass or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.”

APPLICATION: In this age of social media, it is easier than ever before to access prophecies of various kinds. But telling the fake from the real can be a daunting challenge. God actually calls very few people to be prophets, and there are many people who claim to be prophets and prophetesses who are not.

One of the hallmarks of God’s Holy Spirit is a peace that passes understanding. When someone gives a prophecy, no matter how loudly they shout or how dramatically they speak, if the Holy Spirit Peace does not accompany those words, don’t listen.

The calling to be a prophet is a very difficult one. Read the Bible and you will see that many of the most outstanding prophets suffered a great deal during their lives and died gruesome deaths. Anyone who is unwilling to suffer for the sake of the Word of God is not a true prophet and should be ignored.

Advent season is upon us, and some of the loveliest prophecies regarding the birth of Jesus came through the prophet Isaiah. But Isaiah was ostracized by his own people and eventually was murdered by those who hated his prophecies. Nonetheless, the words of Isaiah continue to live in our hearts.

“For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and of peace there shall be no end, Upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth, even forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for sending Your Word to advise us and to encourage us. Help us to trust You when a real prophet speaks. Help us to know when someone is faking prophecy and should be ignored. Thank You for fulfilling Your prophecies and sending Your Son Jesus to live and die as the ultimate Sacrifice for our sins. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Deuteronomy 18:9 – 14 “When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, practices divination or conjury, interprets omens, practices sorcery, casts spells, consults a medium or familiar spirit, or inquires of the dead. For whoever does these things is detestable to the LORD. And because of these detestable things, the LORD your God is driving out the nations before you.

You must be blameless before the LORD your God. Though these nations, which you will dispossess, listen to conjurers and diviners, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so.”

Reading the accounts of how the Israelites entered the Promised Land and considering how they had behaved beforehand, one might wonder if the Israelites were really any better than the people whom they were being called to annihilate. Here God describes some of the evil practices that have brought these people to the brink of extinction. But were these people always this evil? No. Remember that when God was conversing with Abraham in Genesis 15, God mentioned that “the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” Abraham was actually friends with some of the Amorites and had treaties with them. (Genesis 14)

When God spoke to Abraham in Genesis 15, God already knew that these tribes that were inhabiting Canaan were going to become progressively more evil. Here Moses describes many of the despicable practices of these tribes, warning the Israelites against them.

APPLICATION: What makes magic and witchcraft so attractive? The temptation presented by any form of magic is CONTROL! Control of people, of events, of circumstances, and of one’s own destiny. Unfortunately, magic sometimes works just enough to entice people further and further onto a path that leads to self – destruction. The horrific practice of sacrificing children to Molech has its roots in the belief that children are perfect and innocent and therefore worthy sacrifices. Unfortunately, today children are aborted with all kinds of reasons being given. The means may be different but one thing has not changed: the shedding of innocent blood brings curses on a land.

What about ouija boards, tarot cards, seances, and other forms of divination? Divination will work to the extent that demons will gladly give answers and impress and frighten as many people as possible. But these practices are extremely dangerous, as they can lead to demon possession, depression, despair, and spiritual and physical death. One thirteen year old girl in a Sunday School class described her horror when her friends at a slumber party decided to look in a mirror and call on “Mary Worth” to give them answers. This girl was wise enough to realize the danger of that practice, and we prayed for her, breaking off any and all curses she might have gotten from that experience.

What about consulting dead relatives or some other familiar spirits? Hebrews 9:27 tells us, “Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,” Certainly there have been recorded instances when loved ones who have died have appeared briefly to people. But the One from whom we should be seeking guidance is God and not a dead relative. Why should we think that people who have died will have any more knowledge than they did while they were alive?

1 Samuel 15:23 says, “For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance is like the wickedness of idolatry.” When we attempt to control anything by means of magic or divination, we are rebelling against God and setting ourselves up in place of God. God wants to be Number One in our lives, and there should be no compromising. Despite knowing this, many of us still try to manipulate and hedge our bets by indulging in occultic practices. Jesus told his disciples that it was impossible to serve two masters, and that is still true. Only service to the One True Living God brings eternal life. Anything else or anything less leads to spiritual death.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Help us to worship only You and to completely reject any and all forms of magic and witchcraft. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Deuteronomy 18: 1 – 8 “The Levitical priests—indeed the whole tribe of Levi—shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They are to eat the offerings made by fire to the LORD; that is their inheritance. Although they have no inheritance among their brothers, the LORD is their inheritance, as He promised them.

This shall be the priests’ share from the people who offer a sacrifice, whether a bull or a sheep: the priests are to be given the shoulder, the jowls, and the stomach. You are to give them the firstfruits of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the first wool sheared from your flock. For the LORD your God has chosen Levi and his sons out of all your tribes to stand and minister in His name for all time.

Now if a Levite moves from any town of residence throughout Israel and comes in all earnestness to the place the LORD will choose, then he shall serve in the name of the LORD his God like all his fellow Levites who stand there before the LORD. They shall eat equal portions, even though he has received money from the sale of his father’s estate.”

It all began with a disaster that nearly forced God to wipe out the Israelites! Exodus 32:26 tells the horrible story. While Moses was up on Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments, the Israelites became impatient. Never mind that seventy of their elders had already been up on the mountain, feasting in the presence of God. The Israelites pressured Moses’ brother Aaron into creating a copy of the Egyptian god Hathor, whose worship included orgies. When the idol was complete, the party started. God ordered Moses to go down to the camp quickly because the people had perverted themselves.

“Moses saw that the people were out of control, for Aaron had let them run wild and become a laughingstock to their enemies. So Moses stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the LORD, come to me.” And all the Levites gathered around him.

He told them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each of you men is to fasten his sword to his side, go back and forth through the camp from gate to gate, and slay his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.’”

The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people fell dead. Afterward, Moses said, “Today you have been ordained for service to the LORD, since each man went against his son and his brother; so He has bestowed a blessing on you this day.” (Exodus 32:25 – 29)

That day when the Levites slaughtered all those engaged in the golden calf orgy, they were unwittingly making a choice. Moses issued a general call, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me!” Anybody could have answered that call, but it was the Levites who did so, and it was not even all the Levites. God ordered the Levites to slay their brothers, their friends, and their neighbors, and they did so. Some Levites might even have been forced to kill their own sons. (v. 29)

What the Levites didn’t realize was that God will be no man’s debtor. While the Levites were purging the camp from lust and perversion, God was already preparing an eternal heritage for them. Because the Levites stood for God, no matter the cost, God selected the Levites to be priests before Him forever. Any offerings, any sharing of first fruits, any good things brought to the Lord were to be shared with the Levites. In the future, wherever the Levites found themselves, they could expect help from their Israelite brothers and sisters.

APPLICATION: Inheritances! There are few experiences more wrenching than hearing a will being read and listening to the heirs arguing afterwards. One brother and sister didn’t speak to each other for nearly five years because of a dispute over their grandmother’s estate. In the end, the things these two argued over remained in boxes in storage somewhere, benefiting nobody.

The Levites could inherit whatever possessions their fathers left to them; however, they were not given large tracts of land or many cities. God wanted the Levites to focus their attention on Him and not on conducting business. God wanted the Levites to realize that their hope was in Him and that He was the One who would reward them, giving them an eternal inheritance.

One day, the Apostle Peter came to Jesus to ask him a question. ^“Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. (Mark 10:28-30)

The Levites gave up their most precious possessions – their own family members and their friends. God answered that sacrifice by giving them rewards wherever they would find themselves. God knows our needs even before we do. When we willingly choose to serve God faithfully, God will provide for us in ways we cannot even imagine.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Help us to trust You and to worship You, knowing that You can care for us far better than we can care for ourselves. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Deuteronomy 17:14 – 20 “When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” you are to appoint over yourselves the king whom the LORD your God shall choose. Appoint a king from among your brothers; you are not to set over yourselves a foreigner who is not one of your brothers.

But the king must not acquire many horses for himself or send the people back to Egypt to acquire more horses, for the LORD has said, ‘You are never to go back that way again.’ He must not take many wives for himself, lest his heart go astray. He must not accumulate for himself large amounts of silver and gold.

When he is seated on his royal throne, he must write for himself a copy of this instruction on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. It is to remain with him, and he is to read from it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by carefully observing all the words of this instruction and these statutes. Then his heart will not be exalted above his countrymen, and he will not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or to the left, in order that he and his sons may reign many years over his kingdom in Israel.

This passage is one of the saddest ones in the Bible. Why? Because NONE of the kings of Israel or Judah EVER actually followed these instructions! God recognizes the fact that the Israelites are going to want a king and only advises them to select a fellow Israelite and not a foreigner. This king is to be the ruler of God’s choosing, not merely selected by a popularity contest. So far, so good. But now come the tough parts.

But the king must not acquire many horses for himself or send the people back to Egypt to acquire more horses, for the LORD has said, ‘You are never to go back that way again.’ He must not take many wives for himself, lest his heart go astray. He must not accumulate for himself large amounts of silver and gold.

Read the accounts of King Solomon’s wealth and the number of his wives and concubines and you realize that Solomon totally blew it as far as these commands are concerned. King Solomon was actively trading in horses, including importing them from Egypt. Solomon took many wives from different nations who worshiped a host of pagan gods and these women turned Solomon’s heart away from God. Solomon accumulated so much silver and gold that silver was counted as nothing in his day.

Even though Solomon was renowned for his wisdom and composed parables and wrote on so many different subjects, there is never any record of his having made a written copy of God’s statutes. In the end, Solomon vented his boredom and his frustrations by pronouncing that all the things he had treasured most turned out to be mere vanity.

“So if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything to come is futile.” (Ecclesiastes11:8)

Why would God order the king to write his own copy of God’s laws? It is a proven fact that when students take notes by hand, they seem to remember things better than when they use keyboards. God wanted the kings to have their own personal copies so that they could continue to study His Word and so that they would rule wisely. God also wanted the kings to remain humble and to teach their sons to honor His Word also, so that their sons would rule wisely as well. Sadly, that never happened. Even King Hezekiah, who was considered a very righteous king, was the father of King Manasseh, one of the most evil kings ever to rule Judah.

APPLICATION: It’s highly unlikely that any of us are going to become kings or queens, but we may very well find ourselves in positions of leadership. God’s pattern for leaders is that they remain humble and study His Word thoroughly and repeatedly. Godly leaders serve and do not lord it over others.

Here in Ghana, when a young person is given a position of leadership before he/she is able to handle it well, if that person begins throwing his/her weight around, people will say that person has “grown horns.” Jesus gave us a perfect example of Godly leadership; He was inspired, hard working, caring, and compassionate. But most of all, Jesus remained close to His Heavenly Father through prayer and the study of God’s Word. Those of us in leadership would do well to follow that example.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Help us to remember Your instructions for leaders. Help us to study Your Word and to become close to You through prayer. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Deuteronomy 17: 8 – 13 “If a case is too difficult for you to judge, whether the controversy within your gates is regarding bloodshed, lawsuits, or assaults, you must go up to the place the LORD your God will choose. You are to go to the Levitical priests and to the judge who presides at that time. Inquire of them, and they will give you a verdict in the case.

You must abide by the verdict they give you at the place the LORD will choose. Be careful to do everything they instruct you, according to the terms of law they give and the verdict they proclaim. Do not turn aside to the right or to the left from the decision they declare to you.

But the man who acts presumptuously, refusing to listen either to the priest who stands there to serve the LORD your God, or to the judge, must be put to death. You must purge the evil from Israel. Then all the people will hear and be afraid, and will no longer behave arrogantly.”

Acting on the advice of his father – in – law, Jethro, Moses had organized the Israelites into groups for settling disputes. There were mediators over tens, hundreds, and thousands. These judges were capable of handling the vast majority of the disputes. Really major problems such as bloodshed, lawsuits, or assaults were referred to the Levitical priests and the judge presiding at that time. The idea behind this panel of judges was that they would come to a just and righteous decision. All those involved in the legal matter were to follow any instructions completely.

But what happened if someone refused to abide by the verdict? Anyone refusing to follow the instructions laid down by the judge and the priests was to be put to death. Why was God so harsh? God knew the hearts of the Israelites and He knew that given any opportunity at all, they would argue and attempt compromises. Such people might even engage in magic in an effort to sway the judges, to overturn their verdict, or even to retaliate in some way.

APPLICATION: When God ordained the priests and Levites and judges, He intended for them to give fair and righteous decisions. The threat of death was necessary because the Israelites wouldn’t have respected the courts otherwise. God knew that without a major penalty, the Israelites would have developed selective hearing; they would have listened if a decision seemed favorable and ignored anything that didn’t suit them. God wanted His people to respect His Words, even when those words were coming from humans.

How carefully do we listen to God? How many times do we try to bend or manipulate circumstances or people to fit our own desires? How many times do we tell ourselves half – truths? I had a fascinating experience in a Sunday School class in Ghana recently. We were discussing corruption and how Christians should handle the temptations to cheat, steal, tell half – truths, etc. One young woman gave a perfect example as she described one of her school mates who was fond of “borrowing” pencils, pens, food, etc. The class agreed that those who began in this fashion would simply become worse as they grew older and entered the work force.

Those who failed to follow the instructions of the priests and judges were to be put to death. Blessedly, we don’t have to worry about such things, but the question remains: Do we take God and His Word seriously or do we pick and choose the parts we like and ignore the rest? When we begin choosing only those things that are pleasant, we are fooling ourselves. Disobedience and witchcraft are still two sides of the same coin.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Help us to study Your Word and to follow it, even when it seems difficult or unpleasant. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Deuteronomy 17:1-7 “You shall not sacrifice to the LORD your God an ox or a sheep with any defect or serious flaw, for that is detestable to the LORD your God.

If a man or woman among you in one of the towns that the LORD your God gives you is found doing evil in the sight of the LORD your God by transgressing His covenant and going to worship other gods, bowing down to them or to the sun or moon or any of the host of heaven—which I have forbidden— and if it is reported and you hear about it, you must investigate it thoroughly.

If the report is true and such an abomination has happened in Israel, you must bring out to your gates that man or woman who has done this evil thing, and stone that person to death. On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but he shall not be executed on the testimony of a lone witness. The hands of the witnesses shall be the first in putting him to death, and after that, the hands of all the people. You must purge the evil from among you.”

WHY IS IT SO HARD FOR PEOPLE TO FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS??? After 400 years of slavery in Egypt, the Israelites have escaped in one night and have then crossed a body of water on dry land with walls of water standing on either side of them. God has wiped out the largest and most powerful army in the world by sending that water back to its place. The Israelites have traveled throughout an inhospitable waste land for forty years while God has provided food, water, and even meat. During those forty years, God has guided His people by appearing as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Shoes and clothing are just as new and durable as they were at the beginning of the trip. When enemies have attacked, the Israelites have defeated them. These people have been living a forty year long miracle!

You might think that having seen the incredible power of God, the Israelites would have nothing but fear and respect for God. You might think that having seen all these wonders, the Israelites would be anxious to give God the very best sacrifices that they could, out of awe if for no other reason. But God knows the human heart better than we do, and He knows that once the first flush of enthusiasm dies away, men begin scheming to see how small a sacrifice they can get away with. God’s word on this subject is simple: DON’T COMPROMISE!

What about Israelites who become enamoured of other gods? If a report is investigated and found to be true, such people are to die! But notice something: the reports are to be thoroughly investigated and nobody can be stoned without confirmation from two or three witnesses. Again, God has no illusions about the attraction the various cults hold for His people. Among the Israelites, there may still be those who have Egyptian idols or jewelry or who are trying to preserve the worship of some of the Egyptian gods. It has been much easier to get the Israelites out of Egypt than to get Egypt out of the Israelites. The Book of Judges is a sad testimony to the results of tolerating pagan forms of worship. The last statement in the Book of Judges is a very pathetic one. “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25)

APPLICATION: We might read the accounts of the wanderings of the Israelites and feel a bit smug. After all, WE would certainly have behaved better…. or would we? When we are giving to worthy causes, are we giving sacrificially or are we giving what is convenient? If we donate to food banks or to clothing drives, do we try to see what people really need, or do we use these events as an excuse to clean out our cabinets and our closets, with little regard for the things that will actually help others?

What activities occupy our free time? Do we relegate worshiping God to a short time once a week while we play video games for hours? Are we really trusting the One True Living God, or are we trusting our jobs, our reputations, our family, our social connections? Are we frittering away opportunities for eternal blessings by being obsessed with trivialities? Psalm 90:12 tells us, “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” If the recent pandemic has not taught us anything else, it should have taught us that life is precious and fragile and that we can sicken and die quickly.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Help us to invest our days in those things that count for eternity. Help us to remember that You have already given us life, and that You have promised that those who trust in You and in Your Son Jesus’ sacrifice will have eternal life. Let us give freely to You, knowing that we can never out – give You. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Deuteronomy 16:18 – 22 “You are to appoint judges and officials for your tribes in every town that the LORD your God is giving you. They are to judge the people with righteous judgment. Do not deny justice or show partiality. Do not accept any bribes, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.

Pursue justice, and justice alone, so that you may live, and you may possess the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

Do not set up any wooden Asherah pole next to the altar you will build for the LORD your God, and do not set up for yourselves a sacred pillar, which the LORD your God hates.”

At first reading these verses, you might wonder if Moses was just lumping the issues of unjust judges together with the proscription of Asherah worship. Wrong! Corruption breeds more corruption, and the corruption from wicked fertility cults would certainly twist the minds of those who were to judge. Nothing happens in a vacuum, and the One True Living God who created men knows this better than does anyone else.

What would cause judges to turn away from truth? Generally, nobody wakes up one morning and just decides that he/she is going to be corrupt. Corruption takes place gradually. The Apostle James described this process: “When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” (James 1:13-15)

What was so terrible about Asherah worship? This form of worship promoted ritual prostitution, perverting God’s gift of sex and undermining the God – given family structure. Asherah worship was supposed to ensure the fertility of the land and bountiful crops; however, the One True Living God had already promised the Israelites that if they would obey His Will and follow His commands, they would enjoy these blessings. The fertility cults preyed on people’s fears that if they didn’t go through elaborate rituals, their crops would fail and they would starve. To turn away from God to engage in fertility rites was to deny everything that God had already done for the Israelites and everything that He promised to do.

In Canaan the Asherah poles and Asherah trees were everywhere. Gregory Elder, blogging for Redlands Daily Facts, January 11, 2007, writes, “It must have been a terrifying and tempting thing to the peoples of antiquity when they saw the impressive temples of the pagan gods, the loud music, the professional priesthoods and their claims that such blood sacrifices and exotic fertility rites could make people’s lives better. The Hebrew God by comparison spent a lot of his career with a solitary ark drawn around in a cart. Later, He had but few holy places for sacrifice and in the days of Solomon these were concentrated into only one temple in Jerusalem. But the humble worship of the Hebrew God, who had no images, ritual tattoos and who rejected child sacrifice, survived.” (redlands@comredlands@dfmdev.com)

APPLICATION: When we read about some of these cults, we might think that they died out in antiquity; however, we would be wrong. As long as people exist, there will always be those who feel that they can sway the future by carrying out magic rituals. The lure of magic consists in the idea that a person can control his/her own fate by engaging in some ritual and that reliance on the God who has created that person is unnecessary.

Cults do not merely appeal to the poorly educated but also to those intellectuals who trust more in themselves than in God. St. Paul wrote describing this problem, “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness. For what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse.

“For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.” (Romans 1:18-22)

The question before us is this: Whom will you trust? If you trust yourself, remember that at any moment you can be stricken with a stroke, a heart attack, a cerebral hemorrhage, or even a fatal accident. The day you die, your hope dies with you. Only trust in the One True Living God is sufficient to deliver any of us from our sins and failures.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Help us to trust You, our Creator, our Deliverer, and the One who knows us better than we know ourselves. Thank You for sending Your Son Jesus Christ as the ultimate blood sacrifice for our sins so that we are free from the need to engage in magic of any kind. Lord, let each person who reads this realize Your Truth for himself/herself. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Deuteronomy 16:13 – 17 “You are to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your winepress. And you shall rejoice in your feast—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levite, as well as the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widows among you.

For seven days you shall celebrate a feast for the LORD your God in the place He will choose, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that your joy will be complete.

Three times a year all your men are to appear before the LORD your God in the place He will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles. No one should appear before the LORD empty-handed. Everyone must appear with a gift as he is able, according to the blessing the LORD your God has given you.”

The Feast of Tabernacles was one of the “fun feasts” that God gave the Israelites. God wanted to make certain that the Israelites never forgot that they had been slaves in Egypt, that they had escaped miraculously, and that they had been forced to build temporary shelters to protect themselves from the harsh conditions in the wilderness.

This feast was to be celebrated at the end of harvest when food and wine would be readily available. As with the Feast of Shavuot, the Israelites were to make sure that nobody was left out; they were to include their families, their servants, the Levites, the foreigners, and the widows and orphans. Although the feast could be celebrated back in the village, the men of the family were to travel to the temple, bringing with them whatever gifts they could donate to God. In the beginning, the temple was in Shiloh; later on, Solomon built a magnificent temple in Jerusalem and Jerusalem became the center for worship. It was at one of the three major feasts that Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel, begged God for a son. After Samuel was weaned, Hannah returned with her husband to celebrate another feast and brought with her the most precious gift she could possibly give: her only son. That free gift that Hannah gave blessed innumerable people and eventually led to the anointing of David to be King over Israel.

What is amazing about this verse is the assumption that every man coming to worship will have some kind of gift to bring with him. Certainly, a poor man struggling to feed his family might wonder if he will have anything worthy of giving to the Lord. But this verse is both law and promise. God is a good Father and does not play games with His children. If God asks for men to bring gifts, then those same men can trust that God will faithfully give them what they need so that they will have no reason to be ashamed.

APPLICATION: Mark 12:41-44 ”Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” In Jesus’ time, it was common for the rich to make grand entrances into the temple, advertising their donations and gaining the approval of the admiring crowds. While some rich person was still strutting and preening, a poor widow with no means of support crept in and quietly gave everything that she had. But Jesus was there, and Jesus immediately knew that this lady was giving up eating for the next few days so that someone else who was worse off than she might be able to survive. Generally, it’s the very poor who are more generous because they have suffered more.

“Who will give ten thousand Ghana cedis? Who will give five thousand Ghana cedis?” We were attending a function and one man had been tasked to handle fund raising. But impassioned appeals to the crowd were falling flat. Finally when the way opened for general donations, the crowd surged forward and gave. None of us felt comfortable having our donations announced.

God gives us all kinds of gifts and many of the most important ones are not monetary. Many people have talents that allow them to help others, and donations of time and energy are just as important as any other donation.

God has given us life and all that goes with it. We should be willing to give back to God out of sheer gratitude for His goodness. We can trust that whatever we give to God will be multiplied and that it will bless far more people than we can possibly imagine.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Help us to trust You and to freely give back whatever you ask from us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.