Pastor Billington's Blog

Deuteronomy 6

And here we have the summation statement for the first tablet of the law: “you shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might.” What Moses makes clear for Israel in this chapter is also true for us!

• We show our devotion through obedience and service (6:1-13).
• We show our devotion in worship – no other gods (6:14-19).
• We show our devotion by teaching our children about God (6:6-7, 20-25).

Thought for the day: We don’t deserve our inheritance. Just as God choose Israel and gave them an inheritance (6:10-11), so He chose us, and we should worship Him because of it!

1 Peter 2:9 (WEB) “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

Deuteronomy 5

Think of the 10 commandments as shorthand for the law, and a fitting way to remind the Israelites of their responsibilities. They were on two tablets, with one tablet traditionally recognized as providing guidance for relating to God, and the second guiding their relationships with each other. The division became a convenient way to summarize the law: love God and love your neighbor. But the ten commandments were made for us as well. Nine of the ten are repeated in the New Testament. The only one that isn’t is the one about keeping the Sabbath. We are still called to worship, both privately and corporately, but the Sabbath itself was for Israel.

Exodus 31:13 (NLT) “Tell the people of Israel: ‘Be careful to keep my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between me and you from generation to generation. It is given so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.“

If a New Testament believer chooses to keep a Sabbath, then that’s a personal choice.

Romans 14:5-6 (WEB) “One man esteems one day as more important. Another esteems every day alike. Let each man be fully assured in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it.”

Thought for the day: Moses reminds them of their response to God’s majesty when they received the commandments. It’s the response God expects us all to have!

Deuteronomy 5:29 (WEB) “Oh that there were such a heart in them that they would fear me and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!”

Deuteronomy 4

God’s Word is God’s Word. It shouldn’t be added to. It shouldn’t be subtracted from. It should be obeyed! The Israelite’s have experienced God intimately. They have known His blessing and His judgment. They are uniquely qualified among all the nations on earth to understand the truth that there is only one God who should be followed and worshiped.

Thought for the day: One of the most important things we can do as God’s people is to teach our children and grandchildren about Him!

Deuteronomy 4:9 (WEB) “Only be careful, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes saw, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your children and your children’s children.”

Deuteronomy 3

The history lesson is almost complete, but it ends on a dark note. Moses pleads with God to be able to enter the promised land, but he will not, and we get an extra bit to the story here. Yes, Moses disobeyed (Numbers 20:10-12), but he believes there is more to it than that: “but Yahweh was angry with me because of you.” We might be tempted to write this off as Moses’ bitterness over what happened to him, but, since the Spirit inspired the Word, there must be some truth to it. At the very least, Moses allowed his frustration to drive him to do something improper. Now, while his reaction is not their fault, there is a reminder here that leadership is difficult, and that the behavior and actions of those we lead affect us. We would also do well to remember that Moses is the head of the nation. Just as all sinned in Adam, and those who are saved are made alive in Christ, so Moses is a representative at this point. Since he bears the burden of responsibility, so he bears the burden of judgment as well.

Thought for the day: Although we may desire more responsibility in certain areas of life, we would do well to remember that there are additional consequences for that leadership.

James 3:1 (WEB) “Let not many of you be teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive heavier judgement.”

Deuteronomy 2

It’s time to come home. Moses continues to recount the nation’s history, including what started this last leg of their journey: “You have encircled this mountain long enough.” Even during their discipline, God was faithful. He watched over them, protected them, guided them, and now it was time to travel to the land He had promised to them. On the way there He continued to safeguard them, and He gave them victory over their enemies. But there’s an additional reminder of God’s faithfulness. He also kept His promise to Lot and his descendants!

Thought for the day: God is faithful, and He promised us that one day we’ll enter our home too!

John 14:1-3 (WEB) “Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many homes. If it weren’t so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will receive you to myself; that where I am, you may be there also.”

Deuteronomy 1

Deuteronomy means “Second Law.” The nation is on the doorstep of the promised land, so Moses reminds them of their history and the covenant. He reminds them that they’ve been here before, but they refused to follow God’s commands, even though He had been faithful. How had He been faithful? God had promised that they would be as numerous as the stars in the heavens, and they were! They were so numerous that Moses needed help governing them. If God was faithful in that, why didn’t they believe that He would fulfill His other promises? And they finally have another chance to follow Him.

Fun fact: Deuteronomy is quoted or alluded to more than 80 times in the New Testament. Jesus quotes from it three times in order to resist Satan (Matthew 4:1-11).

Thought for the day: We can trust in God’s promises!

Isaiah 46:8-11 (WEB) “Remember this, and show yourselves men. Bring it to mind again, you transgressors. Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other. I am God, and there is none like me. I declare the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done. I say: My counsel will stand, and I will do all that I please. I call a ravenous bird from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. Yes, I have spoken. I will also bring it to pass. I have planned. I will also do it.”

Hebrews 13

There are some important points in the final exhortations of Hebrews:

• Brotherly love and care are important. Do good and share with others.
• Be hospitable to all. You never know who you might be entertaining!
• Remember those who are suffering for their faith.
• Sexual morality is very important to God. Marriage is very important to God.
• Greed is a way of saying you don’t believe God will take care of you.
• We should take care of and listen to the leaders in the church. They are not only our
  teachers; they are also our examples.
• Jesus Christ is the same always, so the truth of God is the same always! Beware false
  teaching, especially those trying to enforce Old Testament regulations for salvation. We “eat” from a better altar. It’s about grace!
• We can expect to be abused for following Jesus, but that’s ok. This is not our home! We seek the city that is to come.
• We should praise and acknowledge God because of all that we have been given through Jesus.
• We should pray that those who minister in/for the church will be holy and righteous.
• We should also pray that all believers will be equipped “with every good thing to do His will.”

Thought for the day: Why is it unprofitable for us if leaders lose heart? Because that means we aren’t following the truth, and that always means trouble for us!

Hebrews 13:17 (WEB) “ Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they watch on behalf of your souls, as those who will give account, that they may do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be unprofitable for you.”

Hebrews 12

Not only did Jesus suffer and endure, He even experienced joy in the midst of His suffering because He knew it was for a purpose (12:2)! We need to be like Him. The crowd of the faithful is watching us. Will we endure? Will we persevere? Will we experience joy in the midst of suffering? Even divine discipline has a purpose in our lives. God disciplines because He is our Father and He wants us to be righteous. He also wants to produce peace in our lives, which comes when we are walking with Him. The quotes from Isaiah 35:3 and Proverbs 4:26-27 remind us that discipline helps to train, strengthen, and guide us.

We are warned to continue in our faith journey and pursue peace, holiness, graciousness, morality, and godliness. What could happen if we don’t? Well, the old covenant is given as an example. When the law was given on the mountain the Israelites shuddered in fear. It was amazing. It was awe inspiring. It was scary! Well, the new covenant is even greater than the old:

“But you have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable multitudes of angels, to the festal gathering and assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better than that of Abel.”

Thought for the day: How should we respond in this new covenant?

Hebrews 12:28 (WEB) “Therefore, receiving a Kingdom that can’t be shaken, let’s have grace, through which we serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”