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When you enter the land 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,” be sure to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite.” Deuteronomy 17:15-15 (Chapters 17-23)

God created Israel to be Theocracy, not a monarchy. For four-hundred years they did live under the leadership of judges and prophets as spiritual and civil leadership, but then they demanded that Samuel find and anoint a king…… so they would have the security that other nations enjoyed.

These verses are not an endorsement for a king. Even as the nation was putting down roots, God knew the heart of man and knew Israel would wish for a king, so God warned and gave direction for their selection and asked to be consulted. God allowed this move, a complete rejection of His sole leadership, but He did not commission this act. God instructed that Israel’s king not take multiple wives, a practice among pagan nations to form alliances.  He warned Israel not to return to Egypt in search of greater wealth.  It takes a great deal of money to run a country and money would soon become a greater priority than faith and obedience.

King or no king, God is to be our authority. Governmental failure was the demise of God’s covenant nation, yet the faith of individuals, in the face of adversity and against all odds, was the salvation of mankind. There are great Biblical Heroes that had no government to lead them, yet they believed and followed the commands God had given hundreds of years before. Do the right thing, no matter what is going on around you!

Love you!

Gretchen

You must not worship the LORD your God in their way. Deuteronomy 12:4 (Chapters 12-16)

Going beyond the admonition to love and obey, the specific laws of daily living are once again restated. God intends for His people to be set a part, different from all other cultures and nations on earth. Acclimation is not acceptable, remaining different is!

God made provision for every circumstance that will ever arise, from worship to accidental death. Worship will keep Israel connected to God and obedience will bring blessings unique to them only.

Though we are no longer held to the rigid laws of diet and ceremonial cleansing, it remains important to deliberately live as someone set a part. All are born with the same natural instinct to sin, but when we believe that Jesus became the final sacrifice for our sins and we confess and ask Him for forgive, we become a new creation and we chose to be different than the world around us.  Where there is hate, we chose love. Where there is fear, we lead with faith. Where there is despair we lavish hope. We are different because we are forgiven and we are God’s children.

Happy Tuesday,

Gretchen

And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Deuteronomy 10:12 (Chapter 7-11)

Israel is headed right into the heart of pagan culture. They will know the glory of great national/military victory.  The combination of these things will make it difficult to remain faithful and humble, something necessary for holiness. God commands them to destroy all idols and never forget the miracles of the wilderness where their clothes never wore out and feet never swelled from travel.

God is not maliciously clearing random people from the land of Canaan. It is because of their depravity that God is allowing them to be destroyed, and it is not Israel’s righteousness that entitles them, but God’s judgement alone. Moses cautions Israel to remember their rebellion and the price they paid. National prosperity comes with wondrous promises and ominous warnings.

Spiritual survival requires deliberate removal of all that defeats. God will not share your soul with another allegiance. Don’t overlook the use of the word ‘All’ in the above scripture.  It is a very important component to the success of your journey to The Promised Land.

Have a Terrific Monday!

Gretchen

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (Chapters 4-6)

The theme of these three chapters is “Remember, remember, remember, then obey and tell your children.”   

This nation was conceived in miracles. Apart from the supernatural, wonderworking power of God there would be no Holy people. Those that were to receive the inheritance were tasked with perpetuating faithfulness and humility in the generations to come. They saw first hand what God did and they must tell their children.

From Gretchen’s book of common sense: Children (of all ages) are taught, even when we wish they weren’t. What matters to their parents, matters to them. The more progressive parent might suggest their child should investigate and find their own answers.  Yes, children of every generation have done this, but the phenomena that persists through the ages is that they come back to their childhood securities. In other words, they fall back on the lessons learned at their father’s knee. SO TEACH THEM! If you’re going to give God glory, testify first in your own home and live like you believe. Trust like you have the inside track on hope and obey like you know THE ONE that holds the future.

Love,

Gretchen

“Do not be afraid of them; the LORD your God himself will fight for you.” Deuteronomy 3:22 (Chapter 2-3)

Israel had many victories over their foes as they approached the entrance to Canaan. The people were still mindful of the strong nations already residing there, but Moses assured them, God’s got this!

A few verses later Moses asks God to allow him to enter the beautiful land he could see clearly from a mountain top. God refused and commanded Moses to encourage and prepare Joshua to lead.

Moses could only see what earth had to offer, and it was good. Rest was in sight, and he wanted to experience this most blessed home. But God knew there was a better place for this man of great faith, and yes, that Home too, was in sight.

In Matthew chapter 17, Jesus leads Peter, James and John to a mountain top. There Jesus was transfigured and spoke with Moses and Elijah. They talked of the things to come, giving Jesus strength and encouragement to face His horrific fate at the hands of His own people. What a tremendous testimony to the assurance of life eternal. This man, so human in the early Biblical narrative, spoke face to face with Jesus several hundred years later and is still living and walking with God today as I write. What a beautiful act of God, to give us this story to cling to as we journey along our paths and press on to The Promised Land.

Happy Friday,

Gretchen

Then I said to you, “Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them.”  Deuteronomy 1:29 (Chapter 1)

The word ‘Deuteronomy’ means ‘repetition of the law’. On the eve of entrance into Canaan Moses expounds on God’s commands and leads the people in rehearsal for their new way of life. From verse 26-31Moses recounts the weakness of the people’s faith, but reminds his hearers of God’s faithfulness to them, His loved people, and His covenant.

The episode of total, spiritual breakdown, after the spies return and tell of great walled cities and vast armies already residing in Canaan, is told once again. The rebellion that followed cost a generation their inheritance, yet God forgave, and those who knew nothing but absolute reliance on God would soon enter their homeland.

The mentality of the original Israelites was to constantly questioned God’s dedication and love. They felt certain God was toying, playing them for fools, and staging them for total failure. How little self-respect and worth they must have felt to have arrived at these conclusions.

God has no hidden agenda. He may be jealous of our affections, but He is NOT malicious. The plan is quite obvious in the story of man’s history. Each of us is born to worship God alone, love one another and experience eternal life. It is a free choice, but God is Good, loving and faithful. He will care for you as a father cares His Son.

Love,

Gretchen

These are the commands and regulations the LORD gave through Moses to the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho. Numbers 36:13 (Chapters 34-36)

Moses’ life is coming to an end. He will not enter the promised land. This privilege was lost when he threw an angry fit and undermined the Israelites recognition of God’s love and miracle of water from a rock. But, aside from Jesus, no man in history has been associated with so many manifestations of God’s Divine Power.

Moses was God’s agent to the plagues of Egypt and a nation of slaves was set free. Soon, the waters of the Red Sea parted, but there was a desert awaiting. For forty years, Israel wandered in a hostile environment and miracles became a regular part of everyday life. From bad water turning sweet to quail and manna for food, Moses’ God let no one starve or dehydrate. Moses presented the tablets of law written by God’s own hand and remained in constant communion with God, with his face radiating God’s glory. Some of the miracles Moses is associated with are punitive in nature. The ground swallowed Korah and his rebels, Miriam was infected with leprosy, then healed. There was a plague of vipers, but Moses was commanded to fashion a brass rod that healed the people of their venomous bites. Aaron’s rod budded to show God’s authority and Balaam’s donkey spoke.

Led for forty years with a cloud by day and a fire by night, Moses could not have delivered Israel out of Egypt and to the Promised Land without the help and intervention of Almighty God. He paid a human price. He grew weary and frustrated often, but eternity was more than worth the cost.

Love,

Gretchen

“ ‘But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live. And then I will do to you what I plan to do to them.’ ” Numbers 33:55-56 (Chapters 31-33)

The Midianites lured the Israelites into whoredom and idolatry. God gave a divine command for war, Moses undertook the order and the Israelites had phenomenal success. God passed judgement and swift consequences for evil doers, but warned that the presence of this temptation would mean the downfall of the nation if it wasn’t removed completely!

Temptation is not sin, but the beginning of following human urges rather than God’s perfect perseverance and Holiness. Putting satan behind you means removing temptation at all costs. It is to protect so that you may have more, never less.

It would be nice to think that at some point we could sequester ourselves tightly enough that temptation would not come knocking. This is an impossibility, but God always makes a way for us to overcome sin, to the extreme of grace and mercy. 

Love,

Gretchen

“Say to the Israelites, ‘If a man dies and leaves no son, turn his inheritance over to his daughter.’” Numbers 27:8 (Chapters 25-30)

A generation has come and gone.  Of the thousands of original men and women who left Egypt’s bondage, only two will enter into the land of Canaan.  In the forty years of travel there were two censuses, giving this book its name, Numbers.  It’s time to claim the inheritance and settle down, but the land must be fairly shared, and so, there is a counting of each member of tribe and clan. 

Israel’s law said land must pass from father to eldest son. This was a protection of the tribe, but Zelophehad had only daughters and he was dead. In the surrounding Eastern countries, women were not allowed to inherit, but our God made a concession.  In Israel, women could inherit but must marry within their tribe.

Over and over again, God’s care for human dignity is what sets His law apart. It is not His order to harm, but to protect and provide. How much more should we share these attitudes among each other.

You Are Loved,

Gretchen

But God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.” Numbers 22:12 (Chapters 22-24)

The LORD delivered the Amorites into the hands of the Israelites. It was obvious that the Israelites were a powerful force, on the move toward Canaan.  Balak, king of Moab decided to be proactive in a very pagan manner. He summoned Balaam to come and curse his enemies.

The use of words, in the manner of blessings, curses and elaborate ceremony, was held in high regard and perceived as an extremely powerful bond with one’s friends and a tool against one’s enemies. Balak summoned Balaam, a diviner, a prophet of some notoriety, and offered him great financial gain if he would curse Israel. Balaam was not an Israelite nor a follower of the One True God, but God used this man of evil intent to deliver His own message. 

In a dream, Balaam saw that God blessed Israel and no promise of doom from him will alter their course, so he refuses to go with Balak’s elders. They offer more money. He saddles his donkey and heads out only to be stopped by a stubborn pack animal in the middle of the road. After many beatings, the animal speaks and soon Balaam sees the Angle of the LORD that the donkey sees. This experience did not turn Balaam’s heart toward the LORD, but it did give him indisputable conviction that God would have his way over Balak, the Moabites and the Midianites. 

Evil will not overcome God’s goodness, even when it seems evil has permeated all there is to see, hear and feel. Numbers 23:19 tells the character of God. He is not of human source, therefore, not held by man’s restrictions.  He is a God of action and He will bless those who honor Him. 

Have a Great Monday,

Gretchen