Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Deuteronomy 16:17-18:14
The Lord knows man’s heart, and the Lord knows the future. He knows that we are prone to be partial and selfish and unjust. He knows how easy it is for us to go astray, whether we are a common laborer or housewife or the highest leader in the land.
So, in His mercy, He gave us the Law, His Word to memorize and to meditate on. Though the Israelites had never had a king, God knew that someday they would, and so He made provision especially for him, saying, “Don’t get a bunch of horses and wives and stuff because then your heart will turn away from Me.” But He didn’t stop there. God didn’t only have a ‘don’t do’ list. The Lord went on to say,
“And when [a Hebrew king] sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests.
And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn asidefrom the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.
Deuteronomy 17:18-20 ESV
This is a good word for us, too.
There is great value in not only reading the Word, but also in writing it. Take the time to write down the actual words of the Bible, along with your own personal thoughts.
Read the Word daily. Meditate on what it says. And obey its commands. Remember that the Lord your God is in your midst and fear Him, that you will be humble and it will go well with you.
Heavenly Father, Thank You for giving us Your Word. We want to know it, that we may know You. We want to walk in Your ways. We want to be more like You. Help us to be merciful and humble and just. Keep us from pride and self-sufficiency. Help us to love and honor You, by loving our neighbors as ourselves. We lift up our nation’s leaders to You. We pray that You will guide and direct their steps. We pray that You will “open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in [You].” (Acts 26:18) In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Deuteronomy 16:1-16
As I wrote about yesterday, I grew up the younger of two daughters to a hard-working mother and father. My mom went back to college to finish her degree when I started kindergarten, and then she started working full time. In spite of her long hours at work, she was still determined to serve a home-cooked meal for dinner every night. No McDonald’s drive thru or frozen pizza for us. Mom served us pork chops and potatoes or chicken breasts and stir fried vegetables, even after a long day’s work.
Likewise, my sister and I were expected to work hard, too. We had our own responsibilities around the home: washing our laundry, setting the table for dinner, unloading the dishwasher, taking care of our pets, and doing our schoolwork to the best of our ability. My parents didn’t tolerate laziness. We were capable of getting A’s at school, so A’s we should get. The thought of skipping an assignment or not studying for a test never even entered my mind.
Fast forward forty years to my life today.
There are so many conveniences – and so many entertainments – available, it’s become increasingly hard for me to really work hard.
Who needs to clean house and cook dinner? There are housekeepers and restaurants for that.
Who needs to plant and tend a garden? I can buy whatever I need at the store.
Who needs to go to the library or the grocery store? I’ve got the world wide web and grocery delivery at my fingertips.
Hence, I no longer feel the need for a time of rest, like the Lord gave to His people. The Lord knew how strenuous their days were and He commanded them to set aside days every week and every year to rest and feast.
But, wait, I can just hear you saying, “Don’t you look forward to your annual vacation at the beach?”
Why, Yes. Yes, in fact, I do! I treasure those days spent watching the sun rise with my Bible open on my lap, meditating on the Lord’s words and listening to the waves’ quiet melody. But, to be honest with you, I don’t need a holiday like the Israelites did, and I’m afraid some of that is because almost every day for me is a holiday of sorts.
Ice cream and brownies aren’t only for birthdays.
Watching a movie isn’t only for that one special Saturday night in the summer when everyone piled into the station wagon and Dad to the drive-in.
Going out to dinner with my husband is a regular occurrence, not just a twice a year event reserved for Valentine’s Day and our anniversary.
In light of all this, I’m trying to be more conscious to fill my days with work. My work might be writing this blog or creating a YouTube video. My work might be reading the Bible with my son. My work might be embroidering a gift for my daughter or being a listening ear for a hurting friend, but I need to work. I need to make the most of the time God has given me.
I want to number my days that I may have a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)
Maybe you can’t relate to this post at all. Maybe your weeks are filled to the gills with work – in the home and outside the home. Then, my words to you are these: Great! Good for you! God designed His people to work hard! God gave us the sun to light our days, and He gave us the soil to grow food. God wants us to be diligent like the ant. But don’t forget to rest and feast. God also gave His people a weekly sabbath rest and annual times for dedicated resting and feasting. He designed us to need them, that we would have time to renew our minds and bodies, and that we would remember Him and be grateful for all we have.
Proverbs 6:6-11 ESV — Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.
Ephesians 5:15-16 ESV — Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.
Psalm 39:4 ESV — O LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!
Heavenly Father, I’m your child, and I want to be about Your business. I’m thankful for all that You have given to me and for all that You have given me to do. You have created me for a good purpose, and You have good works that You want me to accomplish. Help me to be faithful and diligent with the time that You have given to me. Help me to work hard and to rest well with a grateful heart. Make me a good steward of my time, talents, treasures, and testimony. For the glory of Your Name I pray. Amen.
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Deuteronomy 14-15
I grew up in a poor neighborhood on the east side of Des Moines, Iowa, walking distance from the state capitol building, but I was blessed to be accepted into the open enrollment program for the wealthy school on the other side of town. Surrounded by Guess jeans, Izod shirts and BMWs, I felt poor in my sister’s hand-me-downs, white Kmart tennis shoes and beat-up station wagon.
But, here’s the truth: I wasn’t poor. I had everything that I needed. In fact, I had much, much more than I needed.
Both of my parents worked hard to provide a comfortable, stable life for us, a life full of delicious homemade dinners together at home, as well as occasional fancy meals out. When I was little, and my parents couldn’t afford lavish vacations, they took us camping, loading up that old blue station wagon with two little girls, a dog, a tent, four sleeping bags, and plenty of food and fishing gear. As my parents made more money, they chose to spend it exposing us to the adventures of traveling to the Bahamas, the ancient Giant Redwoods of California, and the historic cities of the East Coast.
I’ve been a homemaker and homeschooler for twenty-one years now. To make a little extra money, my husband, kids, and I started a portable laser tag business on the weekends. After almost ten years in business, we sold it, and I started teaching English online in the early morning hours while my kids sleep.
Sure, we could give our kids more stuff and a fancier house if I worked full-time, but I believe that being home to disciple my kids is immeasurably more valuable than expensive clothes, vacations, and all the various trappings of the world.
Truly, Americans today have a hard time grasping what it means to be poor. We think we’re poor if we can’t afford cable TV and Six Flags season passes. We think we’re poor if we can’t afford to vacation in Florida and buy Starbucks every morning. We think we’re poor if we don’t have a closet full of name brand clothes and sneakers.
So, I admit it’s hard for me to know how to help the needy and poor like we read about in Deuteronomy 15:11.
For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’
Deuteronomy 15:11 ESV
Well, two days ago, on Saturday afternoon, I went to my local Aldi, hoping to save a little money on my groceries. Walking in, I noticed an older man sitting outside by himself on a concrete bench in front of the store. A half-hour later I came out with a half-full grocery cart, hurrying home to make a salad to take to the dinner we were sharing that night at a friend’s house with some other couples from church. And there he was, still sitting alone on the bench.
I stopped next to him, asking if he was waiting for a ride – the only logical reason a person would sit on a bench in front of Aldi for a half hour in the hundred-degree Memphis heat. As it turns out, he wasn’t waiting for a ride. He was just sitting on the bench trying to escape the heat because it was in the shade.
I asked him if I could get him anything. He asked for a soda. I apologized, telling him that I didn’t get any soda. Next I asked if I could get him some water, and he said he’d already gotten some water next door at the fast food restaurant. Finally, I apologized to him again and made my way back to my car where I unloaded my groceries into my trunk, got in the front seat of my car … and cried.
I couldn’t just leave that man there and go home to my air conditioning and fridge full of food.
So, I grabbed a five-dollar bill out of my glove box and went back into Aldi where I waited in line for five minutes to buy him an ice-cold bottle of Coke and a Snickers bar. What else could I do?
Truly, sisters, the love of Christ compels me.
And I went back to that bench and sat down with that poor old man and asked him his name.
That man has a name. It’s John.
And he’s been made in the image of God. God created John on purpose. I don’t know anything about John’s life or how he ended up sitting on a steaming hot, concrete bench in front of a grocery store trying to grab any forgotten quarters from the grocery carts locks.
But I do know that if that was my son or my dad or my brother, I’d want someone to sit with him, to notice him, to ask if he needed anything. I’d want someone to talk to him and pray for him. I’d want someone to buy him a Coke and let him use their phone to make a phone call.
So, I laid my hand on John’s knee, prayed for him, and gave him one of the pocket-sized books of John from the Pocket Testament League that I always carry with me.
I wish I could say that I did more to help John, but I didn’t. It’s the struggle I face living in a finite, fallen world with limited time and dangerous men, but I sincerely hope that John will believe that God sees him and wants good for his life.
Will you please join me in praying for John?
And will you please ask God to put someone into your path that you can minister to this week?
Remember that apart from the grace and mercy of God, we are all dead in our sins, hopeless and drowning, poor and blind and lost in darkness, and we have been commanded to love our neighbor as ourselves.
By this we know love, that he [Jesus] laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Deuteronomy 12-13
“Have it your way”
“Do what you want to do”
“Be yourself”
“Follow your heart”
Our modern American culture is screaming at us from every side to do whatever seems right to us, that everyone is different and should be free to express themselves however they want. Yet, Proverbs 14:12 says otherwise, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”
Here in Deuteronomy we read that God has a specific place for the Israelites to worship Him and a specific way that He wants to be worshipped. He says “destroy … tear down … dash in pieces … burn … chop down” the places where false gods have been worshipped. God says, “You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way.” (Deuteronomy 12:2-4) God says, “Do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? – that I also may do the same.'” (Deuteronomy 12:30)
Let’s not look at Eastern religions and rock concerts for direction on how to worship God; let’s look at the Word.
The Word tells us to worship the Lord in Spirit and Truth (John 4:24), and “with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28b-29). We are to “ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him! Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.” (1 Chronicles 16:29) Let us, present our bodies “as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:1-2)
A Psalm for giving thanks.
Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Deuteronomy 10-11
Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it.
Yet the LORD set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day.
Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn.
Deuteronomy 10:14-16 ESV
Heavenly Father, You are God and God alone. All of heaven and earth are in the palm of Your hand. You are above all things. You rule over all things. You are the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the eternal and unchanging One. It is by Your will that all of the universe came into existence, and it is by Your will that all of life is sustained. What is man that You are mindful of him? Who am I that You care for me? The very thought that You know me by name, that You love me, oh, Lord, such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to understand. Thank You, Lord. I pray that I would fear You with holy reverence, that I would walk in Your ways, that I would love and serve You with all my heart and soul, keeping Your commands and loving others as You have loved me, all the days of my life. In gratitude to my Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Deuteronomy 7-9
Moses had some words of wisdom for the Israelites before they entered the Promised Land. He warned them not to turn away from God saying to themselves, “My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth,” (Deuteronomy 8:17) and “It is because of my righteousness that the LORD has brought me in to possess this land.” (Deuteronomy 9:4) He was worried that when they were full and had built nice houses to live in and had plenty of sheep, cattle, gold, silver and children, they would “forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” (Deuteronomy 8:14b)
This was a very real danger for the Israelites, and it’s a very real danger for us.
Beware, sister, lest you forget that God chose you while you were yet a sinner, an enemy of the gospel. Beware, sister, lest you fall away and trust in your own righteousness rather than Christ’s. Beware, sister, lest you no longer see your need for the Lord’s salvation and provision.
Heed the words to the church in Laodicea from Revelation 3:17-18
For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.”
Revelation 3:17-18
I was reminded of something I wrote about earlier this week about the roadblocks that stand in the way of us teaching our children. One stumbling block that I hadn’t thought about at the time, though, was pride. Sometimes we feel like we don’t need to teach our children because we think, “They’re good kids. They know God’s Word. They don’t really need me to teach them.” In our self-sufficiency, we become lazy parents. We take pride in our children’s accomplishments, thinking that we must be really great parents to have produced such great kids, rather than humbly acknowledging God’s mercy toward them and us.
Dear friends, the Lord did not choose you because you were mighty or lovely or powerful or smart or good. In fact, you weren’t any of those things before, and you’re not any of those things now. Sure, you might be more kind or beautiful or smart or religious than your husband or sister or neighbor, but compared to God we are all filthy and wretched.
Compared to the wisdom of God, you are a fool.
Compared to the kindness of God, you are a selfish beast.
Compared to the power of God, you are nothing more than a grasshopper perched precariously on a blade of grass.
Moses had never read my favorite Bible verse, Romans 5:8, “But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us,” yet, the Holy Spirit inspired him to write Deuteronomy 7:6-8. God is unchanging, sovereign, and good. Trust in Him and Him alone.
“The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”
Deuteronomy 7:6b-8 ESV
Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your mercy and grace. Thank You for Your forgiveness. Thank You for the peace that You have given to me, redeeming me and bringing me into Your family and Your kingdom. I pray that You would keep me humble. You have given me so much. You have anointed my head with oil again and again. My cup indeed overflows. Keep me on my knees. Help me to seek You and You only. Help my heart to truthfully say, “There is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.” Let me not boast in anything save in the cross of Christ. You are all I need. In the Name of Jesus Christ, my Treasure and Savior, I pray. Amen.
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Deuteronomy 5-6
And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.
You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
I like to begin my days with my own time in the Word. This means early mornings, but it’s so worth it. Rising before the sun starts my day off right and helps to set my mind on heavenly things. Then, as I go throughout my day – teaching English online, vacuuming, washing dishes, doing schoolwork with my son, going for a walk in my neighborhood – my thoughts often return to what I read that morning or that week.
In praying about what to write today, I was reminded of Luke 6:45b ESV, “Out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” If my heart is full of grumbling, my mouth will be full of complaints, but if my heart is full of gratitude and wisdom, my mouth will be, too. I can’t speak of the Lord’s goodness, if I don’t in my heart believe that He is good. I know how much I need the Lord to renew my heart and mind daily. I know how prone to wander that I am. If I miss even one day with my Savior, I can feel it in my spirit.
She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
Proverbs 31:26 ESV
The only way for your tongue to speak wisdom and kindness is for your heart to be full of the wisdom and kindness found in the Word of God. Start there for yourself, and let your heart overflow into your children as you rise and sit and walk and lie down day after day. Just like you would casually tell your children about what you bought that day at the store or about that friend you ran into that day at work, share with your children what you learned that day in the Word or in the circumstances of your daily life.
Your children need the wisdom that comes from living. Let your successes – and your failures – guide them to the path of life in Jesus.
Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, help me to sit at Your feet each and every day, day after day soaking in Your Word and Your presence. Draw me close to You that my life and my mouth may overflow with love for my children. May my mouth be full of wisdom and kindness. May my eyes be gentle and bright. May my ears be attentive and compassionate. May my mind be fixed on things that are above and not on the things of this earth. Help me to remember that this earth and its tribulations are passing away, while the unseen things are eternal and weighty. Fill my heart with Your love. Fill my mouth with Your Word and Your words. Help me to live for what matters. Give me the strength to love my children as myself, to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. Make me Your mouthpiece, teaching truth diligently to my children – from the time they awake until they go to sleep – for the glory of Your Name and for the good of Your kingdom. In the Name of Jesus Christ, my Savior and my Lord I pray. Amen.
“Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children.’
Deuteronomy 4:9-10 ESV
There is truly no greater joy in my daily life than sitting next to my son, reading and discussing the Bible together. If God has given you children, He wants you to teach those children about Him. Is this a struggle for you? It was for me. I’d love to help.
First, I suggest you consider what roadblocks are getting in your way.
Are you or your children too busy? Do you not have even thirty minutes a day together at home?
Do you have a tense, angry, disrespectful relationship with your children? Do you struggle even just being in the same room with each other or talking for more than a few minutes?
Do you not have your own personal time in prayer and the Word?
Is your husband opposed to you sharing your faith or teaching your children about God?
Different struggles have different solutions.
If you’re overcommitted with extra curricular activities, or spending too much time on schoolwork, housework, or office work, you’ve got to find a way to rearrange your schedule. Get up earlier. Drop a club. Turn off the TV or put away the phone.
If you can’t stand your children and they can’t stand you, humbly approach them and ask for a do-over. Cut out of your life what’s stealing your focus and pay attention to your children. Play some games together. Cook a nice meal together. Listen. Hang out. Speak encouraging words. Show them that they matter to you. Ask them how you can pray for them and then do it.
If you’re not having your own time with the Lord, why would your children? Don’t expect from others what you’re not doing yourself. Your children won’t see the need for prayer and Bible study if you don’t. Reading the Bible isn’t a school subject. It’s an intimate, genuine, personal relationship with the author of the book.
If your husband truly has forbidden you from speaking to your children about God and your faith, this is a very difficult subject. Pray, sister, pray. Humbly petition the Lord to change your husband’s heart. Follow the words of 1 Peter 3 and have a gentle, quiet, meek spirit toward your husband and watch what the Lord does. Get help from your local church body leaders and look for open doors.
After considering the roadblocks and seeking to overcome them, then you’ve got to just start. There will never be a perfect time. Satan will try to keep you discouraged and flustered until the day your kids are grown and gone.
Pick a song and sing together. Singing helps reorient your mind and heart to the Lord.
Next, pray for the Lord to speak during your time together in the Word.
Then read a few verses or even a chapter or two together. If your child can read, let them read. Encourage them. Praise them. Sit next to them. Look them in the eyes and listen to every word they want to share.
After you read together, ask them what their favorite verse was and tell them yours. Have them write that verse down in a journal or in the margin of their Bible, and you do the same.
Finally, pray together. Pray for each other. Pray for your neighbors and friends and family. Pray for your country and for our world. Enjoy your time together. Make it the highlight of your day.
Dear friends, I don’t want to guilt you into teaching your children about God. Rather, I want to come alongside you and encourage you. God is good and He wants to bless you through your children and bless your children through you. I’d love to hear how it goes!
I think there’s something incredibly powerful in true stories. Reading the biographies of Christian brothers and sisters like Hudson Taylor, Gladys Aylward, and Corrie Ten Boom is both inspiring and convicting. It reminds me that God is real, that He is on His throne, that He hears and answers prayers, and that He loves His children. I would highly recommend to you and your family the Christian Heroes books written by the married team, Janet and Geoff Benge. I’ve read at least a dozen of their books and loved every one. In fact, I recently discovered that my local library has several of their Christian biographies available on audiobook. Hooray! Did you know I absolutely love listening to audiobooks?
I absolutely love reading Paul’s words of encouragement and instruction as held in Philippians and Romans, but today, our first day of school – and first day of reading Notgrass Exploring America – was the perfect day to begin reading the story of the Israelite people in Deuteronomy. As immensely valuable as it is to learn the history of America and other countries around the world, it’s so much more important to learn the history of God and His people.
Here are a few takeaways I had from today’s reading:
1. God made a way for His people to enter the Promised Land, but they had to take action, obeying Him, going in and taking possession of the land. (Deuteronomy 1:8) I have found in my own life that the Lord has prepared me and my circumstances to accomplish His purposes, but that doesn’t make me exempt from taking the necessary steps of obedience to achieve them.
2. Moses was a fabulous leader and man of God but even he needed other people to partner with him in leading the Israelites. (Deuteronomy 1:9-18)
3. Even when we get to see first-hand the Lord working before our very eyes, we can forget His love and provision for us. We must be careful to remind ourselves again and again of His faithfulness.
For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.
Deuteronomy 2:7 ESV
Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, You are as real and powerful and faithful today as You were thousands of years ago. You cared for and provided for Your Hebrew children, and You care for and provide for me. Thank You for Your faithfulness. Thank You for Your guidance. Thank You for the nourishing food and clean water and safe shelter that You have given to me. Even when the way seems dark and I feel alone, I can trust that every day of my life You have been with me and I have lacked for nothing. I am grateful. For the glory and majesty of Your Name I pray. Amen.
Teach What is Good 