First Moses told all Israel, “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 ESV
Next, Moses immediately summoned Joshua to tell him personally, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” (Deuteronomy 31:7-8)
Several months ago I deleted my Facebook account. I don’t miss it much. I’ve gained more than I’ve lost. But one thing I do miss is reading Sunshine Meister’s beautifully written testimonies of God’s daily sustaining grace in her life after her son Nahum’s traumatic brain injury in 2021. This morning I woke up thinking about her and tried to find a way to follow her somewhere other than Facebook, and I stumbled on this testimony on YouTube.
Her words will encourage you more than mine. To God be the glory. Do not fear or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you.
Sunshine Meister – Finding Comfort in God’s Presence
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Deuteronomy 29-30
And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: “You have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders. But to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear.”
Deuteronomy 29:2-4 ESV
These people were eyewitnesses to numerous unexplainable miracles, yet they didn’t understand. Like Jesus who spoke with such wisdom, yet many didn’t understand.
Each of us need the Lord’s tender hands to circumcise our hearts and our children’s hearts, so that we will love the LORD our God with all our heart and soul, that we may live. (Deuteronomy 30:6)
Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, I have seen You work with my own eyes, yet I am so quick to forget. I’m quick to go astray, to wander away from You. Please, open the eyes of my heart, that I might truly see and believe. Please, circumcise my heart, though it’s painful, I need it. I have grown calloused. Break my heart for what breaks Yours. Strengthen me to obey You, loving You with all my heart, soul, strength, and mind, and loving my neighbor as myself. In the Name of Jesus Christ, my perfect example and my Savior, Amen.
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Deuteronomy 22-23
I’m prone to losing stuff. Usually the items are lost in my home. At least once a week, I can’t seem to find my keys, my purse, my sunglasses, or whatever. But sometimes I lose something when I’m out somewhere, most often my purse. When I was younger – like less than 40 ☺️ – I forgot my purse in the grocery cart with remarkable regularity. (I’d like to say I’m not so forgetful anymore, but I’m afraid that the real reason I no longer do that is that I rarely go shopping anymore, preferring the convenience of grocery pickup or delivery.)
Well, anyway, it seems I’ve passed on my forgetful genes to my youngest son (and at least one of his siblings). Last Saturday, my son was playing basketball in our church parking lot. He took his wallet out of his pocket and set it carefully on the cement light pole for safe keeping, fully intending to replace it in his pocket when the game was done. You know how the story ends, don’t you? Several hours later, when he went to put his wallet in his pocket before heading to work, he couldn’t find it and, in fact, couldn’t even remember where it was. Thankfully, I recovered said wallet from the church parking lot without a hitch. Not a dollar missing. 🎉🎉🎉
“You shall not see your brother’s ox or his sheep going astray and ignore them. You shall take them back to your brother. And if he does not live near you and you do not know who he is, you shall bring it home to your house, and it shall stay with you until your brother seeks it. Then you shall restore it to him. And you shall do the same with his donkey or with his garment, or with any lost thing of your brother’s, which he loses and you find; you may not ignore it. You shall not see your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen down by the way and ignore them. You shall help him to lift them up again.”
Deuteronomy 22:1-4 ESV
What a perfect reading for me this week! I prayed, “Father, help me to do to others as I’d have done to me, to go the extra mile to restore whatever was lost!”
And suddenly I thought of the parables that Jesus told as recorded in Luke 15, the parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son.
“Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Luke 15:8-10 ESV
Friends, as much as we should help restore to our neighbor a lost wallet, how much more should we seek diligently to restore a lost soul. A lost human being is of infinitely greater worth than a thousand lost sheep or a million lost wallets.
What is more valuable to you, your neighbor’s stuff or your neighbor’s soul?
Heavenly Father, You are my greatest treasure. You are worth more to me than all the money in the world. Help me to love my neighbor as myself. Help me to love my neighbor’s children as I love my own. Help me to be faithful to love what You love, to be about my Father’s business of seeking and saving the lost. Please forgive me, Lord, for not making the most of every opportunity because of my own selfishness. Lord, break my heart for what breaks Yours. I love You, Lord. Thank You for Your love for me, for chasing me down and running to me with open arms. In the name of Jesus Christ, my Savior and Redeemer I pray. Amen.
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Deuteronomy 20-21
And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance.
Deuteronomy 21:22-23 ESV
The Hebrews understand thisnot of putting to death by hanging, but of hanging a man up after he was stoned to death; which was done more ignominiously of some heinous malefactors.
We have the examples of Rechab and Baanah, who, for murdering Ish-bosheth, were slain by David’s commandment, their hand and feet cut off, and then hanged up. 2Sa 4:12; See also Jos 8:29; Jos 10:26.
So Num 25:4; we read, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Take all the heads (chief men) of the people, and hang them up before the LORD against the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel.”
Among the Romans, in after ages, they hanged, or rather fastened to the tree ALIVE; and such was the cruel death of our blessed LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ.
“Treasury of Scripture Knowledge” — accessed via Blue Letter Bible
And in reference to the phrase, “a hanged man is cursed by God,” the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge has this to say,
That is, it is the highest degree of reproach that can attach to a man, and proclaims him under the curse of God as much as any external punishment can. They that see him thus hanging between heaven and earth, will conclude him abandoned of both, and unworthy of either.
Bp. Patrick observes, that this passage is applied to the death of Christ; not onlybecause he bare our sins and was exposed to shame, as these malefactors were that were accursed of God, but because he was in the evening taken down from the cursed tree and buried, (and that by the particular care of the Jews, with an eye to this law, Jhn 19:31,) in token, that now the guilt being removed, the law was satisfied, as it was when the malefactors had hanged till sun-set: it demanded no more. Then he, and those that are his, ceased to be a curse.
And as the land of Israel was pure and clean when the body was buried, so the church is washed and cleansed by the complete satisfaction which Christ thus made.
“Treasury of Scripture Knowledge” — accessed via Blue Letter Bible
Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your mercy. Thank You for Your Son’s sacrifice on my behalf, for taking on the death that I deserved, for becoming a curse for me. Thank You that You are just, and that my account has been marked “paid in full,” that it is indeed finished, that Jesus has already satisfied the penalty for my sin. And now all I can say is Thank You. Father, help me to live a grateful life, a redeemed life, the life of a death-row criminal who has been set free and given a second chance at life. I want to walk in JOY and FREEDOM. Give me the strength, please, by Your Holy Spirit at work in me. I pray in the name of Jesus who took my place. Amen.
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 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.
In Deuteronomy 3, we read the words of Moses to the Lord, “Please let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan …” (verse 25a) and we read the Lord’s answer. Moses would be allowed to view the Promised Land from atop Mount Pisgah, but he would not be allowed to go in with the people he had led for all those years. Despite Moses’s humble plea, God chose young Joshua to lead His people across the Jordan.
Why won’t God let Moses go into the Promised Land with those people that he has served through plagues and battles and complaint after complaint? It seems mean, unfair.
Is there something you’re pleading with God for, something you’ve asked God for time and time again? Do you ever feel like God has forgotten you, that He doesn’t love you, that your requests aren’t important to Him?
Let me first say that if you are not a member of God’s family, if you haven’t been adopted as His Son or daughter, then that’s the first step you need to take. Give your life over to the Lord. Repent of your sins, and ask Him to forgive you. Ask Him to put His Holy Spirit in you and turn you from darkness to light. Study His Word and get involved in a local Bible-believing, Bible-preaching body of believers.
But, if you have been born again into the family of God, then let me encourage you that God hears your prayers, but sometimes His answer is no. As His children, we can trust that God has a purpose for our lives even when His answer is ‘no.’
Sometimes He is disciplining us for our past disobedience, like a good Father should.
Sometimes He is giving someone else a blessing, a chance to lead or receive.
Sometimes He knows that giving us what we ask would hurt us and He is protecting us in His refusal.
I may never know why God says No, but I can always trust that no matter what, He is with me, He hears me, and He is at work in my life.
Heavenly Father, Your ways are not my ways. Your thoughts are not my thoughts. Help me to trust You when I don’t understand Your ‘No.’ Help me to believe that You are at work behind the scenes, working all things together for good, because I love You and You have called me for Your purposes. Whether I get to lead my people all the way into the Promised Land or I only get a glimpse of the good things to come, I want to be used by You. I trust You. In the Name of Jesus Christ who is faithful and good. Amen.
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.
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.
Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad.
Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.
Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
Romans 13:1-7 ESV
Here in America I don’t often struggle with obeying our government authorities. I have found that most of their decisions are good. I should obey the speed limit and make a complete stop at a stop sign. I shouldn’t steal or murder or lie in court.
I’m allowed to freely teach my children all the ins and outs of our Christian faith. There is absolutely nothing preventing me from practicing my faith and teaching my children the Bible and all of its practices. Even as a homeschooling parent, my state’s rules allow me the freedom to choose any curriculum I believe that is appropriate for my child.
But what would I do if I lived in a nation that forbade such practices?
What if my country regulated what pastors were allowed to say from the pulpit?
What if my country said I wasn’t allowed to teach my children the Bible or take them to church?
What if my country banned prayer altogether, even a child’s silent prayer before eating lunch or taking a test?
What if my nation wouldn’t allow me to choose a private Christian school or Christian homeschooling curriculum?
What if my government banned homeschooling altogether?
When do I say, “I must obey God rather than men,” (Acts 5:29) and refuse to submit to the government’s orders?
Many of our brothers and sisters in other nations are already wrestling with these issues and I’m afraid many of these issues are already on the horizon for us as well. Please join me in prayer.
Heavenly Father, I thank You for the freedom that we in America have enjoyed for hundreds of years, the freedom to worship You in spirit and in truth, the freedom to teach our children the Word with passion and conviction. I pray that we would make the most of this freedom while we have it. I pray that we would not give up meeting together, and that we would teach our children diligently, verse by verse and precept upon precept. I pray for our brothers and sisters and other nations who do not enjoy these freedoms. I pray that You would give them wisdom about when to submit and when to refuse. Help them to have genuine love for their enemies and to overcome evil with good. Help them to remember that Your Word is their most powerful weapon. Please, Father, fight their battles for them and shelter them under Your wings. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen.
12:9 ESV — Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.
I love Romans 12. It’s so full of practical wisdom. I’d love to memorize all 21 verses in order, so I could remind myself of every ounce of it every time I needed it.
First, I need to be reminded that my body is a living sacrifice for God, that I might walk daily in the holy obedience of faith.
Second, I need to be reminded not to think of myself too highly, but to remember that my faith is a good gift from God, that I might serve Him by serving others in my teaching, exhortation, giving, leading, and serving.
And then, I need to be reminded that my love must be genuine and sincere, free from hypocrisy, that I would hate what is evil and cling to what is good. This reminds me of 1 Corinthians 13:6, Love “does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.” Our culture says that we should applaud others’ choices, no matter what they are, but our Lord says that genuine love HATES evil and LOVES good.
And finally, I need to be reminded how to treat those enemies that genuine love will make, that I am not to repay wrong with wrong, but to overcome evil with good.
Light and love are our secret weapons in the fight against the evil one and those in his grasp.
Vengeance belongs to the Lord, not us. We are His servants, called to put on the full armor of God, to resist the devil and fight the good fight of faith. Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, please help us to remember that we are Your soldiers, Your workmanship, Your children, Your servants, that we are in a battle between good and evil. Let us fight this battle well, with the sword of the spirit ready in our minds, mouths, and hands, overcoming evil with good by Your power at work in us. Let us not grow weary of doing good, knowing that at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not lose heart. In the Almighty and Good name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
Teach What is Good 
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