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Day 64 – A Year in the Bible – Joshua 7-9

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JOSHUA 7 – THEY WERE WARNED

Let Not all the People Go and Smite Ai for They are But Few
And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-aven, on the east side of Beth-el, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai. And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few. – Joshua‬ ‭7:2-3

The Men of Ai Smote Them
And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water. And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads. – Joshua‬ ‭7:5-6‬ ‭

Get Thee Up, Israel Hath Sinned
And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you. Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you. – Joshua‬ ‭7:10-13‬ ‭

He That Hasthe Accursed Thing Shall Be Burnt with Fire
In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the LORD taketh shall come according to the families thereof; and the family which the LORD shall take shall come by households; and the household which the LORD shall take shall come man by man. And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel. – Joshua‬ ‭7:14-15‬ ‭

“I Saw Them, Coveted Them, Took Them, and Hid Them”
And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me. And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: when I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it. So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it. And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the LORD. And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor. And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones. And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day. – Joshua 7:19-26

The children of Israel were defeated at Ai because a man named Achan had stolen plunder from Jericho, despite God’s command that everything be destroyed. Achan broke a covenant with God when he allowed lust for possessions to lead him to covet and take what he knew God had forbidden. Anything in our lives that we exalt above God and His commands will lead us further and further from God and our relationship with Him if left unchecked. Anything we have to work to hide lest someone finds out should be a big red flag that something isn’t quite right in our lives. Achan sure helped to teach some lessons today!

Help Us to Take Your Warnings Seriously, Father!
Jesus spoke of this also in Luke 16:13, No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

As we read through our passages, we see a theme of obedience and faithfulness being irreplaceable qualities to God. This is our warning not to underestimate the consequences of this issue.

Continually, we ask God to give us what we want and need, but we too often want things without having to obey or be faithful. But God won’t usually provide us with something that will gain control over us and replace His sovereignty in our lives. He knows those are the things that are apt to destroy us. Not everything we want is truly best for us. As we petition the Lord for intervention in our lives, we must also consider our faithfulness to God? Can we truly handle what we’re asking for

Father, Help all of my requests to be accompanied by the Words of Jesus flowing from my mouth and heart – Nevertheless, not my will, but Thy will be done.

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JOSHUA 8 – FEAR NOT

Fear Not, Neither Be Thou Dismayed
And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land: and thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it. – Joshua‬ ‭8:1-2‬ ‭

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JOSHUA 9 – THEY DID NOT ASK THE LORD FOR GUIDANCE

The Kings Gathered Together To Fight Joshua and Israel
And it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of the great sea over against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof; that they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord. – Joshua‬ ‭9:1-2‬ ‭

The Men Asked Not Counsel at the Mouth of the LORD
And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD. And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them.– Joshua‬ ‭9:14-15‬ ‭

Day 63 – A Year in the Bible – Joshua 4-6

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JOSHUA 4 – REMEMBER

Joshua Set Up Twelve Stones in the Midst of Jordan
And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day. For the priests which bare the ark stood in the midst of Jordan, until every thing was finished that the LORD commanded Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua: and the people hasted and passed over. – Joshua‬ ‭4:9-10‬ ‭

On that Day the LORD Magnified Joshua in the Sight of All Israel
On that day the LORD magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life. – Joshua‬ ‭4:14‬ ‭

What Mean These Stones?
And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones? Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land. For the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over: that all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever. – Joshua‬ ‭4:21-24‬ 

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JOSHUA 5 – HOLY GROUND

The Cause Why Joshua Did Circumcise
And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the people that came out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt. Now all the people that came out were circumcised: but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised. For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: unto whom the LORD sware that he would not shew them the land, which the LORD sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey. – Joshua‬ ‭5:4-6‬ ‭

This Day Have I Rolled Away the Reproach of Egypt from Off You
And their children, whom he raised up in their stead, them Joshua circumcised: for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them by the way. And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole. And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day. – Joshua‬ ‭5:7-9‬

Loose Thy Shoe for the Place Whereon Thou Standest is Holy
And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant? And the captain of the LORD’s host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so. – Joshua‬ ‭5:13-15‬

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JOSHUA 6 – SEVEN PRIESTS, TRUMPETS, DAYS, TIMES AROUND

Seven Priests, Seven Trumpets, Seven Days, Seven Times Around
And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD. And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the LORD went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rereward came after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets. And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days. And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times. And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city. – Joshua 6:12-16

Only Rahab the Harlot and Her Household Lived
And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. – Joshua‬ ‭6:17‬ ‭

Keep Yourselves from the Accursed Thing
And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the LORD: they shall come into the treasury of the LORD. – Joshua‬ ‭6:18-19‬

Day 62 – A Year in the Bible – Joshua 1-3
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JOSHUA 1 – BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS

Every Place Your Foot Shall Tread Upon I Have Given You
Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. – Joshua 1:1-4

This Book of Law Shall Not Departed Out of Thy Mouth
There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. – Joshua 1:5-9

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JOSHUA 2 – ALL THE INHABITANTS OF THE COUNTRY DO FAINT BECAUSE OF US

Rahab
And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot’s house, named Rahab, and lodged there. And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither to night of the children of Israel to search out the country. And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country. And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were: and it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them. But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof. – Joshua‬ ‭2:1-6‬

Our Life for Yours, if Ye Utter Not This Our Business
And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath. Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father’s house, and give me a true token: and that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death. And the men answered her, Our life for your’s, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the LORD hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee. – Joshua‬ ‭2:11-14

Truly the LORD Hath Delivered Into Our Hands All the Land
And they went, and came unto the mountain, and abode there three days, until the pursuers were returned: and the pursuers sought them throughout all the way, but found them not. So the two men returned, and descended from the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all things that befell them: and they said unto Joshua, Truly the LORD hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us. – Joshua‬ ‭2‬:‭22‬-‭24‬ ‭

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JOSHUA 3 – THIS DAY WILL I BEGIN TO MAGNIFY THEE

Tomorrow the LORD will do Wonders Among You
And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you. – Joshua 3:5

As I Was With Moses, So I Will Be With You
And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. – Joshua 3:7

As the Soles of the Priest Rest in the Waters of Jordan
And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan. And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God. And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man. And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap. – Joshua‬ ‭3‬:‭8‬-‭13‬ ‭

The Priests that Bare the Ark Stood Firm on Dry Ground
And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people; and as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) that the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho. And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan. – Joshua‬ ‭3‬:‭14‬-‭17‬ ‭

Day 61 – A Year in the Bible – Deuteronomy 32-34

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DEUTERONOMY 32 – CONSIDER YOUR LATTER END

Give Ear, O Ye Heavens, and I Will Speak
Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; And hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. My doctrine shall drop as the rain, My speech shall distil as the dew, As the small rain upon the tender herb, And as the showers upon the grass: – Deuteronomy‬ ‭32:1-2

His Work in Me is Perfect
Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.- Deuteronomy 32:3-4

Consider Your Latter End
For they [Israel] are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them. O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end! – Deuteronomy 32:28-29

Consider Your latter end. Consider your eternity!!!

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DEUTERONOMY 33 – BLESSINGS

This is the Blessing
And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭33:1‬

Sit and Receive
Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words. – Deuteronomy 33:3

To me, this is a beautiful picture of God and His children. He loves His children and cares for them, provides for them. His children sit at His feet, listen to His Words, and receive all they need. Doesn’t that remind you of Mary, who sat at Jesus’ feet listening to Him talk while her sister Martha cooked and cleaned? Martha complained that Mary wasn’t helping. And what did Jesus say of Mary? He said She has chosen the good part.

Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and her his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou are careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. – Luke 10:38-42

God still wants us to choose to sit down at His feet and receive from His Words. God still wants us to choose Him and those things He wants to share with us above all the cares of this world. Why? Because:

It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. – John 6:63

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. – Hebrews 4:12

But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. – Matthew 4:4

Every One Shall Receive of Thy Words
And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, And rose up from Seir unto them; He shined forth from mount Paran, And he came with ten thousands of saints: From his right hand went a fiery law for them. Yea, he loved the people; All his saints are in thy hand: And they sat down at thy feet; Every one shall receive of thy words. Moses commanded us a law, Even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob. And he was king in Jeshurun, When the heads of the people And the tribes of Israel were gathered together. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭33:2-5‬

Reuben
Let Reuben live, and not die; And let not his men be few. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭33:6‬

Judah
And this is the blessing of Judah: and he said, Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah, And bring him unto his people: Let his hands be sufficient for him; And be thou an help to him from his enemies. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭33:7‬ ‭

Levi
And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one, Whom thou didst prove at Massah, And with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah; Who said unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen him; Neither did he acknowledge his brethren, Nor knew his own children: For they have observed thy word, And kept thy covenant. They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, And Israel thy law: They shall put incense before thee, And whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar. Bless, LORD, his substance, And accept the work of his hands: Smite through the loins of them that rise against him, And of them that hate him, that they rise not again. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭33:8-11‬ ‭

Benjamin
And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by him; And the LORD shall cover him all the day long, And he shall dwell between his shoulders. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭33:12‬ ‭

Joseph
And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land, For the precious things of heaven, for the dew, And for the deep that coucheth beneath, And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, And for the precious things put forth by the moon, And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, And for the precious things of the lasting hills, And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, And for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: Let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, And upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren. His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, And his horns are like the horns of unicorns: With them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: And they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, And they are the thousands of Manasseh. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭33:13-17

Zebulun and Issachar
And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; And, Issachar, in thy tents. They shall call the people unto the mountain; There they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: For they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, And of treasures hid in the sand. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭33:18-19‬ ‭

Gad
And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: He dwelleth as a lion, And teareth the arm with the crown of the head. And he provided the first part for himself, Because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated; And he came with the heads of the people, He executed the justice of the LORD, And his judgments with Israel.– Deuteronomy‬ ‭33:20-21

Dan
And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion’s whelp: He shall leap from Bashan. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭33:22‬

Naphtali
And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favour, And full with the blessing of the LORD: Possess thou the west and the south. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭33:23‬

Asher
And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; Let him be acceptable to his brethren, And let him dip his foot in oil. Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; And as thy days, so shall thy strength be. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭33:24-25‬ ‭

O Israel: Who is Like Unto Thee
There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, Who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, And in his excellency on the sky. The eternal God is thy refuge, And underneath are the everlasting arms: And he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; And shall say, Destroy them. Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: The fountain of Jacob Shall be upon a land of corn and wine; Also his heavens shall drop down dew. Happy art thou, O Israel: Who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, The shield of thy help, And who is the sword of thy excellency! And thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; And thou shalt tread upon their high places. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭33:26-29‬

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DEUTERONOMY 34 – MOSES WHOM THE LORD KNEW FACE TO FACE

This is the Land Which I Sware Unto Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
And the LORD said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭34:4

His Eye was Not Dim
And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭34:7‬

A Prophet Whom the LORD Knew Face to Face
And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, – Deuteronomy‬ ‭34:10‬

Day 60 – A Year in the Bible – Deuteronomy 29-31

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DEUTERONOMY 29 – THAT THOU SHOULDEST ENTER INTO COVENANT

The LORD Hath Not Given You an Heart to Perceive
And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land; the great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles: yet the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭29:1-4‬ ‭

Ye Stand Before the LORD that Thou Shouldest Enter Into Covenant
Ye stand this day all of you before the LORD your God; your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, with all the men of Israel, your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water: that thou shouldest enter into covenant with the LORD thy God, and into his oath, which the LORD thy God maketh with thee this day: that he may establish thee to day for a people unto himself, and that he may be unto thee a God, as he hath said unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭29:10-13‬ ‭

Those Things Revealed Belong Unto Us and Our Children Forever
The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭29:29‬

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DEUTERONOMY 30 – CHOOSE LIFE

I Have Set Before Thee Life and Good and Death and Evil
See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; in that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭30:15-18‬ ‭

Therefore Choose Life
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: that thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭30:19-20‬ ‭

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DEUTERONOMY 31 – THAT THIS SONG MAY BE A WITNESS

Be Strong and of Good Courage
And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭31:7-8‬‬

Write Ye This Song That This Song May Be a Witness
And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them. Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us? And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods. Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭31:16-19‬

Day 59 – A Year in the Bible – Deuteronomy 25-28

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DEUTERONOMY 25 – LENGTHENED DAYS

That Thy Days May Be Lengthened
Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a great and a small. Thou shalt not have in thine house divers measures, a great and a small. But thou shalt have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure shalt thou have: that thy days may be lengthened in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. For all that do such things, and all that do unrighteously, are an abomination unto the LORD thy God. – Deuteronomy 25:13-16

Ten Conditions of Lengthened Days
1. Honor your parents (Deut. 5:16; Ex. 20:12).
2. Keep the commandments (Deut. 4:40; 11:9).
3. Walk in God’s ways (Deut. 5:33).
4. Fear the Lord (Deut. 6:2).
5. Teach children God’s Word (Deut. 11:19-21).
6. Read the law, fear God, & obey His will (Deut. 17:19-20).
7. Be kind to animals (Deut. 22:7).
8. Have perfect weights & measures–be honest (Deut 25:15)
9. Love and obey God (Deut. 20:15-20).
10. Set heart on obedience to God & His Word (Deut. 32:44-47).

DEUTERONOMY 26 – HIS PECULIAR PEOPLE

Avouched This Day
This day the LORD thy God hath commanded thee to do these statutes and judgments: thou shalt therefore keep and do them with all thine heart, and with all thy soul. Thou hast avouched the LORD this day to be thy God, and to walk in his ways, and to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and to hearken unto his voice: and the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments; and to make thee high above all nations which he hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honour; and that thou mayest be an holy people unto the LORD thy God, as he hath spoken. – Deuteronomy 26:16-19

Avouched – certified, promised, declared

Deuteronomy 26:17-19 are promises and vows that God and Israel made to each other. In other words, their covenant. Both God and Israel avouched (made promises) to each other. Israel would not keep their promises and they would in time see the consequences of their disobedience that is laid out in the passages today. God is faithful to His promises and He keeps His covenant – every word He has promised will come to pass for Israel…and you and me.

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DEUTERONOMY 27 – CURSES

And All the People Shall Say, Amen
The Levites Shall Speak and Say Unto All the Men of Israel and Say Unto All the Men of Israel with a Loud Voice…

Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen.

Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Cursed be he that removeth his neighbour’s landmark. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Cursed be he that maketh the blind to wander out of the way. And all the people shall say, Amen. 

Cursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Cursed be he that lieth with his father’s wife; because he uncovereth his father’s skirt. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Cursed be he that lieth with any manner of beast. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Cursed be he that lieth with his sister, the daughter of his father, or the daughter of his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Cursed be he that lieth with his mother in law. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Cursed be he that smiteth his neighbour secretly. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Cursed be he that taketh reward to slay an innocent person. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭27:14-26‬ ‭
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DEUTERONOMY 28 – BLESSINGS

If Thou Shalt Hearken Diligently Unto the Voice of the LORD
And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: and all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. |

Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. 

Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. 

Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. 

The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. 

The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. 

The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways. 

And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee. 

And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee. 

The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. 

And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; 

if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them: and thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭28:1-14‬ ‭

If Thou Wilt Not Observe to Do All the Words of This Law
If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE Lord THY GOD; then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance. Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee. Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed. And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the LORD thy God. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭28:58-62‬ ‭

Day 58 – A Year in the Bible – Deuteronomy 22-24

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DEUTERONOMY 22 – BE HONEST AND CAUSE NO HARM

Be Honest and Help Your Brother
Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt in any case bring them again unto thy brother. And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or if thou know him not, then thou shalt bring it unto thine own house, and it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it, and thou shalt restore it to him again. In like manner shalt thou do with his ass; and so shalt thou do with his raiment; and with all lost thing of thy brother’s, which he hath lost, and thou hast found, shalt thou do likewise: thou mayest not hide thyself. Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ass or his ox fall down by the way, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭22‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭

An Abomination Unto the LORD
The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭22:5‬ ‭

Don’t Falsely Accuse
If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her, and give occasions of speech against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid: then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel’s virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate: and the damsel’s father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her; and, lo, he hath given occasions of speech against her, saying, I found not thy daughter a maid; and yet these are the tokens of my daughter’s virginity. And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city. And the elders of that city shall take that man and chastise him; and they shall amerce him in an hundred shekels of silver, and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel: and she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭22‬:‭13‬-‭19

Cause No Harm
But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die: but unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth him, even so is this matter: for he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭22‬:‭25‬-‭27‬ ‭

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DEUTERONOMY 23 – OFFER REFUGE

Thou Shalt Not Abhor an Edomite or an Egyptian
Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a stranger in his land. The children that are begotten of them shall enter into the congregation of the LORD in their third generation. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭23:7-8‬ ‭

Offer Refuge to the Oppressed
Thou shalt not deliver unto his master the servant which is escaped from his master unto thee: he shall dwell with thee, even among you, in that place which he shall choose in one of thy gates, where it liketh him best: thou shalt not oppress him. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭23‬:‭15‬-‭16‬

If You Vow a Vow…
When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee. But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee. That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the LORD thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth.  – Deuteronomy 23:21-23

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DEUTERONOMY 24 – TREAT THE POOR, IMMIGRANTS, ORPHANS, AND WIDOWS WITH CARE

Care for the Poor
When thou dost lend thy brother any thing, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge. Thou shalt stand abroad, and the man to whom thou dost lend shall bring out the pledge abroad unto thee. And if the man be poor, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge: in any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee: and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the LORD thy God. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭24‬:‭10‬-‭13‬ ‭

Thou Shalt Not Oppress an Hired Servant
Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates: at his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the LORD, and it be sin unto thee. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭24:14-15‬

Every Man Shall Be Put to Death for His Own Sin
The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭24:16‬

Leave Some for the Fatherless, the Widow, and the Stranger
When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands. When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt: therefore I command thee to do this thing. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭24:19-22‬ ‭

Day 57 – A Year in the Bible – Deuteronomy 19-21

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DEUTERONOMY 19 – AT THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES

Cities of Refuge
When the LORD thy God hath cut off the nations, whose land the LORD thy God giveth thee, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their cities, and in their houses; Thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it. Thou shalt prepare thee a way, and divide the coasts of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every slayer may flee thither. – Deuteronomy 19:1-3

Cities of Refuge
1. When you are settled in Canaan, you shall separate three cities for refuge in the midst of the land (Deut. 19:1-2,7).
2. Prepare a way and divide your land into three parts and choose a city of refuge in each division (Deut. 19:3).
3. The cities shall be for the manslayer to flee for protection from the avenger of blood, when the killing is accidental (Deut. 19:4-6).
4. When you obey God and He enlarges your land, giving you all that He has promised, you shall add three more cities of refuge, making six in all (Deut. 19:8-10).
5. If a man willfully slays another and flees to a city of refuge, the elders of the city shall deliver him to the avenger of blood to die (Deut. 19:11-12).
6. You shall not pity the willful murderer, but shall execute him to put away the guilt of innocent blood in Israel (Deut. 19:13).

At the Mouth of Two or Three Witnesses Shall the Matter Be Established
One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭19:15‬ ‭

Bearing False Witness
1. One witness shall not rise up against a man to condemn him for any crime. At the mouth of two or three witnesses shall a matter be established (Deut. 19:15; cp. Deut. 17:6).
2. If a false witness rises up against a man to testify against him, both men shall be brought before the Lord and before the priests and judges to settle the controversy (Deut. 19:16-17).
3. The judges shall cross examine both men and if the witness is found to be false, and has sought to injure his neighbor, he shall be punished in the same way that he thought to punish his neighbor (Deut. 19:18-19).
4. Those that remain shall hear of the just judgment, and shall fear, and refrain from such wickedness (Deut. 19:20).
5. Your eye shall not pity the false witness who had no pity for his neighbor, but you shall mete out to him the punishment his neighbor would have received had he been convicted–life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot (Deut. 19:21).

DEUTERONOMY 20 – WHEN YOU GO INTO BATTLE

Let Not Your Hearts Faint, Fear Not, Do Not Tremble
When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people, and shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; for the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭20:1-4‬ 

Preparation for battle:
– When you go to battle and see that your enemies outnumber you, do not be afraid of them, for God is with you.
– When you come near to battle the priest shall encourage the people to put their trust in God who will deliver them regardless of the enemy (Deut. 20:3-4).

Six things that priests were to say:
1. Hear, O Israel, you go out today against your enemies.
2. Let not your hearts faint.
3. Fear not your enemies.
4. Do not tremble before them.
5. Be not terrified because of them.
6. The Lord goes before you, to fight for you, and give you victory (Deut. 20:4)

– The officers shall also speak to the people and let the men that are legally exempt from war go home (Deut. 20:5-8).

Four classes that were exempt from war:
1. New homeowners, lest they be killed and others dedicate their houses (Deut. 20:5; 28:30).
2. Owners of newly-planted vineyards, lest they die and others enjoy them (Deut. 20:6; 28:30).
3. Betrothed men, lest they be killed and others take their wives (Deut. 20:7; 28:30).
4. The fearful and fainthearted, lest they cause others to become cowards (Deut. 20:8).

– The officers shall make captains to lead the armies (Deut. 20:9).

Laws of Conquest
1. When you go to fight against a foreign city, proclaim peace to it (Deut. 20:10).
2. If the city makes an answer of peace and opens to you, the people in it shall be tributary to you and serve you (Deut. 20:11).
3. If it will not make peace with you, then besiege it (Deut. 20:12).
4. When the Lord has given you the city, you shall smite every male with the edge of the sword (Deut. 20:13).
5. The women and little ones, the cattle, and all the spoil (allowed by the law), you shall take for yourselves (Deut. 20:14).
6. You shall eat the spoil of your enemies, which God gives you.
7. You shall do this to foreign cities outside Canaan (Deut. 20:15).
8. Of the inhabitants of the cities of Canaan you shall leave none alive (Deut. 20:16).
9. You shall utterly destroy them, as God has commanded you (Deut. 20:17).
10. When you besiege a city a long time and take it, you shall not destroy all the trees, for you will need the fruit during the siege (Deut. 20:19).
11. Only the trees that are not fruit-bearing you shall cut down (Deut. 20:20).
12. You shall use them to build bulwarks against the city until it is subdued.

DEUTERONOMY 21 – HE THAT IS HANGED

The Right of the Firstborn
If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be her’s that was hated: then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn: but he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭21:15-17‬ ‭

He that is Hanged is accursed of God
And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: his body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance. – Deuteronomy 21:22-23

On the cross, Jesus Christ became the curse, that in Him, when He arose from the grave, that curse would be broken from the lives of those that came to Him and believed.

A Good Friday for us but was a dreadful one for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

John 19:31 –  The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

Galatians 3:13-14 – Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Lord make me hate my sin more and live my life with thoughts of the cross and our Savior who took my place on that cross. Let thoughts of Him be on my heart always.

(All lists taken from Dake Study Bible)

Day 56 – A Year in the Bible – Deuteronomy 16-18

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DEUTERONOMY 16 – THREE FEASTS

Three Time All Males Shall Appear
Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty: every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭16‬:‭16‬-‭17‬

Three annual feasts for all Israel:
1. The Feast of Unleavened Bread, which included the feasts of passover and firstfruits (Deut. 16:16; Lev. 23:6-14).
2. Pentecost, or the Feast of Weeks, fifty days after the passover feast (Deut. 16:16; Lev. 23:15-22).
3. The Feast Tabernacles, which was near enough to the time of the Feast of Trumpets and the Great Day of Atonement that all could be attended in a 22-day period (Deut. 16:16; Lev. 23:23-44).

Feast of Unleavened Bread – Passover
Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the LORD thy God: for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night. Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the passover unto the LORD thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which the LORD shall choose to place his name there. Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life. And there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee in all thy coast seven days; neither shall there any thing of the flesh, which thou sacrificedst the first day at even, remain all night until the morning. Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee: but at the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt. And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: and thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents. Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread: and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to the LORD thy God: thou shalt do no work therein. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭16‬:‭1‬-‭8‬ ‭

Feast of Weeks – Pentecost
Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn. And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the LORD thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the LORD thy God, according as the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: and thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to place his name there. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt: and thou shalt observe and do these statutes. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭16‬:‭9‬-‭12‬ ‭

Feast of Tabernacles – Feast of Booths
Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine: and thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates. Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD shall choose: because the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭16‬:‭13‬-‭15‬ ‭

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DEUTERONOMY 17 – WRITE, READ, AND KEEP THE LAW

Two Witnesses
At the mouth of two witness, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death: but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death. – Deuteronomy 17:6

Go to the Priest and Judges for Hard Matters
If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates: then shalt thou arise, and get thee up into the place which the LORD thy God shall choose; and thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days, and enquire; and they shall shew thee the sentence of judgment: and thou shalt do according to the sentence, which they of that place which the LORD shall choose shall shew thee; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they inform thee: according to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do: thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall shew thee, to the right hand, nor to the left. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭17‬:‭8‬-‭11

The Kings are to Write the Law, Read the Law, Keep the Law
And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:  and it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them: that his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel. – Deuteronomy 17:18-20

The kings were instructed to write the law in a book, keep it, and read it every day. Why? So that they can learn the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord will help kings to keep the law and not deviate from it. What excellent instruction for us as well. Write the Word down, read the Word, and keep the Word that we too may learn to fear God and keep and do all God instructs!

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DEUTERONOMY 18 – PERFECT WITH THE LORD THY GOD

The Priest’s (Levites) Due from the People
The priests the Levites, and all the tribe of Levi, shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel: they shall eat the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and his inheritance. Therefore shall they have no inheritance among their brethren: the LORD is their inheritance, as he hath said unto them. And this shall be the priest’s due from the people, from them that offer a sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep; and they shall give unto the priest the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw. The firstfruit also of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt thou give him. For the LORD thy God hath chosen him out of all thy tribes, to stand to minister in the name of the LORD, him and his sons for ever. And if a Levite come from any of thy gates out of all Israel, where he sojourned, and come with all the desire of his mind unto the place which the LORD shall choose; then he shall minister in the name of the LORD his God, as all his brethren the Levites do, which stand there before the LORD. They shall have like portions to eat, beside that which cometh of the sale of his patrimony. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭18‬:‭1‬-‭8‬ ‭

Thou Shalt Be Perfect with the LORD Thy God
When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee. Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God. For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so to do. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭18‬:‭9‬-‭14‬ ‭

The LORD will Raise Up Unto Thee a Propeht
The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; according to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭18‬:‭15‬-‭16‬ ‭

When A Prophet Speaks
And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him. – Deuteronomy 18:17-22

This is good instruction about the Words God gives to His prophets and those He doesn’t. I have a few thoughts about this topic. In this time, we have seen people come against prophets not for speaking a wrong word but for repenting because they feel the word was wrong. People are mad that someone repented. So they liked the word, but they despise the repentance. What? We are called to love one another, not to destroy a brother for what is going on in their heart and feel they need to repent of. If you feel the unction to tear down someone for repentance, then that comes from the accuser of the brethren. If you have partnered with him please check yourself! The enemy seeks to divide us!!! 

Day 55 – A Year in the Bible – Deuteronomy 13-15

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DEUTERONOMY 13 – DO NOT FOLLOW THOSE WHO SEEK TO LEAD YOU AWAY FROM THE LORD YOUR GOD

Do Not Follow The Prophet or Dreamer Who Speak to Turn You Away from the LORD Your God
If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭13:1-5‬ ‭

Do Not Follow Family that Would Entice You to Serve Other Gods
If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers; namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him: but thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die; because he hath sought to thrust thee away from the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. And all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is among you. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭13:6-11‬ ‭

Rid Yourselves of People, Things, Places that have Withdrawn Inhabitants that They Would Serve Other Gods
If thou shalt hear say in one of thy cities, which the LORD thy God hath given thee to dwell there, saying, Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known; then shalt thou enquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought among you; thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein, and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword. And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit, for the LORD thy God: and it shall be an heap for ever; it shall not be built again. And there shall cleave nought of the cursed thing to thine hand: that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of his anger, and shew thee mercy, and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers; when thou shalt hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep all his commandments which I command thee this day, to do that which is right in the eyes of the LORD thy God. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭13:12-18‬ ‭

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DEUTERONOMY 14 – THE LORD HATH CHOSEN THEE

The LORD Hath Chosen Thee to Be a Peculiar People Unto Himself
For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭14:2‬ ‭

Don’t Cut Yourself or Cut Your Hair in Mourning for the Dead Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead. – Deuteronomy 14:1

These were pagan practices: Cutting oneself in worship to a pagan god and cutting off parts of one’s hair as a sign of mourning for the dead.

Don’t Eat Unclean Things
Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing. – Deuteronomy 14:3

Thirteen Commands–Dietary Laws
1. Do not eat any abominable thing (Deut. 14:3).
2. These ten animals you are permitted to eat (Deut. 14:4-5):
– Ox–the bull, cow, heifer, calf of the beef kind
– Sheep–the ram, wether, ewe, lamb
– Goat–the he-goat, she-goat, kid
– Hart–the buck, doe, fawn; also moose, elk, reindeer Roebuck,
or antelope and gazelle species, as the Hebrew suggests (Deut.
14:5; 12:15,22; 15:22; 1Ki. 4:23; cp. 2Sam. 2:18; 1Chr. 12:8;
Prov. 5:19; 6:5; Song 2:7-9,17; 3:5; 4:5; 7:3; 8:14; Isa. 13:14)
– Fallow deer–the large species of antelope found in the
mountains of Arabia and Syria (Deut. 14:5; 1Ki. 4:23)
– Wild goat, rock goat, or species of gazelle
– Pygarg–perhaps a species of large antelope or mountain goat
– Wild ox–buffalo species, wild bull
– Chamois–a species of goat, deer, or wild sheep with red hair
instead of wool
3. Every other kind of animal that parts the hoof, has two claws, and chews the cud, you may eat (Deut. 14:6; cp. Lev. 11). The ten animals above are not named in 11, perhaps because they would not be found so often in the wilderness travels, though they were abundant in the land which Israel was about to enter.
4. These four animals you may not eat, even though they chew the cud, or part the hoof (see Four Unclean Animals):
– Camel (Deut. 14:7; Lev. 11:4, note)
– Hare (Deut. 14:7; Lev. 11:4)
– Coney (Deut. 14:7; Lev. 11:5, note, Prov. 30:24)
– Swine (Deut. 14:8; Lev. 11:7)
5. Do not eat their flesh or touch their dead bodies (Deut. 14:8).
6. You may eat fish that have fins and scales (Deut. 14:9).
7. Do not eat fish that do not have fins and scales (Deut. 14:10).
8. You may eat all clean birds (Deut. 14:11).
9. These twenty-one birds you may not eat, for they are unclean to you:
– Eagle (Deut. 14:12; Lev. 11:13)
– Ossifrage (Deut. 14:12; Lev. 11:12)
– Ospray (Deut. 14:12; Lev. 11:13)
– Glede (Deut. 14:13; not in Lev. 11)
– Kite (Deut. 14:13; Lev. 11:14)
– Vulture (Deut. 14:13; Lev. 11:14)
– Raven (Deut. 14:14; Lev. 11:15)
– Owl (Deut. 14:15; Lev. 11:15)
– Night hawk (Deut. 14:15; Lev. 11:16)
– Cuckow (Deut. 14:15; Lev. 11:16)
– Hawk (Deut. 14:15; Lev. 11:16)
– Little owl (Deut. 14:16; Lev. 11:17)
– Great owl (Deut. 14:16; Lev. 11:17)
– Swan (Deut. 14:16; Lev. 11:18)
– Pelican (Deut. 14:17; Lev. 11:18; note, Ps. 102:6)
– Gier eagle (Deut. 14:17; Lev. 11:18)
– Cormorant (Deut. 14:17; Lev. 11:17)
– Stork (Deut. 14:18; Lev. 11:19)
– Heron (Deut. 14:18; Lev. 11:19)
– Lapwing (Deut. 14:18; Lev. 11:19)
– Bat (Deut. 14:18; Lev. 11:19)
(Except for the glede, all of these are listed in Twenty Unclean Fowls.)
10. Every creeping, flying thing shall be unclean to you; but all clean fowls you may eat (Deut. 14:19-20)
11. Do not eat anything that dies of itself (Deut. 14:21).
12. Give it to the stranger that is in your gates to eat; or you may sell it to an alien who is not consecrated to Me.
13. Do not boil a kid in its mother’s milk (Deut. 14:21; Ex. 23:19; 34:26).

Tithe and Special Blessings
At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates: And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest. – Deuteronomy 14:28-29

At the end of every third year (or twice between sabbatical years) a third tithe was stored for four classes: Levites, Strangers, Fatherless or orphans, and Widows

Special Tithe – Special Blessings
Israel was promised special blessings from God on all crops and stock if they paid the three tithes, which were:
1. First tithe for Levites (Deut. 14:27; Lev. 27; Num. 18). This was a yearly tithe.
2. Second tithe for the individual and his household to cover expenses at the national feasts, so there would be no excuse for not going (Deut. 14:22-26; 12:11,21). This was also a yearly tithe, though not counted as giving to others.
3. Third tithe for the Levites, strangers, fatherless, and widows. It was a special tithe for the poor (Deut. 14:28-29). This was given only every third year, so it was not a burden. God more than made up for it by blessing their crops and stock. It was not taken to the place of worship, as the other two tithes, but distributed locally as needed throughout the three years it covered.

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DEUTERONOMY 15 – THE LORD’S RELEASE

Every Seven Years
At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release. And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbour shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbour, or of his brother; because it is called the LORD’s release. – Deuteronomy 15:1-2

It was called “the Lord’s Release” because:
– The poor were relieved for a whole year (Deut. 15:1-4).
– Israel would learn mercy and have compassion on the poor (Deut. 15:7-11).
– Brotherly love among His people would be an example to the heathen (Deut. 15:7-15).
– God wanted a set time every seven years to release slaves (Deut. 15:12-18).
– God blessed men with abundant crops during the six years between sabbatical years, to relieve suffering during a year of rest (Deut. 15:4; Ex. 23:10-11; Lev. 25:2-4).
– The land rested a whole year (Ex. 23:10-11; Lev. 25:3-4).
– The poor had the crops that grew during the seventh year (Ex. 23:10-11; Lev. 25:5-7).
– Servants and livestock had a year of rest from hard labor (Ex. 23:10-11; Lev. 25:5-6).

(All lists are taken from the Dake Study Bible)