If anyone knows Melissa…

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)

Day 54 – A Year in the Bible – Deuteronomy 10-12

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DEUTERONOMY 10 – CIRCUMCISE THY HEART

The LORD Separated the Tribe of Levi
At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day. Wherefore Levi hath no part nor inheritance with his brethren; the LORD is his inheritance, according as the LORD thy God promised him. – Deuteronomy 10:8-9

What Doth the LORD Require?
And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good? – Deuteronomy 10:12-13

What does the Lord thy God require: To fear Him; to walk in His ways; to love Him; to serve Him with all thy heart and soul.

Of course, that brings to mind another familiar verse:
He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? – Micah 6:8

He is Thy God That Hath Done These Great Things
Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD’s thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is. Only the LORD had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day. Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked. For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of Lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward: he doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name. He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭10‬:‭‭14‬-‭21‬ ‭

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DEUTERONOMY 11 – THAT YOUR DAYS MAY BE MULTIPLIED

Your Eyes Have Seen All the Great Acts of the LORD
But your eyes have seen all the great acts of the LORD which he did. Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go to possess it; and that ye may prolong your days in the land, which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land that floweth with milk and honey. – Deuteronomy 11:7-9

If Ye Shall Hearken Diligently Unto My Commandments
And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, that I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full. Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; and then the LORD’s wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you. – Deuteronomy 11:13-17

Lay Up These My Words in Your Heart and in Your Soul
Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth. For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him; then will the LORD drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves. Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be your’s: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be. There shall no man be able to stand before you: for the LORD your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as he hath said unto you. – Deuteronomy 11:18-25

I Set Before You This Day a Blessing and a Curse
Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; a blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day: and a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭11‬:‭26-‭28‬ ‭

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DEUTERONOMY 12 – WHATSOEVER I COMMAND, OBSERVE TO DO IT

Forsake Not the Levite
Take heed to thyself that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest upon the earth. – Deuteronomy 12:19

Observe and Hear All These Words
Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee forever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the LORD thy God. – Deuteronomy 12:28

Be Not Snared By Following Them
When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land; take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods. – Deuteronomy 12:29-31

Thou Shalt Not Add Thereto, Nor Diminish from It
What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. – Deuteronomy 12:32

Day 53 – A Year in the Bible – Deuteronomy 7-9

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DEUTERONOMY 7 – FAITHFUL

God Hath Chosen Thee
For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: but because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. – Deuteronomy 7:6-8

If Ye Hearken to These Judgments and Keep and Do Them
Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers: and he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee. Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle. And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭7‬:‭12‬-‭15‬ ‭

HE is God, the Faithful God
Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations – Deuteronomy 7:9

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DEUTERONOMY 8 – FORGET NOT THE LORD THY GOD

Man Doth Not Live But By Every WORD
And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live. – Deuteronomy 8:2-3

I need Your Word today, Father! Your Word is my Bread, and I am so thankful for all that has proceedeth out of Your mouth. Help me, to love Your Word more, to understand what You provide today, and to meditate on it day and night that I might walk it out for YOUR GLORY!

Beware that Thou Forget Not the LORD Thy God
Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; and when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end; and thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭8‬:‭11‬-‭20‬ ‭

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DEUTERONOMY 9 – UNDERSTAND IT IS NOT THY RIGHTEOUSNESS

For Thou Art a Stiffnecked People
Understand therefore this day, that the LORD thy God is he which goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face: so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the LORD hath said unto thee. Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the LORD thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee. Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Understand therefore, that the LORD thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiffnecked people. – Deuteronomy 9:3-6

Yet They are Thy People and Thine Inheritance
Yet they are thy people and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest out by thy mighty power and by thy stretched out arm. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭9‬:‭29‬

Day 52 – A Year in the Bible – Deuteronomy 4-6

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DEUTERONOMY 4 – A PROMISE FOR EVERY COMMAND
If you look at what He asks of you next to what He promises, that should make obedience a joy. 

If You Keep the Commandments of the Lord
Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I [Moses] teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you. Ye shall not add unto the Word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish aught from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. – Deuteronomy 4:1-2

Why did God say don’t add or take away from the Word? He said it so that the Word would not be diminished. If you obey a diminished command, you are not in obedience to the Lord’s actual command. 

IF you follow His commands, IF you keep the statutes and judgments taught to you, you will live. Not only will you live, but you will go in and possess the land which the Lord has promised you. That was for Moses day, but it still applies today. There is a land, a place, and a call that He has promised you. It is your Promised Land. 

Diminish – to make less or cause to appear less; to lessen the authority, dignity, or reputation of; to become gradually less
Aught – anything

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DEUTERONOMY 5 – THAT YE MAY PROLONG YOUR DAYS

The Lord Talked with You Face to Face
And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them. The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The LORD made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day. The LORD talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire, (I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to shew you the word of the LORD: for ye were afraid by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount;) saying, – Deuteronomy‬ ‭5:1-5‬

The Ten Commandments
I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. Thou shalt have none other gods before me. Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee. Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou. And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day. Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. Thou shalt not kill. Neither shalt thou commit adultery. Neither shalt thou steal. Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour. Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour’s wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour’s house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour’s. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭5:6-21‬

That it Might Be Well With Them and Their Children Forever
O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever! – Deuteronomy‬ ‭5:29‬

That Ye May Prolong Yours Days
Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭5:33‬
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DEUTERONOMY 6 – THAT HE MIGHT PRESERVE US

Hear, O Israel
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: and thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. – Deuteronomy 6:4-9

The Hebrew word for hear is “Shema.” This word doesn’t stop at meaning “hear,” though. The meaning goes further to not only hear but to act because of the hearing. 

Many of the Psalms begin with the word Shema. And the prayer in this passage is so important that it is not only called by the name Shema, but these verses are taught, recited often, and many even put them into a mezuzah and attach it to their front door. 

If We Observe to Do All These Commandments
And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day. And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us. – Deuteronomy‬ ‭6‬:‭24‬-‭25‬ ‭

Israel was not commanded to hear the Words of God only but to act on the Words as well. We are too!

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He said IF…
What great promises are given to us today in these passages!!! IF you keep His commands – you will live and possess the land, you will find Him, He will not forsake you or destroy you or forget the covenant He made to you, things will go well with you, and He will prolong your days on earth, and your children’s days. You will be one with a good foundation, and you will flourish

If you look at what He asks of you next to what He promises, that should make obedience a joy. 

He said IF…

Thank You, God. Thank You for Your precious promises. Please help me to be obedient to Your Word and Your Will today knowing that every promise and every condition for that promises is for my good and Your Glory. Thank You for Your salvation and thank You for Your many daily benefits. Amid this day that will surely be busy, please help me to remain aware of Your presence in my life. Help me to follow Your command that I may take hold of Your promises. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.

Day 51 – A Year in the Bible – Deuteronomy 1-3

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DEUTERONOMY 1 – REMINDERS

Deuteronomy 1 is a recap of Israel’s journey from Horeb to the edge of the Promised Land, highlighting themes of obedience and trusting God’s leadership, God’s faithfulness, and the consequences of fear and moving forward in faith.

The Command to Move
The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount: Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great river, the river Euphrates. – Deuteronomy 1:6-7

The Promise
Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them. – Deuteronomy 1:8

The Blessing 
(The LORD God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as he hath promised you!). – Deuteronomy 1:11

Righteous Judgment
Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God’s: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me and I will hear it. – Deuteronomy 1:17

God as Protector
The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes; and in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place. – Deuteronomy 1:30-31

The Failure of Unbelief
Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God. – Deuteronomy 1:32

Consequence of Disobedience
And the LORD said unto me, Say unto them, Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies. – Deuteronomy 1:42

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DEUTERONOMY 2 – DIVINE PROVISION AND GUIDANCE

In Deuteronomy 2 Moses recounts the final stages of Israel’s 40-year wilderness journey. This chapter speaks of God’s faithfulness, the transition between generations, and their first military conquests.

Divine Provision & Guidance
Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward – Deuteronomy 2:3

Marks the end of their aimless wandering and the beginning of their march toward the Promised Land.

For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee: thou hast lacked nothing. – Deuteronomy 2:7

Emphasizes that God sustained them throughout the 40 years, stating they lacked nothing.

Respecting Boundaries
God commands Israel to respect the territories of others, specifically the descendants of Esau and Lot.

Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession– Deuteronomy 2:5

And the LORD said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give thee of their land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession. – Deuteronomy 2:9

The Next Generation
And the space in which we came from Kadesh-Barnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, was thirty and eight years; until all the generation of the men of war were wasted out from among the host, as the LORD aware unto them. – Deuteronomy 2:14

Confirms the fulfillment of God’s judgment on the unbelieving generation who died in the wilderness. 

Start of Conquest
Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the river Arnon: behold, I have given into thine hand Simon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land: begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle. – Deuteronomy 2: 24

Gives the first official command to engage in war and claim territory, specifically against Sihon the Amorite.

This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the nations that are under the whole heaven, who shall hear report of thee, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of thee. – Deuteronomy 2:25

Instead of the children of Israel walking in fear, God promises to instill fear in the surrounding nations.

From Aroer, which is by the brink of the river of Arnon, and from the city that is by the river, even unto Giles’s, there was not one city too strong for us: the LORD our God delivered all unto us. – Deuteronomy 2:36

No city was too strong for Israel because God delivered all to them, this really highlights the sin of the fear of the previous generation of Israelites.

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DEUTERONOMY 3 – ENOUGH!

Let It Suffice
And I besought the LORD at that time, saying, O Lord GOD, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might? I pray thee, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon. But the LORD was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me: and the LORD said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter. Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold it with thine eyes: for thou shalt not go over this Jordan. But charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him: for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which thou shalt see. – Deuteronomy 3:23-28

As we have made our way through the Old Testament this year, I have wondered if Moses accepted that God wasn’t going to let him enter the Promised Land. Did he ask God at any time to allow him to go in despite that He had sinned in striking the rock instead of leading the people to glorify God by bringing forth water according to God’s direction? Here was my answer, and I have never seen this passage before.

This passage says God would not hear his plea, and then He added – Enough! Be satisfied with seeing it from the top of Mt. Pisgah, and don’t mention it again!!!

I have also wondered if God ever gets tired of our asking the same thing over and over. Well, here we have the answer to that question too.

I guess there is a fine line between persistence and satisfaction with God’s will when it doesn’t seem to go our way. That fine line is what God has spoken. If God has said it, it is so. He is not a man that He should lie.

Suffice – to be enough or adequate for; satisfy

Help me, Lord, to accept your will in all areas of my life. Please help me to be satisfied. To let it suffice, to wait quietly and prayerfully for Your leading and Your direction.

Day 50 – A Year in the Bible – Numbers 34-36

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NUMBERS 34 – BORDERS, LOTS, AND LEADERS

Borders
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land of Canaan; (this is the land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan with the coasts thereof:) – Numbers‬ ‭34‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭

and the border shall go down to Jordan, and the goings out of it shall be at the salt sea: this shall be your land with the coasts thereof round about. – Numbers‬ ‭34‬:‭12‬ ‭

Lots
And Moses commanded the children of Israel, saying, This is the land which ye shall inherit by lot, which the LORD commanded to give unto the nine tribes, and to the half tribe: for the tribe of the children of Reuben according to the house of their fathers, and the tribe of the children of Gad according to the house of their fathers, have received their inheritance; and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance: the two tribes and the half tribe have received their inheritance on this side Jordan near Jericho eastward, toward the sunrising. – Numbers‬ ‭34‬:‭13‬-‭15‬ ‭

The Leaders Dividing the Land
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, These are the names of the men which shall divide the land unto you: Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun. – Numbers‬ ‭34‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭

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NUMBERS 35 – SIX CITIES OF REFUGE

Refuge Cities
And among the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites there shall be six cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint for the manslayer, that he may flee thither: and to them ye shall add forty and two cities. – Numbers 35:6

Purpose of the Cities
Then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares. – Numbers 35:11

Protection from Vengeance
And they shall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation in judgment. – Numbers 35:12

Every One that Killeth Unawares May Flee Thither
These six cities shall be a refuge, both for the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them: that every one that killeth any person unawares may flee thither. – Numbers 35:15

Requirement for Witnesses
Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die. – Numbers 35:30

No Ransom for Murder
Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death. – Numbers 35:31

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NUMBERS 36 – WOMENS INHERITANCE LAWS AND CONCLUSION

Marry Whom They Think Best but Only to the Family of the Tribe of Their Father
And Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the word of the LORD, saying, The tribe of the sons of Joseph hath said well. This is the thing which the LORD doth command concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, Let them marry to whom they think best; only to the family of the tribe of their father shall they marry. So shall not the inheritance of the children of Israel remove from tribe to tribe: for every one of the children of Israel shall keep himself to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. And every daughter, that possesseth an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel, shall be wife unto one of the family of the tribe of her father, that the children of Israel may enjoy every man the inheritance of his fathers. Neither shall the inheritance remove from one tribe to another tribe; but every one of the tribes of the children of Israel shall keep himself to his own inheritance. – Numbers‬ ‭36‬:‭5‬-‭9‬ ‭

Commandments and Judgments the LORD CommandedThese are the commandments and the judgments, which the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses unto the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho. – Numbers‬ ‭36‬:‭13‬ ‭