“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” (Romans 12:14-18 ESV, passage concluded next week)
Immanuel Baptist Church, Rome NY
Deuteronomy 13
Stick With Yahweh
^In the Old Testament times the Lord used prophets to speak his word to the people so the thought of a prophet popping up wasn’t out of the ordinary.
^In fact the way you tested a prophet was to first see if what they predicted came to pass and if it did it meant they had an inside track. Sometimes it was from Yahweh telling them what to do next and sometimes it was from Satan trying to get them to turn away from Yahweh.
^In the New Testament Jesus spoke about this same subject when he said, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.” (Mt 24:4-5 ESV)
^In the Old Testament times the Lord used prophets to speak his word to the people so the thought of a prophet popping up wasn’t out of the ordinary.
^In fact the way you tested a prophet was to first see if what they predicted came to pass and if it did it meant they had an inside track. Sometimes it was from Yahweh telling them what to do next and sometimes it was from Satan trying to get them to turn away from Yahweh.
^In the New Testament Jesus spoke about this same subject when he said, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.” (Mt 24:4-5 ESV)
Stick With Yahweh Continued
^Many of us have a hard time putting our God before our family and this has been a problem for thousands of years. Family members (because we feel so obligated to them) will often times be the vessel that leads us astray from Christianity.
^Although killing the family member (or wife) that says that you should go try another religion is against the law and will land you in prison as a murderer (and I don’t recommend doing it) it shows the seriousness of putting your God before your family who may have the intention of leading you astray.
^If a family member is trying to lead you away be able to be strong enough to stick to your convictions without having to murder them.
^Although killing the family member (or wife) that says that you should go try another religion is against the law and will land you in prison as a murderer (and I don’t recommend doing it) it shows the seriousness of putting your God before your family who may have the intention of leading you astray.
^If a family member is trying to lead you away be able to be strong enough to stick to your convictions without having to murder them.
Deuteronomy 14:1-17:13 overview
Kosher, Tithes, Sabbath Year
^We have covered Kosher food laws already in the book of Leviticus so there is no need to go in depth with them, only to cover two things:
^1) There is no rhyme or reason why some foods could be eaten and some couldn’t- the Kosher food laws were set down by Yahweh and were not to be questioned.
^2) Kosher food laws set the Israelites apart as holy from the other peoples of their day. Eating and refraining from certain foods made the Israelites different.
^Originally the command not to boil a young goat in its mother’s milk came right after the Ten Commandments in the Book of the Law, but this time it is repeated after the Kosher laws. It’s still wrong- don’t do it.
^We have covered Kosher food laws already in the book of Leviticus so there is no need to go in depth with them, only to cover two things:
^1) There is no rhyme or reason why some foods could be eaten and some couldn’t- the Kosher food laws were set down by Yahweh and were not to be questioned.
^2) Kosher food laws set the Israelites apart as holy from the other peoples of their day. Eating and refraining from certain foods made the Israelites different.
^Originally the command not to boil a young goat in its mother’s milk came right after the Ten Commandments in the Book of the Law, but this time it is repeated after the Kosher laws. It’s still wrong- don’t do it.
Kosher, Tithes, Sabbath Year Continued
^The reason for tithing is actually two-fold: one is so that the priests and Levites could be taken care of because they did not receive a salary and the other reason is so that you can give back to God what is rightfully his.
^Although all of your property is given to you by Yahweh he does not require you to give all of it back to him- he only requires that 10 percent of it be given back.
^Under Old Testament Law there was a provision that every 7 years it was a Sabbath year- all slaves were set free, all land was given a year of rest, all debt was forgiven etc.
^This was to give the people yet another reminder of Creation- work six days and rest the seventh.
^Although all of your property is given to you by Yahweh he does not require you to give all of it back to him- he only requires that 10 percent of it be given back.
^Under Old Testament Law there was a provision that every 7 years it was a Sabbath year- all slaves were set free, all land was given a year of rest, all debt was forgiven etc.
^This was to give the people yet another reminder of Creation- work six days and rest the seventh.
Continuing the overview
Feasts and Justice
^Here in Deuteronomy the feasts that are mentioned that the people need to observe are: Passover, Weeks (Pentecost), and Booths. In Leviticus there is a full rundown of the feasts to observe and the Sabbath and Jubilee are the other two festivals that are not mentioned.
^Judges are appointed to help keep order in the land. We do remember that Moses felt that being the only one to decide all matters was too much on him, right?
^Yahweh set up a society of fairness for all the people: “Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” (Deuteronomy 16:20)
Worship and Sacrifices
^The end of Deuteronomy 16 makes mention of Asherah poles again and how they are forbidden. Sometimes Asherim were just trees that were dedicated to the Canaanite god Asheroth. In other instances they were a wooden pole with a carved god on the top of them.
^The beginning of Chapter 17 reiterates that when you make sacrifices to the Lord they need to be from your best (because that is what he does for you) and they’re not supposed to be maimed, lamed, or damaged in any way.
^When you offer a sacrifice to Yahweh and it’s not from your best (a three-legged goat we shall say) then you are insulting the Lord who gave you his best.
^Here in Deuteronomy the feasts that are mentioned that the people need to observe are: Passover, Weeks (Pentecost), and Booths. In Leviticus there is a full rundown of the feasts to observe and the Sabbath and Jubilee are the other two festivals that are not mentioned.
^Judges are appointed to help keep order in the land. We do remember that Moses felt that being the only one to decide all matters was too much on him, right?
^Yahweh set up a society of fairness for all the people: “Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” (Deuteronomy 16:20)
Worship and Sacrifices
^The end of Deuteronomy 16 makes mention of Asherah poles again and how they are forbidden. Sometimes Asherim were just trees that were dedicated to the Canaanite god Asheroth. In other instances they were a wooden pole with a carved god on the top of them.
^The beginning of Chapter 17 reiterates that when you make sacrifices to the Lord they need to be from your best (because that is what he does for you) and they’re not supposed to be maimed, lamed, or damaged in any way.
^When you offer a sacrifice to Yahweh and it’s not from your best (a three-legged goat we shall say) then you are insulting the Lord who gave you his best.
Deuteronomy 17:14-20
Laws for Future Kings of Israel
^Moses himself was a prophet and then after him came the judges who ruled over Israel (but these were not judges the way you may think of them- forget the gown and gavel).
^The last judge of Israel (Samuel- the author of I Samuel) warned the people that they wouldn’t be happy with a king in I Samuel 8, and as we shall see from the kings that he had good info but for now let’s cover Deuteronomy.
^The good thing is that Israel did not set foreign kings over itself- the kings were all Israeli. The problem is that they did not do a good job of following the text of Deuteronomy 17:14-20 as the outline for kings.
^The first king of a united Israel, Saul, was a megalomaniac who had an inflated self worth, delusions of power, and who was so worried about David that he was worthless as a king.
^David, king #2, was a man after God’s own heart but he lost his way when he committed murder so that he could marry the hot chick that he saw taking a bath on her roof (Bathsheba).
^Solomon, king #3, started out a wise and wonderful ruler but then he started going against the rules for kings from Deuteronomy. He had lots of horses, many wives and concubines, and excessive silver and gold.
^After these first 3 the kings of Israel go right down the toilet.
^Moses himself was a prophet and then after him came the judges who ruled over Israel (but these were not judges the way you may think of them- forget the gown and gavel).
^The last judge of Israel (Samuel- the author of I Samuel) warned the people that they wouldn’t be happy with a king in I Samuel 8, and as we shall see from the kings that he had good info but for now let’s cover Deuteronomy.
^The good thing is that Israel did not set foreign kings over itself- the kings were all Israeli. The problem is that they did not do a good job of following the text of Deuteronomy 17:14-20 as the outline for kings.
^The first king of a united Israel, Saul, was a megalomaniac who had an inflated self worth, delusions of power, and who was so worried about David that he was worthless as a king.
^David, king #2, was a man after God’s own heart but he lost his way when he committed murder so that he could marry the hot chick that he saw taking a bath on her roof (Bathsheba).
^Solomon, king #3, started out a wise and wonderful ruler but then he started going against the rules for kings from Deuteronomy. He had lots of horses, many wives and concubines, and excessive silver and gold.
^After these first 3 the kings of Israel go right down the toilet.