Posts (page 2)

Deuteronomy 26

"When you come before the priest who is serving at the time, you must
say to him, 'Today I acknowledge to the Lord my God that I have
entered the land the Lord swore to our fathers to give us." Deut 26:
3

There is so much gravity in this dialogue between the Israelite and
the priest. Having entered the land the Lord had promised to his
forefathers, the time has come…3 years after entering-in, when the
first tithe is brought. For three years, no matter what circumstances
may have arisen to tempt the worshipper to stealing from the Lord's
portion, he remained faithful to the Lord.

The worshipper's testimony to the priest communicates many wonderful truths.

The Lord chose Israel from among the nations, and promised Canaan to them.
The Lord was faithful to fulfill His promise.
The fulfilled promise was not particularly due to the merit of the recipient.
The Lord's faithfulness accomplished its desired effect: Worship
Because the Lord's blessing was personal, the worshipper was inclined
to recognize His corporate institutions. The office of priestly
ministry is honored, by the willful giving of tithes.
The Lord has given the worshipper a part to play, in helping ensure
the Levite, widow, orphan, and foreigner enjoy the corporate blessing
of having entered the land, as well.

Let this be a challenge to us all. For us, worship is not solely a
personal thing. Yes, the Jesus is our personal Savior. But as He has
saved us, personally, let's remember that we are part of a greater
community. He has plans for us personally, and corporately.

If you are blessed with finances or some pertinent skill, remember
that blessing is not solely for you. The Lord has chosen to pour His
blessing upon you, that you would direct that blessing to others.
This is so the community, as a whole, can be blessed by the same
manner the Lord had blessed you, personally.

Hopefully, those individuals in need will respond as you have, by
recognizing the (above) truths about God and His great grace, shown
toward mankind.

Often times, the Lord's grace to others comes from your obedient worship.

Blessings.

Steve Wiggins

Deuteronomy 25

If the guilty party deserves to be flogged, the judge will make him
lie down and be flogged in his presence with the number of lashes
appropriate for his crime. He may be flogged 40 lashes, but no more.
Otherwise, if he is flogged with more lashes than these, your brother
will be degraded in your sight." Deut 25: 2-3

In the Christian faith, there are three words that are important to
understand, when it comes to the relationship between Man's behavior
and God's standard: Justice, Grace, Mercy.

Justice is blind execution of the law. It respects no person, and is
purely an advocate of the law's standard. When an alleged infraction
arises, Justice is executed solely on facts, weighed against the
letter of the law. The bible says of God,

He will by no means clear the guilty." Ex 34: 7

Mercy is when the guilty party does not get what they deserve, due to
the benevolence of 1) an accuser, or 2) a judge. While guilt remains,
(Guilt is an immutable state of being for the law breaker) the
consequences for guilt are lessened or removed. The bible speaks of
God's great mercy,

But God, Who is abundant in mercy, because of His great love that He
had for us, made us alive with the Messiah, even though we were dead
in trespasses." Eph 2: 4-5a

Grace is getting something you don't deserve. If I were to walk up to
a complete stranger and give them a Ferrari, that would be gracious to
say the least! They had done nothing to acquire such a gift, and the
gifting was not contrary to their spiritual condition, per se.

"But by grace you are saved! He raised us up with Him and Seated us
with Him in the Heavens, in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages
He might display the immeasurable of His grace in His kindness to us
in Jesus." Eph 2: 5b-7

Today's passage in Deuteronomy 25 primarily deals with Justice and
Mercy. It shows how a judge can be BOTH Just and merciful in the same
instance. The Judge can carry-out the full letter of the law while
respecting the dignity of the person being punished.

Let this be a challenge. When seeking justice, remember to be
merciful. Through it all, the guilty party remains your "brother or
sister". Perhaps, the greatest gift you'll ever give yourself is an
enemy-turned-grateful friend.

Blessings.

Steve Wiggins

Deuteronomy 24

Be careful in a case of infectious skin disease, following carefully
everything the Levitical priests instruct you to do. Be careful to do
as I have commanded them. Remember what the Lord your God did to
Miriam on the Journey after you left Egypt." Deut 24: 8-9

On a causal fly-over, today's passage could be interpreted in a number
of ways. But because the Lord included a reference to Miriam, we have
a better understanding as to what He was trying to communicate.
Let's revisit the story of Miriam's leprosy.

When the two of them (Aaron & Miriam) came forward, the Lord said,
'Listen to what I say: If there is a prophet among you from the Lord,
I make myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream.
Not so, with My servant Moses; he is faithful in all My household. I
speak with him directly, openly, and not in riddles; he sees the form
of the Lord. So why were you not afraid to speak against My servant,
Moses?' The Lord's anger burned against them, and He left. As the
cloud moved away from the tent, Miriam's skin suddenly became
diseased, as white as snow." Numbers 12: 5b-10a

Here's the scenario: Miriam and Aaron were Moses' elder siblings.
Aaron was first born, so it was his "birthright" to lead their family,
spiritually. Miriam was the older sister who had watched-over the
floating basket, containing baby Moses.

Given their elder status and their histories of caring for Moses, it
seems logical that they would be compelled to "lead" him. Familiarity
breeds contempt. In fact, it was their family relation to Moses,
which presumed their right to criticize his decisions.

Problem: Moses was God's servant, doing only what the Lord directed
him to do. Questioning Moses meant questioning God.

Our present-day application is simple. When you sin against God, by
questioning His institution of leadership and/or His faithful leaders,
watch out! The Lord may allow you to contract some form of "leprosy",
either actual or metaphorical. God will use your "disease", to drive
you to submit to the comfort, care & direction of the very ministers
you criticized.

Blessings.

Steve Wiggins

Deuteronomy 22

"If you see your brother's ox or sheep straying, you must not ignore
it; make sure you return it to your brother." Deut 22: 1

In the first three verses of Deuteronomy 22, we find a repetition of
the law in Exodus 32: 4-5, regarding our duty to restore the straying
ox or donkey and the lifting up of a fallen beast of burden. The law
here is widened to include other lost articles that require
restoration to their owners.

Exodus speaks of the things belonging to "your ENEMY"; here, the wider
term, "your BROTHER", is used. Whether your neighbor is your brother
or enemy, his property must be protected and restored. Failure to do
so is accounted as theft. Lev 6: 1-5

This situation reminds me of the passage in the New Testament, where
an expert of the law asked Jesus, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit
eternal life?"

Here's their exchange:

"What is written in the law?" Jesus asked him. "How do you read it?"

He answered: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all
your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and love
your neighbor as yourself."

"You' have answered correctly," Jesus told him. "Do this and you will live."

But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?

**Jesus took up the question and told him the story of the "good Samaritan".

Then Jesus asked, "Which of these three do you think proved to be a
good neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?"

"The one who showed mercy to him," he said.

Then Jesus told him, "Go and do the same." LUKE 10: 25-37

Some folks see those around them, as brothers. Others see them as enemies.

If you love the Lord with all that's within you, you'll treat your
enemies like brothers. Chances are, they'll respond by being good
neighbors.

Ask yourself: "How good am I, at being a "good neighbor"?

Blessings.

Steve Wiggins

Deuteronomy 21

If anyone is found guilty of an offense deserving the death penalty
and is executed, and you hang his body on a tree, you are not to leave
his corpse on a tree overnight but are to bury him that day, for
anyone hung on a tree is under God's curse. You must not defile the
land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance." Deut 21:
22-23

Deuteronomy, chapter 21, covers 5 somewhat obscure messianic themes:
forgiveness of innocent bloodshed, fair treatment of captured women,
the right of the firstborn between two wives (one loved & one hated),
the purging (stoning) of an unrepentant rebellious son, and the
display of executed people.

Jesus' first statement from the cross was, "Father, forgive them, for
they know not what they do." He was declaring to God that Israel's
hands were not directly involved in His murder. In fact, it was the
Romans who crucified Jesus. Jesus was absolving Israel, corporately,
of their collective responsibility in His death.

When you consider the "cross" as the great victory of spiritual
warfare, all those from among the nations who have been redeemed, are
spoils of war. The "church" is called the "bride of Messiah", and the
fair treatment of Gentile believers is acknowledged here.

Often in scripture, Israel is referred to as a "young virgin", or a
"bride". God does not condone or practice divorce. With the onset of
the "Church as bride" mentality, provision must be made for God's
favor of each "bride's" offspring, with respect to blessing and rights
of first birth. Israel is still called to be a "nation of priests",
and the whole family of believers awaits their salvation.

Jesus was considered to be a rebellious son, by the Sanhedrin. In
actuality, the religious leaders compelled the crowd to urge Pilate to
release Barabas, who was an actual rebel. Instead of purging Israel
of evil, they preferred to retain evil and dispense with
righteousness.

While the "cross" remains the worldwide symbol of Christianity, the
"tree" is actually more thematically appropriate, as the Hebrew
biblical image of cursed suffering. There is a curse against anyone
hung on a tree; and against the land if that person was to remain on
the tree, overnight.

"There was a good and righteous man named Joseph, a member of the
Sanhedrin, who had not agreed with their plan and action. He was from
Arimathea, a Judean town, and was looking forward to the kingdom of
God. He approached Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. Taking it down,
he wrapped it in fine linen and placed it in a tomb cut into the rock,
where no one had ever been placed. It was preparation day and the
Sabbath was about to begin." Luke 23: 50-54

Blessings.

Steve Wiggins

Deuteronomy 20

"When you go to war against your enemies and see horses, chariots, and
an army larger than yours, do not be afraid of them, for the Lord your
God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you." Deut 20:
1

"When you are about to engage in battle, priest is to come forward and
address the army. He is to say to them: 'Listen, Israel: Today you
are about to engage in battle with your enemies. Do not be
fainthearted. Do not be afraid, alarmed, or terrified because of
them. For the Lord your God is the One who goes with you to fight for
you against your enemies to give you victory." Deut 20: 2-4

"The officers will continue to address the army and say, 'Is there a
man who is afraid, or fainthearted? Let him leave and return, so that
his brothers' hearts won't melt like his own.'" Deut 20: 8

A few years back, American suspense novelist, Steven King, wrote a
book called "On Writing". Less a text about the rudiments of writing,
"On Writing" was more of a biography. In King's opinion, the "how to"
must take a back seat to the "why", and good writing has less to do
with technique, and more to do with how the writer filters life
experience to the page. In short, to understand Steven King's writing
process, you must understand his life. "Life experience" is the
filter he uses to sift novels from casual observation.

In his book, King wrote, "Fear is at the foundation of everything
bad." It's an interesting statement from a fellow who has made his
living in the "horror" genre. But I believe he is right, simply
because his words bear witness to biblical truth. Whenever Jesus,
angels, Prophets, or the Lord show up in scripture, their first words
are usually, "Don't fear!" Fear is mistrust, the opposite of faith.
If the Lord is anything, He is holy and as such, trustworthy.

The command to "fear the Lord" is often misunderstood. "Fearing the
Lord" means to worship, honor, and respect His power & authority. For
many, "fearing God" means to be terrified of Him. Perhaps, a little
John 3:16 is in order for them…

We are "war babies", in that we've all been born into spiritual
warfare. It's all we've ever known. The world is not a playground,
as much as it is a spiritual battleground…yet we are commanded to not
be afraid.

If "fear" is mistrust, then "trust" must be the presence of faith…hope
in things unseen. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of
God. Be encouraged to continue with your daily bible study. By
fortifying your hearts with God's promises, and experiencing His
faithfulness through His Word, you are preparing yourselves to enter
the "battlefield" each day, fearless.

Experiencing life through the filter of scripture is how we sift
faithfulness from fear.

Blessings.

Steve Wiggins

Deuteronomy 19

"If a malicious witness testifies against someone accusing him of a
crime, the two people in the dispute must stand in the presence of the
Lord before the priests and judges in authority at the time. The
judges are to make a careful investigation, and if the witness turns
out to be a liar who has falsely accused his brother, you must do to
him as he intended to do to his brother. You must purge the evil from
you." Deut 19: 16-19

"The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false
testimony against Jesus, so they could put Him to death. But they
could not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward."
Matt 26: 59-60a

Anyone who approaches "the passion story" with an open mind
understands the trial of Jesus was a sham. Perhaps, this passage in
Deuteronomy helps us better understand just how much of a sham the
trial of Jesus was.

The chief priests and Sanhedrin were more than lenient toward the
false witnesses. They actually went as far as to seek false witnesses
out. This is how distorted things had gotten by the time Jesus came
on the scene. Instead of stoning false witnesses, they were hiring
them.

Is it any wonder Israel were crying out for the Lord to send Messiah?
It is understandable why the people wouldn't trust the Roman
government, or their pagan neighbors. But happens when you can't
trust your religious leaders to act on your best behalf?

To be fair, there was more than one false testimony going on the
evening of Jesus' trial. Let's take a look at the Gospel verses
preceding the false testimony in the Sanhedrin:

"Those who had arrested Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest
where the scribes and the elders had convened. Meanwhile Peter was
following Him at a distance right to the high priest's courtyard. He
went in and was sitting with the temple police to see the outcome."
Matt 26: 57-58

None of the testimonies of the Sanhedrin's false witnesses is recorded
in the bible. But God chose to allow Peter's testimony to be recorded
three times.

Perhaps, today's passage is a stern reminder of how God hates a false
witness…especially from His children.

Question: When you're around your non-believing friends, how bold is
your testimony.

Blessings.

Steve Wiggins

Deuteronomy 18

"'I will hold accountable whoever does not listen to My words that he
(the prophet) speaks in My name. But the prophet who dares to speak
in my name a message I have not commanded him to speak or who speaks
in the name of other gods – that prophet must die.' You may say to
yourself, 'How can we recognize a message the Lord has not spoken?
When a prophet speaks in the Lord's name, and the message does not
come true or is not fulfilled, that is a message the Lord has not
spoken. The prophet has spoken presumptuously. So not be afraid of
him." Deut 18: 19-22

There are basically two ways to spot a false prophet: 1) His
prophecies don't come true. 2) His message is inconsistent with the
Word of God.

There are two ways to test a prophet primarily because there are two
kinds of prophecies. First, there are prophecies, which predict the
future; then there are those, which claim the revelation of God.

The challenge of discerning prophecies concerning the future is that
you have to wait & see. Sometimes, the wait is critically long. For
instance, the followers of cult leaders like Jim Jones or David Koresh
went to the grave following false prophets. Other followers of false
prophets may not see a fatal demise, but they run the risk of wasting
valuable years, chasing after false hope.

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when longing is fulfilled, it
is a tree of life." Prov 13: 12

Satan cannot steal the soul of a true believer, but he can make them
ineffective by getting them to hope in things the Lord never promised.
When the object of their hope never arrives, the victim's anger is
focused at the Lord, because they honestly believe the prophecy came
from Him.

Perhaps, a more efficient way to spot a false prophet is not in
testing the prophecy, but in testing the prophet himself. Are the
words they speak and lives they live, in accordance with God's name?
Put simply: Do the overall character & words of the prophet correspond
with the character & words of God?

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of
heaven, but he who does the will of My Father." Matt 7: 21

A by-product of searching the Bible is that the believer develops a
heightened ability to spot counterfeits.

Blessings.

Steve Wiggins

Deuteronomy 17

When seated on His royal throne he (the king) is to write a copy of
this instruction (Torah) for himself on a scroll in the presence of
the Levitical priests. It is to remain with him, and he is to read
from it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the
Lord his God, to observe all the words of this instruction, and to do
these statutes. Then his heart will not be exalted above his
countrymen, he will not turn from this command to the right or left,
and he and his sons will continue ruling many years over Israel."
Deut 17 18-20

What kind of parent do you want to be? For many of you, your response
to that question is probably, "Dude, I'm just out of high school!"

Perhaps that question means nothing to you, but it should…inasmuch as
7th grade algebra winds-up meaning a whole lot to a rocket scientist.
If you never dream of being a rocket scientist as a youth, you'll
never be faithful to travel the path that leads to NASA.

Likewise, if you want to be considered a patriarch when you're old
(you want to see holiness passed-down throughout your generations),
you have to be diligent to seek the Lord today.

The Lord commanded Israel's kings write their own copy of the Torah,
by their own hand, under the supervision & scrutiny of the Levites.

Recent scientific studies have discovered people remember 25% of what
they hear, 50% of what they see & hear, and 75% of what they interact
with. Of course, God has known that all along! That's why the Lord
wanted His kings to not simply read the bible, or have it recited (to
them) by experts. He wanted them to interact with it unceasingly…as
if it came from their own hand & heart.

As co-inheritors with Messiah, we must train-up ourselves, as any
royal should. We should take upon ourselves the spiritual posture
that understands we might be called to "assume the throne", at any
moment. We'll never rule "The Kingdom", but God will give positions
of authority in it, for those who prove diligent.

Sadly, most Christians will never read the bible…much less HAND WRITE
their own copy. I hope this passage acts as a challenge for us to go
deeper into God's word.

Let's encourage one another to live-up to the character of the Name
we've inherited!

Blessings.

Steve Wiggins

Deuteronomy 15

At the end of every seven years you must CANCEL DEBTS. This is how to
cancel a debt: Every creditor is to cancel what he has lent his
neighbor. He is not to collect anything from his neighbor because the
Lord's release of debts has been proclaimed." Deut 15: 1-2

Be careful that there isn't a wicked thought in your heart, 'The
seventh year, the year of canceling debts is near,' and you are stingy
towards the POOR brother and give him nothing. He will cry out to the
Lord against you, and you will be guilty." Deut 15: 9

For there will never cease to be poor people in the land; that is why
I am commanding you, 'You must willingly open your hand to the
AFFLICTED and poor brother in your land.'" Deut 15: 11

If your fellow Hebrew, a man or woman, is sold to you as a SLAVE and
serves you six years, you must set him free in the seventh year. When
you set him free, do not send him away empty-handed." Deut 15: 12-13a

I would like to invite you to reflect on today's chapter through the
lens of Jesus' message to His home synagogue in Nazareth. He quoted
the prophet, Isaiah, who was prophesying what Messiah would proclaim
when He came. It all refers to Deuteronomy 15.

The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to Him, and unrolling the
scroll, He found the place where it is written:

'The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach
good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom to the
captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the
oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.'"

What is the good news that Jesus was proclaiming? In essence, He was
asking "Are enslaved to this world? Are you afflicted, made lame by
your sin? Are you poor in spirit, indebted to the Lord and unable to
pay it oof, because of your lack of righteousness?"

If He is describing YOU, then rejoice, because He has proclaimed a
year of Jubilee! Enter His freedom, now during the season it is
offered.

Blessings.

Steve Wiggins