Devotional on Deuteronomy

2014 – Mt St Helens, WA

Call to remember
Deuteronomy 1: How can I carry, all by myself, your troubles and burdens and quarrels?
The book of Deuteronomy is made up of a sermon or series of sermons by Moses, the man of God. In fact, the name of the book can be understood to mean ā€œtalksā€ or ā€œwords.ā€ The occasion is the conclusion of his leadership (and life) and the pending entrance of God’s people into the Promised Land after 40 years in the wilderness. Moses wants to remind them of their history so that they will take their story with them into the new land. He also wants them to remember the mistakes of the past so that they won’t repeat them. Most importantly, he wants them to remember the gracious faithfulness of God who has been with them and will continue to be their God. It shouldn’t surprise us that this book has a lot of repeat material in it. After all, Moses is preaching to remind them of these things. Still, I see a somewhat different emphasis in this sermon as old stories are retold. In the passage that draws my attention today Moses remembers how he organized the leadership. It was his father-in-law who first suggested a division of leadership. Then, later on, it appears the plan had not been carried through and God reminded Moses of this approach. Now Moses remembers how overwhelmed he was as a solo leader. Alone, he couldn’t carry their burdens. This makes perfect sense. A leader who tries to do it all will do a poor job of all of it. It may make that leader feel important, even indispensable, but in the long run, his or her leadership will be a failed effort. The solution is to select the right people to help, to empower them, to continue to enhance their abilities, to keep them connected to the primary leadership, and to always remember that the Lord is our ultimate Leader. At 120 years of age and after 40 years of leadership we can be pretty sure Moses knows what heā€™s talking about.
Take Away: Leadership doesnā€™t mean doing everything.

Devotional on Deuteronomy

2014 – Cape Disappointment, WA

The distant reach of failure
Deuteronomy 1: Don’t be terrified of them, God, your God, is leading the way; he’s fighting for you.
The “you” in this passage isnā€™t the members of the present congregation. Itā€™s their parents. However, Moses is speaking to them as a nation of people, seen as one with the previous generation. This doesn’t sit well with my Western mindset. We Westerners are individualists who like to think we make our own decisions apart from others. In this case it was 40 years earlier that Moses had said these words and “they” refused to hear, refused to have faith, and refused to obey. The penalty was 40 years in the wilderness — an experience all those in the congregation hearing this sermon did share, at least to some extent. Soon it will be their turn to hear, believe, and obey. Moses is preparing them for it by reminding them of their already shared failure in their parents. Still, God is the God of Second Chances. Soon they will stand on the banks of the river. To a great extent they will have the opportunity to erase the failure of those who went before them. While Iā€™m no expert on “generational curses” (or “generational blessings” for that matter) Iā€™m reminded that my failure or faithfulness reaches far beyond my individual life.
Take Away: Itā€™s unlikely anyone ever sees the full extent of their influence, be it for good or for evil.

Devotional on Deuteronomy

2014 – Mt St Helens, WA

When youā€™ve seen one giant youā€™ve seen them all
Deuteronomy 3: God is going to do the same thing to all the kingdoms over there across the river.
Moses reminds his people of the victories theyā€™ve already experienced. By Godā€™s help they defeated the army of Sihon. Then they took on Og of Bashan. Before we ever meet the giant Goliath we meet Og. Heā€™s huge. In fact, after heā€™s defeated his bed is put on display. Itā€™s over thirteen feet long! As they say, ā€œthe bigger they come the harder they fall.ā€ The Lord supercharges the Israelites and down comes Og and his army. Before long it will be time for this current generation of Israelites to do what their parents refused to do. Theyā€™re to cross the Jordan and take the land of Canaan as their own. This time, rather than cower in fear theyā€™re to think of Sihon and his army and how, by the strength of the Lord, that army was crushed. When they see the big guys of Canaan theyā€™re to picture the fallen Og and his big, iron bed that is on display. The victories of the past are to give them courage and faith to move forward to even greater victories. Thatā€™s how itā€™s supposed to be for me too. God has been good to me. By his grace Iā€™ve come a long way. I donā€™t know what the future holds, but I wouldnā€™t be surprised at all if the biggest challenges of life lie ahead. Iā€™m to let the work of God in my life in days gone by be a source of strength in my life in the events yet to come.
Take Away: As we remember what the Lord has done for us in the past weā€™re encouraged to trust in in current and future situations.

Devotional on Deuteronomy

2014 – Cape Disappointment, WA

Intimacy with God
Deuteronomy 4: What other great nation has gods that are intimate with them the way God, our God, is with us?
Iā€™m tempted to focus on “national gods” here. In this distant day each nation has its own gods and itā€™s unthinkable for anyone to imagine a nation kicking out its gods to worship those of another nation. Iā€™m pretty sure a case could be made that we still have “national gods.” In the instance of my country those gods are named “Materialism” and “Pleasure.” However, instead of pursuing that line of thought (come to think of it, I guess I already did!) Iā€™ll focus on what itā€™s like to worship the true God. Humans donā€™t make this God out of some precious metal. Rather, this God makes human beings out of the dust of the ground. This God makes no demand of those who serve him that he doesn’t first make of himself. For instance, before he calls people to love him he first loves them. In fact, this God always acts first, moving in grace-full ways in the lives of people. And, as Moses says, this God seeks intimacy with his Creation. Moses wants his congregation to realize how blessed they are. Of all the nations of the earth, they have the God who willingly involves himself at every level of their lives. Today, this Almighty Being invites me to experience that same level of intimacy, that personal day-to-day relationship with him.
Take Away: What a privilege it is for the creature to have intimate fellowship with the Creator.

Devotional on Deuteronomy

2014 – Cape Disappointment Lighthouse

Watch out for the little things
Deuteronomy 4: Don’t let your heart wander off.
Moses is familiar with failure. For 40 years heā€™s struggled to keep this nation on the track God laid out for them. Theyā€™ve had both successes and failures. Now, with the end of his life in sight this man of God urges them to stay alert. He wants them to be aware that spiritual disaster sometimes comes bit by bit rather than all at once. Itā€™s possible to become dully satisfied, to fail to be alert to negative changes in our attitudes, and to begin to drift spiritually. The problem isn’t limited to individuals who temporarily lose sight of their goals. Instead, such gradual failure can be national in nature. It can also be generational when parents fail to pass their faith on to their children. Having a current, connected, committed relationship to God is worth any effort it might take. For those of us who are wonderfully blessed the danger isn’t that weā€™ll wake up tomorrow morning and declare that we aren’t interested in God anymore. Nor is it that weā€™ll decide we aren’t going to attempt to influence our children to be genuine Christians. The danger is that we will drift. Moses says, “Don’t let it happen — be aware of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves.”
Take Away: While we canā€™t stay self-focused all the time, once in a while itā€™s a good idea to do a spiritual checkup.

Devotional on Deuteronomy

2014 – Cape Disappointment

Donā€™t mess with God
Deuteronomy 4: God, your God, is not to be trifled with — he’s a consuming fire, a jealous God.
On one hand, I have the matchless grace of God: his patience, forgiveness, and good will toward me. On the other hand, thereā€™s his justice: a hatred of sin and a love for righteousness. Iā€™d better not ever forget God’s justice. Ultimately, God will have his way. To presume on God’s grace is to ignore his justice. Moses tells the people to be careful that they don’t mess with God. They have made certain commitments that include promising to keep the ground rules God has laid out. Whatā€™s true for them is true for me. It isn’t that God requires perfect behavior from me — that’s beyond my reach. However, he does require me to keep faith with him. He requires me to live my life as a man of God and to be open to his correction and leadership in my life. This relationship is not only my valued treasure, but is also my greatest responsibility. It must be held in utmost reverence in my life.
Take Away: Being a follower of God is a wonderful blessing ā€“ along with that blessing is an awesome responsibility.

Devotional on Deuteronomy

2014 – Cape Disappointment

Thereā€™s a remedy
Deuteronomy 4: If you seek Godā€¦you’ll be able to find him if you’re serious, looking for him with your whole heart and soul.
Again, Moses is no stranger to spiritual failure. As the leader of this people heā€™s seen repeated failure. Even as he warns them against trifling with God, even as he cautions them about having wandering hearts — even then, he knows that they’ll mess up again. The thing is, not only is Moses familiar with spiritual failure, heā€™s also familiar with God’s grace. Time after time heā€™s seen God reach out to these people in mercy, love, and forgiveness. In this, Moses has learned some important things about the God who called to him from the burning bush decades earlier. He tells them, “Before anything else, God is a compassionate God.” Even if his warnings to these people go unheeded, God’s character will be unchanged. People, even people who have miserably failed, who seek God whole-heartedly, find God. Thereā€™s so much hope here that it takes our breath away. Thereā€™s a remedy for spiritual failure. Thereā€™s hope for the fallen. Thereā€™s a God of Second Chances and if we seek him with all our hearts weā€™ll find himā€¦and in finding him weā€™ll find hope and restoration.
Take Away: God is the God of Second Chances.

Devotional on Deuteronomy

2014 – Cape Disappointment

Live long and prosper
Deuteronomy 4: Obediently live by his rules and commands which I’m giving you today so that you’ll live well and your children after you.
So how does it work? Is it that God has given me these rules and regulations and will pay me back with blessings if I keep them? I don’t think so. God doesn’t lay down arbitrary rules just for the purpose of keeping me in line and he doesnā€™t treat me like a little child whoā€™s rewarded with a stick of candy if Iā€™m good. His purposes for me are filled with grace and mercy. If God says, “Don’t” I can be sure that itā€™s for my benefit and not his. My Creator, who knows me better than I know myself says, “When I created you I hardwired some very specific things about you. If you want your life to function at its best, hereā€™s how youā€™re to live.” Following these guidelines doesn’t mean life will be trouble free (after all, thereā€™s that ugly business of the fall in the opening pages of my Bible) but it does mean that Iā€™ll live the best, most satisfying and fulfilled life possible. Not only that, but by living according to God’s plan, Iā€™ll be teaching my children the best way to live. The result will be that my kids will be more likely to adopt my approach to living in a relationship with God and their lives will also be better lived.
Take Away: When I live Godā€™s way, not only is my life better, but I also influence my children to live for God, resulting in their lives also being better.

Devotional on Deuteronomy

2014 – Cape Disappointment, WA – North Head Lighthouse

Inherited blessings and personal decisions
Deuteronomy 5: God didn’t just make this covenant with our parents; he made it also with us, with all of us who are alive right now.
Some things are generational. That is, theyā€™re passed along from parents to their children. Some of the promises of God are like that. Such promises are made to a people, a nation. Because of that it could be said that the children inherit the promise from their parents. Some generational issues are not exactly the property of the children in the way those big promises are, but because of human nature, they almost seem to be. Parents have an influence on their children. If that influence is godly the result is very likely a positive one. On the other hand, if that influence is negative, itā€™s very possible that things will begin to unravel more and more with each passing generation. However, it doesnā€™t need to be that way. The reason is that God remains active from one age to the next. Moses tells his listeners that the relationship God had with their parents, a relationship that was broken by their disobedience, is now offered to them. They won’t say, “Weā€™re God’s people because our parents were God’s people.” Instead, theyā€™ll be his people because God has called them and theyā€™ve responded to that invitation. Itā€™s a wonderful thing when parents pass their faith along to their children. It is even better when the children actively respond making that relationship to God their very own.
Take Away: A person who had godly parents is blessed, indeed. Still, that person has the responsibility of claiming that blessing ā€“ that relationship- as their very own.

Devotional on Deuteronomy

2014 – Cape Disappointment, WA

Step into the fire
Deuteronomy 5: You were afraid, remember, of the fire and wouldn’t climb the mountain.
It was over 40 years earlier but Moses remembers it like it was yesterday. God called him up to the mountain and in that place he had a powerful encounter with the Almighty. The people of Israel, however, didn’t want that experience. They saw the billowing smoke and the fire of God and were afraid. Because of that, they preferred that Moses be their representative while they stayed safely in the valley. I wonder how many blessings I miss because it is easier to stay where I am than it is to have a raw, fire-filled encounter with the Lord. To be fair, thereā€™s more going on in my heart that just my wanting to stay comfortably unchanged. After all, itā€™s frightening to come face to face with God. To get that close to God is to step into the fire. Intellectually I know itā€™s a good thing to meet God at that level. In fact, I hunger for him in my spirit. Still, I find myself hesitating to abandon myself to the fire of the Almighty. But I must. Otherwise, I condemn myself to a life thatā€™s a shadow of what it could be.
Take Away: When the Lord invites you to step into the fire accept that invitation.

Devotional on Deuteronomy

2014 – Oysterville Historic Church – Long Beach, WA

Starting point
Deuteronomy 6: Attention, Israel! GOD, our God! GOD the one and only! Love GOD, your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that’s in you, love him with all you’ve got!
Even elaborate systems of thought can be distilled down to basic concepts. The Shema of Deuteronomy 6 is not all there is to God’s intentions for us, but itā€™s the center point for all else, the foundation upon which all else is laid. God is one. He exists. All that we can hope for and all that we can ever expect to know starts here: God is God. And, God desires our love. He wants us to love him without reservation; with absolute abandon. This isn’t all that we should know about God’s desire for us, but it starts here. Everything else: the Ten Commandments of the Old Testament and the Beatitudes of the New Testament, the story of Creation of Genesis to the promise of restoration of John’s Revelationā€¦all of it starts here. God is and our relationship with this “I Am” is founded on love.
Take Away: The route to building something that lasts is to start with a solid foundation.

Devotional on Deuteronomy

2014 – Pacific City, OR

Living as a people of God
Deuteronomy 6: The next time your child asks you, “What do these requirements and regulations and rules that GOD, our God, has commanded mean?”
The people of God are different than other peoples. However, their difference isnā€™t just for the sake of difference. Rather, their uniqueness means something. Theyā€™re a unique people because they have a unique relationship with God. While thereā€™s no question that God is worthy of worship, thereā€™s more to it than worship. Thereā€™s a connection between them and their God and that connection impacts everything about them. Obviously, that includes moral behavior but it also impacts what they eat, how they cut their hair, and how they dress. Even their calendar is built around their relationship with God. Itā€™s because of how their relationship with God saturates their lives that their own children and people from the outside are perplexed and ask questions. Moses tells them how to answer those questions: “We live this way because of God. He has rescued us from our past and he has impacted everything about us. Our lives are all about him. Everything about us is about the Lord God.” This sweeping relationship between God and people was unique in their world and itā€™s unique in my world too. For others, God (or the gods) has his place and when we enter his territory he is to be acknowledged. Otherwise, we wonā€™t bother him if he doesnā€™t bother us. For a follower of God-Jehovah though, that approach never works. Our lives are connected to him at every level. We live as we live because of that relationship. This is the message we pass on to our children. In fact, itā€™s the message we have for all who observe and question our approach to living.
Take Away: The Lord isnā€™t distant and observing. Instead, heā€™s present and involved.

Devotional on Deuteronomy

2014 – Pacific City, OR

A humbling reminder
Deuteronomy 7: God wasn’t attracted to youā€¦because you were big and importantā€¦he did it out of sheer love.
It’s a bit humbling. Moses is talking to the “chosen people” who are about to enter the “promised land.” Everything about this causes them to think of themselves as being somehow special. But Moses says “no” to this kind of thinking. Frankly, this shouldn’t be too hard. Their ancestors for ten generations were mere slaves in Egypt. Their parents were nomads without a land to call their own. Moses says to them, “You aren’t special ā€“ itā€™s God’s love thatā€™s special.” Well, that’s kind of what he says, but the other side of this coin is that because God loved them and treasured them — because of that, they are special. As I read these words I find myself, rather than being a somewhat interested bystander, right at the heart of this story. I was on the outside looking in, unworthy and unwelcome. Then, I received an invitation to come in. That invitation was signed in blood, the signature: ā€œJesus Christ.ā€ Now, I read these ancient words of Moses with new eyes and with a whole new level of respect. God wasnā€™t attracted to me because I was big and important. In sheer love he reached out to me. Today, Iā€™m humbled by this reminder.
Take Away: I am who I am by the grace of God.

Devotional on Deuteronomy

2014 – Pacific City, OR

He never has failed me yet
Deuteronomy 8: So it’s paramount that you keep the commandments of Godā€¦walk down the roads he shows you and reverently respect him.
The road God has led them down has not always been easy. At times, they’ve been pushed to the limit. Still, in all of it God proved faithful. There has been manna from heaven, perpetual clothes and shoes, and many other direct evidences of God’s steady faithfulness. The fact of the matter is that while their wilderness journey is about to end, there are more times of testing to come. Those same giants that scared their parents off 40 years earlier still live down the road a few miles ahead. The cities are still fortified and the armies there are still superior. Moses says they need to learn from the past as they move to the future. Iā€™m reminded today that sometimes God leads me down roads that scare me to death! Still, as the old song says, “He never has failed me yet.” With that in mind, I walk down the roads he shows me. If he says, “go” that means he’ll go with me and make a way even when I can’t imagine how it can all work out.
Take Away: The Lord never leads us where he doesnā€™t go with us.

Devotional on Deuteronomy

2014 – Pacific City, OR

Deliverance, protection, provision
Deuteronomy 8: If you start thinking to yourselves, “I did all this. All by myself. I’m rich. It’s all mine!” — well, think again.
The topic is God’s past blessings and his promise of future faithfulness. Their history is memorable: deliverance, protection, provisions. God has been good and that should be clear to them. After all, bread literally fell from heaven every day. But that may be the problem. Many of his listeners had not even been born when the bread started falling. A person in his audience can be 40 years old and every day (except on Saturdays) of his or her life they have gone out to collect manna to eat. These blessed people have never seen it any other way. Had you met one and asked them about their clothing: “Say, how long does a shirt last before it has to be replaced?” The response would have been one of confusion: “What do you mean, ‘last’ — I don’t understand the question.” Why? Because their clothing never needed to be replaced — ever! Is it possible that God can be so good to me that I forget that he’s the Source of the blessing in the first place? Once I forget the Source, the next step is for me to start thinking that I somehow deserve credit for it. Moses says that if I start thinking like that — well, I’d better think again.
Take Away: Itā€™s okay to enjoy the blessing as long as I remember the Source of the blessing.

Devotional on Deuteronomy

2014 – Cape Meares, OR

Bigger grace
Deuteronomy 9: You’re stubborn as mules.
I doubt the congregation is shouting out, “Amen!” in agreement with Moses’ declaration of their stubbornness, but they know itā€™s true. Just in case they need reminding, Moses is about to list all the failures of this nationā€¦failures so great that at one point God is ready to just wipe them off the face of the earth. However, this portion of the sermon is more about God’s grace than about their stubbornness. In fact, it might be said that as great as their stubbornness is, God’s grace is greater. This is a story of “big failures but bigger grace.” By the way, the reason I can think about their stubbornness in particularly vivid ways is that Iā€™m no stranger to stubbornness myself. However, that isn’t the end of the story for them or for me because I can also tell you that I am no stranger to grace. Any time grace is given a chance it wins.
Take Away: Amazing grace, how sweet the sound!

Devotional on Deuteronomy

2014 – Cape Meares, OR – in the fog

The path to the good life
Deuteronomy 10: ā€¦live a good life.
These days, “health and wealth” preaching is pretty popular. “Have enough faith, pray hard enough,” even, “Give me some money” and as a result you’ll drive a nice car, live in a big house, and never be sick. Moses, though, has his own take on “health and wealth.” In this passage he carefully lists the route to the “good life.” Itā€™s all centered on doing what God expects. What does he expect?
1. “Live in his presence in holy reverence”
2. “Follow the road he sets out for you”
3. “Loveā€¦and serve” him “with everything you have in you”
4. “Obey the commandments and regulations of God”
It’s not about me taking advantage of some spiritual principle for my benefit or my tapping into some hidden potential within myself. It has nothing to do with driving off the spirit of poverty or illness. It sure isn’t about me manipulating God to get him to do nice things for me. When I align myself with God’s expectations my life is a good life. That goodness, by the way, may not be seen in temporary things like health or wealth but, instead, in my living a truly blessed life, pleasing to God. The path to the good life is summed up in four words: live, follow, love, and obey.
Take Away: Many spiritual ā€œsecretsā€ are hidden in plain sight.

Devotional on Deuteronomy

2014 – Along OR 101

Point of decision
Deuteronomy 11: I’ve brought you today to the crossroads of Blessing and Curse.
Free will is both a wonderful gift and a terrible burden. Itā€™s a gift in that it sets us apart from all other creatures. Weā€™re made in God’s image. Itā€™s a burden because itā€™s possible for us to freely make foolish decisions, which God will allow us to make, and for which he will hold us accountable. The people Moses speaks to stand at a point of decision. On one hand, they have the route to blessing. On the other is the cursed route. Clearly, the Lord wants them to pick ā€œBlessing Street.ā€ However, he wonā€™t force them to do so. Since I have the benefit of being able to turn the pages of my Bible and gaze into their future, I find that, while there are many ā€œblessing storiesā€ yet to be told, there are plenty of the others too; even to the point of near extinction of their race. In his Sovereignty the Lord grants Israel the right to choose. By his grace theyā€™ve arrived at this place of choice and by his grace theyā€™re allowed to decide the next step. However, their choice at this point isnā€™t without consequences. Some of those consequences are good, others bad. The ability to choose is a gift of God but itā€™s also a burden because choices have consequences.
Take Away: The exercise of free will can bring wonderful blessings into our lives. It can also be our downfall.

Devotional on Deuteronomy

2014 – Along Oregon Hwy 101 – north of Florence

Hold on
Deuteronomy 13: You are to follow only Godā€¦hold on to him for dear life!
Moses says that sometimes other gods look attractive and actually seem to deliver the goods. When that happens weā€™re tempted to abandon the Lord God and follow the latest trend of society. In fact, Moses says, God allows that to happen to test our love for him. If Iā€™d rather have the latest fad I can have it — but it will be my loss. As a sports fan, Iā€™ve learned that, even though the names of the players change, the game remains the same. With this passage in mind, Iā€™m reminded that, while the latest gods are not the deities of Egypt or Canaan, the game is the same. My loyalty to the Lord God is tested by the lure of the gods of my culture. They seem to deliver the goods, and millions follow these gods named “Pleasure,” “Affluence,” “Success,” “Power,” and “Entertainment,” telling me how wonderful it is. As one of God’s people I must remain ever alert to the subtle influence of that which erodes my loyalty to the one true God. I must “hold on to him for dear life!”
Take Away: Only as we keep our focus on the Lord are we absolutely safe from being swayed by the false gods of our society.

Devotional on Deuteronomy

2014 – Along Oregon Hwy 101 – north of Florence

Situational ethics
Deuteronomy 13: Do the right thing in the eyes of God, your God.
“Situational ethics: wrong is not always wrong and right is not always right.” “There are no absolutes.” “Whatā€™s wrong for you may not be wrong for me.” These are the creeds of our day. Sin is out and self-realization is in. Excuse the poor English, but it ain’t so. We have a Creator who is an ethical Being. He says that no matter who you are, or where (or when) you live, that there are universal standards of right and wrong. These aren’t arbitrary rules made up by some kill joy preacher and they aren’t the result of mere superstition. That isn’t to say that every rule and regulation of the Church is pure and above question. In fact, in this passage I note that Moses doesn’t say, “There are community standards of decency that must be observed.” Rather, he says, “Do the right thing in the eyes of God.” First, that means there are some actions that are always right and some that are always wrong; no matter who, when, or where. Second, it means that God is the Judge of whether or not those standards have been met in our lives. Now, some might take comfort in reminding me that Iā€™m not their judge. Thatā€™s fine with me. I have plenty of my own concerns to address. However, it needs to be clearly stated that there is a Judge and each of us is accountable to him.
Take Away: I canā€™t please everybody, but, for the sake of my own soul, I must please God.