Posts Tagged ‘consequences’

Day 85: Deuteronomy 11:1-32 — A Choice

Friday, March 26th, 2010

In Deuteronomy 11:1-25, Moses continues to exhort the people to obedience, based on the evidence of what God has done for them in the past. The deliverance from Egypt described in Deuteronomy 11:2-4 is narrated in Exodus chapters 13-14. The story of Dathan and Abiram (Deuteronomy 11:6) is told also in Numbers 16. In Deuteronomy 11:10-12, Moses makes a distinction between Egypt and Canaan, the Promised Land. The main difference is that Canaan is not irrigated as Egypt is (Nile River). But God will water the new land, nevertheless. According to Deuteronomy 11:14, God will provide early rain (in October, since the new year began in September), and later rain (in April). Because life will be so good in the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 11:16), the people will be tempted to worship other gods out of complacence. If that happens, Moses warns that there will be no water at all. Deuteronomy 11:18-25 summarizes this entire section. The people are to pass on these words from generation to generation. Deuteronomy 11:24 gives the boundaries of the Promised Land (the western sea refers to the Mediterranean Sea, to the west of Canaan).

In Deuteronomy 11:26-32, there are two possibilities offered to the Israelites. The decision rests on obedience to the covenant. Two mountains are mentioned, one for the blessing and one for the curse. Both mountains are located near Shechem in the central hill country, on the west side of the Jordan River. The people of Israel constantly have a choice before them. They can choose either blessing or curse. I find it interesting that God gives us a choice and we think it is a right. We make a good choice and all is well. We make a bad choice and experience some negative consequences and we blame God for giving us a choice or the severity of the consequence. Which is it going to be? Have we reached a point in life that it is so good that we have fallen prey to complacency to think there is no God and there are no consequences? Of all the things that should make us anxious or scared is the idea that God would remove His grace of blessings and curses. Think about what life would be without them. Can there even be a blessing without a curse or vice versa?

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Posted in Blame, Boundaries, Deuteronomy, Free Will, God, Obedience | Comments Off

Day 70: Numbers 20:10-13 — Complaining

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

“A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower

After God had saved the people of Israel from the Egyptians and led them into the desert, they began to complain (Numbers 20:2-5). Slaves freed become privileged as the chosen of the creator of all. The consequences were great because their complaining and Moses’ failure to follow instructions led to their exclusion from the promised land. It is interesting that in 1 Corinthians 10:1-13, Paul tells us the same story. In fact, I think it would be appropriate to say that he reminds us as Christians that we are privileged. We have been saved by Jesus Christ, but he exhorts us not to value our privileges above our principles or like Eisenhower said, we may lose both.

Questions:

  1. Do we live in a land of idolatry? Is God first in our government, family, and churches? (I Corinthians 10:7)
  2. Is sexual immorality a problem? (I Corinthians 10:8-9)
  3. Are we a grumbling people? (I Corinthians 10:10)
  4. Do we think we are self-sufficient? (I Corinthians 10:12)

Thank you Lord for making us a privileged people!  Help us this week not to grumble! May we value your principles over our privileges!

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Posted in Complaining, Jesus, Numbers | 2 Comments »

Day 46: Leviticus 4:1-6:7; Matthew 26:6-25 — I didn’t mean to…”Pay attention.”

Monday, February 15th, 2010

How many times do you remember saying, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to (do this, say that, break this, etc.)…” My mother likes to tell her grandchildren, to their chagrin, that a great and important rule of life is “Pay attention.”

Today’s two readings, and a few of the ones subsequent, seem to collide headlong. Our readings in Leviticus give directions for sacrifices and restitution to be made for sins, thoughtless and otherwise. Matthew begins narratives for that great, wondrous Sacrifice of sacrifices.

In Leviticus several paragraphs describe atonement one must make for the unintentional or thoughtless sins. Look at how the reading distinguishes between the anointed priest, a leader, and a common person. A few truths of life emerge immediately.

  1. Sometimes we just really make a mess of things. Sometimes we drown our God-likeness in a flood of human foibles. On top of that, sometimes we do not even know that we did it! What a great and gracious Creator to know what blundering feeble creatures we can be, and rather than extinguish us He provides for a way to come back, to be at one again with Him. God calls on us to acknowledge our sin and own up to it. He calls on us to take steps to apologize, make peace, set right what we have done, Matthew 5:23-24. What we do matters. Our actions affect others. There are no victimless crimes. We need to be thoughtful, purposeful. Ephesians 5:15-21.
  2. Family, friends, people will hurt us sometimes, and they may not even know that they did it! We must be the ones to bring up those uncomfortable discussions so that we not only can clear up what we may have misunderstood, but bring to the attention of that person an area of life that needs work. We need to exercise that part of our God-likeness that looks for grace, healing, and restoration. “Hey, I really need to talk to you. I am confused about something…” Oh! Judging judging judging!  No, rather this takes self reflection, repentance, and measuring by the righteous standard, and grace!  Matthew 6:14-15, Matthew 7:1-5, Matthew 18:15-18, John 7:24, Ezekiel 3:17-21, Psalms 133:1.
  3. Some sins and mistakes have greater effects and consequences than others. The high priest, a leader of the people, a common person all sin. All must be made right with God. Yet the effects, the consequences of those sins can be quite different, and so their atoning sacrifices get separate treatment in the text. How does a person go from “oops, spilled milk” to “oops, broken life”? All start with perhaps a lack of commitment to God, a lack of holy living, an attitude of “oh, that is not a big thing!” to our own weaknesses or “mistakes” (as sin is called today). Rather, be holy, committed to God in all things, so that the practice of life leads us to holiness and grace in all things. 1 Peter 1:13-21.

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Posted in Judging, Leviticus, Matthew, Sin | Comments Off