Deuteronomy 32:19-22 Worthless Idols

 19When the LORD saw this, He rejected them,

provoked to anger by His sons and daughters.

20He said: “I will hide My face from them;

I will see what will be their end.

For they are a perverse generation—

children of unfaithfulness.

21They have provoked My jealousy by that which is not God;

they have enraged Me with their worthless idols.

So I will make them jealous by those who are not a people;

I will make them angry by a nation without understanding.

22For a fire has been kindled by My anger,

and it burns to the depths of Sheol;

it consumes the earth and its produce,

and scorches the foundations of the mountains.

“When God’s people forsake Him, He withdraws the intimacy of His presence. At first, this is sometimes seen as a relief, because the conviction of sin is not so great. But then the darkness and desperation set in.” (Guzik)

Worthless Idols

We need to keep short accounts and examine ourselves daily for worthless idols in our lives. They can enter through a crack in the door unintentionally or we open the garage door and let them into our lives!

Jeremiah 18:15 Yet My people have forgotten Me. They burn incense to worthless idols that make them stumble in their ways, leaving the ancient roads to walk on rutted bypaths instead of on the highway.

Jeremiah 10:8 People who worship idols are stupid and foolish. The things they worship are made of wood!

Jonah 2:8 Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them.

Isaiah 44:9 All makers of idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Their witnesses fail to see or comprehend, so they are put to shame.

The Bible is full of verses about worthless idols. 

What do you think the LORD is trying to convey on the subject?

Have you forgotten the Lord, turned away HIS love ❤️ because you’re clinging to a worthless idol?

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 32:15-18 Jeshurun

 15But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked—

becoming fat, bloated, and gorged.

He abandoned the God who made him

and scorned the Rock of his salvation.

16They provoked His jealousy with foreign gods;

they enraged Him with abominations.

17They sacrificed to demons, not to God,

to gods they had not known,

to newly arrived gods,

which your fathers did not fear.

18You ignored the Rock who brought you forth;

you forgot the God who gave you birth.

Jeshurun  means the upright one , a term of endearment for Israel.

“In forsaking God, Israel turned to the pagan idols of the nations around them and actually worshipped demons. There was a dark spiritual reality behind the idols of the nations, and Israel embraced that dark spiritual reality.” (Guzik)

When the Lord gave the Israelites the promised land, one of the main reasons was because it’s inhabitants sinned greatly and worshiped false gods. Mankind has a short memory and doesn’t learn from history! 

The United States is no different, we’ve gone from “one nation under God to a nation gone under!” (Douglas)

Consider the pagan idols, worshiping demons and the dark spiritual reality within our borders!

The only thing that can save us is a revival, turning back to the Lord!

Please pray continually for our country.

Blessings 

https://www.gotquestions.org/God-of-Jeshurun.html

Deuteronomy 32:10-14 Count Your Blessings!

 

Jacob is the place of His inheritance.

10He found him in a desert land,

in a barren, howling wilderness;

He surrounded him, He instructed him,

He guarded him as the apple of His eye.

11As an eagle stirs up its nest

and hovers over its young,

He spread His wings to catch them

and carried them on His pinions.

12The LORD alone led him,

and no foreign god was with him.

13He made him ride on the heights of the land

and fed him the produce of the field.

He nourished him with honey from the rock

and oil from the flinty crag,

14with curds from the herd and milk from the flock,

with the fat of lambs,

with rams from Bashan, and goats,

with the choicest grains of wheat.

From the juice of the finest grapes

you drank the wine.

“Considering that this song was meant to be a witness against a rebellious Israel, Moses reminded Israel of all God’s goodness to them. This was to both bring a greater conviction of sin, and to remind them of God’s love and grace they could return to.” (Guzik)

How many blessings do you count in the verses?

Yet we are no different than the Israelites, we have the same rebellious heart ❤️ because of sin. We fail to count our blessings and are led down the sinners pathway!

We would all be better off when we are tempted to sin to count and write out our blessings just as Moses did here in this song, then sing our song of blessings to the Lord and ask HIM to help us from the temptations from the devil. 

Then we can rightly say to the devil, flee from me in Jesus’ name I pray!

And we will see the goodness and grace of God because we returned to HIM instead of sinning.

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 32:7-9 Days of Old!

 7“Remember the days of old,

Consider the years of many generations.
Ask your father, and he will show you;
Your elders, and they will tell you:
8When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations,
When He separated the sons of Adam,
He set the boundaries of the peoples
According to the number of the [c]children of Israel.
9For the Lord’s portion is His people;
Jacob is the place of His inheritance.

Days of Old

When my father passed, a good friend commented “you are now mortal”. Not understanding his comment I asked what he meant, he said the previous generation is gone and you are next.

I believe God give us the life cycle of growing old so we can reflect back on our life (days of old)  and how we lived it.

“Consider the many generations” before us that are no more.

The things I would ask my father, my fathers father and elders if I could have a do over!

Remember, we did this as children in the days of old? Do children do this today?

Leviticus 19:32 (Amp) You shall rise before the gray-headed and honor the aged, and you shall fear your God [with profound reverence]; I am the LORD.

The Lord set our boundaries in writing, all we have to do is study the Bible to understand what our boundaries are!

Yes, “For the Lord’s portion is His people”! Those of us that have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior (born again believers) are adopted children of GOD, we are His (Gods) people!

Ephesians 1:18 (Amp) And [I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know andcherish the hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints (God’s people),

I can’t wait for my inheritance!

Are you old enough to reflect back on the days of old?

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 32:5-6 Foolish and Unwise!

 5His people have acted corruptly toward Him;

the spot on them is not that of His children,

but of a perverse and crooked generation.

6Is this how you repay the LORD,

O foolish and senseless people?

Is He not your Father and Creator?

Has He not made you and established you?

Foolish and Unwise!

Moses spoke as a witness against the rebellious Israelites.

Being foolish, unwise and rebellious against God, in light what HE has done for them.

BUT,

Haven’t we acted corruptly toward Him?

Haven’t we been a foolish and senseless people?

Is He not your Father and Creator?

Has He not made you and established you through His Son, Jesus Christ?

Romans 3: 10As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one.

Because of our sin nature we need to confess our sin daily. Tomorrow may be to late.

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 32:1-4 Proclaim!

 1Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak;

hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.

2Let my teaching fall like rain

and my speech settle like dew,

like gentle rain on new grass,

like showers on tender plants.

3For I will proclaim the name of the LORD.

Ascribe greatness to our God!

4He is the Rock, His work is perfect;

all His ways are just.

A God of faithfulness without injustice,

righteous and upright is He.

“Moses began by asking for attention, not only from Israel, but from all of creation.” (Guzik)

Like Moses proclaiming the name of the Lord, Christians have a duty to proclaim the name of Jesus!

Mark 16:15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

HE is our rock, HIS work (salvation) is perfect!

Are you telling everyone what HE has done for you?

Blessings 

History of THANKSGIVING

 History of THANKSGIVING 

A National holiday for public thanksgiving and prayer 🙏 

On this date, Representative Allen Treadway of Massachusetts made a plea on the House Floor for Congress to set the last Thursday of November as the legal holiday for Thanksgiving. On Thursday, November 26, 1789, President George Washington issued a proclamation for “a day of public thanksgiving and prayer.” Beginning in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln encouraged Americans to recognize the last Thursday of November as “a day of Thanksgiving.” A few years later in 1870, Congress followed suit by passing legislation making Thanksgiving (along with Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, and Independence Day) a national holiday. However, unlike the other holidays in the bill, the President had the discretion to set the date for Thanksgiving. With few exceptions, each President until Franklin D. Roosevelt followed Lincoln’s lead by declaring the last Thursday of November a national day of thanks. President Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving to the third Thursday of November to extend the Christmas shopping season in order to help businesses still suffering from the lingering effects of the Great Depression. Despite widespread criticism from many who had grown accustomed to the tradition of celebrating Thanksgiving later in November, the President moved up the holiday again in 1940. Some Members expressed frustration on the House Floor. “I feel the example which Massachusetts and New England offer in the retention of longstanding custom should be given very careful consideration before ruthlessly permitting it to be sacrificed for mercenary considerations,” Treadway remarked. On January 3, 1941, Representative Earl Michener of Michigan introduced House Joint Resolution 41 to set the last Thursday of November for the Thanksgiving holiday. “The rather universal sentiment seems to be that we should return to the old custom of the last Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day,” said Joseph O’Hara of Minnesota, since “not only [does it honor] a custom as old as our national history but it will mean a restoring of order to what has been confusion to many who have to deal with this problem as a holiday season.” The House eventually passed Michener’s bill on October 6, 1941, and President Roosevelt signed it into law late that December, to take effect the following year.

Friends, brethren and everyone reading this today may we return to the original intent as declared by George Washington, “a day of public thanksgiving and prayer”. If you are celebrating with family, friends or even by yourself may I suggest praying to the LORD for our nation, government, family, friends and giving thanks for your blessings? 

As a brother recently stated in his devotional we went from “one nation under God to a nation gone under”. There’s only one way that can change, PRAYER 🙏.

The United States needs a revival and a revival starts with prayer 🙏.

Happy thanksgiving.

Blessings 

https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1901-1950/The-Thanksgiving-holiday/

Deuteronomy 31:30 Song of Moses

 30Then Moses recited aloud to the whole assembly of Israel the words of this song from beginning to end:

“In fact, the song of chapter 32 is strongly reminiscent in its structure and content of a well-known secular political form, namely, the formulation of a complaint against a rebel vassal by his overlord with the threat of punishment. It is not impossible that some, at least, in Israel would have understood such a pattern and Moses would certainly have met it in the pharaoh’s court.” (Thompson)

What is the song of Moses?

https://www.gotquestions.org/Song-of-Moses.html

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 31:28-29 WITNESS

 28Assemble before me all the elders of your tribes and all your officers so that I may speak these words in their hearing and call heaven and earth to witness against them. 29For I know that after my death you will become utterly corrupt and turn from the path I have commanded you. And in the days to come, disaster will befall you because you will do evil in the sight of the LORD to provoke Him to anger by the work of your hands.”

WITNESS

“call heaven and earth”

How important can a witness be? This isn’t a mere mortal witness where two are required for an accusation! This WITNESS is calling heaven and earth!

Genesis 4: 10“What have you done?” replied the LORD. “The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.

The earth was a witness to Abel’s blood!

Every sin we do, heaven and earth are a witness to our deeds! 

Why do we do “do evil in the sight of the LORD”?

Brethren we need to sin-less because as Christians we are a role model to the 🌎 and whatever is hidden, heaven and earth are a witness against us!

Let that sink in!

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 31:24-27 Rebellious

 24When Moses had finished writing in a book the words of this law from beginning to end, 25he gave this command to the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD: 26“Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, so that it may remain there as a witness against you. 27For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If you are already rebelling against the LORD while I am still alive, how much more will you rebel after my death!

“The Ten Commandments were placed inside the ark of the covenant (Hebrews 9:4). But the whole book of the law - Genesis through Deuteronomy - was placed beside the ark of the covenant.” (Guzik)

Moses knew from Gods word and from common sense, that the Israelites would rebel against God. After all, they did in the past and Gods word is true.

Let the Israelites be a lesson for us!

We are no different because of our sin nature! He that says he hath no sin is a liar! We need to examine our heart and mind daily and ask the Lord for forgiveness!

Dear Heavenly Father, I lift my thoughts, actions and words up to YOU and ask for forgiveness. In Jesus name I pray. Amen 

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 31:23 Encouragement and Comfort

 23Then the LORD commissioned Joshua son of Nun and said, “Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land that I swore to give them, and I will be with you.”

“It is remarkable how often this exhortation is directed towards Joshua. He hears it seven different times (Deuteronomy 31:6, 7, and 23; Joshua 1:6, 7, 9, and 18).”

“This exposes Joshua’s weakness; there was a need for such a command, because even a great leader like Joshua needed such encouragement.” (Guzik)

How many of us when studying the Bible assumed Joshua’s gift was that he was strong and courageous? We can safely say since it was mentioned seven times he wasn’t! God uses the weak to confound the wise! 

But one thing Joshua had was faith in God and HIS word!

“Wonderfully, the last time this phrase is used in connection with Joshua, he is encouraging others to be strong and of good courage (Joshua 10:25). He could encourage others with the encouragement the LORD, through others, had given him.” (Guzik)

See how God works? He strengthens us in our weak areas so then we can provide encouragement to others in the same area we were once weak!

Look how this works with comfort! This was the verse I chose when asked, why do you want to be a chaplain?

2 Corinthians 1: 4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

What areas do you need strengthening in?

How can you encourage and comfort others today?

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 31:19-22 A Song A Witness!

 19Now therefore, write down for yourselves this song and teach it to the Israelites; have them recite it, so that it may be a witness for Me against them. 20When I have brought them into the land that I swore to give their fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey, they will eat their fill and prosper. Then they will turn to other gods and worship them, and they will reject Me and break My covenant. 21And when many troubles and afflictions have come upon them, this song will testify against them, because it will not be forgotten from the lips of their descendants. For I know their inclination, even before I bring them into the land that I swore to give them.”

22So that very day Moses wrote down this song and taught it to the Israelites.

A Song A Witness 

“Yet this was a strange national anthem, because the purpose of this anthem was to testify against them as a witness. God knew that words are more memorable when set to music, so He told Moses to compose the sermon in a song found in the following chapter, Deuteronomy 32.” (Guzik)

I never was musically talented except in my youth prior to my voice change! I have come to the belief that the reason the worship music is so loud is because they are trying to cover up my singing!

So if you heard me sing a memorable song you’d be a testifying witness that I can’t sing! 😇

Do you have a memorable song that you learned the words to so you wouldn’t forget like the Israelites?

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 31:17-18 WARNINGS

 17On that day My anger will burn against them, and I will abandon them and hide My face from them, so that they will be consumed, and many troubles and afflictions will befall them.

On that day they will say, ‘Have not these disasters come upon us because our God is no longer with us?’

18And on that day I will surely hide My face because of all the evil they have done by turning to other gods.

Warnings

We look at these warnings and say to ourselves, not us!

We are one nation under God, aren’t we? Let us count the ways…. We’ve taken God out of the schools, we’ve removed God from the courts, we’ve removed God from our governments, and in some states we’ve legalized abortion up to the time of birth!

Can we honestly say as a nation, ‘Have not these disasters come upon us because our God is no longer with us?’

As a brother has rightly put, we have gone from one nation under God to a nation gone under.

During this time of troubles and afflictions, we need to turn from our other gods and turn our faces to the one true God!

Please pray for a revival!

Blessings