Deuteronomy 12:26-28 May Always Go Well

26But you are to take your holy things and your vow offerings and go to the place the LORD will choose. 27Present the meat and blood of your burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD your God. The blood of your other sacrifices must be poured out beside the altar of the LORD your God, but you may eat the meat. 28Be careful to obey all these things I command you, so that it may always go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the LORD your God.

May Always Go Well

Notice these verses say, be careful to obey all these things I command you, so that it may always go well with you.

But what about the Christian?

Some believe once they become a Christian that everything will become roses 🥀.

But all we need to do is read the scriptures to determine that they hated Jesus and look at what they did to Him!

Look at Paul and how he suffered in a Roman dungeon!

Look at Stephen and how he became the first martyr for Christ!

Our earthly life still will have sufferings because we live in a sinful world.

Jesus gives us the knowledge of the Good Book to cope with the the sinful world.

Jesus saved you from a second death, He saved your soul and erased your sins, this is what goes well with us!

What will you do for Him?

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 12:20-25 (NO)

 20When the LORD your God expands your territory as He has promised, and you crave meat and say, “I want to eat meat,” you may eat it whenever you want. 21If the place where the LORD your God chooses to put His Name is too far from you, then you may slaughter any of the herd or flock He has given you, as I have commanded you, and you may eat it within your gates whenever you want. 22Indeed, you may eat it as you would eat a gazelle or deer; both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat it. 23Only be sure not to eat the blood, because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat. 24You must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water. 25Do not eat it, so that it may go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is right in the eyes of the LORD.

Be Sure Not, You Must Not, Do Not Eat It. (NO)

“Since the blood was the picture of life in any animal or man (for the blood is the life), God would not allow Israel to eat meat that had not been properly bled. Instead, it was to be given to God by pouring it out on the earth.” (Guzik)

Three times in these verses Moses warns the Israelites not to eat the blood 🩸 because the blood is the life.

But why do people do it then? I personally knew someone that enjoyed blood sausage. I’ve read of people that drink their mates blood and we’ve seen or heard of movies that have creatures called vampires that drink blood.

The world seems fascinated with blood.

The Lord through Moses has said concerning blood: Be Sure Not, You Must Not, Do Not Eat It.

That’s good enough for me.

Is His word good enough for you?

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 12:17-19 REJOICE!

 17Within your gates you must not eat the tithe of your grain or new wine or oil, the firstborn of your herds or flocks, any of the offerings that you have vowed to give, or your freewill offerings or special gifts. 18Instead, you must eat them in the presence of the LORD your God at the place the LORD your God will choose—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levite within your gates. Rejoice before the LORD your God in all you do, 19and be careful not to neglect the Levites as long as you live in your land.

Rejoice 

“Rejoice before the LORD your God in all you do”

This is a repeating theme and we have to examine ourselves to find out why! 

It’s because when we are fat with life’s supplies we forget too easily.

Rejoice as you work, as though you are working for Him.

Rejoice in adversity as though He is guiding you through it and holding your hand!

Rejoice when you refrigerator is full as though He just filled it.

Rejoice when your prayers are lifted up to heaven because He hears your prayers.

Rejoice when your prayers are answered because He knows what’s best for you.

Rejoice because He is your God.

Rejoice continually so that they know you are His!

Don’t stop rejoicing because He called you and declared you are His!

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 12:15-16 Pour it on the ground!

 15But whenever you want, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your gates, according to the blessing the LORD your God has given you. Both the ceremonially clean and unclean may eat it as they would a gazelle or deer, 16but you must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water.

“In the ancient world, almost every time an animal was butchered it was sacrificed to a god. Here, the LORD made it clear that not every slaughtered animal was considered a sacrifice to Him.

Since the blood was the picture of life in any animal or man (for the blood is the life), God would not allow Israel to eat meat that had not been properly bled. Instead, it was to be given to God by pouring it out on the earth “Guzik”

Yesterday while reading a news article I followed a link and below the social media post was a picture of a couple which the woman proclaimed she drank the blood of her mate. I thought to myself how dark and evil.

But then I remembered why the Lord brought the great flood!

Genesis 6: 5Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time. 6And the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7So the LORD said, “I will blot out man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—every man and beast and crawling creature and bird of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.”

But wait, there’s hope! The Lord gave us a way to remove our wickedness!

John 3: 16For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Do you have eternal life or will you perish with the wicked?

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 12:13-14 Corporate Worship

 13Be careful not to offer your burnt offerings in just any place you see; 14you must offer them only in the place the LORD will choose in one of your tribal territories, and there you shall do all that I command you.

Corporate Worship 

As the tribes increased in population the Lord desired more control over corporate sacrifice and worship. He would designate a location and place with a command where to offer burnt offerings.

We have many choices, locations and places to worship in our country. When we moved we looked up churches, read their statement of faith, made a list and started visiting one by one. When we found a Bible teaching church that we liked we both said, I think we found our church. Today we have many friends, brothers and sisters in Christ at our church.

Is your church a Bible teaching place of worship? Have you read their statement of faith?

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 12:10-12 Rejoice!

  10When you cross the Jordan and live in the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, and He gives you rest from all the enemies around you and you dwell securely, 11then the LORD your God will choose a dwelling for His Name. And there you are to bring everything I command you: your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, and all the choice offerings you vow to the LORD. 12And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levite within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.

Rejoice!

“We ought not to worship God in a half-hearted sort of way; as if it were now our duty to bless God, but we felt it to be a weary business, and we would get it through as quickly as we could, and have done with it; and the sooner the better. No, no; ‘All that is within me, bless his holy name.’ Come, my heart, wake up, and summon all the powers which wait upon thee! Mechanical worship is easy, but worthless. Come rouse yourself, my brother! Rouse thyself, O my own soul!” (Spurgeon)

“No one duty is more pressed in both the Testaments, than this of rejoicing in the Lord always, but specially in his immediate services.” (Trapp)

It’s so easy to get caught in the trap of the devil, instead of rejoicing and allowing your soul to sing you critique others praise or the style or…..fill in the blank……

Worship is a Spirit led response about a truth about God.

Do you worship in spirit and truth?

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 12:8-9 Worship

 8You are not to do as we are doing here today, where everyone does what seems right in his own eyes. 9For you have not yet come to the resting place and the inheritance that the LORD your God is giving you.

WORSHIP

“Much of what is called worship in today’s church really isn’t worship. It is self-focused, man-focused, and personal-experience-focused instead of being God focused. Much of today’s worship is measured by how I feel instead of being measured by how God was honored and worshipped.” (Guzik)

“Singing should be congregational, but it should never be performed for the credit of the congregation. ‘Such remarkable singing! The place is quite renowned for its musical performances!’ This is a poor achievement. Our singing should be such that God hears it with pleasure - singing in which there is not so much art as heart, not so much of musical sound as of spiritual emotion.” (Spurgeon)

Our church is a good biblical teaching church but there’s one thing I find very distracting. Behind the worship team are live screens that have televised  backgrounds, flashing lights similar to a television but on a much larger scale. I find it very distracting from worship. 

I’m unsure if it’s honoring God or if it’s man-focused?

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 12:5-7 You Must Go

 5Instead, you must seek the place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to establish as a dwelling for His Name, and there you must go. 6To that place you are to bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and heave offerings, your vow offerings and freewill offerings, as well as the firstborn of your herds and flocks. 7There, in the presence of the LORD your God, you and your households shall eat and rejoice in all you do, because the LORD your God has blessed you.

You Must Go

“It may not be easy to find the place where God wants you to worship, but it is out there. There is a place where He wants you to worship. He has not called you to follow Him in isolation.” (Guzik)

Left to my own devices, I would stay home! I’ve always had something in me that desired isolation but the Lord tells us it’s not good to be alone. It’s also not good to worship alone. Because left to our own devices our worshiping would become corrupted.

We need to find the place where He wants us to worship, a place that teaches sound biblical doctrine. Not a place that tickles our ears.

Have you compared what’s being taught at church to the Bible?

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 12:1-4 Ungodly Worship

1These are the statutes and ordinances you must be careful to follow all the days you live in the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess.

2Destroy completely all the places where the nations you are dispossessing have served their gods—atop the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree. 3Tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, burn up their Asherah poles, cut down the idols of their gods, and wipe out their names from every place. 4You shall not worship the LORD your God in this way.

Ungodly Worship 

“Before anyone can worship God, there must be some places where he will no longer worship. There must be a destruction of the places where the ungodly worship.” (Guzik)

John 4: 24God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”

Where are our pagan places of ungodly worship? What idols and gods occupy our heart more than the Lord God Himself?

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 11:29-32 Fruitfulness, Barrenness and Strength!

 29When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal. 30Are not these mountains across the Jordan, west of the road toward the sunset, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah opposite Gilgal near the Oak of Moreh?

31For you are about to cross the Jordan to enter and possess the land that the LORD your God is giving you. When you take possession of it and settle in it, 32be careful to follow all the statutes and ordinances that I am setting before you today.

“The name Gerizim is supposed to be associated with fruitful harvests, and the name Ebal is supposed to be associated with barrenness.” (Guzik)

Let’s face it, life is hard. It’s full of struggles and there are days of fruitfulness and days of barrenness. The question is, do you cling to the Lord to get you through the day? Non believers don’t have that luxury, they don’t derive their strength from God. 

The secret of life with its ups and downs, it’s fruitfulness and barrenness is clinging to the Lord and His promises! Because we have the joy of the Lord and we know where we’re going! When we leave this world we’re going home!

Are you clinging to Him?

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 11:26-28 Blessing or a Curse?

  26See, today I am setting before you a blessing and a curse— 27a blessing if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I am giving you today, 28but a curse if you disobey the commandments of the LORD your God and turn aside from the path I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known.

Blessing or a Curse?

“A choice was required. There was no neutral ground. God wouldn’t just “leave them alone.” It would either be blessing or cursing.” (Guzik)

Galatians 3: 10All who rely on works of the law are under a curse. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”c 11Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.”d 12The law, however, is not based on faith; on the contrary, “The man who does these things will live by them.”e

13Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”f 14He redeemed us in order that the blessing promised to Abraham would come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

Have you received the promise of the Spirit? It’s either a blessing or a curse, you must choose!

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 11:18-21 Teach Them To Your Children

 18Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 19Teach them to your children, speaking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 20Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates, 21so that as long as the heavens are above the earth, your days and those of your children may be multiplied in the land that the LORD swore to give your fathers.

Teach them to your children

As parents this is a specific command, teach them to your children. But do you take it seriously? When you sit down for a meal, do you pray and give thanks for the nourishment you are about to partake in? Are electronics forbidden at the table and do you discuss your day? Is the television off so you can concentrate on your family during meal time? 

What did you teach your children about Good Friday and Easter? Did you teach them about the Savior or the easter bunny?

Luke 23: 44It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over all the land until the ninth hour. 45The sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn down the middle.

46Then Jesus called out in a loud voice, “Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit.”And when He had said this, He breathed His last.

One day we will be held accountable for what we’ve taught our children. 

If your still breathing it’s not too late. Time is short, start with prayer.

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 11:16-17 Don’t Open That Door!

 16But be careful that you are not enticed to turn aside to worship and bow down to other gods, 17or the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you. He will shut the heavens so that there will be no rain, nor will the land yield its produce, and you will soon perish from the good land that the LORD is giving you.

Don’t Open That Door!

Are you enticed to turn aside and bow down to worship other gods?

That’s a question only you can answer!

What consumes your day?

Social media? Electronics? Television? Porn? Toys? Drugs or alcohol? All of these can be your gods and the devil will use them to allure you away from the one true God.

I am reminded by what the Lord said to Cain.

Genesis 4:7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you refuse to do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires you, but you must master it.”

What is mastering you?

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 11:13-15 Love

 13So if you carefully obey the commandments I am giving you today, to love the LORD your God and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, 14then I will provideb rain for your land in season, the autumn and spring rains, that you may gather your grain, new wine, and oil. 15And I will provide grass in the fields for your livestock, and you will eat and be satisfied.

Love 💕 

What did Jesus say was the greatest commandment?

Luke 10:27 And answering, he said, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind' and 'Your neighbor as yourself.'"

How many Christian’s fail with this simple command to love 💕?

I admit I do! Do your neighbors, coworkers or family know you by this love 💕 commandment? Can they tell you are His?

Such a simple command but so hard to do! When we drive and someone cuts you off, do you give them a hand gesture? Think an evil thought?

My wife corrects me by saying these simple words, Jesus loves them too!

Let’s try showing love 💕 today instead of displaying hate because we don’t want people to think we are hypocrites do we?

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 11:10-12 Drinks in the rain from heaven!

 10For the land that you are entering to possess is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and irrigated on foot, like a vegetable garden. 11But the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks in the rain from heaven. 12It is a land for which the LORD your God cares; the eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning to the end of the year.

Drinks in the rain from heaven!

Don’t let that slip by! And “a land for which the LORD your God cares;”

Last week I had taken my vehicle to the dealership for a recall and walked into the showroom and there wasn’t any new cars, just golf carts! I commented to the salesman, in the golf cart business now? He replied, yes, since August they had sold 30 of them. We discussed the problems that plague the new car manufacturing, computer chips, labor and shipping. I said, it appears we are no longer the land of plenty.

Our country has lost favor with the Lord. Please pray for our country, leaders and pray for a revival!

It’s not over until God says it’s over! Repent!

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 11:8-9 Obey

 8You shall therefore keep every commandment I am giving you today, so that you may have the strength to go in and possess the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 9and so that you may live long in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers to give them and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey.

Obey the Lord and have strength to go in and possess and live long in the promised land!

Unfortunately several generations later the Israelites drifted from the Lord and worshiped false gods and the Lord used sinful nation to bring them into judgement.

Could we be soon experiencing judgement in our nation for drifting from the Lord and electing ungodly leaders?

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 11:2-7 His Love and Discipline

 2Know this day that it is not your children who have known and seen the discipline of the LORD your God: His greatness, His mighty hand, and His outstretched arm; 3the signs and works He did in Egypt to Pharaoh king of Egypt and all his land; 4what He did to the Egyptian army and horses and chariots when He made the waters of the Red Sea engulf them as they pursued you, and how He destroyed them completely, even to this day; 5what He did for you in the wilderness until you reached this place; 6and what He did in the midst of all the Israelites to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, their households, their tents, and every living thing that belonged to them.

7For it is your own eyes that have seen every great work that the LORD has done.

His love and discipline

Love always has discipline attached to it. What parent who loves their child lets them go undisciplined?

The Lord is no different. He gets our attention through discipline and accepts repentance unless you totally reject Him like Dathan did.

Don’t be like Dathan, if you disobeyed Him return on your knees and confess your sin and ask for forgiveness.

John 14: 15If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

Do you love ❤️ Him?

Blessings