Deuteronomy 22:5 Abomination

Warning this message may be tough for some to hear, but I will add sin is sin, we are all sinners and it’s all filthy to the Lord. Romans 3:10 AMP As it is written and forever remains written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS [none that meets God’s standard], NOT EVEN ONE.

5 The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.

Can you say, transgender? Now we know what the Lord thinks about the subject!

“In Old Testament times, men and women wore clothing that was superficially similar - long robes and wrapping garments were common for both sexes. Yet, the specific types of garments and the way in which they were worn made a clear distinction between the sexes, and this command instructs God’s people to respect those distinctions.” (Guzik)

“The dramatic rise in cross-dressing, transvestitism, androgynous behavior, and “gender-bender” behavior in our culture is a shocking trampling of this command and will reap a bitter harvest in more perversion and more gender confusion in our culture.” (Guzik)

“Some have taken this command to be the “proof-text” against women wearing pants and some Christian groups command that women wear only dresses. Yet, this is not a command against women wearing a garment that in some ways might be common between men and women; it is a command against dressing in a manner which deliberately blurs the lines between the sexes.”

“This does not prohibit a man from wearing a kilt; yet it clearly prohibits a man dressing like a woman, as is all too common - and all too accepted - in our modern culture.” (Guzik)

“All who do so are an abomination to the LORD your God: This command to observe the distinction between the sexes is so important, those who fail to observe it are called an abomination to the LORD. This was not only because cross-dressing was a feature of pagan, idolatrous worship in the ancient world, but also because of the terrible cultural price that is paid when it is pretended that there is no difference between men and women.” (Guzik)

If your doing it, stop it! If you can’t curb your impulses seek help from a Christian counselor who believes the Bible is the word of the Lord. Seek His help with all your heart, confess your sin and He will forgive you.

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 22:1-4 Your duty to help!

 1“You shall not see your countryman’s ox or his sheep straying away or being stolen, and [a]ignore [your duty to help] them; you shall certainly take them back to him. 2If your countryman is not nearby or you do not know him, you shall bring the animal to your house, and it shall stay with you until he searches for it; then you shall return it to him. 3You shall do this with his donkey or with his garment or with anything that your countryman has lost and you have found. You are not allowed to ignore [your duty to help] them. 4You shall not see your countryman’s donkey or his ox fall down along the road, and ignore [your duty to help] them; you shall certainly help him lift it up.

Your duty to help!

“God here condemned the sin of doing nothing. To see your brother in need, and to do nothing, is to do evil. When one has the opportunity to do good, you must not hide yourself.” (Guzik)

Luke 10: 33But a Samaritan (foreigner), who was traveling, came upon him; and when he saw him, he was deeply moved with compassion [for him], 34and went to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them [to sooth and disinfect the injuries]; and he put him on his own pack-animal, and brought him to an inn and took care of him.

Have you ever helped someone in need? What about a widow or orphan?

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 21:22-23 Pass the smell test?

 22“And if a man has committed a sin worthy of death, and he is put to death and [[c]afterward] you hang him on a tree [as a public example], 23his body shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall most certainly bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is cursed by God), so that you do not defile your land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance.

“Hang him on a tree does not have the idea of being executed by strangulation; but of having the corpse mounted on a tree or other prominent place, to expose the executed one to disgrace and the elements.” (Guzik)

Galatians 3: 13Christ purchased our freedom and redeemed us from the curse of the Law and its condemnation by becoming a curse for us--for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS [crucified] ON A TREE (cross)”-- 14in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might also come to the Gentiles, so that we would all receive [the realization of] the promise of the [Holy] Spirit through faith.

We don’t pass the smell test! Or as the King James would say, we stinkith! 

Romans 3:10 As it is written and forever remains written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS [none that meets God’s standard], NOT EVEN ONE.

So if the good Lord called on you today, how would you pass the smell test?

How would you reconcile your unrighteousness with God?

I was washed with the blood 🩸 of Jesus! 

Christ purchased my freedom and redeemed me from the curse! 

So I no longer stinkith!

What about you?

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 21:18-21 Stubborn and Rebellious!

 18“If any man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or of his mother, and when they reprimand and discipline him, he will not listen to them, 19then his father and mother shall take hold of him, and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gateway of his hometown. 20They shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey us, he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ 21Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death; so you shall remove the evil from among you, and all Israel will hear of it and be afraid.

“This does not mean a small child, or even a young teen - but a son past the age of accountability, who sets himself in determined rebellion against his father and mother.” (Guzik)

“It is important to note that the parents could not, by themselves, execute this penalty. They had to bring the son on trial before impartial judges. This is in contrast to ancient Greek and Roman law, which gave fathers the absolute right of life or death over their children. This was a control of parental authority more than it was an exercise of it.” (Guzik)

“Stoning was the punishment appointed for blasphemers and idolaters; which if it seem severe, it is to be considered that parents are in God’s stead, and entrusted in good measure with his authority over their children; and that families are the matter and foundation of the church and commonwealth, and they who are naughty members and rebellious children in them, do commonly prove the bane and plague of these, and therefore no wonder if they are nipped in the bud.” (Poole)

“If such a law were in force now, and duly executed, how many deaths of disobedient and profligate children would there be in all corners of the land!” (Clarke)

My thoughts exactly!

Do you have a stubborn and rebellious child?

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 21:15-17 Inheritance

 15If a man has two wives, one beloved and the other unloved, and both bear him sons, but the unloved wife has the firstborn son, 16when that man assigns his inheritance to his sons he must not appoint the son of the beloved wife as the firstborn over the son of the unloved wife.

17Instead, he must acknowledge the firstborn, the son of his unloved wife, by giving him a double portion of all that he has. For that son is the firstfruits of his father’s strength; the right of the firstborn belongs to him.

“Obviously, there are going to be problems in a home like this, especially if there is one loved and the other unloved. Yet, God commanded that the inheritance rights of the firstborn son be respected, even if he were the son of the unloved wife.” (Guzik)

Obviously the customs in the OT seem strange to us! Let alone marrying two and one unloved? The husband was in for a double portion of trouble! Rivalries, infighting, sibling rivalry and so on.

Can you imagine if they were miraculously transported to our time? What would they think of our customs and the ungodliness of many?

My inheritance is in heaven and I can’t wait!

Where is your inheritance?

Blessings 

https://www.gotquestions.org/inheritance-in-Christ.html

Deuteronomy 21:13b-14 Marrying a Captive Woman

 After she has lived in your house a full month and mourned her father and mother, you may have relations with her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife. 14And if you are not pleased with her, you are to let her go wherever she wishes. But you must not sell her for money or treat her as a slave, since you have dishonored her.

“the captive woman had to mourn her past associations. This would be time when she could resolve issues in her heart regarding her family, and when her husband-to-be could live with her a month without intimate relations - so he could see if he really wanted to take this woman as a wife, and to make sure he was not making a decision based only of physical appearance or attractiveness.” (Guzik)

“since you have dishonored her.” BSB

“because you have humbled her [by forced marriage].” Amp

“After the month of mourning, the potential husband was free to marry the captive woman - yet, he did not have to. But if he decided not to, he had to set her free with dignity. This was a remarkable protection of the rights of a captive woman.” (Guzik)

Deuteronomy 7:1….. the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you

3Do not intermarry with them. 

Deuteronomy 21 almost seems contradictory to Deuteronomy 7 and we ask, why? As Jesus explained about Moses allowing for divorce:

Matthew 19:8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of your hardness of heart; but it was not this way from the beginning.

Did the Lord want the Israelites to take women captive and to intermarry with them?

No He didn’t, but He knows the hearts of man and set up some guidelines just in case.

Do Christians sin and behave perfectly? Why do you think the world refers to us hypocrites?

Blessings 

https://www.gotquestions.org/Christians-hypocrites.html

Deuteronomy 21:10-13 Purified and Humbled

 10When you go to war against your enemies and the LORD your God delivers them into your hand and you take them captive, 11if you see a beautiful woman among them, and you desire her and want to take her as your wife, 12then you shall bring her into your house. She must shave her head, trim her nails, 13and put aside the clothing of her captivity.

Purified and Humbled

Purified by shaving her head and trimming her nails.

Humbled by putting aside her clothing of her former nation and showing allegiance to Israel as a citizen.

When we are adopted into the family of Christ we are supposed to put away our former selves and allow the Holy Spirit to purify us. Become like Jesus so others see Him in us.

How else would they know you are His?

Are you His?

Blessings 

https://valeriemurray.com/how-the-holy-spirit-purifies-us/

Deuteronomy 21:7-9 Atonement For the Land

 7and they shall declare, “Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it. 8Accept this atonement, O LORD, for Your people Israel whom You have redeemed, and do not hold the shedding of innocent blood against them.”

And the bloodshed will be atoned for. 9So you shall purge from among you the guilt of shedding innocent blood, since you have done what is right in the eyes of the LORD.

“Again, Numbers 35:33-34 makes the principle clear, that unavenged murders defile and pollute the land and atonement must be made for the land itself.”

“When Israel followed God’s instructions for atonement, He honored His word by taking away their guilt. But the removal of guilt was always based on blood sacrifice, on a substitutionary atonement - looking forward to the work of Jesus on the cross for the entire world.” (Guzik)

Our land is so defiled and polluted with unavenged murders and the ungodly I’m unsure if any guilt can be removed except by the return of Jesus Christ Himself!

Are you praying for atonement of our land?

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 21:2-6 Ceremony of Washing Hands

 2your elders and judges must come out and measure the distance from the victim to the neighboring cities.

3Then the elders of the city nearest the victim shall take a heifer that has never been yoked or used for work, 4bring the heifer to a valley with running water that has not been plowed or sown, and break its neck there by the stream.

5And the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come forward, for the LORD your God has chosen them to serve Him and pronounce blessings in His name and to give a ruling in every dispute and case of assault. 6Then all the elders of the city nearest the victim shall wash their hands by the stream over the heifer whose neck has been broken,

The measure of distance was to determine which city has jurisdiction.

“Then, appropriate sacrifice had to be made. This heifer was sacrificed by the sons of Levi in the presence of the city elders, who washed their hands over the sacrificed animal.” (Guzik)

The ceremony of washing of the hands reminded me of Pilot washing his hands in regards to Jesus. 

Matthew 27: 24When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but that instead a riot was breaking out, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,c” he said. “You bear the responsibility.”

The ceremony would also mean nothing if the murder wasn’t fully investigated!

Are we innocent of the Man’s blood 🩸? ✝️

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 21:1 Slain

 1If one is found slain, lying in a field in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess, and it is not known who killed him,

“This was important based on a principle stated in Numbers 35:33-34. This passage shows that the blood of unsolved, unavenged murder defiles and pollutes the land. Therefore, if there is a murder unavenged, some kind of cleansing is necessary, so the land will not be defiled.” (Guzik)

Slain

They can kill your body but not your soul. The first murder started with Cain and will continue until Jesus cleanses the earth!

But Jesus also warns us we can murder in our heart ❤️! 

Of which I am guilty!

I thank God the Father for His Son that cleansed me and gave me the Gift of everlasting life! John 3:16

Do you have everlasting life?

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 20:19-20 Siege

 19When you lay siege to a city for an extended time while fighting against it to capture it, you must not destroy its trees by putting an axe to them, because you can eat their fruit. You must not cut them down. Are the trees of the field human, that you should besiege them? 20But you may destroy the trees that you know do not produce fruit. Use them to build siege works against the city that is waging war against you, until it falls.

“When an army surrounded a city during a siege, the army would forage around the countryside for supplies. Needing wood for building and fuel, it would be common for the besieging army to cut down trees in the area around the city.” (Guzik)

Siege 

I had a teacher lay a siege upon me in the 6th grade. She built a wall around me and wouldn’t allow me to participate in anything with the class because someone told her I swore, said a cuss word. She wouldn’t allow to participate until I admitted to cursing. Six months later I decided to admit to something I didn’t do so I could move forward. School can be difficult 😣 especially when you have a teacher that doesn’t view their profession as a gift but sees it as a job. But it’s these difficulties that prepare you for adulthood. Life is hard but it would be harder without Jesus!

Have you ever been a victim of a siege?

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 20:16-18 However!

 16However, in the cities of the nations that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must not leave alive anything that breathes. 17For you must devote them to complete destructiona —the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has commanded you, 18so that they cannot teach you to do all the detestable things they do for their gods, and so cause you to sin against the LORD your God.

However!

“The previous commands regarding warfare did not apply to the upcoming conquest of Canaan. There, not only was Israel not to offer peace to the cities, but they were also to destroy everything, not only the adult males. This was a unique war of judgment, more than a war of conquest or defense.” (Guzik)

“so that they cannot teach you to do all the detestable things they do for their gods, and so cause you to sin against the LORD your God.”

Ask yourself this question, how can you apply this verse to life around you today?

Stop watching, condoning and approving things that cause you to sin against the Lord your God!

Turn it off or walk away before it corrupts you!

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 20:12-15 Siege and Plunder

 12But if they refuse to make peace with you and wage war against you, lay siege to that city. 13When the LORD your God has delivered it into your hand, you must put every male to the sword. 14But the women, children, livestock, and whatever else is in the city—all its spoil—you may take as plunder, and you shall use the spoil of your enemies that the LORD your God gives you. 15This is how you are to treat all the cities that are far away from you and do not belong to the nations nearby.

Siege and Plunder!

“Typically, a walled city was conquered by use of the siege. Enemy armies surrounded a city and cut off all their supplies and contact with the outside world. When the city was sufficiently weakened through hunger or thirst, they either surrendered or were conquered. Sometimes a siege would last for years.” (Guzik)

A horrific siege in the Bible!

The Siege and Famine of Samaria 2 Kings 6:24-33.

“It was simply understood in the ancient world that any surviving male would be a perpetual enemy of the people who had conquered his city. Prisoners of war were often not taken in ancient warfare; enemies were simply killed.” (Guzik)

The wages of the ancient armies was plunder!

We need to be careful that sin and hatred doesn’t lay siege to our heart ❤️ and plunder the love of Christ!

Has sin and hatred plundered your heart ❤️ from the love of Christ?

If so, PRAY and ask Jesus to forgive the sin and remove the hatred so you can 💕 again.

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 20:10-11 A Still Small Voice!

 10When you approach a city to fight against it, you are to make an offer of peace. 11If they accept your offer of peace and open their gates, all the people there will become forced laborers to serve you.

These were “normal battle procedures for Israel. There were many times when God gave specific instructions which would supersede these normal instructions, such as with the battle of Jericho or the conquest of Canaan in general.” (Guzik)

BIBLE, basic instructions before leaving earth!

When we study and learn the Bible we apply the normal instructions the Lord gave us and live by them in faith. Like the Israelites there may be times the Lord speaks to us directly and gives us specific instructions which would supersede these normal instructions.

Has the Lord spoken to you directly?

If not, try removing yourself from all the noise around you and see if you can hear His “still small voice”.

Blessings 

Watch this video for an answer, what is a still small voice?

What does it mean that God speaks in a still small voice?

Deuteronomy 20:8-9 Commanders

 8Then the officers shall speak further to the army, saying, “Is any man afraid or fainthearted? Let him return home, so that the hearts of his brothers will not melt like his own.”

9When the officers have finished addressing the army, they are to appoint commanders to lead it.

“The story of Gideon (Judges 7) is a powerful illustration of this; Gideon started with an army of 32,000, but it was too big - so he sent home those who were afraid, and 22,000 left! But it was still too big, so God had him send home 7,700 more, so he only had an army of 300 to fight against a Midianite army of 135,000! Yet God gave him the victory.” (Guzik)

George Washington’s first command in battle: "I fortunately escaped without any wound, for the right wing, where I stood, was exposed to and received all the enemy's fire, and it was the part where the man was killed, and the rest wounded. I heard the bullets whistle, and, believe me there is something charming in the sound." 

https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/french-indian-war/ten-facts-about-george-washington-and-the-french-indian-war/

Brave and wise commanders like Gideon are Washington lead armies and without them there couldn’t be a victory.

One day Jesus will command and lead an army!

Revelation 19: 14The armies of heaven, dressed in fine linen, white and pure, follow Him on white horses.

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 20:5-7 Unfinished Business

 5Furthermore, the officers are to address the army, saying, “Has any man built a new house and not dedicated it? Let him return home, or he may die in battle and another man dedicate it. 6Has any man planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy its fruit? Let him return home, or he may die in battle and another man enjoy its fruit. 7Has any man become pledged to a woman and not married her? Let him return home, or he may die in battle and another man marry her.”

“God first told the officers of the army of Israel to send home all the soldiers who had unfinished business at home: a home he has not used, a vineyard he has not harvested, or an engaged woman he has not married - let them go home.” (Guzik)

Do you believe that these verses would work with our military today? Unfortunately our military leadership has drifted away from the Lord and without God at its center, what could become of it?

May God bless the men and women that serve in our military, please pray for them.

Blessings