"Rebellious Kids"

Scripture Read:

Deuteronomy 18 - 21

Insight Verse(s):

^{21 : 18} “If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and who, when they have chastened him, will not heed them,

Insight Gained:

As a youth I was rebellious and did not listen to my parents as they tried to discipline me. I went my own way, away from God and my parents. If I had grown up in early biblical times, I would have been stoned for my offenses instead I was welcomed back to my family, back to my church and open loving arms of my Lord as if I hadn't offended anyone.

My Prayer to God:

Thank you Lord for your forgiveness of sin.

"Take Care of Your Own"

Scripture Read:

Deuteronomy 14 - 17

Insight Verse(s):

⁴ except when there may be no poor among you; for the LORD will greatly bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance— ⁵ only if you carefully obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe with care all these commandments which I command you today. ⁶ For the LORD your God will bless you just as He promised you; you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; you shall reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over you.

⁷ “If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, ⁸ but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs.

Insight Gained:

We should have no poor people, God has given me enough wealth and security to help others out. He has blessed me and wants me to bless others. I have gifts, if I don't use them, they are wasted. If my finances are spent on myself they are wasted, if I spend my time, gifts and money to serve God and his people I will forever be more blessed.

My Prayer to God:

Thank you for my blessings Lord, I love them, you, and all those you put in my life.

"Love & Obey the Lord"

Scripture Read:

Deuteronomy 9 - 13

Insight Verse(s):

^{11 : 1} “Therefore you shall love the LORD your God, and keep His charge, His statutes, His judgments, and His commandments always.

^{11 : 8} “Therefore you shall keep every commandment which I command you today, that you may be strong, and go in and possess the land which you cross over to possess,

^{11 : 13} ‘And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the LORD your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul,

^{11 : 18} “Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. ¹⁹ You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. ²⁰ And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, ²¹ that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth.

Insight Gained:

Moses is trying to remind the people that they need to be sure to obey God and all his commands. The people need to show love for God and constantly strive towards Godliness. This is the place I am at, I need to continue to show my love for my Lord, I need to continue to follow his commands and please him by my obedience. It says to "fix his word on our hearts..." in other words, memorize scripture and really know it. That is what I need to do, focus on knowing not only the words but also what they mean.

My Prayer to God:

Lord, bless this humble servant and forgive him his iniquities. Allow him to, with purpose, serve you in all his ways in all his days. Lead him and help him to follow.

Amen.

"Follow His Commands Or Else!"

Scripture Read:

Deuteronomy 5 - 8

Insight Verse(s):

^{Deuteronomy 8:10} When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you.
¹¹ “Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, ¹² lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; ¹³ and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; ¹⁴ when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; ¹⁵ who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; ¹⁶ who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end— ¹⁷ then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’
¹⁸ “And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. ¹⁹ Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the LORD your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. ²⁰ As the nations which the LORD destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the LORD your God.

Insight Gained:

Throughout Deuteronomy Moses is educating the Israelites on the importance of following God. He repeatedly tells them to remember the laws, and even goes through an exhaustive list of what they are. He tells God's people to not only know the laws but to also live the laws and teach them to others. In 8:10-20 Moses lays it all out on the table telling the Israelites to remember God always. After they have eaten and are satisfied, they are to remember that it was God who gave the food to them. He explains that if they forget they will become boastful and proud. Moses reminds the people that God took them out of Egypt, through the desert, provided food and water to them through all their travels. Moses reminds them that their fathers were tested, as they will be, and the penalty for turning away from God or forgetting him is destruction, total destruction.

I look at this and hope that I always remember to teach the laws to not only my family but also to those around me lest anyone be tested and be able to say "Andrew could have taught me, but chose not to."

My Prayer to God:

Help me to be faithful and remember the suffering you have taken me out of, the "deserts" you have walked me through, the provisions you have made for me that no other could do, and the gifts you have given me so far. Please continue to help me to tell others what you have done so that they too may see you through your wonders.

"Remembering the Law (The First Classrom Review)"

Scripture Read:

Deuteronomy 1 - 4

Insight Verse(s):

^{Deuteronomy 4:9} Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren

Insight Gained:

Moses is reminding God's people to always remember the law and their teachings, both what they heard and what they saw so that they may pass it along to their children and their grandchildren. It is much the same today, I am reminded that I must keep focus on the laws of God, and teach and relate to my children and one day my grandchildren all i have seen and heard of the matchless grace of our loving Lord and savior. But I must also teach all other children as well, both those who don't have training at home and need to hear about this the first time and those who do have the teaching but can do with a reminder once in a while as to how truly remarkable our God is.

My Prayer to God:

Heavenly Father, help me to be honor my responsibility to pass alone the knowledge you have given me, let me continue to learn and continue to teach. Lord allow me and help me to be successful as a teacher.

"Multiple Witnesses Needed for Death Penalty"

Scripture Read:

Numbers 33 - 36

Insight Verse(s):

^{Numbers 35:30} Whoever kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the testimony of witnesses; but one witness is not sufficient testimony against a person for the death penalty.

Insight Gained:

Even in the days of Moses, while wandering the desert, God was creating a judicial system that formed the backbone of the system utilized and followed in most civilizations since. One where a man was not convicted solely on the report of one witness, but through the witness of multiple people he could be found guilty and punished for his crimes.

My Prayer to God:

Lord, thank you for further revealing to me how you were and have been shaping the world since before Moses day and beyond mine. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

"A Man of His Word"

Scripture Read:

Numbers 29 - 32

Insight Verse(s):

^{Numbers 30:2} If a man makes a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.

Insight Gained:

This is a very self-explanatory verse yet many do not follow. When a man gives his word, he must keep it. When I say I am going to do something, I better do it. I need to keep my word and build the trust others have in me and the trust I have in others to do what they say will be done.

My Prayer to God:

Lord, allow me to be the man you want me to be, help me to keep my word and through my words bring honor to you.