"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.

"A Spirit of Maturity, Passing the Torch"

Scripture Read:

Numbers 25 -28

Insight Verse(s):

^{Numbers 27: 16} “Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, ¹⁷ who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be like sheep which have no shepherd.”

¹⁸ And the LORD said to Moses: “Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him;

Insight Gained:

Even though Moses has been told he will not lead the people to nor enter the promised land, he still has an attitude of commitment to the people. He knows he can't go, so his first thought is, the people need a leader and prays that the Lord provide for his people a leader of worth and value. As always the Lord, in his infinite wisdom, had already had Joshua working with Moses for years, so upon Moses request the Lord calls Joshua to take that next step in his career.

How true should this be within our churches, and home groups and bible study classes. How often is a leader called away or required to step aside for any reason. How wonderful would it be to know that our leaders, all leaders, had the maturity and commitment to their groups to realize when their time is up and instead of selfishly causing harm, not only step aside but make it their goal and driving ambition to find the best possible leader to take over and pray with and over that person so that their ministry is effective. This leadership is learned from example.

My Prayer to God:

Lord, please help me with any ministry or task that you assign me, help me to lead the way you would want me to and graciously step aside when my time is up and prayerfully pass the ministry to the next person you have called. Amen

"Listening to God"

Scripture Read:
Numbers 21 - 24

Insight Verse(s)

Numbers 22:18-20, 28-35 & 23:12,26

Insight Gained:
In verse 20 the Lord says to Balaam “If the men come to call you, rise and go with them; but only the word which I speak to you—that you shall do.” After leaving an angel comes and startles Balaam's donkey three times before God first opens the Donkeys mouth and it speaks to Balaam and then God opens Balaams eyes so that he too can see the angel and Gods words are reinforced, go, but only say what I tell you to say. We are not told if Balaam ever had second thoughts or not, but we do know that God visits Balaam a second time to say, Hey, remember to only say what I tell you to say. Balaam obeys to the great dismay of Balak, but Balaam simply says 23:26 “Did I not tell you, saying, ‘All that the LORD speaks, that I must do?” To often I am realizing that I am not listening close enough to what God is telling me to do or say and through this I am recognizing the lost opportunities that have past me by.

My Prayer to God:

Lord, though I have no donkey, I often find things to blame when I end up off the path. Please help me to recognize when you have placed things in my path for my safety or as a reminder or as something you want me to take notice of. Help me to hear your words and obey, regardless of my ignorance as to their purpose. Continue to lead me and guide me always. Amen

"Do What God Tells You to Do!"

Scripture Read:

Numbers 17 - 20

Insight Verse(s):

^{Numbers 20:6} So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the LORD appeared to them.

⁷ Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ⁸ “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” ⁹ So Moses took the rod from before the LORD as He commanded him.
¹⁰ And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” ¹¹ Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.
¹² Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”

Insight Gained:

God says in vs 8 "Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water;" In verse 10 Moses says to the people "... “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” ¹¹ Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod;

When did God tell Moses to strike the rock?

All I saw was God telling Moses to speak to the rock.

¹² Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”

Wow, of all the stupid things you could do... these men have seen God literally destroy armies, part seas, and even kill specific individuals mixed amongst thousands. They have even seen the fire of God come down and engulf 250 people who didn't listen. Why then would Moses make the mistake to portray that it was he, or his staff that had the power, and was owed the glory. God said speak, and they struck... God wants to reenforce that it is he who is looking after the needs of the Israelites and leading them , not Moses or Aaron. Yet Moses chooses to act on his own, even to the point of leading up to it with his comment "Must we bring water for you out of this rock?" Does Moses forget that he is only a shepherd that God has entrusted these people to? He is not God, he is one man and God says, Hey you, with the stick, for being an idiot after all this time and after all you have seen, you will never enter the land I promised to my people! That had to hurt, but what could he expect, God is God, and Moses has felt the power of God, he knows the might of God and he has seen the wrath of God when people don't listen and obey. How much more are we disobedient today, we have the stories of the Old Testament, and the lives of Jesus and his disciples and yet we still choose to go our own way, do things our own way, and then when we don't see the gift we felt we were promised... we blame God.

My Prayer to God:

Lord, father in heaven, designer of my world and director of my paths, please forgive me for all of the times I have not searched out your will but followed my own. Guide me with your words to do your actions to bring glory to your name. Amen.

"Do Not Grumble Against God."

Scripture Read:

Numbers 13 - 16

Insight Verse(s):
Korah, Dathan, Abiram (leaders of the Levites) went before Moses and Aaron and claimed that all of them were holy and questioned why it was that Moses and Aaron were held out above all others. Moses, with God's wisdom, challenged the men to show up the following morning and all light their censers and present an offering to the Lord and the Lord would call out the man he wants. The men meet, and God opens up the earth and swallows Korah, Dathan and Abiram and all their families and belongings.

Insight Gained:

Moses was faithful in his actions, he knew what to do. He had everyone go before the Lord and let God sort it out. Moses knew how God was going to respond and how he was going to handle the situation. He knew people would die, and they did. God wiped out the followers and families of the Levite leaders.

I am not God, nor am I a priest or a leader of a community, why then should I beleive that God would only listen to me? God listens to all his people, the whole of the world, the grumblers and complainers as well as the wise, humble and meek.... everyone! The Lord shows that he will punish those who do not listen and continue to bless those who do. But he hears everyone, and sees everything. Why grumble against God, he has everything in his control, your grumbling will get you no where.

My Prayer to God:

Lord, let me let you have the controls in my life, let me speak only truth, and through your power, help me to clean up my life so others will see you in me. Amen.