Category: “Listening to God” Devotional

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Deuteronomy+028

 

Deuteronomy 28 (ESV)

Blessings for Obedience

1 “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. 3 Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. 4 Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. 5 Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 6 Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.

7 “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. 8 The Lord will command the blessing on you in your barns and in all that you undertake. And he will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. 9 The Lord will establish you as a people holy to himself, as he has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in his ways. 10 And all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you. 11 And the Lord will make you abound in prosperity, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your livestock and in the fruit of your ground, within the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. 12 The Lord will open to you his good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands. And you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. 13 And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, being careful to do them, 14 and if you do not turn aside from any of the words that I command you today, to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

 

REFLECTION:

• God promises to be with the Israelites, bless every aspect of their lives with only one condition: “If you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in his ways” (v9). These verses elaborate on the nature of those extensive blessings, having to do with military success, material well-being, agricultural bounty, and reproductive fertility.  Such a listing of the potential blessings encourages covenant obedience.  Indeed, Deuteronomy invites the hope that obedience to God leads to the individual and communal lives that God intended for us to live.
• Recall a time when God’s presence was especially evident in my life. Did it coincide with a time when I was making every effort to “walk humbly with your God” (Mic 6:8)?  What does this suggest?
• Which of these tangible blessings have I seen in my life?

 

PRAYER:

Father in heaven, You have instructed me what is good and shown me what You require of me. As long as I pursue righteousness, show mercy, and maintain a humble heart walking with You, You will surely bless me. I ask for Your help, Heavenly Father, to be able to listen and obey Your will in all things. Father, sometimes I also have doubts, why do bad things happen to good people? Why do the wicked enjoy riches and success while the righteous encounter various difficulties and hardships? I know that what You give me is the heavenly blessing that far surpasses all the good things in the world, but when unfair things happen around me or even to myself, my heart is still filled with confusion and sorrow. Father in heaven, please teach me and let my faith grow stronger every day, not only in my mind but also in my life, to experience Your goodness and righteousness. I know that Your ways are higher than the ways of men, and Your wisdom is far beyond the wisdom of foolish people. I am willing to grow continuously in my obedience to You, and I ask that You grant me a joyful heart, open my eyes, and let me see the glory of heaven. Amen!

 

HYMN:

Good Good Father – youtu.be/iBmwwwiHrOk

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Deuteronomy+027

 

Deuteronomy 27 (ESV)

Curses from Mount Ebal

9 Then Moses and the Levitical priests said to all Israel, “Keep silence and hear, O Israel: this day you have become the people of the Lord your God. 10 You shall therefore obey the voice of the Lord your God, keeping his commandments and his statutes, which I command you today.”

11 That day Moses charged the people, saying, 12 “When you have crossed over the Jordan, these shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. 13 And these shall stand on Mount Ebal for the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. 14 And the Levites shall declare to all the men of Israel in a loud voice:

15 “‘Cursed be the man who makes a carved or cast metal image, an abomination to the Lord, a thing made by the hands of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret.’ And all the people shall answer and say, ‘Amen.’

16 “‘Cursed be anyone who dishonors his father or his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

17 “‘Cursed be anyone who moves his neighbor’s landmark.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

18 “‘Cursed be anyone who misleads a blind man on the road.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

19 “‘Cursed be anyone who perverts the justice due to the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

20 “‘Cursed be anyone who lies with his father’s wife, because he has uncovered his father’s nakedness.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

21 “‘Cursed be anyone who lies with any kind of animal.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

22 “‘Cursed be anyone who lies with his sister, whether the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

23 “‘Cursed be anyone who lies with his mother-in-law.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

24 “‘Cursed be anyone who strikes down his neighbor in secret.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

25 “‘Cursed be anyone who takes a bribe to shed innocent blood.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

26 “‘Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

 

REFLECTION:

• By virtue of their reaffirmation of their commitment to the Lord on the eve of entering a new situation, the Israelites constituted themselves as the People of God. It is not as if they were not God’s people before that moment, but new circumstances often require renewed commitment.  Christians too undertake sacred acts (particularly communion) through which we renew our relationship with Christ.
• Infractions of God’s law bring painful consequences. Twelve specific requirements are spelled out, all flowing from the Ten Commandments.  The people affirm their commitment to abide by them by declaring, “Amen”.

 

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding me today that You are a holy God and I am Your holy people. I am willing to devote myself to serve You and strive to follow Your laws and regulations. I want to seriously pursue the meaning of life and not waste my precious time in this world. Please teach me and walk with me every day, keeping me away from any impurity and unrighteousness, so that I can manifest Your holiness and righteousness in my daily words and deeds. After every prayer, worship, sermon, and sharing, I sincerely express my willingness to obey to You and to my brothers and sisters around me. Heavenly Father, please strengthen my will and shape my life so that I can strive to walk the path of heaven and experience Your presence more deeply. Do not let my daily “Amen” become a hollow echo, like a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal, but become a witness to a good life and a manifestation of the glory of the kingdom of heaven. May Your will be done and Your promises uphold my daily “Amen”. Amen!

 

HYMN:

Build My Life – www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZW4_8_zCBE

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Deuteronomy+026

 

Deuteronomy 26 (ESV)

12 “When you have finished paying all the tithe of your produce in the third year, which is the year of tithing, giving it to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your towns and be filled, 13 then you shall say before the Lord your God, ‘I have removed the sacred portion out of my house, and moreover, I have given it to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all your commandment that you have commanded me. I have not transgressed any of your commandments, nor have I forgotten them. 14 I have not eaten of the tithe while I was mourning, or removed any of it while I was unclean, or offered any of it to the dead. I have obeyed the voice of the Lord my God. I have done according to all that you have commanded me. 15 Look down from your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless your people Israel and the ground that you have given us, as you swore to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.’

16 “This day the Lord your God commands you to do these statutes and rules. You shall therefore be careful to do them with all your heart and with all your soul. 17 You have declared today that the Lord is your God, and that you will walk in his ways, and keep his statutes and his commandments and his rules, and will obey his voice. 18 And the Lord has declared today that you are a people for his treasured possession, as he has promised you, and that you are to keep all his commandments, 19 and that he will set you in praise and in fame and in honor high above all nations that he has made, and that you shall be a people holy to the Lord your God, as he promised.”

 

REFLECTION:

• Moses anticipates that the people will soon enter and settle in the land.  When they do, they will work the land, which will produce crops.  Moses instructs them to take the first of the produce of the land and offer it to the Lord as an acknowledgement that their presence in the land and their agricultural bounty are gifts from the severing Lord.  With this they are to rehearse the great narrative of their deliverance from Egypt and entry into the land. 
• God’s people today can look back in history to the cross and tell the story of their deliverance.  Israelites established an annual festival (28:26-31) in which the first of the crops are offered in the context of a holy assembly. 
• We too should be moved to offer the best of our efforts to the God, who saved us and provides for us.

 

PRAYER:

Dear Heavenly Father, today’s scripture has made me examine my heart and reminded me of how I should live a life of complete dedication. Everything I have, including my breath of life, is given by You, and every detail of my life is preserved by You. I understand that even the hairs on my head are all counted by You, and without Your permission, not even one of them will fall to the ground. However, I only understand this in my mind, and I have not experienced it deeply in my life. Father, please strengthen my faith, let me see Your work in all things, completely surrender myself to You, not planning or calculating for myself, and obey Your will in everything, completely relying on Your provision. Father, I know that the more I rely on You, the more I have the ability to live a life of dedication. I am willing to offer not only my money but also my time, energy, and everything I have to You. I deeply understand that You will bless me through my dedication. The blessings You give are not the blessings of this world, but they are leading me to the promised land, to be with You in eternal glory. Amen!

 

HYMN:

Lord I Offer You My Life – www.youtube.com/watch?v=37u6IBRDgm8

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Deuteronomy+025

 

Deuteronomy 25 (ESV)

1 “If there is a dispute between men and they come into court and the judges decide between them, acquitting the innocent and condemning the guilty, 2 then if the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall cause him to lie down and be beaten in his presence with a number of stripes in proportion to his offense. 3 Forty stripes may be given him, but not more, lest, if one should go on to beat him with more stripes than these, your brother be degraded in your sight.

4 “You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain.

Laws Concerning Levirate Marriage

5 “If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband’s brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. 6 And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel. 7 And if the man does not wish to take his brother’s wife, then his brother’s wife shall go up to the gate to the elders and say, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to perpetuate his brother’s name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband’s brother to me.’ 8 Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him, and if he persists, saying, ‘I do not wish to take her,’ 9 then his brother’s wife shall go up to him in the presence of the elders and pull his sandal off his foot and spit in his face. And she shall answer and say, ‘So shall it be done to the man who does not build up his brother’s house.’ 10 And the name of his house shall be called in Israel, ‘The house of him who had his sandal pulled off.’

 

REFLECTION:

• There is again a common theme in the various laws in this chapter: to care for the welfare and dignity of others. The first 3 verses talk about the care of those who have been convicted of guilt, verse 4 is about the benefit of animals, these concepts have been in place since the ancient Israelite society.
• The next section deals issues facing a widow without a son. It’s not only her daily needs, but the dignity of this family and that of the dead.  Marrying the widowed sister-in-law and bearing a son will ensure her long-term economic welfare and preserve the identity of this family.

 

PRAYER:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for giving me the precious message today, which helps me understand that true love includes equality and respect, rather than giving from a position of superiority. There are many people in this world who have been rejected by society, they may be innocent victims of hardship or they may be morally condemned or legally punished for their past mistakes. However, Father, although they are rejected by people, they are not rejected by You! You still hold them in Your arms, wipe away their tears, heal their pain, and comfort them with Your gentle words of kindness, because You love the world, and You do not want anyone to perish. You created the sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers, lakes, plants, animals, and human beings in Your image, and allowed us to freely live in this beautiful home. Every creature proclaims Your beauty and displays Your glory day and night. Please let me deeply appreciate the solemnity of heaven and earth, the wonder of nature, and the beauty of life, and with a heart of equality and respect, care for the world, and spread Your love between heaven and earth. Amen!

 

HYMN:

A Hungry Heart – www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7K-Auo1Lg0

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Deuteronomy+024

 

Deuteronomy 24 (ESV)

10 “When you make your neighbor a loan of any sort, you shall not go into his house to collect his pledge. 11 You shall stand outside, and the man to whom you make the loan shall bring the pledge out to you. 12 And if he is a poor man, you shall not sleep in his pledge. 13 You shall restore to him the pledge as the sun sets, that he may sleep in his cloak and bless you. And it shall be righteousness for you before the Lord your God.

14 “You shall not oppress a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers or one of the sojourners who are in your land within your towns. 15 You shall give him his wages on the same day, before the sun sets (for he is poor and counts on it), lest he cry against you to the Lord, and you be guilty of sin.

16 “Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers. Each one shall be put to death for his own sin.

17 “You shall not pervert the justice due to the sojourner or to the fatherless, or take a widow’s garment in pledge, 18 but you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you from there; therefore I command you to do this.

19 “When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. 20 When you beat your olive trees, you shall not go over them again. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow. 21 When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not strip it afterward. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow. 22 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I command you to do this.

 

REFLECTION:

Three scenarios are presented in this passage:  giving a loan, treating a laborer, caring for the vulnerable.  What common theme links the three scenarios?  God’s instructions are to protect them from being exploited in harmful ways.

 

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, thank You for teaching me through today’s scripture how to have compassion for those who are poor, needy, and in distress. Even though I live in an apparently affluent environment, there are many people around me who lack basic necessities. They could be beggars on the roadside, orphans, widows, laborers, refugees; or they could be my neighbors, colleagues, or classmates, who may not be materially lacking, but are spiritually impoverished, anxious, and suffering. Father, please make my heart tender and warm, full of compassion and mercy for those who are in need around me. Please also grant me the strength to take active action, willingly offering my time, money, and energy to care for them and meet their needs. I offer this beautiful poem by Mother Teresa as my humble sacrifice, may its fragrance reach Your throne:

Lord, Open Our Eyes
Lord, open our eyes that we may see You in our brothers and sisters.
Lord, open our ears that we may hear the cries of the hungry, the cold, the frightened, the oppressed.
Lord, open our hearts that we may love each other as You love us.
Renew in us Your spirit, Lord, free us and make us one.

 

HYMN:

Open Our Eyes – youtu.be/XXyfNG6WoqE

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Deuteronomy+023
 
Deuteronomy 23 (ESV)

19 “You shall not charge interest on loans to your brother, interest on money, interest on food, interest on anything that is lent for interest. 20 You may charge a foreigner interest, but you may not charge your brother interest, that the Lord your God may bless you in all that you undertake in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.

21 “If you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it, for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin. 22 But if you refrain from vowing, you will not be guilty of sin. 23 You shall be careful to do what has passed your lips, for you have voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God what you have promised with your mouth.

 

REFLECTION:

• Archeologists have found documents from cultures contemporary with the Old Testament that state interest rates. Some laws limited the rates that could be charged, but 15th-century contracts found at Nuzi, in northern Assyrian, record interest rates of 50 percent!  The principle here is clear.  We are to help those in need, not oppress them further for our own profit.  If God is in control of our finances, then we ought to trust Him completely to provide for our every need and hold loosely to the money that we have.
• A vow was a voluntary gift sometimes contingent on God’s answering a prayer for help. The point of the passage is that, since it is voluntary, one must follow through with paying the vow.  In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus teaches against the taking of vows, arguing that our yes or no should stand on its own (Matt 5:33-37).

 

PRAYER:

Dear Heavenly Father, You are a loving God and faithful in all Your ways. We are Your people, and Your promises to us will never change. Everything You give us comes from Your good will, because You are love and the source of all goodness and beauty. You delight in our acceptance of Your love, and You are even more pleased when we love You and others with all our heart and strength. Father, I pray that You would shape my life through my relationships of love, that I may become more obedient to You, more pleasing to You, and more like You in character. I understand that faithfulness and love are closely intertwined, for love is patient, love is self-sacrificing for the sake of others, and love never fails. If I fail to pursue the truth of life, it is because I do not love You deeply enough. If I fail to keep my promises to others, it is because I do not love them enough. Heavenly Father, I desire to pursue Your love more deeply, to love You more deeply, and to cultivate faithfulness in love, not seeking my own interests but the interests of others. Help me to develop a faithful character in love, so that I can convey more of Your love to others. Amen!

 

HYMN:

Anthem – youtu.be/PijwAXXQgfg

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Deuteronomy+022
 
Deuteronomy 22 (ESV)

1 “You shall not see your brother’s ox or his sheep going astray and ignore them. You shall take them back to your brother. 2 And if he does not live near you and you do not know who he is, you shall bring it home to your house, and it shall stay with you until your brother seeks it. Then you shall restore it to him. 3 And you shall do the same with his donkey or with his garment, or with any lost thing of your brother’s, which he loses and you find; you may not ignore it. 4 You shall not see your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen down by the way and ignore them. You shall help him to lift them up again.

8 “When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, that you may not bring the guilt of blood upon your house, if anyone should fall from it.

 

REFLECTION:

• A person who finds another’s lost property is obliged to return it or care for it until the owner can be found. In Ex 23:4-5, the obligation to help is extended to enemies.
• Jesus applied this principle to answer an “expert in the Law” who challenged Him to define the “neighbor” that Old Testament Law requires a person to love as himself. In His story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus showed that our “neighbor” is anyone in need whom we have the ability to help.

 

PRAYER:

Dear heavenly Father, thank You for teaching me to understand that anyone I have the ability to help and who needs my help is my neighbor. I help them simply for their benefit and not as an exchange, hoping that they will be grateful and repay me in some way. My heart belongs to You, but my body is still in this world. I have many practical needs and difficulties, and my resources and abilities are limited, which prevents me from helping my neighbors selflessly and unconditionally. Please help me to grow in my life so that I can focus more on You and act in ways that are more in line with Your will. Please continue to cultivate in me a character that loves others as myself, so that I can help my neighbors based on the quality of my life itself, not on any external possessions. Please grant me more wisdom so that I can understand that helping my neighbors selflessly is to please You and to help me grow in my life, as well as to benefit my neighbors, and more importantly, to benefit my own life. Amen!

 

HYMN:

Teach Me To Love – youtu.be/4YXTcGxu3Ss

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Deuteronomy+021
 
Deuteronomy 21 (ESV)

A Rebellious Son

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, though they discipline him, will not listen to them, 19 then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives, 20 and they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ 21 Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones. So you shall purge the evil from your midst, and all Israel shall hear, and fear.

 

REFLECTION:

• The case in the text establishes several important legal principles.
• First, this case underlines the importance of a stable family, for the family was the basic religious and economic unit in Israel. Other laws also stress the importance of honoring parents, as did Jesus.  Second, parents did not have absolute rights over their children. Only the judges of the community, who were charged with determining a son’s guilt or innocence, could order execution.  Third, both father and mother must agree to bringing charges against a son.  The rights of the wife and mother, ignored in many other ancient law codes, were affirmed in Israel.
• Family is basic to us too. While nothing we parents can do will guarantee that our children will make godly choices, moms and dads share responsibility for giving boys and girls discipline and guidance.

 

PRAYER:

Father in heaven, thank You for teaching me through today’s scripture how to fulfill my Christian duty to both the generation before me and the generation after me in my family. Father, I will not forget the toil of my parents in raising me, and I am grateful for their nurturing love. I am committed to following Your commandments and being a faithful and loving child to my parents, even though I recognize their flaws and mistakes, which have sometimes caused me difficulty and pain. I will accept them with a heart of gratitude, trusting that everything is from Your good will. Father, I also realize the weight of responsibility I bear for my own children. They are the precious gifts that You have entrusted to me, and their lives belong to You. I will do my utmost to raise them with love and care, instilling discipline with gentleness, and incorporating mercy with justice. I will not harshly punish or spoil them. I understand that the best way to honor You in my family is to live out Your life in me. May my life be a witness to both my parents and my children, leading them to You. Father, please give me the strength and wisdom to live this way. Amen.

 

HYMN:

Lead Me Lord – youtu.be/P04DSy7zy90

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Deuteronomy+020

 
Deuteronomy 20 (ESV)

1 “When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. 2 And when you draw near to the battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the people 3 and shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, today you are drawing near for battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them, 4 for the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.’

 

REFLECTION:

• When the Israelites were specifically commanded by God to go to war, they could be assured that God would go with them and secure the victory. They did not need superior weapons or vast numbers of troops.  Today, this principle still applies in the context of our battle against evil, which is characterized by idolatry in our lives.  We are charged to use the armor and weapons, spiritual weapons such as prayer, love, and faith, that God Himself provides to us (Eph 6:10-20).
• How does v4 apply to me? Am I facing any enemies?  What battles am I fighting?  How does this passage help me in the battles?  What are things that serve as idols in my life?
• What about PGC? What battle is PGC facing right now?  How would this passage help members of PGC in the battle?  What is my role in the battle?

 

PRAYER:

Dear Heavenly Father, today’s scripture has given me such great comfort! I have many troubles and battles in this world, but I do not fear or tremble, because You are with me, giving me endless courage and strength. Who shall I fear? My enemy is the devil, but I know that my Lord Jesus Christ has already defeated him, bound him, and abolished his power. Through the precious blood of my Lord Jesus Christ, I am justified and have become Your child. However, until the final judgment arrives, the devil still reigns in this world, and my battle is not yet over. Heavenly Father, I want to rely on Your great power to be a strong person. I want to put on the full armor that You have given me, so that I can resist the enemy on the day of trouble. I want to stand firm, as taught by the Apostle Paul, wearing the helmet of salvation, taking up the sword of the Spirit, which is Your word, and using truth as a belt around my waist, using righteousness as a breastplate to protect my heart, and having my feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. And, taking up the shield of faith, I can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Amen!

 

HYMN:

Lord You are Always Here with Me – youtu.be/5H6ZTYv4Lss

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Deuteronomy+019

 
Deuteronomy 19 (ESV)

Laws Concerning Cities of Refuge

1 “When the Lord your God cuts off the nations whose land the Lord your God is giving you, and you dispossess them and dwell in their cities and in their houses, 2 you shall set apart three cities for yourselves in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess. 3 You shall measure the distances and divide into three parts the area of the land that the Lord your God gives you as a possession, so that any manslayer can flee to them.

4 “This is the provision for the manslayer, who by fleeing there may save his life. If anyone kills his neighbor unintentionally without having hated him in the past— 5 as when someone goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down a tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies—he may flee to one of these cities and live, 6 lest the avenger of blood in hot anger pursue the manslayer and overtake him, because the way is long, and strike him fatally, though the man did not deserve to die, since he had not hated his neighbor in the past. 7 Therefore I command you, You shall set apart three cities. 8 And if the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as he has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land that he promised to give to your fathers— 9 provided you are careful to keep all this commandment, which I command you today, by loving the Lord your God and by walking ever in his ways—then you shall add three other cities to these three, 10 lest innocent blood be shed in your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, and so the guilt of bloodshed be upon you.

 

REFLECTION:

• This section mandates the establishment of cities of refuge, places where people who commit an unintentional homicide may flee in order to avoid death at the hands of an avenging relative of the deceased. This law shows God’s concern to protect from harm those who do not deserve death even though their actions, perhaps even negligence, led to the death of another.  It also shows that God’s people should be slow to send individuals to their death, being very careful that the accused get proper justice.
• When I am angry and want to take revenge on someone, I ought to remember that God’s desire is for us to be slow to anger, lest innocent “blood” be shed. Although today we might not consider killing a standard way of retaliating, there are ways in which we can harm others in response for what they have done to us.  Ask God to help you to learn to forgive as Christ has commanded us, letting go of our need to hurt back.
• Where can I “escape” to when I encounter difficulties, feel helpless, and have nowhere to go? How can my cell group be a “city of refuge” for the cell members?

 

PRAYER:

Father in heaven, today’s scripture has made me think deeply: when I face suffering or fall into sin, where can I ‘escape’ to? Father, I have nowhere to run! All of my actions and thoughts are laid bare before You, and Your righteousness and holiness are like a sharp sword that pierces my soul and bones, exposing all of my darkness and impurity to the light. Yet You are also a God of grace and mercy. You established ‘cities of refuge’ for the Israelites, and You have bestowed upon me the great grace of redemption, so that I may take refuge in You and become Your child through the precious blood of my Lord Jesus Christ. Father in heaven, I confess my sins to You and do not hide my wickedness. I know that when I confess my sins to You, You will forgive me. Please teach me and show me the way to go. I am willing to pray to You devoutly every day, seeking Your guidance and following Your path. When the floods come, I will not be harmed, for You are my hiding place, and You will protect me from all harm and deliver me to salvation, surrounded by the joyous songs of Your deliverance. Amen!

 

HYMN:

Forgiveness – youtu.be/h1Lu5udXEZI