Skip to main content

Deuteronomy 1:6 - The end of the beginning - Day 148

Good morning fellow pilgrims & exiles,

Worked through some thoughts on the 3 big questions of life,(Where did I come from, why am I here and where am I going) as the Israelites may have thought as they were  knocking on the door of the Promised Land.  Which led me to think about the body we know as TCCS.  

History matters.

Blessings 

Jeff

Compare and contrast the first attempted entry and the second successful entry 

First - Kadesh-Barnea in the south - 11 days journey from Horeb, entry  to Promised Land was overland, no river to cross, larger area (to the Euphrates), 12 spies whole land. Moses & Aaron included.

Second - east side opposite Jericho, entry across the Jordan, Canaan only. 2 spies Jericho only.  Aaron is dead and Moses is excluded.

So this book is a kind of last will and testament for Moses.  Reminding the new generation of the blessings and cursing of the covenant.  The foundation for the conquest was established in the law.  Thinking back to "did God really say" of the garden.  Now the commandments, statutes and rules had been given and worked out over 40 years in the wilderness.  As they conquered the land, they had what God had said written down.  

The end of one phase of Jewish history.  Makes me reflect on a 3 themes of reformed thinking Historic faith, historic church and God is God of history.  We moderns aren't really big on church history.  And even if we think about since the Reformation, that is only 1/4 of all church history.  A lot happened before that we are pretty much ignorant of.  Israel had all their history with them as they prepared to enter the Promised Land.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Revelation 22:3-5 Final and eternal restoration - Day 365

Dear saints in the Lord, Congratulations!  You made it.  We have been through much turmoil in the last year ('20-'21).  But God is faithful to His promises.  I trust that you have been blessed in your reading and have drawn closer to God.   Since we didn't get the blog up and running at the beginning of the challenge, I am going to go back and post entries to cover that first month or so.   Blessings, Jeff Nothing accursed in the city of God, the new Jerusalem.  The presence of sin will be gone.  I am working on memorizing Westminster Shorter Catechism and currently on question 82.  Is any man able perfectly to keep the commandments of God? No mere man since the fall is able in this life perfectly to keep the commandments of God but does daily break them in thought, word and deed. I think our passage today points to the truth of this question.  Do you notice how this answer is not exactly the same as the question. "Any man" bec...

Malachi 2:10-12 Here we go again!! Day 363

Good afternoon friends, As we draw to the end of the Old Testament, we see that Judah has rebuilt the temple and the walls of Jerusalem, but they are following in the footsteps of faithless fathers and not in the footsteps of Abraham and ultimately God.  The exile was a low point, but now a new low is about to happen.  The prophetic voice has once again become warning and not encouraging. Faithful reading and preaching of the word is all that keeps us from losing our way.  May we be faithful in our generation. Blessings, Jeff I am sure I have mentioned this before, but it bears repeating.  The section summary, chapter and verse are not in the original language.  They are all rather modern inventions to help us.  For example, the section title here is "Judah profaned the Covenant".  That is OK as far as it goes, but which Covenant?  So let's take a look. Observations Starts with 3 questions but who is asking the questions and to whom are they addre...

Romans 14:1-6 Not hindering the way of a brother Day 42

Good morning brothers and sisters, During sermon yesterday (originally written 10/12/20) I mentioned Martin Luther's approach to prayer in the letter to Master Peter.  I still have much to learn, but hope that we can learn and grow together. In the Beloved Jeff  Using Luther's "wreath of four strands" from  A Simple way to Pray  Instruction, thanksgiving, confession, petition.  Goal is a heart warmed and inclined to prayer. Instruction - textbook - what do these 4 verses teach me about what God expects of me? Not to pass judgment on one another any longer by deciding not to hinder the way of a brother.  Paul gives an example of food.  I think of "pass judgment" as a mental or verbal activity, but "not hindering" is a physical activity.  What I think or say about a brother or sister will show up in the way I treat them.  God is extremely interested in how we live with each other. Note of reminder - Faith and practice.  Paul develops theol...