Trip 181: Law Concerning Annual Feasts continued; Law for Court Administration

THE TIME SEQUENCE BIBLE

1095 Devotional “Trips”!

Rix W. Tillman, D. Min.

Reading assignment:   __Deuteronomy 16:9-18–Deuteronomy 17:7

Focal verse(s):  Deuteronomy 16:17:  “”Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you.”

The Feast of Weeks was a time the Israelites celebrated God’s wonderful and gracious provision. A freewill offering was made in proportion to how much God had blessed the person. This is similar to the giving that Paul talked about in First Corinthians 16:2 when he said to give “as God hath prospered“.  Christians should start with the tithe as the absolute minimum and then give above the tithe as God prospers them.  Since God had been generous with His people, the Israelites were to be generous with those less prosperous than themselves. This also sets a good example for all Christians, who should always give generously to the poor and needy.  The Feast of Weeks was later renamed the Feast of Pentecost because the Holy Spirit was sent to the New Testament believers during Pentecost, hence the name attributed to the great happening in the second chapter of Acts, “The Day of Pentecost”.  The Feast of Tabernacles was so named because the Israelites celebrated this fall festival by living in booths made of tree branches for a week to symbolize their journey through the desert after leaving Egypt.  Israelite men were to come three times a year to these celebrations (Passover, Feasts of Weeks, and Tabernacles) and bring gifts each time.  This was a time of great joy for the Israelite and his family, just as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter are full of joy for the Christian!   Of course, every day is a great time of joy for the person who is in Christ!  Close your devotion time by singing a favorite Christmas or Easter hymn or praise song.

Congratulations! You’ve now journeyed one sixth of the way through our time sequence “trips” through God’s Word! In the following space, write down some of the highlights of your devotional journey so far, such as the most inspirational scripture passage, best illustration, most meaningful devotion, etc.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE FIRST 181 DEVOTIONAL “TRIPS”

 

Most inspirational scripture:

 

 

Best illustration:

 

 

Most meaningful devotion:

 

 

 

 

Additional notes on the first 181 Devotional “Trips”:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trip 180: Law of the Sabbatical Year continued; Law Concerning Annual Feasts

THE TIME SEQUENCE BIBLE

1095 Devotional “Trips”!

Rix W. Tillman, D. Min.

Reading assignment:   __Deuteronomy 15:12-23    __Deuteronomy 16:1-8

Focal verse(s):  Deuteronomy 16:3:  “You shall not eat leavened bread with it; seven days you shall eat with it unleavened bread, the bread of affliction (for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste), so that you may remember all the days of your life the day when you came out of the land of Egypt.”

When a person was unable to pay their debts, they would often sell themselves as a servant in order to cancel the debt.  If the size of the debt meant they had to be a servant for six years, then they were to be freed on the seventh year.  This did not match the Sabbatical year, but was simply the seventh year after the person began working as a servant.  God had commanded that a person could not serve more than six years of their life in making up a debt.  At the end of the six years the employer had to not only free the servant, but supply him abundantly with stock, grain, and wine according to the way the Lord had blessed him.  If a servant had become too attached to the family to leave it, then at the request of the servant, the employer could pierce his earlobe with an awl to show that he was his servant for life.  There were three annual feasts which all male Israelites were to attend, and if possible their families were also to appear.  Going to these feasts gave the Israelites an opportunity to acknowledge the Lord as their Provider and Deliverer. The Passover celebrated the night the Lord “passed over” the Israelite houses which had been sprinkled with blood and the death angel had spared the lives of their firstborn people and livestock, while putting those of the Egyptians firstborns to death.  As Christians we celebrate our “Passover Lamb” Jesus Christ who put Himself to death in our place for the death we deserved for our sins!  An excellent illustration of what Jesus did for us is a story of two identical twin brothers. When they became teenagers, one brother gave his heart to Christ, but the other ran from God, joined a street gang, and killed a rival gang member in a street fight.  Convicted of murder and sentenced to die, he was on death row awaiting execution.  His twin brother visited him the day before his scheduled execution and offered to die in his place because of his love for his brother.  When the guards were not watching the identical twins switched clothes, the guilty brother walked out a free man, and his innocent twin died in his place the next day.  That’s what Christ did for us! (Source unknown)

 

Trip 179: Law Concerning Tithes continued; Law of the Sabbatical Year

THE TIME SEQUENCE BIBLE

1095 Devotional “Trips”!

Rix W. Tillman, D. Min.

Reading assignment:  __Deuteronomy 26:11-15    __Deuteronomy 15:1-11

Focal verse(s):  Deuteronomy 26:12:  “When you have finished paying all the tithe of your increase in the third year, the year of tithing, then you shall give it to the Levite, to the stranger, to the orphan and to the widow that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied.”

The Lord told the people to rejoice over the abundant blessings that had been provided for them. It was certainly fitting and proper for the Israelites to rejoice after waiting through centuries of suffering!  When the offering of the tithe was given, there were three statements to be made to the Lord, which consisted of a positive statement, a negative statement, and a prayer for blessing. The positive statement was that the person had given to the Levite and to the poor or stranger and had not broken God’s commandments.  The negative statement was that they had not eaten any of the tithes while in mourning or set any of it aside while he was unclean or offered any of it to the dead.  The prayer of blessing on the people and the land emphasized Israel’s dependence on God and His grace.  The Sabbatical Year was every seventh year, and during that year the land was to lie dormant without any crops grown and all debts were to be cancelled, which was God’s plan to prevent poverty.  As Christians we also need to be mindful of our stewardship to the Lord and stay out of debt, because by not paying interest to the world, we will have much more money to give to the Lord!  How is your financial health?  If you are in debt, pray for God’s wisdom in gaining financial freedom.  If you’re paying interest on credit cards, etc., then you’re tithing to the world instead of God!

 

Trip 178: Law Concerning Tithes

THE TIME SEQUENCE BIBLE

1095 Devotional “Trips”!

Rix W. Tillman, D. Min.

Reading assignment:  __Deuteronomy 14:22-29    __Deuteronomy 26:1-10

Focal verse(s):  Deuteronomy 14:22:  “You shall surely tithe all the produce from what you sow, which comes out of the field every year.”

The Israelite was limited to not only what he could eat, but also to how much food he could keep for himself.  The law of the tithe stated that the first tenth of food and livestock was to be set aside for the Lord, with part of the tithe going to the central sanctuary where it was to be eaten in a meal before the Lord.  This ceremony was to teach the Israelite to fear and reverence the Lord God who provided their food and their life.  If the person lived too far from the central sanctuary to carry their tithe of food and livestock there, they could sell it and bring silver to the central sanctuary where they would buy the food they wished to eat and drink in God’s presence.  A normal family could not eat its entire tithe so the remainder was to be given to the Levites at the sanctuary, which took care of their food needs since the Levite had no land inheritance.  The practice of tithing* is the “entry point” for the Christian.  A new Christian should begin by tithing a tenth of his treasure (income and possessions, time, and talents.  As we grow in Christ, we learn to give more and more to Him because of the tremendous blessings we receive as we understand the law of giving.  It is more blessed to give than to receive, because God’s “shovel” is much bigger than ours and He always gives us much more in return than we give to Him!  If you don’t believe this, try tithing for six months and see!

* Randy Alcorn, “The Practice of Tithing as a Minimum Standard of Christian Giving” (Sandy, Oregon: Eternal Perspective Ministries, 2009) [http://www.epm.org/artman2/publish/tithing_and_giving/]

 

Trip 177: Law against Idolatry continued; Law Concerning Diet

THE TIME SEQUENCE BIBLE

1095 Devotional “Trips”!

Rix W. Tillman, D. Min.

Reading assignment:   __Deuteronomy 13:14-18    __Deuteronomy 14:1-21

Focal verse(s): Deuteronomy 14:2:  “For you are a holy people to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.”

On occasion it was possible a whole town could be led astray and become involved in the practice of idolatry. Because of the severity of the punishment involved in such a case, a thorough investigation had to be made in order to verify guilt.  If guilt was found, then the whole town had to be eliminated just as if it were a Canaanite city.  Everything including people, livestock, and plunder, had to be destroyed.  The town was never to be rebuilt; a rule which guaranteed no one had a town destroyed for future personal gain or other such reasons.  In our focal verse we see that Israel was a holy nation, set apart to the Lord, the one nation on earth which had a personal relationship with God at that time.  All other nations were to come to the Lord through the ministry of Israel’s testimony of the Lord.  Other nations had pagan beliefs which included cutting themselves as a sign of mourning, and using certain animals for their cultic rituals.  God strictly forbade the Israelites to cut themselves or eat any of the “unclean” animals.  In modern times, Christians need to constantly guard themselves against being part of practices or diets that reflect an allegiance to someone other than the Lord Jesus Christ.  Such allegiances could include cults, secular music which promotes ungodliness, Yoga meditation diets, astrology, and tattoos (Leviticus 19:28 says, “Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD”).  The only way to be on guard against the myriad of snares and temptations the devil devises to draw us away from Christ is to study God’s laws and practice them! If you have not already done so, begin memorizing the Ten Commandments…quit putting it off! (Exodus 20: 3-4, 7-8, 12-17).

 

Trip 176: Law for the Central Sanctuary continued; Law against Idolatry

THE TIME SEQUENCE BIBLE

1095 Devotional “Trips”!

Rix W. Tillman, D. Min.

Reading assignment:  __Deuteronomy 12:29-32    __Deuteronomy 13:1-13

Focal verse(s): Deuteronomy 12:30:  “beware that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How do these nations serve their gods that I also may do likewise?’”

Moses warned the people to avoid any contact with pagan practices, since the human heart with its Adamic nature is so easily prone to give in to sin and pagan enticements.  Once a person was enticed into pagan practices, they would get involved in all kinds of abominations that would be utterly detestable to the Lord, the worst of which was the sacrificing of children.  The worship of the Ammonite god Molech used the burning of sons and daughters in fire as sacrifices.  The practice of child sacrifice would be the final downfall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the eighth century B.C. (2 Kings 17:6, 17), and the seemingly simple curiosity of pagan practices would eventually lead to Israel’s downfall.  Moses switched his attention to the three ways through which the temptation to idolatry would come: (1) A false prophet; (2) A loved one; or (3) A revolutionary.  Miracles alone would not be a sign of truth because Satan can produce false signs and miracles, but the true test is the Word of God.  If a prophet’s dreams or predictions came true but contradicted the Word of God, they were not to be believed because God’s commands have the final say.  Each time the Israelite would be enticed to idolatry and refuse, the Lord would make him stronger in his faith.  A very painful situation occurred when a loved one enticed another to idolatry…that person was not only to expose their loved one, but had to be the first to throw a rock when they were stoned to death as a punishment!  This harsh action was designed to show the rest of the community that devotion to God comes above all else.  It is extremely important for Christians to be obedient in attending worship, participating in outreach ministry, and showing fruit of the Christian life so others will be drawn to the Savior, rather than the pagan gods of this world.  Analyze your life by going through your daily schedule in your mind.  What are you doing in word or deed to draw people to Christ or detract them from the Savior?

 

Trip 175: Law for the Central Sanctuary continued

THE TIME SEQUENCE BIBLE

1095 Devotional “Trips”!

Rix W. Tillman, D. Min.

Reading assignment:  __Deuteronomy 12:10-28

Focal verse(s):  Deuteronomy 12:28:  “Be careful to listen to all these words which I command you, so that it may be well with you and your sons after you forever, for you will be doing what is good and right in the sight of the LORD your God.”

Wild game animals could be killed and eaten without taking them to the central sanctuary, as long as they were not being used in worshiping the Lord, since non-domesticated animals were not acceptable for sacrifice.  Forasmuch as the tribe of Levi had no land, they had to live in towns, and the people were to provide for their needs.  The restriction in Leviticus seventeen against eating meat without offering it first at the tabernacle applied only to the people in the wilderness, where their homes were near the tabernacle.  In the Promised Land they would live too far away from the central sanctuary to bring all their meat there, so they were allowed to slaughter and eat animals at home for non-religious or secular reasons.  The prohibition against eating the blood still was in effect whether or not the animal was at home or the sanctuary.  Since the blood represented life, the Israelites showed their respect for the sanctity of life as well as the Creator of life by not eating the blood.  The New Testament has done away with the single sanctuary because First Corinthians 3:16 says our body is the temple of God…therefore, as Christians we still must strive to keep our human temple pure and have a unity of heart in adoring the Lord.  Have you established “temple cleansing” as part of your daily quiet time? Write down the previous trip’s “pollution security system” memory verse (Colossians 2:8) on a card or your electronic device and carry it with you today as you continue to meditate upon it.

 

Trip 174: The Requirements of Love and Obedience continued; Covenant Stipulations; Law for the Central Sanctuary

THE TIME SEQUENCE BIBLE

1095 Devotional “Trips”!

Rix W. Tillman, D. Min.

Reading assignment:  __Deuteronomy 11:22-32   __ Deuteronomy 12:1-9

Focal verse(s):  Deuteronomy 11:22-23:  “For if you are careful to keep all this commandment which I am commanding you to do, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and hold fast to Him, ₂₃then the LORD will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than you.”

In return for Israel’s obedience to the Lord, God would grant supernatural success over superior and much larger military forces as they entered the Promised Land.  Moses emphasized that the success of Israel’s future would depend upon obeying God’s commands.  God commanded the people to place the tabernacle in a location He would choose when they arrived in the Promised Land.  This was not to be a permanent site, but the tabernacle would move at God’s command. The word “rejoice” is used several times in the book of Deuteronomy when referring to the Jewish worship service, which was to be a time that families ate and rejoiced in the Lord’s goodness to them.  In the past God had commanded the people not to ever slaughter a cow, sheep, or goat without first bringing it to the entrance of the tabernacle to present it as an offering to the Lord.  This was done to prevent the Israelites from worshipping as pagans and also to keep them from ingesting the blood, which was also a practice of the ungodly.  Verse eight seems to imply that the people were becoming lax in this ordinance, thus the reason it was repeated.  We as Christians need to constantly be aware that the world around us is pagan and does not see things from spiritual eyes, so we must be on guard not to become polluted with their ungodly thinking.  Make it a daily ritual during your quiet time to confess to God all the worldly things that have polluted your life and constantly be watchful what you see and hear (the internet, television, movies, books, music, advertising, etc.).  Turn to Colossians 2:8 and meditate upon this verse, then memorize it as a “pollution security system”.  If you’re still working on the Ten Commandments, start a list of verses to memorize, starting with Colossians 2:8.

 

Trip 173: The Requirements of Love and Obedience continued

THE TIME SEQUENCE BIBLE

1095 Devotional “Trips”!

Rix W. Tillman, D. Min.

Reading assignment: __Deuteronomy 11:1-21

Focal verse(s): Deuteronomy 11:18-19:  “You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. ₁₉You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up. ”

Moses stressed the importance of love and obedience going hand in hand when it comes to serving God, because God had shown his mighty power to the Israelites in Egypt through the ten plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, and the destruction of the Egyptians.  The Lord gave the Israelites forty years of schooling in the wilderness to teach them how to totally depend upon Him.  Moses exhorted the people to learn from their past history, because there were many instances when they disobeyed God and were severely punished.  If they were to gain victory and inhabit the Promised Land, their obedience to God was the determining factor, not their military skill.  Moses warned the people that when they came into the Promised Land not to be enticed by the false gods of the Canaanites, who had many gods such as fertility, land, rain, etc. because it would be very easy for them to transfer the trust they had in God to these pagan deities for their daily provisions.  The way to avoid giving in to these temptations is found in our focal verses:  “impress God’s word on our hearts and on our soul…teach them to our sons, talking of them when we sit in our house and when we walk along the road and when we lie down and when we rise up.”  The same formula applies for Christians today … God’s word never changes! Are you hiding God’s word in your heart?  Here’s a “pop quiz”: Can you recite the Ten Commandments from memory?  If you’re not already doing so, start working on them!   (Turn to Exodus 20:3-4;7-8, and 12-17)

 

Trip 172: The Requirements of Love and Obedience

THE TIME SEQUENCE BIBLE

1095 Devotional “Trips”!

Rix W. Tillman, D. Min.

Reading assignment:  __Deuteronomy 10:12-22

Focal verse(s):  Deuteronomy 10:18:  “He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing.”

Moses continued  telling the following history: (1) The second set of stone tablets received from God containing the Ten Commandments; (2) The making of the ark to house them; and (3) The mention of Aaron’s death.  The recalling of God’s great deliverance of the people from the land of Egypt and how the Lord had already fulfilled His promise to Abraham by multiplying their numbers like the “stars in the sky” was another reason for the people to praise God.  Our focal verse shows God’s love for the transient or stranger.  Time and time again in the scriptures the Lord shows us that He wants believers to minister to those who need food, lodging, and clothing. This is the reason Christians have so many ministries to the needy, such as gospel rescue missions in the inner cities, and food and clothing programs to help the poor.  Think of a project your Bible study group can get involved in to help the needy. This should not be just a “once a year” deed, but something on an on-going basis, such as volunteering at a mission, orphanage, starting services at a nursing home, or donating the local food bank.  The Scripture tells us some of those we see in need may be angels in disguise!