Another seven days have past and the 90 Day plan has taken us through the books of Leviticus, Numbers and most of Deutoronomy. We are almost at the end of the Torah, the Law books.
Some of these books have a pretty bad reputation, they are seen as boring and irrelevent and I wasn't really looking forward to them too much. Having done this weeks reading though I've got to say that I enjoyed it very much.
It maybe helped that the finish line was only a couple of days away for each book but I think the main thing was that when you are still very aware of what went before (because you read it the day before yesterday) it's easier to understand why the different laws were given and why the ancestry etc is so important to the Israelite people.
In yesterday's reading there was a verse that really stood out to me.
You must not worship the LORD your God in their way.
Deuteronomy 12:4
Not only were the Israelites to worship a different God from the ones worship by the inhabitants of Canaan but they where to worship Him in a different way. God is unlike other gods, He is different. Other religions are lost in superstition and despair whereas the God of Israel brings hope and deliverence.
We too are to worship God in a different way than the world worships her idols. Our God is not a popstar or a shiny car or sport. Our God is different, He is alive and full of power, He is holy, He should be treated that way.
There are many other things that could be learnt from the weeks readings, maybe you'd like to share them?
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Some mid-week music now, as is our custom. Here's Jars of Clay with a new take on a Christmas classic.
God goes before us.
ReplyDeleteThe whole thing about the tabernacle, and the cloud descending and lifting - and that dictated when the people moved, or waited. It just struck me. Sometimes, it's ok t wait.
Then there were a few verses at the start of Deuteronomy -
In spite of this, you did not trust in the LORD your God, who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go. (Deut 1:32-33)
The LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast desert. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything. (Deut 2:7)
God goes before us, God prepares things for us, God blesses us.
I think the biggest thing I have taken away from the past week - let's not be like the Israelites. All they did was complain when things weren't going their way, in spite of God repeatedly giving them more chances. And it didn't work out all that well for them in the end!
Like I said last week, awesome!!