King James Bible Study – [Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.]
Date: Sunday, March 12, 2023
Chapters: DEUTERONOMY 3-4
Study: Making Wiser Choices
Hello My Brother/Sister/Friend,
The other night my fiance and mother went out to dinner, we were going to go to one place, went pass another place and was going to try it, but then when we saw a familiar place we chose that instead. Well, needless to say, it was the wrong choice, we all got sick, and all it took was a little under cooked food to keep us from going to the church the next morning to help with cleaning it. We are getting ready for a big campaign so the pastor wanted to spruce things up. The moral of the story, always go where God leads you first, otherwise, it will be painful to get back on track when you do, [John 12:25-26 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. 26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.]
The Christian life really is something that very few understand or care to accept, which is why we are so few in number, especially today. As saved, born again, Christians, we really do what we can so that the lost can find Jesus, and through that desire we find that God blesses us so much more. As we continue in the reading of Deuteronomy, Moses continues to instruct the new generation for their entering into the promised land, he goes on to remind them of when they defeated King Og and Sihon.
[Deuteronomy 3:1-3,6 Then we turned, and went up the way to Bashan: and Og the king of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. 2 And the LORD said unto me, Fear him not: for I will deliver him, and all his people, and his land, into thy hand; and thou shalt do unto him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, which dwelt at Heshbon. 3 So the LORD our God delivered into our hands Og also, the king of Bashan, and all his people: and we smote him until none was left to him remaining. 6 And we utterly destroyed them, as we did unto Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the men, women, and children, of every city.]
[as we did unto Sihon king of Heshbon,] King Og was very powerful but he did not heed to the warning of not messing with the Israelites given by the ruin of Sihon. He trusted his own strength to defeat them, and that is what led to his destruction. Our nations either get on Israel’s side and win the battle or become enemies and be defeated. Moses, also reminded them of what happened when they took out the Amorites and how that land had been given to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh.
[Deuteronomy 3:12-14,18-20 And this land, which we possessed at that time, from Aroer, which is by the river Arnon, and half mount Gilead, and the cities thereof, gave I unto the Reubenites and to the Gadites. 13 And the rest of Gilead, and all Bashan, being the kingdom of Og, gave I unto the half tribe of Manasseh; all the region of Argob, with all Bashan, which was called the land of giants. 18 And I commanded you at that time, saying, The LORD your God hath given you this land to possess it: ye shall pass over armed before your brethren the children of Israel, all that are meet for the war. 19 But your wives, and your little ones, and your cattle, (for I know that ye have much cattle,) shall abide in your cities which I have given you; 20 Until the LORD have given rest unto your brethren, as well as unto you, and until they also possess the land which the LORD your God hath given them beyond Jordan: and then shall ye return every man unto his possession, which I have given you.]
[gave I unto the Reubenites and to the Gadites.] Notice that Moses said that he gave the land to them, or rather allowed them to choose to dwell in it over the promised land. The amazing thing about God is that He gives us choices, but keep in mind that we will have extra work to do should we make the wrong choices. God, would not have just let them take possession of that land while the others had to fight for theirs, they would have to go help the rest of the Israelites take possession of the land that was promised first. We as Christians have work to do until we get to the promised land, we are commanded to go out into the world and preach the Gospel, [Matthew 28:19-20 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.]
Our promise land is not really the one that we are standing on, we are here temporarily until Jesus returns or God says that it is time to come home. Our work here on earth, after we are saved, is to help the lost find Jesus, so, it is important that we understand that we will not rest until God gives rest to them. Well, not every choice that we make is a wise one, and all it may to lose out on some things is one bad choice. Moses, made the unwise choice to strike the rock instead of speak to it when the people complained of having no water. This is what led to God denying Him entrance into the promised land, which Moses recalls.
[Deuteronomy 3:21-26 And I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, Thine eyes have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto these two kings: so shall the LORD do unto all the kingdoms whither thou passest. 22 Ye shall not fear them: for the LORD your God he shall fight for you. 23 And I besought the LORD at that time, saying, 24 O Lord GOD, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might? 25 I pray thee, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon. 26 But the LORD was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me: and the LORD said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter.]
[Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter.] When God tells us no, He means no, and there is no changing His mind. I can just imagine the sound of God’s voice, I want to cry for him every time I read this. We can wonder why God denies us things, especially when we have been so faithful to Him, but you see, Moses may not have been able to go into the land of promise, but He would be able to go into the promised land. Proof that he would be in the promised land was given at the transfiguration of Jesus, [Mark 9:2,4,7 And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. 4 And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. 7 And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.]
If we are honest with ourselves, when we make those unwise decisions, deep down we know that they were not the right choice to begin with. And believe it or not, most of those unwise decisions happen because we were lacking faith at that time. However, the true test comes when we are denied, are we going to continue to walk with God until He brings us home or would we bolt like so many others have done. Since God handed over the reins to Joshua, Moses could have just given everything over to him, but he still obeyed God and continued serving Him until God said that it was time for him to come home and even encourages them to do the same.
[Deuteronomy 4:1-4 Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you. 2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. 3 Your eyes have seen what the LORD did because of Baalpeor: for all the men that followed Baalpeor, the LORD thy God hath destroyed them from among you. 4 But ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God are alive every one of you this day.]
[But ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God] Let me tell you, we are not alive today because of our own righteousness, nor are were here because every decision we make is wise, we are here because we cleave to God. However, those who want to ignore what is written in His Word need to take it more seriously. Every single thing that is written in His Word is there for a reason and even though we are under the law of grace, we still need to respect God’s point of view in every matter. He has not changed His stance on what sin is, and He will never condone sin, even though He is faithful and just to always forgive us when we confess our sins, He still wants us to maintain some good works, [Titus 3:7-9 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men. 9 But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.]
When we accept Christ as our Saviour He sticks to us like glue, and because we are stuck to Him like glue our souls are alive through Him. Without Christ there is no life! We do ourselves and those we are leading a disservice when we are faithful to Him, yet do not maintain good works. Moses, reiterates the importance of their being both faithful and obedient to God’s command.
[Deuteronomy 4:6–10 Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. 7 For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for? 8 And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? 9 Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons; 10 Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.]
[for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations,] This is why we maintain good works after our salvation, it is not for our own sake, but for the sake of bringing other nations to Him. There is not one thing that God will deny us that is in His will for us. We may not agree on what that is, but God always knows what is best for us. All we have to do to realize just how precious we are to God and that He only wants what is best for us is to remember what Christ did for us to save us. Making the wrong choices, especially if we do not learn from them, does have the tendency to diminish our faith, and this is why so many Christians are just as lost as the lost. Thankfully, God has not forgotten His promise, He just sends us out of our element to remind us of that. Moses, reminds the Israelites that it was God who brought them to and out of the fire.
[Deuteronomy 4:12-16,20 And the LORD spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice. 13 And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone. 14 And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it. 15 Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire: 16 Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female, 20 But the LORD hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance, as ye are this day.]
[and brought you forth out of the iron furnace,] That iron furnace is like a one way ticket to hell, one that no one can escape, but through their faith in the LORD, Jesus Christ. When we accept Christ as our Saviour, He is the one who pulls us out of the iron furnace and takes us as one of His very own. Our salvation has nothing to do with our own righteousness, and everything to do with God’s promise to save us through our faith in His Son, [Titus 3:5-7 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.]
There is something that we must understand. We are not perfect! We will mess up. We will get out of His will sometimes and we will sin, no matter how much we try to avoid it. While most of us who are faithful will learn from our mistakes, some Christians have fallen so far into sin that they are worse than they ever were in the world. The biggest threat on our Christianity is idolatry, and this does not have to be some statue that we worship, it could be anything that takes first place over God. And since God is a jealous God, He will place judgment on those who choose an idol over Him. Moses, warns the Israelites against idolatry, and what God will do to them when they fall into it.
[Deuteronomy 4:21-24,26-27 Furthermore the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, and sware that I should not go over Jordan, and that I should not go in unto that good land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance: 22 But I must die in this land, I must not go over Jordan: but ye shall go over, and possess that good land. 23 Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the LORD thy God hath forbidden thee. 24 For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God. 26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed. 27 And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you.]
[And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations,] Wow! Did Moses just give a prophecy here? Well, in case you have not noticed, the true Church is scattered all over the world, and is getting fewer by the number each year, and that is what makes our job all the more important to reach the lost with the Gospel.
There is no greater blessing that we could even receive than to be one of God’s people, He delights in it because He loves us so much, and truly does want us to live an abundantly blessed life. Yes, we hinder Him at times, and we even anger Him at times to the point that He will flat out deny us things, yet, He never fails us because He made a promise to us. Moses, does warn the Israelites that they will fail and sin against God and because He is a jealous God He will place judgment on all who sin. However, He is a merciful God.
[Deuteronomy 4:30-31,33,35,39-40 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; 31 (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them. 33 Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live? 35 Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him. 39 Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else. 40 Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, for ever.]
[Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking] Not just anyone can hear God’s voice, even many who are saved will not hear God’s voice because they are not following His commands. We are the children of God, made only possible though our faith in Christ alone, [Romans 8:16-17 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.]
Today’s Prayer: Jesus, Thank You for the great sacrifice that You made in order to save my soul. You did for me what I could never have been able to do on my own to save myself from death and hell. To even say that I could save myself sounds foolish and quite arrogant as there is not enough sacrifices nor amount of commands that I could obey that would save me. I will always come short because I am a sinner. You saved me by grace through my faith alone in You the second I asked You to save me. Now I live the rest of my life serving You. At least, that is what I want to do. Lord, Do for me what I cannot do for myself, give me Your power, mercy, grace, compassion, and the love that You have so that I might be able to lead some souls to the promised land. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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