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: Thursday, March 16, 2023
Chapters: DEUTERONOMY 14-16
Study: Give God The Glory
Hello My Brother/Sister/Friend,
My beloved and I had our first premarital counseling session with our pastor last night before church. Of course, the very first thing we needed to do was give our testimony of when we got saved. After church we decided to go to my favorite restaurant, and well, it was not the best experience for my beloved, he ended up getting food poisoning. It is fitting that the chapters for today are related to food, and this passage came to mind.
[1 Corinthians 10:27-31 If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake. 28 But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof: 29 Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other: for why is my liberty judged of another man’s conscience? 30 For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks? 31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.]
When we receive a meal from someone, regardless if it was prepared by a loved one or stranger, we do not consider it to be tainted because we are trusting in the hands that prepared it. Imagine our disappointment to discover that it was tainted. I ordered a hamburger for dinner, but without the bun, which was toasted, my beloved wanted the bun, the whole time he kept saying, “They make a good bun.” trying to see something good from his bad experience. However, the damage was done, he had already eaten quite a bit of the meal that he ordered. Believe it or not, God, had given the Israelites a specific diet to follow, they were to only consume animals that He considered as clean. As we continue in the reading of Deuteronomy, God explains what clean and unclean animals are and why it was important for them to understand the difference between the two.
[Deuteronomy 14:1-6 Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead. 2 For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth. 3 Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing. 4 These are the beasts which ye shall eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat, 5 The hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois. 6 And every beast that parteth the hoof, and cleaveth the cleft into two claws, and cheweth the cud among the beasts, that ye shall eat.]
[Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing.] This goes back to, [Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.] Of course, God has since then removed these restrictions from us as He calls all food good as long as it is eaten with thanksgiving, [Romans 14:22-23 Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth. 23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.]
[and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself,] We are truly a unique bunch, because let me tell you, there are many saved, born again Christians in the world who can care less about what they are feeding themselves. Nevertheless, those who sincerely follow Christ with all their heart really are a peculiar group, and that is okay, because we are not here to be like the world or other “Christians”, we are here to be like Christ, [Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.]
Everything from the food, to the church, to the home, to our professions needs to be done for the glory of God. Why? He is our source for everything that we have. Moses, stresses the importance of the Israelites giving the very first and the best portion of what they received from their labor.
[Deuteronomy 14:22-25 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. 23 And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always. 24 And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: 25 Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose:]
[that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always.] Think about it, how would you feel if you were given a big and juicy burger to enjoy, then when you received it it had a big bite taken out of it? This is how God feels when we give Him our leftovers instead of our very best first. Remember, fearing God is having respect toward Him, loving Him, and honoring Him with everything that we both have and receive. If He sees that we are giving to Him first, even if it is a penny, He will savor it more than a million dollars of leftovers, [Luke 21:1-4 And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury. 2 And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. 3 And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: 4 For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.]
There is nothing that God is telling us to do that Jesus did not do nor are we incapable of doing. It becomes common sense as we feed on the Word of God, and start to savor it as we begin to realize the difference between morality and immorality, spiritual and carnal things, and whether or not it is Jesus that we are following. Before we receive Christ as our Saviour, our soul is literally held bondage to sin, which is a debt that is impossible to pay on our own. It is through our faith alone in Christ that we are released from that bondage. Moses, goes on to remind the Israelites of the Sabbatical year, at the end of seven years, anyone owing a debt or sold to pay the debt was not only released, but this only applied to Israelites.
[Deuteronomy 15:1-5 At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release. 2 And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbour shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbour, or of his brother; because it is called the LORD’S release. 3 Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it again: but that which is thine with thy brother thine hand shall release; 4 Save when there shall be no poor among you; for the LORD shall greatly bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it: 5 Only if thou carefully hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee this day.]
[Only if thou carefully hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God,] Do you see the key here? I do not care what you give to God, if you are not listening to Him, He will not bless it. So, why was the debt not paid for the foreigner? In order for us to be released from our debt we need to come to Christ. Anyone who does not know Christ as their Saviour is a foreigner to Him, and therefore their debt will not be paid until they do come to Christ. If they do not come to Him before their last breath, then they are held to the debt, [Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.]
[Release; To be free from confinement, bondage, or obligation] God, enforced a release every seven years on any debt owed by any person that was not paid. It was very important that they followed this command, a stern warning comes to those who do not.
[Deuteronomy 15:9-10,16-17 Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee. 10 Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto. 16 And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee; because he loveth thee and thine house, because he is well with thee; 17 Then thou shalt take an aul, and thrust it through his ear unto the door, and he shall be thy servant for ever. And also unto thy maidservant thou shalt do likewise.]
[thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him:] What is the saying? “It is more blessed to give than receive. This year of release was a foreshadow of the grace of the Gospel, in which is proclaimed the acceptable year of the Lord would release every Israelite from their debt. We who received Christ as our Saviour obtain the release of our debts, that is, the pardon of our sins forever, [Hebrews 10:1-3,10 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. 10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.]
We are not limited today as the Israelites were, we make no difference between a first calf, or lamb, and the rest because they are all for giving glory to God. The yearly feasts that God instituted are mentioned in some form through the Books of Exodus to Deuteronomy thirty times. Why were they so important? They were designed as a way for those who feared God to remember all that He has blessed them with and to make an atonement for any sin they may have committed unaware. Three of the feasts were required to be held at the Tabernacle/Temple, in which every adult male must appear.
[Deuteronomy 16:16-22 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty: 17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee. 18 Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment. 19 Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous. 20 That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. 21 Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the LORD thy God, which thou shalt make thee. 22 Neither shalt thou set thee up any image; which the LORD thy God hateth.]
[and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:] Let me tell you, we better not come to God, even when we are not observing a feast day, empty handed. There is always something that we can offer God, as He also reminds us that, [Every man shall give as he is able,]. Again, it is not how much we give, it is whether or not what we give is sincere. And we better not also treat some people with more respect than others because they give more. I have seen churches do this and it truly does, [blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.]. So, in order to avoid all these things, it is important that we give God the glory for all things, the good, the bad, and the ugly, [1 Peter 4:13-16 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. 16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.]
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for making me one of Yours when I accepted Your Son as my Saviour. I know I have always been peculiar, but You confirmed that when I discovered that I never fit in with the world in the first place. I know that it is important to put You first and give You the glory for all things. Lord, I want to live a life that is pleasing to You, and one that shows Your Son through me, and gives glory to You in all that I do. Lead me and guide me, fill me with Your mercy, grace, love, discernment, and the wisdom to overcome the deception of the world as they try to worship You their way. Feed me with the spiritual things that I need to sustain me in this world. Let me take the time to savor every Word and apply it to my soul so that everything I receive is always glorified in You. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus, Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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