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 19, 2023
Chapters: DEUTERONOMY 24-26
Study: Worthy of Jesus
Hello My Brother/Sister/Friend,
I am going to be honest and say that I really did not know how I was going to begin this devotional because there is just so many things things to cover. Then it just occurred to me just now what the whole message is all about, loving Jesus more than we would our spouse, betrothed, loved one, or children. Jesus said this, [Matthew 10:34-37 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 36 And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. 37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.]
A lot of people misinterpret this passage, in fact, take offense to it as most people revolve themselves around their loved ones. However, there is more to the passage if we take a deeper look as Jesus sees, believe it or not, many parents worship their children. Also, many children are so pressured into being who their parents want them to be that they never become what God intended for them. Our love for Christ needs to be above any other love that we have, otherwise the rest of our relationships will suffer. Take a husband and wife for instance, if Christ is not at the center of each persons life then the marriage will suffer greatly. We touched on divorce a little bit yesterday, since it is a sin to commit fornication, they were quick to get married, then if the husband decided that he was not pleased with her, he could divorce her. As we continue in the reading of Deuteronomy, Moses instructs the Israelites what to do in regards to a man divorcing his wife.
[Deuteronomy 24:1-4 When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. 2 And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man’s wife. 3 And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife; 4 Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the LORD: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.]
[may not take her again to be his wife,] This is what Jesus was referring to when He said, [Matthew 5:31-32 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: 32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.]
If the man did not divorce due to adultery, then he would cause his wife to commit adultery if she married someone else. Also, if the man she is currently with decided to divorce her or died, then she would not be able to remarry the previous man, even if he had a change of heart, this is all because he defiled her in the first place. Fornication is not just committing adultery or some other form of sexual sin, it is any act done to the body, and that would also include physical or mental abuse, [1 Corinthians 6:18-20 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. 19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.]
[and thou shalt not cause the land to sin,] All it takes is one bad fruit to sit in a basket full of fresh fruit for it to spoil, and it does not take long either. This is why God was so adamant about putting away the evil from among the people, it would give the others the idea that they can do it too. While some things were abominable to the point that God would tell them to just remove the bad fruit from the rest, others were destroyed. I will tell you this, all sin is abominable to God, the difference between being cut off from the congregation and death and hell all has to do with sincere repentance, [1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.]
When we get in God’s Word, He reminds us of things we ought to or not to be doing, things we have forgotten, things we have never known, and even things that make absolutely no sense to us. As Moses wraps up his message to them, he reminds the Israelites that since they knew personally what it was like to be a slave in Egypt that it was important that they take care of those who are poor or need a helping hand.
[Deuteronomy 24:10-15 When thou dost lend thy brother any thing, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge. 11 Thou shalt stand abroad, and the man to whom thou dost lend shall bring out the pledge abroad unto thee. 12 And if the man be poor, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge: 13 In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee: and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the LORD thy God. 14 Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates: 15 At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the LORD, and it be sin unto thee.]
[and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the LORD] How many times have you lent someone money or even something you own only to never see it again? I have several times. There have also been times when I could not pay back money that was lent to me. According to God, if a debt cannot pay it back, then just let it go as it will be the right thing to do. I tell you what, this reminds me of Jesus and the debt I owed and could never pay back because I could never afford it even if that was possibility, [Romans 6:22-23 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.]
Even though God chose the Jews to be the people the rest of the world would recognize as His people, He did not stop anyone from coming to Him. God gave a specific law concerning the marriage of the heir of the family. The inheritance of the father would be passed down to their first son, since he was the heir, he would be the one to pass the inheritance to his sin. However, if the heir died before he had a son with his wife, the wife would have to marry to the next son in line, and their first born son would be the heir of the one who died.
[Deuteronomy 25:5-9 If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband’s brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband’s brother unto her. 6 And it shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel. 7 And if the man like not to take his brother’s wife, then let his brother’s wife go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband’s brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel, he will not perform the duty of my husband’s brother. 8 Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him: and if he stand to it, and say, I like not to take her; 9 Then shall his brother’s wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto that man that will not build up his brother’s house.]
[and perform the duty of an husband’s brother unto her.] Why was it necessary that the first child be reared up as the brother’s who died? This was designed for two reasons, the first one being that the eldest would have his part in the inheritance that would have been passed down from his father had he lived. The second and the most important reason was that it kept families distinct in their lineage and inheritances until the Messiah came so that it might be known from what family He would come from. You see, up until this point no one knew that Jesus would descend from the tribe of Judah, this law would keep any other tribe from getting the inheritance that He would have gotten. How does this relate to us today? Well, since Jesus is the husband of His Church and we are His bride, the second we accept Him as our Saviour our souls are born again and that actually makes us joint-heirs with Him, [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.]
God’s choice in His people had nothing to do with them being better, more spiritual, or more righteous than any other nation, it had to do with the covenant or promise that He made with Abraham. God promised Abraham that his seed or heritage would be like counting the sand in the sea, or stars in the sky, and that he would be the father of many nations. As Moses wraps up his long speech, he reminds them of that promise.
[Deuteronomy 26:1-2,4-5 And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and possessest it, and dwellest therein; 2 That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name there. 4 And the priest shall take the basket out of thine hand, and set it down before the altar of the LORD thy God. 5 And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous:]
[A Syrian ready to perish was my father,] Say what? Before Jacob (Israel) and his family spent four hundred years in Egypt and multiplied and grew into very populous nation, they were Syrians as they were born in Canaan, and so was Isaac and Abraham. The reason they had to say this to the priest was to acknowledge that what the had received was a gift from God from the land that was not only given to them, but renamed as the nation of Israel. Incidentally, a nation is a body of people inhabiting the same country, or united under the same sovereign or government, we as Christians are also of the nation of Israel, united by one person, Jesus Christ, [1 Corinthians 12:12-13 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.]
Do you see the significance in all this? This union would pave the way for believers of all nations to come to Christ. God’s choice in His people had nothing to do with them being better, more spiritual, or more righteous than any other nation, it had to do with the covenant or promise that He made with Abraham. God promised Abraham that his seed or heritage would be like counting the sand in the sea, or stars in the sky, and that he would be the father of many nations. As Moses wraps up his long speech, he reminds them of that promise.
[Deuteronomy 26:16-19 This day the LORD thy God hath commanded thee to do these statutes and judgments: thou shalt therefore keep and do them with all thine heart, and with all thy soul. 17 Thou hast avouched the LORD this day to be thy God, and to walk in his ways, and to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and to hearken unto his voice: 18 And the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments; 19 And to make thee high above all nations which he hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honour; and that thou mayest be an holy people unto the LORD thy God, as he hath spoken.]
[And to make thee high above all nations which he hath made,] [Avouch; to assume responsibility for, to testify on one’s behalf.] When Christ died on the cross He avouched for all of His believers, He took on the responsibility for all of our sins and gave His life for everyone, regardless of whether or not they accept Him. Now, when you do call on Jesus Christ to save you, He takes that one step further, He stands before God and avouches for you, and also become His bride, and we will join Him in His Kingdom.
[Revelation 21:9-10,2,273 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. 10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. 27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.]
Today’s Prayer: Jesus, Thank You for vouching for me when I chose You as my Saviour. I do not have to earn my way into Your family, I am graphed in as joint heirs with You through my faith alone. It is truly amazing that no matter what I do, You never leave nor forsake me, and that You avouch for me before our Father. Thank You for making it simple, and for the liberties we receive having entered in a marriage with You. LORD, Open the hearts of the ignorant and lost, show them the truth, help them see that they have nothing to fear by trusting You. Lead us and guide us, let Your Light shine through us and never lose one opportunity to show You through love, compassion, and the preaching of the Gospel. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus, Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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