King James Bible Study – [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. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Friday, March 22, 2024
Chapters: Deuteronomy Chapters 32-34
Message: The Heart of A Foolish Nation
Hello My Friend,
This week for work I had to travel outside my territory that is ninety minutes away to help another rep, I tried to make it easier by doing a couple of my own that were on the way, but it is not working. Now, I have stores scattered all over the place that need to be done by next week and my boss added others even further outside my territory. I have been frustrated, anxious, and quite stressed to say the least because my job is on the line here as I was warned if I do not do them all then I will lose more of my stores and get even less hours. Then it just occurred to me as I sat here trying to think of what God would have me write about these chapters for today, the answer to my problem was starring at me in the face. No matter what may come, I will trust my God.
[Psalms 91:1-4,9-11 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. 9 Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; 10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. 11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.]
[For he shall give his angels charge over thee,] I tell you what, in all my life as a Christian, I have never seen God’s protection with His angels over me more than I have these past few years. I may have messed up something fierce, but no evil has befallen me. There are two other things that came to mind as I was reading the chapters for today, God’s people, who are Israel in one way, shape, or form, [Romans 9:6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:]
And how every person born is born with the knowledge of God from birth, [Romans 1:20-21 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.]
The foolish heart, now, that is the difference between a person who makes foolish decisions once in a while and one who turns on God all together. Now, yesterday, we read how God had Moses write a song that the children of Israel were to learn and teach to their children. There was a specific reason for the song, and here is the passage again to show the reason.
[Deuteronomy 31:19-21 Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel. 20 For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant. 21 And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen them, that this song shall testify against them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for I know their imagination which they go about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I sware.]
God, knows then imagination of every single heart that comes into this world, many will appear to follow Him, but the sad truth is that they are not. And there is a very good reason why Jesus said, [Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.] As we come to the end of the reading of Deuteronomy, Moses, has written the song that God had wanted Israel to learn and it goes like this.
[Deuteronomy 32:1-6 Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. 2 My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass: 3 Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. 4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he. 5 They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children: they are a perverse and crooked generation. 6 Do ye thus requite the LORD, O foolish people and unwise? is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee?]
[ascribe ye greatness unto our God.] We ought to be able to describe the greatness of our God, not only in what He did for our own lives, but those among us and before us. Sadly, I cannot account for what God had done in the lives of my family beyond my immediate family because both my father and mother were raised Catholic. I can account for my father who got saved before he died, I can also account for three brothers in heaven, my mother who is saved as well as my two living brothers and my husband too. While we cannot do anything about those who went before us we can do something about those who are here today by witnessing to them.
[2 Corinthians 4:3-5 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.]
Preaching the Gospel to the lost is not being a preacher, it is being a witness and ministering the Gospel to them. So, you say you have witnessed to loved ones and they will not accept Christ as their Saviour. All we can do is continually pray for them, we cannot force them, but we can love them and keep praying for them. If they die not having not received Him it is all on them because you did what you could. When you stop to think about all the people that have come and gone into the world since God created it that number has to be quite staggering, what is more staggering is the fact that very few people actually know God. The song goes on to remind us of that.
[Deuteronomy 32:8-10,15-16 When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. 9 For the LORD’S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. 10 He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. 15 But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation. 16 They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger.]
[But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked…then he forsook God which made him,] This is another name for the children of Israel, meaning those born of the lineage of Jacob and not the people of Israel. The children of Israel rejected God first, not only in their forsaking over and over again, but in their rejection of His Son, they were even responsible for killing Him, [Acts 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.]
It was actually imperative that the Jews turn on Jesus before the Gentiles would come in and fully accept Him as their Saviour. Jesus, when He converted Paul, who was a Jew, said it this way, [Acts 9:15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:]. The truth is this, Jesus, has always been around, He walked with Israel the entire time that they were walking around in the wilderness, they just did not realize that it was Him. Moses, knew Him though, whom He called the Rock and as the song continues, it is a reminder of how they had forgotten the Rock.
[Deuteronomy 32:18-21 Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee. 19 And when the LORD saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters. 20 And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith. 21 They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.]
[I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.] These would be the Gentile nations, who were none of His people at the time, who would deserve the name of being a foolish nation because they were without the knowledge and fear of God. So, what makes them a foolish nation? It is all summed up right here in the song.
[Deuteronomy 32:28-32 For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them. 29 O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end! 30 How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up? 31 For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges. 32 For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter:]
[For their rock is not as our Rock,] The rock that leads the world is the lust of the flesh, the foolish nation feeds off of every lust known and unknown to man. Jesus said it this way, [Matthew 7:24-27 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.]
The things we are seeing today may seem like nothing that we have seen before, but God has seen it all and what we are seeing is only the surface of what He has seen over millenniums. After Moses spoke the words of the song, he left them with one more word of advice, set their hearts on God, [Deuteronomy 32:44-47 And Moses came and spake all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he, and Hoshea the son of Nun. 45 And Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel: 46 And he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law. 47 For it is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life: and through this thing ye shall prolong your days in the land, whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.]
[Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day,] God did not choose the children of Israel as His people because of their righteousness, He chose them because of the promise that He had made to one righteous man, Abraham. Yes, some are obedient, just like all true Christians, they sin, repent, and quite a few times on their earthly journey. Honestly, most Christians are only saved by the thread of their salvation and face a mountain of affliction because the are not repentant. It all comes down to the heart, [Mark 7:21-23 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.]
It was time for Moses’s journey on earth to come to an end, he led the people to the promised land as God called him to do, he gave them God’s law and told them of what was to come as they took possession of the land. Now, his time on earth was done, God, tells him that it was time for him to get up to the mountain where he will die, reminding him of why he could not step foot on the promise land.
[Deuteronomy 32:49-52 Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession: 50 And die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people: 51 Because ye trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah-Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because ye sanctified me not in the midst of the children of Israel. 52 Yet thou shalt see the land before thee; but thou shalt not go thither unto the land which I give the children of Israel.]
[Because ye trespassed against me among the children of Israel] How would you like this to be the last thing that God says to you in the flesh that is? There was only one good thing to come of this, Moses, knew that while he would be able to step foot on the land of promise, he knew he would be in paradise. In fact, Psalm 91 was written by him, and he knew he was saved, [Psalms 91:14-16 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. 15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. 16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.]
True believers will never turn away from their faith in Christ, even if they have gotten themselves caught up in sin, they still find their way back to Him, even if it is the last thing they do before they get to heaven. We must understand that as stubborn and willful as we are sometimes, we still belong to God, and He will never stop defending us. Before Moses takes his last journey on earth, he gave one last speech, in fact, it was his blessing.
[Deuteronomy 33:1-5 And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. 2 And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them. 3 Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words. 4 Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob. 5 And he was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together.]
[Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand:] Remember, God’s saints are not a bunch of dead people who were only named saints by the religious world after being dead for decades, they are His saved, born again people, who have His Spirit upon their soul, [Ephesians 2:18-19 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;]
It is only when we love God with all our heart, that we will see Christ for who He truly is, and not just someone to save us from hell. He is someone who also saved us from the life we lived, and the endless suffering that sin brings, He is our refuge from all these things. Moses, finishes up his speech with the reminder that God is their refuge as long as they trust Him.
[Deuteronomy 33:26-29 There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky. 27 The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them. 28 Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew. 29 Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.]
[O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD,] It is only when we love God with all our heart, that we will see Christ for who He truly is, our Deliverer, our Rock that is not only our defense, He is our foundation. We may lose out on some earthly things because, after all, we sinners, but we will never lose our salvation, [Romans 6:8-10 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.]
The land flowing with milk and honey, could been seen for miles, but Moses could not enter, and although he never got to step foot on the promised land, there was no other prophet that knew God as Moses did, and He let everyone know about it. God led Moses to the top of Pisgah, He allowed him to get a view of the promised land as well as Gilead, but his time on earth was up, yet God still had great respect for him.
[Deuteronomy 34:1-6 And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the LORD shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan, 2 And all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea, 3 And the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar. 4 And the LORD said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither. 5 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. 6 And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.]
[So Moses the servant of the LORD died there] This always makes me a little sad every time I read it, to get so far and not be able to enjoy the one thing that you waited so long to get. Moses, is a reminder that even though we fail God many times, and often forfeit some things that we waited so long for, the most important thing to remember is that when Jesus called on us to get His attention, we answered and got upon His Rock, [1 Corinthians 3:11-15 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. 14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.]
Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.]
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for the gift of eternal life through Your Son, we do not have to work for our salvation, we just need to believe in and accept that He alone paid the price for our sins in order to receive it. While my salvation can never be earned or repaid, my faith in You will lead me to live my life in a way that is pleasing to You. Lord, You are my Rock, my refuge, and my salvation, and it is You I trust to see me through this life until You bring me home. While I know I make some foolish decisions sometimes, You still have Your angels keeping me from evil. Lead me and guide me, give me Your mercy, grace, and love to get through every battle I face. And let me continue to live my life in a way that brings honor and glory to You so that I can be a faithful witness of Your saving grace. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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