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: Thursday, March 13, 2025
Chapters: Deuteronomy 5-7
Message: Deuteronomy: The Greatest Commandment
Hello My Friend,
As we continue in the reading of Deuteronomy we learn that God’s people are a holy people, separated and set above all the people of the earth. God has not chosen His people based on how righteous they are but rather how faithful they are in following His commandments, which Jesus sums up into two, [Mark 12:29-31 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.]
Yesterday we learned of Moses warning Israel about worshiping idols when they cross over into the promise land. Today Moses reminds Israel that it was God who made a covenant with them, and it is one that their fathers before them had not known.
[Deuteronomy 5:1-6 And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them. 2 The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. 3 The LORD made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day. 4 The LORD talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire, 5 (I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to shew you the word of the LORD: for ye were afraid by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount;) saying, 6 I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.]
Think about it, God does not make a covenant, which is a binding document, with your father or mother, your spouse or loved ones, He makes a one on one covenant with you. Today, all who receive Christ as their Saviour are held by the same covenant, the blood of Christ has set them free from the house of bondage, [Galatians 5:1,5,13-14 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.]
There is that phrase again, most people are pretty biased about themselves, they love to be pampered and enjoy the finer things in life, and by that I mean the things they desire. Those desires can turn to lust and envy quickly when they get out into the world and discover its temptations. Moses, reminds Israel of the ten commandments that God had instituted, the first five are dedicated solely to our relationship with Him.
[Deuteronomy 5:7-12 Thou shalt have none other gods before me. 8 Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth: 9 Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, 10 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments. 11 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 12 Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee.]
Just by following these five those fleshly desires become less about what we want and more about what God wants. We ought to be rejoicing in the fact that God cares enough to show us His Word so that we can know the truth and be set free. God’s mercy while it is more than we realize is endless for those who love Him, but it is limited by those who do not. Jesus said it this way, [Matthew 10:32-34 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. 34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.]
Freedom does not come free, there is always a sacrifice of some kind that was made to set one free. Thanks to Jesus, He set us free once and for all though His sacrifice on the cross. Now, while we are not subject to the Law of Moses any longer that does not mean that we ought to live our lives as we please without any direction from what is within the Law. Jesus, died for us, the least we can do is thank Him by living our lives through Him. Moses reminds Israel of the importance of remembering how God had set them free, then goes on to give the other five commandments that are directed at how we are to love one another.
[Deuteronomy 5:15-21 And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day. 16 Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. 17 Thou shalt not kill. 18 Neither shalt thou commit adultery. 19 Neither shalt thou steal. 20 Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour. 21 Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour’s wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour’s house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour’s.]
Jesus, will set anyone free from the bondage of their sin, but they need to come to Him first. Those who are saved are to never forget what Jesus did for them. We are to never forget our salvation, we are to never forget the day that we were so lost when Jesus found us. We are to never forget the state we were in before Jesus found us. As long as we are thankful we will be faithful to Him, Moses goes on to remind Israel of the promise they made to God when they were given the first ten commandments.
[Deuteronomy 5:23-24,27 And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, (for the mountain did burn with fire,) that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders; 24 And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth. 27 Go thou near, and hear all that the LORD our God shall say: and speak thou unto us all that the LORD our God shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it.]
God gives us a choice, we are not forced to come to Him nor are we forced to follow His commandments, nevertheless those who do choose Him are expected to listen to Him as He listened to them and follow through with their covenant to follow Him. It is God who reminds us of the covenant we made with Him.
[Deuteronomy 5:28-29,32-33 And the LORD heard the voice of your words, when ye spake unto me; and the LORD said unto me, I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken unto thee: they have well said all that they have spoken. 29 O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever! 32 Ye shall observe to do therefore as the LORD your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. 33 Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.]
Why is all of this important anyway? I have been on the other side of the fence, when you live in the lusts of the world, it will destroy you. It truly is corrupt, a dog eat dog world, and they do not care what they have to do to feed the lusts of their flesh, they will do it, even sell their soul to the devil himself. I do not even want to know where I would be had I not surrendered my life to Christ twenty years ago. Believe it or not, the best freedom in the world is being a servant of God, and His commands really are not grievous, [1 Corinthians 7:21-24 Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather. 22 For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant. 23 Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men. 24 Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.]
There is no greater freedom than being a servant of God. We need to understand that God has seen everything under the sun and knows what sick and twisted things man is capable of and if you think that mutilating ones body in an attempt to change their gender is bad God has seen worse. This is what Moses was warning Israel about and why it was so important to love God with all their heart.
[Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.]
The LORD God Himself is one God, one LORD, in the person of Jesus Christ, and the LORD of all who accept Him as their Saviour, [1 John 5:6-8 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. 7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. 8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.] There is no better promise or gift than to be one of God’s people, [Romans 9:26 And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.]
Just think about it, the closer we get to God the more we understand His love for us and if we are honest with ourselves we are not always so loving. When we love God we actually become more loving to others and that does not come naturally to any of us really. While we are all born with characteristics that naturally come to us the love of God does not come naturally to us. In fact we are told this from God’s Word on more than one occasion, [Romans 3:10-12 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.]
Now loving God does come natural to us when we discover His love for us in that He sent His Son to save our soul and upon that discovery seek Him through Christ. You see, the word obedience is misguided, as soon as you hear that word all you think about is being forced to do something that you do not want to do. That really is not the case, the word obedience actually means to comply, so if we want the best life then all God asks us to comply with His Word. Does He expect us to know everything all at once? No. What He does expect is our faithfulness and willingness to learn. Moses, goes on to tell them why this was necessary.
[Deuteronomy 6:2,13-15 That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged. 13 Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. 14 Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you; 15 (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth. 16 Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.]
Although it is recorded that Israel tempted God at least ten times, [Numbers 14:22 Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;] Moses is referring to what happened in Meribah after they crossed the Red Sea, [Exodus 17:7 And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?]
The quickest way to get on God’s bad side is to question whether or not He is among us. Every time we close our eyes we ought to have God on our minds at some point, whether it is praying, reflecting, or thinking about something that He said from His Word. I do not know where all the Scriptures are and I cannot memorize every single verse, but I can tell you that I believe every word and that what God says is true. God does not change His stance on what are moral evils, meaning, what we are capable of doing in our flesh. Our salvation was bought with a price, therefore, we need to respect Him and never forget what He did. Moses, reminds Israel that they were to never forget what they went through and to make sure to tell their children that.
[Deuteronomy 6:17-19,24-25 Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee. 18 And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the LORD: that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, 19 To cast out all thine enemies from before thee, as the LORD hath spoken. 24 And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day. 25 And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us.]
I just read an article about a woman of whom their twelve year old child, of which she refuses to address as a male or female, was allowed to change their name and call themselves as non-binary. That is just sad and that child will have mental problems for the rest of their life because of the corrupt teaching of that woman. I bring this up to show just how bad the flesh gets when it does not have God. Again, the things we are seeing today are nothing compared to what God has seen already, which is why He wants us to be different and put away anything that will corrupt our flesh. Moses goes on to remind them that they were to utterly destroy everyone and everything they come in contact with once they cross over.
[Deuteronomy 7:1-4 When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou; 2 And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them: 3 Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. 4 For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.]
I know it may seem harsh to that God would destroy an entire nation of people but these were people who not only worshiped idols and false gods they also sacrificed their own children to these gods. And we may not be under the same covenant as the Jews were with God any longer, but that does not mean that God’s commandments do not stand, the same things that He called an abomination when He gave the Law, are still an abomination, [Luke 16:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.]
We do not have to earn our salvation, it is given to us freely, by grace through our faith in Christ alone. Our faithfulness to God is what blesses us beyond our salvation. We are not some ordinary people, we are not Jews or Gentiles, we are a holy people, set apart just for Him, and when we are faithful to Him He is faithful to us. Moses reminds Israel that they are a holy people who God has chosen for Himself.
[Deuteronomy 7:6-8 For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. 7 The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: 8 But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.]
It is very hard to convert someone who worships a false religion over to Christ, but sadly it is easy to convert a Christian over to a false religion. The reason being is that most Christians are halfhearted in their faith and often guided by sight, the temptation to follow false religions comes when they are given things they need to them. Jesus, knows the difference, [Matthew 15:8-9 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.]
We are not perfect by a long shot, and we do not have to be because we are only righteous through our faith in Christ, but we do need to be more proactive in our walk with Him, and make more of an effort to follow His commands. Why? Because we belong to Him. Moses reminds Israel of why they are God’s chosen.
[Deuteronomy 7:9-12 Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; 10 And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face. 11 Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them. 12 Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers:]
We who are saved and born again are the most blessed and most powerful people on the earth because we belong to Jesus and that makes us special to Him. I have had my ups and downs just like every saved, born again Christian, I feared God and followed Him with great zeal at times, then there were times when I hung on by a thread, but there is one thing that has always been consistent since dedicating my life to Him, is my love for Him. Those who love God are not without sin, but they are repentant and faithful, even when He chastens them. We truly are blessed to have God in our lives and this is what Moses basically tells Israel.
[Deuteronomy 7:16-19 And thou shalt consume all the people which the LORD thy God shall deliver thee; thine eye shall have no pity upon them: neither shalt thou serve their gods; for that will be a snare unto thee. 17 If thou shalt say in thine heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them? 18 Thou shalt not be afraid of them: but shalt well remember what the LORD thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt; 19 The great temptations which thine eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the stretched out arm, whereby the LORD thy God brought thee out: so shall the LORD thy God do unto all the people of whom thou art afraid.]
Out of all the people on the earth that have come and gone since God created man those who choose Him have always been the fewest in number. Nevertheless, He is there for them every step of the way. That does not mean that we are not going to face any challenges, Moses goes on to encourage them and remind them that God will be with them and help drive them out little by little.
[Deuteronomy 7:21-23,25-26 Thou shalt not be affrighted at them: for the LORD thy God is among you, a mighty God and terrible. 22 And the LORD thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee. 23 But the LORD thy God shall deliver them unto thee, and shall destroy them with a mighty destruction, until they be destroyed. 25 The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God. 26 Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.]
While God is faithful, He does not give us everything or remove all our enemies at once, He does it little by little. Why? Two reasons; One; it keeps us faithful to Him and Two; it gives us some time to rest so that we do not become weary, [Galatians 6:1-3,9 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. 2 Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. 3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. 9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.]
Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [Deuteronomy 5:5-6 (I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to shew you the word of the LORD: for ye were afraid by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount;) saying, 6 I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:]
Today’s Prayer: God, How amazing it is that You form a covenant with us the second we believe in and accept Your Son as our Saviour. It is Your desire that we stay faithful to You, not only in constant repentance, but obedience to Your commands as well. Lord, Lead me and guide me, remove from me any desire to go against Your commands, they are not grievous, but for my own welfare. You make it simple, love You with all my heart and love others as I love myself. It is only by studying Your Word, and applying its truths to my life that I might remain an example of Christ living in me. I ask this in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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