Deuteronomy 34

some people have had a problem with this chapter, because it's about the death of Moses, and since Moses obviously couldn't have written about his own death, this book and therefore the whole bible is untrustworthy.

This ignores three points. First, as far as I know, these five never claim to be solely by Moses. Second, there's no reason God couldn't have revealed the future, including the death of Moses, just as easily as he did the past. Third, there is good evidence that someone edited these books later, and there's no reason to think this editor wasn't inspired too.

You can always find a reason to disbelieve if that's what you're after.

Review: T4T Steve Smith

This is a companion volume to Church Planting Movements, detailing the training used by a  Chinese leader to plant native- run reproducing house churches. In fact, T4T stands for Training for Trainers, reflecting the belief that the trainees today will be trainers tomorrow.

The first half gives the story of the movement and the great things God continues to do in China, the movement, and T4T. The second half is entirely practical; it has the whole T4T course as well as suggestions for adapting it to North American churches.

I have long been an advocate of the way the persecuted church does things. I highly recommend this book, for  telling the reader not only what was done, but why.

A note on Joshua, and the law

Joshua will begin on Monday.

If you've been reading along, you just finished the first five books the Bible. You have five of the longest and most difficult books under your belt now. You can handle the rest.

The first five books are called the Pentateuch, the Law of Moses, and many other names. They are the backbone of the Old Testament; that OT is a commentary on its opening books. Remember that as well keep on.

Deuteronomy 33

I was wrong. The song was Moses' next-to-last words.

His real last words were a blessing, which is just like Moses, and just like God.

Honor your parents

this does not mean to obey them slavishly. If your mother or father tells you to do something contrary to God's word, you have not only a right but an obligation to disobey them. This commandment is meant to cause obedience, not despotism.

The way I understand it, honoring my parents means making them glad I'm their son. "Danny and Cathy's boy" should make them proud, not ashamed. That's what I want from my own daughters; not mindless obedience, but for people to know that they were raised to do what's right.

That would honor my wife and I.

Deuteronomy 32

The last words of Moses were a song about God.

In the promised Land, the most important thing to know about was him..

Deuteronomy 31

Let's be perfectly clear about something. The Israelites didn't take the Promised Land because none else wanted it. It was and remains some of the most strategic real estate on the globe. They didn't win it because the nations already there were weak. They weren't great empires, but they were very strong in their own right. The Israelites didn't conquer it because they were so overwhelmingly powerful; they were a bunch of riff-raff, the children of the same riff-raff that God had received from Egypt.

They got the land because God was with them.

"That's just what Christians do"

I heard that from a sister the other day. She wasn't a friend; I think I'd met her once before. We had attended the church she belonged to once, but we didn't know each other. She came to drop off food and money, and to introduce her friend and to let us know that her Sunday School class had decided to take care of us. When told she didn't have to do all that, she said, "That's what Christians do."

We love one another.

Let me reiterate that we don't worship with this congregation. We didn't know these people. We never specifically asked for their help. But that's just the latest we've heard from them. Our own congregation has been a tremendous help. We have been blessed by people around the world.

I'm not saying non-Christians can't be loving, or that all professing Christians are. Both are obviously untrue. I am asking one thing:

If you have the love of God in you and it's not overflowing onto others, please be sure you have the love of God in you.

Deuteronomy 26

why does this farmer bringing his tithe say to the priest, "The LORD your God"?

I don't know. Someone should look into that..

Review: EVANGELISM AND THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD by JI Packer

If John Piper is the heart of modern Calvinism, JI Packer is the brain. I don't agree with them about Calvinism, but they're always worth reading. This book is no exception.

It's a common misconception that Calvinism kills missions and evangelism. Even a cursory study of missions shows that that isn't true. Packer uses this small book to show that, because of God's sovereign will, only the Calvinist can be sure of winning converts through evangelism.

This book is very well-written and, if one accepts his basic premises, eminently logical. It pains me to say it, but because of the theological bias I can't recommend it.

Deuteronomy 29

God remakes the covenant.

The one made at Sinai wasn't with the people who would enter the Promised Land, but with their parents..

Deuteronomy 28

God made a lot of promises, both good and bad.

Look at the history of Israel and tell me he doesn't keep his word.

Deuteronomy 27

Most of this chapter consists of curses for disobedience.

It's not that God ever wants to curse his people. It's just how we are.

Keep the Sabbath holy

I hate to burst your bubble, but Sunday is not the Sabbath.it's the day Christians meet to worship together, but that's very different from the Sabbath.

This commandment is based on the fact that God rested on the seventh day of creation. In essence, it makes us give God one day in seven.

It's not that God demands we spend the day serving him in some arduous way. It's permission to rest within the very fabric of creation itself.

We here in the West are spoiled to our weekends. We forgot that they are a recent invention. They were certainly unknown in the ancient world. The idea of doing nothing but resting for one day in every seven seemed ludicrous then. It seems that way to some people now.

It's still the fourth commandment.

And who am I fooling? I like to burst bubbles.

Deuteronomy 30

when you've had enough and turn back to God, he'll forgive you and bless you more then you can possibly believe.

Now that's a promise right there..

an American religion

It's football. I don't like it. There. I said it.

I grew up in Alabama, possibly the worst football-crazed state in the union. I got out of the habit of watching games when I was in the Navy, and never got back into it. My life didn't make much difference. The fact that it didn't make much difference proves it was just a habit.

But that's not why I call it a religion.

You may ignore this as a rant from a bitter old band nerd, and you'd be partly right. I was in the band. I played saxophone, so I wasn't even cool among band nerds.

But that's still not why I call it a religion.

I've been in Sunday School classes where all anyone wanted to talk about was the previous day's game. Let me say that again. People cared more about how well a bunch of college kids moved a piece of leather up and down a field than anything God had to say. When that sort of thing happens, you're not worshipping Christ anymore. You're worshipping at football team.

Two events pushed me over the edge. The first was at a car plant where I worked. People were hooking up car batteries on the assembly line so that they could turn on the radios to listen to  constant coverage of the hiring of a coach. If asked, they'd all say that Jesus had complete control of their lives, yet they were at anything that had to do with football.

The second happened that next fall. I had to go to this local Quik-E-Mart between SS and the main services, and in the short time I was there no less than three strangers approached me, wanting to know what team I was for. One guy even had reasons I should root for the same team as him. It made me realize that in 30-some-odd years no  one has come up to talk about Jesus, but in a few minutes three strangers had walked up and evangelized for football teams.

Am I saying never watch a game or talk about it? Of course not. I do think John Piper had it right when he said, "You should care about sports, but not that much."

I was raised to be a fan of Alabama football, but Alabama football didn't die on a cross.

Deuteronomy 25

God hates cheating.

How can you love someone you're busy ripping off?

Review: THE MESSAGE REMIX NEW TESTAMENT by Eugene Peterson

I'm only reviewing this product. I don't dare review the content.

I have to confess that I haven't read every book I've reviewed. Some have been audiobooks. A gold star to whoever figures out which ones.

The Message has gotten a lot of flak over the years for the very loose quality of its translations. It reads very well, though, and sounds even better spoken. The author himself has said that it was not a Bible and shouldn't be used as one, but it's been heavily marketed that way by NavPress, who I hold fully responsible.

All that to say this: I liked it. I don't see using it as a Bible, or giving it out on one, but it was refreshing to hear things put very differently from what I've used to. The Bibles I've been accustomed to have all been in the King James tradition (KJV, NKJV, and ESV), so it was very interesting hearing the New Testament in unfamiliar language.

In fact, that one thing I didn't like was that it had so many readers. None of them were terrible, but they weren't great either. I understand why it made sense from a marketing standpoint, but as a listener it didn't help.

Overall, I recommend it. If you're young and haven't read the New Testament, that is a good introduction. If you've read it a thousand times, it never hurts to hear it with fresh ears.

Besides, it's never a bad idea to hear God's word.

Deuteronomy 24

The Hebrews were not to take advantage of anyone less fortunate than themselves.

After all. It wasn't that long before that they were slaves.

Deuteronomy 23

The Israelites weren't to charge each other interest.

Lending money at interest is the basis of our economy. This is the wealthiest nation that has ever existed precisely because of something that God expressly forbade.

Don't take God's name in vain

I have always been leery of one particular cuss word. (You may call it cursing or swearing, but where I'm from we say cussing)  As long as I avoided that one word, I could pretend I was obeying this commandment.

It goes far beyond cussing, though. Taking God's name in vain is also called blasphemy, and that's just putting God's name on something that isn't God. Since I wasn't remotely like Christ, calling myself Christian was blasphemy, plain and simple. It was taking God's name in vain.

Taking something you like and calling it God is how most of us break this rule. What does it say that we don't even agree on what we don't believe in?

Deuteronomy 22

This first part of the chapter is given to various levels, while the latter part is devoted to laws about rape, adultery, and other sexual topics.

It's a shorter version of what he'd already told their parents.

Deuteronomy 21

This chapter covers a lot of ground, from unsolved murders to rebellious children and beyond.

Remember that Moses was teaching them to live in the land, and these were things they needed to know.

Why nothing can be Christian

Nothing can be because that word is a noun and not an adjective.

It means two things: a person who is the Christ, and a person who is surrendered to him. Neither applies to stuff.

Jesus didn't die to justify music. There is music that is more and less glorifying to God, but no Christian music.

Jesus didn't die to justify books. There are books more and less glorifying to God, but no Christian books.

Jesus didn't die for justify stores. There are stores more and less glorifying to God, but no Christian stores. 

Does this mean we should shop wherever we want and fill our minds with whatever garbage we find? Absolutely not; in fact, it should make us more careful. Adding a thin veneer of Christianity doesn't make something bad good. Let's stop looking for an imaginary "Approved by God" sticker and start being discerning.

Deuteronomy 20

The Israelites were to fight when God said, where God said.

Some people think this chapter is handbooks for Christian war. They're wrong.

Review: MEDITATIONS by Marcus Aurelius

The Roman Emperor wrote this about 170 AD. It's considered not only a classic of Latin literature, but the pinnacle of Stoic philosophy as well.

The problem with reading it comes from its age. The way I read it was in a very old translation of an ancient book. People don't write this way anymore, for the very good reason that people don't really talk like that anymore. I don't speak for everybody, but the style seemed choppy and repetitive to me.

A far worse problems in Stoicism itself. It is a profoundly man-centered phii lodge, and one that fits with the self-made image that Americans have of themselves. Unfortunately, it' required a totally godless outside,

Stoicism as I understand it teaches that mankind can only get better by his own efforts. It can basically be summed up in the phrase "Man up." It's ultimately the worship of oneself.

I don't recommend this book. It teaches wrong ideas in a boring way.

Deuteronomy 19

You want proof that people were bad? Just read this chapter.

Remember that there's no point in prohibiting something people aren't likely to do..

Deuteronomy 18

In the middle of several repetitions of the law already given, there's a messianic prophecy.

'Cause that's just how God rolls.

In.

Don't make any idols

The second Commandment is different than the first, just because we're not inclined to make idols with our hands. We love to make them with our minds, though.

Have you ever thought, "My God isn't like that," or picked what you liked about God and ignored the rest? I have, and in so doing I've created false gods to worship.

God is what he is. You can take him or leave him, but you can't change him. That option isn't available.

Deuteronomy 17

Solomon was not a good king.

By God's standards, which are the only ones that matter anyway.

Deuteronomy 16

The people were not to appear before God empty-handed.

They were to appear, every man of them, at least three times a year, with evidence of the blessings they'd received.

As that great theologian Loretta Lynn said...

 "Everybody wants to go to Heaven, but no body wants to die." I'm not claiming to understand what she was thinking when she wrote that, but it sounds like a good description of most professioing Christians to me.

Anyone who believes in Heaven and Hell would rather go to one and miss the other. That's only natural. Nobody who's heard about Hell wants to spend any time there. The trouble is that most people don't think they're going, and the few who do don't really understand it. Regardless, nobody wants to die to find out.

Even professing Christians, who should know better, are afraid of any kind of dying. Unfortunately, that's exactly what Christ calls people to.

Specifically, he told his followers to die to self. He wants us to subvert our wills to his. He wants us to be lost in him. We all want the benefits of having Jesus without the inconvenience of bending to someone else's will. In short, we want to go to Heaven but we don't want to die.

Deuteronomy 15

why would God insist on perfect animals for sacrifice? I can imagine a couple of reasons.

First, he's God, and peserv are best. Second, it would have  a temptation to use thie tabernacle as a place to dump inferior livestock.

Review: THE JEFFERSON BIBLE by Thomas Jefferson

Yes, that Thomas Jefferson.

After his presidency, Jefferson took a razor blade to the New Testament, cutting out all of the supernatural elements. About 75 years after his death Congress published the result under Jefferson's title, The Life and Morals of Jesus Christ. It has simply become known as the Jefferson Bible.

There have been many attempts to "de-mythologize" the life of Jesus, to use Emil Brunner's word. Jefferson's was one of the boldest; he just cut out what he didn't like.

Unfortunately for Thomas Jefferson, it doesn't work that way. You can't just keep what you like of the Bible and threw the rest away. The Bible is a single book. Someone once said that there's a reason our Bibles are leatherbound and not loose-leaf. Jefferson tried to make a Jesus skeptics could believe in, but he ended up just writing a Jesus in whom no one could believe.

Deuteronomy 14

Why did God make so many rules? Because the Israelites were meant to be different,

Why was this weekend to be different? Because they were God's.

.

Deuteronomy 13

God was serious about the  Hebrews not turning to other gods.

Very serious.

Deuteronomy 12

no syncretism.

Syncretism is the blending of religious beliefs. It couldn't be done then, and it can't be done now..

Don't know any other gods

The first commandment is pretty simple. Of course, that doesn't mean we haven't found it way to screw it up.

The analogy that always occurs to me concerns my wife. i can't have a bunch of girlfriends as long as I make my wife first in my affections. In the same way, I can't worship a lot of gods as long as Yahweh to most important.

The thing to remember about this commandment is that God is all you get. It's a good thing he's all you need.

Deuteronomy 11

Remember God. Remember what he did.

And tell your children..

Who are you planning on shooting?

Over the years, nothing has drawn more fire my way from professing Christians than my pacifism. At the same time, I've noticed that those most concerned with their rights, especially gun rights, claim to follow Christ.

Most people say they have them for protection. Do you need guns to protect your property? Jesus said to give up your property .

Are they to protect you and your family? God promised to do that.

Please don't think I'm picking on guns or their owners. I'm against people being killed with swords, tire irons, and harpoons. As long as someone is alive, he can be saved. Once he's dead, that's it.

I'm not saying that owning a gun means you aren't a Christian. What I am saying is to examine yourself in the light of Scriptures.