The BOOK – Looking Out

In the end chapters of Deuteronomy we see Moses’s third address to Israel. Here we see Moses giving the people some solemn warnings. Initially he told them about the blessings if they are obedient and then he told them the results of disobedience. 

Before 3000 years ago, God warned about the results of disobedience. Yes, we can see in history how Israel were scattered from one end of the earth to the other. We see Jewish history is full of persecution and tragedies. God foretold all this through Moses in Deuteronomy. 

Joshua was one who started the journey from Egypt and kept his faith throughout. Now at eighty years he got the leadership from Moses. The one thing Moses gave to Joshua along with the leadership is the fact that – “The Lord is with you; be strong”. If God is present, fear is baseless. We see Moses singing songs to glorify God. We saw he singing song after the deliverance from Egypt and now towards the end of his life. As a Christian, we all should have songs in our lips. 

Then Moses went up to mount Nebo (Pisgah) and there God showed him the Promise Land. He died there and Lord buried him. No one knows where. Someone said God buried his burial. Once again we see Moses in the Bible. One day Jesus took Peter, James and John and climbed up Mount Hermon to the north of the sea of Galilee and then Moses and Elijah appeared and talked with Jesus about his coming death. (Mathew 17:1-3).

It is not important for us to know whether Moses wrote Deuteronomy 34 or whether Joshua added it later, the important fact is about the blessings and curses he gave depending upon our obedience. With respect to Deuteronomy 28, Derek Prince, a man of God has composed a list of seven problems indicating that a curse is at work in our life. 

1.       Mental / Emotional breakdown

2.       Repeated or Chronic sickness (especially if hereditary)

3.       Barrenness, a tendency to miscarry, or related female problems.

4.       Breakdown of marriage and family alienation

5.       Continuing financial insufficiency

6.       Being “Accident-prone”

7.       A history of suicides and unnatural or untimely deaths.

The presence of one or two of these problems would not necessarily be sufficient to establish working of a curse, but when several of the problems are present, the probability of a curse increases. However only Holy Spirit is the one who can provide an absolutely accurate diagnosis.

In our life, we better sit down and analyse that we are in the side of blessings or of curse. If you things you are in the side of curse, don’t be disappointed.

·         Confess your faith in Christ and n his sacrifice on your behalf (Romans 10:9-10)

·         Repent all your rebellion and your sins (Mathew 3:2)

·         Claim forgiveness of all sins (1 John 1:9)

·         Forgive all other people who have ever harmed you or wronged you. (Mark 11:25)

·         Renounce all contact with anything occult or Satanic (2 Corinthians 6:14-15)

·         Pray for thee release from any curse (Mark 11:24)

·         Believe that you have received and go on in God’s blessings (Ephesians 3:20)

I pray that when you read through Deuteronomy, you understand your short comings, the sins, the words which comes from your mouth, the actions, everything you are, and repent before the King of glory and inherit the blessing he has instore for your life to be a testimony. Amen.

The BOOK – Looking Up

From Deuteronomy 5, we find Moses’s second address to the people of Israel as they are about to enter the promise Land. From now on as they are going to the new land, everything would depend on their constant and intelligent obedience to God who was giving them the land. 

Moses explains God’s love towards the people and because of that love God chooses them and he will protect them. But they need to obey God for their good. Now since we, the people who believe in Christ is the chosen one, we cannot avoid these commands from God, even if it is from the Old Testament. God wants his people to walk in the world in the way that befits them, separating themselves from evil. God demands discipline. 

In Deuteronomy, God mentions about the great Prophet, Lord Jesus Christ. God showed them, the highest duty was to exhibit it the spirit of loving obedience. We see Moses heart burdened because he knew that Israel had a hard heart and the people were self-willed.

When you check the history of Israel, we can find after all these what God did for them, they went against the Lord. Whatever things God for-bided, they did. Finally God’s wrath came upon Israel and they were punished. They were severely punished, that can’t be describable, until they called him for help.

It took almost 2000 years of struggle they got their people and land in the year 1948. Even though God punished them, when they called on him, God heard their cry and protected them. Even now they are facing threats, but miraculously God is protecting them. All these history are shown for us to know who we are and what we need to do. If you have gone away from the Lord, call upon him and he will forgive you and even forget your sins against him. But there is a clause- Call upon him and repent. 

It is not all about getting 100% attendance in Church, or having positions in Church, but about personal relationship with God. It is not showing outside how spiritual you are, but showing God how you are when no one is around you. I pray that you walk closely with God in prayer and by studying his word and kick out the dark side from your life and be a role model to the ones who don’t know Christ, so that they can also see the fruits of the Spirit in you and get attracted to the living true God, Amen

The BOOK – Second Law

In this book, Deuteronomy, God is telling us through Moses to be doers of the word, and not hearers only. This is an important book for us to study about the blessings and curses. Just recently I read a book on Blessings and Curses by Derek Prince which was based on this word from God. This book shows the blessings of obedience and the curse of disobedience. 

This book shows blessings which depends on obedience – life, possession of Promise Land, Victory over foes, prosperity and happiness. This book is also a collection of the orations and songs of Moses he gave as a farewell to Israel.  Moses once again reminds the people what God had done to them and what they were to do to server God when they reach the promise land.

This is the last of the five books written by Moses, called “Pentateuch”, meaning five books. Genesis tells the beginning of the chosen nation, Exodus relates the people to a nation and gives law, Leviticus tells the way the people were to worship God, Numbers gives the story of the their wanderings and Deuteronomy relates the final preparation for entering the Promised Land. Of course Moses was the writer, but not the author of Pentateuch. It is the Lord who is the author. 

We can find this book of obedience being a weapon for Christ Jesus when faced with the devil. (Mathew 4:1-11, Luke 4:1-13, Deuteronomy 8:3, 6:16, 6:13 and 10:20). As for a Christian, this book leads him the same way he reads and understands the Epistles, which will help him grow spiritually if he practises it. 

People don’t like to hear or no one wants to be told he or she is a sinner. I have seen people who sins, have a great explanation – through grace we are saved. Yes, we are saved by grace through Christ Jesus. But once you are Christ’s it is your duty to do good and remain faithful. For leading a Spirit-filled life, this book helps a person march ahead to reach the promise Land and serve God.

May God Bless you.

The BOOK – On to Canaan

The Ultimate aim for what God rescued Israel from Egypt was to send them to Canaan. After all the wanderings, from Numbers 20 to 36, the scene is they are near to Canaan. Now we find that all the Israelites who left Egypt had died except Moses, Aaron, Joshua, Caleb, Miriam and the Children who were under 20 years of age when the spies entered the land. Now they camped in Kadesh and Miriam, Moses sister died and Aaron, Moses brother also died. 

When they started from Egypt, the promise God gave was for their best. But because of their murmurings and sin, now God gave them the second best. God is kind and he sets before us another way, a second best, or it may even be a third, for his mercy is wonderful. He forgives us seventy times seven. Even if we are not faithful, he is faithful.

Even after almost reaching the Promised Land the chosen people were complaining. In Numbers 20 and 21 we see people grumbling and God sending venomous snakes among the people, which caused them suffering and death. Once they confessed their sin, Moses prayed for them for deliverance, but God did not take away the snakes. God told Moses to make a bronze snake and fasten it to a pole so that all could see it. As soon as they looked they lived (Numbers 21: 6-9).

The Bible reveals us that whole human family has felt the ancient serpent’s sting of sin, which means death. The only way people can live is by looking to the one who took upon himself the likeness of a human and was lifted up on the cross to take the sting of death upon him. 

The bottom line is the world is full of sin and the penalty of sin is death, Spiritual death along with physical death. But if we look on him, Christ, our saviour, we shall live, even after physical death. 

“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the son pf man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him” – John 3: 14, 15.

The BOOK – Wilderness Wanderings

From the Mount Sinai, Israelites journeyed to Kadesh which is the southern border of the Promised Land Canaan. Since the people did not believe in God, the Promised Land which they could have gone in 2 years took 40 years. Sometimes this happens to the current children of God. We will be told to do a certain things and we will not and will lose years and finally will end up in doing the same thing. 

One problem which occurred to them were that they got discouraging words from the spies who told them that since giants are there it is impossible to overcome these giants. They did not listen to Joshua and Caleb who were confident that God will give victory to them. Instead they were telling to choose a leader and go back to Egypt (Numbers 14:4). I have seen people who are Christians, are forced to listen and do things which are against the will of God because of doubt in faith. When you go and convince them that it is not the way God wants, they may come against you, same way Israel went against Moses and Joshua.

When the people of Israel tried to take things in their own hand instead of seeing how powerful their God was, God decided that anyone who is over 20 years will not enter the land of Canaan, except Joshua and Caleb. Eleven days from the land of Promise! But they turn back. They could have made 11 days of progress, but they chose 40 years of wanderings. Miracle might be there in front of you. But because of your unfaithfulness, it is getting dragged away. God opens doors that no human can close and he closes doors that no human can open. God took Israel from Egypt to bring them to the promise land, might in in some weeks. But because of their fear disqualified them to take over the land promised. There is a saying that if you have never faced any difficulties or challenges in life, you have not done any good thing. When you decide to do well, which is against the worldly life, difficulties will come. You need to come out from your comfort zone and walk along with God who called you without any doubt. Often we fear what others say and this fear keeps us from enjoying all God wants to give us. Like the 10, we can be pessimists, or like the 2, we can be optimists. Like the 10 we can put difficulties between us and God and say we are not able, or like the 2, we can put God between the difficulties and ourselves and say we are able.

We also find people questioning Aaron’s priest hood. Moses gathers 12 staffs, one from the leader of each tribe, and placed them overnight in the tent of meeting. God put life into Aaron’s alone, causing it to sprout and bud. All the religious authors in the world died, even Christ died – but only Christ was raised from the dead and exalted to be our High Priest. “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess”

We find even though Moses disobeyed God by striking the rock, God was faithful and kept his promise. But since Moses smote the rock instead of speaking, he was not permitted to enter the Promised Land. 

Jesus Christ is the rock and was to be smitten once for our sins. 1 Corinthians 10:3, 4 – “They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ”. Christ need not be smitten again. 

I pray that you repent your sins, believe and confess Christ as your saviour and be faithful to him and him alone.