One Year Bible, April 6

DEUTERONOMY 29:1-30:20                                                                            
Chapters 29-30: The Palestinian Covenant: 

29:1-9 explain what God did for us in our spiritual adolescence (Wilderness years) - God hadn't YET given us a heart to perceive, eyes to see or ears to hear. (Spiritual realities must be understood by the spirit, sometimes after we have been through a few things.) He led us and provided everything without our even asking. We dedicated ourselves with external sacrifices. We received the baptism of the Holy Spirit as an EARNEST of our inheritance (the battles won against Og and Sihon, EAST of the Land).

29:10-15 The purpose for the covenant with God. The covenant is for our benefit - to "establish us a people unto Himself and that He may be to us our God."  It is likened later to a marriage covenant - joining us to God and Him to us.

29:16-20 The curse on those who break their covenant with God.  It is possible to belong to God and to "turn away from the Lord our God" and be lost.  Now that person serves the gods of the nations around him - SELF, wealth, beauty, prestige, etc.  This causes bitterness because it is so empty and unfulfilling.   BUT, on the outside, this hypocrite now claims to have peace, even though it's not possible.   God "will not spare him" but will single him out and mercilessly pour on him all these curses.

RESPONSE:   I think that people who turn away from God, may do so because they had expectations that were not based on Truth. Maybe they came into the relationship initially for what they perceived was in it for them, without ever being told that the relationship is two-sided - and that God has expectations too. Jesus is very clear that being Jesus' disciple requires us to forsake EVERYTHING for Him --- even ourselves! I think others may turn away from God as they are pushed forward out of spiritual adolescence to grow up, and get offended when things change. God provided everything we needed in the Wilderness, but cuts all that off in the Land. Sometimes it's hard to grow up. Churches are filled with Peter Pans. I don't want to be him, but sometimes I want to be taken care of. Sometimes I want people to "beat around the bush" with me.

LUKE 11:37 - 12:7                                                                                            
DEFINITION OF HYPOCRISY: The leaven of the Pharisees:  (11:42)Majoring on the minors, to the neglect of what is important.   (11:43)Preoccupation with position and the praise of men rather than the approval of God.   (11:44)Outwardly acceptable while being inwardly dead and unclean.   (11:46)More concerned with rules than with people.   (11:47-51)Going to great lengths outwardly to prove they are something that they are not.   (11:52)Withholding and concealing Truth so that they are not exposed. The end result: rejection and resentment.

RESPONSE: Nobody likes a hypocrite. No one wants to think he is one either. One thing about hypocrisy is that it will permeate your whole life (leaven). You can't compartmentalize it. If you can't be honest with God, you sure aren't going to be honest with people either. But a hypocrite has to ignore the fact that God knows the truth!  Like Jesus said, "There is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known."  Think how busy you get - living a double life.

Is there a way out?  Repentance - several times a day, as we come out of the closet.  Falling into sin doesn't make us a hypocrite. Hiding our sin does.  The fear of man is a snare.  Don't succumb to it.  Begin instructing your heart - out loud - to trust God ONLY, to believe that God loves you.

PSALM 78:1-31                                                                                                  
The next generation will be either better or worse than this one. How do we keep from falling away ourselves, and keep our children from falling away?  (v.4)Reiterate, out loud, in the children's hearing, the praise and thanksgiving to God for His greatness and His goodness.  (v.5-6)Teach His commandments and laws of the heart.  (v.11-12)Rehearse God's faithfulness to His people in our children's hearing.

PROVERBS 12:19-20                                                                                     
Truth stands forever; because its foundation is indestructible: but lies are always detected and deceivers will be deceived.

RESPONSE:  So many "heroes of the faith" had adult children who turned away from God: Samuel, Gideon, David to name a few. There may not be any "rules" to prevent that from happening, however, if we behave like the Israelites did in the Wilderness, I think we can safely say that it will be difficult for our children to submit to Truth and obey God. They were stubborn, rebellious and ungrateful again and again despite all God had done for them, yet God was amazingly patient and merciful. And He saved their children! And He gave them their inheritance and victory over their enemies!