March 18th

Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19

We continued the Lord’s list of rules and regulations for living in the land of Canaan. For several days now, Moses has been touching on different topics, but today was like no other. He mentioned at least three dozen issues, including some humdingers like transgender cross dressing, sex changes, adultery, divorce, rape, usury (charging interest for loaned money), and kidnapping. You name it, we covered it!

In the midst of this mixture of laws, Moses did manage to throw in a prophecy or two. First, he foreshadowed Jesus’ death on the cross by telling Israel that “if someone has committed a crime worthy of death and is executed and, then, hanged on a tree, the body must never remain on the tree overnight. You must bury the body that same day, for anyone hanging on a tree is cursed by God” (21:22, 23). Paul alluded to this prophecy in Galatians 3:13, explaining that Jesus “became the curse of the Law for us” and died on a tree in our place.

Second, Moses instructed the Israelites to eliminate the Amalekites for their unnecessary attack during their exodus from Egypt. This command was fulfilled through King Saul and the Amalekites were destroyed (1 Samuel 15:1-3).

As I read the multitude of laws today, I must admit that I lost focus; they all ran together and became one big blur. So many rules and so specific! Perhaps like you, I began asking myself, “Why am I reading these? What’s the purpose for all of this stuff? That’s when I hunted down the reason why it was all recorded in the first place. Then, it all made sense.

“Be careful to obey every command I am giving you today, so that you may have strength to go in and occupy the land..., so that you will enjoy a long life in the land..., so that the Lord will send the rains in their proper seasons..., so that your children may flourish in the land..., and so that the Lord will drive out all the nations in your land...” (11:8, 9, 14, 21, 23).

What I found was that all of these commandments, however strange to us, were given so that God could bless His people for their obedience. In other words, God’s laws were given for their good.

We must never get caught up in all that we are asked to do (or not do), but rather we must remember that God’s Word is for our good. He commands so that we might follow, so that He might bless.

Daily Reflection

Jesus said, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is He who loves Me; and He who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him and I will disclose Myself to Him” (John 14:21 NASB). What is the “so that” mentioned here? Why is it important to obey the Lord?

Remember, the Christian life is not about following a set of rules. We obey the Lord because we love the Lord, not to earn His favor. However, there are expectations that He has for His followers. Do you know what they are? Have you been quick to do them? Your love for Christ is reflected in your obedience to Him. Can you truly say that you love Him and live a life that honors His commands?

BiAY.org | Day 77 — 288 Days to Go