Verse for the Day, 22 May 2017.

Deuteronomy 7:6-11, “For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.  (7)  It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples,  (8)  but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.  (9)  Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,  (10)  and repays to their face those who hate him, by destroying them. He will not be slack with one who hates him. He will repay him to his face.  (11)  You shall therefore be careful to do the commandment and the statutes and the rules that I command you today.”

For those who are true believers in Jesus Christ, this has to be one of the most precious passages in the Old Testament. It reminds us of the love, grace and mercy we have received from God, through Christ. It declares to us how our salvation is the sovereign working of God, and what God has caused us to become. Just as this passage encourages us, it would have encouraged the generation of Israelites to whom it was first spoken.

They are being told what their identity is, who they are as people, individuals and as a nation. They are taught how it is that they came to be such people, and they are challenged to live in accordance to who and what they are. Moses declares to them that they are God’s people, God’s holy nation, God’s possession, they are the ones who God has chosen to set His love upon. God has given evidence of His love for them and His favour upon them by rescuing them from their slavery in Egypt and bringing them to the Promised Land. But why have they received so much favour and blessing from God, who are they, that they should be regarded as God’s chosen people and nation?

Humanly speaking, we tend to love what is lovable, lovely, or worthy of being loved. We want to take hold of that which is pleasing, good and will be of benefit to us. When faced with a choice between the rich or the poor, the strong or the weak, we will almost always choose the rich and the strong. Did God choose Israel because they were lovely, worthy, pleasing, good, rich, strong and of benefit to God? No! We are clearly told that they were none of that. In fact, we could say they were the very opposite!

The nation of Israel did not have grand beginnings, nor had its existence up to this point in time been noteworthy. The nation began with one man, Abraham, who was an idol-worshipper, a man who struggled to tell the truth, and even when God had revealed Himself to Abraham, Abraham still struggled to trust God and tried to do things in his own strength. And this one man, only had one son, who in turn had two sons, two sons that were at odds with each other. Jacob may have had 12 sons, by they were by no means a stellar group of men. Fast forward several generations and this nation has grown significantly in number, but not in moral excellence or godliness. The nation of Israel is made up of rebellious, stubborn, proud, greedy, selfish people, who question God’s every move.

It is hard for us to understand why God would want anything to do with Israel. But here is where the sheer wonder and mystery of God’s sovereign plans, purposes and love come into view. God chose to set His love and favour upon them, and the basis of His choice was not because of who they were, but because of who He is. God chose them not because they were worthy of being chosen, but simply because He chose to!

God, of His own sovereign will, chose them, and God can do so without having to explain to us why, for He is God! God chose to set His love upon a group of stubborn, selfish, rebellious and sinful people. He chose to redeem them out of slavery, declare them to be His people give them His Word, to bless and prosper them. At no point was it on the basis of who or what they were. God chose to do this as a means of demonstrating His love and mercy, as well as His power, with the result that all men might see that the LORD is God and give Him glory.

The very same is true of us who believe in Jesus Christ. God did not choose us in Christ because we were essentially good or nice people. He did not choose us because we already loved Him, or were interested in God and the Bible. He did not choose us because we were better than others. Though we cannot understand it, God chose us, simply because He chose to in His sovereign will. He chose to pour out His love, favour and blessing upon us through Jesus Christ so as to redeem us from our sin. He chose to do this before we were born, as Ephesians 1:1-14 teaches us. He chose to make us His people before there was anything good about us. As Paul tells us in Romans 5, God chose us even when we were His enemies, when we were still in all the filth of our sin, hating and rebelling against Him.

We have to confess that we cannot understand the mind of God when it comes to such matters, however our responses to passages such as Deuteronomy 7:6-11 should not be an attempt to dissect and understand, but to simply bow in humble worship and thankful adoration of God. Such is God’s goodness and love, His mercy, grace and favour, that even though we were dead in our sins and trespasses, unlovely and enemies, He chose to rescue and redeem us out of our sin through Christ. God chose to save us, and to then make us His people, His promised, holy, precious people, who will live in His eternal kingdom. Why did He do this? God did this because He is God, because He is sovereign, because He is loving, gracious and merciful.

Sovereign, loving, gracious and merciful God, rightly did the Psalmist declare, “What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you should care for him?” We know all to well, our sinfulness and many imperfections, how unlovely we are. Yet You in grace and mercy beyond what we can fathom, chose us in Christ, so as to redeem us and make us Your very own. Whilst we do not completely understand Your will and ways, we bow in thankfulness towards Your throne and adore You for having given to us such an undeserved love and salvation. Thank You that You have made us Your people, Your nation. Help us not to worry so much about trying to understand and explain everything about who You are and how You work, but instead to trust You, love You and faithfully serve You. Amen.

Verse for the Day, 18 May 2017.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9, “"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.  (5)  You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.  (6)  And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.  (7)  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.  (8)  You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.  (9)  You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

These few verses are some of the most significant, and probably the best known verses in the Jewish community. We need only spend a brief amount of time thinking over these verses to quickly understand why they are of such importance, not just for the Jewish people, but even more so for those who are true believers in Jesus Christ.

We are given a series of statements, responses and commands, each one following on from the other.

Firstly, we are given a key statement, “The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” This statement is not open to debate, it is given as a fact which is beyond dispute. The undeniable truth is that the LORD, He who is “I AM”, the God who revealed Himself to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses, He, and He alone is God. Furthermore, He is not a god, nor is He one of many gods, He is God and there is no other.

The current age in which we live rejects such absolute statements as this, it seeks to reduce truth to that which is subjective, open to interpretation and redefinition according to each individual’s desire. But as believers in Jesus Christ, as those who love and revere God’s Word, we cannot ever afford to give any sanction to such thinking. God’s Word is not open to debate, it is not subjective, or open to redefinition based upon our own desires. Furthermore, we cannot choose whether or not God, does or does not exist, nor can we decide what He is, who He is and how He should operate. This is the simple plain absolute and undeniable truth, the LORD, the God of the Bible, the one who is “I AM”, He and He alone, is the one and only true God. It is not open to debate, it is fact.

Having been given this statement of absolute truth, we are called to respond to God by loving Him with all our heart, soul and might. Why should we love God to this extent, why should our love for God be greater than our love for any other person or thing in all creation? For two reasons, firstly, because He is God! There is none higher or greater than God, nor is there one more deserving of receiving such a degree of love for us, than God. God is our creator and sustainer, the provider of all we need, He is merciful, compassionate, loving, patience, gracious, holy, just, right and true. Without God we would not exist, apart from God would not exist, and if God were to stop being God, even for the briefest of moments, this entire Universe would collapse. Secondly, we are to love God, because He is God, and we are to love Him because He is “our God”.

Unfortunately, the weight of this statement is somewhat lost on us, we fail to appreciate what it means that this incredible, awesome, all-powerful God, creator and provider of all we are and need is our God. This great God has chosen to draw near to us, reveal Himself to us and enter into a personal relationship with us. For those who are believers in Jesus Christ, this is even more the case, for we truly are in a personal, eternal, right and joy-filled relationship with the one, true and living God. He is our God! Surely, if we take time to think upon these truths deeply, it can only lead to one response and that is to love God all the more, to love Him with our heart, soul and might.

Sadly, many Christians will be quick to state that they love God, they may even quote this verse to others to show how much they love God, ‘I love God will all my heart, soul and strength!’ But the true and genuine depth of our love for God is revealed in how we obey and live out our love for God. These verses have told us that there is only one true and living God, the God of the Bible, the LORD, the great “I AM”, apart from Him there is no other. Secondly, as a response to this truth we are to absolutely love God, He is to be the primary and most important object and recipient of our love, we are to love Him entirely, and always, we are to love Him will all that we are, heart, soul and might. Thirdly, that love reveals itself to be true and genuine, when we demonstrate that we believe that the LORD is God, that He is our God and that we love Him with all our heart, soul and might, through how we live our lives.

Verses 6-9 tell us what it looks like to love God. Not only is God’s Word upon our hearts, it is also upon our lips, as we shall constantly speak God’s Word to others, speak of the truth of who God is and of what He has done for us through Christ. We shall speak of God, His Word, the truth of who He is and of His Gospel, wherever we are and whoever we are with, at home, in the street, with our children, with others, when we sit down, stand up, walk or lie down, God’s Word is always to be upon our hearts and upon our lips. Furthermore, God’s Word is to be upon our hands and between our eyes. What does this mean? The meaning is simple, it is one this to say we love God and to speak His Word, but it is another thing to do His Word and to think His Word. To have it upon our hands means that our love for God, and the fact that His Word is upon our hearts, will control, direct and inform our every action and reaction. All that we do will be shaped and directed by our love for God, and will reflect the extent to which we both love God and His Word. To have it in between our eyes means that our love for God, and the fact that His Word is upon our hearts, will control, direct and inform our every thought, attitude and emotion. It means that we will love God outwardly through our actions, and inwardly in the hidden secrecy of our minds. Our minds are to be constantly filled with a love for God and are to be saturated with God’s Word. In other words, we seek to love God, to submit to the truth of who He is and His Word, even in the way we think, in our attitudes and our emotions.

Our love for God is to be complete and singular. We are to love God first, most, always and absolutely, our love for God should be the greatest and strongest love we have. This love shows itself to be true and genuine in how we live out our lives, we are to love God with our lips, our hands and our heads. This is not a restrictive command of God, rather it is one through which we will come to know the greatest love from God and by which we will reach the very heights of human existence and fulness of life as we love God in return.

Do you claim to love God? I challenge you to take the test of Deuteronomy 6:4-9 to discern just how much you actually love Him!

Our One, True and Living God, we declare that You and You alone are God, apart from You there are no others. We are humbled to know that You, the One and Only God, should choose to become our God, to make Yourself known to us in a real, living and personal way. We thank You for the Lord Jesus Christ, who has made this truly and eternally possible, who has put the love of God in our hearts, and has caused Your Word to be upon our hearts. Forgive us for having such a fickle and often shallow love for You, despite claiming our love for You is great. May we grow to love You more and more, until we can say that Deuteronomy 6:4-9 is true of us. We pray that You would help us by Your Spirit to this end. For the glory of Your Name. Amen.

Verse for the Day, 15 May 2017.

No, your eyes do not deceive you! Verse for the Day is back after a very long break! Thank you for your understanding and patience over the past months. I will endeavour to post it as regularly as time, work and the demands of life allow. May God be pleased to encourage you through His Word.

Deuteronomy 5:1-4, “And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, "Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the rules that I speak in your hearing today, and you shall learn them and be careful to do them.  (2)  The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.  (3)  Not with our fathers did the LORD make this covenant, but with us, who are all of us here alive today.  (4)  The LORD spoke with you face to face at the mountain, out of the midst of the fire…”

Here in chapter 5, we discover where Deuteronomy gets its name from. The word “Deuteronomy” is a Greek word that means, ‘second law’. In essence this is what this book is all about, the giving of the law for a second time to the nation of Israel. However, it is given to a generation that is faithful, who will walk in obedience to God’s commands and enjoy the blessings of the covenant.

This new generation was painfully aware of what the consequences were for failing to obey God. They had watched their parents, uncles, aunts and grand-parents all perish and die in the wilderness because of their disobedience. Now as they stood on the cusp of entering into the land which was promised to their parents, Moses seeks to earnestly and sternly remind them, that God requires them to live and walk in obedience and faithfulness to Him, His commands and His covenant.

Moses is stressing this point to such an extent that he draws their memories back to the first occasion when the Law was given at Horeb. Though they would have only been young children, or in their early teens, that event would be etched on their memories. The fire, thunder, thick, dark clouds, the shaking of the ground, smoke and flashes of lighting, along with the voice of God, all made for an occasion which could not be forgotten.

Why does Moses draw their minds back to Horeb? It is of vital importance that this new generation understand that as Moses repeats the Law and the covenant to them, it comes with the same voice, authority and power as it did on the first occasion. Though they may be in a different place, and the circumstances are very different, God’s Law remains unchanged. They are to regard, respect and keep it just as if they had been at Horeb. This serves as a challenge to us, for we too need to remember that God’s Word remains unchanged. We were not alive when God spoke at Horeb, or spoke through Jeremiah, or gave those visions to John in Revelation. When God first issued these words, they came with His voice, authority and power, and His Word retains that to this day. We can never afford to ignore His Word, think of it as being of lesser importance, or that it is not applicable to us. Such an attitude towards God’s Word is certain to lead us into grave danger and into sin.

In these verses we see the challenge to this new generation to be faithful to God’s Law and covenant. They had a great encouragement to do so, for they stood on the cusp of entering into the Promised Land, they were about to receive the promises and blessings that their parents lost. They had spent the past 40 years wandering around the desert longing for this day to come, and now they stood on the brink. Surely they would eagerly, even gratefully receive God’s Law and be quick to walk in faithful obedience.

There are also points of great encouragement for us in this short passage. The first point is one we have already covered in part, which is, God still speaks to us today through His Word. Every time we open our Bibles and read, we are hearing the voice of God. The second encouragement is that God has spoken once and for all through Jesus Christ, who is the Word. Jesus came not only to speak the words of God, but to enable us to believe in God’s Word and know God in a living and real way. The words of Deuteronomy were spoken to Israel as they were about to enter into a physical and temporary Promised Land, but Christ’s word are spoken to us as He leads us into a spiritual and eternal Promised Land. Thirdly, and greatest of all, many of us wish that we could have been at Horeb to witness the spectacle of God speaking to His people. The wonderful truth is that we who believe in Jesus Christ will witness and enjoy something far greater. One day God shall not only speak to us face to face, but we shall also see God as He is. There will be no dark thunder clouds to hide Him, nor will there be fear or the threat of death should we draw too close. God shall speak to us, we shall stand in His very presence and we will know His touch!

Deuteronomy’s main point and purpose is to show us Jesus, the only one who could keep God’s Law, redeem us from sin and open God’s Kingdom to us. It is not through a faultless obedience to the Law that one enters God’s true Kingdom, but through faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the One to whom the Law points. Jesus is the One to whom Moses points. Jesus is the One to whom the Promised Land points. Deuteronomy teaches us that we need a divine Saviour who can fulfil God’s Law and lead us into God’s eternal kingdom of glory and blessing.

Our majestic, holy and perfect God, we humble ourselves before Your great and awesome presence. How is it that You the God of all creation, the great and mighty One, should desire to reveal Himself and speak to us! Thank You, for drawing near to us, for coming amongst us and redeeming us. Thank You, for preserving and upholding Your Word through all the past generations, so that we can still know and hear Your voice as it speaks to us. Help us by Your Spirit to be hearers and doers of Your Word. Greatest of all help us to trust and believe in the One whom Your Word points us to, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.