Can you imagine being gathered to God and basking in His love? When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come on you and you take them to heart wherever the Lord your God disperses you among the nations, and when your children return to the Lord your God and obey him…

Do you ever stop and think about how God has protected you or blessed you or has drawn you near? This morning I was reflecting upon how I have always known and loved God and yet when He drew me to Him in a time of great need, our journey together became personal. That is…

Deuteronomy 28 is one of the hardest chapters to read and I find myself cringing. The first third describes the blessings found in obeying God; then the huge bulk describes the curses in rejecting God. It’s easy to think in reading this that God will personally punish and bring to ruin all who dare to…

Do we consider how much God loves us? He teaches us what is good and warns us from things that will hurt us. We hurt ourselves and others so easily. Do we eat and rejoice in the presence of the Lord as Moses instructs in Deuteronomy 27:7? It’s a dramatic chapter. Half the tribes on…

Reading Deuteronomy 26, I was struck by how it affected me today. Moses is reminding the people what they have been taught about Firtsfruits and Tithes so they will remember Who it is who blesses them with good land and food to eat. V. 3-11 gave me trouble because of the ritualistic nature of how…

When I read Deuteronomy 25:5-10, I’m reminded of the Book of Ruth one of my favorite books. Ruth was a Moabite married to a Jew. 2 Chapters ago we read No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord…Deuteronomy 23:3-6. And yet Ruth had simple faith and chose…

As I read Deuteronomy 24 and indeed all of God’s instructions, I keep thinking about compassion. Is that not what God asks of us? Hearts that empathize. Here in Deuteronomy, Moses is addressing certificates of divorce. So sterile when laid out. A husband is displeased and writes a certificate and sends his wife away. Life…

I find myself asking that question a lot as I read Scripture that seems so harsh. We have the blessing of knowing Jesus and His teaching. Why not gentler then? Deuteronomy 23 is a Chapter excluding from the assembly of the Lord. Men emasculated by cutting or crushing; Ammonites or Moabites. Then v. 12-14 where…

It’s so good to get back to reading in my Bible and devotionals and sharing what I am learning. I confess Deuteronomy 22, like other Chapters dealing with Old Testament law is difficult and helpful. I want to breeze past the hard bits. But Jesus said “Do not think that I have come to abolish…

After flying half-way around the world, we boarded a cruise ship in Australia and cruised to New Zealand. The Pacific Ocean is massive (64 million square miles, 13,000 feet/4,000 meters deep). And I couldn’t stop wondering how deep the water was as it rose and moved continuously. I felt so small and insignificant. Returning home…