Month: April 2021

167. Give the Land to the Seed

Deuteronomy 34:4 And the Lord said unto him, This is the land which I swore unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shall not go over thither.

If the Land is the Kingdom and if the Seed is the Messiah, then the promise is that the Kingdom of God is given to Jesus Christ. And if Christ has the kingdom then we have it also for by faith we are in the Seed, who is Christ. Therefore the promise is for us believers. We have been promised the Kingdom, and indeed this is the Promise of the Bible. Jesus announces the Kingdom, He is the Kingdom, He earns it for us, and God gives it to us. 

This kingdom is in the hearts of Christians; there, in our hearts, God dwells forever and reigns over all things for our eternal good. This promise of Land (Kingdom) and Seed (Christ) runs through the pages of Scripture, with different metaphors and word pictures, that it cannot be missed. But we miss it. So often we don’t fully appreciate what a wonderful and powerful promise this is and what it means for us, because we are too prone to look at life with the fleshly mind and the bodily senses. Therefore, we don’t always see it. But when the Spirit unveils the human spirit to see with the eyes of faith through the hearing of the Gospel of Christ we see it by faith. Faith comes by hearing the word of Christ.

It is for this reason that the Word of God, with its revelation of Christ and His Gospel, is so important for us. Yet we are tempted to lightly regard the weekly hearing of the Gospel. But once the light is turned on and the truth brilliantly impacts the heart we are eager to attend a Gospel-proclaiming church without fail. God the Father wants you and I to see the Land and the Seed (the Kingdom and the Christ), so He sends the Holy Spirit to reveal the Word to the heart and thereby grants the faith to see them.

Now we believe the Promise: we live day in and day out in the glorious kingdom under Christ the glorious King. When that vision becomes real by faith in the Good News all kinds of good things come to us and the bad things are kept away. The Name, Kingdom, and Will come to us; Daily Bread is provided; Forgiveness rules; and we are delivered from the evil of our enemies. It is the Lord God who does this for us. So we believe, pray, relax, and enjoy Him forever.

166. The Everlasting Arms

Deuteronomy 33:27 The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee: and shall say, Destroy them.

The promise of God is that He will be our refuge; He promises to hold us up with His eternal arms; He promises to cast out the enemy from our presence. These three promises are similar, and they are repeated often in the Scriptures.

The eternal God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. We are bound by time and space, and sometimes we feel pressed by time and crowded by space. But God is eternal, beyond the restrictions of time and space. He can do anything, anywhere, and always at the right time. In Him we have a refuge into which we may flee, that is, by faith in Christ we are safe from the marauding enemies, the evil powers around us, and our own self-destructive selfish nature. We hide in His stronghold for safety and comfort, love and care, protection and blessing.

God’s everlasting arms are always underneath us to lift us up and hold us up all the time, but we especially need to know this is true when we feel like we are falling, reeling, or spinning out of control. His strong arms hug us close to Himself when we need a tender touch, a loving caress, a kind and thoughtful whisper. The strong arms of Jesus are eternal so we may know they are always there. We are ever in the palm of His hands and nothing can snatch us out.

The Devil prowls around us like a roaring lion, seeking to devour. One little word can fell him, and he will flee from us. Sin is crouching at the door, waiting for the right moment to pounce and make life miserable. Death is never very far away from us, taking away loved ones and causing us “little deaths” daily in body and emotions. The promise is that Jesus will thrust them out from us, not just drive them away, but thrust with a quick and powerful force. They think they can rise up and keep coming back to steal, kill, and destroy, but our strong Shepherd Warrior is always there with us to thrust the Enemy away again, until one day the enemies are cast into the lake of fire never to bother us again. This eternal God is our God. Yahweh, the great I AM, always is. We are ever safe, comforted, and protected. Thank God for the promises we can’t even see.

165. Prolong your Days

Deuteronomy 32:47 For it is not a vain thing for you because it is your life: and through this thing ye shall prolong your days in the land, whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.

This conditional promise is based upon setting your hearts upon all the words of Moses and upon commanding the children to observe to do them. The words Moses is talking about are the speeches of Deuteronomy and by extension all the Torah. But particularly the words of Moses are the “Ten Words” of the Law.

“The Words” are not a vain thing for us. The Commandments are not empty words, nice suggestions, or pious wishes. “It is your life.” “Do this and you will live.” Living according to the commands and principles of the Bible produces a good life. This is true. Let that truth settle into your heart and mind. Of course, we don’t do a good job of setting our minds on the Law of God, and we certainly don’t keep the whole Law, nor do we faithfully command our children. We are always sinners, and we raise other sinners. But still, the closer we come to living according to the Word the more life we live. 

Also, along with a good life, God promises that that we will prolong our days in the Kingdom. Life in the Kingdom of God will be long, meaning full and rich, bountiful and blessed. This is what we want; this is what we fail to do; this is what Jesus does for us; this is the life Jesus gives us by grace. We believe it, we receive it, and we thankfully enjoy the promise of life. “The just will live by faith.” “Whoever believes in Him has eternal life.” The cost of providing us with that kind of life eternally can never be taken for granted. We believe in Jesus. We maintain the life by daily repentance and renewal of faith. In Christ, we meet the condition and so reap the benefits of the promise of life.

The “land” is the kingdom of God. God gives it. It is within. We live in that kingdom while enduring an existence in the world of sin and evil. Set your mind on the kingdom, where God lives and reigns, where life is enjoyed to the full. Pay attention to Law and Gospel: it is your life, a long and rewarding one. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things will be yours as well.”

164. Vengeance and Mercy

Deuteronomy 32:43 Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people.

This is part of the Song of Moses, as kind of the last words of Moses to God’s people. The promises here are twofold: Vengeance and Mercy, vengeance on God’s enemies, and mercy on God’s people. This is a summary of God’s dealings with the world of people. Earth people are either with God or against Him. There is no neutrality in regard to our relationship with the Lord. If one is an enemy of the Lord God will show vengeance and judgment. If one is in God’s Kingdom and one of God’s faithful people God will be merciful.

Vengeance is all up to God alone, never up to us flesh and blood people. “Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord.” Judgment is all up to God alone, never to human beings, except for proper governmental jurisdictions. “Judge not, and you will not be judged.” We do not take vengeance and we do not judge. We believe the promise that God does this work. There is a Day of Reckoning, a Day of Vengeance, a Day of Judgment coming at the End of earth’s history. It is sure and certain, and it will be just and final. We may ask, “How long?” but we know God’s timing is perfect. This promise of God keeps us from judging and getting even.

The Lord’s vengeance is upon His adversaries, Sin, Death and the Devil. Our warfare is against our spiritual enemies; it is not against flesh and blood human beings. “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood.” We are called to love our enemies, meaning the people who may be used by our spiritual enemies. Forgiveness and Apology is more powerful than vengeance and judging. We pray for those who “despitefully use us.” Our goal is to turn enemies into friends by conversion to Christ. This is what God does to flesh and blood. But what He does to spiritual adversaries is terrible vengeance and violent judgment. The most violent overthrow in history is the bodily resurrection of Christ.

Being merciful is God’s overriding nature. This is the characteristic of God that is to be reflected by us who have received this promise. We do not take vengeance, but we do show mercy. Forgiveness and mercy is the permeating way of life for Christians, because the children of the kingdom have received mercy and rejoice in it all the time. We have received the promise and we freely give it.

The Lord knows every heart, whether it is a friend or an enemy. We do not know, so we treat every person as a member or a potential member of the kingdom of God. God knows how to show judgment and mercy: vengeance on Sin and mercy for People.

163. God Wounds and Heals

Deuteronomy 32:39 See now that I, even I am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.

There is no God but the Lord. There is no one, and no god, that can take us out of the hand of God. That is a promise: nothing, no one, no god or demon, can snatch us out of the loving and strong hands of our God and Savior. We are safe with Him forever, Because of God’s promises we are safe and secure with the Lord always. Therefore, I will have no other gods, nor will I place anything or anyone above my Lord and my God. He is my only good, and all good things come from Him alone.

It is also necessary for our life that we believe God’s Word and Promise that God is good and He does all things well. It is important to believe this when things are not going so well, when we are in the midst of the storms at sea, and when we are in the valley of the shadow of death. The Lord God kills and makes alive; the Lord wounds and heals. We are ready to believe and receive the healing and making alive part, but less eager to welcome the killing and wounding part. Remember that when the Lord kills and wounds He also makes alive and heals. 

It is difficult to accept, but true, that God kills and wounds. It is more difficult to accept that killing and wounding can come from a good God, the One in whom we are trusting for everything good. The problem we have is this: why would God kill and wound me, for I am such a good guy? Well, that kind of thinking (pride) needs to be driven out of me, just like it was for good guy Job. Job, like us, through trials, learns that God is good all the time, that He is God, He is always good, and I don’t need to question Him. He knows what He is doing. Let Him do it.

One thing we need to learn to accept is that God is killing and wounding the sin and evil in me, and He is healing and making alive the good God in me. I need to realize that I need the discipline, for I am still a sinner and not a god. Luther says, “The devil is God’s devil.” This is an enigmatic statement with profound meaning. In God’s hands “all things work together for good.” Even “killing” is good if it kills the evil and wounds the pride. And “making alive” is good when it resurrects the new man and heals the humbled soul. We take this promise so that we can put ourselves in God’s hands to do with us as He sees fit and thinks it good. We trust Him to do a good job.

162. We are God’s Inheritance

Deuteronomy 32:9 For the Lord’s portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.

God promises us a wonderful inheritance. All that belongs to God, that’s the glorious riches of everything, belongs to us upon the death of the Son of God, and the resurrection of Christ guarantees that inheritance to us. The promise of Land to Abraham and Israel is the Kingdom of God ruling in our hearts today by faith and kept in heaven for us in eternity, which we will enjoy by sight.

Turning that promise around it also means that we are God’s inheritance. Ephesians 1:18: “That you may know…what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.” Here God says that God inherits us, His people, His church, His bride, and His children. We, the believers in Christ, are His inheritance. God inherits us when Jesus died and rose again. This makes us think differently about ourselves. We all, and just me as a part of that family group, are the Lord’s prized possession. He gets to inherit us and enjoy us forever. We, the whole Church, are the Kingdom of God. This is the specific purpose and the end result of God’s history of God’s salvation as written for us in the Scriptures.

Receiving an inheritance makes us happy. God receives us as His inheritance and it makes God happy. He rejoices over us when even one comes to repentance and salvation. We enter into the joy of the Lord. We inherit the kingdom prepared for us from the foundation of the world.

We are the portion of the Lord. An awful lot of history has transpired from the Beginning until Today and more will still transpire until the End. All of it has only one goal in mind: that God will have a people whom He can love and who will love Him. And He will have it. That’s a promise.

161. The Word Produces

Deuteronomy 32:2 My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass.

God promises that His Word will produce growth and fertility. The teaching (doctrine) of the Lord is compared to rain. See Isaiah 55:10-11: “As the rain and snow come down from heaven and…water the earth making it bring forth and sprout…so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth…it shall accomplish that which I purpose.” The Teaching and Speech of the Lord is like the rain, the dew, the small rain, and the showers. It makes things grow.

The promise is spiritually true for us: The Word of God grows spiritual life within. The Word does return empty. It does something. It makes life grow. We need to believe the promise: going to church, attending Bible study, reading the Bible in private, and discussing it in groups will cause spiritual growth. The Spirit of God grows stronger in us and He has greater influence on our living.  Believe that it makes a difference.

The obverse is also true: despising, ignoring, and neglecting preaching and the Word causes spiritual dryness, emptiness, and death. The choice is clear: “going to church” makes a difference. “Staying home” dries up the spiritual life within. 

Every farmer knows the life and death difference that rain or drought makes for his livelihood. We take God’s word and promise to heart because it really does make a difference in our lives. We grow closer to God and life flourishes, or we drift further away and dry up. 

We need to hear Law and Gospel, for “repentance (Law) and forgiveness of sins (Gospel) should be proclaimed in his name to all nations. [Luke 24:47].”

160. Lord is With and Will Not Fail

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee nor forsake thee.

The Lord says to us that we may be strong and of a good courage; we do not need to fear the spiritual enemies nor be afraid of them. Why not? The Lord our God goes with us. Because the Good Shepherd goes with us we may confidently walk through the valley of the shadow of death and fear no evil. If He is for us who can be against us? 

The promise is simple and sure and repeated over and over: “Jesus never fails!” “I will never, not ever, no never, forsake you.” Therefore, we can take heart, be strong, and fear nothing. Why? The Lord our God goes with us. It is Immanuel who is with us. Jesus’ last words: “Lo, I will be with you always to the end of the age.” And He is not a passive, silent companion; He is by our side actively fighting and boldly speaking power. Think of the Mighty Warrior in you and with you always doing something for your good. He does not just watch you mess up and fail. He is there to guide you on the safe path, keep away the enemy, and pick you up when you fall. Count on it.

The promise is so trite that many Christian homes have it on a plaque: Jesus Never Fails! Such sayings are trite because they are true; they are timeworn and field-tested. Jesus never fails. That’s a guaranteed promise for each of us. We fail, again and again, but He never fails us. We are not quick to remember such a wonderful promise when we are facing difficult times, an uncertain future, or intractable problems. Take hold of the promise when you need it the most: Jesus will not fail you nor forsake you. We may not see a way out, but God sees everything and He knows the way of escape. He will make a way where there is no way. How? He is God. Why? He loves you. When? Now.

It is easier to say than to do: “Don’t worry, take courage, fear not.” But the Lord always knows how to do what He says. Trust Him.

158. Alive and Blessed in the Kingdom

Deuteronomy 30:15, 16 See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil. In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways and to keep his commandments and his statures and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.

The Lord says through Moses, “I have set before you today life and good, and death and evil.” What God set before all of us is a Moral Code of right and wrong. Life or death and good or evil is in the Commandments: life and good if you keep them, death and evil if you do not. The consequence of keeping the Law is life and good; the consequence of not keeping the Law is death and evil. The Law, summarized in the Ten Commandments, is a great and good thing; it promises to give a wonderful life full of life and good if you walk in it and keep it.

Moses is summarizing the purpose of the Law and the result of keeping it: You will live and multiply and the Lord will bless you in the land (the kingdom). God promises a living, active, enjoyable, growing and flourishing life to all who will obey the Commandments. Jesus kept the Commandments for us. He gives us the kingdom of God, which we may possess. This Land is the spiritual kingdom of God that dwells and rules in our hearts by faith in Christ. It is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom; no matter how small, weak, or insignificant you may feel, you possess, by faith, an awesome world inside you. This promised and received world inside is called “eternal life,” The Spirit calls us by the Gospel to come out of a world of death and evil and enter into the joy of the Lord, the Land God gives, which is a world of life and good.

Every time we hear the Law we are convinced of our own death and evil. We repent. Every time we hear the Gospel we are convinced of God’s life and good, which is given to us by grace, because of Christ, and possessed by faith. We believe. Thus it is really true: we really live in two worlds, one ruled by Sin and Death, the other ruled by Good and Life. We live in two realities: the one is seen; the other is believed. Believe this promise and thrive in the kingdom of God reality.

157. The Word in Nearby

Deuteronomy 30:14 But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.

The Lord promises us that The Word is very near to you, so that you will be able to keep it. The Word is not in heaven (outer space) nor beyond the sea (past the troubles of life) so that you cannot reach it. The Word is as close as your mouth and your heart so that you may keep it. The commandment that the Lord commands is not hidden or far off (verse 11). This promise is in the context of the conditional promises of the covenant: blessings will come if you keep the commandments.

Paul in Romans 10 quotes this verse, in which he says that you can and you may, with the mouth, confess Jesus as Lord, and you can and you may, with the heart, believe that God raised Him from the dead. This repentance and faith meets the condition of keeping the Commandments, and the impossible (keeping the Law perfectly) become possible (repentance and faith in the Gospel). God promises this possibility because of Christ and His work on the cross and in the tomb. Repent of the Law and believe the Gospel; the Law produces repentance and the Gospel produces faith. Then the promise: “you may do it.” The Word is the Gospel of Jesus Christ dying and rising for us. The promise is twofold: this Word is nearby, as close as our faith; believe it; secondly, the Gospel makes it possible to actually do the Law better than we could without it. The Gospel is the power to save and sanctify.

So the promise comes true for us in living it out: we confess our sins and our Savior with the mouth (we say it out loud); we believe Jesus died and rose for us to give us forgiveness, life and salvation. Confessing Jesus and believing Him provides the power and ability to actually do the Law better than before. We go to church every week; we study the Bible with a small group; and we pray, repent and believe by ourselves alone every day.