Search The Scriptures: Deuteronomy

"You shall give to the Lord your God, as the Lord your God has blessed you" (Deuteronomy 16:10).

Our giving to the Lord can never be any more than a response to His giving to us. His giving to us is always greater than our giving to Him. There can be no comparison between His giving to us and our giving to Him. When we focus our attention on His giving to us, our giving to him will be transformed. It will not be legalism. It will be thanksgiving. No longer grudge-giving - "I have to", or duty-giving - "I ought to", it will be thanksgiving - "I want to.

"The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet ... to Him you shall listen" (Deuteronomy 18:15).

We read these words, and we think of the words spoken by God on the Mount of Transfiguration." There is a difference. Jesus is more than a Prophet. He's God's Son. He's greater than Moses. He's greater than Elijah. They were God's servants. He's God's Son. When we realize that we have a Saviour - more than a prophet!, we will listen to Him, we will give ourselves to Him, and we will thank Him for giving himself for us.

Why do we listen to Jesus? It's because He speaks the Word of the Lord - "I ... will put My words in His mouth; and He shall speak to them all that I shall command Him" (Deuteronomy 18:18). It's more than that! He is the Word of the Lord (John 1:1,14).
We give ourselves to Him because He has given Himself to us. We do not think much of our great devotion to him. We think much of His great love for us.
As I was reading about "the Prophet", I found my attention drawn to these words - "you shall not be afraid of him" (Deuteronomy 18:22). As I read this verse, I noticed that it's telling us that we do not need to be afraid of the false prophet. Satan has no authority over the Lord's people - "No weapon that is formed against you will prosper ... " (Isaiah 54:17). "you shall not be afraid of him" - I thought a bit more about this verse. I found my thoughts turning to Jesus, our Saviour. We don't need to be afraid of Him. He loves us. In fear, we come to Him. We know that He is holy. In love, He comes to us. He shows us that He is our Saviour. "His perfect love casts out our fear" (1 John 4:18).

"Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in Him, for He shields him all day long, and the one that the Lord loves rests between His shoulders" (Deuteronomy 33:12).

The Lord loves us. His love casts out our fear. His love gives us security. His love shields us. We rest in His love. There's a place in His heart for us. The love of God - This is the message which reaches out "to the ends of the earth" (Deuteronomy 33:17).

"The great love of God is revealed in the Son, who came to this earth to redeem every one. That love, like a stream flowing clear to the sea, makes clean every heart that from sin would be free. It binds the whole world, every barrier it breaks, the hills it lays low, and the mountains it shakes. It's yours, it is ours, O how lavishly given! The pearl of great price, and the treasure of heaven!" (Daniel Thambyrajah Niles). "All for your sake, all for my sake; yes, for all, I say: Now for the world comes news of salvation: 'Christ is born today!" 'Christ is born today!'" (From the Gujarati of Kahanji Madhavji Ranagrahi).

"And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him ..." (Deuteronomy 34:9).

The love of God is for every nation - and it is for every generation. As God's work moves forward from one generation to the next generation, we must look to the Lord to fill us with His Spirit, to give us all that we need to rise to the new challenge of bringing Christ's Gospel of salvation to the people in today's world.