TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
Deuteronomy 13:1-15:23
Luke 8:40-9:6
Psalm 71:1-24
Proverbs 12:5-7
Deuteronomy 13:1 — What happens when the Antichrist comes with signs and wonders (2 Thessalonians 2:9)? Don’t hearken! Just because Pharoah’s magicians could duplicate some of the miracles, that was not a good reason to listen to them. Interestingly, the phrase “dreamer of dreams” occurs only in this chapter, and even then, it’s not positive!
Deuteronomy 13:10 — Apostasy is to be punished with stoning. In John 10:31 the Jews sought to stone Jesus for blasphemy (John 10:33).
Deuteronomy 14:21 — The dietary laws were not universal; they were just for the Jews. The strangers and aliens were not subject to the dietary laws. Circumcision on the other hand was a prerequisite for certain activities of strangers (Exodus 12:48, Ezekiel 44:9). To help you keep track of the changing dietary laws (based on the message God was communicating to the people at the time), here’s a helpful chart from your author. Obviously, meats pre-Fall would require death. For the Jews, abstention from certain meats were a symbolism of the holiness God called them to. The phrase “others may, but I cannot” comes to mind for those whom God has called to a higher standard.
Deuteronomy 15:3 — With the responsibilities of being an Israelite comes the privileges of being an Israelite. A stranger was entitled to judicial fairness but not all the benefits of Israelite citizenship (see vs. 12 also).
Deuteronomy 15:23 — We’ve seen the admonition now 12 times to not eat the blood. That’s why Jesus’ command to drink His blood (John 6:53-60) really bothered the Jews. They knew that the Torah prohibited it, and their forefathers were judged for eating the blood (1 Samuel 14:33 and Ezekiel 33:25).
Luke 8:41 — Let’s look at who reached out to Jesus in this chapter:
- Demon-possessed Mary Magdalene (vs. 2)
- Joanna, wife of Chuza, Herod’s Chief of Staff (vs. 3)
- Mary and Jesus’ half-siblings (vs. 19)
- The faithless disciples (vs. 24)
- The demonic legions of Gadara (vv. 27-30)
- The unfriendly Gadarenes (vs. 37)
- The now-clothed former Maniac of Gadara (vs. 38)
- Jairus, ruler of the synagogue (vs. 41)
- The anonymous unclean woman with an issue of blood (vs. 43)
While Jesus was sought out by the political elites (Joanna and Jairus), He also healed those who were suffering from the curse of sin (Mary Magdalene, the Maniac of Gadara, the woman with the issue of blood, and us)!
Psalm 71:1 — Earl Martin has set this verse to music:
Proverbs 12:5 — What are your thoughts like?
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