week 5: The Words That Are Coming Out Of Your Mouth…

Deuteronomy 26

Throughout the book of Deuteronomy, there are certain themes that God through Moses emphasizes, repeatedly. With a book containing the word “remember” some fourteen times, we would expect there to be repetition and almost a redundancy in some of the themes, the mandates, the instructions…to make certain we got it.

Two of these repeated themes or directives are:

1. “you will NOT worship Me this way…”

·      This phrase is seen frequently throughout the book, as well as in the book of Leviticus.

Even the Apostle Paul in his letters tells us as New Testament believers that we do not do as others, or as we once were. (Rom. 6:17; 1Thess. 4:13; Eph.2:3)

Deuteronomy 12:4 ESV

“You shall NOT worship the Lord your God in that way.”

·      We know through our study that this phrase is most times in context of the pagan worship of the Canaanites, and God repeatedly says to them, “This is the way THEY worshiped their false gods. You will not worship Me like this.”

2. “you WILL worship me this way…let me instruct you how to…”

·      This mandate – not phrased this way, but in principle – to worship Jehovah God in a certain way is seen repeatedly in the constant instructions of how they would worship God once they were living in the Promised Land.

Did the disciples not ask Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray.” This request alone implies that there is a right way to pray, to approach a Holy God, as well there is a wrong way! (Luke 11) So this principle applies to us as well.

Deuteronomy 26:1-4

At the time of the first harvest yet to come in the Promised Land, God says, “Do it this way.”

·      In our text this week, notice just in verse 5, three times God says, “you shall” do it this way.

Deuteronomy 26:2 (ESV)

…you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from your land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket, and you shall go to the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name to dwell there...

Can you imagine the emotion and exuberance of this sacrifice the first time??? The realization that they were REALLY, finally in the Promised Land and experiencing their first harvest season in their new homes. It would have been too much for words.

Even here, in the crowd during Moses’ sermon of these instructions, surely some young wife turned to her husband that day with a smile and whispered, “We’re really going in aren’t we? I can’t believe we’re really going to have our new home.”

o  An offering of first fruits

o  The first harvest in the Promised Land

Some scholars says this act of worship is specifically linked to the Feast of Weeks or the Feast of First-fruits; some suggest it may be a one time, isolated act; or even the act that established one of these feasts. Regardless, it’s significant in a display of gratitude and obedience; a practice we would do well to emulate.

My favorite part…

Deuteronomy 26:5-11(ESV)

“And you shall make response before the Lord your God, ‘A wandering Aramean was my father. And he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number, and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous. And the Egyptians treated us harshly and humiliated us and laid on us hard labor. Then we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers and the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great deeds of terror, with signs and wonders. And he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which you, O Lord, have given me.’ And you shall set it down before the Lord your God and worship before the Lord your God. And you shall rejoice in all the good that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the sojourner who is among you…”

This is so powerful to me! Speaking aloud to the LORD God as you have place your sacrifice down at the altar…

o  A spoken word, a response to Jehovah God

o  A report or a TESTIMONY spoken aloud

§  A look back at ancestral history: A basic summary of their Jewish pilgrimage, their family history.

§  A memory of where and when God rescued them: A recounting of where they were – we were – when He redeemed them – and us.

§  An offering of acknowledgement and thanksgiving: Recognizing the awesome power of Almighty God, verbalizing their (and our) udder dependence upon His grace, His mighty hand, His outstretched arm.

·      Stephen, the first Christian martyr (Acts 7), gave a complete review of Jewish history just before he was stoned to death. He gave a clear rehashing of where they had been as a people, what they had faced as a nation, and how every step of their history pointed toward the Messiah, Jesus Christ whom they had crucified.

If you were asked to review the history of the Jewish nation, could you do it?

Remember when we were looking at The Shema in lesson three (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) and we talked about bringing the past to the present, identifying with what happened to their ancestors…?

·      Notes from the Jewish Study Bible p.356 “By reciting the Shema, the congregation in the synagogue brings the plot of Deuteronomy to life in the present, as it enacts and renews that oath of allegiance to God that, it believes, Israel first vowed on the plains of Moab.”

·      As believers, the Bible says that you and I are “grafted in” the family of Abraham. (Romans 11 “…you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree…)

·      As believers, Jewish history is part of our history!!!

·      See this powerful link between the sacrifice -- the act of worship, the giving of the first fruits -- and the spoken words, the confession, the testimony.

This past Sunday’s sermon…

Because my pastor, Dr. Phillip Burden, has been preaching through the book of Hebrews on Sundays, many of our Bible study lessons have reiterated things he has taught or something are referenced that reminds me of something we’ve talked about in class as we’ve studied the book of Deuteronomy. This week was borderline ridiculous!!! I showed my husband my notes that I had already typed out before the message so someone could vouch that I did not manipulate our lesson in the slightest…!!! I was so excited.

Here was his text…

Hebrews 13:15-16 (ESV)

15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.

16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

I mean, are you kidding me???

God is paying attention. People, take notes.

Is that not exactly what Moses says to do???

Bring in your sacrifice and offer up these words…???

Oh. My. Stars.

This is one of those times when I just get totally pumped about The Bible. People, READ the Bible. God is speaking…to you and to me. I’m reminded right now of 2 Corinthians 1:20…”For all the promises of God find their YES in Him (Jesus Christ)…”

Many people, religious and secular alike, say the Bible is outdated, old, riddled with errors and faults… No way. These verses were written hundreds, thousands of years apart and yet they ring true of the same principles and instructions God has always said to us. And we find the fulfillment of every bullet point, every statute, every rule, every law, every poem, every parable and illustration in Jesus Christ, the very Word in the Flesh.

I no longer bring my physical basket of first fruits to a fiery altar; but I do bring a sacrifice of praise, a sacrifice of time and energy, a sacrifice of what is important to me, a living sacrifice; and I make my response before my Abba, Father. I speak to Him of my unworthiness, of my past, but more of His forgiveness, of His grace and His mighty hand with His outstretched arm… and I thank Him for His wondrous deeds. I worship.

I love this from Walter Brueggemann…

(Beth Moore Deuteronomy Lecture, she cited this…So good!!!)

“The rhetoric works so that the speaker who is a belated rememberer of an old event becomes a present-tense participant in that old event. In “liturgical time,” the gap between past time and present time is overcome, and present-tense characters become involved in remembered events.”  Brueggemann, Walter (2011-09-01). Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries | Deuteronomy (p. 247). Abingdon Press. Kindle Edition.

Amazing. As they stood before that altar and gave their response, they identified with Jacob, their forefather the wandering Aramean. At once, they were in Egypt; then rescued; then walking on the dry land of the Red Sea riverbed. At once, they were no longer hoping for the Promised Land as their parents and grandparents…and great-grandparents had, but they were standing in it, on it, harvesting from the Promised Soil.

So beautiful…read it again…

Deuteronomy 26:5-11 (ESV)

5 “And you shall make response before the Lord your God, ‘A wandering Aramean was my father. And he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number, and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous.

6 And the Egyptians treated us harshly and humiliated us and laid on us hard labor.

7 Then we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression.

8 And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great deeds of terror, with signs and wonders.

9 And he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.

10 And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which you, O Lord, have given me.’ And you shall set it down before the Lord your God and worship before the Lord your God.

11 And you shall rejoice in all the good that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the sojourner who is among you.

Looking at the remainder of the passage, we see these elements as Moses closes the “legal corpses” of the book of Deuteronomy, chapters 12-26, the rules and the statues. He summarizes this all-important set of instructions. We can see…

·      Deuteronomy 26:12-15

o  A determined confession of obedience: “I have obeyed the voice of the LORD my God. I have done according to all that you have commanded me.”

o  A request of continued favor: “Look down…and bless.”

As Moses closes, we see that God is faithful. He has promised and what He has promised He will do.

·      Deuteronomy 26:16-19

o  Signed. Sealed.

“This day the LORD your God commands you to do these statutes and rules… You have declared today that the LORD is your God…the LORD has declared today that you are a people for his treasured possession…as he promised.”

What is your confession?

As you bring your sacrifice of praise,

what is your response?

My father was…

I was…

But Almighty God brought me out with

a mighty hand and an outstretched arm…

He brought me to a place of….

Now, I bring myself as a living sacrifice…

I have been grafted in…

One last verse…

As I studied this chapter, the response specifically,

I was reminded of a blessed passage in Revelation…read here.

Revelation 12:10-12 (ESV)

10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.

11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. 12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”

Your enemy is defeated by “the blood of the Lamb AND by the word of your testimony.”

Hallelujah!!! Speak it out.

What is your confession? Your testimony?

Write it down.

Week #4: Remember and Don’t Forget!!!

Week #4: Remember and Don’t Forget!!!

Deuteronomy 8

Psalm 77:11-15 (ESV)

I will remember the deeds of the Lord; 
 yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, 
    

and meditate on your mighty deeds.

Your way, O God, is holy. 
 What god is great like our God? 

You are the God who works wonders; 
 you have made known your might among the peoples.

 You with your arm redeemed your people, 
    

the children of Jacob and Joseph.

Selah

How do you move into Canaan

without becoming a Canaanite?

Last lesson, we talked about loving God and diligently teaching our children His Law. These were vital instructions to follow and disciplines to maintain for the Israelites as they faced the challenge of inhabiting a pagan land with a pagan culture… We readily saw the application in our own lives as we are surrounded by a pagan practice and a pagan culture ourselves.

According to the Jewish Study Bible notes for Deuteronomy (p. 382): “The first issue is that Israel enters an already inhabited land, whose greater population and worship apparatus it must confront. Thereafter, successful habitation carries its own risks: complacency and loss of historical memory.”

A recurring theme throughout the book of Deuteronomy is that of remembering and not forgetting… The word remember is mentioned some fourteen times in the book of Deuteronomy. Over and over again, God says through Moses, “remember.” (In addition, the words “do not forget” or “be careful lest you forget” occur 10 times.) In the Amplified Bible, the wording is actually “earnestly remember.”

Deuteronomy 8:2-3 (AMP)

2 And you shall [earnestly] remember all the way which the Lord your God led you these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and to prove you, to know what was in your [mind and] heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.

3 And He humbled you and allowed you to hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you recognize and personally know that man does not live by bread only, but man lives by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 8:17-20 (AMP)

17 And beware lest you say in your [mind and] heart, My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.

18 But you shall [earnestly] remember the Lord your God, for it is He Who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

19 And if you forget the Lord your God and walk after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish.

20 Like the nations which the Lord makes to perish before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God.

So, if the big deal is to remember, what are they to remember and how does that apply to you and me???

Initially, in chapter 8 we see a few things right off the bat.

What are they to remember and not forget?

Ø The Law, Commandments, Rules, Statutes.

Ø The Whole Way in the Wilderness.

Ø The Wondrous Deeds, Mighty Acts of the LORD God.

However, throughout the book, there are several things to be remembered that are specifically emphasized.

A. Coming Out of the Wilderness…

First, what to remember:

1.     “…you were are slave”

Ø Deuteronomy 5:15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm…

Ø Deuteronomy 15:15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this today…

Ø Deuteronomy 16:12 You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt; and you shall be careful to observe these statutes…

Ø Deuteronomy 24:18 but you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you from there; therefore I command you to do this…

Ø Deuteronomy 24:22 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I command you to do this…

Do YOU remember when you were a slave?

You might say, “I was never a slave!”

In Hebrews 2, the Bible says that Christ defeated death and delivered us who were “subject to lifelong slavery.”

In Galatians 5, Paul writes that Christ has set us free and so we should not “submit again to a yoke of slavery.”

Even as a “good church girl,” I realize that I was enslaved. I was enslaved to sin, my flesh, and the world. The book of Deuteronomy cries out to me as well, don’t forget you WERE a slave.

2.     Do not forget “the LORD who brought you out of Egypt…”

Ø Deuteronomy 6:12 then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery…

Ø Deuteronomy 8:14 then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery…

Ø Deuteronomy 16:3 … Seven days you shall eat it with unleavened bread, the bread of affliction—for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste—that all the days of your life you may remember the day when you came out of the land of Egypt. (This verse is in the context of celebrating the Passover Feast. Can you even imagine what it was like at the FIRST Passover???)

These verses carry a serious warning. In our vernacular, “Don’t get the idea along the way that somehow you got here on your own, and by your own might you made this all come together!!!”

This is huge for you and me as well. Many times in our self-righteousness and self-sufficiency, we get to thinking we’ve achieved these great and glorious feats because of our goodness, our discernment, our might, etc… The truth is: we are NOTHING and NOBODY to NOONE apart from the Sovereignty of Almighty God and the precious blood of Jesus Christ. In contrast, our position IN Christ makes us valuable, places us in royalty, and in right-standing with our Creator.

May we never forget WHO brought us out of slavery, out of Egypt.

3.    ”Remember the Commandments, the Covenant, the Law”

Ø Deuteronomy 4:23 Take care, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make a carved image, the form of anything that the Lord your God has forbidden you.

Ø Deuteronomy 8:1 [Remember the Lord Your God] “The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. 


Ø Deuteronomy 8:11 “Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today,

God made a promise to Abraham, a covenant. He keeps His promises. This generation is reaping the tangible benefits of that promise.

Under the New Covenant, His promises are in Christ, and God the Father proves over and over that He keeps His Word.

(Somebody shout hallelujah!!!)

2 Corinthians 1:20 (ESV)

For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.

4.   Remember the Wonders of the LORD God, His Mighty Deeds

Ø Deuteronomy 4:9 “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children's children…

Ø Deuteronomy 7:18 you shall not be afraid of them but you shall remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt,

Ø Deuteronomy 8:2 And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. 


Ø Deuteronomy 8:18 You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

God has led you. God has provided for you. God grants me the power to ….do anything that is good, have anything good, for anything to ever go right…

Memo to Self: Don’t forget.

5.    Remember your History, your Past, your Heritage     

Ø Deuteronomy 9:6-8 Know, therefore, that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stubborn people. Remember and do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day you came out of the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the Lord. Even at Horeb you provoked the Lord to wrath, and the Lord was so angry with you that he was ready to destroy you.

Ø Deuteronomy 24:9 Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam on the way as you came out of Egypt.

Ø Deuteronomy 32:7 Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you…

God through Moses doesn’t sugar coat a single item. He reminds them of their shortcomings, of their errors; and of His judgment and discipline upon them. Then he says, “Remember the days of old…ask your father, your elders…” Due diligence to remember what happened before you came along…in the process, find out what your responsibility is as you carry out your role in this family…!!!

Secondly: Why is it important to NOT forget?

    Then…how are they – are we – to NOT forget!!!

·      If/When we forget…we tend to downplay the miracles and provision of God.

·      Thereby, we diminish the glory of God and end up questioning why we believe Him, obey Him, and worship Him.

·      When we forget God, His Promises and His Law, we forget our position without Him; ultimately we will disobey and will be destroyed.

This reality sends chills up my spine as it so vividly relates to our own modern culture and current social philosophies. Our land is NOT the promised land nor are we as a nation “God’s Chosen People,” however, the foundation of our government, the intention of our forefathers was to worship God and God alone. How far we have slipped…

Deuteronomy 8:19

And if you forget the Lord your God and

go after other gods and serve them and worship them,

I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish.

B. Living In the Promised Land…

Productivity: The Difference in the Promised Land.

There is work to be done in the Promised Land.

ü Diligence ü Discipline ü Determination

v Idleness v Indifference v Idolatry

Reality Check for the Israelites coming out of the Wilderness, going into the Promised Land…things would be different:

o   The manna will not longer just appear outside their front door every morning in the Promised Land.

o   The quail will not come out of nowhere in droves to be captured and eaten in the Promised Land.

o   Their clothes and shoes, that did not wear out in the desert, are going to need to be replaced.

o   Why???

Deuteronomy 8:3-4 (ESV)

And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years.

There is work to be done, gardens to tend.

There is work to do.

There is wheat to grind, vines to tend to, and olives to press.

Productivity.

Deuteronomy 8:7-10 (ESV)

For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.

Sometimes, we get the idea that…

·      “the problem is that I’m just in a wilderness…” And the rest of us are looking at you thinking, “a wilderness that is lasting forever…???”

·      Then, we get to thinking that we “just need to get to the Promised Land.” We think that it will all come together, and life can be easy or just less painful…not so hard.

·      Truth of the matter, there’s work to do in the Promised Land.

Truth is, God never intended for the Israelites

to stay in the wilderness forever

just so He could say,

“I brought you out of slavery!

Isn’t that enough?”

It’s obvious that to keep them in the desert was not His supreme goal because He kept pursuing them, teaching them, giving them rules and guidelines, instructions and laws. Had He been finished once they crossed the Red Sea, why would He have cared to do anything else, say anything else…?

He brought them out to take them in.

Deuteronomy 6:23 (ESV)

And he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give to our fathers.

Application to us:

As we live out our Christian life, our calling, our place in The Body;

we must be working diligently, being productive;

and not just satisfied to be “out of Egypt” or “out of the wilderness.”

Jesus said, The Truth will set you free. (John 8)

You’re free from slavery.

You’re free from Egypt.

You’re free from the wilderness…why you still wandering around???

·      Before going any farther, I want to be clear about something… As believers, we will indeed go through wilderness seasons in our walk with Christ. I’ve experienced these times. Please know I understand if you are facing an insurmountable obstacle, a wilderness beyond your control…I pray the Lord God Almighty will make His Presence known to you in a very tangible way. Be assured, this is NOT the type of wilderness I’m speaking of…

·      Some times in our lives, we seem to “seek” the wilderness; wanting a pity party more than obedience to God’s instructions for our lives and sometimes, we have made our own wilderness…if you get what I’m saying. THESE are the types of wildernesses I speak of…

What’s to be done in the Promised Land of our calling and our place in the Body of Christ, our ministry…???

2 Peter 3:9-14 (ESV)

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.

2 Peter 1:3-8 (ESV)

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 6:10-12 (ESV)

For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Hebrews 6:10-12 (AMP)

For God is not unrighteous to forget or overlook your labor and the love which you have shown for His name’s sake in ministering to the needs of the saints (His own consecrated people), as you still do. But we do [strongly and earnestly] desire for each of you to show the same diligence and sincerity [all the way through] in realizing and enjoying the full assurance and development of [your] hope until the end, In order that you may not grow disinterested and become [spiritual] sluggards, but imitators, behaving as do those who through faith (by their leaning of the entire personality on God in Christ in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness) and by practice of patient endurance and waiting are [now] inheriting the promises.

To conclude, the challenge for the children of Israel as they entered the Promised Land was to not forget from where they came; to not forget who they were; to remember the faithful promises of the Faithful Most High God; and to be productive in that place…

Sounds pretty clear and applicable to you and me in our lives, where we are…

Homework this week:

1.     In Philippians 4:13-16, the Apostle Paul challenges us to forget what is behind us and strive for what lies ahead. How does this passage agree with the Deuteronomy theme of remembering the past and not forgetting our history? Is the Bible conflicted here? (Hint: No, the Bible is not conflicted.)

2.    In Galatians 5:1, the Apostle Paul talks about how Christ has set us free. Then, he says, “do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Can you see how the children of Israel struggled time and time again to not put on that Egyptian yoke of slavery? Explain your thought process.

3.    In Joshua 4, the children of Israel are about to face the walls of Jericho. First, they must cross the Jordan River. As they do this, they take up twelve stones to build a memorial of this event and their previous history. Why does God through Joshua’s leadership have them to build this memorial out of the stones? Do you have a memorial that you can point to?

Be blessed. I am sincerely grateful that you’re even here…!!!

Who’d have thought it feasible!!!???