Sunday
Evening Bible Study
September 2, 2001
Introduction
The name Deuteronomy means, “Second Law”.
It is Moses’ final address to the people. It covers the last 1½ months of
Moses’ life. He’s 120 years old. Moses is rehearsing the work of God in
Israel’s past history, and giving them a review of God’s law before they cross
into the Promised Land.
Deuteronomy 13
:1 If there arise among you a prophet,
A prophet is a person through whom God speaks.
For the nation of Israel at this time, Moses has been their “prophet”. God
has been leading the people and teaching them through the man Moses.
Prophecy is a good thing. It is good to have God speak to you personally.
It is good to know what God is thinking and desiring for you.
But with prophecy comes a huge temptation for abuse.
If a person is truly speaking for God, then you had better pay attention to
what they say, because if you disobey what is being said, you aren’t just
disobeying a person, you are disobeying God.
This is the “ultimate” authority.
This kind of authority is quite attractive. If you have this kind of
authority, if you tell people what to do and put a “thus saith the Lord” at the
end of it, they have to do it.
This kind of power attracts the wrong kind of people, people who want to
exercise authority over others. It can also twist people around who start off
well.
Some are attracted to this because they simply want power. They want to
dominate other people.
I think that sometimes a person can be attracted to this for what seems to
be a good motive. They want to help people. They see what needs to be fixed in
people and feel they can do something about it.
Yet either way, if a person claims to be speaking for God but God hasn’t
been speaking, then the person is a “false prophet”.
A false prophet is someone who claims to be speaking with
God’s authority, but God isn’t the one behind the words.
(Jer
23:25-32 NLT) "I have heard these prophets say, 'Listen to the dream I had
from God last night.' And then they proceed to tell lies in my name. {26} How
long will this go on? If they are prophets, they are prophets of deceit,
inventing everything they say. {27} By telling these false dreams, they are
trying to get my people to forget me, just as their ancestors did by worshiping
the idols of Baal. {28} Let these false prophets tell their dreams, but let my
true messengers faithfully proclaim my every word. There is a difference
between chaff and wheat! {29} Does not my word burn like fire?" asks the
LORD. "Is it not like a mighty hammer that smashes rock to pieces? {30}
"Therefore," says the LORD, "I stand against these prophets who
get their messages from each other-- {31} these smooth-tongued prophets who
say, 'This prophecy is from the LORD!' {32} Their imaginary dreams are flagrant
lies that lead my people into sin. I did not send or appoint them, and they
have no message at all for my people," says the LORD.
Moses is about to leave the scene. He is about to die. God is going to be
preparing the people for knowing how to tell if a prophet is of God or not.
There are going to be two tests, one here in chapter 13, the other in chapter
18.
:2 the sign or the wonder come to pass,
The idea is that the prophecy or dream is accompanied by something
miraculous. Either a predicted thing comes true, or some miracle occurs.
Miracles can be a sign that God is at work.
The Jews look for signs.
(1 Cor 1:22 KJV) For the
Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
Jesus performed many “signs” as proofs of His authenticity.
(John 20:30-31 KJV) And many
other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not
written in this book: {31} But these are written, that ye might believe that
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life
through his name.
But …
Lesson:
Miracles alone don’t prove truth.
I think much of our society has fallen into the trap of thinking that if
something miraculous occurs, that it must be God.
The truth is that supernatural experiences can come from places other than
from God.
Be careful when you see people pointing to miracles as the sole reason why
something should be followed.
:2 Let us go after other gods
Here’s the thing that should stop us.
Lesson:
Correct theology proves truth.
I think it’s important to mention that this should include more than just
“gods” with a different name. It’s more than just staying away from Hinduism or
the worship of Baal.
There is more than one “gospel”
(Gal 1:6-9 KJV) I marvel
that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ
unto another gospel: {7} Which is not another; but there be some that trouble
you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. {8} But though we, or an angel
from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached
unto you, let him be accursed. {9} As we said before, so say I now again, If
any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be
accursed.
Paul, in writing to the Galatians, was dealing with the
Judaizers. These were Jewish believers who taught that a person had to become
circumcised and follow the Law as a full Jew in order to be saved. They didn’t
teach salvation as a gift from God, but rather that it was something you
earned. Legalism is a “different gospel”.
There is more than one “Jesus”
(2 Cor 11:3-4 NLT) But I
fear that somehow you will be led away from your pure and simple devotion to
Christ, just as Eve was deceived by the serpent. {4} You seem to believe
whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach about a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different Spirit
than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you
believed.
Because a person mentions the English name “Jesus” doesn’t
mean that they are talking about the same Jesus you and I are talking about.
This is why we need to pay attention to what people say about Jesus, not just
that they use His name.
The Mormon was the half brother of Lucifer.
The Jesus of the Jehovah Witnesses was once Michael the
archangel, a created being.
So how can we tell which Jesus or
which gospel is true?
For a young Christian, it may seem confusing since these people are also
quoting the Bible. The difference is that they make up their doctrines by
picking one verse here, another verse there, and patching it all together to
make a different message.
Stay in the Word. Keep reading your Bible. Keep reading the entire book,
not just a verse here and a verse there.
Illustration
The Puppies
Later that afternoon the man found the
little boy in front of a Baptist church selling the same pups with a sign which
read, “Baptist Puppies for sale”. He walked over to the little boy and asked
him about the dogs, “Aren’t these the same dogs you were selling earlier today?”
The little boy said, “Yes”. “How much do you want for them?” asked the man.
“$5.00 each” said the boy. The man curious about the name changed as well as
the price, asked the boy “Why the different name and price?” To which the small
salesman replied, “They have their eyes open now...”
:3 for the LORD your God proveth you, to
know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your
soul.
This is a difficult truth, but it’s right
here.
Lesson:
God allows times of testing to see
if you really love Him.
Why did God allow Satan to be in the Garden of Eden and tempt Adam and Eve?
To give mankind a choice of whether to love and serve God, or whether to
serve Satan.
Why does God allow temptation in my life?
Because He wants you to CHOOSE to love Him. If there’s no choice, then it’s
not real love.
Keep in mind, God never allows temptation that is greater than we can
handle:
(1 Cor
10:13 KJV) There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but
God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able;
but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to
bear it.
:6 If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter …
Sometimes the temptations can come from sources a little too close for
comfort.
:9 thou shalt surely kill him;
God considered false doctrine to be a capital offense.
This is a lesson similar to what Jesus had in mind when He said:
(Luke 14:26-27 KJV) If any
man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children,
and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my
disciple. {27} And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot
be my disciple.
The point is not in really “killing” or “hating” people, but that we need
to be careful that we don’t allow ourselves to be in a position where our
family or friends are taking us away from the Lord.
:13 the children of Belial,
Can be translated “children of wickedness”, or “children of Satan”, NAS has
“worthless men”.
:14 Then shalt thou inquire, and make search, and ask diligently …
Lesson:
Check it out first.
I’m afraid to say it, but Christians are some of the most gullible people
on the face of this planet. We believe just about anything anyone says.
Illustration
Computer hoaxes
I’m constantly getting people send me “warnings” about the
latest Internet virus that is coming through e-mail. Most of them are hoaxes.
It may take “guts to say “Jesus”, but the supposed virus that goes around
wiping out your hard drive doesn’t exist.
The other thing that gets spread through the Internet are
the “urban legends”, the outrageous stories that get passed on e-mail.
There are stories about dying children who will be
benefited if you forward an e-mail to your friends. There are warnings about
evil people who are out to drug you and take your organs and sell them to third
world countries. There are stories of AIDS contaminated needles being stuck on
the handles of gas pumps, stories of the government charging a tax on internet
usage, and that the FCC is planning to ban religious broadcasting.
These things aren’t true, but somehow, there are always
PLENTY of people who will not only believe them, but will pass the stories on
to others.
What’s worse is that this goes way beyond computer hoaxes. It gets into
real people’s lives.
Lesson
Gossip
“Gossip” is saying slanderous, negative things about people.
Sometimes those slanderous things are not true. That’s why we need to be
careful about what we listen to and sometimes the appropriate thing is to
“check” to see if it’s really true.
The Bible has a lot to say about gossip.
(Lev 19:16 NLT) "Do not spread slanderous gossip among your
people. "Do not try to get ahead at the cost of your neighbor's life, for
I am the LORD.
(Prov 11:13 NLT) A gossip
goes around revealing secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a
confidence.
(Prov 16:28 NIV) A perverse
man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.
(Prov 20:19 NLT) A gossip
tells secrets, so don't hang around with someone who talks too much.
(Prov 26:20 NLT) Fire goes
out for lack of fuel, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops.
Illustration
The Gossiper
A woman repeated a bit of gossip about a neighbor. Within a few days the
whole community knew the story. The person it concerned was deeply hurt and
offended. Later the woman responsible for spreading the rumor learned that it
was completely untrue. She was very sorry and went to a wise old sage to find
out what she could do to repair the damage. “Go to the marketplace,” he said,
“and purchase a chicken, and have it killed. Then on your way home, pluck its
feathers and drop them one by one along the road.” Although surprised by this
advice, the woman did what she was told. The next day the wise man said, “Now
go and collect all those feathers you dropped yesterday and bring them back to
me.” The woman followed the same road, but to her dismay, the wind had blown
the feathers all away. After searching for hours, she returned with only three
in her hand. “You see,” said the old sage, “it’s easy to drop them, but it’s
impossible to get them back. So it is with gossip. It doesn’t take much to
spread a rumor, but once you do, you can never completely undo the wrong.”
Author Unknown, Submitted by Helen Hazinski from Chicken Soup for the
Teenage Soul
Copyright 1997 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Kimberly Kirberger
What if the “gossip” is true?
I think that sometimes we are called on to warn others.
Paul did this at times. Paul warned Timothy –
(1 Tim
1:20 KJV) Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan,
that they may learn not to blaspheme.
This “warning” of others shouldn’t take place until you’ve
talked to and confronted the individual you are talking about.
But most of the time, the appropriate thing is not to be passing on the
negative stories, even when it’s true. Usually it is not appropriate to even be
allowing yourself to listen to some of the stories.
The Bible says that love “covers” a multitude of sins.
(Prov
10:12 KJV) Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.
I think that sometimes this means that we give people a
break. Instead of ruining their reputation forever by passing on this juicy
knowledge of their secret sins, we ought to be covering it up and praying for
that person.
:15 Thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of
the sword,
I believe that this is what the Israelites were doing in Judges 20 when
they gathered together to come against the wickedness in one of the cities of
Benjamin.
:16 thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street
thereof, and shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every
whit,
When an idolatrous city like this was to be destroyed, there was to be no
spoil taken. Instead, everything in the city, including everything valuable,
was to be burned and destroyed.
This was to make sure that the reason they were attacking this city was out
of obedience to the Lord, and not because they just wanted to plunder the city
and get rich.
Deuteronomy 14
:1 Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves,
nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.
These were some of the ancient practices of the pagans done to honor their
gods.
Some of the pagans honored their god (the Arabian god Orotal) with the
cutting of their hair, or making cuts in their flesh.
Lesson:
Don't let your appearance make
people think that you worship anybody other than Jesus Christ.
1Th 5:22 Abstain from all
appearance of evil.
I don’t want us to mistake the way a person dresses with what is going on
inside our heart. But if you are dressing in a way that looks evil, think
twice.
I think there’s a balance to this.
I’ve known some Christian musicians who look pretty “rocked out”, but it’s
so they can have an opening into the lives of people who wouldn’t listen to
them otherwise.
Paul wrote:
(1 Cor 9:22 KJV) To the weak
became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men,
that I might by all means save some.
We need to find a balance between relating to people and yet not giving
them the impression that we serve their gods.
:2 to be a peculiar people unto himself
peculiar – segullah –
possession, property; valued property, peculiar treasure. We are God’s
treasures.
:3 Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing.
abominable – tow`ebah – a
disgusting thing, abomination; in ritual sense (of unclean food, idols, mixed
marriages)
:5 The hart …
hart = deer
roebuck = gazelle
fallow deer = roe deer
pygarg = mountain goat
wild ox = antelope
chamois = mountain sheep
:6 And every beast that parteth the hoof … and cheweth the cud among the
beasts
A basic rule for telling clean and unclean animals apart. If it has a cleft
in it’s hoof and it chews the cud, it’s okay.
:7 and the coney
coney = rock badger, a rodent.
:7 therefore they are unclean unto you.
The implications of being
"unclean"
Being unclean wasn’t quite like sinning, but very close.
There was a consequence to being unclean.
If you were involved in unclean things, you could not participate in
worship, and you could not participate in fellowship with God (the peace
offering).
Le 7:21 Moreover the soul
that shall touch any unclean [thing, as] the uncleanness of man, or [any]
unclean beast, or any abominable unclean [thing], and eat of the flesh of the
sacrifice of peace offerings, which [pertain] unto the LORD, even that soul
shall be cut off from his people.
We might call this a “ceremonial” uncleanness. It's not just talking about
germs and disease.
There was a distinction between clean and unclean all the way back to Noah,
way before Moses' time. Noah took into the ark two of every unclean animal and
seven of every clean animal (Gen. 7:1-2).
God didn't tell Noah a lot about which animals were clean and which were
unclean. Apparently, this was something that Noah already understood.
Yet after being in Egypt for 400 years, things weren't so clear anymore.
I think it was because the Israelites had spent too much time in the
worldly land of Egypt.
They no longer understood the differences between clean and unclean.
Lesson:
Be careful about being too much in
the world.
You lose your ability to discern what is pleasing to the Lord and what
isn't.
(Prov 14:7
NASB) Leave the presence of a fool, Or you will not discern words of knowledge.
:8 And the swine
Sorry, no bacon.
:9 all that have fins and scales shall ye eat:
The rule for seafood – fins and scales. Fish stick are okay!
:10 And whatsoever hath not fins and scales ye may not eat; it is unclean
unto you.
No shrimp!
:12 But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the eagle, and the
ossifrage, and the osprey,
ossifrage and osprey = Two types of vultures.
:13 And the glede, and the kite, and the vulture after his kind,
kite = A medium-sized bird of prey
:15 the cuckoo
cuckoo = Possibly the sea gull.
:17 the gier eagle, and the cormorant
gier eagle = the Egyptian vulture
cormorant = A large, black, gooselike bird.
:18 lapwing, and the bat.
lapwing = A beautiful bird with colored plumage.
bat = Buffalo batwings anyone?
Are you upset that we can’t eat fried bat wings? I don’t think so.
Just because it’s in the Law doesn’t mean we’re going to have a problem
with obeying it.
Lesson
Why this diet?
The specific dietary restrictions
no longer apply to us.
Jesus declared that all foods were
now clean (Mar. 7:15-23). He said that it wasn’t what went into a person that
defiled them, but what came out of their heart.
From the time of Jesus, it has become clear that it's not what goes into a
person by way of food that makes them spiritually unclean.
Beyond this, there are a couple of reasons for these laws.
1. Health reasons
Most of the animals on the “unclean” list were scavengers,
carriers of disease.
In the middle ages, during the "black plague",
many people died from the bubonic plague, except the Jews.
Some believed this proved that it was a Jewish plot.
What it actually proved was the superiority of their way
of life, demonstrated by these dietary laws.
God wanted His people healthier than the rest.
In a way, some of these dietary laws aren't all that bad
for us!
2. Holiness
This is the reason that God specifically gives.
vs. 2 – we are a “holy” people.
He wants His people to be Holy, because He is Holy. He
wants His people to be different, set apart from the ways of the world, and
learning to eat what He asks them to eat is a way of teaching them to learn to
depend on God for knowing what is right.
Being holy carries the idea of departing from sin, being
separate from the world.
Some people want to know just how much they can do, and
still call themselves Christians.
God's desire is that we learn to get as far away from sin
as possible.
God wants us to develop sensitivity to Him, a desire to be
pleasing to Him.
:21 Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.
This refers to the cooking of a baby goat or lamb in the milk of its
mother.
Why? I haven’t seen any clear answers, only suggestions. Perhaps the best
suggestion is that God was concerned about people becoming too cruel and crass
as to kill an animal and then boil it in its own mother’s milk.
The Jews carry this law into their dietary customs by not eating dairy and
meat products together.
:22 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field
bringeth forth year by year.
The tithe was a tenth. God reminds the people to not forget to give Him
back the tithe.
This command was considered by Jewish interpreters to be a second
tithe.
Ryrie: Two tithes were required: an annual tithe for the maintenance of the
Levites (Lev. 27:30; Num. 18:21) and a second tithe brought to Jerusalem for the
Lord's feast (Deut. 14:22). Every third year, however, the second tithe was
kept at home and used for the poor (Deut. 14:28).
:23 that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always.
Lesson
Tithing and Fearing
What does tithing have to do with fearing the Lord?
It has to do with learning to trust and obey God, even when sometimes it
doesn’t make sense or seem logical.
There are times when it doesn’t make sense to give, and yet God wants you
to trust Him to take care of your needs. In Haggai’s time, the people had just
returned from Babylon, and it was time to rebuild the temple. Yet the people
got distracted and made their own priorities to be building their own houses
instead.
(Hag
1:3-10 NLT) So the LORD sent this message through the prophet Haggai: {4}
"Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins? {5}
This is what the LORD Almighty says: Consider how things are going for you! {6}
You have planted much but harvested little. You have food to eat, but not
enough to fill you up. You have wine to drink, but not enough to satisfy your
thirst. You have clothing to wear, but not enough to keep you warm. Your wages
disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes! {7}
"This is what the LORD Almighty says: Consider how things are going for
you! {8} Now go up into the hills, bring down timber, and rebuild my house.
Then I will take pleasure in it and be honored, says the LORD. {9} You hoped
for rich harvests, but they were poor. And when you brought your harvest home,
I blew it away. Why? Because my house lies in ruins, says the LORD Almighty,
while you are all busy building your own fine houses. {10} That is why the
heavens have withheld the dew and the earth has withheld its crops.
In Malachi, God challenges the people to put Him first and tithe.
(Mal 3:10
NIV) Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my
house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will
not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you
will not have room enough for it.
This is not just an Old Testament concept. In the New Testament, the
principle is the same, if we put God and make His concerns our concerns, then
He will take care of our needs.
(2 Cor
9:6-8 KJV) But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also
sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. {7}
Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not
grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. {8} And God is
able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all
sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
We need to be careful that we aren’t being pressured by
people to give. But if God is truly leading you in your giving, God will supply
your needs.
:26 strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and
strong drink – (Ryrie) Some think this was fermented, but low in
alcohol content, beer. Others note that Num. 28:7 uses this same word for the
content of a strong drink offering, indicating perhaps that the strong drink
was not drunk by the offerer but used in a drink offering to the Lord. Proverbs
20:1 warns against its use, and Israel did not consume wine or strong drink
during the 40 years in the wilderness (Deut. 29:6).
:26 thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice,
thou, and thine household,
If it was too far to go to the Central Sanctuary (Deu. 12), too far to take
your lambs and cows, then you could sell the animals for money, and buy animals
at the Sanctuary, and still give to God.
:28 At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine
increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates:
Once every three years, this “second tithe” was to be given to the local
synagogue to help support the local Levites and the poor.
Deuteronomy 15
:1 At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release.
This was the “Sabbath Year”.
Every seventh year, there was to be an unconditional forgiveness of the
debts of fellow Israelites. Those who were not Israelites and simply
temporarily living in Israel did not have to be released from their debts.
I wonder if it didn’t also help teach forgiveness.
The concept of forgiveness is the releasing of a debt. I’m not so sure I like
the idea of waiting seven years to forgive someone, but the idea of forcing you
to forgive another person is pretty cool.
:4 Save when there shall be no poor among you;
Better translation: “There should be
no poor among you”
This law was to help keep poverty out of Israel.
Lesson:
Forgiveness makes you wealthy.
Sometimes we can get the false idea that if I just go around forgiving
other people, that people will take advantage of me and I will somehow not be
as strong as a person.
It’s just the opposite. The one who learns how to truly forgive another,
not just because they feel too wimpy to demand judgment, but because they truly
choose to let a debt go, that is a strong person.
:6 For the LORD thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend
unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow
The implication is that if the people would learn to forgive their debtors,
then God would ensure that they would be a prosperous nation. Rather than being
a nation that borrows from others, they would be the ones lending.
Lesson:
Reaping and Sowing.
If you would forgive others, you’ll receive forgiveness.
Jesus said,
(Luke 6:36-38 KJV) Be ye
therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. {37} Judge not, and ye
shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and
ye shall be forgiven: {38} Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure,
pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your
bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to
you again.
Want others to be merciful to you? Be merciful.
:6 and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over
thee
Lesson:
Forgiveness gains control.
Again, we have the concept that forgiving another person makes you weak, it
makes you appear weak to others.
But if you choose not to forgive them, you will live in bitterness and
anger, and in a sense, that person has control over your life to make you
miserable.
You will be better off when you choose to let it go.
:8 But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him
sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth.
wanteth – in what he needs, not our modern “wants”.
Lesson:
Helping the needy
God wants us to be open to the needs of others.
Stay balanced though –
(2 Th 3:10 KJV) For even
when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work,
neither should he eat.
If a person is willing to work, then we ought to be
willing to help. If a person is unwilling to work, and just wants to live off
of the kindness of others, we are doing the wrong thing in helping them.
We need to help others according to what their real need is.
If they aren’t working, then their real need is to get a job and learn to
support themselves.
:9 Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The
seventh year, the year of release, is at hand
The situation is that the seventh year is coming up, and if you lend
something to a poor person, then they won’t have to pay it back, so you don’t
lend to them.
Lesson:
Always lend, always forgive.
This is similar to the thought that says, “This person tries my temper so
much that if I hang around them, I’ll have to forgive them again, so I won’t
hang around them.”
I agree that there’s a time to separate yourself from the wrong kind of
influences.
But we shouldn’t be too quick to give up on people.
:10 God shall bless thee in all thy works,
(Prov 19:17 KJV) He that
hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given
will he pay him again.
(Psa 41:1 KJV) To the chief
Musician, A Psalm of David. Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD
will deliver him in time of trouble.
:12 And if thy brother, an Hebrew man, or an Hebrew woman, be sold unto
thee, and serve thee six years; then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go
free from thee.
Slavery was a way of life. It’s not that much different from much of our
employment situations.
It’s not that God is in favor of slavery, but God was trying to teach His
people how to operate within the system, how to make it better. Ultimately
God’s desire is for all to be free.
If you had a Jewish slave, you were to set them free after six years.
:13 thou shalt not let him go away empty:
God didn’t see the slave as an object. The slave was a person. They
deserved wages.
:17 Then thou shalt take an awl, and thrust it through his ear unto the
door, and he shall be thy servant for ever
Lesson
A willing servant
Piercing the ear was a sign of permanent, willing slavery.
Another way of describing a pierced ear was to call it an ear “that had
been opened”. I believe David is referring to this in the Psalms in regards to
his relationship with God –
(Psa 40:6 KJV)
Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast
thou not required.
David is describing his relationship with God as one of a slave and a
master. A slave that has willingly chosen to stay in the house of his master
because he loves Him. David is saying that God would rather have David as a
willing servant than to have David simply offering gifts and sacrifices to God.
Paul considered himself a slave of God:
(Rom 1:1 KJV) Paul, a
servant of Jesus Christ …
Jesus said,
(Mark 9:35 KJV) And he sat
down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be
first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.
Perhaps we all ought to have our ears pierced.
:18 It shall not seem hard unto thee …
When we’re doing what God requires, we should enjoy the blessing of being
in God’s will. God will take care of you.
Be willing to let go of what God wants you to let go of.
:19 All the firstling males that come of thy herd and of thy flock thou
shalt sanctify unto the LORD thy God
Set them apart by sacrificing them to God.
Giving back to God from the first of what you reap is a way of
acknowledging that He was the one who blessed you.
:21 And if there be any blemish therein…thou shalt not sacrifice it unto
the LORD thy God.
Don’t give God your leftovers. Give God only the best.
Illustration
Best Umbrella
One day while walking with some children and palace attendants, Queen Mary
was caught in a sudden thunderstorm. The queen quickly took shelter on the
porch of a home. To avoid attracting a crowd, she disguised her appearance by
putting on a hat that partly covered her face and a plain coat she borrowed
from one of her attendants. The queen then knocked at the door and asked to
borrow an umbrella. “I’ll send it back tomorrow,” she told the unfriendly woman
who answered the door. Despite the assurances about returning her umbrella, the
woman did not want to lend her best umbrella. So she retrieved an old umbrella
stored in the attic. One rib was broken, and there were several holes in it.
With a haughty attitude and scornful words, she handed it to the unrecognized
monarch. The next day the woman had another visitor—a man with gold braid on
his uniform and an envelope in his hand. “The queen sent me with this letter,”
he said, “and also asked me to thank you personally for the loan of your umbrella.”
The woman was stunned, and then brokenhearted. She burst into tears. “This is
just horrible—I missed an opportunity to give my queen my very best!” she
sobbed. “And my attitude was shameful,” she added.
We can see that there are times to be giving “the best” of what we have. A
Queen deserves the best. The King of Heaven deserves even better. He deserves
the best of whatever we give unto Him, whether it is our time, our efforts, or
our gifts.
:23 Only thou shalt not eat the blood thereof; thou shalt pour it upon the
ground as water.
Lev. 17:10-11 – don’t spoil the blood symbolism.