Day 79 of the 3rd Bible Study Journey - 20 March 2023 reflections
Day 79, 20 Mar 2023
1) Deuteronomy 30 - 32
DEUTERONOMY 30
The Promise of Restoration
1 (Dt 30:15; 30:19) When all these things happen to you, the blessing
and the curse, which I have set before you, and you remember them among
all the nations, where the Lord your God has driven you,
2 (Ne 1:9; Joel 2:12-13) then you must return to the Lord your God and obey
His voice according to all that I am commanding you today, you
and your children, with all your heart, and with all your soul.
3 (Ps 147:2; Jer 29:14) Then the Lord your God will overturn your captivity
and have compassion on you and will return and gather you
from all the nations, where the Lord your God has scattered you.
4 (Ne 1:9; Dt 28:64) If any of you are driven out to the outmost parts
of heaven, from there will the Lord your God gather you,
and from there He will get you.
5 The Lord your God will bring you to the land which your fathers
possessed, and you shall possess it. He will prosper you and multiply
you more than your fathers.
6 (Dt 10:16; Jer 32:39; Dt 6:5) The Lord your God will circumcise
your heart and the heart of your descendants to love the Lord your God
with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.
7 The Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies, on them
who hate you, who persecuted you. 8You will return and obey the voice
of the Lord, and obey all His commandments which I am commanding you today.
9 (Jer 32:41; Dt 28:63) The Lord your God will make you prosper in every work
of your hand, in the offspring of your body, and in the offspring
of your livestock, and in the produce of your land, for good.
For the Lord will once again rejoice over you for good, just as He rejoiced
over your fathers,
10 if you obey the voice of the Lord your God, by keeping
His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Law,
and if you return to the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul.
The Choice of Life or Death
11 (Isa 45:19) This commandment which I am commanding you
today is not hidden from you, nor is it far off.
12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, "Who will go up for us to heaven
and bring it to us, so that we may hear it and do it?"
13 It is not beyond the sea, so that you should say,
"Who shall go over the sea for us and bring it to us,
so that we may hear it and do it?"
14 But the word is very near to you, in your mouth,
and in your heart, so that you may do it.
15 (Dt 11:26; 30:19) See, today I have set before you life and prosperity,
and death and disaster.
16 (Dt 30:6) What I am commanding you today is to love the Lord your God,
to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes
and His judgments, so that you may live and multiply. Then the Lord
your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess.
17 But if your heart turns away, so that you do not obey,
but are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them,
18 then I declare to you today that you will surely perish
and that you will not prolong your days in the land which
you are crossing the Jordan to go in and possess.
19 (Dt 4:26; 30:1) I call heaven and earth to witnesses against you
this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse.
Therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;
20 (Dt 10:20; Ps 27:1) that you may love the Lord your God, that you may
obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life
and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land
that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
to give them.
Deuteronomy 30
[1] And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the
blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call
them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven
thee,
[2] And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice
according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with
all thine heart, and with all thy soul;
[3] That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion
upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the
LORD thy God hath scattered thee.
[4] If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from
thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch
thee:
[5] And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers
possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply
thee above thy fathers.
[6] And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy
seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul,
that thou mayest live.
[7] And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and
on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee.
[8] And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the LORD, and do all his
commandments which I command thee this day.
[9] And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine
hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the
fruit of thy land, for good: for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for
good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers:
[10] If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his
commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and
if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy
soul.
[11] For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden
from thee, neither is it far off.
[12] It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to
heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
[13] Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go
over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
[14] But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart,
that thou mayest do it.
[15] See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;
[16] 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 statutes 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.
[17] But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be
drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;
[18] I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye
shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan
to go to possess it.
[19] I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set
before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that
both thou and thy seed may live:
[20] That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his
voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the
length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware
unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
DEUTERONOMY 31
Joshua to Succeed Moses
1 Then Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel.
2 (Dt 34:7; Nu 27:17; 1Ki 3:7) He said to them,
"I am 120 old today. I can no longer come and go.
Also, the Lord has said to me, 'You may not cross over the Jordan.'
3 (Dt 9:3; 3:28) The Lord your God will cross over before you.
He will destroy these nations before you, you will possess them,
and Joshua will cross over before you, just as the Lord has said.
4 (Dt 2:33) The Lord will do to them as He did to Sihon and to Og,
the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, which He destroyed.
5 (Dt 7:2) The Lord will give them up before you, so that you may
do to them according to all the commandments which I have commanded you.
6 (Jos 10:25; 1Ch 22:13) Be strong and of a good courage. Fear not,
nor be afraid of them, for the Lord your God, it is He who goes with you.
He will not fail you, nor forsake you."
7 (Dt 3:28; 1:38; 31:6) Moses called to Joshua, and said to him
in the sight of all Israel, "Be strong and of good courage,
for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord
has sworn to their fathers to give them,
and you will enable them to inherit it.
8 (Ex 33:14; Dt 31:6) The Lord, He goes before you. He will be with you.
He will not fail you nor forsake you. Do not fear, nor be dismayed."
9 (Nu 4:15; Jos 3:3) Moses wrote this law and delivered it to the priests,
the sons of Levi who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord,
and to all the elders of Israel.
10 (Dt 15:1-2) Moses commanded them, saying,
"At the end of every seven years, at the time
of the year of the cancellation of debts, at the Feast of Tabernacles,
11 (2Ki 23:2; Jos 8:34-35) when all Israel has come to appear before
the Lord your God in the place which He will choose, you must read
this law before all Israel in their hearing.
12 (Dt 4:10) Gather the people together, men, women, children,
and your foreigner who is within your towns, so that they may hear
and learn and fear the Lord your God,
and observe to do all the words of this law.
13 (Dt 11:2) Their children, who have not known it, may hear
and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as you live in the
land which you cross the Jordan to possess."
Prediction of Israel's Rebellion
14 (Nu 27:13; Dt 31:23) The Lord said to Moses, "Indeed, your days draw
near when you must die. Call Joshua, and present yourselves
in the tent of meeting, so that I may commission him."
So Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tent of meeting.
15 The Lord appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud,
and the pillar of cloud stood over the door of the tent.
16 (Jdg 2:12; 10:6) The Lord said to Moses, "You are about to lie down
with your fathers, and this people will rise up and begin to prostitute
themselves after the gods of the foreigners of the land,
where they are going to be among them, and will forsake Me
and break My covenant which I have made with them.
17 (Nu 14:42; Jdg 6:13) Then My anger will burn against them on that day,
and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them,
and they will be devoured, and many disasters
and troubles will befall them, so that they will say in that day,
'Have not these disasters come upon us because our God is not among us?'
18 And I will surely hide My face in that day for all the evil things which
they shall have done, in that they turned to other gods.
19 (Dt 6:7; 31:21-22) "Now therefore write yourself this song
and teach it to the children of Israel. Put it on their mouths,
so that this song may be a witness for Me against the children of Israel.
20 (Ne 9:25-26; Dt 6:10-12) For when I have brought them into the land
which I swore to their fathers, flowing with milk and honey,
and they have eaten, and filled themselves, and become fat,
then they will turn to other gods, and serve them,
and provoke Me, and break My covenant.
21 (Hos 5:3; Jn 2:24-25) Then when many disasters and troubles have fallen
on them, this song will testify against them as a witness, for it must not be
forgotten from the mouths of their descendants. For I know their intention
which they are developing even now,
before I have brought them into the land which I promised."
22 (Dt 31:19) Therefore, Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught
it to the children of Israel.
23 (Dt 31:7-8; 31:14) He gave Joshua, the son of Nun, an exhortation,
and said, "Be strong and of a good courage,
for you will bring the children of Israel into the land
which I swore to them, and I will be with you."
24 (Dt 31:9) When Moses had finished writing the words of this law in a book,
until they were completed,
25 then Moses commanded the Levites,
who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying,
26 (Dt 31:19) "Take this Book of the Law, and put it inside the ark of the
covenant of the Lord your God, so that it may be there for a witness
against you.
27 (Dt 9:24; 32:20) For I know your rebellion and your stiff neck.
Even now, while I am yet alive with you today, you have been rebellious
against the Lord. How much more after my death?
28 (Dt 4:26; 32:1) Gather to me all the elders of your tribes,
and your officers, so that I may speak these words in their hearing
and call heaven and earth to witness against them.
29 (Jdg 2:19; Ge 49:1) For I know that after my death you will utterly
corrupt yourselves and turn aside from the way which I have commanded
you, and disaster will befall you in the latter days,
because you will do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger
through the work of your hands."
Deuteronomy 31
[1] And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel.
[2] And he said unto them, I am an hundred and twenty years old this day; I
can no more go out and come in: also the LORD hath said unto me, Thou shalt
not go over this Jordan.
[3] The LORD thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these
nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: and Joshua, he shall
go over before thee, as the LORD hath said.
[4] And the LORD shall do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, kings of
the Amorites, and unto the land of them, whom he destroyed.
[5] And the LORD shall give them up before your face, that ye may do unto
them according unto all the commandments which I have commanded you.
[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.
[7] And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all
Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people
unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and
thou shalt cause them to inherit it.
[8] And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee,
he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
[9] And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of
Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and unto all the
elders of Israel.
[10] And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in
the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles,
[11] When all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place
which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their
hearing.
[12] Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy
stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may
learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this
law:
[13] And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and
learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye
go over Jordan to possess it.
[14] And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou must
die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the
congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and
presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation.
[15] And the LORD appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud: and the
pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle.
[16] And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy
fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of
the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will
forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.
[17] Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will
forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured,
and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that
day. Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us?
[18] And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they
shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.
[19] Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of
Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me
against the children of Israel.
[20] For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto
their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten
and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods,
and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant.
[21] And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen
them, that this song shall testify against them as a witness; for it shall
not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for I know their
imagination which they go about, even now, before I have brought them into
the land which I sware.
[22] Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it the
children of Israel.
[23] And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of
a good courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land
which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee.
[24] And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of
this law in a book, until they were finished,
[25] That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of
the LORD, saying,
[26] Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the
covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against
thee.
[27] For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet
alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the LORD; and how
much more after my death?
[28] Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I
may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to record
against them.
[29] For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and
turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you
in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to
provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.
The Song of Moses
30 Moses spoke the words of this song until they were finished,
in the hearing of all the assembly of Israel:
Deuteronomy 31
[30] And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words
of this song, until they were ended.
DEUTERONOMY 32
1 (Dt 4:26; Isa 1:2) Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak;
hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.
2 (Ps 72:6; Isa 55:10-11) My teaching will drop like the rain,
my sayings will distill as the dew,
as the droplets on the grass,
and as the showers on the herb.
3 (Jer 10:6; Dt 3:24) For I will proclaim the name of the Lord:
Ascribe greatness to our God!
4 (Dt 32:18; Ps 92:15) He is the Rock; His work is perfect;
for all His ways are just.
He is a God of faithfulness and without injustice;
righteous and upright is He.
5 (Dt 31:29; Isa 1:4) They have acted corruptly to Him;
they are not His children, but blemished;
they are a perverse and crooked generation.
6 (Isa 63:16; Ps 74:2; Dt 32:15) Is this how you repay the Lord,
you foolish and unwise people?
Is He not your father, who has bought you?
Has He not made you, and established you?
7 (Ps 44:1; Ex 13:14) Remember the days of old,
consider the years of previous generations.
Ask your father, and he will show you;
your elders, and they will tell you:
8 (Ac 17:26) When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance,
when He separated the sons of man,Or Adam.
He set the boundaries of the peoples
according to the number of the children of Israel.
9 (Jer 10:16; 1Sa 10:1) For the Lord's portion is His people;
Jacob is the allotment of His inheritance.
10 (Ps 17:8; Zec 2:8) He found him in a desert land
and in the howling waste of a wilderness;
He led him about, He instructed him,
He protected him like the pupil of His eye.
11 (Ex 19:4) Like an eagle stirs up her nest,
that flutters over her young,
He spread out his wings and took him;
He lifted him on His pinions;
12 (Ps 78:52-53) the Lord alone guided him,
and there was no foreign god with him.
13 (Job 29:6; Isa 58:14) He made him ride on the high places of the earth,
and he ate of the produce of the fields;
He made him suck honey out of the rock
and oil out of the flinty rock,
14 (Ge 49:11; Ps 81:16) butter from the herd,
and milk from the flock,
along with the fat of lambs,
and rams of the breed from Bashan,
and goats,
with the best of the kernels of wheat;
you drank the pure blood of the grape.
15 (Dt 31:20; 32:4; Ps 89:26) But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked;
you grew fat, you grew thick;
you are covered with fat.
Then he forsook God who made him,
and devalued the Rock of his salvation.
16 (Ps 78:58; 1Co 10:22) They made Him jealous with strange gods;
with abominations they provoked Him to anger.
17 (Jdg 5:8; Dt 28:64) They sacrificed to demons, not to God,
to gods whom they knew not,
to new gods that recently came along,
whom your fathers did not fear.
18 (Isa 17:10; Dt 32:4; Ps 106:21) You have forgotten the Rock who begot you;
you are unmindful, and have forgotten the God who gave you birth.
19 (Ps 106:40; Jdg 2:14) When the Lord saw it, He despised them,
because of the provocation of His sons and daughters.
20 (Dt 32:5) He said: I will hide My face from them;
I will see what their end will be,
for they are a very perverse generation,
children in whom there is no loyalty.
21 (1Ki 16:13; 16:26) They have made Me jealous with that which is not God;
they have provoked Me to anger with their empty things.
And I will make them jealous of those who are not a people;
I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.
22 (La 4:11; Jer 15:14) For a fire has been inflamed by My anger,
and it will burn to the lowest part of Sheol,
Or the lowest depths of the earth or underworld.
and shall consume the earth and its produce,
and ignite the foundations of the mountains.
23 (Eze 5:16; Ps 7:12-13) I will heap misfortunes on them;
I will use My arrows on them.
24 (Lev 26:22; Eze 5:17) They will be starved by famine,
and consumed by plague and bitter destruction;
I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them,
with the poison of crawling creatures in the dust.
25 (Eze 7:15; La 1:20) The sword outside and terror within will destroy
both the young man and the virgin,
the infant along with the man of gray hair.
26 (Dt 28:64) I said, "I want to cut them into pieces,
I will cause the memory of them to disappear from among men,"
27 (Ps 140:8) however, I feared the wrath of the enemy,
that their adversaries would misunderstand
and say, "Our hand is victorious,
and the Lord has not done all this."
28 (Dt 32:6; Isa 27:11) For they are a nation devoid of counsel;
there is no understanding in them.
29 (Dt 5:29; Ps 81:13) Would that they were wise,
so that they understood this,
so that they would comprehend their future!
30 (Lev 26:8; Ps 44:12) How should one chase a thousand,
and two put ten thousand to flight,
unless their Rock had sold them,
and the Lord had given them up?
31 (Ex 14:25; 1Sa 2:2) For their rock is not as our Rock;
even our enemies themselves concede this.
32 (Dt 29:18; Isa 1:10) For their vine is from the vine of Sodom
and from the fields of Gomorrah;
their grapes are grapes of poison;
their clusters are bitter.
33 (Ps 58:4) Their wine is the poison of dragons
and the deadly venom of cobras.
34 (Job 14:17; Hos 13:12) Is not this laid up in store with Me
and sealed up among My treasures?
35 (Ro 12:19; Heb 10:30) Vengeance is Mine, and recompense;
their foot will slip in due time;
for the day of their calamity is at hand,
and the things to come hasten upon them.
36 (Ps 135:14; Jdg 2:18) For the Lord will judge His people,
and relent in regard to His servants,
when He sees that their power is gone
and there is no one left, whether restrained or free.
37 (Jdg 10:14; Jer 2:28) He will say: Where are their gods,
their rock in whom they trusted,
38 which ate the fat of their sacrifices
and drank the wine of their drink offerings?
Let them rise up and help you
and be your protection.
39 (1Sa 2:6; Isa 45:5; 41:4) See now that I, even I, am He,
and there is no god besides Me;
I kill, and I make alive;
I wound, and I heal;
there is no one who can deliver out of My hand.
40 (Ge 14:22) For I lift up My hand to heaven,
and say: As I live forever,
41 (Isa 66:16; Ps 7:12) if I sharpen My flashing sword
and My hand takes hold on judgment,
I will render vengeance on My enemies
and will repay those who hate Me.
42 (Dt 32:23; Jer 46:10) I will make My arrows drunk with blood,
and My sword shall devour flesh,
with the blood of the slain and of the captives,
from the heads of the leaders of the enemies.
43 (Rev 19:2; Ps 85:1) Rejoice, O you nations, with His people;
for He will avenge the blood of His servants
and will render vengeance on His adversaries
and will be merciful to His land and people.
44 (Nu 13:8; 13:16) Moses came and spoke all the words of this song
in the hearing of the people, he, with Joshua, the son of Nun.
45 When Moses finished speaking all these words to all Israel,
46 (Eze 40:4; Dt 11:18) he said to them, "Set your hearts on all the words
which I testify among you today, which you shall command your children
to be careful to observe, all the words of this law.
47 (Lev 18:5) For it is no idle word for you, because it is your life,
and by this word you will prolong your days in the land which
you cross over the Jordan to possess."
Moses to Die on Mount Nebo
48 The Lord spoke to Moses that same day, saying,
49 (Nu 27:12) "Go up to this mountain of the Abarim, to Mount Nebo,
which is in the land of Moab opposite Jericho, and look at the land of
Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel for a possession.
50 (Ge 25:8; Nu 33:38) Die on the mount where you go up,
and be gathered to your people, just as Aaron, your brother,
died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people,
51 (Nu 27:14) because you trespassed against Me
among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah Kadesh,
in the Wilderness of Zin, because you did not treat Me as holy
in the midst of the children of Israel.
52 (Dt 34:1-4) Nevertheless, you will see the land before you,
but you may not go there, to the land which I am giving
to the children of Israel."
Deuteronomy 32
[1] Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak;
and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.
[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:
[3] Because I will publish the name of the LORD:
ascribe ye greatness unto our God.
[4] He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment:
a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.
[5] They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his
children: they are a perverse and crooked generation.
[6] Do ye thus requite the LORD, O foolish people and unwise?
is not he thy father that hath bought thee?
hath he not made thee, and established thee?
[7] Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father,
and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee.
[8] When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he
separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according
to the number of the children of Israel.
[9] For the LORD's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his
inheritance.
[10] He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness;
he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.
[11] As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth
abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings:
[12] So the LORD alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him.
[13] He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the
increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and
oil out of the flinty rock;
[14] Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the
breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou didst
drink the pure blood of the grape.
[15] But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown
thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him,
and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.
[16] They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations
provoked they him to anger.
[17] They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to
new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.
[18] Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God
that formed thee.
[19] And when the LORD saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of
his sons, and of his daughters.
[20] And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end
shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no
faith.
[21] They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have
provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy
with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a
foolish nation.
[22] For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest
hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the
foundations of the mountains.
[23] I will heap mischiefs upon them; I will spend mine arrows upon them.
[24] They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and
with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them,
with the poison of serpents of the dust.
[25] The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man
and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs.
[26] I said, I would scatter them into corners, I would make the remembrance
of them to cease from among men:
[27] Were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, lest their
adversaries should behave themselves strangely, and lest they should say,
Our hand is high, and the LORD hath not done all this.
[28] For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any
understanding in them.
[29] O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would
consider their latter end!
[30] How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight,
except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up?
[31] For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being
judges.
[32] For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah:
their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter:
[33] Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps.
[34] Is not this laid up in store with me, and sealed up among my treasures?
[35] To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in
due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that
shall come upon them make haste.
[36] For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself for his
servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up,
or left.
[37] And he shall say, Where are their gods, their rock in whom they
trusted,
[38] Which did eat the fat of their sacrifices, and drank the wine of their
drink offerings? let them rise up and help you, and be your protection.
[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.
[40] For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever.
[41] If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I
will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me.
[42] I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour
flesh; and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the
beginning of revenges upon the enemy.
[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.
[44] And Moses came and spake all the words of this song in the ears of the
people, he, and Hoshea the son of Nun.
[45] And Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel:
[46] And he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I
testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe
to do, all the words of this law.
[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.
[48] And the LORD spake unto Moses that selfsame day, saying,
[49] Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the
land of Moab, that is over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan,
which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession:
[50] And die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy
people; as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his
people:
[51] Because ye trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the
waters of Meribah-Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because ye sanctified me
not in the midst of the children of Israel.
[52] Yet thou shalt see the land before thee; but thou shalt not go thither
unto the land which I give the children of Israel.
2) Our Daily Bread for 20 March 2023 titled
Catching Contentment
Psalm 131
Psalms 131
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1 Lord, my heart is not haughty,
my eyes are not raised too high.
I have not striven for enormities,
for things too wonderful for me.
2 (Ps 63:1; 84:2) I composed and quieted my desire,
like a child given suck by his mother;
like a child who sucks is my desire within me.
3 (Ps 79:10; 80:5) Let Israel hope in the Lord
from now and forever.
Psalms 131
[1] LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I
exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.
[2] Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of
his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child.
[3] Let Israel hope in the LORD from henceforth and for ever
In a psychiatrist's advice column, he responded to a reader named Brenda,
who lamented that her ambitious pursuits had left her discontented. His
words were blunt. Humans aren't designed to be happy, he said, "only to
survive and reproduce." We're cursed to chase the "teasing and elusive
butterfly" of contentment, he added, "not always to capture it."
I wonder how Brenda felt reading the psychiatrist's nihilistic words
and how different she may have felt had she read Psalm 131 instead. In its
words, David gives us a guided reflection on how to find contentment. He
begins in a posture of humility, putting his kingly ambitions aside, and
while wrestling life's big questions is important, he puts those aside too
(v. 1). Then he quiets his heart before God (v. 2), entrusting the future
into His hands (v. 3). The result is beautiful (v. 2).
In a broken world like ours, contentment will at times feel elusive. In
Philippians 4:11–13, the apostle Paul said contentment is something to be
learned. But if we believe we're only designed to "survive and reproduce,"
contentment will surely be an uncatchable butterfly. David shows us another
way: catching contentment through quietly resting in God’s presence.
By: Sheridan Voysey
Reflect & Pray
When do you most feel content?
How could you set aside unhurried time to be quietly present with God today?
Dear God, I rest in You, the deepest well of my truest contentment.
3) Daily verses taken from Billy Graham Evangelical Organisation
Words in Season Scripture Memory Tools
Week 7 Promises of Grace - Day 2 - Due Season
Gal 6:9
9 And let us not grow weary in doing good,
for in due season we shall reap, if we do not give up.
9 And let us not be weary in well doing:
for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Jackie's preschool class took on an exciting project: they were going to grow
flowers from seeds, Each child took the seed, planted it carefully in the
bedding soil, watered, and waited. But Jackie couldn't wait. Every day
for a week he ran to the window box, looked for his plants, poked, prodded,
unplanted the seeds and then planted them again. "It's no use,"
he pouted after the first week. "Nothing's gonna grow in there."
We live in an instant society - microwave dinners, quick fixes, easy answers.
We are conditioned by our environment to expect - even to demand -
immediate response, and when we have to wait,
we become impatient and irritable.
Paul's exhortation to the Galatians, "Let us not become weary in doing good,"
is as appropriate for twentieth-century believers as it was for the new church
at Galatia. We lose motivation when we don't see results,
and weariness sets in.
If our work does not seem to be producing as we hope, we want to abandon it
and move on to a new project.
But God says, "You will reap a harvest if you don't give up." We give up too
soon in our prayers for a loved one's salvation. We abandon hope too readily
when we don't see spiritual growth in our own lives, when our investment in
another's spiritual maturity seems to have no return. The Lord says,
"The harvest is coming; be patient; trust me."
In due season the harvest comes; when it's the right time. When the seed has
had time to germinate, when the roots are string enough, when the conditions
are right, the reaping time will come. But we must be willing to wait for
the due season, the moment of ripeness, when our labor brings its return.
Application
a) Have I ever felt that my spiritual labours have produced no harvest at all?
b) What does it mean to my own spiritual growth that there is a "due season"
for reaping the harvest?
4) From Prosperity Promises - Kenneth Copeland
Hebr 11:6
6 (1Ch 28:9; Jer 29:13-14) And without faith it is impossible to please God,
for he who comes to God must believe that He exists
and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh
to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them
that diligently seek him.
5) From a Book called God's Promises for you:
When you are Burdened by Doubt
Matt 7:7-11
Ask, Seek, Knock
Lk 11:9-13
7(Mt 21:22; Mk 11:24) "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;
knock and it will be opened to you.
8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds,
and to him who knocks, it will be opened.
9 "What man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread,
will give him a stone?
10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a snake?
11 (Ge 6:5; 8:21) If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts
to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give
good things to those who ask Him!
7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock,
and it shall be opened unto you:
8 for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth;
and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread,
will he give him a stone?
10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children,
how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things
to them that ask him?
Remember God's promises when You pray
The Lord's prayer
Matthew 6:9-13
9 "Therefore pray in this manner:
Our Father who is in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
10 (Mt 3:2; 4:17) Your kingdom come;
Your will be done
on earth, as it is in heaven.
11 (Pr 30:8; Isa 33:16) Give us this day our daily bread.
12 (Ex 34:7; Ps 32:1) And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
13 (1Co 10:13; Jn 17:15) And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."
9 After this manner therefore pray ye:
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
6) This come from Praying for Muslims in Canada 2015 (Is there a 2021 edition?)
Saskatchewan
Quick facts on Muslims in Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan 2015 population 1125400
est Muslim Population 17279
CNMM Networks: Saskatoon
Saskatoon has seen quick growth in its Muslim population over the past
5 years, which maybe as high as 5000 today. Islamic leaders have
focused specifically on this city , having twice already sent cohorts
of about 70 families to start mosques. There are now 7 Islamic centres
of worship and an Islamic madrassah (school) located right next to a
Christian school.
Of particular concern recently is the number of young adults who grew up
in evangelical churches and converted to Islam. Most of these are young
women who were wooed by Muslim man and became emotionally bonded.
Both prior to and after marrying, these women are known to convert to ISlam.
Agree in prayer with us for:
- entire congregations and individual believers to catch God's heart
and passion for reaching Muslims in Saskatoon and the other growing
Muslim population centres of Saskatchewan.
- for the eyes and understanding of Canadian youth to be opened to the
spiritual reality of Islam, and not deceived nor manipulated into
converting to a religion which cannot offer assurance of salvation.
- for the few workers among Muslims now engaged there, and for many more
to be raised up into effective witness.
- for prayer and training events that are starting in Saskatoon
to spread and grow to other cities.
Adding further
DAY 3 MARCH 20
Old meets new in the city of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.
As you walk along the cobblestone streets of the Old
City, the Flame Towers--a trio of dazzling skyscrapers constructed to appear
like a flame in the sky--soar above the weathered storefronts.
As governmental persecution has sought to extinguish the
fire of the underground church in the capital, may the "pillars of fire"
symbolise the burning hearts for Jesus that will rise
up and be the defining characteristic of
Baku and the people of Azerbaijan.
Prayer Emphasis
- Pray for Scripture-based revelation over
the underground house churches as they
send teams in the 22 languages in Baku,
especially the Azerbaijani, Tatar, and
Southern Uzbek people groups.
- Pray for the glory of God's presence and
the power of the Spirit to equip new
Jesus-followers.
- Pray for the regional house church training
center to be protected by God's warring
angels, and to be resourced with tools and
training.
- Pray for the Kingdom of God to destroy
the evil destructive work of the devil, and
for the exaltation of the Prince of Peace.
People Group Focus
Azerbaijani
Tatar
Southern Uzbek
My paternal side is of Muslim heritage and will offer this section to further
call for Muslim converts to Christian and any other converts to Christianity
(Hindus, Jews, aboriginals Canadian, ...) .
7) Prayers for the nation (Canada) coming from Prayer map of Canada
http://www.ehc.ca
20th Day of the Month
a) Pray for the children of Canada, that they would come to know
Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord.
( Matthew 19:14
14 (Mt 18:3; Lk 18:16-17)
But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me,
and do not forbid them. For to such belongs the kingdom of heaven."
14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not,
to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
)
b) Pray that Christians will recognise that our struggle is not
against the natural world but against invisible spiritual forces.
(
Eph 6:12
12 (Eph 1:3; 1:21) For our fight is not against flesh and blood,
but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers
of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual forces
of evil in the heavenly places.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places.
)
Conclusion:
Pray to the Lord to remember His rewards in Blessings.
Pray to the Lord and pray for Him for obedience and successfulness.
Pray to the Lord:
"Dear God, I rest in You, the deepest well of my truest contentment."
Pray to the Lord and pray not to tire for We will Reap in Due time.
Pray to the Lord and pray to seek Him in Faith.
Pray to the Lord and pray to seek Him persistently.
Agree in prayer with us for:
- entire congregations and individual believers to catch God's heart
and passion for reaching Muslims in Saskatoon and the other growing
Muslim population centres of Saskatchewan.
- for the eyes and understanding of Canadian youth to be opened to the
spiritual reality of Islam, and not deceived nor manipulated into
converting to a religion which cannot offer assurance of salvation.
- for the few workers among Muslims now engaged there, and for many more
to be raised up into effective witness.
- for prayer and training events that are starting in Saskatoon
to spread and grow to other cities.
- Pray for Scripture-based revelation over
the underground house churches as they
send teams in the 22 languages in Baku,
especially the Azerbaijani, Tatar, and
Southern Uzbek people groups.
- Pray for the glory of God's presence and
the power of the Spirit to equip new
Jesus-followers.
- Pray for the regional house church training
center to be protected by God's warring
angels, and to be resourced with tools and
training.
- Pray for the Kingdom of God to destroy
the evil destructive work of the devil, and
for the exaltation of the Prince of Peace.
Pray for the children of Canada, that they would come to know
Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord.
Pray that Christians will recognise that our struggle is not
against the natural world but against invisible spiritual forces.
Pray that Brunei Christians will continue to proclaim the Gospel
despite the threat of fines and imprisonment.
1) Deuteronomy 30 - 32
DEUTERONOMY 30
The Promise of Restoration
1 (Dt 30:15; 30:19) When all these things happen to you, the blessing
and the curse, which I have set before you, and you remember them among
all the nations, where the Lord your God has driven you,
2 (Ne 1:9; Joel 2:12-13) then you must return to the Lord your God and obey
His voice according to all that I am commanding you today, you
and your children, with all your heart, and with all your soul.
3 (Ps 147:2; Jer 29:14) Then the Lord your God will overturn your captivity
and have compassion on you and will return and gather you
from all the nations, where the Lord your God has scattered you.
4 (Ne 1:9; Dt 28:64) If any of you are driven out to the outmost parts
of heaven, from there will the Lord your God gather you,
and from there He will get you.
5 The Lord your God will bring you to the land which your fathers
possessed, and you shall possess it. He will prosper you and multiply
you more than your fathers.
6 (Dt 10:16; Jer 32:39; Dt 6:5) The Lord your God will circumcise
your heart and the heart of your descendants to love the Lord your God
with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.
7 The Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies, on them
who hate you, who persecuted you. 8You will return and obey the voice
of the Lord, and obey all His commandments which I am commanding you today.
9 (Jer 32:41; Dt 28:63) The Lord your God will make you prosper in every work
of your hand, in the offspring of your body, and in the offspring
of your livestock, and in the produce of your land, for good.
For the Lord will once again rejoice over you for good, just as He rejoiced
over your fathers,
10 if you obey the voice of the Lord your God, by keeping
His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Law,
and if you return to the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul.
The Choice of Life or Death
11 (Isa 45:19) This commandment which I am commanding you
today is not hidden from you, nor is it far off.
12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, "Who will go up for us to heaven
and bring it to us, so that we may hear it and do it?"
13 It is not beyond the sea, so that you should say,
"Who shall go over the sea for us and bring it to us,
so that we may hear it and do it?"
14 But the word is very near to you, in your mouth,
and in your heart, so that you may do it.
15 (Dt 11:26; 30:19) See, today I have set before you life and prosperity,
and death and disaster.
16 (Dt 30:6) What I am commanding you today is to love the Lord your God,
to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes
and His judgments, so that you may live and multiply. Then the Lord
your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess.
17 But if your heart turns away, so that you do not obey,
but are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them,
18 then I declare to you today that you will surely perish
and that you will not prolong your days in the land which
you are crossing the Jordan to go in and possess.
19 (Dt 4:26; 30:1) I call heaven and earth to witnesses against you
this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse.
Therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;
20 (Dt 10:20; Ps 27:1) that you may love the Lord your God, that you may
obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life
and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land
that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
to give them.
Deuteronomy 30
[1] And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the
blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call
them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven
thee,
[2] And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice
according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with
all thine heart, and with all thy soul;
[3] That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion
upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the
LORD thy God hath scattered thee.
[4] If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from
thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch
thee:
[5] And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers
possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply
thee above thy fathers.
[6] And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy
seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul,
that thou mayest live.
[7] And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and
on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee.
[8] And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the LORD, and do all his
commandments which I command thee this day.
[9] And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine
hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the
fruit of thy land, for good: for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for
good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers:
[10] If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his
commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and
if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy
soul.
[11] For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden
from thee, neither is it far off.
[12] It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to
heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
[13] Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go
over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
[14] But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart,
that thou mayest do it.
[15] See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;
[16] 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 statutes 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.
[17] But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be
drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;
[18] I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye
shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan
to go to possess it.
[19] I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set
before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that
both thou and thy seed may live:
[20] That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his
voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the
length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware
unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
DEUTERONOMY 31
Joshua to Succeed Moses
1 Then Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel.
2 (Dt 34:7; Nu 27:17; 1Ki 3:7) He said to them,
"I am 120 old today. I can no longer come and go.
Also, the Lord has said to me, 'You may not cross over the Jordan.'
3 (Dt 9:3; 3:28) The Lord your God will cross over before you.
He will destroy these nations before you, you will possess them,
and Joshua will cross over before you, just as the Lord has said.
4 (Dt 2:33) The Lord will do to them as He did to Sihon and to Og,
the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, which He destroyed.
5 (Dt 7:2) The Lord will give them up before you, so that you may
do to them according to all the commandments which I have commanded you.
6 (Jos 10:25; 1Ch 22:13) Be strong and of a good courage. Fear not,
nor be afraid of them, for the Lord your God, it is He who goes with you.
He will not fail you, nor forsake you."
7 (Dt 3:28; 1:38; 31:6) Moses called to Joshua, and said to him
in the sight of all Israel, "Be strong and of good courage,
for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord
has sworn to their fathers to give them,
and you will enable them to inherit it.
8 (Ex 33:14; Dt 31:6) The Lord, He goes before you. He will be with you.
He will not fail you nor forsake you. Do not fear, nor be dismayed."
9 (Nu 4:15; Jos 3:3) Moses wrote this law and delivered it to the priests,
the sons of Levi who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord,
and to all the elders of Israel.
10 (Dt 15:1-2) Moses commanded them, saying,
"At the end of every seven years, at the time
of the year of the cancellation of debts, at the Feast of Tabernacles,
11 (2Ki 23:2; Jos 8:34-35) when all Israel has come to appear before
the Lord your God in the place which He will choose, you must read
this law before all Israel in their hearing.
12 (Dt 4:10) Gather the people together, men, women, children,
and your foreigner who is within your towns, so that they may hear
and learn and fear the Lord your God,
and observe to do all the words of this law.
13 (Dt 11:2) Their children, who have not known it, may hear
and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as you live in the
land which you cross the Jordan to possess."
Prediction of Israel's Rebellion
14 (Nu 27:13; Dt 31:23) The Lord said to Moses, "Indeed, your days draw
near when you must die. Call Joshua, and present yourselves
in the tent of meeting, so that I may commission him."
So Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tent of meeting.
15 The Lord appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud,
and the pillar of cloud stood over the door of the tent.
16 (Jdg 2:12; 10:6) The Lord said to Moses, "You are about to lie down
with your fathers, and this people will rise up and begin to prostitute
themselves after the gods of the foreigners of the land,
where they are going to be among them, and will forsake Me
and break My covenant which I have made with them.
17 (Nu 14:42; Jdg 6:13) Then My anger will burn against them on that day,
and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them,
and they will be devoured, and many disasters
and troubles will befall them, so that they will say in that day,
'Have not these disasters come upon us because our God is not among us?'
18 And I will surely hide My face in that day for all the evil things which
they shall have done, in that they turned to other gods.
19 (Dt 6:7; 31:21-22) "Now therefore write yourself this song
and teach it to the children of Israel. Put it on their mouths,
so that this song may be a witness for Me against the children of Israel.
20 (Ne 9:25-26; Dt 6:10-12) For when I have brought them into the land
which I swore to their fathers, flowing with milk and honey,
and they have eaten, and filled themselves, and become fat,
then they will turn to other gods, and serve them,
and provoke Me, and break My covenant.
21 (Hos 5:3; Jn 2:24-25) Then when many disasters and troubles have fallen
on them, this song will testify against them as a witness, for it must not be
forgotten from the mouths of their descendants. For I know their intention
which they are developing even now,
before I have brought them into the land which I promised."
22 (Dt 31:19) Therefore, Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught
it to the children of Israel.
23 (Dt 31:7-8; 31:14) He gave Joshua, the son of Nun, an exhortation,
and said, "Be strong and of a good courage,
for you will bring the children of Israel into the land
which I swore to them, and I will be with you."
24 (Dt 31:9) When Moses had finished writing the words of this law in a book,
until they were completed,
25 then Moses commanded the Levites,
who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying,
26 (Dt 31:19) "Take this Book of the Law, and put it inside the ark of the
covenant of the Lord your God, so that it may be there for a witness
against you.
27 (Dt 9:24; 32:20) For I know your rebellion and your stiff neck.
Even now, while I am yet alive with you today, you have been rebellious
against the Lord. How much more after my death?
28 (Dt 4:26; 32:1) Gather to me all the elders of your tribes,
and your officers, so that I may speak these words in their hearing
and call heaven and earth to witness against them.
29 (Jdg 2:19; Ge 49:1) For I know that after my death you will utterly
corrupt yourselves and turn aside from the way which I have commanded
you, and disaster will befall you in the latter days,
because you will do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger
through the work of your hands."
Deuteronomy 31
[1] And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel.
[2] And he said unto them, I am an hundred and twenty years old this day; I
can no more go out and come in: also the LORD hath said unto me, Thou shalt
not go over this Jordan.
[3] The LORD thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these
nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: and Joshua, he shall
go over before thee, as the LORD hath said.
[4] And the LORD shall do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, kings of
the Amorites, and unto the land of them, whom he destroyed.
[5] And the LORD shall give them up before your face, that ye may do unto
them according unto all the commandments which I have commanded you.
[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.
[7] And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all
Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people
unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and
thou shalt cause them to inherit it.
[8] And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee,
he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
[9] And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of
Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and unto all the
elders of Israel.
[10] And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in
the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles,
[11] When all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place
which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their
hearing.
[12] Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy
stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may
learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this
law:
[13] And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and
learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye
go over Jordan to possess it.
[14] And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou must
die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the
congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and
presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation.
[15] And the LORD appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud: and the
pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle.
[16] And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy
fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of
the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will
forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.
[17] Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will
forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured,
and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that
day. Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us?
[18] And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they
shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.
[19] Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of
Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me
against the children of Israel.
[20] For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto
their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten
and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods,
and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant.
[21] And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen
them, that this song shall testify against them as a witness; for it shall
not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for I know their
imagination which they go about, even now, before I have brought them into
the land which I sware.
[22] Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it the
children of Israel.
[23] And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of
a good courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land
which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee.
[24] And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of
this law in a book, until they were finished,
[25] That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of
the LORD, saying,
[26] Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the
covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against
thee.
[27] For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet
alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the LORD; and how
much more after my death?
[28] Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I
may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to record
against them.
[29] For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and
turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you
in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to
provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.
The Song of Moses
30 Moses spoke the words of this song until they were finished,
in the hearing of all the assembly of Israel:
Deuteronomy 31
[30] And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words
of this song, until they were ended.
DEUTERONOMY 32
1 (Dt 4:26; Isa 1:2) Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak;
hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.
2 (Ps 72:6; Isa 55:10-11) My teaching will drop like the rain,
my sayings will distill as the dew,
as the droplets on the grass,
and as the showers on the herb.
3 (Jer 10:6; Dt 3:24) For I will proclaim the name of the Lord:
Ascribe greatness to our God!
4 (Dt 32:18; Ps 92:15) He is the Rock; His work is perfect;
for all His ways are just.
He is a God of faithfulness and without injustice;
righteous and upright is He.
5 (Dt 31:29; Isa 1:4) They have acted corruptly to Him;
they are not His children, but blemished;
they are a perverse and crooked generation.
6 (Isa 63:16; Ps 74:2; Dt 32:15) Is this how you repay the Lord,
you foolish and unwise people?
Is He not your father, who has bought you?
Has He not made you, and established you?
7 (Ps 44:1; Ex 13:14) Remember the days of old,
consider the years of previous generations.
Ask your father, and he will show you;
your elders, and they will tell you:
8 (Ac 17:26) When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance,
when He separated the sons of man,Or Adam.
He set the boundaries of the peoples
according to the number of the children of Israel.
9 (Jer 10:16; 1Sa 10:1) For the Lord's portion is His people;
Jacob is the allotment of His inheritance.
10 (Ps 17:8; Zec 2:8) He found him in a desert land
and in the howling waste of a wilderness;
He led him about, He instructed him,
He protected him like the pupil of His eye.
11 (Ex 19:4) Like an eagle stirs up her nest,
that flutters over her young,
He spread out his wings and took him;
He lifted him on His pinions;
12 (Ps 78:52-53) the Lord alone guided him,
and there was no foreign god with him.
13 (Job 29:6; Isa 58:14) He made him ride on the high places of the earth,
and he ate of the produce of the fields;
He made him suck honey out of the rock
and oil out of the flinty rock,
14 (Ge 49:11; Ps 81:16) butter from the herd,
and milk from the flock,
along with the fat of lambs,
and rams of the breed from Bashan,
and goats,
with the best of the kernels of wheat;
you drank the pure blood of the grape.
15 (Dt 31:20; 32:4; Ps 89:26) But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked;
you grew fat, you grew thick;
you are covered with fat.
Then he forsook God who made him,
and devalued the Rock of his salvation.
16 (Ps 78:58; 1Co 10:22) They made Him jealous with strange gods;
with abominations they provoked Him to anger.
17 (Jdg 5:8; Dt 28:64) They sacrificed to demons, not to God,
to gods whom they knew not,
to new gods that recently came along,
whom your fathers did not fear.
18 (Isa 17:10; Dt 32:4; Ps 106:21) You have forgotten the Rock who begot you;
you are unmindful, and have forgotten the God who gave you birth.
19 (Ps 106:40; Jdg 2:14) When the Lord saw it, He despised them,
because of the provocation of His sons and daughters.
20 (Dt 32:5) He said: I will hide My face from them;
I will see what their end will be,
for they are a very perverse generation,
children in whom there is no loyalty.
21 (1Ki 16:13; 16:26) They have made Me jealous with that which is not God;
they have provoked Me to anger with their empty things.
And I will make them jealous of those who are not a people;
I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.
22 (La 4:11; Jer 15:14) For a fire has been inflamed by My anger,
and it will burn to the lowest part of Sheol,
Or the lowest depths of the earth or underworld.
and shall consume the earth and its produce,
and ignite the foundations of the mountains.
23 (Eze 5:16; Ps 7:12-13) I will heap misfortunes on them;
I will use My arrows on them.
24 (Lev 26:22; Eze 5:17) They will be starved by famine,
and consumed by plague and bitter destruction;
I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them,
with the poison of crawling creatures in the dust.
25 (Eze 7:15; La 1:20) The sword outside and terror within will destroy
both the young man and the virgin,
the infant along with the man of gray hair.
26 (Dt 28:64) I said, "I want to cut them into pieces,
I will cause the memory of them to disappear from among men,"
27 (Ps 140:8) however, I feared the wrath of the enemy,
that their adversaries would misunderstand
and say, "Our hand is victorious,
and the Lord has not done all this."
28 (Dt 32:6; Isa 27:11) For they are a nation devoid of counsel;
there is no understanding in them.
29 (Dt 5:29; Ps 81:13) Would that they were wise,
so that they understood this,
so that they would comprehend their future!
30 (Lev 26:8; Ps 44:12) How should one chase a thousand,
and two put ten thousand to flight,
unless their Rock had sold them,
and the Lord had given them up?
31 (Ex 14:25; 1Sa 2:2) For their rock is not as our Rock;
even our enemies themselves concede this.
32 (Dt 29:18; Isa 1:10) For their vine is from the vine of Sodom
and from the fields of Gomorrah;
their grapes are grapes of poison;
their clusters are bitter.
33 (Ps 58:4) Their wine is the poison of dragons
and the deadly venom of cobras.
34 (Job 14:17; Hos 13:12) Is not this laid up in store with Me
and sealed up among My treasures?
35 (Ro 12:19; Heb 10:30) Vengeance is Mine, and recompense;
their foot will slip in due time;
for the day of their calamity is at hand,
and the things to come hasten upon them.
36 (Ps 135:14; Jdg 2:18) For the Lord will judge His people,
and relent in regard to His servants,
when He sees that their power is gone
and there is no one left, whether restrained or free.
37 (Jdg 10:14; Jer 2:28) He will say: Where are their gods,
their rock in whom they trusted,
38 which ate the fat of their sacrifices
and drank the wine of their drink offerings?
Let them rise up and help you
and be your protection.
39 (1Sa 2:6; Isa 45:5; 41:4) See now that I, even I, am He,
and there is no god besides Me;
I kill, and I make alive;
I wound, and I heal;
there is no one who can deliver out of My hand.
40 (Ge 14:22) For I lift up My hand to heaven,
and say: As I live forever,
41 (Isa 66:16; Ps 7:12) if I sharpen My flashing sword
and My hand takes hold on judgment,
I will render vengeance on My enemies
and will repay those who hate Me.
42 (Dt 32:23; Jer 46:10) I will make My arrows drunk with blood,
and My sword shall devour flesh,
with the blood of the slain and of the captives,
from the heads of the leaders of the enemies.
43 (Rev 19:2; Ps 85:1) Rejoice, O you nations, with His people;
for He will avenge the blood of His servants
and will render vengeance on His adversaries
and will be merciful to His land and people.
44 (Nu 13:8; 13:16) Moses came and spoke all the words of this song
in the hearing of the people, he, with Joshua, the son of Nun.
45 When Moses finished speaking all these words to all Israel,
46 (Eze 40:4; Dt 11:18) he said to them, "Set your hearts on all the words
which I testify among you today, which you shall command your children
to be careful to observe, all the words of this law.
47 (Lev 18:5) For it is no idle word for you, because it is your life,
and by this word you will prolong your days in the land which
you cross over the Jordan to possess."
Moses to Die on Mount Nebo
48 The Lord spoke to Moses that same day, saying,
49 (Nu 27:12) "Go up to this mountain of the Abarim, to Mount Nebo,
which is in the land of Moab opposite Jericho, and look at the land of
Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel for a possession.
50 (Ge 25:8; Nu 33:38) Die on the mount where you go up,
and be gathered to your people, just as Aaron, your brother,
died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people,
51 (Nu 27:14) because you trespassed against Me
among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah Kadesh,
in the Wilderness of Zin, because you did not treat Me as holy
in the midst of the children of Israel.
52 (Dt 34:1-4) Nevertheless, you will see the land before you,
but you may not go there, to the land which I am giving
to the children of Israel."
Deuteronomy 32
[1] Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak;
and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.
[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:
[3] Because I will publish the name of the LORD:
ascribe ye greatness unto our God.
[4] He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment:
a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.
[5] They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his
children: they are a perverse and crooked generation.
[6] Do ye thus requite the LORD, O foolish people and unwise?
is not he thy father that hath bought thee?
hath he not made thee, and established thee?
[7] Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father,
and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee.
[8] When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he
separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according
to the number of the children of Israel.
[9] For the LORD's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his
inheritance.
[10] He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness;
he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.
[11] As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth
abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings:
[12] So the LORD alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him.
[13] He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the
increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and
oil out of the flinty rock;
[14] Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the
breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou didst
drink the pure blood of the grape.
[15] But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown
thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him,
and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.
[16] They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations
provoked they him to anger.
[17] They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to
new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.
[18] Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God
that formed thee.
[19] And when the LORD saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of
his sons, and of his daughters.
[20] And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end
shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no
faith.
[21] They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have
provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy
with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a
foolish nation.
[22] For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest
hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the
foundations of the mountains.
[23] I will heap mischiefs upon them; I will spend mine arrows upon them.
[24] They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and
with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them,
with the poison of serpents of the dust.
[25] The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man
and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs.
[26] I said, I would scatter them into corners, I would make the remembrance
of them to cease from among men:
[27] Were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, lest their
adversaries should behave themselves strangely, and lest they should say,
Our hand is high, and the LORD hath not done all this.
[28] For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any
understanding in them.
[29] O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would
consider their latter end!
[30] How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight,
except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up?
[31] For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being
judges.
[32] For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah:
their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter:
[33] Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps.
[34] Is not this laid up in store with me, and sealed up among my treasures?
[35] To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in
due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that
shall come upon them make haste.
[36] For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself for his
servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up,
or left.
[37] And he shall say, Where are their gods, their rock in whom they
trusted,
[38] Which did eat the fat of their sacrifices, and drank the wine of their
drink offerings? let them rise up and help you, and be your protection.
[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.
[40] For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever.
[41] If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I
will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me.
[42] I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour
flesh; and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the
beginning of revenges upon the enemy.
[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.
[44] And Moses came and spake all the words of this song in the ears of the
people, he, and Hoshea the son of Nun.
[45] And Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel:
[46] And he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I
testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe
to do, all the words of this law.
[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.
[48] And the LORD spake unto Moses that selfsame day, saying,
[49] Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the
land of Moab, that is over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan,
which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession:
[50] And die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy
people; as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his
people:
[51] Because ye trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the
waters of Meribah-Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because ye sanctified me
not in the midst of the children of Israel.
[52] Yet thou shalt see the land before thee; but thou shalt not go thither
unto the land which I give the children of Israel.
2) Our Daily Bread for 20 March 2023 titled
Catching Contentment
Psalm 131
Psalms 131
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1 Lord, my heart is not haughty,
my eyes are not raised too high.
I have not striven for enormities,
for things too wonderful for me.
2 (Ps 63:1; 84:2) I composed and quieted my desire,
like a child given suck by his mother;
like a child who sucks is my desire within me.
3 (Ps 79:10; 80:5) Let Israel hope in the Lord
from now and forever.
Psalms 131
[1] LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I
exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.
[2] Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of
his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child.
[3] Let Israel hope in the LORD from henceforth and for ever
In a psychiatrist's advice column, he responded to a reader named Brenda,
who lamented that her ambitious pursuits had left her discontented. His
words were blunt. Humans aren't designed to be happy, he said, "only to
survive and reproduce." We're cursed to chase the "teasing and elusive
butterfly" of contentment, he added, "not always to capture it."
I wonder how Brenda felt reading the psychiatrist's nihilistic words
and how different she may have felt had she read Psalm 131 instead. In its
words, David gives us a guided reflection on how to find contentment. He
begins in a posture of humility, putting his kingly ambitions aside, and
while wrestling life's big questions is important, he puts those aside too
(v. 1). Then he quiets his heart before God (v. 2), entrusting the future
into His hands (v. 3). The result is beautiful (v. 2).
In a broken world like ours, contentment will at times feel elusive. In
Philippians 4:11–13, the apostle Paul said contentment is something to be
learned. But if we believe we're only designed to "survive and reproduce,"
contentment will surely be an uncatchable butterfly. David shows us another
way: catching contentment through quietly resting in God’s presence.
By: Sheridan Voysey
Reflect & Pray
When do you most feel content?
How could you set aside unhurried time to be quietly present with God today?
Dear God, I rest in You, the deepest well of my truest contentment.
3) Daily verses taken from Billy Graham Evangelical Organisation
Words in Season Scripture Memory Tools
Week 7 Promises of Grace - Day 2 - Due Season
Gal 6:9
9 And let us not grow weary in doing good,
for in due season we shall reap, if we do not give up.
9 And let us not be weary in well doing:
for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Jackie's preschool class took on an exciting project: they were going to grow
flowers from seeds, Each child took the seed, planted it carefully in the
bedding soil, watered, and waited. But Jackie couldn't wait. Every day
for a week he ran to the window box, looked for his plants, poked, prodded,
unplanted the seeds and then planted them again. "It's no use,"
he pouted after the first week. "Nothing's gonna grow in there."
We live in an instant society - microwave dinners, quick fixes, easy answers.
We are conditioned by our environment to expect - even to demand -
immediate response, and when we have to wait,
we become impatient and irritable.
Paul's exhortation to the Galatians, "Let us not become weary in doing good,"
is as appropriate for twentieth-century believers as it was for the new church
at Galatia. We lose motivation when we don't see results,
and weariness sets in.
If our work does not seem to be producing as we hope, we want to abandon it
and move on to a new project.
But God says, "You will reap a harvest if you don't give up." We give up too
soon in our prayers for a loved one's salvation. We abandon hope too readily
when we don't see spiritual growth in our own lives, when our investment in
another's spiritual maturity seems to have no return. The Lord says,
"The harvest is coming; be patient; trust me."
In due season the harvest comes; when it's the right time. When the seed has
had time to germinate, when the roots are string enough, when the conditions
are right, the reaping time will come. But we must be willing to wait for
the due season, the moment of ripeness, when our labor brings its return.
Application
a) Have I ever felt that my spiritual labours have produced no harvest at all?
b) What does it mean to my own spiritual growth that there is a "due season"
for reaping the harvest?
4) From Prosperity Promises - Kenneth Copeland
Hebr 11:6
6 (1Ch 28:9; Jer 29:13-14) And without faith it is impossible to please God,
for he who comes to God must believe that He exists
and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh
to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them
that diligently seek him.
5) From a Book called God's Promises for you:
When you are Burdened by Doubt
Matt 7:7-11
Ask, Seek, Knock
Lk 11:9-13
7(Mt 21:22; Mk 11:24) "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;
knock and it will be opened to you.
8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds,
and to him who knocks, it will be opened.
9 "What man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread,
will give him a stone?
10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a snake?
11 (Ge 6:5; 8:21) If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts
to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give
good things to those who ask Him!
7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock,
and it shall be opened unto you:
8 for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth;
and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread,
will he give him a stone?
10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children,
how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things
to them that ask him?
Remember God's promises when You pray
The Lord's prayer
Matthew 6:9-13
9 "Therefore pray in this manner:
Our Father who is in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
10 (Mt 3:2; 4:17) Your kingdom come;
Your will be done
on earth, as it is in heaven.
11 (Pr 30:8; Isa 33:16) Give us this day our daily bread.
12 (Ex 34:7; Ps 32:1) And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
13 (1Co 10:13; Jn 17:15) And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."
9 After this manner therefore pray ye:
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
6) This come from Praying for Muslims in Canada 2015 (Is there a 2021 edition?)
Saskatchewan
Quick facts on Muslims in Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan 2015 population 1125400
est Muslim Population 17279
CNMM Networks: Saskatoon
Saskatoon has seen quick growth in its Muslim population over the past
5 years, which maybe as high as 5000 today. Islamic leaders have
focused specifically on this city , having twice already sent cohorts
of about 70 families to start mosques. There are now 7 Islamic centres
of worship and an Islamic madrassah (school) located right next to a
Christian school.
Of particular concern recently is the number of young adults who grew up
in evangelical churches and converted to Islam. Most of these are young
women who were wooed by Muslim man and became emotionally bonded.
Both prior to and after marrying, these women are known to convert to ISlam.
Agree in prayer with us for:
- entire congregations and individual believers to catch God's heart
and passion for reaching Muslims in Saskatoon and the other growing
Muslim population centres of Saskatchewan.
- for the eyes and understanding of Canadian youth to be opened to the
spiritual reality of Islam, and not deceived nor manipulated into
converting to a religion which cannot offer assurance of salvation.
- for the few workers among Muslims now engaged there, and for many more
to be raised up into effective witness.
- for prayer and training events that are starting in Saskatoon
to spread and grow to other cities.
Adding further
DAY 3 MARCH 20
Old meets new in the city of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.
As you walk along the cobblestone streets of the Old
City, the Flame Towers--a trio of dazzling skyscrapers constructed to appear
like a flame in the sky--soar above the weathered storefronts.
As governmental persecution has sought to extinguish the
fire of the underground church in the capital, may the "pillars of fire"
symbolise the burning hearts for Jesus that will rise
up and be the defining characteristic of
Baku and the people of Azerbaijan.
Prayer Emphasis
- Pray for Scripture-based revelation over
the underground house churches as they
send teams in the 22 languages in Baku,
especially the Azerbaijani, Tatar, and
Southern Uzbek people groups.
- Pray for the glory of God's presence and
the power of the Spirit to equip new
Jesus-followers.
- Pray for the regional house church training
center to be protected by God's warring
angels, and to be resourced with tools and
training.
- Pray for the Kingdom of God to destroy
the evil destructive work of the devil, and
for the exaltation of the Prince of Peace.
People Group Focus
Azerbaijani
Tatar
Southern Uzbek
My paternal side is of Muslim heritage and will offer this section to further
call for Muslim converts to Christian and any other converts to Christianity
(Hindus, Jews, aboriginals Canadian, ...) .
7) Prayers for the nation (Canada) coming from Prayer map of Canada
http://www.ehc.ca
20th Day of the Month
a) Pray for the children of Canada, that they would come to know
Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord.
( Matthew 19:14
14 (Mt 18:3; Lk 18:16-17)
But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me,
and do not forbid them. For to such belongs the kingdom of heaven."
14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not,
to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
)
b) Pray that Christians will recognise that our struggle is not
against the natural world but against invisible spiritual forces.
(
Eph 6:12
12 (Eph 1:3; 1:21) For our fight is not against flesh and blood,
but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers
of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual forces
of evil in the heavenly places.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places.
)
Conclusion:
Pray to the Lord to remember His rewards in Blessings.
Pray to the Lord and pray for Him for obedience and successfulness.
Pray to the Lord:
"Dear God, I rest in You, the deepest well of my truest contentment."
Pray to the Lord and pray not to tire for We will Reap in Due time.
Pray to the Lord and pray to seek Him in Faith.
Pray to the Lord and pray to seek Him persistently.
Agree in prayer with us for:
- entire congregations and individual believers to catch God's heart
and passion for reaching Muslims in Saskatoon and the other growing
Muslim population centres of Saskatchewan.
- for the eyes and understanding of Canadian youth to be opened to the
spiritual reality of Islam, and not deceived nor manipulated into
converting to a religion which cannot offer assurance of salvation.
- for the few workers among Muslims now engaged there, and for many more
to be raised up into effective witness.
- for prayer and training events that are starting in Saskatoon
to spread and grow to other cities.
- Pray for Scripture-based revelation over
the underground house churches as they
send teams in the 22 languages in Baku,
especially the Azerbaijani, Tatar, and
Southern Uzbek people groups.
- Pray for the glory of God's presence and
the power of the Spirit to equip new
Jesus-followers.
- Pray for the regional house church training
center to be protected by God's warring
angels, and to be resourced with tools and
training.
- Pray for the Kingdom of God to destroy
the evil destructive work of the devil, and
for the exaltation of the Prince of Peace.
Pray for the children of Canada, that they would come to know
Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord.
Pray that Christians will recognise that our struggle is not
against the natural world but against invisible spiritual forces.
Pray that Brunei Christians will continue to proclaim the Gospel
despite the threat of fines and imprisonment.