You should all be proud of yourselves for having the discipline to make it this far. Today we read Deuteronomy Chapters 10-13. This is one of the longer reading days we have this year. More than the quantity of pages, there is an abundance of content to consider.
If what stood out to you was not the same as me, that is fine. The challenge is to spend time in God’s Word and listen to what it is saying to you. But create that discipline to read daily, and try not to read to mark off that you did it. Read with curiosity.
Peaks and valleys
In chapter 11, God tells His people, through Moses, that He is setting before them a blessing and a curse. In life, we have to take the good with the bad. Our jobs are a blessing, but some mornings we just aren’t feeling up to doing them.
Our children are a blessing. But there are pains they will put us through as well.
Having a personal relationship with God gives us eternal life. We can approach life knowing everything we are going through is a small fragment of time compared to the eternal glory we will know. The losses of loved ones aren’t any easier, nor the anxiety of dealing with disease and heartbreak.
It should comfort us knowing we will see those loved ones again. The time away from them will one day seem so brief it is not significant. Ahead of that reunion, we will have eternity with them.
In verse 11:29, it tells them to go to different mountains to proclaim their blessings and their curses. There is a 700 foot deep valley between the two peaks. This is not about distance. Instead, it shows that we need to mentally and physically separate those peaks and valleys in our lives. Enjoy the triumphs and be in the moment. God intended you to have that joy.
When you do go through trials, realize it is just a different peak. We should rejoice always (see 1 Thes 5:16) while also being in the moment. Accept that it is a different place. God gave us both places for His glory.
There are other mountains we will climb in our lives. Some will have more significance to the people who were there before us. We can respect their feelings toward these places, but the Deuteronomy chapter 12 tells us to destroy the altars. We should embrace the people. God loves everyone. But we must never accept their idolatry.
Dwell in Him
Verse 12:5 foreshadows that God will choose among the Israelites a place to put His Name for them to dwell there. Seeing the word Name capitalized signifies this is the Name of God, i.e., Jesus. In Him, we should all dwell.
A few verses later, we are told not to do as they do, everyone doing as they see fit. This is a stark warning against this age of apostasy we live in.
A path to salvation
God loves all people, even though all of us are sinners. God hates all sins, even though there is no one who does not commit them. It was because of this dichotomy that God provided Jesus to atone for everyone’s sins if they repent and put their faith in Him.
We should be sure to love everyone enough to let them know that our sins, like their own, will never be an acceptable way to live.
This life is a training ground for us to learn to live in His presence. We can not practice living as if He did not exist and expect to be welcomed into His house. We can not make our own places to offer sacrifices.
He has set before us a table of abundance, which we may eat. Even while we are unclean.
If anything I say here offends you, please realize I love you. I do not say this to offend you, but to help you see that we all have a pathway to salvation.
What God provides
Moving into the last part of today’s reading, God gave us animals to eat. He said we may eat as much meat as we want.
I have struggled most of my life with weight problems. I was a chubby kid and if I am not working out, I will put on weight today.
A pyramid that encouraged us to consume more grain than meat has influenced our American diet. The human body wasn’t designed this way. We are omnivores, but with teeth designed to tear meat.
To lose weight and control my blood health, I have found a carnivore heavy diet is most beneficial. Our diet is not carnivore. I have gone weeks, perhaps months, with nothing other than meat and eggs, but it gets monotonous.
To maintain a healthy weight and high energy levels, we eat very few carbs, even fewer from grains, and a lot of meat and animal products.
I am not a dietitian or a doctor, so I will just say this has worked for us.
Some people take dieting to the point of being a religion for them. Chapter 13 cautions us not to give anything so much importance.
We should worship only God. One must avoid anything that seeks to displace that affection.
