Daily Morning Watch

Daily Devotional

Strong Words

Deuteronomy 27
July 12, 2022
Day 193
Moses is getting ready to leave the people to go on to Canaan without him. He gives instructions about creating standing stones with the law written on them. He reminds them that serving God is the foundation of all life. Then he gives a list of curses. Notice the subjects God chooses as most important: idolatry, deception for gain, unkindness to those who need it most, and morality. Do you see other subjects referenced here?

First Fruits

Deuteronomy 26
July 11, 2022
Day 192
In each season, the people were to give their first crops to God, but this is a very special first fruits—the very first crops they will raise in their new home. As you read through the ceremonies in this chapter, change the words to make them relevant to your situation. Where has God brought you from and to? How has He blessed you? Does your faithful tithe bless the poor and the alien residents in your land, as well as the ministers of the church?

Various Laws

Deuteronomy 25
July 10, 2022
Day 191
Moses is trying to remind the people of all the things God has taught them throughout their 40 years together. Most of it is simply based on love of God and love of the fellow human. If we all did everything with that attitude, no doubt we’d still make mistakes, but they would be far less grievous than they are now. This particular set of instructions is more about justice and fairness than anything else. Today, there are laws about accurate scales. But manufacturers put less and less in packages, and then sell them for just as much or more. Do you think this follows the spirit of these laws of God?

Treatment of the Poor

Deuteronomy 24
July 9, 2022
Day 190
Again, this chapter is full of a variety of things. Divorce can only be because of “indecency”, people must be merciful about how they do loans, and so on. Notice that much of the instruction concerns treatment of the poor and vulnerable. A man might give his cloak for a pledge, but you shouldn’t keep it overnight. You shouldn’t take a widow’s or orphan’s at all, and we are all supposed to leave the edges of our gardens and fields so that those who have no gardens or fields of their own may gather food and retain their self-respect. Is this practiced in your region? If not, how could you do something like it?

Various Regulations

Deuteronomy 23
July 8, 2022
Day 189
There are several interesting bits in this wide-ranging chapter. Verse 7 said not to despise even people who have been cruel to you. Verse 15 says never to send back runaway slaves. (Some so-called Christians in the United States during the 19th century must have missed that one.) Verse 19 says not to charge interest to a countryman. Does this mean that now that we are all declared one by Jesus (Gal. 3:28), we shouldn’t charge anyone interest? Finally, in verses 24, 25, God says picking a snack from neighbor’s fields is not stealing; actually harvesting is stealing. What do you think of these things?

More Neighborly Love

Deuteronomy 22
July 7, 2022
Day 188
Moses now lists quite a few smaller details, all of which go to show that we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. If you lost a pet, wouldn’t you want whoever found it to care for it and get it back to you? Even someone who finds something like money should attempt to find its owner. Animals in the wild are to be treated kindly, too. Humans are not to hunt or gather to the point of extinction. We haven’t done so well with that, have we?

Mercy

Deuteronomy 21
July 6, 2022
Day 187
The people are to sacrifice for a sin, even if they don’t know who committed it. Also, though God allows the practice of capturing people in battle, He insists on mercy toward them, too. Women must be allowed to mourn their families, and must be treated with mercy, not sold or mistreated. No doubt, God looked with sorrow on these practices, anyway. Jesus later taught that it was never God’s will for men to have more than one wife or to divorce. God makes allowances for hard human hearts, but there are always consequences.

Laws of Warfare

Deuteronomy 20
July 5, 2022
Day 186
This is an interesting chapter. Moses tells the people that the first law of warfare is that the battle is not theirs, but God’s, so they shouldn’t be afraid. Then he shows the mercy God has: people with new homes and lands, or new marriages, or even people who are too afraid, don’t have to go. Then, God says the first thing to do is not to attack, but to try to make peace! Only if that fails are they allowed to go to war. What kind of spiritual warfare might be waged against you, and what courage can you take from this chapter?

Love Your Neighbor

Deuteronomy 19
July 4, 2022
Day 185
This chapter is about loving and respecting each other. First it enlarges on the details about the cities of refuge, and who has the right to flee there after accidentally killing someone. It speaks again of justice—being careful to investigate accusations thoroughly, so the innocent will not be condemned. It even speaks of respecting each other’s boundaries. Are there psychological ways we can disrespect each other’s boundaries, besides geographical ones?
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