Deuteronomy 8-31

I hope by now that you are beginning to be captivated by the Word. I remember the first time I actually studied the Old Testament for any length of time and how amazed and humbled I was by the depth of love that God has for us. I mean, the New Testament offers us such a beautiful picture of sacrificial love and I get that, but the Old Testament shows His pursuit of His people on most every page. Prior to that, I thought the OT was a dry, dusty book full of rules, laws and anger. Oh, how sadly mistaken I was. Last year, when we finished reading the OT, I remembering being in tears as I was trying to explain to God how much I was going to miss Him. (makes me sound like a dork, huh?) Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg have a new book called Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus that is totally fascinating. This statement about the OT caught my eye last week: "For them the Torah was not an onerous rulebook or a vast catalog of laws as we might think, but a gift from God that taught them how to live. (p25) A gift from God. I'm going to try and remember that the next time I get caught up in cubits and warriors.

Oh, as a side note, one thing our amazing little book of wonders apparently missed was Psalm 90. Moses apparently wrote this at the end of his life and for some reason it was not included with our readings. I would encourage you to read it sometime this week as we finish up Deuteronomy and say goodbye to him.

Now, onto the good stuff. Here are a collection of scriptures that leaped off the pages at me this week:

And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, so serve the Lord you God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good? 10:22 Do you ever wonder what it would be like if we could/would just obey?

...is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end. 11:11-12 This verse speaks to the poet in me. (I know she's in there somewhere.) I also love the idea that the eyes of the Lord are on me continually.

...to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to hold fast to Him...11:22 Why is it that I only want to cling to Him when troubles come or when I'm feeling sentimental or poetic?

Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be His treasured possession. 14:2 Oh, let me tell you, this is a word that I need to hear. Over and over again. It soothes those parts of my soul that have been trampled over too many times. Chosen. Me. Treasured Possession.

Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. No, the Word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. 30:11,14

My prayer for each of us this week is that we will remember Whose we are...and that we will strive to live, knowing that we are chosen, His treasured possession.

And, um, here's two additional random thoughts that I couldn't pass up.

If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. 25:11-12 I honestly cannot think of any circumstance where I might be tempted to do this. Can you?

Also, Halleys Bible Handbook has this note about Moses. "In medieval and Renaissance art, Moses was often represented with horns on his head, due to a mistake in the Latin translation of Exodus 34:29. (horns instead of was radiant.)p174

And on that note, I hope you have a wonderful week!