October 1, 2023 – The Heart of the Law – Deuteronomy

Lesson Printed Text in King James Version: Deuteronomy 10:12-22; 16:18-20 KJV

Lesson Printed Text in New Living Translation: Deuteronomy 10:12-22; 16:18-20 NLT

Keep in Mind the Key Verses (In King James Version): Deuteronomy 10:12-13 (KJV) -

 

Keep in Mind the Key Verses In New Living Translation: Deuteronomy 10:12-13 (NLT) -

(Pop-up references come from The New Living Translation courtesy of Faithlife Reftagger)

What shall we learn from this lesson:

In our text, the Israelites are becoming a large force and was considered a nation with a form of government that is called a theocracy. In this form of government, the priests rule in the name of God.

After hundreds of years had passed since the days of Abraham, circumcision had become a part of the Jewish culture and almost like an identity marker.

Originally, circumcision was done so that they can be visually reminded of what God has done for them and not forget the agreement between God and Moses. They will be reminded that they are special to the Lord.

In Genesis 17:12-13, God defines the circumcision of all male Israelites as a requirement so they will remember that they have a covenant relationship with God.

In Deuteronomy 7:6 God admonishes the people to understand that He has made them His special possession out of all the people He has created. They are a Holy possession. Circumcision is a mark of the covenant. They are set apart and are to be different.

The Levites is one of the tribes of Israel and they are to be a nation of priests. They are set apart for the use by God. They are there to help others and not to do as others do as far as working to make money, etc.

The Israelites were given requirements for clothing and food (Deuteronomy 22:11.) This was also an outward expression of them being set apart from others.

It might appear to be arbitrary because these requirements have little to do with a medical or practical reason but were required so they would be reminded that they have a new identity - a covenant with God Almighty.

This is the same reason spouses wear their wedding rings. Not only does this practice announce to the people they interact with that they are married but it also reminds the spouses themselves of the covenant relationship they have with their husband/wife.

Deuteronomy 10:12 tells us we should fear the Lord our God. Some people take this to mean we should tremble in our shoes because we should be scared of what God could do to us if we do something He doesn't like.

Even though it is true that God has the power to inflict immeasurable pain on us or even death, that is not the way we mostly should view this Scripture (Deuteronomy 10:12). We should view God with great love and gratitude. He is the reason we are alive today and the reason we can breathe, walk, and think. He is the creator of all in the earth and heavens.

He is eternal and holds our future in His hands. We should be awestruck at the knowledge of His existence and the fact that He knows each and every one of us and what we do and don't do. We can pray to Him and He will listen even though we are so small as compared to the universe. How do we fear the Lord?

1. We fear disappointing Him; the creator of the world and all in it.
2. We fear the consequences of disobeying Him.
3. We fear not following His instructions because we will be doing wrong since He is always right.

The heart of the law is also the heart of Deuteronomy and that heart is the way we are encouraged to be ... to love God and all God's people. This summarizes the two greatest commandments: (Matt 22:37-39)

October 8, 2023 – God is Victorious – Joshua

Lesson Printed Text in King James Version: Joshua 6:2-3, 4B, 12-20B

Lesson Printed Text in New Living Translation: Joshua 6:2-3, 4B, 12-20B NLT

Keep in Mind the Key Verses (In King James Version): Joshua 6:16 (KJV) -

 

Keep in Mind the Key Verses In New Living Translation: Joshua 6:16 (NLT) -

(Pop-up references come from The New Living Translation courtesy of Faithlife Reftagger)

What shall we learn from this lesson:

The synopsis of this lesson will be posted on or before Friday, October 6, 2023.

For access to all chapters of the King James Version Bible in audio and visual formats, visit the Audio-Bible.com web site.

For other versions (NIV, New Living Translation, etc.) of the Bible in audio and visual formats, visit the World Wide Study Bible page of Christian Classics Eternal Library site. Also visit the New Living Translation web site.

Some information on this page may be referenced from the NLT Study Bible, the Standard Lesson Commentary, Precepts for Living, Commentary by David Guzik, and gotquestions.org. Frederick L. Marsh is the commentary author of the information contained in the Sunday school segment of this website. He is the author of the book: "The Book of the Holy Spirit: Joyful living." The opinions expressed in the Sunday school segment of this site are his alone.