Month: May 2022

(Moses speaking to the Israelites) “The Lord did not set His heart on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other nations, for your were the smallest of all nations! Rather, it was simply that the Lord loves you, and He was keeping His oath He had sworn to your ancestors. That is why the Lord rescued you with such a strong hand from your slavery and from the oppressive hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps His covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes His unfailing love on those who love Him and obey His commands. But He does not hesitate to punish and destroy those who reject Him. Therefore, you must obey all these commands, decrees, and regulations I am giving you today.” (Deuteronomy 7: vv. 7-11, NLT)

Excerpts from Deuteronomy Chapter 6

“These are the commands, decrees and regulations the the Lord your God commanded me (Moses) to teach you. You must obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy, and your children and grandchildren must fear the Lord your God as long as you live. If you obey all His decrees and commands, you will enjoy a long life. Listen closely, Israel, and be careful to obey. Then all will go well with you, and you will have many children in the land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.

Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, and your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your foreheads as reminders. Write on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:1-9, NLT)

“And you are included among those Gentiles who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ. I am writing to all of you in Rome who are loved by God and are called to be His own holy people.” (Romans 1:6-7, NLT)

“And we can be sure that we know Him if we obey His commandments. If someone claims, ‘I know God’, but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. (1 John 2:3-4, NLT)

“And may the Lord show us His approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful!” (Psalm9:17, NLT)

“For whoever finds Me finds life and receives favor from the Lord.” (Proverbs 8:35, NLT)

“”[God Said,] “And I will make an everlasting covenant with them; I will never stop doing good for them. I will put a desire in their hearts to worship Me, and they all never leave Me. I will find joy in doing good for them and will faithfully and wholeheartedly replant them in this land.”” (Jeremiah 32; 40-41)

“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither of our fears today nor our worries about tomorrow – not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below – indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” *(Romans 8:38-39, NLT)

“”The Lord gave Balaam a message from King Balak. Then He said, “Go back to Balak and give Him My message.”

So Balam returned and found the king standing beside his burnt offerings with all the officials of Moab. This was the message Balaam delivered:

“Balak summoned me to come from Aram; the king of Moab brought me from the eastern hills,

‘Come,’ he said, ‘Curse Jacob for me! Come and announce Israel’s doom.’
“But how can I curse those who God has not cursed How can I condemn those whom the Lord has not condemned?
I see them from the cliff tops; I watch them from the hills.
I see people who live by themselves, set apart from other nations.
Who can count Jacob’s descendants, as numerous as dust?
Who can count even a forth of Israel’s people?
Let me die like the righteous; let my life end like theirs.”

Then King Balak demanded of Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies. Instead, you have blessed them!”

But Balaam replied, “I will speak only the message that the Lord puts in my mouth.”” (Numbers 23: vv.5-12, NLT)

“‘Why did you beat your donkey those three times?” the angel of the Lord demanded. “Look, I have come to block your way because you are stubbornly resisting me. Three times the donkey saw me and shied away; otherwise, I would have certainly have killed you by now and spared the donkey.”

Then Balaam confessed to the angel of the Lord,”I have sinned. I didn’t realize you were standing in the road to block my way. I will return home if you are against my going.”

But the angel of the Lord told Balaam,”Go with these men, but say only what I tell you to say.” So Balaam went on with Balak’s officials. When King Balak heard that Balaam was on the way, he went out to meet him at a Moabite town on the Arnon River at the farthest border of his land.”” (Numbers 22: vv. 32-36, NLT)

“”So the next morning, Balaam got up, saddled his donkey, and started off with the Moabite officials. But God was angry that Balaam was going, so He sent the angle of the Lord to stand in the road to block his way. As Balaam and the two servants were riding along, Balaam’s donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand. The donkey bolted off the road into a field, but Balaam beat it and turned it back onto the road. Then the angel of the Lord stood at a place where the road narrowed between the two vineyard walls. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it tried to squeeze by and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. so Balaam beat the donkey again. Then the angel of the Lord moved farther down and stood in a place too narrow for the donkey to get by at all. This time when the donkey saw the angel, it lay down under Balaam. In a fit of rage, Balsam beat the animal again with his staff.

Then the Lord gave the donkey the ability to speak. “What have I done to you that deserves you beating me three times?” it asked Balaam.

“You have made me look like a fool,” Balaam shouted. “If I had a sword with me, I would kill you!”

“But I am the same donkey you have ridden all your life,” the donkey answered “Have I ever done anything like this before?”

“No” Balaam admitted.

Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing the roadway with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam bowed his head and fell face down on the ground before him. “”(Numbers 22: ff. 21-31, NLT)

“Do not steal.
Do not deceive or cheat one another.
Do not bring shame on the name of your God by using it to swear falsely. I am the Lord.
Do not defraud your neighbor.
Do not make your hired workers wait until the next day to receive their pay.
Do not insult the deaf or cause the blind to stumble. You must fear your God. I am the Lord.
Do not twist justice in legal matters by favoring the poor or being partial to the rich and powerful. Always judge people fairly.
Do not spread slanderous gossip among your people.
Do not stand idly by when your neighbor’s life is threatened. I am the Lord
Do not nurse hatred in your heart for any of your relatives. Confront people directly so you will not be held guilty for their sin.
Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
You must obey all My decrees.” (Leviticus 19: vv. 22-18, NLT)