Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from Esther chapter 1.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Esther+1&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“10 On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, 11 to bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal crown in order to display her beauty to the people and the princes, for she was beautiful.  12 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command delivered by the eunuchs.  Then the king became very angry and his wrath burned within him.

13 Then the king said to the wise men who understood the times—for it was the custom of the king so to speak before all who knew law and justice 14 and were close to him:  Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media who had access to the king’s presence and sat in the first place in the kingdom— 15 “According to law, what is to be done with Queen Vashti, because she did not obey the command of King Ahasuerus delivered by the eunuchs?”  16 In the presence of the king and the princes, Memucan said, “Queen Vashti has wronged not only the king but also all the princes and all the peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus.  17 For the queen’s conduct will become known to all the women causing them to look with contempt on their husbands by saying, ‘King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought in to his presence, but she did not come.’  18 This day the ladies of Persia and Media who have heard of the queen’s conduct will speak in the same way to all the king’s princes, and there will be plenty of contempt and anger.  19 If it pleases the king, let a royal edict be issued by him and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media so that it cannot be repealed, that Vashti may no longer come into the presence of King Ahasuerus, and let the king give her royal position to another who is more worthy than she.  20 When the king’s edict which he will make is heard throughout all his kingdom, great as it is, then all women will give honor to their husbands, great and small.”

21 This word pleased the king and the princes, and the king did as Memucan proposed.  22 So he sent letters to all the king’s provinces, to each province according to its script and to every people according to their language, that every man should be the master in his own house and the one who speaks in the language of his own people.”  Esther 1:10-22.

————————-

“Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.  For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.  But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.  So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself;  for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body.  For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.  This mystery is great;  but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.   Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.”  Ephesians 5:22-33.

Today’s devotion comes from Nehemiah chapter 13.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Nehemiah+13&version=NASB

I quote only the folowing verses.

“10 I also discovered that the portions of the Levites had not been given them, so that the Levites and the singers who performed the service had gone away, each to his own field. 11 So I reprimanded the officials and said, “Why is the house of God forsaken?”  Then I gathered them together and restored them to their posts.  12 All Judah then brought the tithe of the grain, wine and oil into the storehouses.  13 In charge of the storehouses I appointed Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah of the Levites, and in addition to them was Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah;  for they were considered reliable, and it was their task to distribute to their kinsmen.  14 Remember me for this, O my God, and do not blot out my loyal deeds which I have performed for the house of my God and its services.

15 In those days I saw in Judah some who were treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sacks of grain and loading them on donkeys, as well as wine, grapes, figs and all kinds of loads, and they brought them into Jerusalem on the sabbath day.  So I admonished them on the day they sold food.  16 Also men of Tyre were living there who imported fish and all kinds of merchandise, and sold them to the sons of Judah on the sabbath, even in Jerusalem.  17 Then I reprimanded the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing you are doing, by profaning the sabbath day?  18 Did not your fathers do the same, so that our God brought on us and on this city all this trouble?  Yet you are adding to the wrath on Israel by profaning the sabbath.”

19 It came about that just as it grew dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and that they should not open them until after the sabbath.  Then I stationed some of my servants at the gates so that no load would enter on the sabbath day.  20 Once or twice the traders and merchants of every kind of merchandise spent the night outside Jerusalem.  21 Then I warned them and said to them, “Why do you spend the night in front of the wall?  If you do so again, I will use force against you.”  From that time on they did not come on the sabbath.  22 And I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves and come as gatekeepers to sanctify the sabbath day.  For this also remember me, O my God, and have compassion on me according to the greatness of Your lovingkindness.

23 In those days I also saw that the Jews had married women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab.  24 As for their children, half spoke in the language of Ashdod, and none of them was able to speak the language of Judah, but the language of his own people.  25 So I contended with them and cursed them and struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and made them swear by God, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take of their daughters for your sons or for yourselves.  26 Did not Solomon king of Israel sin regarding these things?  Yet among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel;  nevertheless the foreign women caused even him to sin.  27 Do we then hear about you that you have committed all this great evil by acting unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign women?”  28 Even one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was a son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite, so I drove him away from me.  29 Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.

30 Thus I purified them from everything foreign and appointed duties for the priests and the Levites, each in his task, 31 and I arranged for the supply of wood at appointed times and for the first fruits.  Remember me, O my God, for good.”  Nehemiah 13:10-31.

——————————

Nehemiah did good, and three times, he asked God to remember him for the good that he did.  Verses 14, 22, and 31.

In verses 10-14, Nehemiah restored the tithes (portions given to the Levites and others serving in the house of God) and restored their positions to mantain the house of God and its services.

In verses 15-22, Nehemiah honored the Sabbath day by preventing the sale of food and all kinds of merchandise during the Sabbath.

In verses 23-31, Nehemiah contended with those who had married foreign women.

“With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free.”  Ephesians 6:7-8.

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”  2 Corinthians 5:10.

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked;  for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”  Galatians 6:7.

“Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.”  Revelations 22:12.

Who can do the good that he should do?  Who can avoid doing the bad that he should not do?
 
But, there is hope!

“Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.”  Romans 7:4.

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature;  the old things passed away;  behold, new things have come.”  2 Corinthians 5:17.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”  Ephesians 2:10.

“for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”  Philippians 2:13.

“So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.”  Matthew 7:17-18.

Today’s devotion comes from Nehemiah chapter 12.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Nehemiah+12&version=NASB

I quote only the folowing verses.

“40 Then the two choirs took their stand in the house of God.  So did I and half of the officials with me;  41 and the priests, Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah and Hananiah, with the trumpets;  42 and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam and Ezer. And the singers sang, with Jezrahiah their leader, 43 and on that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced because God had given them great joy, even the women and children rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard from afar.

44 On that day men were also appointed over the chambers for the stores, the contributions, the first fruits and the tithes, to gather into them from the fields of the cities the portions required by the law for the priests and Levites;  for Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who served.  45 For they performed the worship of their God and the service of purification, together with the singers and the gatekeepers in accordance with the command of David and of his son Solomon.  46 For in the days of David and Asaph, in ancient times, there were leaders of the singers, songs of praise and hymns of thanksgiving to God.  47 So all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah gave the portions due the singers and the gatekeepers as each day required, and set apart the consecrated portion for the Levites, and the Levites set apart the consecrated portion for the sons of Aaron.”   Nehemiah 12:40-47.

—————————-

Today’s Scripture, particularly verses 45-46, supports generally the Regulative Principle of Worship.

“For they performed the worship of their God … in accordance with the command of David and of his son Solomon.”  Verse 45.

Some people wrongly think that just because they are joyful, it gives them an excuse to worship however they want.  But, we see that even though “God had given them great joy” (verse 43), they “performed the worship of their God … in accordance with the command of David and of his son Solomon.”

Today’s Scripture, particularly verse 46, also specifically supports the use of Psalms to be used for songs of worship.  We can infer that Psalms were referred to by the words “in the days of David and Asaph”, because they wrote Psalms to be used for “songs of praise and hymns of thanksgiving to God”.  Although some go as far as saying that songs of worship should only be based on the Psalms, I would not go that far.  The only point that I make herein is that we see too few songs of worship based on the Psalms and too many songs based on what some teenage music praise leader imagines would be a good song for worship.

Reformed Doctrine contains the Regulative Principle of Worship.  The following is a quote from an article titled “The Regulative Principle of Worship (1)” by Griess Cory in “O Come Let Us Worship”, Volume 88/2012, Issue:  14. 4/15/2012 in the Standard Bearer, a publication of the Protestant Reformed Churches.

“…The regulative principle of worship is the principle that God in His Word tells us how to worship Him.  What God commands in worship must be done, and what He does not command in worship is forbidden. This principle arises first of all out of the second com­mandment. In the first commandment God commands us whom to worship—“no other gods but Me”.  In the second commandment God speaks to us about how to worship Him.  Exodus 20:4:  “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.”

Negatively, the second commandment tells us we are not to worship Him by graven images.  Israel was tempted by this. When they made the golden calf, they weren’t thinking that the actual calf was their god; rather they were attempting to worship Jehovah as represented by that calf.  The issue was the mode and manner of worship.  The calf was not a new god;  it was a new way to worship Jehovah God.

God says in the second command, “I will not be wor­shiped that way.”  The Heidelberg Catechism expands the application of the principle that God speaks to how He will be worshiped.  The Heidelberg says it is not up to the imaginations of men how God will be worshiped, but rather He will be worshiped in no other way than He has commanded in His Word.  He is the sovereign God and He determines how He will be worshiped.

We can state that positively as well. “Worship Me,” God is saying in the second commandment. “And worship me, the way I desire to be worshiped.”  That’s the regulative principle—worship God in the way He wants;  He’s the one being worshiped, after all.  It’s for Him.  Give Him what He desires.  This is the question we are asking when we speak of the regulative principle of worship:  what does God want in the worship of His name?  When we come for this covenantal dialogue, what exactly does He want to take place?  What are the elements of this dialogue that God requires?  May we add different elements to the covenantal meeting?

When people deal with these issues concerning wor­ship, they often begin by asking the wrong question.  Some begin by asking, “What will be the most appeal­ing to people?  What will allow people to showcase their individual talents the best and make them feel most special?  What will be the elements that are most like the culture around us?  What will be the most fun for us?”  Or on the other side of the coin, sometimes the first question people ask is, “What are our favorite songs from childhood?  Or what have we always done?”  But none of these questions address the essence of it.

The question first of all is, how does God desire to be worshiped?  What does His Word say about the public worship of His name?  In worship God speaks to us, and we respond in love for Him.  He is the audience, not us.  Therefore the question is, what does He desire from us?  What will please Him?  What brings Him more glory?  ..”

Today’s devotion comes from Nehemiah chapter 11.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Nehemiah+11&version=NASB

I quote only the following two verses.

“¹ Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem, but the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while nine-tenths remained in the other cities.  ² And the people blessed all the men who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.”  Nehemiah 11:1-2.

—————————

On the one hand, Jerusalem (also known as Zion) was most likely of the cities of Judah to be attacked by the enemy with walls that were tore down and burnt and ridiculed by the enemy (but were rebuilt to some extent as shown in the book of Nehemiah).  

But, on the other hand, infinitely outweighing everything else, Jerusalem (also known as Zion) was God’s chosen city for His temple, His habitation, and His other blessings as the following Scriptures show.

“¹ His foundation is in the holy mountains.
² The Lord loves the gates of Zion
More than all the other dwelling places of Jacob.
³ Glorious things are spoken of you,
O city of God.  Selah.
⁴ “I shall mention Rahab and Babylon among those who know Me;
Behold, Philistia and Tyre with Ethiopia:
‘This one was born there.’”
⁵ But of Zion it shall be said, “This one and that one were born in her”;
And the Most High Himself will establish her.
⁶ The Lord will count when He registers the peoples,
“This one was born there.”  Selah.
⁷ Then those who sing as well as those who play the flutes shall say,
“All my springs of joy are in you.”  Psalm chapter 87.

“¹ How lovely are Your dwelling places,
O Lord of hosts!
² My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the Lord;
My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.
³ The bird also has found a house,
And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young,
Even Your altars, O Lord of hosts,
My King and my God.
⁴ How blessed are those who dwell in Your house!
They are ever praising You.  Selah.

“¹ Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
In the city of our God, His holy mountain.
² Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth,
Is Mount Zion in the far north,
The city of the great King.
³ God, in her palaces,
Has made Himself known as a stronghold.

Today’s devotion comes from Nehemiah chapter 10.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Nehemiah+10&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“28 Now the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the law of God, their wives, their sons and their daughters, all those who had knowledge and understanding, 29 are joining with their kinsmen, their nobles, and are taking on themselves a curse and an oath to walk in God’s law, which was given through Moses, God’s servant, and to keep and to observe all the commandments of God our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes;  30 and that we will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons.  31 As for the peoples of the land who bring wares or any grain on the sabbath day to sell, we will not buy from them on the sabbath or a holy day;  and we will forego the crops the seventh year and the exaction of every debt.”  Nehemiah 10:28-31.

————————————

In today’s Scripture, we see the commitment of the people to separate themselves from the peoples of the lands to the law of God.  Verse 28.  And, we see two examples:  “we will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons.”  Verse 30.  “As for the peoples of the land who bring wares or any grain on the sabbath day to sell, we will not buy from them on the sabbath or a holy day”.  Verse 31.

We tend to want to be like everyone else.  We see Christians wanting to be like non-Christians, free to do everything that they want.  But, we also see Reformed people embarassed by their Reformed Doctrine, wanting to hide it or minimize it so as to be like those who embrace everyone and everything.   
 
But, we are different than others.  We are separate from others.  We should not try to be like everyone else.  We should not walk and behave as everyone else.  

“17 “Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord.
“And do not touch what is unclean;
And I will welcome you.
18 “And I will be a father to you,
And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,”
Says the Lord Almighty.”  2 Corinthians 6:17-18.

“14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers;  for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?  15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?  16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols?  For we are the temple of the living God;  just as God said,
“I will dwell in them and walk among them;
And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”  2 Corinthians 6:14-16.

“So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;  and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.”  Ephesians 4:17-19.

“I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people;  I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world.  But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one.  For what have I to do with judging outsiders?  Do you not judge those who are within the church?  But those who are outside, God judges.  Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.”  1 Corinthians 5:9-11.

In conclusion, there is hope in our sovereign God!  God chose His elect “out of the world”.  God has set us apart from the world and into the truth of His word.

“Thus you are to be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy;  and I have set you apart from the peoples to be Mine.”  Leviticus 20:26.

“But know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for Himself;
The Lord hears when I call to Him.”  Psalm 4:3.

“6 “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world;  they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.  … 15 I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.  16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.  17 Sanctify them in the truth;  Your word is truth.”  John 17:6 and 15-17.

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;  for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God;  you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”  1 Peter 2:9-10.

“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.  All the nations will be gathered before Him;  and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;  and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.”  Matthew 25:31-33.

Today’s devotion comes from Nehemiah 9:32-38.

“32 “Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and lovingkindness,
Do not let all the hardship seem insignificant before You,
Which has come upon us, our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers and on all Your people,
From the days of the kings of Assyria to this day.
33 “However, You are just in all that has come upon us;
For You have dealt faithfully, but we have acted wickedly.
34 “For our kings, our leaders, our priests and our fathers have not kept Your law
Or paid attention to Your commandments and Your admonitions with which You have admonished them.
35 “But they, in their own kingdom,
With Your great goodness which You gave them,
With the broad and rich land which You set before them,
Did not serve You or turn from their evil deeds.
36 “Behold, we are slaves today,
And as to the land which You gave to our fathers to eat of its fruit and its bounty,
Behold, we are slaves in it.
37 “Its abundant produce is for the kings
Whom You have set over us because of our sins;
They also rule over our bodies
And over our cattle as they please,
So we are in great distress.

38 “Now because of all this
We are making an agreement in writing;
And on the sealed document are the names of our leaders, our Levites and our priests.”  Nehemiah 9:32-38.

———————————

Praise God that He keeps covenant and lovingkindness!  We certainly do not keep our covenant.

And yet, other doctrine preaches:  “Just make another covenant and try harder!”

But, Reformed Doctrine is content to rest upon the covenant of our God Who keeps His covenant.  His covenant is all about what He does, such as “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it;  and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” and “I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” 

“31 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord.  33 “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it;  and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.  34 They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”  Jeremiah 31:31-34.

Which doctrine is more consistent with this God “who keeps covenant and lovingkindness”?

Other doctrine which depends on man and his alleged free-will and wisdom?

Or, Reformed Doctrine which depends on our God Who keeps His covenant from “Unconditional Election” to “Limited Atonement” to “Irresistible Grace” to “Preservation of the Saints”, the “U”, “L”, “I”, and “P” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation?

Today’s devotion comes from Nehemiah 9:21-31.

21 “Indeed, forty years You provided for them in the wilderness and they were not in want;
Their clothes did not wear out, nor did their feet swell.
22 “You also gave them kingdoms and peoples,
And allotted them to them as a boundary.
They took possession of the land of Sihon the king of Heshbon
And the land of Og the king of Bashan.
23 “You made their sons numerous as the stars of heaven,
And You brought them into the land
Which You had told their fathers to enter and possess.
24 “So their sons entered and possessed the land.
And You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites,
And You gave them into their hand, with their kings and the peoples of the land,
To do with them as they desired.
25 “They captured fortified cities and a fertile land.
They took possession of houses full of every good thing,
Hewn cisterns, vineyards, olive groves,
Fruit trees in abundance.
So they ate, were filled and grew fat,
And reveled in Your great goodness.

26 “But they became disobedient and rebelled against You,
And cast Your law behind their backs
And killed Your prophets who had admonished them
So that they might return to You,
And they committed great blasphemies.
27 “Therefore You delivered them into the hand of their oppressors who oppressed them,
But when they cried to You in the time of their distress,
You heard from heaven, and according to Your great compassion
You gave them deliverers who delivered them from the hand of their oppressors.
28 “But as soon as they had rest, they did evil again before You;
Therefore You abandoned them to the hand of their enemies, so that they ruled over them.
When they cried again to You, You heard from heaven,
And many times You rescued them according to Your compassion,
29 And admonished them in order to turn them back to Your law.
Yet they acted arrogantly and did not listen to Your commandments but sinned against Your ordinances,
By which if a man observes them he shall live.
And they turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck, and would not listen.
30 “However, You bore with them for many years,
And admonished them by Your Spirit through Your prophets,
Yet they would not give ear.
Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
31 “Nevertheless, in Your great compassion You did not make an end of them or forsake them,
For You are a gracious and compassionate God.”    Nehemiah 9:16-31.

——————

The people of Israel continue their confession of sin in today’s Scripture.

They recognize God’s great goodness to them in verses 21 -25.  But, despite this great goodness, they became disobedient and rebelled against God as they confessed in verses 26-30.

“But Jeshurun (Israel) grew fat and kicked—
You are grown fat, thick, and sleek—
Then he forsook God who made him,
And scorned the Rock of his salvation.”  Deuteronomy 32:15.

God did indeed punish them.  Verses 27-30.  But, they praised God for His great compassion, because He did not make an end of them or forsake them.  Verse 31.

Other doctrine just points to our foolishness and sin and exhorts us to just try harder to obey God.

But, Reformed Doctrine points to God, “the Rock of his salvation”, and exhorts us to believe more in His salvation which is “Unconditional Election” to “Limited Atonement” to “Irresistible Grace” to “Preservation of the Saints”, the “U”, “L”, “I”, and “P” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

“1 Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,
Who seek the Lord:
Look to the rock from which you were hewn
And to the quarry from which you were dug.
2 “Look to Abraham your father
And to Sarah who gave birth to you in pain;
When he was but one I called him,
Then I blessed him and multiplied him.”
3 Indeed, the Lord will comfort Zion;
He will comfort all her waste places.
And her wilderness He will make like Eden,
And her desert like the garden of the Lord;
Joy and gladness will be found in her,
Thanksgiving and sound of a melody.

4 “Pay attention to Me, O My people,
And give ear to Me, O My nation;
For a law will go forth from Me,
And I will set My justice for a light of the peoples.
5 “My righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth,
And My arms will judge the peoples;
The coastlands will wait for Me,
And for My arm they will wait expectantly.
6 “Lift up your eyes to the sky,
Then look to the earth beneath;
For the sky will vanish like smoke,
And the earth will wear out like a garment
And its inhabitants will die in like manner;
But My salvation will be forever,
And My righteousness will not wane.
7 “Listen to Me, you who know righteousness,
A people in whose heart is My law;
Do not fear the reproach of man,
Nor be dismayed at their revilings.
8 “For the moth will eat them like a garment,
And the grub will eat them like wool.
But My righteousness will be forever,
And My salvation to all generations.”  Isaiah 51:1-8.

Today’s devotion come from Nehemiah 9:13-20.

“13 “Then You came down on Mount Sinai,
And spoke with them from heaven;
You gave them just ordinances and true laws,
Good statutes and commandments.
14 “So You made known to them Your holy sabbath,
And laid down for them commandments, statutes and law,
Through Your servant Moses.
15 “You provided bread from heaven for them for their hunger,
You brought forth water from a rock for them for their thirst,
And You told them to enter in order to possess
The land which You swore to give them.

16 “But they, our fathers, acted arrogantly;
They became stubborn and would not listen to Your commandments.
17 “They refused to listen,
And did not remember Your wondrous deeds which You had performed among them;
So they became stubborn and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt.
But You are a God of forgiveness,
Gracious and compassionate,
Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness;
And You did not forsake them.
18 “Even when they made for themselves
A calf of molten metal
And said, ‘This is your God
Who brought you up from Egypt,’
And committed great blasphemies,
19 You, in Your great compassion,
Did not forsake them in the wilderness;
The pillar of cloud did not leave them by day,
To guide them on their way,
Nor the pillar of fire by night, to light for them the way in which they were to go.
20 “You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them,
Your manna You did not withhold from their mouth,
And You gave them water for their thirst.”  Nehemiah 9:13-20.

————————–

“You gave them just ordinances and true laws,
Good statutes and commandments.”  Verse 13.

“7 The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether.
10 They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover, by them Your servant is warned;
In keeping them there is great reward.”  Psalm 19:7-11.

“So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.”  Romans 7:12.

What was the response of the people of Israel?

“But they, our fathers, acted arrogantly;
They became stubborn and would not listen to Your commandments.”  Verse 16.

“9 What then?  Are we better than they?  Not at all;  for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; 10 as it is written,

“There is none righteous, not even one;
11 There is none who understands,
There is none who seeks for God;
12 All have turned aside, together they have become useless;
There is none who does good,
There is not even one.”  Romans 3:9-12.

“5 For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death.  … 7 What shall we say then?  Is the Law sin?  May it never be!  On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law;  for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “You shall not covet.”  8 But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind;  for apart from the Law sin is dead.  9 I was once alive apart from the Law;  but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died;  and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me;  11 for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.”  Romans 7:5 and 7-11.

Although God’s Law is certainly good, we are certainly not good.  The solution is not to just try harder. 
 
Verses 15 and 20 lead us to the solution.  God’s earthly manna leads us to meditate on Jesus, “the true bread out of heaven”, Who “gives life to the world”.  

“Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven.  For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.”  John 6:32-33.

“Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.  But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.  For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.  For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”  Galatians 3:24-26.

“Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.”  Romans 7:4.

Today’s devotion comes from Nehemiah 9:9-12.

“9 “You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt,
And heard their cry by the Red Sea.
10 “Then You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh,
Against all his servants and all the people of his land;
For You knew that they acted arrogantly toward them,
And made a name for Yourself as it is this day.
11 “You divided the sea before them,
So they passed through the midst of the sea on dry ground;
And their pursuers You hurled into the depths,
Like a stone into raging waters.
12 “And with a pillar of cloud You led them by day,
And with a pillar of fire by night
To light for them the way
In which they were to go.”  Nehemiah 9:9-12.

————————————-

God guides us in the way we should go.  Verse 12.

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;
I will counsel you with My eye upon you.”  Psalm 32:8.

“… He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake”  Psalm 23:3.

“8 Good and upright is the Lord;
Therefore He instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the humble in justice,
And He teaches the humble His way.
10 All the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness and truth
To those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.”  Psalm 25:8-10.

“Your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left.”  Isaiah 30:21.

“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; …”  John 16:13.

Today’s devotion comes from Nehemiah 9:5-8.

“5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah, said, “Arise, bless the Lord your God forever and ever!

O may Your glorious name be blessed
And exalted above all blessing and praise!
6 “You alone are the Lord.
You have made the heavens,
The heaven of heavens with all their host,
The earth and all that is on it,
The seas and all that is in them.
You give life to all of them
And the heavenly host bows down before You.
7 “You are the Lord God,
Who chose Abram
And brought him out from Ur of the Chaldees,
And gave him the name Abraham.
8 “You found his heart faithful before You,
And made a covenant with him
To give him the land of the Canaanite,
Of the Hittite and the Amorite,
Of the Perizzite, the Jebusite and the Girgashite—
To give it to his descendants.
And You have fulfilled Your promise,
For You are righteous.”    Nehemiah 9:5-8.

——————————–

“You have fulfilled Your promise, For You are righteous.”  Verse 8.

When we consider the magnificent promises of God (for one example, “His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness” in 2 Peter 1:3), we can trust God to fulfill His promises, for He is righteous.

We see similar Scripture that refers to the character of God (“it is impossible for God to lie”) as reason why we can trust God to fulfill His promises in the following Hebrews 6:13-18.

“For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you.”  And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise.  For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute.  In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.”   Hebrews 6:13-18.

Other doctrine would rather trust in man’s alleged free-will, wisdom, and will than trust God to fulfill His promises.

But, Reformed Doctrine does not trust at all in man’s alleged free-will, wisdom, and will, pointing out man’s “Total Depravity”, but rather, Reformed Doctrine trusts solely in God to fulfill His promises from “Unconditional Election” to “Limited Atonement” to “Irresistible Grace” to “Preservation of the Saints”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.