Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from Deuteronomy 6:16-25.

“16 “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah.  17 You should diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and His testimonies and His statutes which He has commanded you.  18 You shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may be well with you and that you may go in and possess the good land which the Lord swore to give your fathers, 19 by driving out all your enemies from before you, as the Lord has spoken.

20 “When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What do the testimonies and the statutes and the judgments mean which the Lord our God commanded you?’  21 then you shall say to your son, ‘We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Lord brought us from Egypt with a mighty hand.  22 Moreover, the Lord showed great and distressing signs and wonders before our eyes against Egypt, Pharaoh and all his household;  23 He brought us out from there in order to bring us in, to give us the land which He had sworn to our fathers.’  24 So the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God for our good always and for our survival, as it is today.  25 It will be righteousness for us if we are careful to observe all this commandment before the Lord our God, just as He commanded us.”  Deuteronomy 6:16-25.

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What does the Law mean?  Or, in other words, what is the purpose of the Law?

When today’s Scripture starts to answer the question by reminding Israel that they were “slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt”, then it leads us toward consideration that we were slaves to sin.

When today’s Scripture then moves to a focus on the LORD and what He did, “great and distressing signs and wonders”, then it leads us to also focus on the LORD and His greatness so that we generally hope in Him.

When today’s Scripture states that the LORD “brought us out from there (Egypt, symbolizing sin) in order to bring us in” (the Promised Land, symbolizing righteousness), then it leads us to specifically believe that the LORD will both bring us out of sin and bring us into righteousness.

When today’s Scripture concludes that “It will be righteousness for us if we are careful to observe all this commandment before the Lord our God, just as He commanded us.”, then it leads us to question whether such righteousness will be our righteousness or God’s righteousness.

“For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”  Romans 10:3-4.

In summary, today’s Scripture leads us toward faith in Christ, “the summing up of all things in Christ”.  Today’s Scripture leads us toward the short direct answer of the purpose of the Law in Galatians 3:24:  “Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.”

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.  In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.”  Ephesians 1:7-12.

Today’s devotion comes from Deuteronomy 6:10-15.

“Then it shall come about when the Lord your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you, great and splendid cities which you did not build, and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you eat and are satisfied, then watch yourself, that you do not forget the Lord who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.  You shall fear only the Lord your God;  and you shall worship Him and swear by His name.  You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you, for the Lord your God in the midst of you is a jealous God;  otherwise the anger of the Lord your God will be kindled against you, and He will wipe you off the face of the earth.”  Deuteronomy 6:10-15.

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About one week ago at the fellowship time after the worship service, I approached a retired seminary professor to discuss Psalm 44, the Scripture for the sermon that we heard that day.  He said that the “prosperity plus” 1920’s in which people did not seek God were followed by the “dirty thirties” (1930’s, some of the years of the Great Depression in which many people were unemployed, homeless, hungry,  and dirty).  The professor did not use these exact words, but my impression of his message was that God was saying and directing events:  “OK, you don’t need me?  Let us see.”

The professor then talked about German-occupation in the Netherlands in the early 1940’s.  I asked him if people attended church then.  He exclaimed:  “Yes!  The churches were packed!  People were crying out to God.”

I think of difficult financial times in my life described in “Letters to Harry” a/k/a “Gold Mining” that is tagged at the top of my web site.  I may have had difficulty financially, but I had prosperity spiritually as I desperately sought out God and Scriptures.

Today’s Scripture points out our tendency to forget about God during times of financial prosperity and warns us:  “… watch yourself, that you do not forget the Lord who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”  Verse 12.

So, if we are going through tough times (whatever they may be) and you find yourself seeking the LORD, rejoice!  But, if everything seems to be going your way, “… watch yourself, that you do not forget the Lord”.

“And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;  and perseverance, proven character;  and proven character, hope;  and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”  Romans 5:3-5.

Today’s devotion comes from Deuteronomy 6:1-9.

“1 Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments which the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you, that you might do them in the land where you are going over to possess it, 2 so that you and your son and your grandson might fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged.  3 O Israel, you should listen and be careful to do it, that it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly, just as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.

4 “Hear, O Israel!  The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!  5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.  6 These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.  7 You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.  8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.  9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”  Deuteronomy 6:1-9.

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Certainly, these are all good things to do.  We should be wise and have enough will-power to do them.   But, our hope is not in our wisdom or in our will-power.  Our hope is in God.  We may and should write God’s Word on our doorposts and our gates.  But, we need more for God to write His Word on our hearts.  We may exercise lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness.  But, we need more for God to exercise His lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness.  Today, at our worship service, we may learn what we should do.  But, we need more to learn about what God has done.

“Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches;  but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 9:23-24.

“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, 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.  “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.  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.

“By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.  In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  … We love, because He first loved us.”  1 John 4:9-10 and 19.

“1 It is good to give thanks to the Lord
And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
2 To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning
And Your faithfulness by night,
3 With the ten-stringed lute and with the harp,
With resounding music upon the lyre.
4 For You, O Lord, have made me glad by what You have done,
I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands.”  Psalm 94:1-4.

Other doctrine focuses on man, man’s wisdom, man’s alleged free-will, man’s works, and even man’s faith.

Reformed Doctrine knows that a focus on man will only reveal “Total Depravity”, the “T” of “TULIP”.

Rather, than a focus on man, Reformed Doctrine focuses on God, God’s wisdom, God’s will, God’s works, and the faith that comes from God as a gift.  From “Unconditional Election” to “Limited Atonement” to “Irresistible Grace” to Preservation of the Saints”, the “U”, “L” “I” and “P” of “TULIP”, Reformed Doctrine declares God’s lovingkindness, justice, and faithfulness and sings for joy at the works of His hands.

Today’s devotion comes from Deuteronomy 5:22-33.

“22 “These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly at the mountain from the midst of the fire, of the cloud and of the thick gloom, with a great voice, and He added no more.  He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.  23 And when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes and your elders.  24 You said, ‘Behold, the Lord our God has shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire;  we have seen today that God speaks with man, yet he lives.  25 Now then why should we die?  For this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any longer, then we will die.  26 For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived?  27 Go near and hear all that the Lord our God says;  then speak to us all that the Lord our God speaks to you, and we will hear and do it.’

28 “The Lord heard the voice of your words when you spoke to me, and the Lord said to me, ‘I have heard the voice of the words of this people which they have spoken to you.  They have done well in all that they have spoken.  29 Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments always, that it may be well with them and with their sons forever!  30 Go, say to them, “Return to your tents.”  31 But as for you, stand here by Me, that I may speak to you all the commandments and the statutes and the judgments which you shall teach them, that they may observe them in the land which I give them to possess.’  32 So you shall observe to do just as the Lord your God has commanded you;  you shall not turn aside to the right or to the left.  33 You shall walk in all the way which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you will possess.”  Deuteronomy 5:22-33.

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God rewards faith and obedience.  God is good and does good to the righteous.

That does not mean that we try to have faith and obey God through our own wisdom and will-power.  We remember that our only hope is that we “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.  ” I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.”  Ezekiel 36:27.  “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”  Galatians 5:25.

Our faith believes that God rewards those who seek him.  “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”  Hebrews 11:6.

“13 “Oh that My people would listen to Me,
That Israel would walk in My ways!
14 “I would quickly subdue their enemies
And turn My hand against their adversaries.
15 “Those who hate the Lord would pretend obedience to Him,
And their time of punishment would be forever.
16 “But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat,
And with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”  Psalm 81:13-16.

“1 How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,
Who walks in His ways.
2 When you shall eat of the fruit of your hands,
You will be happy and it will be well with you.
3 Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
Within your house,
Your children like olive plants
Around your table.
4 Behold, for thus shall the man be blessed
Who fears the Lord.”  Psalm 128:1-4.

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord gives grace and glory;  No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”  Psalm 84:11.

The promise that it will go well with us if we have faith and obey through God’s grace does not only extend to our self, the blessing extends to our children after us.  “Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments always, that it may be well with them and with their sons forever!”  Verse 29.  “So you shall keep His statutes and His commandments which I am giving you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may live long on the land which the Lord your God is giving you for all time.”  Deuteronomy 4:40.

In conclusion, so many parents want to provide for their children so that it may go well for their children after them.  But, they think that money is the best way to provide for them.  Today’s Scripture should encourage all of us parents to live righteous lives full of faith and obedience through God’s grace teaching our children God’s most Holy and Precious Word.

Today’s devotion comes from Deuteronomy 5:16-21.

“16 ‘Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be prolonged and that it may go well with you on the land which the Lord your God gives you.

17 ‘You shall not murder.

18 ‘You shall not commit adultery.

19 ‘You shall not steal.

20 ‘You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

21 ‘You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field or his male servant or his female servant, his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.’”  Deuteronomy 5:16-21.

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“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.”  But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind;  for apart from the Law sin is dead.  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;  for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.”  Romans 7:7-11.

“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.  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.  But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.”  Romans 7:4-6.

“For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.  For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh;  for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.  Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are:  immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.  Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”  Galatians 5:14-25.

Today’s devotion comes from Deuteronomy 5:11-15.

“11 ‘You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.

12 ‘Observe the sabbath day to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you.  13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God;  in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant or your ox or your donkey or any of your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you, so that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you.  15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm;  therefore the Lord your God commanded you to observe the sabbath day.”  Deuteronomy 5:11-15.

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Generally, the purpose of the fourth commandment (“Observe the sabbath day to keep it holy”), like the rest of the commandments, is to lead us to Christ.  “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.”  Galatians 3:24-26.

Specifically,  the purpose of the fourth commandment (“Observe the sabbath day to keep it holy”) is to lead us to the Lord of the Sabbath Who is Christ.  “And it happened that He was passing through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples began to make their way along while picking the heads of grain.  The Pharisees were saying to Him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”  And He *said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions became hungry;  how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the consecrated bread, which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests, and he also gave it to those who were with him?”  Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”  Mark 2:23-28.

For those who are joined to this Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus Christ, He gives us true eternal rest:  from slavery to dead works unto freedom in Christ, from deadness in sin unto fountains of living water bearing fruit by the Holy Spirit, and later from slavery to world’s corruptions unto Heaven’s holiness and other perfections.

“For the Law was given through Moses;  grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.”  John 1:17.

And, this is how the intent of the third commandment (“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain”) is accomplished through God’s grace working in us, we rightly confess and worship Christ.  We glorify Christ by giving Him meaningful and full credit as Lord of the Sabbath and otherwise.

Q. 99.  What is required in the third commandment? 

 A.  That we, not only by cursing or perjury, but also by rash swearing, must not profane or abuse the name of God;  nor by silence or connivance be partakers of these horrible sins in others;  and, briefly, that we use the holy name of God no otherwise than with fear and reverence;  so that He may be rightly confessed and worshiped by us, and be glorified in all our words and works.  Heidelberg Catechism. 

Question 112:  What is required in the third commandment? 

Answer:  The third commandment requires, That the name of God, his titles, attributes, ordinances, the Word, sacraments, prayer, oaths, vows, lots, his works, and:  Whatsoever else there is whereby he makes himself known, be holy and reverently used in thought, meditation, word, and writing;  by an holy profession, and Answerable conversation, to the glory of God, and the good of ourselves, and others.  Westminster Larger Catechism.

Today’s devotion comes from Deuteronomy 5:1-10.

1 “Then Moses summoned all Israel and said to them:

“Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the ordinances which I am speaking today in your hearing, that you may learn them and observe them carefully.  2 The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb.  3 The Lord did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, with all those of us alive here today.  4 The Lord spoke to you face to face at the mountain from the midst of the fire, 5 while I was standing between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord;  for you were afraid because of the fire and did not go up the mountain.  He said,

6 ‘I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

7 ‘You shall have no other gods before Me.

8 ‘You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.  9 You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, 10 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”  Deuteronomy 5:1-10.

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“For the Law was given through Moses;  grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.”  John 1:17.

“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.”  Galatians 3:24-26.

“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, 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.  “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.  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.

“But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.  Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”  Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son;  and if a son, then an heir through God.”  Galatians 4:4-7.

“When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us;  and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”  Colossians 2:13-14.

“By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.  In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  … We love, because He first loved us.”  1 John 4:9-10 and 19.

Today’s devotion comes from Deuteronomy Chapter 4.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+4&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

1 “Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I am teaching you to perform, so that you may live and go in and take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you.  2 You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.  3 Your eyes have seen what the Lord has done in the case of Baal-peor, for all the men who followed Baal-peor, the Lord your God has destroyed them from among you.  4 But you who held fast to the Lord your God are alive today, every one of you.

5 “See, I have taught you statutes and judgments just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do thus in the land where you are entering to possess it.  6 So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’  7 For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is the Lord our God whenever we call on Him?  8 Or what great nation is there that has statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole law which I am setting before you today?

9 “Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life;  but make them known to your sons and your grandsons.”  …

25 “When you become the father of children and children’s children and have remained long in the land, and act corruptly, and make an idol in the form of anything, and do that which is evil in the sight of the Lord your God so as to provoke Him to anger, 26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will surely perish quickly from the land where you are going over the Jordan to possess it. You shall not live long on it, but will be utterly destroyed.  27 The Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord drives you.  28 There you will serve gods, the work of man’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell.  29 But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.  30 When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days you will return to the Lord your God and listen to His voice.  31 For the Lord your God is a compassionate God;  He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them.  …

37 Because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them.  And He personally brought you from Egypt by His great power, 38 driving out from before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in and to give you their land for an inheritance, as it is today.  39 Know therefore today, and take it to your heart, that the Lord, He is God in heaven above and on the earth below;  there is no other.  40 So you shall keep His statutes and His commandments which I am giving you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may live long on the land which the Lord your God is giving you for all time.”  Deuteronomy Chapter 4:  Verses 1-9 and 25-31 and 37-40.

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The volume of this Scripture is a lot to handle for one devotion, but I do not think we should deal with portions of this Scripture separately.  Certainly, the broad theme of this chapter is that Israel should diligently obey God’s law.  But, we see even in this chapter (verses 25-28), and elsewhere in Scripture that Israel did not diligently obey God’s law.

Reformed Doctrine teaches us that man’s natural condition is “Total Depravity”, the “T” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.  In other words, man is dead in sin, hostile to God, enslaved to sin and Satan.  Man will certainly not obey God no matter how many rewards for obedience there are, no matter how many punishments there are for sin, and no matter how much logical sense exists to obey God.

“But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind;  for apart from the Law sin is dead.  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;  for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.  So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me?  May it never be!  Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.”  Romans 7:8-13.

So, what hope is there in this Scripture for us today?

There are three leads in today’s Scripture that I want to discuss and bring in other Scripture in today’s devotion.

First, “For the Lord your God is a compassionate God;  He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them.”  Verse 31.  We may fail God, but God will not fail us.  We may not keep the commandments, but God will keep His covenant of grace.

Second, “Because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them.  …”  Verse 37.  “Unconditional Election”, the  “U” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation, provides the hope that God elects us for salvation not based on any condition that we can perform.  “For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”  So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.”  Romans 9:15-16.

Third, “Know therefore today, and take it to your heart, that the Lord, He is God in heaven above and on the earth below;  there is no other.”  Verse 39.

God is so Almighty, that He can make us alive who are dead in sin.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  For by grace you have been saved through faith;  and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;  not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”  Ephesians 2:4-8.

God is concerned about His name and His sake that even though we do not deserve salvation, God will save us to show forth His lovingkindness.  And, God is so great, like no other, that He can give us a new heart, a new spirit, and cause us to walk in His statutes, so that we will be careful to observe His ordinances.

“22 Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went. 23 I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord,” declares the Lord God, “when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight. 24 For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land. 25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. 28 You will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God.”  Ezekiel 36:22-28.

Today’s devotion comes from Deuteronomy 3:23-29.

“I also pleaded with the Lord at that time, saying, ‘O Lord God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your strong hand;  for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as Yours?  Let me, I pray, cross over and see the fair land that is beyond the Jordan, that good hill country and Lebanon.’  But the Lord was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me;  and the Lord said to me, ‘Enough! Speak to Me no more of this matter.  Go up to the top of Pisgah and lift up your eyes to the west and north and south and east, and see it with your eyes, for you shall not cross over this Jordan.  But charge Joshua and encourage him and strengthen him, for he shall go across at the head of this people, and he will give them as an inheritance the land which you will see.’  So we remained in the valley opposite Beth-peor.”  Deuteronomy 3:23-29.

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How should we encourage and strengthen others?

Do we tell them how wise they are?  Do we tell them how strong they are?  Do we build up their ego?  Do we train them so they trust themselves more?

Or, do we tell them how wise God is?  Do we tell them how strong God is?  Do we build up their faith?  Do we train them so they trust God more?

Although there is generally much that Moses reminded Israel in the rest of the book of Deuteronomy, what Moses specifically said to Joshua to encourage and strengthen him is found in Deuteronomy 31:7-9.  “Then Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance.  The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you;  He will be with you.  He will not fail you or forsake you.  Do not fear or be dismayed.”  Deuteronomy 31:7-9.

Reformed Doctrine teaches us how wise God is.  Reformed Doctrine teaches us how strong God is.  Reformed Doctrine builds up our faith.  Reformed Doctrine trains us so that we trust God more.

But, other doctrine teaches us how wise man is.  Other doctrine teaches how strong man is.  Other doctrine builds up our ego.  Other doctrine trains us so that we trust ourselves more.

“Thus says the Lord, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches;  but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord.”  Jeremiah 9:23-24.

Today’s devotion comes from Deuteronomy 3:18-29.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+3&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“18 “Then I commanded you at that time, saying, ‘The Lord your God has given you this land to possess it;  all you valiant men shall cross over armed before your brothers, the sons of Israel.  19 But your wives and your little ones and your livestock (I know that you have much livestock) shall remain in your cities which I have given you, 20 until the Lord gives rest to your fellow countrymen as to you, and they also possess the land which the Lord your God will give them beyond the Jordan.  Then you may return every man to his possession which I have given you.’  21 I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, ‘Your eyes have seen all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings; so the Lord shall do to all the kingdoms into which you are about to cross.  22 Do not fear them, for the Lord your God is the one fighting for you.’”  Deuteronomy 3:18-22.

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“The Lord your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, just as a man carries his son, in all the way which you have walked until you came to this place.’”  Deuteronomy 1:30-31.

““When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them;  for the Lord your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you.  When you are approaching the battle, the priest shall come near and speak to the people.  He shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, you are approaching the battle against your enemies today.  Do not be fainthearted.  Do not be afraid, or panic, or tremble before them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’”  Deuteronomy 20:1-4.

“And you have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations because of you, for the Lord your God is He who has been fighting for you.”  Joshua 23:3.

“But you are to cling to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day.  For the Lord has driven out great and strong nations from before you;  and as for you, no man has stood before you to this day.  One of your men puts to flight a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who fights for you, just as He promised you.  So take diligent heed to yourselves to love the Lord your God.”  Joshua 23:8-11.

Reformed Doctrine looks up to God.

Other doctrine looks down to man.

Reformed Doctrine focuses on God’s promises and God’s work.

Other doctrine focuses on man’s ability and alleged free-will of man.

Reformed Doctrine believes that God will fight for His elect.

Other doctrine believes that God will only help those who help themselves.

Reformed Doctrine does not fear and is not dismayed, because it knows that God is in total and perfect control.

Other doctrine continually fears and is dismayed at what man is doing in the world around them.

Reformed Doctrine clings to that true God Who is a victorious warrior for His people.  “The Lord your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior.  He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.”  Zephaniah 3:17.