Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from Deuteronomy 16:9-17.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+16&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“9 “You shall count seven weeks for yourself;  you shall begin to count seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain.  10 Then you shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with a tribute of a freewill offering of your hand, which you shall give just as the Lord your God blesses you;  11 and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your son and your daughter and your male and female servants and the Levite who is in your town, and the stranger and the orphan and the widow who are in your midst, in the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish His name.  12 You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and you shall be careful to observe these statutes.

13 “You shall celebrate the Feast of Booths seven days after you have gathered in from your threshing floor and your wine vat;  14 and you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter and your male and female servants and the Levite and the stranger and the orphan and the widow who are in your towns.  15 Seven days you shall celebrate a feast to the Lord your God in the place which the Lord chooses, because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful.”  Deuteronomy 16:9-15.

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“Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones;
And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.”  Psalm 32:11.

“Sing for joy in the Lord, O you righteous ones;  Praise is becoming to the upright.”  Psalm 33:1.

“The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous;  The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.”  Psalm 118:15.

“They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness.”  Psalm 145:7.

“Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth;  Break forth and sing for joy and sing praises.”  Psalm 98:4.

“And He brought forth His people with joy, His chosen ones with a joyful shout.”  Psalm 105:43.

“For you will go out with joy And be led forth with peace;  The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”  Isaiah 55:12.

“They will come and shout for joy on the height of Zion, And they will be radiant over the bounty of the Lord— Over the grain and the new wine and the oil, And over the young of the flock and the herd;  And their life will be like a watered garden, And they will never languish again.”  Jeremiah 31:12.

“Then our mouth was filled with laughter And our tongue with joyful shouting;  Then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”  Psalm 126:2.

“Shout for joy, O heavens, for the Lord has done it!  Shout joyfully, you lower parts of the earth;  Break forth into a shout of joy, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it;  For the Lord has redeemed Jacob And in Israel He shows forth His glory.”  Isaiah 44:23.

“Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion!  Shout in triumph, O Israel!  Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!”  Zephaniah 3:14.

Today’s devotion comes from Deuteronomy 15:1-8.

“1 “Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night.  2 You shall sacrifice the Passover to the Lord your God from the flock and the herd, in the place where the Lord chooses to establish His name.  3 You shall not eat leavened bread with it;  seven days you shall eat with it unleavened bread, the bread of affliction (for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste), so that you may remember all the days of your life the day when you came out of the land of Egypt.  4 For seven days no leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory, and none of the flesh which you sacrifice on the evening of the first day shall remain overnight until morning.  5 You are not allowed to sacrifice the Passover in any of your towns which the Lord your God is giving you;  6 but at the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish His name, you shall sacrifice the Passover in the evening at sunset, at the time that you came out of Egypt.  7 You shall cook and eat it in the place which the Lord your God chooses.  In the morning you are to return to your tents.  8 Six days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a solemn assembly to the Lord your God;  you shall do no work on it.”    Deuteronomy 15:1-8.

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Today’s Scripture commands certain worship to occur at “the place where the Lord chooses to establish His name” (or its equivalent).  Verses 2, 6, and 7.

We also have seen similar Scripture previously.

“But you shall seek the Lord at the place which the Lord your God will choose from all your tribes, to establish His name there for His dwelling, and there you shall come.”  Deuteronomy 12:5.

“You shall eat in the presence of the Lord your God, at the place where He chooses to establish His name, the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and your flock, so that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always.”    Deuteronomy 14:3.

So, we eagerly seek to learn about this place.  We eagerly seek to come to this place.  Where is “the place where the Lord chooses to establish His name”?

We know that this place is the church with His Son Jesus Christ the head of the church, Christ’s body.

“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.”  Ephesians 5:23-30.

Article 27:  Of the Catholic Christian Church.

 We believe and profess, one catholic or universal Church, which is an holy congregation, of true Christian believers, all expecting their salvation in Jesus Christ, being washed by his blood, sanctified and sealed by the Holy Ghost.   This Church hath been from the beginning of the world, and will be to the end thereof; which is evident from this, that Christ is an eternal King, which, without subjects, cannot be.   And this holy Church is preserved or supported by God, against the rage of the whole world;  though she sometimes (for a while) appears very small, and in the eyes of men, to be reduced to nothing:  as during the perilous reign of Ahab, the Lord reserved unto him seven thousand men, who had not bowed their knees to Baal.  Furthermore, this holy Church is not confined, bound, or limited to a certain place or to certain persons, but is spread and dispersed over the whole world; and yet is joined and united with heart and will, by the power of faith, in one and the same spirit.  Belgic Confession. 

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes;  and there will no longer be any death;  there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain;  the first things have passed away.”  Revelation 21:3-4.

Today’s devotion comes from Deuteronomy 15:12-23.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+15&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“12 “If your kinsman, a Hebrew man or woman, is sold to you, then he shall serve you six years, but in the seventh year you shall set him free.  13 When you set him free, you shall not send him away empty-handed.  14 You shall furnish him liberally from your flock and from your threshing floor and from your wine vat;  you shall give to him as the Lord your God has blessed you.  15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you;  therefore I command you this today.”   Deuteronomy Chapter 15:  Verses 12-15.

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As instructed by verse 15, we remember what the LORD had done for Israel for whom He set free from the bondage of slavery in Egypt.  “I will grant this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians;  and it shall be that when you go, you will not go empty-handed.  But every woman shall ask of her neighbor and the woman who lives in her house, articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing;  and you will put them on your sons and daughters.  Thus you will plunder the Egyptians.”  Exodus 3:21-22.

As commanded by verse 14, Israel was commanded to liberally furnish those servants whom they set free.

As redeemed people, we also meditate on what the LORD has done and is doing for us whom He set free from the bondage of sin.  He also did not let us go empty-handed.

It certainly would have been good enough for the LORD to “only” set Israel free from the bondage of slavery in Egypt.   It certainly would have been good enough for the LORD to “only” set us free from the bondage of sin.

But, the LORD furnished Israel liberally.  And, the LORD also furnishes us liberally.

“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.  …”  Ephesians 1:7-8.

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.  …”  Ephesians 1:18-19.

“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.”  Ephesians 2:4-7.

“To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ,”  Ephesians 3:8.

“And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:19.

“And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.”  Romans 9:23-24.

“For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek;  for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him;”  Romans 10:12.

“He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”  Romans 8:32.

Today’s devotion comes from Deuteronomy 15:1-18.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+15&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“1 “At the end of every seven years you shall grant a remission of debts.  2 This is the manner of remission:  every creditor shall release what he has loaned to his neighbor; he shall not exact it of his neighbor and his brother, because the Lord’s remission has been proclaimed.  3 From a foreigner you may exact it, but your hand shall release whatever of yours is with your brother.  4 However, there will be no poor among you, since the Lord will surely bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, 5 if only you listen obediently to the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all this commandment which I am commanding you today.  6 For the Lord your God will bless you as He has promised you, and you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow;  and you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you.

7 “If there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother;  8 but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks.  9 Beware that there is no base thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of remission, is near,’ and your eye is hostile toward your poor brother, and you give him nothing;  then he may cry to the Lord against you, and it will be a sin in you.  10 You shall generously give to him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings.  11 For the poor will never cease to be in the land;  therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.’”  Deuteronomy Chapter 15:  Verses 1-11.

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Today’s Scripture first points us to our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ from Whom we have received forgiveness, “a remission of debts”.  “He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,  in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”  Colossians 1:13-14.

But then, today’s Scripture points us to our duty.  As we have been forgiven, we need to forgive our brother.  We remember Jesus’ Parable of the Unforgiving Servant.  Here is the conclusion of the parable.  “Then summoning him, his lord *said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.  Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’  And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him.  My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.” Matthew 18:32-35.

Today’s Scripture concludes with the command:  “You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land ”  Verse 11.  And we are reminded of Jesus’ command, a good summary, easy to remember:  “…  Freely you received, freely give.”  Matthew 10:8.

Today’s devotion comes from Deuteronomy 14:22-29.

“22 “You shall surely tithe all the produce from what you sow, which comes out of the field every year.  23 You shall eat in the presence of the Lord your God, at the place where He chooses to establish His name, the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and your flock, so that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always.  24 If the distance is so great for you that you are not able to bring the tithe, since the place where the Lord your God chooses to set His name is too far away from you when the Lord your God blesses you, 25 then you shall exchange it for money, and bind the money in your hand and go to the place which the Lord your God chooses.  26 You may spend the money for whatever your heart desires:  for oxen, or sheep, or wine, or strong drink, or whatever your heart desires;  and there you shall eat in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household.  27 Also you shall not neglect the Levite who is in your town, for he has no portion or inheritance among you.

28 “At the end of every third year you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in that year, and shall deposit it in your town.  29 The Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance among you, and the alien, the orphan and the widow who are in your town, shall come and eat and be satisfied, in order that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.”    Deuteronomy 14:22-29.

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“Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”  2 Corinthians 9:7.

We tend to think of tithing as just giving up hard-earned money.  But, today’s Scripture presents four elements of tithing that show there is so much more involved in tithing than just giving up hard-earned money.  Three of the four elements involve us receiving something.

First, in verse 22, we receive a better attitude toward God when we tithe.  We tithe “so that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always”.

Second, in verse 26, we receive joy when we tithe.  We “rejoice”.

Third, in verse 29, we share when we tithe.  We help the Levite (who is comparable to a minister or full-time worker in the church), the alien (stranger), the widow, and the orphan.

Fourth, in verse 29, we receive a blessing when we tithe.  We tithe “in order that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.”  In a sense, when we tithe, God becomes our business partner.

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.”  Malachi 3:10.

Today’s devotion comes from Deuteronomy 14:1-21.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+14&version=NASB

I only quote the following verses.

“1 You are the sons of the Lord your God;  you shall not cut yourselves nor shave your forehead for the sake of the dead.  2 For you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

3 “You shall not eat any detestable thing.  4 These are the animals which you may eat:  the ox, the sheep, the goat, 5 the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope and the mountain sheep.  6 Any animal that divides the hoof and has the hoof split in two and chews the cud, among the animals, that you may eat.  7 Nevertheless, you are not to eat of these among those which chew the cud, or among those that divide the hoof in two:  the camel and the rabbit and the shaphan, for though they chew the cud, they do not divide the hoof;  they are unclean for you.  8 The pig, because it divides the hoof but does not chew the cud, it is unclean for you.  You shall not eat any of their flesh nor touch their carcasses.”   Deuteronomy Chapter 14:  Verses 1-8.

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At this time of Moses in today’s Scripture, the Jews alone were God’s chosen people.  God gave them very specific laws including what they could eat and what they could not eat as we see in today’s Scripture.

But, it was God’s gracious purpose to include Gentiles in the group of His chosen people, chosen to receive mercy, chosen to be saved and receive eternal life.  God revealed his purpose to the Apostle Peter much later in a trance in which he saw a vision.

“1 Now the apostles and the brethren who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.  2 And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those who were circumcised took issue with him, 3 saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” 4  But Peter began speaking and proceeded to explain to them in orderly sequence, saying, 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object coming down like a great sheet lowered by four corners from the sky;  and it came right down to me, 6 and when I had fixed my gaze on it and was observing it I saw the four-footed animals of the earth and the wild beasts and the crawling creatures and the birds of the air.  7 I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter;  kill and eat.’  8 But I said, ‘By no means, Lord, for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’  9 But a voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.’  10 This happened three times, and everything was drawn back up into the sky.  11 And behold, at that moment three men appeared at the house in which we were staying, having been sent to me from Caesarea.  12 The Spirit told me to go with them without misgivings.  These six brethren also went with me and we entered the man’s house.  13 And he reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and have Simon, who is also called Peter, brought here; 14 and he will speak words to you by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’  15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning.  16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’  17 Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?”  18 When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.”  Acts 11:1-18.

“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.

How can people bristle against such gracious and precious doctrine?!  Being chosen is the very basis of salvation.  Reformed Doctrine teaches “Unconditional Election”, the “U” of “TULIP, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

Article 7.   Election is the unchangeable purpose of God, whereby, before the foundation of the world, he hath out of mere grace, according to the sovereign good pleasure of his own will, chosen, from the whole human race, which had fallen through their own fault, from their primitive state of rectitude, into sin and destruction, a certain number of persons to redemption in Christ, whom he from eternity appointed the Mediator and Head of the elect, and the foundation of Salvation. …  Canons of Dordt FIRST HEAD OF DOCTRINE Of Divine Predestination

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

I quote only the following verses.

“1 If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams;  for the Lord your God is testing you to find out if you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.  4 You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him;  and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him.  5 But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the Lord your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to seduce you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk.  So you shall purge the evil from among you. 

6 “If your brother, your mother’s son, or your son or daughter, or the wife you cherish, or your friend who is as your own soul, entice you secretly, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods’ (whom neither you nor your fathers have known, 7 of the gods of the peoples who are around you, near you or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other end), 8 you shall not yield to him or listen to him;  and your eye shall not pity him, nor shall you spare or conceal him.  9 But you shall surely kill him;  your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.  10 So you shall stone him to death because he has sought to seduce you from the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.  11 Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and will never again do such a wicked thing among you.  …”    Deuteronomy Chapter 13:  Verses 1-11.

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As Christians, we are certainly not called to purge the evil by killing anyone.  Only unbelievers would try to cut this page out of the rest of Scripture to vainly try to argue how ridiculous and antiquated Scripture is.

But, believers seek understanding and consider other Scripture in addition.

“The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom;  to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”  2 Timothy 4:18.

“18 We know that no one who is born of God sins;  but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.  19 We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.  20 And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true;  and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ.  This is the true God and eternal life.

21 Little children, guard yourselves from idols.”  1 John 5:18-21.

“9 Let love be without hypocrisy.  Abhor what is evil;  cling to what is good.  10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love;  give preference to one another in honor;  11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;  12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, 13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you;  bless and do not curse.  15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.  16 Be of the same mind toward one another;  do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly.  Do not be wise in your own estimation. 17 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone.  Respect what is right in the sight of all men.  18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.  19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.  20 “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”  21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”   Romans 12:9-21.

“8 To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit;  9 not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.  10 For,

“The one who desires life, to love and see good days,
Must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.
11 “He must turn away from evil and do good;
He must seek peace and pursue it.
12 “For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous,
And His ears attend to their prayer,
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”  1 Peter 3:8-12.

Today’s devotion comes from Deuteronomy 12:28-32.

“28 “Be careful to listen to all these words which I command you, so that it may be well with you and your sons after you forever, for you will be doing what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God.

29 “When the Lord your God cuts off before you the nations which you are going in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, 30 beware that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How do these nations serve their gods, that I also may do likewise?’  31 You shall not behave thus toward the Lord your God, for every abominable act which the Lord hates they have done for their gods; for they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.

32 “Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do;  you shall not add to nor take away from it.”  Deuteronomy 12:28-32.

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“For the sake of art, we need to study this religion.” 

“For the sake of history, we need to study this religion.” 

“For the sake of getting something useful that we can use, we need to study this religion.” 

We should not necessarily and hastily agree that for the sake of those things, we should study other religions.  Today’s Scripture should cause us to pause and consider more carefully our study of other religions.  There is the qualifier “that I may do likewise”, which may provide us with the loophole to allow such study, but there is the danger that a study of other religions could lead us to be ensnared by another religion.  Today’s Scripture warns us to “beware”.  Verse 30.

We should remember the verses in the beginning of this chapter.

“You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess serve their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree.  You shall tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and burn their Asherim with fire, and you shall cut down the engraved images of their gods and obliterate their name from that place.”  Deuteronomy 12:2-3.

That does not sound like encouragement to study other religions.

Now, Reformed Doctrine does not state that we should not study other religions.  One good reason to study other religions is to be able to refute the doctrine within that religion.  And, we have previously stated that there is the qualifier “that I may do likewise” in today’s Scripture which may provide us with the loophole to allow such study.  But, at least, we should be careful;  we should be even more than careful, we should “beware” that do we do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How do these nations serve their gods, that we also may do likewise’.  Verse 30.

Reformed Doctrine does call out “Sola Scriptura” as one of the Five Solas of the Reformation.

“1. Sola Scriptura

a. Meaning:  Scripture Alone

b. Prior to the reformation, other sources of revelation than the Scripture had become the foundation for doctrine.

c. The Reformation was a return to the Scriptures. The reformers said, truth is founded on what is in the Bible. The Bible not only gives us the final answer on truth, but it is the source of truth and gives the complete truth.

Revelation ceased at the close of the canon of Scripture.

d. So, the Bible, 39 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books, is the only rule for faith and life.”  “The Five Solas of the Reformation”  by Rev. Rodney Kleyn, a minister of the Protestant Reformed Churches.  Here is a link to Rev. Kleyn’s article in full (which is also a tag at the top of my web site) which identifies and describes all Five of the Solas of the Reformation – https://reformeddoctrine.com/the-five-solas-of-the-reformation/

“Sola Scriptura” is also consistent with the concluding verse in today’s Scripture.  “Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do;  you shall not add to nor take away from it.”  Verse 32.

Today’s devotion comes from Deuteronomy 12:4-27.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+12&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“4 You shall not act like this toward the Lord your God.  5 But you shall seek the Lord at the place which the Lord your God will choose from all your tribes, to establish His name there for His dwelling, and there you shall come.  6 There you shall bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the contribution of your hand, your votive offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock.  7 There also you and your households shall eat before the Lord your God, and rejoice in all your undertakings in which the Lord your God has blessed you.   …

10 When you cross the Jordan and live in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies around you so that you live in security, 11 then it shall come about that the place in which the Lord your God will choose for His name to dwell, there you shall bring all that I command you:  your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution of your hand, and all your choice votive offerings which you will vow to the Lord.  12 And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levite who is within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance with you.  …

18 But you shall eat them before the Lord your God in the place which the Lord your God will choose, you and your son and daughter, and your male and female servants, and the Levite who is within your gates;  and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God in all your undertakings. 19 Be careful that you do not forsake the Levite as long as you live in your land.”  Deuteronomy Chapter 12:  Verses 4-7 and 10-12 and 18.

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Today’s Scripture repeats three times that we shall rejoice about our blessings before the LORD our God in the place of worship.  How providential it is for this Scripture to come to us this Sabbath as we prepare to go to church!          

We certainly should not be loud and proud in speaking of our blessings in our church.  We certainly should not tell everyone in our church all of our blessings.

But, we can reverently and silently count our blessings in our head in church.  We can also sing praises with the congregation meditating and rejoicing on all that God has done for us.

In a setting such as fellowship hour or Sunday School, we can give a praise report to those whom we know have prayed for us, and we can also join others in sharing some of our blessings with those who are also sharing some of their blessings where we know that such sharing is likely to build all of our faith together.

Church is the proper venue for these activities.  “There also you and your households shall eat before the Lord your God, and rejoice in all your undertakings in which the Lord your God has blessed you.”  Verse 7.

“4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving
And His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
5 For the Lord is good;
His lovingkindness is everlasting
And His faithfulness to all generations.”  Psalm 100:4-5.

“In the courts of the Lord’s house,
In the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!”  Psalm 116:19.

“But those who garner it will eat it and praise the Lord;
And those who gather it will drink it in the courts of My sanctuary.”  Isaiah 62:9.

“1 Praise the Lord!
Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty expanse.
2 Praise Him for His mighty deeds;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness.”  Psalm 150:1-2.

Today’s devotion comes from Deuteronomy 12:1-3.

“These are the statutes and the judgments which you shall carefully observe in the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess as long as you live on the earth.  You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess serve their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree.  You shall tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and burn their Asherim with fire, and you shall cut down the engraved images of their gods and obliterate their name from that place.”  Deuteronomy 12:1-3.

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This command of utter destruction of altars and idols points us to the destruction of spiritual forces of wickedness and their fortresses and every speculation and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”  Ephesians 6:12.

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.  We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.”  2 Corinthians 10:3-6.

“The proud look of man will be abased
And the loftiness of man will be humbled,
And the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.”  Isaiah 2:11.

“Is not My word like fire?” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer which shatters a rock?”  Jeremiah 23:29.

Reformed Doctrine destroys the speculations of man’s alleged free-will and natural goodness through its teaching of “Total Depravity” , the “T” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.  Reformed Doctrine humbles this proud look and loftiness of man.

Reformed Doctrine takes every thought captive by teaching God’s absolute sovereignty in salvation 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.  Reformed Doctrine exalts the LORD alone.