Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | September 13, 2023

“And He brought forth His people with joy, His chosen ones with a joyful shout.” – “a land flowing with milk and honey”

Today’s devotion comes from Deuteronomy 11:8-17.

“You shall therefore keep every commandment which I am commanding you today, so that you may be strong and go in and possess the land into which you are about to cross to possess it;  so that you may prolong your days on the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give to them and to their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey.  For the land, into which you are entering to possess it, is not like the land of Egypt from which you came, where you used to sow your seed and water it with your foot like a vegetable garden.  But the land into which you are about to cross to possess it, a land of hills and valleys, drinks water from the rain of heaven, a land for which the LORD your God cares;  the eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning even to the end of the year.”  Deuteronomy 11:8-17.

—————-

“I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.  You will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers;  so you will be My people, and I will be your God.  Moreover, I will save you from all your uncleanness;  and I will call for the grain and multiply it, and I will not bring a famine on you.  I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field, so that you will not receive again the disgrace of famine among the nations.”  Ezekiel 36:27-30. 

“7 Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
8 Cease from anger and forsake wrath;
Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.
9 For evildoers will be cut off,
But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.
10 Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more;
And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.
11 But the humble will inherit the land
And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.” Psalm 37:7-11.

“11 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.
12 O LORD of hosts,
How blessed is the man who trusts in You!” Psalm 84:11-12.

“43 And He brought forth His people with joy,
His chosen ones with a joyful shout.
44 He gave them also the lands of the nations,
That they might take possession of the fruit of the peoples’ labor,
45 So that they might keep His statutes
And observe His laws,
Praise the LORD!” Psalm 105:43-45.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | September 12, 2023

“your own eyes have seen all the great work of the LORD which He did.”

Today’s devotion comes from Deuteronomy 11:1-7.

“You shall therefore love the LORD your God, and always keep His charge, His statutes, His ordinances, and His commandments.  Know this day that I am not speaking with your sons who have not known and who have not seen the discipline of the LORD your God—His greatness, His mighty hand and His outstretched arm, and His signs and His works which He did in the midst of Egypt to Pharaoh the king of Egypt and to all his land;  and what He did to Egypt’s army, to its horses and its chariots, when He made the water of the Red Sea to engulf them while they were pursuing you, and the LORD completely destroyed them;  and what He did to you in the wilderness until you came to this place;  and what He did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben, when the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, their households, their tents, and every living thing that followed them, among all Israel— but your own eyes have seen all the great work of the LORD which He did.”  Deuteronomy 11:1-7.

——————

There is a well-accepted saying:  “Ignorance of the law is no excuse.”

And, parents are well aware of what their children plea when they did something wrong:  “I didn’t know!”

Moses is cutting that excuse in the bud by his statements in the beginning and at the end of today’s Scripture.  

In the beginning, he states:  “Know this day that I am not speaking with your sons who have not known and who have not seen the discipline of the LORD your God—His greatness, …”.

At the end, he summarizes:  “… your own eyes have seen all the great work of the LORD which He did.” 

The lesson for us today is that we too, through God’s Word, so to speak, “have seen all the great work of the LORD which He did.”  In addition, we too have personally experienced the instruction and discipline of the LORD.

With that blessing comes an accountability.  We do not have an excuse to plea:  “I didn’t know!” 

“For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.  For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God;  but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.”  Hebrews 6:4-8.

But, there is hope!

“But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way.  For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.  And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

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.  This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”  Hebrews 6:9-20. 

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | September 11, 2023

“You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall serve Him and cling to Him, … who has done these great and awesome things for you”

Today’s devotion comes from Deuteronomy 10:17-22.

“For the LORD your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe.  He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing.  So show your love for the alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.  You shall fear the LORD your God;  you shall serve Him and cling to Him, and you shall swear by His name.  He is your praise and He is your God, who has done these great and awesome things for you which your eyes have seen.  Your fathers went down to Egypt seventy persons in all, and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven.”  Deuteronomy 10:17-22.

———————-

Why should we fear the LORD and serve Him and cling to Him?  Today’s Scripture answers that question.  

The LORD is Almighty God:  “the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God”.  Verse 17.

The LORD is just and righteous:  “who does not show partiality nor take a bribe.  He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing.”  Verses 17 and 18.

The LORD is our God Who blesses us:  “He is your praise and He is your God, who has done these great and awesome things for you which your eyes have seen.  … and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven.”  Verses 21 and 22.  

“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.

“Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
3 Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;
4 Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
5 Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.” Psalm 103:1-5.

“Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before Him with joyful singing.
3 Know that the LORD Himself is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

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 chapter 100.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | September 10, 2023

“Yet on your fathers did the LORD set His affection to love them, and He chose their descendants after them, even you above all peoples”

Today’s devotion comes from Deuteronomy 10:1-16.  Here is a link to this Scripture – 

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy%2010&version=NASB1995

I quote only the following verses.

“I, moreover, stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights like the first time, and the LORD listened to me that time also;  the LORD was not willing to destroy you.  Then the LORD said to me, ‘Arise, proceed on your journey ahead of the people, that they may go in and possess the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.’

“Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the LORD’S commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?  Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it.  Yet on your fathers did the LORD set His affection to love them, and He chose their descendants after them, even you above all peoples, as it is this day.  So circumcise your heart, and stiffen your neck no longer.”  Deuteronomy 10:10-16.  

—————

Other doctrine teaches us and exhorts us to live out our Christian life out of our own will.

But, Reformed Doctrine teaches us and exhorts us to live out our Christian life out of God’s will.

We live out our Christian life out of God’s will in two senses.  First, the basis of who we are and what we do is God’s will to choose us to be His people.  Second, the purpose and power of what we specifically do is the will God gives us to do His good pleasure.

Regarding the the first sense of living out our our Christian life out of God’s will on the basis of God’s will to choose us to be His people, consider the following verses in today’s Scripture and the following Scriptures.  

“Yet on your fathers did the LORD set His affection to love them, and He chose their descendants after them, even you above all peoples, as it is this day.  So circumcise your heart, and stiffen your neck no longer.”  Verses 15-16.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.  In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.  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 1:3-8.

“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.

Regarding the second sense living out our our Christian life out of God’s will that the purpose and power of what we specifically do is the will God gives us to do His good pleasure, consider the following Scriptures.

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

“So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:12-13.

“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 I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 1:6. 

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | September 8, 2023

“Know, then, it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stubborn people.”

Today’s devotion comes from Deuteronomy 9:6-29.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy%209&version=NASB1995

I quote only the following verses.

“Know, then, it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stubborn people.  Remember, do not forget how you provoked the LORD your God to wrath in the wilderness;  from the day that you left the land of Egypt until you arrived at this place, you have been rebellious against the LORD.  Even at Horeb you provoked the LORD to wrath, and the LORD was so angry with you that He would have destroyed you.  When I went up to the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant which the LORD had made with you, then I remained on the mountain forty days and nights;  I neither ate bread nor drank water.  The LORD gave me the two tablets of stone written by the finger of God;  and on them were all the words which the Lord had spoken with you at the mountain from the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly.  It came about at the end of forty days and nights that the LORD gave me the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant.  Then the LORD said to me, ‘Arise, go down from here quickly, for your people whom you brought out of Egypt have acted corruptly.  They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them;  they have made a molten image for themselves.’  The LORD spoke further to me, saying, ‘I have seen this people, and indeed, it is a stubborn people.  Let Me alone, that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven;  and I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they.’”  Deuteronomy 9:6-14.

—————-

We may think that we are good or at least cute.  We may think we are smart or at least charming.  If nothing else, we are like an innocent puppy dog.  God must love us at least enough to save us.

Israel may have thought so, particularly considering all the miracles and other things that God had done in delivering them from Egypt and leading them through the wilderness.

We may have thought so, particularly considering all the miracles and other things that God had done for us.  Moreover, we faithfully belong to a church and attend every worship service.  We are even a leader in church!

But, what does today’s Scripture state?

“Know, then, it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stubborn people.”  Verse 6.

“Let Me alone, that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven;  and I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they.”  Verse 14.

We know that Moses prayed to the LORD. 

“I prayed to the LORD and said, ‘O LORD God, do not destroy Your people, even Your inheritance, whom You have redeemed through Your greatness, whom You have brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand.  Remember Your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob;  do not look at the stubbornness of this people or at their wickedness or their sin.  Otherwise the land from which You brought us may say, “Because the LORD was not able to bring them into the land which He had promised them and because He hated them He has brought them out to slay them in the wilderness.”  Yet they are Your people, even Your inheritance, whom You have brought out by Your great power and Your outstretched arm.’”  Deuteronomy 9:26-29.

We can and should also humble ourselves and pray.

“Because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and because you humbled yourself before Me, tore your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you,” declares the LORD.”  2 Chronicles 34:27.

But, if we are stubborn and proud, will we?

If we are lazy and distracted, will we?

But, there is hope!

The hope is not in the wisdom and the will of man.

The hope is in the mercy of God.

“He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.” Acts 5:31.

“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 11:18.

“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.  For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.”  So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.”  Romans 9:15-18.  

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | September 7, 2023

“I am not doing this for your sake,” declares the Lord GOD” – “So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.”

Today’s devotion comes from Deuteronomy 9:1-5.

“Hear, O Israel! You are crossing over the Jordan today to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than you, great cities fortified to heaven, a people great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, whom you know and of whom you have heard it said, ‘Who can stand before the sons of Anak?’  Know therefore today that it is the LORD your God who is crossing over before you as a consuming fire.  He will destroy them and He will subdue them before you, so that you may drive them out and destroy them quickly, just as the LORD has spoken to you.

“Do not say in your heart when the LORD your God has driven them out before you, ‘Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land,’ but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is dispossessing them before you.  It is not for your righteousness or for the uprightness of your heart that you are going to possess their land, but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD your God is driving them out before you, in order to confirm the oath which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”  Deuteronomy 9:1-5.

—————–

We tend to think that we merit God’s goodness to us.  But, today’s Scripture refutes such thought.  “It is not for your righteousness or for the uprightness of your heart that you are going to possess their land, …”  Verse 5.

Likewise, we later read God delivered Israel, not for the sake of Israel, “but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went.”

“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.  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.  For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land.  …  Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and your abominations.  I am not doing this for your sake,” declares the Lord GOD, “let it be known to you.  Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel!”  Exodus 36:22-24 and 31-32. 

Even more, we like to think that we provided the missing link by which we should get at least some credit for our salvation.  It seems fair to us that God loves everybody, Christ died for everybody, and that salvation is dependent on what man contributes whether it be works or at least the will to be saved.

But, Scriptures states:  “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”  Titus 3:5-7.

“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.  For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.”  So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.”  Romans 9:15-18.  

“9 “Remember the former things long past,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like Me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things which have not been done,
Saying, ‘My purpose will be established,
And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;
11 Calling a bird of prey from the east,
The man of My purpose from a far country.
Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass.
I have planned it, surely I will do it.” Isaiah 46:9-11.

“The LORD has established His throne in the heavens,
And His sovereignty rules over all.” Psalm 103:19.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | September 6, 2023

“Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments” – “Then His own arm brought salvation to Him”

Today’s devotion comes from Deuteronomy 8:11-20.

“Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today;  otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them, and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.  He led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water;  He brought water for you out of the rock of flint.  In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end.  Otherwise, you may say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.’  But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.  It shall come about if you ever forget the LORD your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish.  Like the nations that the LORD makes to perish before you, so you shall perish;  because you would not listen to the voice of the LORD your God.”  Deuteronomy 8:11-20.

—————–

The LORD did not just give a general warning.  Later, the LORD gave a specific prophecy about what He would do to Jerusalem.  The purpose of including this following Scripture is that we may think that God’s warning just applies to others and not take it to heart.  “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.”  1 Corinthians 10:12.  

“Thus says the Lord GOD, ‘This is Jerusalem;  I have set her at the center of the nations, with lands around her.  But she has rebelled against My ordinances more wickedly than the nations and against My statutes more than the lands which surround her;  for they have rejected My ordinances and have not walked in My statutes.’  Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Because you have more turmoil than the nations which surround you and have not walked in My statutes, nor observed My ordinances, nor observed the ordinances of the nations which surround you,’ therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Behold, I, even I, am against you, and I will execute judgments among you in the sight of the nations.  And because of all your abominations, I will do among you what I have not done, and the like of which I will never do again.  Therefore, fathers will eat their sons among you, and sons will eat their fathers;  for I will execute judgments on you and scatter all your remnant to every wind.  So as I live,’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘surely, because you have defiled My sanctuary with all your detestable idols and with all your abominations, therefore I will also withdraw, and My eye will have no pity and I will not spare.  One third of you will die by plague or be consumed by famine among you, one third will fall by the sword around you, and one third I will scatter to every wind, and I will unsheathe a sword behind them.”  Ezekiel 5:5-12.

As horrific as the plague, famine, and war are, hell is much, much worse.  “But I will warn you whom to fear:  fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell;  yes, I tell you, fear Him!”  Luke 12:5. 

But, there is hope!

Other doctrine gives a hope based on man’s works and man’s will.

But, Reformed Doctrine gives the hope based on Scripture that the sovereign Almighty LORD will do all that is necessary to save His elect, His chosen people.  “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.

“16 And He saw that there was no man,
And was astonished that there was no one to intercede;
Then His own arm brought salvation to Him,
And His righteousness upheld Him.
17 He put on righteousness like a breastplate,
And a helmet of salvation on His head;
And He put on garments of vengeance for clothing
And wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle.
18 According to their deeds, so He will repay,
Wrath to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies;
To the coastlands He will make recompense.
19 So they will fear the name of the LORD from the west
And His glory from the rising of the sun,
For He will come like a rushing stream
Which the wind of the LORD drives.
20 “A Redeemer will come to Zion,
And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,” declares the LORD.

“As for Me, this is My covenant with them,” says the LORD:  “My Spirit which is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your offspring, nor from the mouth of your offspring’s offspring,” says the LORD, “from now and forever.”  Isaiah 59:16-21.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | September 5, 2023

“He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.”

Today’s devotion comes from Deuteronomy 8:4-10.

“Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years.  Thus you are to know in your heart that the LORD your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son.  Therefore, you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him.  For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills;  a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey;  a land where you will eat food without scarcity, in which you will not lack anything;  a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper.  When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you.”  Deuteronomy 8:4-10.

————–

“and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons,

“MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD,
NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM;
FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES,
AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.”

It is for discipline that you endure;  God deals with you as with sons;  for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?  But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.  Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them;  shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?”  Hebrews 12:5-9.

But, there is hope!

“It is for discipline that you endure;  …” Hebrews 12:7. In other words, God causes us to endure so that He can discipline us.

In today’s Scripture, we learned that God caused Israel to endure by the specific statement: “Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years.” Verse 4. “Thus you are to know in your heart that the LORD your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son.” Emphasis added. God caused Israel to endure by protecting their clothing and their feet through the wilderness so that He could discipline them.

There is also the following hope in today’s Scripture.  “For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, …  When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you.”  Verses 7-10.  

There is also the following hope in the Hebrews passage on discipline. “… He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.  All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful;  yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”  Hebrews 12:10-11.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | September 4, 2023

“man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.”

Today’s devotion comes from Deuteronomy 8:1-3.

 “All the commandments that I am commanding you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD swore to give to your forefathers.  You shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.  He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.”  Deuteronomy 8:1-3.

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“And the tempter (the devil) came and said to Him (Jesus), “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.’” Matthew 4:3-4.

We tend to believe that we live by every piece of food that enters our mouth.  We also tend to believe that we live by our works and by our will.  But, today’s Scripture teaches: “man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.”

There is more that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD than just words. There is the Spirit. “So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and *said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” John 20:21-22.

Jesus said: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” John 6:63.

Moreover, one could read and know every word of the Bible and still not receive the Spirit and get life. “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.” John 5:39-40.

The following Scriptures and the Canons of Dordt direct our attention to the work of God. The work of God includes everything that comes from God that gives us life.

“Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.”  Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?”  Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”  John 6:27-29.  

Thus, our hope is that God will perform a work within us to cause us to believe in Christ.  Our hope is that God will give us the faith that comes from Him, the gift of faith a/k/a “justifying faith” that Christ earned for us through His sacrificial death on the cross.  

Consider the following from the Canons of Dordt. Christ’s death conferred on all the elect, but only the elect, “faith, which together with all the other saving gifts of the Holy Spirit, he purchased for them by his death”.

Article 8.  For this was the sovereign counsel, and most gracious will and purpose of God the Father, that the quickening and saving efficacy of the most precious death of his Son should extend to all the elect, for bestowing upon them alone the gift of justifying faith, thereby to bring them infallibly to salvation:  that is, it was the will of God, that Christ by the blood of the cross, whereby he confirmed the new covenant, should effectually redeem out of every people, tribe, nation, and language, all those, and those only, who were from eternity chosen to salvation, and given to him by the Father;  that he should confer upon them faith, which together with all the other saving gifts of the Holy Spirit, he purchased for them by his death;  should purge them from all sin, both original and actual, whether committed before or after believing;  and having faithfully preserved them even to the end, should at last bring them free from every spot and blemish to the enjoyment of glory in his own presence forever.  SECOND HEAD OF DOCTRINE Of the Death of Christ, and the Redemption of Men Thereby.

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;  seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.”  2 Peter 1:2-3.

“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.  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 36:26-27.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.  In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.  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 1:3-8.

“For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;  and these whom He predestined, He also called;  and these whom He called, He also justified;  and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

What then shall we say to these things?  If God is for us, who is against us?  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 8:29-32.

We do not provide any link in the golden chain of salvation whether it be works or even as little as the will to be saved. Scripture teaches us that we were “dead” in sin. Ephesians 2:1-5. We were hostile to God. Romans 8:7 and Colossians 1:21. We were in bondage to sin. Romans 7:14-15. This is a condition of “Total Depravity”, the “T” of “TULIP”, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation, as more fully taught in the Canons of Dordt.

“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.

“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.

“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 2:8-9.

“For who regards you as superior?  What do you have that you did not receive?  And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?”  1 Corinthians 4:7.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | September 3, 2023

“You shall not dread them, for the LORD your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God.”

Today’s devotion comes from Deuteronomy 7:17-26.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy%207&version=NASB1995

I quote only the following verses.

“If you should say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I; how can I dispossess them?’ you shall not be afraid of them;  you shall well remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt:  the great trials which your eyes saw and the signs and the wonders and the mighty hand and the outstretched arm by which the LORD your God brought you out.  So shall the LORD your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid.  Moreover, the LORD your God will send the hornet against them, until those who are left and hide themselves from you perish.  You shall not dread them, for the LORD your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God.”  Deuteronomy 7:17-21.  

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How much and how often we live out our lives in fear, anxiety, and worry about what others may do to us!

“You shall not dread them, for the LORD your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God.”  Verse 21. 

“10 ‘Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
11 “Behold, all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored;
Those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish.
12 “You will seek those who quarrel with you, but will not find them,
Those who war with you will be as nothing and non-existent.
13 “For I am the LORD your God, who upholds your right hand,
Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’
14 “Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel;
I will help you,” declares the LORD, “and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.” Isaiah 41:10-14.

Sometimes, the LORD does not immediately put an end to our enemies as quickly as we may want.  We saw the reason in today’s Scripture, and we can trust the LORD’s timing and reason for the apparent delay for us today.  The presence of our enemies may serve a purpose for our good.

“The LORD your God will clear away these nations before you little by little;  you will not be able to put an end to them quickly, for the wild beasts would grow too numerous for you.”  Verse 22.

“6 A senseless man has no knowledge,
Nor does a stupid man understand this:
7 That when the wicked sprouted up like grass
And all who did iniquity flourished,
It was only that they might be destroyed forevermore.” Psalm 92:6-7.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:6-7.

“…  for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,”  Hebrews 13:5.

“5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.” Proverbs 3:5-7.

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