Deuteronomy 7 - A CHRISTIAN'S WEDDING

 NUGGETS…from the WORD of GOD

A CHRISTIAN’S WEDDING

“Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.”                                                   —Deut. 7:3-4

************

Truth is uncompromising. When attempts are made to compromise the truth, chaos is the inevitable result. That is the principle underlying the commandment here given to Israel to make no marriages with the heathen in the land God was giving them. 

In the account of the flood that destroyed the world in Noah’s day, it is interesting that this issue is first on God’s list of reasons for His judgment. “The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took wives of all which they chose…There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.,” (Gen. 6:2, 4) In between these two verses is cited God’s determination to destroy the world. 

The appeal for this compromise was the attraction of the flesh (“they were fair” [i.e., attractive, beautiful]). The result of the compromise was impressive (“mighty men…of renown”). But God’s assessment of it was catastrophic. The principle is thus laid down that God brooks no union between the holy and the profane! The significance of this is extensive and staggering, but can only be suggested here. Remember, the Savior said, “But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the days of the coming of the Son of Man be [Mat. 24:37].”

Our approach to this “nugget” today will be rather confined to the specific declaration of the text. Believers are not to marry unbelievers. That is plain, simple and indisputable. “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” (II Cor.  6:14) Probably no decision a Christian makes, except for the fundamental decision to trust Christ for salvation, is more important than deciding whom to marry. Regardless of other circumstances that may enter our lives, a God blessed marriage is one’s greatest treasure this side of heaven. This implies the importance of committing the matter to the will of God. It will require prayer for the direction of God. It will demand conduct before marriage that keeps one pure for the choice of God. In short, it demands submission to the Lordship of Christ in one’s personal life.

That is the lesson for the believer contemplating marriage. There is another lesson here for Christian parents. If this is the will of God for believers, then our children must be instructed diligently regarding the divine order. This links to our text for last week: “Thou shalt teach them diligently to thy children, and talk of them when thou sittest in thine house (etc.).” It is the responsibility of believing parents to instruct their children in this vital matter; not just once, but on an ongoing basis. Few issues are more important in shaping the next generation of believers, or insuring the happiness and well being of our offspring, to say nothing of the testimony of Christ. 

We wrote but recently about the Savior’s indictment of divorce, and how this evil has become increasingly prevalent in our churches. It is an indication of how far we have fallen from the revealed will of God. If there were more emphasis in church and home on God’s uncompromising demand for separation between the holy an the profane, there might be less of this insidious evil in contemporary Christian culture. 

We are mindful, of course, that for most of our readers this emphasis comes after the fact. Thankfully, we live on this side of the “law.” There is mercy with the Lord. “IF we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [I John 1:9].” God is in the business of mending broken things, and as surely as He can inflict chaos when His will is defied, He can bring order out of chaos when we bring our wreckage to Him and ask for mercy. 

“If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace. For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife? “  —I Cor. 7:12-16

—"Pastor" Frasier

*************************

8/25/12

These "Nuggets," including past issues, are now available online at

 http://wmf14227.blogspot.com/ - or - http://pastorfrasier.blogspot.com/ prior to 4/1/12

Deuteronomy 6 - HEART HEALTH

 NUGGETS…from the WORD of GOD

HEART HEALTH

And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.   —Deut. 6:5-9

************

Redemption is a love affair. It begins with the incomprehensible love of God for man (Jn. 3:16). It progresses through the love of man for God. Our fundamental problem is heart trouble—”The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9) Redemption offers the sinner a spiritual heart transplant. In a remarkable passage which, incidentally, defines repentance, God pleaded with wayward Israel through the prophet Ezekiel,

“Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live [Ezek. 18:30b-32].”

Subsequently He promises the penitent a new heart: “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them [Ezek. 36:26].”

This precisely prefigures our redemptive experience in Christ. The repentant sinner is afforded a new birth through which he becomes a new creation, embracing a new heart, all imparted through the operation of the Holy Spirit. This, as New Testament believers, we pretty well understand and “take it by faith.” What we seem not to understand is the importance of maintaining “heart health” for the full implementation of the new life we have in Christ. The key is in one of the most demanding words in scripture; the little three letter word “ALL.”

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God—   with ALL thine heart

                                                       with ALL  thy soul

                                                       with ALL thy might.

The cause of failure in our spiritual life is half-heartedness. Our love is divided between God and self. God’s remedy is to immerse the heart in His word. The link between verse five and verse six is not incidental; it is vital. If we are to love Him with our whole heart, it will involve, and be manifested by obedience to His word. “If ye love Me, keep My commandments.” And we cannot keep commandments we do not know. The heart in its devotion and direction must be reinforced from within by the knowledge of and submission to the Word of God. And it is important to remember that the written word is but a portrait of the Living Word. As we become familiar with the written word we become acquainted with Him; and there is no other way.

It is not the mere reading of the word nor memorizing scripture that is in view here, though both are invaluable. It is the heart embrace of its truths, so that its import is evident in all of life. It is to be the textbook out of which we teach our children. It is to be the subject of our conversation, both at home and abroad. It is to be our meditation “evening and morning.” It is to govern the work of our hands, the sight of our eyes and all of our coming and going. The divine intention is that all of the believer’s life should be in every respect the expression of His principles “twenty four seven,” in what we endorse, what we embrace and what we avoid. 

The average “Christian” home, I dare say, and in fact the average Christian church would be utterly transformed if we began to take these two principles seriously and prayerfully pursued them with diligence: whole-hearted love for God and His word.  How is your heart?

What shall I give Thee, Master? Thou hast given all for me! 

Not just a part, or half of my heart, I must give all to Thee! 

—"Pastor" Frasier

*************************

8/18/12

These "Nuggets," including past issues, are now available online at

 http://wmf14227.blogspot.com/ - or - http://pastorfrasier.blogspot.com/ prior to 4/1/12

Deuteronomy 5 - A DIVINE LONGING

 NUGGETS…from the WORD of GOD

A DIVINE LONGING

“O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!”

                                                                                                                         —Deut. 5:29

************

It is not often that we hear God sighing, but that is the “tone of voice” of this text. There is an ache in the heart of God that man, in rebellion, has not alleviated through all the ages of time.

There is a tension in the heart of the Eternal that is often overlooked. His holiness demands that he punish sin and indifference toward His Lordship. Yet His is a heart of love that longs to draw the wayward to Himself, enabling Him to show His abounding favor to those who are aligned with Him. Pending that, there is an infinite ache in the heart of the Eternal. That ache is exacerbated when those who become “His own” fail to draw near, to hear and heed His word which is all designed for our good as well as His glory. 

Israel, in a position to hear the word of the Lord first hand, as it were, chose to refer the experience to an intermediary. To Moses they said, 

“Behold, the LORD our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth. Now therefore why should we die? for this great fire will consume us: if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any more, then we shall die. For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? Go thou near, and hear all that the LORD our God shall say: and speak thou unto us all that the LORD our God shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it.” 

(Deut. 5:24-27)

Their irrationality is evident. In v.24 they affirm “we have seen this day that God talk with man, and he liveth.” They followed by exhibiting fear that should they hear the voice of God again, they would die. Employing their “logic” to undermine their experience, they proposed that Moses be their intermediary and stand between them and intimate, personal communion with God. 

It is a picture of much of contemporary Christianity. The majority prefer to let someone else (the “pastor,” e.g.) be their go between and themselves never listen to His voice through personal encounter by the Word, or commune with Him directly in personal prayer. I recall hearing a woman say specifically, when queried about her prayer life, “Oh, we pay our pastor to do that!” No pastor, no priest is, in the redemptive plan, assigned to be our spiritual intermediary. “There is one God, and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus [I Tim. 2:5].” When we approach God through Christ our connection with God is immediate, because He is God. If we leave it to another, our connection with God is broken, and He is both grieved and angered, as was the case here.

Hear the cry of the heart of God. “Oh there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me.” He seeks not the terror that gripped the hearts of the Israelites, but the “the fear of the Lord” that cultivates reverence and respect  in the hearts of those who delight in His fellowship. “Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart [Ps. 37:4].”

Then, “Keep all My commandments.” Through an intimate and personal fellowship He anticipates our obedience to the Word He has spoken to us. It is not confined to the Old Testament but to the New as well, “If ye love Me, keep My commandments [John 14:15].” This verse is wonderfully familiar to most evangelical Christians, but it needs to be heard again and again. “Draw nigh unto God, and He will draw nigh unto you [James 4:8].”

Finally, “that it might be well with them, and with their children forever!” This intimate and personal fellowship with God is the real key to fulness of blessing for us and for our children. It is the greatest heritage one can leave to his descendants. Surely our personal fellowship with God does not guarantee the salvation of our children, but it will bring the power of God to bear upon their lives in a way little else can do. 

Trust Him as your Savior. Seek Him as a Friend. Submit to Him as your Sovereign. Enjoy the blessing of His favor—now and forever. He longs for it; do you?

—"Pastor" Frasier

*************************

8/11/12 

These "Nuggets," including past issues, are now available online at

 http://wmf14227.blogspot.com/ - or - http://pastorfrasier.blogspot.com/ prior to 4/1/12

Deuteronomy 4 - THE WORD OF GOD

 NUGGETS…from the WORD of GOD

THE WORD OF GOD

“Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.” —Deut. 4:2

************

There is an interesting parallel to this text on the last page of the Bible:

“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”  (Rev. 22:18-19)

While each of these texts applies to the context in which they were written, they reveal a vital principle that surely applies to all scripture. Scripture is unique. in a world of “books” there is one book that stands apart from all others, and that is the scriptures—the Word of God. Though lying on a table with other books, the Bible may look the same, the fact is that it is above and apart from everything else ever written, and is not to be trifled with.

Well known, but well worth reviewing, is that classic text on the divine inspiration, II Tim. 3:16-17. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

The Bible is consistent in its affirmation that all its content has originated with God. Our text implies it. David, as one of the inspired publishers of the word of God affirmed, “The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue. The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me… [II Sam. 23:2].” The uniform claim implied, if not stated, is, “The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it. [Ps. 68:11].” This unique character applies to all the word of God, and it applies only to the word of God. In consequence, we are to handle it with the utmost care, as a sacred trust. “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away, is recorded three times in the gospels as uttered by the Lord Jesus Christ (Mt. 24:35, Mark 13:31, Luke 21:33).

Scripture is enshrined in the library of heaven, entrusted to the hands of faithful men and designed for two things, supremely/ First, for informing sinners of the need for an the way of salvation. “…the holy scriptures are able to make [one] wise unto salvation [II Tim 3:15].” And secondly, it is given to the end “that the man of God may be perfect, [thoroughly equipped] for all good works.” No other “word” can do that.

There is another characteristic unique to the scriptures and that is their connection with the Living Word, the Lord Jesus Christ. The design of the written word is to introduce the Son of God. The Bible gives us a portrait of His character and invites us to identify with His person. If we tamper with its content, we are effacing the revelation of the Savior. If we discount its authority, we are denying His. We have no authority to add or subtract according to our own liking, yet many today have audacity to do so, including some who profess to be shepherds of the Lord’s sheep. It is of paramount importance that we remember that the first question in human history  was, “Yea, hath God said…? And when Eve added to His pronouncement (“neither shall ye touch it”), then minimized its declaration (“lest ye die”) the consequences were devastating, and we bear the burden of it to this day. 

If we would reap the benefit here and hereafter of the blessing of the Lord, it is imperative that we apply this principle in all of life; “Ye shall not add unto the Word…neither shall [we] diminish ought from it.” Simply trust and obey!

“What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: 

thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.” 

Deut. 12:32

If God says a thing once, you had better believe it. If He says it twice, you had better never forget it!

—"Pastor" Frasier

*************************

8/4/12