Inside Out Living

Every seven years Israel was to have a fresh start or a new beginning financially. It was not a total reversal of someone’s financial outlook, but it was an opportunity for them to have a fresh start. This was accomplished in two ways: the first was the canceling of financial debts that a fellow Israelite had incurred. The second was granting of freedom to anyone who had willingly entered into servanthood.

Why would God place this provision in His law? The first reason is that God was demonstrating that all of Israel’s wealth (Leviticus 25:23) and their very lives ultimately belonged to Him (Leviticus 25:55). Because God ‘owned’ the land and they owed their lives to him as their redeemer, it was within His right to place these provisions on them. A second reason, I think, was to reinforce the concepts of forgiveness and redemption. This process that would occur every seven years was a picture of God’s grace and forgiveness of sin. How do you view your possessions and your very life? Will you be willing to view them as belonging to God, the Author and Sustainer of life?

Why was God so concerned with having centralized locations for worship? I think that there were two main reasons for this. First, the sacrificial system foreshadowed the coming sacrifice of Christ and having the sacrifices performed in a central location made it less likely for changes or variations to take place which would cause it to lose this great meaning.

Second was the role of community. Having a centralized place for worship brought an aspect of community that would be lost if everyone was able to worship at their own home.

Community is important for us as well. While Jesus declared that there is no longer one and only one place for worship (John 4:21), the need and value of worship in community is still present (Hebrews 10:25). Without community we risk isolation and discouragement in our Christian lives. We also miss out on the biblical instruction and correction that comes from our elders and the accountability that is present in community. Are you valuing the community of faith and its role in your life?

God’s grace is a wonderful and beautiful gift. Deuteronomy 9:4-6 is a picture for us of God’s gracious gift. The Promised Land for Israel was God’s blessed gift to His chosen people. And it is for us a foreshadowing of our future in Heaven. Israel in the Promised Land was God’s chosen people living in a ‘perfect’ land, with God Himself dwelling among them in the tabernacle.

What we notice in Deuteronomy 9:4-6 is that God didn’t place Israel in this land because they earned it, but rather God was carrying out His promise to His chosen people.

God’s grace works in the same way for us. We have not earned the right to receive God’s grace. It is God’s choice to extend grace to those who come to Him in faith.
We experience a new beginning when we come to faith in Jesus Christ. It is a life that is begun through God’s grace, it is lived in God’s grace and it is culminated by God’s grace. You may acknowledge that you received new life through God’s grace, but are you living by God’s grace, or are you now trying to earn His grace through works and following manmade rules?

Deuteronomy 4:26-31 foreshadows the future collapse of Israel and subsequent captivity in Babylon. God’s covenant faithfulness toward Israel is so great that He does not abandon them even when they are in violation of the covenant. What a comfort it is to know that God does not abandon those whom He loves. And yet even though He does not abandon, He does discipline those whom He loves. So what does discipline from the Lord look like?

I recently realized that I have allowed my body to get out of shape. So in response, I have begun to again discipline myself to train my body through exercise at the gym. This is what James speaks of when he says that “When our faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything” (James 1:3-4). God’s discipline of us is through various trials in order to build up our spiritual endurance or our faith and trust in Him. Will you submit to God’s discipline and allow it to accomplish a beautiful work in your life?

During this week you will read over two thirds of Deuteronomy. Some of it will be repetitive to portions of Exodus and Leviticus. This is where the name for the book comes from. In Greek deutero means second, and nomos means law, therefore the name Deuteronomy means second law or second giving of the law.

And our theme for this week is New Beginnings, for as Moses reiterates the law, Israel is on the verge of a grand new beginning in the Promised Land.

The first three chapters of Deuteronomy recap the last forty years of wilderness
wanderings. The whole book is Moses’ final message to Israel and, in this opening section, his purpose is to remind them of how they got to this point.

Remembering our past is an important part of moving forward into the future. For Israel, remembering what God had done was essential. When Israel forgot the mighty deeds God had done in rescuing them out of Egypt, His provision in the wilderness, and His placement of them in the Promised Land; then Israel would stray from their covenant relationship with Him.

Remembering is important for us too. Christians can forget how lost in sin we were before receiving Christ. This forgetfulness is dangerous because it can develop within us a sense of entitlement to God’s grace. Then we begin to see ourselves as righteous when, without the work of Christ, our righteousness is like filthy rages. Rather, if we can remember how sinful we truly are, then we will see God’s grace as the unmerited favor that it is.

God’s justice is not often talked about in our churches. We would much rather talk about His love and mercy and grace. The story of Korah, Dathan and Abiram is a vivid reminder that our God is a just God who cannot let sin go unpunished. These men were challenging the leadership of Moses and Aaron, and worse, they were in rebellion to the Lord.

For me, the difficult part of this passage is that the families were punished as well. This is an illustration of God’s very own description of himself in Exodus 34:7, “I will show unfailing love to many thousands by forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. Even so I do not leave sin unpunished, but I punish the children for the sins of their parents to the third and fourth generations.”

As unfair as it may seem we see the impact parental sin has on children lived out every day. Some will walk away from the Lord because of the sins of their parents. To those who are living with the impact of a parent’s sin, know that there is grace available in Jesus to break that bondage of sin.

The report from the spies truly tested if Israel trusted God for their protection. Already struggling with the level of sacrifice expected of them, they decided the prospect of engaging the inhabitants of the Promised Land wasn’t worth it. The people ignored the fact that the Lord was with them (Num. 14:9).

You might find it easy to criticize their lack of faith as I often have. The harsh reality is that we do the very same thing sometimes. We size up a situation and decide the cost is too great and, instead of trusting in the Lord’s protection and provision, we make a fear-based decision and miss out on God’s blessings.
Why are we prone to fear? The Apostle John tells us that perfect love casts out all fear (1 John 4:18). As broken yet redeemed people our love for God is being perfected. As this process continues fear is diminished and love will increase. As God’s faithful love continues to work in our lives, our love for Him grows, and our willingness to sacrifice and follow Him grows as well.

I have overseen a few short term mission trips with teenagers, and am preparing for the next one right now. It has been my experience that the most important rule for keeping the group together and focused is that there is no complaining. Anytime you choose to follow the Lord’s leading there will be some form of sacrifice associated with it. Whining or complaining communicates an unwillingness to make that sacrifice.

It is obvious here that many of the Israelites and the foreigners who were with them had reached their limit of personal sacrifice and had begun to complain. They were prepared to return to slavery in Egypt because the sacrifice was too great.

Returning to slavery may sound silly to us. Personal freedom is worth the sacrifice, isn’t it? While this may be true, how often are we tempted to return to being slaves to sin because the sacrifice of following Christ is too great? As you follow Christ, remember his sacrifice, and what he gave up to secure your salvation.

The Nazirite vow was a special way for an Israelite to dedicate one’s self to the Lord, and he knew that it came with certain restrictions. We even see this practiced by the Apostle Paul who shaved his head because of a vow (Acts 18:18).

Not every Israelite would make a Nazirite vow, but every believer who is indwelled by the Holy Spirit is already dedicated to the Lord. We do not operate with a list of restrictions like one who has taken a Nazirite vow. In fact, we operate with a higher standard. Romans 12:1 says that we are to be a living and holy sacrifice. We show our dedication by not copying the ways of the world. We are then to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. This is different than being the same person with some additional rules. It is a change of the entire person. When we come to faith in Jesus it is more than a ticket to Heaven. It is dedicating our whole life to the Lord. Have you truly dedicated your whole life to the Lord?

In the instructions that the Lord gave to Israel through Moses, purity was greatly stressed. There were a number of reasons for this, and the one given in this passage is because the Lord dwelled in their camp.

Praise God that we live under a covenant of grace and not one of law as the Israelites did. And yet, even though we are called to grace, we cannot ignore the need for purity. God demanded purity because he dwelled among Israel. God now, through His Spirit, dwells in the life of every believer and in the community of believers as a collective whole. His expectation is still purity in the lives of believers and in the community of believers. As a new creation, we are made pure by the blood of Christ, and we maintain purity by confessing our sins (1 John 1:9). Unfortunately, some within the community of faith stop practicing personal confession and knowingly and willing engage in sin, thus defiling the church. As with Israel, the church must take action to remove those who defile the community (1 Cor. 5:5). However we must not forget that once purity is restored, through forgiveness and grace, fellowship is also to be restored.

As I reflect on the responsibilities given to the Levites I am rather overwhelmed. Could you imagine being responsible for taking care of the one place where the true God could be worshipped? Wow! Then I think about the fact that they didn’t aspire to this, but that the Lord chose them and they were born into it. Their whole purpose in life was the proper care and operation of the tabernacle.

Now this is not all that different than for us today. Like the Levites, we have been chosen by God and then given a purpose in life. We do not inherit this based on our genealogy, but we are born into it, for every believer is born of the Spirit (John 3:5). The Levites were instructed as to what their purpose was – they didn’t get to choose. In the same way, God directs and gives each believer significance and purpose. This is what I mean by sacrificing our freedom. As chosen people, we are not free to declare the purpose for our life. Our purpose, one that will bring real meaning and significance, comes from above.

The theme for this week is sacrifice. This week we are going to explore what it means for us to sacrifice. One of the key verses that will be brought up this week is Romans 12:1-2:

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice — the kind He will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.”

May you, as you read this week, ponder the ways in which your life can be a living and holy sacrifice.

The last chapter of Leviticus is concerned with redeeming that which was dedicated to the Lord. The act of redemption was a major part of life for the Israelites. For the 21st century Christian it is not something we often think about. When is the last time you heard someone talk about redeeming. If anything, we use the word to speak of getting even which isn’t the biblical meaning.

Redemption is an important concept for us though, because if you are in Christ then you have been redeemed (Titus 2:13-14). You may have noticed the cost involved with redeeming in this chapter. If someone or something is going to be redeemed there is always a cost.

So if we are redeemed and if there is always a cost associated with redemption, then how are we to pay the cost? Fortunately, for you and I, Jesus paid the cost for our redemption (1 Peter 1:18-19). It is a cost far beyond what we could afford.

The theme that has been running through this entire week is a willingness to do things God’s way. Worship for Israel was very detailed. God had directed through Moses how they were to worship Him.

As Christians and members of the new covenant, we do not have this amount of detail from the Lord for our worship services. At best we have some principles in the New Testament and the model of the first century church in the book of Acts. Even though the amount of detail differs, the need for a willingness to worship God according to His way remains.

In your worship, is it more about God or more about your wants and needs? Are your preferences in worship more important than God’s desires? What are you doing to cultivate a willingness to do things God’s way? Spend some time with God today, as Moses did, asking Him to show you where you need to submit more to His way.

Is it possible to sin without knowing it? Absolutely. Many times, when we sin against another person, we may not be aware of it for some time. And sometimes no one else is aware either. The instructions regarding the sin offering we read today were to be followed “when they became aware of their sin” (4:14; 23; 28; 5:5; 17). God does not expect us to seek forgiveness for sins we are unaware of. However, how we respond to the realization of sin in our life is critical to our spiritual health. In the Old Testament they were to bring a sin offering in order to seek the Lord’s forgiveness.

For the New Testament believer the command is still to seek forgiveness. I John 1:9 tells us that “if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.” When you become aware of sin, are you willing to seek forgiveness from the Lord? What about seeking forgiveness from a person you may have sinned against?

There were numerous types of sacrifices in the Old Covenant system of worship. In our modern mindset, we might wonder why all these sacrifices were necessary. It is difficult for us to relate to and understand this system of worship and forgiveness that God had ordained. However, there is a connection between their receiving of forgiveness and our receiving of forgiveness, and that connection is Christ.
Leviticus 1:4 says that a man was to “lay your hand on its head so the Lord will accept it as your substitute, thus making atonement for you.” Why would killing an animal while placing a hand on its head atone for sins?

As people, we generally want to make up for our mistakes. We also want to attempt to earn God’s favor and forgiveness. However, this is impossible for we cannot repay the debt we owe to Christ. Forgiveness is only received by a willingness to believe according to God’s system, whether that is belief that God would forgive based on an Old Testament sacrifice, or if it is trusting in Christ’s sacrifice for us today.

Over the course of twelve days the twelve tribes of Israel gave their gifts of dedication for the tabernacle. You probably noticed that all twelve gifts were identical. To me this is a remarkable thing. Bible Commentator Matthew Henry notes that this points to the “equal share” that each tribe had in the tabernacle and altar. I am sure that it was tempting to those tribes with greater resources to out-give the other tribes. And yet none of them did.

Under the Old Covenant, all people came to God through the system of sacrifices. Today, under the New Covenant, all people come to God through the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ (John 14:6).

The tribes gave their dedication offerings in recognition of the importance of the tabernacle. So what is an appropriate offering for us to give in recognition of Jesus? Romans 12:1-2 says that we are to give our whole life as a “living and holy sacrifice.” Now that is an offering that truly shows we all have equal share in the sacrifice of Christ for our salvation.

In our first seven years of marriage, my wife Kristi and I had seven different addresses. We would often make jokes about being part nomadic or having the “year-and-a-half itch.” However, through those years and all the moves, one thing was consistent – it was always our decision when we moved.

As you read today, that was not necessarily the case for the Israelites. How would you like it if every day you woke up and had to check if the cloud had moved to know if you were leaving or staying? It didn’t matter how much you liked your current spot, if the cloud was moving, it was time to go. I would imagine that many of us would begin to complain and grumble if we had to live like that. And yet in a way we do live this way. If you are at all concerned with being in God’s will and He says “go,” then you will go.

Are you willing to follow God’s direction? If God were to say “go,” would you go? How will you go? Will you complain and grumble or will you go joyfully knowing that God is leading you?

I recently returned from a retreat with some middle school boys. While at this retreat, I discovered that they can easily get lost in the details of a story and totally miss the point. I hope that isn’t the case for you as you read this passage today. I say that because, in the middle of all those details, is a simple phrase “just as the Lord had commanded Moses.” All of those details were important because they were commanded by God. It is not as though the craftsmen could have changed their minds and disregarded the instructions from God. They followed every single detail God had given them.

God gave them great detail on the tabernacle and he gives us detail on how to live as well. So, are you willing to live life God’s way? Or are you going to ignore God’s instructions on how to live? The craftsmen of Israel were willing to follow God’s instruction and build His way. If you will do the same, your life will be one of beauty just like the tabernacle was.

The devotionals for this week are centered on the theme of submission. Each one will cause you to think about a different element of our need to submit to God's will and authority in our life.

I have yet to meet a church that has more money and resources than it can put to use. However, that is exactly what we see take place today. God’s people give above and beyond what is needed to build the tabernacle.

Now, my intent with today’s devotional is not to go off on the importance of giving, but I do want to note something interesting in Ex. 35:20-22. What most catches my attention isn’t what they brought or even how much they brought, but rather how they brought it. Everyone whose hearts were willing brought what they could. I think it is safe to say that not every Israelite gave to the building of the tabernacle, rather only those whose “hearts were stirred and desired to do so” gave their offerings.

This is how it is to work in our own lives. God doesn’t want us to give out of compulsion or obligation. If that is why you give then you should keep your money. Look at Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-11. They gave out of a wrong motive and were dishonest in their giving. May you give as the Israelites gave, with willing hearts.

Exodus 10:1-2 really sums up the whole theme for this week’s devotionals. The hardness of Pharaoh’s heart allowed God to demonstrate His power through miracles among the Egyptians.

However during this time I would imagine that Moses and Aaron experienced some frustration as Pharaoh would repeatedly change his mind about letting them go. Moses and Aaron had to hold to the bigger perspective that God had given them. Could you imagine the history of Israel without the plagues of Egypt and God’s great deliverance? Time and time again God would remind His people of the great signs and wonders He did in Egypt. If Pharaoh had been a push-over, then God’s people would have no concept of His power and ability to deliver. There was indeed a bigger perspective in place.

Could it be that the times when it seems God is delaying an answer to prayer or is not delivering you from a situation that He is working with a bigger perspective?

In sending the plagues, God demonstrated His great power over all creation. In spite of all these demonstrations of power, I think there is something that reveals God’s power even more in this story. After every plague that takes place, we read that Pharaoh hardened his heart. That is, until you come to the plague of boils. If you notice, following the plague of boils, it says that the “Lord made Pharaoh even more stubborn.” (9:12).

Now wait a minute, you may be thinking, if God’s goal was to deliver Israel why would He make Pharaoh’s heart more hard or stubborn? While deliverance was God’s goal, it was not all that He was working to accomplish through the plagues. In 9:16 God reveals the greater purpose of revealing His power and seeing His fame, “spread throughout the earth.” So not only is God in control of all creation, but He is working on multiple levels at the same time.

I think that sometimes we lose sight of God’s ability to work in this way. We can become short-sighted and focus only on what we want God to accomplish in the here and now, instead of looking for the bigger picture that God might be doing.

The Israelites had lived under Egyptian oppression for a long time, so it was not difficult for Moses and Aaron to convince the leaders of Israel that God had sent them to free His people (4:31). They were convinced, that is, until things got difficult. Following Moses’ and Aaron’s first request for freedom, Pharaoh ordered their workload increased. This turned Israel against Moses and Aaron (5:21). Pharaoh showed his power by taking action, while God invited Moses, Aaron and all Israel to believe in His power to deliver them.

Do you find yourself ever trusting in the power of what you can see or touch rather than in God’s power? Are you like the Israelites who doubted God’s power to deliver when life becomes difficult? I think that God performed the plagues, not only to show His power to Pharaoh, but to His own people as well. What more does God have to do to prove His power to you?

Have you ever done something that can only be explained as the power of God working in your life? One experience of the power of God in my life was on a mission trip to Alaska, when our group was witnessing to members of the Bahai faith. While I recognize that God was speaking through me I also recognized that I had a part in the experience. God couldn’t have used me unless I had been willing to go on the trip and been willing to open my mouth. God’s power is truly amazing, but often God chooses to work through His servants. This means that we can either allow God to work or become a roadblock to His power.

God chose to work through Moses, but Moses was unsure about his role. Moses attempted to be a roadblock to God’s power. Thankfully for the Israelites, Aaron was willing to be used by God. Are you more like Moses or Aaron? Are you a roadblock to God’s power or are you willing to be used by God?

May you be willing to be used by God and thereby experience His power in your life.

We are in the middle of a presidential political campaign year, and I don’t know about you, but I have become a bit of a political cynic. Every candidate promises to have the solutions to all the problems we face, but once their term is up, the problems remain. I am so thankful that God’s power is not a political power. God was not elected to His position and His power is not subject to anyone else.

As you read the closing chapter of Job today, you noticed that God chose to bless Job. God did not have to defend that decision to anyone. He didn’t have to get the approval of the House or the Senate. God’s promises are not like those of a politician. Because of God’s power, we know that every last one of his promises will come true. Do you trust in God’s promises? What about God’s power? Do you believe that God has the power to accomplish whatever he desires? We must first believe in the power of God before we can trust in His promises; otherwise God is nothing more than a politician.

The work of creation is one of the greatest evidences of God’s power. He uses it here to help Job understand how great the Almighty One is.

Many of us take God’s creation for granted and have lost sight of the magnitude of what God did. Mankind has become quite skilled at creating different things from automobiles to computers; we can make some pretty amazing stuff. However, no one has ever created something ex nihilo, or ‘out of nothing’ as God did. It is not as though God brought together the raw materials of the universe and followed the instruction manual. No, he simply spoke things into existence. His creative power is beyond all that we can imagine. “In the beginning God created…” (Gen. 1:1). God has always existed. We may not be able to fully comprehend this, and we certainly cannot create ex nihilo, but we can accept it and believe just as Job did (40:3-5).

The devotionals this week will center around the theme of God's power. God's infinite power is a truth that while difficult to understand at times is one that gives us great hope as well.

Elihu makes the statement in 36:22 that God is all powerful. Theologians refer to this as omnipotence, which is the teaching that God has the power to accomplish all that He wills to do. Elihu also gives us two key applications of this truth.
The first is that God doesn’t need us to instruct Him in what to do or how to do something (36:23). In fact, God doesn’t need us at all. He is perfect in His existence. Are you like me? Have you ever found yourself trying to instruct God in how to accomplish something? A better way is to receive instruction and direction from an all-powerful God.

The second application is that we should have a response of joy to God’s omnipotence (37:1). Have you ever wanted to do something, but were powerless to accomplish it? God never experiences that. How hopeless would our lives be if God were powerless to accomplish His desires.

May you, like Elihu, find joy in knowing that God has the power to fulfill His good purposes in your life.

There is a difference between knowing truth about God and allowing that truth to impact how we live our lives. The same day I started writing about God’s sovereignty in Job’s life, I was diagnosed with pinkeye and was coming down with a nasty cold. I was miserable. Worse than that, I had become grouchy and irritable and was acting like a jerk (best word to describe it) to my family. After two days of my inappropriate behavior my wife had to confront me about it. I knew I was acting out, but it hit me like a ton of bricks when she said it. I realized how much of a hypocrite I had been for writing about God’s sovereignty in Job’s life while not allowing His sovereignty to control my life. I entirely ignored the fact that even though I felt bad, God was still in control and had a purpose for all this. Are you like me? Have you lost sight of God’s sovereignty in your life? Are you allowing life’s circumstances to dictate your behavior rather than the truth of God’s Word? I want to encourage you to take a step back, reevaluate, and recommit to living with God’s sovereignty as a constant reality in your life.

“God’s ways are as hard to discern as the pathways of the wind, and as mysterious as a tiny baby being formed in a mother’s womb” (Eccl. 11:5).

I would imagine that at this moment Job would very much relate to the above verse. Job is struggling to reconcile his current state with how he has lived his life. We all struggle with this same issue; we often ask the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” This may be an exclusively American question, though, because the majority of us live a charmed life compared to the rest of the world.
A key principle we learn from Job is that living a righteous life will not guarantee a life free of trials and grief. The purpose of living a righteous life or a life of obedience to God is not to manipulate God into blessing us, but rather to bring pleasure to our Heavenly Father who loves us.

Nothing exists that doesn’t fall under God’s sovereignty. This profound truth extends even to the existence of evil. Many have wondered why God allows evil to exist, but this question is ultimately futile because we cannot change the fact that it does exist. What we must focus on is how to live appropriately in light of the fact that evil is present in this world.

A large part of that issue is the ability to put Satan and his evil forces into a proper context. Satan is not the evil equal of God; rather he is a created being, a fallen angel who will ultimately be defeated by our great and glorious God (Rev. 20:10). The story of Job helps us to understand the proper context of evil. God, in His sovereignty, grants Satan a measure of authority in Job’s life. So we know that Satan and evil are real and have significant power and authority in this world. However, none of it is beyond the sovereignty of God. Thus, in spite of evil, the believer can rejoice in the sovereignty of God and the knowledge of the Lord’s ultimate victory.