Gary Gleans

The children of Israel have seen many things throughout the years that they have been wondering in the desert.  They have seen the power of God setting them free from Egypt and they have seen the power of God providing for and protecting them in their journey.  They have also been exposed to the sins of the other nations that are around them and they have seen the consequences of their idolatry.  God warns the people to pay close attention to these things.  They must not forget God’s blessings and they must not ignore God’s judgment on the nations.  They must protect their hearts from the apathy and idolatry that would lead to their own judgment.  God has made it very clear that He is willing to judge Israel just like He has judged the other nations.  It is a grave mistake to believe that we are somehow exempt from the judgment of God based on the fact that we a part of a certain family. WE MUST REMEMBER GOD’S PROVISION: There is an old hymn that reminds us of the importance of c

The paths that we choose to follow in our own lives and the paths that we choose as a nation have consequences.  The path of obedience is rarely an easy one to choose and is often very difficult to travel.  It is a narrow path that goes against our natural bent.  It does not look inviting and seems to be restricting.  However it is a path that brings all who walk in it peace and joy that escape our ability to describe or even understand.  The path of disobedience is often very easy to find and it is one that we just naturally choose.  Our hearts are drawn to the pleasures of sin and the promises of fame and fortune that come from this path.  It seems like everyone is choosing it and we often feel that there is safety in numbers.  We must be very aware of the consequences of following this path for they are rarely readily apparent.  However, these consequences are very real.  God would have us trust and obey Him so that He can reward us in ways that bring us true joy; but if we choose

God is faithful to both instruct and warn His people.  He wants us to be obedient to His instructions and He wants us to be aware of the price of disobedience that we will experience should we choose to ignore or rebel against His Word.  God is holy, faithful and just, He longs for His children to experience the joy and satisfaction of obeying Him, but He is also very much ready to bring suffering and hardship into the lives of those who turn from Him.  The path of obedience and the path of rebellion are distinct and clearly marked and they lead to very different places in our walk with the Lord.  Obedience leads to joy; while rebellion leads to judgment. WE MUST REMEMBER THE WORD OF THE LORD: When the children of Israel came into the land on the other side of the Jordan, they were to build an altar and worship the Lord.  They were also to erect stones, cover them with plaster and record the Law of the Lord on these stones.  These would stand as an everlasting reminder of their k

Giving is a practice that the Lord wants His people to have.  It is a means of worshiping the Lord for all of His blessings, it is a way to provide for the needs of others and it is a demonstration of our obedience that moves God to bless us even more.  This blessing should stimulate more worship, generosity and obedience which results in more blessing.  It should create a circle of increasing worship and blessing.  Giving is a result of God’s grace that is spurred into action by our faith which is why it is so pleasing to God. GIVING IS A WAY TO REMEMBER THE RICHES OF THE LORD: The children of Israel were to separate a tithe of all the first fruits that they gathered in the Land and present them before the Lord.  This food was to set aside and separated as an act of worship and a way of remembering the blessings of the Lord.  The fact that they had anything to give over and above what they needed to survive was a demonstration of God’s blessings, faithfulness and grace.  When th

The Lord wants His people to do the right thing.  He wants His people to relate to one another in a way that reflects His character.  When we refuse to do this, there ought to be consequences and God spells some of them out for the children of Israel in this chapter.  Though our culture is very different today; the principles that are taught in this passage continue to be a very important part of honoring God and reflecting His character today. JUSTICE: God is just and He wants His people to be just in their judgments of one another.  In the case of disputes between two people there ought to be a fare trial where the spiritual leaders of Israel were responsible to judge between the two and decide who was guilty and who was innocent.  The guilty person was to be appropriately punished within the limit of the law.  We have a tendency to manipulate the laws of our land in a way that we do not always do what is just.  Our courts try to detect the truth, but there are laws that preven

Compassion is vital to living in a way that pleases the Lord.  This chapter deals with helping those who are poor and either need to borrow money or they have no means of providing for themselves.  Divorce is not necessarily a form of compassion, but the chapter does demonstrate a means of protecting a woman who is rejected by her husband from simply being discarded or abused but required an official divorce.  God wants us to be a compassionate people who care about others. PROTECTING THE UNWANTED WIFE: Marriage was designed by God to be between one man and one woman until they were separated by death.  However, because of the sinfulness of men God permitted divorce to release a person from marriage in the event that immorality had occurred.  That is not to say that immorality requires divorce; rather it appears to permit divorce.  It also seems that the purpose of the divorce was to allow the rejected spouse to marry again.  However, should the second marriage a

The Lord is always concerned about the holiness of His people and wants to make sure that they remain separated from the influence of the pagan nations that are around them.  Besides that He wants them to remain pure within their own nations and be protected from the sinfulness and corruption that is a part of their own hearts and actions.  Between the two, I think it is usually a far greater challenge for me to stand firm in the face of my own sinfulness than it is for me to avoid the influence of the society around me. TROUBLE FROM WITHOUT: The nations around Israel represented very real dangers to them because of the idolatry and immorality that was so prevalent in these cultures.  For this reason these nations were never to be allowed into the assembly of the nation or the worship in the tabernacle even to ten generations.  These nations had been at war with Israel and tried to lead them into immorality as well as idolatry in the past and God wanted to protec

Relationships are vital to the well being of the society at large and our families in general.  We are all involved in relationships with our neighbors as well as the members of our family and the people with whom we share our communities.  God has some very clear instructions as to how we are to relate with one another and what we can do to make sure that our relationships are pleasing to Him. GOD WANTS US TO BE HELPFUL TO OUR NEIGHBORS: We have a saying that goes: “finders keepers; losers weepers.”  Even though this is a widely accepted code on the playground of most schools, it is not the pattern that the Lord has established for His people.  God teaches us that if we find something or see an animal that belongs to our neighbor we must return it to him and if we don’t know to whom it belongs we must guard it safely so that we can restore it to the rightful owner when he comes to look for it.  When we see others in need around us, we must be ready and willing t

God wants His people to be pure, holy and honest before Him in every area of their lives.  Sin was never to be treated lightly within the community or within a family.  Moses instructed the people as to how God would have them deal with various situations of sinfulness within the community.  We no longer deal with these sins in this way, but we must never treat sin flippantly.  There are always actions that we can take that will help us to preserve the holiness of the body of Christ. MURDER: If a person was found dead, having been murdered, and there were no witnesses to the crime, the elders of the city were to make a sacrifice and vow before the Lord that they had no involvement in or knowledge of the crime.  Life in very precious before God and it should be highly valued by everyone.  When someone is killed the person responsible needs to be brought to justice and when that person remains undiscovered, we must recognized and be reminded of the sinfulness in ou