Verse of the Day 3/31

Through the Bible - Judges 6-7, Luke 8:40-56

 

Good morning,

Yesterday we considered "entropy" which Merriam's Online Dictionary defines as " a process of degradation or running down or a trend to disorder".  This is what happened to the tribes of Israel in the days of the judges of Israel when everyone did what was right in their own eyes.

 

The opposite of entropy is diligence, in regards to our faith it involves perseverence, putting heart and soul  into learning, teaching and the application of God's Word.  Today's verse comes from Deuteronomy chapter 4.

 

Deut 4:9 Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren,    NKJV
or from the NLT

Deut 4:9 "But watch out! Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren.   NLT

This thought carries over a couple of chapters later in Deuteronomy chapter 6 where we have the "shema" which a devout Jew would recite every day.  Diligence is mentioned here as well.

 

Deut 6:6 "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.    NKJV

We are to "diligently keep ourselves" and "diligently teach our children the Word of Truth.  John Piper writes, " God's design for the preservation of historical revelation is the family. Within the Christian community the main link between what this generation knows and what the next generation will know is the link between parent and child. Joel 1:3 puts it in a nugget: "Tell your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation."

 

Read the passage below and think of ways that you can when you sit in your house, walk along the way (or ride in the car), when you lie down and when you get up.

 

In Christ,

Mike

 

 Deut. 4:1 Hear now, O Israel, the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. ² Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you.

 ³ You saw with your own eyes what the LORD did at Baal Peor. The LORD your God destroyed from among you everyone who followed the Baal of Peor, ⁴ but all of you who held fast to the LORD your God are still alive today.

 ⁵ See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the LORD my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. ⁶ Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, "Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people." ⁷ What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him? ⁸ And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?

 ⁹ Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. ¹⁰ Remember .......

 

Deut. 6:4 "Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.^{[a] 5} And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. ⁶ And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. ⁷ Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. ⁸ Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. ⁹ Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.