Latest / A Chapter a Day Bible Reading / July 14 - Deuteronomy 17

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July 14 - Deuteronomy 17 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

• 0:11
  Hello, friends. Sean here.
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  Just Sean, I'm afraid. Yes, we are back to normal.
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  It's Monday, it is the 14th of July.
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  And many of you have been very kind and you've said boy,
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  Yvonne, you're our favourite Connery.
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  So I'm terribly sorry you're stuck with me.
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  We are getting back to a single person at the microphone after
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  that beautiful period of poetry from Solomon, a bit of love.
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  And now that that is wrapped up, we are heading back into the
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  book of Deuteronomy. We are getting back to Moses,
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  exploring what it looks like to follow that covenant, those 10
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  commandments that God gave his people as they head into the
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  Promised land. And we're going to be doing this
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  for the next 4 weeks before we dive into the birth of the
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  church, reading through Acts. But that is then, we are
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  continuing now to read through instructions about the 5th
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  commandment, honour your father and mother.
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  And this is not just about honouring parents, but this is
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  about God setting up what it looks like to have human
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  authority in a society that lives under the rule of a loving
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  God. So today and tomorrow, Moses
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  will be setting up, through God's wisdom, what it looks like
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  for the authority to sit with certain people in that society.
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  You're ready. Let us dive in and hear about
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  God structuring His people to live according to His ways as we
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  read together Deuteronomy chapter 17.
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  Never sacrifice sick or defective cattle, sheep, or
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  goats to the Lord your God, for he detests such gifts.
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  When you begin to live in the towns the Lord your God is
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  giving you, A man or woman among you might do evil in the sight
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  of the Lord your God and violate the covenant.
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  For instance, they might serve other gods, or worship the sun,
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  the moon, or any of the stars, the forces of heaven, which I
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  have strictly forbidden. When you hear about it,
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  investigate the matter thoroughly.
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  If it is true that this detestable thing has been done
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  in Israel, then the man or woman who has committed such an evil
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  act must be taken to the gates of the town and stoned to death.
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  But never put a person to death on the testimony of only one
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  witness. There must always be two or
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  three witnesses. The witnesses must throw the
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  first stones, and then all the people may join in.
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  In this way you will purge the evil from among you.
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  Suppose a case arises in a local court that is too hard for you
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  to decide, for instance, whether someone is guilty of murder or
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  only of manslaughter, or a difficult lawsuit, or a case
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  involving different kinds of assault.
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  Take such legal cases to the place the Lord your God will
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  choose and present them to the Levitical priests or the judge
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  on duty. At that time.
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  They will hear the case and declare the verdict.
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  You must carry out the verdict they announce and the sentence
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  they prescribe at the place the Lord chooses.
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  You must do exactly what they say.
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  After they have interpreted the law and declared their verdict,
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  the sentence they impose must be fully executed.
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  Do not modify it in any way. Anyone arrogant enough to reject
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  the verdict of the judge or the priest who presents the Lord
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  your God must die. In this way you will purge the
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  evil from Israel. Then everyone else will hear
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  about it and be afraid to act so arrogantly.
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  You are about to enter the land the Lord your God is giving you
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  when you take it over and settle there.
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  You may think we should select a king to rule over us like the
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  other nations around us. If this happens, be sure to
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  select as King the man the Lord your God chooses.
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  You must appoint A fellow Israelite.
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  He may not be a foreigner. The king must not build up a
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  large stable of horses for himself or send his people to
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  Egypt to buy horses, for the Lord has told you you must never
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  return to Egypt. The king must not take many
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  wives for himself, because they will turn his heart away from
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  the Lord, and he must not accumulate large amounts of
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  wealth in silver and gold for himself.
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  When he sits on the throne as king.
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  He must copy for himself this body of instruction on a scroll
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  in the presence of the Levitical priests.
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  He must always keep that copy with him and read it daily as
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  long as he lives that way. He will learn to fear the Lord
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  his God by obeying all the terms of these instructions and
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  decrees. This regular reading will
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  prevent him from becoming proud and acting as if he is above his
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  fellow citizens. It will also prevent him from
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  turning away from these commands in the smallest way.
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  And it will ensure that he and his descendants will reign for
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  many generations in Israel. Our Lord, you know so well that
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  the world around us distract us from your ways.
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  And here you remind the King that if they are to rule, they
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  are to remind themselves daily by reading these decrees that
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  they are to remain humble in service of their people and not
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  of their own wealth and accumulation.
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  My boy, that is good advice for us today.
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  Thank You that we are able to come to You each day, that we
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  are able to hear Your word and have that become part of the
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  rhythm of our lives, continuing daily to draw our minds and our
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  hearts back to You so that it's your priorities that can shape
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  us, shape our approach to the world, shape our lives, and
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  shape the way we spend them with each other.
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  Our Lord, you know best for us. You have a plan which is good
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  for us and good for your Kingdom.
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  I pray that you just continue to gently, and sometimes not so
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  gently, guide us back to your ways so that we can truly be a
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  part of your Kingdom here on earth.
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  We love you. We thank you for your Kingdom,
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  your goodness, and your love for us.
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  And we pray all of this in the loving name of Jesus, Amen.