Deuteronomy 15:7

Deuteronomy 15:7 says, If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother:  Moses said if there was a poor man who was Israelite with the land that God had given them that the other people of Israel were not to harden their hearts against him.  We also should never harden our hearts against our fellow Christians if God has richly blessed us.  Verse eight adds, But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth.  Moses said they should open their hand and loan him what he needed. They were not to just open their heart, or empathize with him, but were to open their hand and actually do something to physically or materially help him.  We today as followers of Christ are to do the same.  Verse nine continues, Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee.  Moses warned them against thinking that the seventh year, the year of release, was near and allowing this to keep them from helping the person.  We today should never allow whether a person, especially a fellow Christian, will be able to repay us to keep us from helping them.  God has told us that we can never out give Him, so we need to live as though we believe it.  Verse ten states, Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto.  Moses said no matter how close it was to the year of release that their heart should not be grieved because they were loaning the man something that he would never have to repay, because God would bless all that they did because of it.  We may miss the blessings of God today because we refuse to help those in need if we figure that they can never repay us.  Verse eleven adds, For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.  Moses said that the poor would never cease to exist in the land of Israel, and those who had the ability to help them should never cease to do so.  We might think that since they were all Israelites that God would bless them all materially the same, but this was not the case, just as it isn't today.  As followers of Christ, we should see everything that we have as a blessing from God, not something that we somehow deserve more than other Christians.  

Deuteronomy 15:1

Deuteronomy 15:1 says, At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release.  Ever seven years, the people of Israel were to make a release.  Verse two adds, And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbour shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbour, or of his brother; because it is called the LORD’s release.  This release was for every creditor to release the debtor from his debt.  He was not to seek repayment from the man's brother, neighbor, or anyone else, because the release was God's release, meaning that God had commanded it.  As followers of Christ, we are forgiven of our sins every day and not just every seven years, but we are also called on to forgive the debts of others, just as God forgives our debts.  Verse three continues, Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it again: but that which is thine with thy brother thine hand shall release;  This release did not apply to those who were not Israelites, but to their people of Israel only.  They could reapply, or not release, the debt of strangers, or none Israelites.  We can make this apply to release from the penalty of sin only for those who accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, but I believe it also tells us that how we treat our Christian brothers and sisters in financial matters should be different than the world would treat them.  Matthew Henry points out that the seventh year was the year that the Israelites were to do no planting and harvesting, so there really would be no way for those who were already barely surviving to repay any debt, and says that this applied to debts to maintain daily needs and not to business debts.  Of course, the Bible really doesn't specify if this applied to some specific debts and not others.  Verse four states, Save when there shall be no poor among you; for the LORD shall greatly bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it:  Moses said that this would not apply when there were no needy among the people of Israel because of God's great blessings.  If the people of Israel lived by God's guidance, there should be no group that had more than they needed while others didn't even have enough to survive.  If we put our faith in God, and He richly blesses us, we should not leave our fellow Christians to suffer without even enough to meet their basic needs.  Verse five adds, Only if thou carefully hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee this day.  Moses said these things would only be true if they obeyed God's commandments.  When it comes to how we treat our fellow Christians, we must obey God's laws if we expect His continued blessings.   Verse six continues, For the LORD thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee.  Moses said if they obeyed God's commandments, that they would lend to many nations, but  not borrow from them, and then they could reign over many nations, but none could reign over them because of debts to these nations.  They needed to put their faith in God alone, and so must we today.  

Deuteronomy 14:22

Deuteronomy 14:22 says, Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.  Moses told the Israelites that they were to tithe on all the increase that their crops brought forth.  We sometimes seem to want to figure out the least that we can tithe, but I believe that God wants us to tithe on everything, and even give above that.  We may receive less of a blessing from God because of our unwillingness to give generously to Him.  Verse twenty-three adds, And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always.  Moses said they were to eat before their God in the place He had chosen and that they were to bring all their tithes to Him there, so that they could learn to fear Him, or hold Him in the highest respect.  We as followers of Christ, His people by our faith in Him as our Savior and Lord, need to bring our tithes and offerings to Him wherever He leads us to worship Him today.  We are to hold God in awesome respect, but I do not believe we are to fear Him if that implies to be afraid of Him.  God will always want what is best for us.  Verse twenty-four states, And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee:  Moses then addressed what they were to do if they were too far away from the place that God designated for them to gather and worship Him and to bring everything to Him there.  As Christians today, we are seldom to far away from a place of worship to bring our tithes and offerings to God there.  Verse twenty-five adds, Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose:  Moses said if they were too far away to bring all the literal tithes of their crops and livestock to God at the place He designated as the central place of worship, that they were to sell the crops and livestock and bind the money they received for them to their hand and bring it to a place that God designated.  God was still in charge.  We generally are already being paid our increase in money, and all we need to do is bring our tithes and offerings to God at the place He designates.  Verse twenty-six continues, And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household,  This money was to then be used to buy food and drink to celebrate the goodness of God.  Verse twenty-seven says, And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee. This was after the Levites received their portion.  We must always remember to take care of those who serve God as ministers and any other area of service today with our tithes and offerings first.  Then, the rest is to be used in a way that honors God and celebrates His goodness to us.  Verse twenty-eight adds, At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates:  Moses said that every third year they were to bring all the increase before God and lay it up within the gates of the place of worship that God had designated.  Verse twenty-nine continues, And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.  Moses said that they were to do this so that the Levites, the strangers, the fatherless and the widows within the gates would have enough to eat and be satisfied.  Then, the LORD would bless them.  We today need to do all that we can to provide for those in full-time ministry and for widows and orphans, even if they are strangers to us.  Then, God will richly bless us.  

Deuteronomy 14:11

Deuteronomy 14:11 says, Of all clean birds ye shall eat.  Next, Moses listed all the birds the people of Israel could eat, calling them clean birds.  This was not just Moses decision, but God's.  If anyone starts to tell us as Christians what we cannot eat today, it is their decision and not God's, and we should not base what we can and cannot eat on what they say.  Verse twelve states, But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,  Moses then began to list the birds that they could not eat.  Verse thirteen adds, And the glede, and the kite, and the vulture after his kind,  Verse fourteen continues, And every raven after his kind, These were birds of prey and birds that ate dead flesh.  Verse fifteen says, And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,  Verse sixteen adds, The little owl, and the great owl, and the swan,  Verse seventeen continues, And the pelican, and the gier eagle, and the cormorant,  Verse eighteen states, And the stork, and the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.  These are still birds that we probably wouldn't eat today, because it wouldn't be healthy, but even they are not forbidden for moral reasons.  Verse nineteen states, And every creeping thing that flieth is unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten. Verse twenty adds, But of all clean fowls ye may eat.  Moses concluded his list of what was prohibited, then said that all clean birds could be eaten, and those were any not listed as forbidden.  Matthew Henry points out that these rules applied only to the Israelites, and not to the rest of the world.  We as followers of Christ really have no rules or restrictions, dietary or otherwise, that do not apply to the rest of the world.  The only difference is that we believe and obey them and they don't.  God's law is universal, even if it is not accepted.  Verse twenty-one declares, Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself: thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto an alien: for thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk.  Moses then told them that they could not eat anything that died naturally,  but they could give it to a stranger to eat, or even sell it to them.  These animals likely would not have had the blood drained from them.  The people of Israel were to do this because they were a holy people, not because of who they were physically, but because of their relationship with God.  So are we today as followers of Christ.  Moses also added that they were not cook a kid, or young goat, in its mothers milk.

Deuteronomy 14:1

Deuteronomy 14:1 says, Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.  Moses said they were the children of God and they were not to cut themselves nor shave their heads in mourning for the dead.  They were not to harm or even disfigure themselves because they still had a heavenly Father, no matter who died, and if the person who died was truly a child of God, they had simply gone on to their heavenly home.  Verse two adds, For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God,  and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth. Moses said they were a holy people, chosen by God and not by their own goodness.  They were to be a peculiar people, different in their values from all other people.  As followers of Christ, we are a holy people because of Who our God is, and not because of who we are of our own merit.  We, like Israel, are to be  peculiar people, set aside from the values of the world to live by God's law.  Verse three states, Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing.  Moses then said that they were not to eat any abominable thing, and then he told them what would be considered abominable.  Of course, after the death of Jesus, these restrictions were removed by God, so we are free to eat these animals today.  Verse four adds, These are the beasts which ye shall eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat,  Verse five continues, The hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois.  Verse six concludes, And every beast that parteth the hoof, and cleaveth the cleft into two claws, and cheweth the cud among the beasts, that ye shall eat.  The people of Israel were given a large variety of animals that they could eat, and we are given an even greater freedom in what we eat today.  Nothing that we eat is going to make us spiritually unclean.  Verse seven says, Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the cloven hoof; as the camel, and the hare, and the coney: for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof; therefore they are unclean unto you.  Some animals, such as the camel, hare and coney, chewed the cud but did not have a cloven, or divided hoof.  Verse eight adds, And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcase.  Swine were also included, because they did not chew cud.  These restrictions were to set the people of God apart from the rest of the world.  We today are set apart by putting our faith in Jesus Christ and then living by His laws.  Verse nine states, These ye shall eat of all that are in the waters: all that have fins and scales shall ye eat:  There were also restrictions on what fish the people of Isreal could eat.  If the fish had fins and scales, they could eat it.  Verse ten adds, And whatsoever hath not fins and scales ye may not eat; it is unclean unto you.  If the animal coming from the water did not have fins and scales, it was not to be eaten.  This would have included things such as eels, catfish, shrimp, clams, and oysters, and I personally am happy that these restrictions were removed when God told Peter that what He made clean Peter was not to call unclean, and neither should we.

Deuteronomy 13:12

Deuteronomy 13:12 says, If thou shalt hear say in one of thy cities, which the LORD thy God hath given thee to dwell there, saying,  Verse thirteen adds, Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known;   Moses then spoke to them about hearing someone in any city that God had given them calling on them to go and worship other gods.  These were people who had seen God's power and goodness, but who were still willing to turn away from their covenant relationship with Him.  As Christians, we have a covenant relationship with God, and nothing should ever tempt us to turn away from Him.  Verse fourteen continues, Then shalt thou inquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought among you;  Moses said that the first thing they should do was to diligently seek the truth about what had been said.  As followers of Christ we should always seek the truth before we act, especially if it involves others being accused of something that goes against God's word.  Verse fifteen states, Thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein, and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword.  Moses then told them that if they determined it to be truae that they had turned away from God to follow false gods,that they were to kill all the inhabitants of the city and to utterly destroy the city.  Turning away from God to chase false gods brought extreme punishment, but it was in the world to come where the consequences were truly bad.  Those who had turned away from God would be forever separated from Him.  Verse sixteen adds, And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit, for the LORD thy God: and it shall be an heap for ever; it shall not be built again.  Moses said they were to burn all the spoil of the city, and the city should never be built again.  We need to completely destroy everything that would lead us away from God, and never attempt to build anything on it again.  Verse seventeen continues, And there shall cleave nought of the cursed thing to thine hand: that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of his anger, and shew thee mercy, and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers;  Moses then warned them to not attempt to keep anything from this city for themselves so that God would turn away from His fierce anger and have compassion on them and multiply their numbers as He had promised to do.  God's promises to us are always dependent on our obedience to Him, starting with accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  We cannot claim to accept Jesus Christ and still worship anything else.  Being a Christian is never about getting more material wealth.  Verse eighteen concludes, When thou shalt hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep all his commandments which I command thee this day, to do that which is right in the eyes of the LORD thy God.  Moses said that if they wanted to receive the blessings of God that they would have to listen to His voice and keep His commandments.  If we want to receive the blessings of God today, we must first listen to His voice calling us to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, and if we accept Him as our personal Savior and Lord, we are God's forever.  Still, even though we cannot be saved by obeying God's commandments,  because we will always fail to keep them all, once we are saved by faith, we should do our best to obey all of God's commandments. 

Deuteronomy 13:1

Deuteronomy 13;1 says, If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,  Verse two adds, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them;  Moses said that if there arose a prophet or dreamer, who gave them a sign and it came to pass, that this prophet or dreamer might ask the people of Israel to go after, or follow, other gods.  There are still people today who claim to be able to see the future by the power of other gods, and some Christians may follow them.  Verse three continues, Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.  Moses told them not to follow that person, and God would prove whether they loved Him with all their heart and soul.  We cannot allow anything else to guide us today if we are truly committed to God.  Verse four declares, Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.  Just as Moses told the Israelites, if we are a follower of Christ, we must walk after the Lord our God and obey His voice and serve Him.  Verse five adds, And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.  Moses said that they were to put to death anyone that would lead them away from God.  Life might be simpler today if we could do this, but at times we may have all led people away from God.  We certainly do not need to follow those who do though.  Verse six states, If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers;  Moses then warned them about family members leading or enticing them to turn away from God and follow other gods.  Unfortunately, some family members can still do this today.  Verse seven adds, Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth;  Moses said this warning applied to gods anywhere in the world.  There are many false gods that people around the world worship today, and we as Christians must reject all of them, even if family members attempt to entice us away from God.  Verse eight continues, Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him:  Moses said not only were the people of Israel not to listen to a false prophet, they were also to not have pity on them nor hide them.  Verse nine says, But thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.  Verse ten continues, And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die; because he hath sought to thrust thee away from the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.  Anyone who attempted to lead the people of Israel away from God to follow false gods was to be stoned, even if they were family members.  Verse eleven states, And all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is among you.  Moses said all the people of Israel were to hear and not do any such wickedness.  We today as Christians must hear this warning as well.