Contemplative Bible Reading

Deuteronomy 1:1-3 (New Living Translation)

¹ These are the words that Moses spoke to all the people of Israel while they were in the wilderness east of the Jordan River. They were camped in the Jordan Valley near Suph, between Paran on one side and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Di-zahab on the other.

² Normally it takes only eleven days to travel from Mount Sinai to Kadesh-barnea, going by way of Mount Seir. ³ But forty years after the Israelites left Egypt, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses addressed the people of Israel, telling them everything the LORD had commanded him to say

Focus on the first words of verse 2:

Normally it takes only eleven days to travel from Mount Sinai to Kadesh-barnea

However, this trip took 40 years. I cannot imagine the emotional toll that this took on the people. An 11-day trip required 40years. Try to let that sink in. Being a modern or post-modern or whatever person, time is important and accomplishing things efficiently is more important.

But an 11-day trip required 40 years. I keep typing that phrase over and over. How did they endure that?

Deuteronomy 31:12

New International Version – Assemble the people—men, women and children, and the foreigners residing in your towns—so they can listen and learn to fear the LORD your God and follow carefully all the words of this law.

New Living Translation – Call them all together—men, women, children, and the foreigners living in your towns—so they may hear this Book of Instruction and learn to fear the LORD your God and carefully obey all the terms of these instructions.

As written earlier this year, I am now reading the New Living Translation instead of the New International Version. Now and then, I find a different wording that I find intriguing. That is the subject of today’s post.

The NLT calls what I have always known as the Old Testament law the Book of Instruction.

Hmmm, a book of instruction. Yahweh is instructing His people how to live. It isn’t a book of law, it is instructions for right living. No doubt some people will vehemently disagree with this twist of words. I don’t know that I agree with it 100%, but as I wrote, it is an intriguing thought.

Deuteronomy 8:19-20 (New Living Translation)

¹⁹ “But I assure you of this: If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods, worshiping and bowing down to them, you will certainly be destroyed. ²⁰ Just as the LORD has destroyed other nations in your path, you also will be destroyed if you refuse to obey the LORD your God.

I am in a group study of the Bible every week. On several occasions, we have read and discussed Old Testament scriptures where the LORD told the Israelites to kill everyone: men, women, and children – even the smallest of children.

How could the LORD tell His people to kill babies?

I don’t have a good answer. Now I have a better answer, maybe not a good one, but a better one.

The destruction of entire peoples was a lesson.

It was terrible when entire peoples, even to the youngest baby, were destroyed. The word “terrible” is not strong enough. I can’t think of a word that is strong enough. The LORD’s people who were doing the destroying knew first hand how terrible it was. Imagine killing babies. You know how terrible it is.

Then the LORD tells His people,

Those terrible things that you saw and did, those things will happen to you. You know about terrible punishment. That is what awaits you if you forget me.

Maybe that is why the LORD had His people do those terrible things. So they would know what would happen to them.

Again, this is not a good answer, but, for me, it is a better answer.

Numbers 31:1-2 (New Living Translation)

¹ Then the LORD said to Moses, ² “On behalf of the people of Israel, take revenge on the Midianites for leading them into idolatry. After that, you will die and join your ancestors.”

I was once associated with a contract in which many employees were told, “Work faster to finish the job. And, by the way, as soon as you finish the job you will be unemployed.”

What do people do in such circumstances? Work slower so they will have more paychecks? Work faster so they will have fewer paychecks?

Now we consider Moses in these verses. The LORD’s instructions are:

Do your job so you can die.

Whoa! Should Moses rush this revenge-on-the-Midianites job or go into a few years of strategic planning?

What would we do?

Numbers 5:6 (New Living Translation)

“Give the following instructions to the people of Israel: If any of the people—men or women—betray the LORD by doing wrong to another person, they are guilty.

Have I done something wrong to another person? Yes.

Do I sometimes do something wrong to another person? Well, yes, but not as often as in the past.

What’s the harm? I mean, doing wrong is doing wrong, but I’m human. We all do wrong now and then.

Look at the verse. When we do something wrong to another person, we are betraying the LORD. Oooops. The LORD takes these things seriously. These “another persons” are His creation. He loves His creation and doesn’t take kindly to those who wrong His creation.

It is difficult for me to remember this. That the LORD treasures all of His creation, and I am supposed to honor that.

Genesis 2:15-17 (New Living Translation)

¹⁵ The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. ¹⁶ But the LORD God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— ¹⁷ except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”

Let’s go back to a foundation principle.

The knowledge of good and evil.

Adam and Eve lived with God in the garden. That is the way God intended mankind to live. We know the rest of the story. Eve and Adam ate from the one tree God advised them to avoid, and yes, we know the rest of the story.

What was this tree? It provided mankind with knowing the difference between good and evil (pretty obvious if you think about it). Once mankind knew the difference, we were able to choose which way we went. Rats! Many of us, well, all of us, have spent much of our lives choosing the evil over the good. That is called sin. Afterwards, God provided his Son to cleanse us from that sin, cleanse us from choosing the evil over the good.

It is all pretty simple when you consider it. It is all pretty difficult to do on a daily basis, that is, choosing the good over the evil. The evil is so attractive on a short-term basis.

God, thanks for the cleansing power of the blood of Your Son.

Titus 3:10 (New International Version 2011)

Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them.

Sometimes I am curious about how people twist words without thinking about their true meaning. This seems to happen when people discuss, i.e., disagree about what they read in the Bible. The above verse is one example.

Watch out for the divisive person. Whoa! Who are these divisive persons? How do I recognize them? I have heard people warn me away from such divisive persons, but I was never sure.

Let’s look at another translation of the Bible in English and to a little more context.

Titus 3:9-11 (New Living Translation)

⁹ Do not get involved in foolish discussions about spiritual pedigrees or in quarrels and fights about obedience to Jewish laws. These things are useless and a waste of time. ¹⁰ If people are causing divisions among you, give a first and second warning. After that, have nothing more to do with them. ¹¹ For people like that have turned away from the truth, and their own sins condemn them.

Okay, the divisive person is one who causes divisions among you. Another take is that the divisive person divides the group into smaller groups. Aha! Well, on second thought that makes sense as that seems to be the definition of the term.

Now let’s back up a verse. The writer is discussing spiritual pedigrees. Now I know people who were divisive along spiritual pedigrees. With a moment of thought, I can name hundreds of people like that. Hmm, if I were to avoid all these people…

That takes us to verse 10. Give these dividers a few chances to stop their dividing. Just a few, however, not a thousand chances. These dividers tend to push you into a group here or there and often without you realizing it.

Genesis 4:7 (New Living Translation)

You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”

What a picture drawn by these words:

Sin is crouching at the door.

Look at the photo of a tiger crouching. I don’t want to be in that animal’s stare. There are a few funny things about that crouching tiger:

• He doesn’t make any sounds
• He doesn’t smell bad
• He isn’t mumbling threats

From all outside appearances, the tiger is stretching his muscles. What is the worry? What is the worry about sin crouching at the door? Lots to worry.

Jude verse 22 (New Living Translation)

And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering.

God shows me mercy – lots of it. On some occasions, I am to show mercy to others. Well, that one is a bit tougher. I mean, I am not God and I don’t have as much mercy as He does and well you can’t really tell when someone else needs some mercy and this is all a bit too much for me and I have lots of other excuses to write if you give me the time.

Sigh. Okay, let’s move on here.

Yes, I know people who have wavering faith. I see a fellow like that every day in the mirror. My reaction to these people? I don’t have to think about that. Jude encourages me in the answer as plain as can be.

Share some of the mercy that God has poured on me.

1 Peter 2:16 (New International Version)

For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil.

We are free.

We are free from

silly human stuff that chokes our lives

For example, our cares choke our lives. Such as:

• I care about what you think of me
• I care about what I own
• I care about getting even with you (or ahead of you)
• I care about my retirement accounts

It is such a relief to be free. All we have to do is accept the freedom. Yikes, that can be difficult.