Title Deuteronomy 25:11~19 (2011.5.17)
Contents
Title: What God's People Must Do
Main text: (Deuteronomy 25:11~19)
Hymns: 330. I will rest in the dark night
Date: May 17, 2011 (Tuesday) 5:00 am
Venue: Jeonju Yebut Church Small Worship Room
Citizens of a country have basic obligations and rights that they can claim in that country. Christians, the people of the kingdom of God, also have due duties and rights. This text tells us about some of the obligations that Christians must abide by.
1. Refrain from illegal violence (verses 11-12)
The text stipulates that if a woman sees her husband fighting with another person and grabs the other person's scrotum to save her, the woman's hand should be cut off. Seems like a rather harsh punishment. However, several implications of the woman's actions must be considered. Grabbing another man's scrotum is an act of abandoning dignity and modesty first. It can also destroy a man's fertility, preventing him from giving birth to God-given life. Such behavior is also damaging to the reputation of individuals and families. Therefore, a woman who did this had to be punished severely. No matter how urgent it is, a saint must not cause harm to others for the benefit of himself and his family. Rather, you should be able to look at not only your own work, but also the work of others. Are we violating the safety and interests of others for our own safety and interests?
2. Be honest (verses 13-16)
God also gives rules for fair trade. In ancient societies, merchants used stone weights for weighing. However, there were people who committed the evil deed of using weights of different weights to buy and sell goods, thereby increasing their profits. They left an unreasonable difference by using a large pendulum when buying goods and a small pendulum when selling goods. God says this is an abomination. This also violates the 8th commandment among the Ten Commandments, “You shall not steal.” To be a healthy community, we must engage in honest commerce. We must be honest in all our dealings, starting with the church and believers. As members of the church community, the saints must glorify God by living an honest and sincere life.
3. Destroy Satan's forces (verses 17-19)
After God spoke about the obligations the people of Israel had to keep, He commanded them to destroy the Amalekites when they entered the land of Canaan and found stability. The Amalekites were the people who tormented the Israelites from the back of their journey in the wilderness of the Exodus. It is also a nation that will continue to torment even after Israel enters Canaan. This is an arrogant attitude that challenges God's authority. That is why God commanded them to annihilate them. God showed His power by thoroughly destroying the Amalekites and tried to dispel the attitude of those who challenged Him. God gives the same command to the church. The church must annihilate the power of Satan that opposes God's work of salvation.
The kingdom of God is a country where there is no lawlessness and injustice, and it is full of peace, justice, and love. We are the people of the kingdom of God. Therefore, we must live a life of obedience while looking at the completion of the kingdom of God. I hope that you will be saints who keep God's commands and fulfill their duties as people of the kingdom of God.
<Prayer>
1. Help me to live a life that glorifies like the people of God's kingdom!
2. Pray that the young discipleship group will be reborn into the life of the Lord's disciples who are filled with the Holy Spirit!
3. Heal the weak patients and restore the family!