The resources God has given us to live a thriving life are His Word, Spirit, and People.
Read God’s Word:
Deuteronomy 28-30
Act 2: God’s Covenant People
Scene 3: The Sinai Covenant and law: God embraces and instructs his people
Background Information: Deuteronomy 28-30
God made the covenant with Israel. They would become a nation and would inherit a land God had marked out for them. They would be a blessing to the entire world. This covenant was unconditional in that God would ensure these things would happen. Israel did become a nation, with a land, and from Israel came the Messiah, Jesus, the Savior of the world. Though these covenant promises were unconditional, the experience of the blessings of God for individuals were conditional. Moses laid out the possible blessings the people could experience if they would live within the bounds of the covenant stipulations. He also laid out the terrible curses that would come to pass if they did not. These potential curses became historical fact in their fall to the Assyrians and the Babylonians centuries later. Reading the description of a people under siege is hard, but it is exactly what happened, including the horrors of cannibalism. Deuteronomy 29:29 is an important verse for us as we ponder the work of God among nations and our individual lives.
“The hidden things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things belong to us and our children forever, so that we may follow all the words of this law.”
We cannot get our minds around all that God does to work out his purposes through so many people and over many years. We can get our minds around what simple obedience to his word means. So, Moses tells the people… “Choose to obey, because you can. Nothing that God has laid before you is impossible to obey.” At the same time, Moses knows that they will not obey. Their failure will reveal the need for a Savior who will perfectly keep the law for us.
Pray:
Praise God for…
Thank God for…
Confess your sins to God
Pray for the youth mission teams and the Christian Challenge mission teams. Pray that their would be unity among the team. Pray that they would love one another deeply and be bold in sharing the gospel this Summer. Ask God to provide for their financial needs.
Ask God for… (what else concerns you?)
Reflect:
Write down one passage of scripture that stood out to you today.
Write down why this passage stood out to you.
Engage Community:
Text or call some now and tell them…
– What you are praying for.
– What stood out from God’s word today.
Review the Storyline Map: Where we are in the Bible
Act 1 God’s Plan for All People
Scene 1: The Creation: The God of all of life.
Scene 2: The Fall: Rejecting God’s vision for life
Scene 3: The Flood: God judges and makes a covenant to preserve life
Act 2 God’s Covenant People
Scene 1: The People: God calls a Covenant People
Scene 2: Deliverance: God rescues his people.
Week 11:
Scene 3: The Sinai Covenant and law: God embraces and instructs his people
Day 1: Deuteronomy 16-19
Day 2: Deuteronomy 20-23
Day 3: Deuteronomy 24-27
Day 4: Deuteronomy 28-30
Day 5: Deuteronomy 31-34
Scene 4: The Land: God’s place for his people
Day 6: Joshua 1-2, Psalm 105
Scene 5: Kings and Prophets: God shapes a kingdom people
Scene 6: Kings and Prophets: God divides the kingdom people.
Scene 7: Kings and Prophets: The southern kingdom as God’s people
Scene 8: Exile: God disciplines his people
Scene 9: Return: God delivers his people again
Act 3 God’s New Covenant People
Scene 1: Christ’s coming: God’s true king arrives
Scene 2: Christ’s ministry: God’s true king manifest his kingdom
Scene 3: Christ’s deliverance of his people: God’s work through the death, resurrection, and enthronement of his king
Scene 4: Christ’s church: God’s people advance the kingdom
Scene 5: Christ second coming: God future for the kingdom