"It is not only prayer that gives God glory but work... He is so great thalt things give Him glory if you mean they should." (by Gerard Manly Kopkins from A Hopkins Reader, John Pick, ed., New York: Oxford University Press, 1953, quoted in D.M. Dooling, ed., A Way of Working, New York: Anchor Press/ Doubleday, 1979, p. 6.)
Video, Revelation Song, Kari Jobe - Live http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-Gxjtd6Wp4.
Welcome to the Memorial Parsha of Jesus Christs' Ti Keitzei, in the book of Deuteronomy 21 through Deuteronomy 25. The Haftorah is Isaiah 54. Saturday, August 21st, 2010. 1451 BC
Deuteronomy 23:1-8: Exclusion from the Assembly
Moses commands that the Ammonites and the Moabites shall never enter the congregation of the LORD Thy God. The translation may mean that they shall never serve as priest, to the most High God, in the tabernacle and later the House (temple) of God, first built by Solomon.The sanctuary, which is the earliest history of the church is the Temple of God, in Jerusalem. God forbade that the Ammonites and the Moabites shall serve as the High Priest, forever. (Deuteronomy 23:1-5). Furthermore, you shall not seek their peace nor their prosperity. Now this is where the church splinters from the Temple. First, there are a lot of young people who need the gospel shared with them. Gee. I look out my window and I see hordes of young people in their early twenties that need the gospel shared with them, because of poor lack of leadership. When you are young the last person you want to do is listen to your mother. Sure you are safe, because your parents will never steer you wrong, but when I was a young person, that was not fun. I thank God that I learned everything the hard way, that I am hear to tell you that I am an overcomer, lucky, well better than that just blessed and using every blessing instead of the cursing that I deserved to teach, preach, perform, and write the gospel. Jesus and the Apostle John spoke of the overcomer, what a apostolic prophecy being fulfilled today. (John 14:13-14).
Nevertheless, don't go out there being naive, when Moses commanded that you shall neither seek their prosperity, nor their peace. He is saying this joy that you have the world did not give it, and the world can not take it away. He is saying that their will never be peace, even though you prayer, let them beat their weapons because you want war no more. Have you notice that violent crime spikes during poor economic times. People are living off of each other. A older person understands the statistics and would never reduce the numbers of the population through a possession of an automatic weapon, accidentally firing. Trust and believe when Moses prophesied, he was saying that these people are virulent and are not peaceful, the blood shed will multiply until the judges began to solve the unsolved murders. Gavel time. When Moses prophesied, that you shall not seek their prosperity, he is saying to you and I, that this people will not hire you, they will not give you a second chance, to enter the work force full time in poor economic times because everyone should be working while there is war.
Nehmiah 13:20-30
20 Once or twice the merchants and sellers of all kinds of goods spent the night outside Jerusalem. 21 But I warned them and said, "Why do you spend the night by the wall? If you do this again, I will lay hands on you." From that time on they no longer came on the Sabbath. 22 Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves and go and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy.
Remember me for this also, O my God, and show mercy to me according to your great love.
23 Moreover, in those days I saw men of Judah who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab. 24 Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of one of the other peoples, and did not know how to speak the language of Judah. 25 I rebuked them and called curses down on them. I beat some of the men and pulled out their hair. I made them take an oath in God's name and said: "You are not to give your daughters in marriage to their sons, nor are you to take their daughters in marriage for your sons or for yourselves. 26 Was it not because of marriages like these that Solomon king of Israel sinned? Among the many nations there was no king like him. He was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel, but even he was led into sin by foreign women. 27 Must we hear now that you too are doing all this terrible wickedness and are being unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women?"
28 One of the sons of Joiada son of Eliashib the high priest was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite. And I drove him away from me.
29 Remember them, O my God, because they defiled the priestly office and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites.
30 So I purified the priests and the Levites of everything foreign, and assigned them duties, each to his own task. 31 I also made provision for contributions of wood at designated times, and for the firstfruits.
Remember me with favor, O my God.
Deuteronomy 23:4
4Because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee.
Joshua 24:
5I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that which I did among them: and afterward I brought you out.
6And I brought your fathers out of Egypt: and ye came unto the sea; and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen unto the Red sea.
7And when they cried unto the LORD, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt: and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season.
8And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt on the other side Jordan; and they fought with you: and I gave them into your hand, that ye might possess their land; and I destroyed them from before you.
9Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you:
10But I would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he blessed you still: so I delivered you out of his hand.
11And you went over Jordan, and came unto Jericho: and the men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I delivered them into your hand.
12And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow.
13And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.
14Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.
15And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
Video, Kutlass, "Draw Me Close. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Fqf9_PyA4M.
Other highlights in chapter 23 of the book of Deuteronomy:
Exclusion form the Assembly; Deuteronomy 23:1-8
Uncleanness in the camp; Deuteronomy 23:9-14
Miscellaneous Law; Deuteronomy 23:15-25
Nehemiah 9:5-11
5 Standing on the stairs were the Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Kenani—who called with loud voices to the LORD their God. 5 And the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah—said: "Stand up and praise the LORD your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting. [a] "
"Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. 6 You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.
7 "You are the LORD God, who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and named him Abraham. 8 You found his heart faithful to you, and you made a covenant with him to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites and Girgashites. You have kept your promise because you are righteous.
9 "You saw the suffering of our forefathers in Egypt; you heard their cry at the Red Sea. [b] 10 You sent miraculous signs and wonders against Pharaoh, against all his officials and all the people of his land, for you knew how arrogantly the Egyptians treated them. You made a name for yourself, which remains to this day. 11 You divided the sea before them, so that they passed through it on dry ground, but you hurled their pursuers into the depths, like a stone into mighty waters.
Deuteronomy 23:8-19: Cleanliness from the Campsite; Miscellaneous laws Jesus ministry was much like Moses had promised, and that he would raise another son of God, and he would require that you listen to his words. It is very difficult to listen to the words of God through his prophet if you don't have the correct version of the bible. (Deuteronomy 18:18-19). Jesus ministry was unique because the Holy Ghost after baptism was performed through the sign of the sprinkling of water, for all disciples. Although a prayer of consecration consist of devoting yourself to a sacred or high purpose; to dedicate, to make sacred, consecrated; devoted and dedicated; sanctification is also a work of grace. So we know that when we bear witness of the original Hebrew manuscripts that we are following Moses commandments. Like the work of sanctification, the sign of Holy Ghost Baptism, is believing that the you are a sanctified believer in God through the awesome power of the Holy Ghost, which resurrected the Lord Jesus on the third day - God is glorified. The Holy Ghost Baptism is a grace that merges you into the body of Christ, and you are a member of the body of Christ, you are in his household; which is the church. (Ephesians 2:21; 1 Corinthians 12:13, 27). A person can become baptized by faith and calling on the name of Jesus, this is all the the believer has to do to justify their faith as a sanctified believer. The evidence of receiving the Holy Ghost can be manifested in the speaking in other tongues, as the spirit gives utterances. (Acts 2:4,5; Matthew 3:11; Luke 11:13; Acts 1:5).
In closing, you must remember that the Bible said that nicely, Mary Magdalene had many spirits. The word says, "In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher." (Matthew 28:1). You will begin to read that according to others that are the enemies to the gospel, would like to do nothing better than to say that Jesus was anything other than the Son of God, and that is simply not true, he is the first fruit of what all we are aspiring to be, born again and resurrected into eternal life. Nevertheless, Mary was the first woman to see Jesus had risen, and Gabriel did not raise Jesus, the Holy Ghost raised Jesus from the dead; God is faithful to His Son, to do the work that he is sent to do, seven days a week (Matthew 28:2-9). No matter how bad you are treated and what people say to you, God loves you and he only wants the best for you. Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me. (Matthew 28:10). Like Mary Magdalene, you will have many people who will see you coming and they will try to stop the message that Jesus is risen. As Moses has commanded, don't subscribe to their peace or their prosperity, when you get fired from that job, remember that you are blessed by the best. The authorities will be punished for the evil deeds done unto the children of God, the disciples of Jesus. Therefore, do not take matters into your own hands because God will require an account of the evil doer, and judgement will delivered. You have to be prepared for the final judgment, and survive the second death, on that great day. (Matthew 28:11-15). The word says, "So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. (Matthew 28:15).
For more on this Parsha for Disciples of Jesus Christ, Deuteronomy 23, read http://thalia1965.wordpress.com/2010/08/26/disciple-of-jesus-christs-memorial-parsha-ti-keitzei-deuteronomy-23/
