First Love

There are 613 commandments in the Pentateuch. One teacher of the Law asked Jesus, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” (Mark 12:28). Jesus’ answer came from the passage in today’s reading. Deuteronomy 6:4–9 is called the Shema, the Hebrew pronunciation of the first word of verse…

Law and Grace

On our wedding day, my wife and I recited traditional vows to one another. We promised “to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us part. This is my solemn vow.” Marriage is a covenant rel…

The World Is Watching

In our house, we have a fireproof lockbox in which we keep important documents. Some documents are important legally (e.g., birth certificates, marriage license, will). Others are important relationally (e.g., love letters, family pictures). At Mount Sinai (called “Horeb” in this passage), God rev…

The Conquest of Canaan

Reading the Old Testament, one of the most difficult things to understand is the Lord’s command to destroy the Canaanites. Why would a good God command the elimination of an entire people? In Deuteronomy 3, Moses recounts that at the Lord’s command: “We completely destroyed them [Og and his territo…

Remembering the Journey

This past year I attended a high school graduation ceremony. They had two students speak. The first student told stories about their shared high school experience. The second student reflected on the future. In this section of Deuteronomy, Moses acts more like the first student. He reminds Israel h…

Remember and Believe

Forgetfulness is part of human nature. God understands this. Throughout Scripture He has built systems and structures to help us remember important truths. For example, after Jesus died for our sin and rose again, He instituted the Lord’s Supper to help the church remember this precious truth. Tod…

Conquering Temptation

“What a friend we have in Jesus,” I’ve sung many times. “All our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer! Can we find a friend so faithful…

Temptation, Sin, Restoration

No matter how many battles against temptation we win, at some point we’re all going to fall at some point. The Bible reinforces that fact saying that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). Is our case hopeless then? And what if our brother or sister in Christ sins? Is our…

The Fruit of Resisting

An agnostic once challenged evangelist Harry Ironside to a debate. Ironside accepted, but with one condition. The agnostic must bring with him one man and one woman whose lives had been transformed by the power of unbelief: “The sins he once loved, he now hates, and righteousness and goodness are n…

Surrender to God

Writer Jerry Bridges recorded this memorable prayer of submission in his book, The Joy of Fearing God: “Lord, I am willing. To receive what you give; To lack what you withhold; To relinquish what you take; To suffer what you inflict; To be what you require; And to do what You send me to do.” When …