Numbers 23:19-20 (Balaam's Second Oracle) - God is not a man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot change it.
I need to remember that the Lord fulfills his promises...always! His commandments were all the people needed. They were to trust and follow Him.
Deuteronomy 4:2 - Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.
We are not to pick and choose what we like about God's commandments. He is all knowing and has given them to us for a reason. I believe The Ten Commandments are still valid and should be followed to the best of our ability. But I also know that it is impossible to do and am ever more thankful for the gift of Jesus and the perfect sacrifice that He is on our behalf. I have never spent this much time reading the Old Testament, but it has been a great reminder of exactly why we need a Savior and why Jesus is that for us.
The following is my favorite from the last week of reading. As a parent, I would say I will always be there for my children to come to...even when they have strayed and sinned and done wrong. But, I also know that I'm human and I may not do it as lovingly and mercifully as our Heavenly Father. He is a constant refuge for us. How amazing is that?!?!
Deuteronomy 29-31 - But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the Lord your God and obey him. For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath.
Joe's favorite verse...
Deuteronomy 24:5 - If a man has recently married, he must not be sent to war or have any other duty laid on him. For one year he is to be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married.
How awesome that the Lord thinks marriage is important and that husbands and wives should have time together! Thank you Lord for this great opportunity to spend attentive time in your Word and what it is doing each day in our home. I have been (I think?) a more patience and level-headed mama and wife lately. Joe has been supportive of this time I have committed and Charlie will actually sit and listen to me read aloud for a while (10 minutes...pretty good for a 2 year old). I pray for continued success in this great adventure and and praise the Lord for the sacrifice of the Cross that we are not still bound by the sacrifices and rituals of the Old Testament.
God bless!
