Home of Grace for Christ Workers (English)

Psalm 15 /Rev. 11:4

Keep God’s word; pray and preach widely.
All nations will be blessed!

Comparison of two Scriptures is as followed:
Psalm 15 explains to us the life of those who live with God. How they keep God’s word. How they make every effort to seek godliness so that they do not say any bad word. They are blameless before God. They hate sins so that they keep their hands from anything that does not belong to them. They hate any kind of bribe. They turn down any ill-gotten gain. They are the olive trees and the lamp-stands just as what is written in Rev. 11:4. They meditate on God’s word day and night. They are on fire for the lost souls. They earnestly intercede for all the people by grasping God’s word. They fervently preach gospel to everyone on earth.
Rev. 11:4 prophesies that God will raise up two witnesses at the End Time. They are the two olive trees and the two lamp-stands. (Please refer to Zechariah 4.) They are not talkers, but doers. They walk and live before God. They keep God’s word by themselves so that their lives shine for God. They understand what God desires. They join together in Jesus Christ and pray for everyone. They also go out and preach gospel to all nations and to all people. Surely, they bring God’s blessings to everyone. The whole earth will be filled with God’s glory because of them.
Now let’s read Rev. 11: 4 carefully. ‘Two’ in here means many. It also tells us that unity is essential in our service. The body of Christ must grow to unity in the faith and in the Truth. God’s heart is content when all of His children serve Him in one heart.
They are like two olive trees. What does God mean by that? Two witnesses are those who seek to understand God’s words in the Bible. They put God’s word into practice. They pray earnestly by grasping God’s word, like extracting oil from the olive. They desire nothing but to honor God, and to save all people. That is why the Bible says they are two olive trees. God’s word are like the olive. To get the good taste of olive, you have to chew on it. The more you chew on it, the better it tastes. It is the same with reading God’s words. We must continuously meditate on the Bible we read so that we can fully understand what God means. It is useless to our spiritual growth if we just go through the Bible without understanding of it. In fact, this kind of attitude toward God’s word can be a disadvantage to us. The devil has been using false prophets to twist God’s word so as to lead us away from God.
“Two lamp-stands” means God’s children must shine for the Lord. If we want to shine for the Lord, the first thing is to have clear pipes so that the oil can flow through smoothly. We must keep a clear and smooth fellowship with the Lord and with true Christian. The pipes shall not have any blocking; not even a bit of sins, a bit of hatred, a bit of lust, or a bit of pride. Any of it will hinder our fellowship with God and with true Christians.
We must keep the shade of the lamp from dust. A dusty shade hinders the light sending out from the lamp. Therefore, we must keep ourselves clean from the dust on earth. Be careful not to be defiled by the world.
The lamp must be filled with pure and clean olive oil. Oil is the word of God. And it is also the Holy Spirit. Olive oil is extracted from the olive. When we grasp God’s word and pray earnestly according to God’s will, the Holy Spirit will fill us up. Then we have strength to do the right and shine for God in darkness. It is just like our Lord prayed earnestly in Gethsemane. How Jesus grasped God’s word and prayed earnestly for God’s will be done. Never put other kind of oil in your lamp. Never turn to the evil spirit. Nor pray according to man’s will or selfish desire. Once we put diesel oil into our car by mistake. At once the car was dead. By putting the wrong type of gasoline we almost ruin the whole engine. This incident has given me a great lesson about the importance of spiritual purity. At the end time, the wise virgins must make effort to buy oil and light their lamps. We must only buy the pure truth in the whole book of Bible. The oil in the lamp must be pure olive oil. Never get the wrong kind of oil in our lamp. Nor buy the impure oil, such as false teachings. False teachings sound right but they are wrong. If we accept the wrong oil in our lamps, we will be harmed.
The last important thing to keep our lamp shinning is: kindle the lamp. A fervent love of God and of the souls is the fire to kindle the lamp. How do we apply this lesson to our lives? Fervently eat God’s word, accept His word by simple faith. Eagerly seek to understand God’s word. Grasp God’s word and earnestly intercede for the churches on earth. When Paul joined with some fellow workers in Antioch in worshipping and praying, the Holy Spirit sent them out to preach gospel to everywhere. If we serve God in this manner, we will see God work mightily all over the world—a great revival will come to the whole world. The number of people in God’s house will increase quickly, from 1 to 2, from 2 to 4, 4 to 8 and so on and so forth.
If the lamp is not burning, there is no light or heat even if there is lots of oil in it. Some people love to read Bible and pray and are careful to be holy, but they are cold in serving God. They lack of the burning love of God and of the souls in their hearts. They are useless in God’s kingdom. They cannot bear fruit for God. Never follow the way of old Eli. He was very cold to his ministry. There was no fire in his lamp, so his lamp was very dim. Though he kept a routine of serving God, he could not even help his own son to do the right.
The two witnesses stand before the Lord of the earth. Our Lord is called “the Lord of all the earth.” How He desires everyone to be saved, not one to be perished. Therefore, Apostle Paul urged us that first of all, offer earnest prayers to God for all people. This is good and it pleases God. How pity that most of God’s children do not pay attention to His word. We do not understand God’s desire. Therefore, whenever we kneel down in prayers, we always pray for ourselves or for our love ones. And we often pray to God for the worldly things. This kind of prayer is not after God’s heart. That is why we spend lots of time in prayers but we get very little. If we seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness first, then for our needs, we are after His heart. Let us join together in constant prayers like those who did on the upper room of Mark. We will see a great revival coming quickly. The fire of gospel will be kindled all over the world.
Now let’s turn to Psalm 15.
V.1-2. who can live with the high and holy God? Jesus says, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them is the one who loves me…My Father will love him, and my Father and I will come to him and live with him.”(John 14:21, 23) The Bible also says, “I am the high and holy God, who lives for ever. I live in a high and holy place, but I also live with people who are humble and repentant” (Isaiah 57:15). The first condition to live with God is to read the Holy Bible carefully. Otherwise, where and how can we “HAVE” God’s commands? If we are humble and repentant at God’s words everyday, the blood of our Lord will wash away all of our sins. The Holy Spirit will burn out all of the filthiness in our hearts. The Holy Spirit will also provide for us the strength to keep God’s commands. Then we can obey God in everything. We always will do what is right. Our words will be true and sincere. Then we are Christians really live with God.
V. 3. Make every effort to be blameless. Fear God and do not speak ill of people. Be careful not to speak ill of others even when there are many people doing that. The Bible says: do not share in the sins of others.
V. 4. Hate evil and love good; and keep one’s promises. We are so easy to fear the bad people and bully the good one. For example, Pilate knew Jesus was innocent. But he allowed the crowd to convict Jesus of death sentence, because he was afraid to lose his position and the support of the people. Ebed-Melech, a eunuch, was not afraid of those evil leaders. When he heard they put Jeremiah God’s faithful and godly servant into a cistern, he stepped forward boldly. He did not care what would happen to himself. The Bible recorded his good deeds. He is sure to get a great reward in heaven.
Ruth is a good example of the one who keeps her promise. She vowed to follow her suffering mother-in-law. To keep her promise she had to give up her hometown and her own mother. She had to sacrifice the chance of remarrying. Though she knew she would have no future, she did what she had promised. In spite of all the cost, she followed Naomi to the end. At first, Orpah also cried and followed Naomi. But Orpah could not keep her promise because she thought the cost was too high. Therefore, she finally kissed Naomi and said good-bye to her. She represents a kind of Christian who loves God by mouth only. What they get from God is limited enjoyment of this world. They have lost great blessing and eternal joy in heaven. Let us be God’s children walking in the light. Be honest and always do what we promise to God and people, even when it hurts. Those who follow the example of Ruth will play an important part in God’s kingdom which beyond their imagination. They will also get best blessing on earth.
V. 5. Never charge interests for loans; never accept bribes. Be on guard against all kinds of greed. Never accept a bribe to testify against the innocent. Abraham vowed not to take anything from the Gentile king. Therefore, he got great reward from God.
In conclusion, let us rise up and testify for God just like the two witnesses. Keep God’s word and hate evil; pray widely and preach gospel broadly; so that God can use us to bring blessings to all people.

Isaiah 8/Rev.21:17

God’s Word is the Standard of Measurement

The key verse of Isaiah 8 is verse 20, “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.” Rev. 21/17 calls our attention to God’s measurement. Therefore, the main lesson of Isaiah 8 and Rev. 21/17 is: God’s word is our standard of measurement.
Rev. 21/17, “He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits high, by man’s measurement, which the angel was using.” Here we see that there is a measurement of height for the wall of the Holy City. The Holy City represents the New Jerusalem which will be made of by every true Christian all over the world. How can we be part of this New Jerusalem in heaven? It is to be in the Lord. How can we be in the Lord? It is to live according to His measurement that is to keep His words and commands.
The Holy City is measured by man’s measurement, which the angel is using. Psalm 78/24-25 said, “he [God] rained down manna for the people to eat, he gave them the grain of heaven. Men ate the bread of angels; he sent them all the food they could eat.” Therefore, our righteousness must surpass the righteousness of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. The best thing people can do in this world is to keep the laws or regulations made by the governments. But we Christians seek the righteousness of God. We believe that God will transform us to be as holy as He is, so that there is no evil or lustful thought in our mind.
But how can we meet God’s standard, which is 144 cubits high? It is by faith and grace. When we read God’s words, we realize that we are so filthy that we cannot bear with it. We repent of our sins before the Lord. God is faithful and righteous; He will forgive our sins and remove our unrighteousness. Therefore, we can keep His commands and grow in His grace.
At that time Judah was attacked by a joint force of internal and external enemies. Israel was the internal enemy and Aram was the external enemy. That was why the heart of Ahaz was shaken according to Isaiah chapter 7. However, King Ahaz did not understand the reason for this joint force attack was his disobedience to God’s word. He was so scared of the enemies that he begged Assyria for help. Though his trouble was relieved for a short time, Assyria gave King Ahaz trouble instead of help at the end. King Ahaz should have turned to God for a complete cure. Isaiah the prophet was sent by God to warn King Ahaz about the consequences of getting help from Assyria.
Isaiah 8, Verse 1 to verse 4: God wants us to warn people by simple and clear written words, reliable witnesses, and signs of the prophet.
The Lord told Isaiah to take a large scroll and write on it with an ordinary pen. That means God wanted him to write down His warning clearly and large enough for His people to read. What should Isaiah write about? God said, Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. It means quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil. It is a warning that disasters would come upon Judah soon.
In verse 2 God said, “I will call in Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah as reliable witnesses for me.” God used not only written words but also reliable witnesses to warn them about the coming disasters. The most reliable witnesses are those prophets and witnesses in the Bible. There have been many witnesses in the Bible through thousands of years to witness the truth of God so that people will repent and return to God. We also listen to the words of those reliable witnesses.
Verse 3. Then Isaiah went to his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. God told Isaiah to name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. Isaiah himself became a sign of his generation. Every day when he called his son by name, he was giving a warning against the people that disasters would come upon them soon. They should stop sinning against God and take shelter in God quickly.
Verse 4. Before the boy knows how to say ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria. God wanted King Ahaz to know that the enemies he feared most would be destroyed in a very short time if he took shelter in God.
Do we understand that this is the time we should stop sinning or wasting our lives in chasing after the world? Do we understand that the days of danger are coming upon us soon? In a very short time, the city of New Orleans, where we lived, was destroyed by the flood. The two huge buildings of World Trade Center in New York became nothing but ashes in few minutes. One of my relatives was a very capable woman. She was the soul of her family, everyone depended on her. She has had dementia since last year, now she has become a burden of her family. She cannot eat by herself. She cannot even recognize her own husband and her son-in-law.
Brothers and sisters, have we ever thought about that disasters may suddenly come upon us? We must live our lives in fear of the Lord. Every word spoken by our Lord will come true at the end times. Let’s us stop living as a dreamer, busying with things, duties or enjoyment on the earth. We must pay attention to God’s word so that we will not sin against God.
Verse 5 to verse 8. In this paragraph God wants His people to know that disasters will come as the mighty floodwaters because they have rejected God’s word. However, our Lord has spread out His wings as a mother hen and hopes everyone of the world will run to Him for protection.
The waters of Shiloah means the word of God. In New Testament, we read Jesus put some mud with his saliva on the eyes of a blind man. Then Jesus asked him to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam. The blind man went and washed, and he could see.
Today God wants to work His plan in our lives by His own word, but we think His word work too slowly for our needs. Therefore, many Christians do not like to read the Bible. But God’s word can open our eyes so that we will not be led astray by the Devil to love the world. This so called colorful world is full of power struggling, immorality of sex, drug and alcohol. And it has been used by the Devil to drag us to hell. Many God’s children desire only things or enjoyment of this world. Therefore, many God’s children have rejected His word. They think the Bible is too boring and God’s word are too slow to meet their desires.
To make things worse, there are many messages telling people that if you believe in Jesus you will be successful in dating. Some say that if you believe in Jesus you will earn lots of money. None of these is the Way of God. Our Lord Jesus himself preached on earth, “The kingdom of God is near. Repent.” John the Baptist also preached the same message. This is true voice of God. But God’s children reject His way. To reject the gently flowing waters of Shiloah means to love the enemy. That is an invitation of our enemy and opens a way for our enemy to hurt us. Rejecting God’s word is the cause of every trouble we have in our personal life and among the nations.
Rezin is the king of Aram. Remaliah is the father of Pekah, the king of Israel. When King Ahaz was attacked by these two enemies, he did not repent or return to God. Rather he went to Assyria for help, thinking that he could rely on the power of Assyria for deliverance. By doing that King Ahaz rejected God’s word. As a result of it, God permitted the enemy to invade Judah. King Ahaz thought he could solve his trouble by using his own method and wisdom. But unexpectedly, the king Assyria with his power came to oppress Judah just as the mighty waters of a river ran over its banks. The help from Assyria was temporary. Eventually, Judah was destroyed by Assyria as in verse 8. But Our God is merciful. God not only warned King Ahaz before the sudden coming of disaster. He also provided shelter for His children to pass over the disaster.
Our Lord is Immanuel, which means God with us. He has spread out His wings on the whole world. How God desires everyone on the earth to repent of his evil deeds and shelter in Him, so that no one will be hurt in disasters. God has sent his only Son to die for our sins so that we can shelter in His wings. When we confess our sins and repent, we enter His protection. Jesus said sadly when he saw Jerusalem, “How often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.”(Matthew 23/37) Jesus has foreseen how Anti-Christ will torture His children at the end time. But God’s children do not understand that they must shelter in Him NOW. Jesus has promised us that in Him we may have peace. In this world we will have trouble. But take heart! Jesus has overcome the world.
How about you and me, do we know the signs of the times? Do we understand the cause of disasters for the nations or individuals? Let us pray that God will shine upon us and lead us to repent. For wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. No disaster or enemy can hurt us if we shelter in His wings. Let us take shelter in Jesus NOW. Do not rely on our own wisdom or methods for problem-solving. Though there are many troubles on earth, God will protect us from all of them miraculously.
Verse 9 to verse 15. Though the nations and the peoples gather together and raise their voices against God, they will be destroyed. They cannot overpower us when God is with us. We only need to regard the Lord as holy, keeping His words in our faith. There is peace for those who remain in Him. But whoever does not believe the word of God and find his own solution will stumble and fall into the snares.
Verse 9-10, “Raise the war cry, you nations, and be shattered! Listen, all you distant lands. Prepare for battle, and be shattered! Prepare for battle, and be shattered! Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us.”
This is God’s challenge to the whole world. Nowadays all nations have become very proud and the peoples are saying that there is no God, because they can even reproduce human being. But God says none of their plans will withstand. For example, when two strong power of China and Russia became friends in 1960s. They thought they could do lots of things in the world for power. They started to build a high building to show their strength of alliance. But they broke into war with each other before the building was ever finished. Men’s schemes can never be successful. There was once men on earth wanted to build a tower for their own name. But the Lord confused their language, and they stopped building that tower.
Verse 11 “The Lord spoke to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people.” When we come to God in prayers, we are asking our Lord to stretch out His strong hand to help us. God will answer us and show His power for us. God warns His children not to follow the ways of this world. The ways of this world are evil ways, immoral ways or even ways of heresy. We God’s children must only follow God’s way. His way is in the Bible. Therefore, we must pay attention to read His word and pray to God.
Verse 12, God told us, “Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it.” However, many Christians are following the way of the world, which is the wide road. Though they attend churches, they do not live according to the word of God. They love the world, chasing after satisfaction of their flesh or sinful desire, just as the non-believers. This kind of Christian seeks only things of this world. They do not love Jesus Christ nor do they keep God’s word.
God warns us not to follow their rebellious way. Nor shall we fear what they fear. What do those Christians fear? They are afraid of the news of wars, natural disasters or pollutions, recession of economy. We fear nothing but God. Therefore, we regard God as holy (Verse 13). To regard God as holy is to keep His word without adding or subtracting. Nor shall we mix His word with philosophies or any worldly rules. We are to follow the example of Jesus, who loved the Father and did EXACTLY what his Father had commanded him to the very end.
The evil plan of the Devil is to hinder God’s children from keeping God’s word EXACTLY as God says. It is because the Devil knows if God’s children do exactly as what God has commanded us, God will show His full glory. Therefore, the Devil seduces us to add something or subtract some part from God’s word. The Devil also mixes psychology with God’s word. Let’s not fear what the people fear. If God does not permit, nothing bad will happen to us. We only need to trust and obey God’s word completely; we will have peace in Jesus Christ.
Verse 14 “and he will be a sanctuary; but for both houses of Israel he will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare.” What does this mean? When we fully keep His word, He becomes a sanctuary for us. God is with us in His sanctuary. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. For example, when Daniel was accused by some people, he still regarded God’s word as holy. Daniel kept God’s word till the end, and the lions did not eat him. As a result of it, everyone knows that Daniel’s God is the Lord, the Lord alone. He is the living almighty God.
To regard God as holy is to fully keep His word and to love God’s word more than everything, even more than our own lives. It is by faith and prayers that we can keep God’s word in times of trouble. Then we will see the full glory of God.
But why did God say that He would be a stumbling stone to Israel? It was because they did not believe or listen to His word. They depended on their own methods and followed the way of the nations when they had troubles. Therefore, Israel ended up stumbled.
Verse 16 to verse 18. The Lord’s servant shall pray and wait on God when His people refuse to listen to God’s word. And God will use His workers who live in Him as signs and miracles of the times.
It was because God’s people refused to listen to God’s word. When King Ahaz faced the attack of internal and external enemies, he did not seek help from God. He went to King Assyria, a mortal man, for help. Therefore, God told Isaiah to seal up His law since King Ahaz refused to listen to it.
Verse 17 to 18. “I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob. I will put my trust in him. Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the Lord Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion.” These two verses tell us that when people refuse to listen to what God has asked us to preach, we must wait for the Lord. But how do we wait for the Lord? Pray and put hope in our Lord. The Bible said during the time of Samuel, the heart of Israel turned to God. Why and how could this be? It was through preaching, and praying and waiting upon the Lord. Prophet Jeremiah cried and prayed for the rebellious Israel in the middle of night when Israel refused to listen to God’s rebuke.
Since the people refused to listen to God’s word, God used Isaiah and his children as signs for Israel. For we who believe in God, our lives have become miracles of our times. For example, God has called me to forsake everything of this world to follow Him by faith. I have never done any fund-raising or tried to get support from rich people. By His grace I have always depended on Jesus only since then. He has been faithful. God has made me from having nothing to lacking of nothing! Jesus has promised us that signs will accompany those who believe. The life of living by faith has made us signs and miracles of our times.
Verse 19 to 22. Never consult mediums or spiritists. For the path of the righteousness is like the first gleam of dawn, shinning ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of those who go astray will be ever darker and full of pain and anxiety. They will end up in utter darkness.
Verse 19 “When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?” Very often people would tell us to consult mediums and spiritists when we have troubles in our lives. King Saul was an example. At first he could defeat the enemies because he relied on God. In the end he even consulted mediums and spiritists because God did not answer his prayers. Finally, King Saul died on the battle field. It was because he had never confessed his own sins or repented completely before the Lord.
There are times when God does not answer our prayers at once. It may due to our sins. If that is the case, we must not turn away from God. We must humble ourselves before the Lord and wait upon Him. The Bible says that calmness can lay great errors to rest. If we humble ourselves more and pray earnestly to God, He will answer us. God will never forsake those who trust in Him. Never turn away from God to find solutions by ourselves when God does not answer our prayers at once. Never shall we consult mediums or spiritsts.
Verse 20 “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.” We must regard His word as the standard. When I first arrived in America, I heard many Christians talking about visions or prophecies. They told me one of the visions by a prophet. This so called prophet told them that once when he was praying, he saw a monkey climbing up a peach tree to eat its fruit. What is the value of this kind of vision to churches or Christians? Most of those so called prophets are not serious or interested in serving God. They do not concern the things of God’s kingdom or churches. This kind of visions is different from the kind of visions written in the Bible. For example, God showed Zechariah visions after visions regarding His plan for Jerusalem, and His salvation and future of Israel. When Daniel understood God’s heart and prayed earnestly for Israel to the point of death, God revealed to him mysteries of end time.
Once I went to China with a co-worker. We heard that there was a prophetess, who was young and powerful. She was highly respected and was very popular among churches. She told people that whenever she stood on the pulpit, she would see a written sermon dropping down from heaven for her. Only she could see it. She then read from the heavenly sermon to the people. Sometimes this prophetess also went to Home of Grace in China for retreat. But she had never attended our Bible study meetings. When we met her, she said some prophecies about us at once. She said she saw two of us in heaven standing before the throne and we were receiving great rewards. We did not buy it at all because she did not even know us nor has she ever interceded for us. How could she get any vision about us? This was not the spirit of God but the spirit of the evil one.
Many of so called visions do not match the word of God. Some visions go beyond what is written is the Bible. For example, once Home of Grace in America received a box of books in Chinese and English, beautifully printed. These books talked about great visions of heaven and hell. But the descriptions of heaven and hell are beyond what is written in the Bible. We threw away all of them at once because it is beyond what is written in the Bible. There is no true light in this kind of books, no mater how popular they are. It is only when we love our God by keeping His words and praying according to His heart, and then God will reveal His visions or Himself to us. (John 14/23)
Our God is almighty. If we trust in Him and do exactly as He has commanded us, we will see His full glory. When we know that God wants us to be holy from the Bible, we then seek holiness. When God wants us to love our enemies or those who mistreat us, we then bless our enemies and forgive them. When we regard God as holy, we will not fear what people fear in this world. Many times I experienced that God asked me to give my most favorite things to those who had mistreated me. I did in His grace and I experienced miracles. God miraculously opened ways for me to come out of China to America and other countries for His ministry.
To regard God’s word as holy is to keep His word exactly as God has commanded us without adding, subtracting or mixing. It is just as when we want to make a telephone call, we must dial the telephone numbers exactly as they are. Then we can be put through. We will receive blessing from our almighty God.?

Exodus 12/Jeremiah15

(3 sections, 17 vs.7 in each section)
From a slave to a soldier of Jesus
–by washing in the blood of the Lamb and eat its meat

Ex. 12:1-7/Jer.15:1-3

God asked Moses and Aaron to give instructions to the whole community of Israel. Each man was to take a one-year-old lamb without any defects. Then the whole community must kill the lambs. They were to take some of the blood and put it on the door-posts and above. The main message in Exodus 12 is that it is only by the atonement of precious blood of our Lord can our sins be forgiven. By his blood, Jesus has redeemed us from judgment. Jesus comes to deliver us from sins and transgressions.
If we do not confess our own sins to the Lord and ask Jesus to blot our sins by His precious blood, we can never reconcile with God. Even if Moses and Samuel are to intercede faithfully for us before God, God cannot show His mercy to us unless He sees the blood of the Lamb. Wherever sins are, curses are. He who sins gets his own punishment.

Ex.12:8-10/Jer.15:4

“That night you must eat the meat.” That means as soon as our sins have been blotted out by the blood, we must start to read God’s word. Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life.” He said, “If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life in yourselves. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him to life on the last day. For my flesh is the real food; my blood is the real drink…The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.”(John 6:35, 53-55 & 63)
“You must roast it and eat it.” It means we must fervently accept God’s word into our hearts. Whenever we think of the great love of Jesus dying for us, our hearts is on fire for Jesus.
“Eat it with bitter herbs” means we are ready to suffer physically in order to obey God’s word. From now on we will not live the rest of our earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.
“Do not eat any of it raw.” When we read Bible, we must listen carefully and take to heart all the word God speaks to us. Never go through the Scriptures on the surface.
“Never cook the meat in water to eat.” Never change the original meaning of God’s word according to our own ideas. That is to say we must correctly handle the word of truth. Do not twist God’s word or distort its meaning.
“Eat it roasted whole, including the head, the legs, and the internal organs.” If we want to understand thoroughly the whole truth, we must read the whole book of Bible comprehensively. Never ignore any part of the book of Bible. Nor focus on partial truth. Moreover, we must seek to understand what God means in His heart from beginning. For example, Moses’ law permits divorce, but it is not this way from beginning.
“You must not leave any of it until morning.” Whatever we read today, we must put it into practice today. Do not delay it until next day.
King Manasseh did not eat God’s word or drink His blood. He ignored God’s word and never obeyed God’s word. Therefore, God laid hands on them and attacked them. They would be tossed here and there among all nations. No one would show mercy to them.
If we eat the flesh of the Son of Man according to God’s instruction, we will be delivered from bondage of sins. And we will become noble instruments of God. We can bring glory to God and help other to believe in God. All nations will be blessed by us.
A testimony: Sister Rebekah was brought to Jesus Christ by her elder brother. He went to America to study Theology because he wanted to serve God. But later he fell into sins and refused to confess his sins to God. He got worse and worse. He has ended up as a humiliation of church. Though sister Rebekah failed the Lord during Cultural Revolution, she has repented completely by the blood. Since then, she has turned her heart to eat God’s word fervently. God has changed her into a noble instrument. God is still using her mightily even now.

Ex. 12:11-15/Jer. 15:5-6

You are to eat it quickly, for you are to travel. It is the Lord’s Passover. On that night God will go through the land of Egypt, killing every first-born male, both human and animal. This disaster will not harm those who put blood on their door-posts. Celebrate this day as a festival to remind you what God has done. Celebrate it as a lasting law. If we do not do it, we may lose our first love to God.
But God’s people rejected Him and turned their back on God. They refused to eat His word quickly. They had not celebrated Passover as a lasting law for generations. Though the ancestors kept it by washing themselves in the blood and removing all yeast in their houses, the young generations did not keep it in this way. They refused to wash their sins in the blood of lamb. As a result, they did not even know what they had done wrong from God’s eye. Therefore, God would lay hands on them to destroy them. Not one would show pity to them or mourn for them. My younger sister kept on backsliding in this way. When she was first called by God to serve Him full-time, she focused on washing her sins in the blood. She loved God’s words and kept them by faith. Later she loved the world so much that she could hardly admit her own sins to God. Finally, she stopped keeping Passover, and she returned to follow the world.

Ex. 15:16-20/Jer. 15:7-8

“Eat bread without yeast for 7 days. Get rid of all the yeast in your houses.” Yeast stands for sins and evil, sinful nature, evil teachings, cult, other gospel, or a spirit of confusion. During those 7 days, do no work except preparing food for everyone to eat. To remove all the yeast from your houses according to God’s words is much more important than to serve God. Because it is on this very day that God brought out His army from Egypt. Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread as a lasting law for the generations to come. Eat only bread without yeast. Only accept sound and pure teaching of truth. Whoever eats anything with yeast in it must be cut off from the community of the Israel.
God would get rid of some of His people because they did not stop their evil ways. They took God lightly. They did not care to remove all yeast of sins before they came to serve God. They did not bother to eat Unleavened Bread. Nor did they keep it as a lasting festival. Therefore, God would make their widows more than grains of sand by the sea. God would kill the mothers of their young men at midday. It was because they did not pay attention to remove yeast of sins when they were successful in their service to God. As a result of it, they became proud. They accepted man’s admiration as idols. Or they were led to admire others as idols. Some regarded money or fame as idols. Therefore, God would bring them sudden terror and sorrow. For example, when King Solomon was led astray to love his foreign wives, he faced enemies all around him suddenly.

Ex. 12:21-29/Jer. 15:9-12

Then Moses told the people whatever God had told him. They were to celebrate the feast of Passover for generations to come. If they atoned for their sins by the Lord’s blood, and then they would not be harmed by the disaster.
But when they disobeyed God and refused to atone for their sins by blood, the mother of seven would grow faint and be ashamed.
In Jer. 15:10, Jeremiah faced such disaster that he seemed to be under curse. But what happened to him was not caused by his sins. It was for the sake of righteousness, for God’s truth. Though he was so hated by people, he would be delivered by God for a good purpose in times of troubles. God would make his enemies plead with him.
Men’s hearts was as stubborn as iron and bronze. It was just like Pharaoh, no one could escape from his complete controlling. But our Lord is almighty God. He killed all the first-born sons in Egypt at midnight. The Egyptian urged the Israel to hurry and leave the country.

Ex. 12:30-36/Jer. 15:13-15

That night Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron and asked them to leave Egypt with their people, sheep, goats, and cattle. God made the Egyptians respect the people and give them those articles of silver and gold they asked for. In this way, the Israel carried away the wealth of the Egyptians.
God’s people were as stubborn as Pharaoh. They did not obey God’s words after they entered the Promised Land. They sinned against God and did evil thing. They kept on turning their back on God. God would give their treasures as plunder to their enemies without charge. But God knew how Jeremiah had been persecuted for Him. God would vindicate him and revenge for him because he had suffered long for God. God would remember him and care for him.

Ex. 12:37-39/Jer. 15/16

The Israel baked unleavened bread from the dough that they had brought out of Egypt. It was because they were driven out of Egypt so suddenly that they did not have time to prepare leavened dough.
Jeremiah had always listened carefully to every word that God spoke to him. God’s word filled his heart with joy and happiness. God’s word are true unleavened bread. His word can make us holy if we really accept them by faith. Bible says, “Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”(Deuteronomy 8:3) We must regard God’s word more important than food or anything else.

Ex. 12:40-46/Jer. 15:17-19

On the day the 430 years ended, all the army of the Lord left Egypt. Therefore, they must dedicate this day to the Lord as Passover for generations to come. Whenever a person is willing to atone for his sins by the blood and accept God’s word, at once he becomes a good soldier in the Lord’s army.
Jeremiah was a good soldier in God’s kingdom. He concerned what God concerned. He had never spent time laughing with other people or having a good time for himself. In this ways, Jeremiah kept the spirit of Passover according to the laws.
“Do not break any of the lamb’s bones.” What does it mean by that? You see not a bone of the Lamb of God has been broken. How Jesus has suffered for our sins and kept God’s every word till the very end. He has left us a perfect example of true Passover. When he was insulted, Jesus did not answer back with an insult. When he suffered, he did not threaten, but placed his hopes in God. When he was asked whether he was the Son of God, he answered yes without fear of death.
Jeremiah had suffered long for the Lord. He prayed to God to obey His word to the end just like our Lord without breaking any of the bones. He was a servant of character. He did not bow down to suffering or compromise with sins. Samson failed to keep God’s word to the end because he bowed down to women. His bones have been crushed by sins and he lost his strength.
Jeremiah did not take the meat outside. He remained faithful to God in suffering. But Samson was a defeated soldier. He regarded the prostitute Delilah as his happiness. Samson did not eat the whole meat to remain in the Lord. He brought it outside—he released the mystery of gospel to his enemies. Samson had never asked God to give him strength to overcome sins.
God only wants us to turn to Him. It is by the redemption of the cross that our hearts are circumcised. Then we can be sanctified. If we keep on obeying God’s word, we will be sanctified to be God’s spokesmen. We become noble instruments of God. God will use us to declare His word. We will be counted as good soldiers of heavenly kingdom. Though people attack us, God is with us and He will deliver us from our enemies. No one can overcome us.

Deuteronomy: Chapters 31-34

Chapter 31: Make people hear and obey the law. Save them from disasters.

V. 1-8: Encourage everyone to trust in God and to take courage in taking the land.
God will go with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Then Moses summoned Joshua, the young worker. And encouraged him to be strong and courageous, and go with the people into the land that God had promised them.
V. 9-13: Always assemble God’s children and read all the words of God’s law to them.
Gather men, women and children to listen and to learn God’s words so that they will put them into practice. Then they will learn to fear the Lord.
V. 14-23: Foretell God’s warnings against His people. Proclaim a final encouragement to the young worker.
God knows beforehand that His people will be rebellious and turn to other gods. God warns them that disasters will come when they violate God’s covenant. Moses again commanded the young worker to be strong and courageous. God would be with him. He would bring God’s people into the land promised by God.
When we serve God, we must trust in Him. And be bold in keeping His words and proclaiming His words. The whole world is under the control of the evil one. If we are discouraged by Satan, we cannot preach gospel at all. In Revelation the cowardly is listed as the first kind of people that cannot enter into New Jerusalem.
V. 24-30: God’s servant must be faithful to God to the end.
Moses finished writing God’s words before he died. Then he gathered all of God’s people and he recited it before them. He called heaven and earth to warn them. If they turned from God’s words, disasters would fall on them. Moses told the whole assembly of Israel every word that God wanted him to proclaim.

Chapter 32: Keep in your heart all the laws and disciplines. Exalt God as holy.

V. 1-5: God is honest and just. Whoever acts corruptly is not His child.
Make effort to know God and understand the truth. His works are perfect. All His ways are just. A faithful God does no wrong. Those who listen to His words and put them into practice set foundation on the rock. They are His true children and His favored ones. God will bless them.
V. 6-20: Remember great kindness of our Lord. Never repay God’s love by evil deeds.
Our God has delivered us from a land full of howling of wild beast. That is the place where we were dead in our transgressions and sins. God has paid a high price to redeem us. He trains us, cares about us, and protects us as the pupil of His eye. How have we responded to His kindness? We abandon God and worship other gods when we do well. We sacrifice to demons, gods that recently appears.
V. 21-35: God is provoked to anger; therefore, disasters fall on us.
love is as strong as death; its jealousy remains unchanged as the grave. Therefore, all kinds of disasters, famine, heat, wild beasts, the venom of vipers, and the sword all fall upon us.
V. 36-43: God will revenge on the enemies and redeem His people.
When God sees His people suffer too much and has no strength left, He will judge the enemies. Then His people will know only the Lord is God. There is no god besides the Lord. God will avenge the blood of His servants. He will make nations rejoice with His own people.
V. 44-47: Take to heart all the warnings and disciplines. Be sure to keep God’s words carefully.
All God’s warnings and prophecies are not idle words. They are our life. Take them to heart for generations.
V. 48-52: Moses was not allowed to enter the land of Canaan because he did not uphold God’s holiness.
Moses was only allowed to see the Promised Land, not to enter it. If God gives someone more, God demands more of them. Therefore, uphold God’s holiness. Do exactly as God commands. Let us do the work of salvation with fear and trembling.

Chapter 33: Honor the Lord as your king. You will be blessed greatly.

V. 1-5: Accept God’s instruction and honor God as your king. You will be the one God favors and blesses.
No matter how sinful or crude we have been, so long as we are willing to repent and return to God now. If we accept His words and honor Him as King, we are surely favored by God. We will be blessed and receive the land as inheritance.
V. 6-25: Some of God’s children may be corrupted by sinful desires just like Reuben. He even committed sexual immorality with his father’s concubine. But God says if they repent and turn to follow His words, they may live. If they are diligent in the Spirit, God will give them more fruit so that their number will not be few.
Some are like Judah, the worst of sinners. He has stopped sinning to do good actively. The Lord will help him against his enemies so that he will save many people. Paul is like that. Jesus Christ has changed him, from the worst of sinners to the content of heavenly Father.
Some has been very crude and killed (hated) men as they like just like Levi. But they turn to the Lord. Their weak point becomes their strong point. They can fully carry out God’s words and never comprise with kinship. They keep God’s covenant carefully so that they become godly people. Therefore, they are discerned in the Spirit. They become the mouth of God to teach God’s precepts to people. Whoever rises up to attack them will be subdued by God.
Benjamin humbles himself as a child before God. He is willing to be the smallest one. He is surely favored by God. He only desires to live with the Lord and rests in Him all day long.
Some are like Joseph. They fear God and overcome sin and evil. They will surely get the best blessing on earth. Wherever they go, they will be honored and respect. They will also get blessing of heaven. They will be given insights into what is written in the Bible. The dew is the Holy Spirit that will pour on them every morning so that they become springs of living water. They have gone through refinement and trials that their life is matured. They become precious instrument of the Lord. They get to know the mystery of God from ancients, like Paul and Daniel. They will also get the land as inheritance, including treasure of the land. For example, many mighty warriors joined David and helped him for God’s kingdom. Those warriors are like treasure of the land. All of these will be given to the one like Joseph. The Lord said, “I have found David a man after my own heart.” This kind of Christians is the prince among their brothers. They are full of power like the firstborn bulls. Their horn will gore the nations, even those at the ends of the earth.
Zebulun is a type of Christians, who pay attention to God’s words and live with the Lord. They rejoice when they go in and out of their tents. They will bring many people to the Lord. They make offering of righteousness. Their number will be as many as the sand on the seashore. All of them are Christians of high quality.
Gad means good fortune. They are grateful to God for all their good fortune so they enlarge their domain. They will get the best land. They carry out righteousness. They will be blessed more and more because they think they are good fortune in the Lord.
The meaning of Dan is he has vindicated. Though he is teased by people, he will spring out like a lion’s cub to trample down the wicked. The Lord Mighty says in Malachi 4/2-4, “But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. Then you will trample down the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet of the day when I do these thins.”
Naphtali means my struggle and I have won. He trusts in God to defeat the enemies. He is abounding with the favor of God. He will inherit southward to the lake.
Asher means happy. He preaches gospel widely by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The bolts of his gates are strong and firm. He bears lots of fruit in the Lord. He is favored by his brothers.
V. 26-29: God is your dwelling. God is your help. God destroys your enemies. You will live in safety and abundance.
How blessed is the righteous who exalts God as king!

Chapter 34: God’s faithful servant has done awesome deeds, full of power.

V. 1-4: Climb to the top of mountain and see God’s Promised Land.
Moses had reached the peak of perfection in the Spirit before he died. He had the Lord’s business in his mind all his life. Though he was not allowed to enter into the land, he was shown by God all the Promised Land.
V. 5-8: When Moses died, his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone.
Who is honored like Moses, a faithful servant buried by God? No one knows where his grave is lest he be idolized. He is precious in the sight of God. And people grieved for his death.
V. 9-12: Moses appointed a successor. He knew God face to face and he performed awesome deeds.
Moses laid his hands on Joshua, and he was filled with the Holy Spirit. Moses knew God face to face. He did all those miraculous signs and wonders
before Pharaoh and all his officials and his whole land. He also performed the awesome deeds in the sight of all God’s children.

Deuteronomy: Chapters 22-30

Chapter 22: Practice chastity and godly love. Lead people to righteousness.

V. 1-4: If you see your brother’s ox or sheep straying, do not ignore it but be sure to take it back to him. If you see your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen on the road, do not ignore it. Help him get it to its feet.
V. 5: It is to distinguish man and woman lest we commit sexual immorality.
V. 6-7: God wants us to have concern even to the little bird. How this law reveals the great compassion of God.
V. 8: Make a parapet around your roof. It prevents people from falling from the roof. This law shows how considerate the love of God is.
V. 9: Do not plant two kinds of seed in your vineyard. Do not mix secular principles or philosophies with true gospel. If we do that, we reap nothing from it. They cancel each other out.
V. 10: Do not plow with an ox and a donkey together. Do not arrange co-worker by man’s viewpoint. It is better to have co-worker paired by the Holy Spirit.
V. 11: Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together. Clothes stand for our external behavior that people can see. A Christian must live out a life of holiness and honesty. Never put up artificial or hypocritical behavior. Nor act like the Gentiles.
V. 12: God says when you look at these tassels: you will not follow the lust of your own hearts and eyes. Live a life worthy of the calling we have received. Tassels on garments are for us to remember and to keep all the commands of the Lord. (Numbers 15/37-39) The Pharisee put long tassels on their garment so that men will see how spiritual they are.
V. 13-21: Have proof of virginity. It is important for a Christian to have a witness of loving our God with pure and devoted heart.
V. 22: Put to death adultery.
V. 23-24: The reason to put to death the violated girl is because she was in a town and she did not scream for help. If she had screamed for help in a town, people would have saved her. But she did not scream for help to resist sins so that she is counted as giving consent to what happened to her. Therefore, she should also be put to death.
V. 25-27: But put to death only the man who violates a girl in the country. Do nothing to the girl because even she screamed, there was no one to rescue her in a country.
V. 28-29: If a man violates a virgin, he shall pay a price to cover her shame and marry her.
V. 30: A man is not to marry his father’s wife. This is unlawful sexual sins, a great wickedness.
The whole chapter of 22 shows us God’s holiness and His considerate love. He wants us to practice chastity and lead people to righteousness to have eternal life and not be perished.

Chapter 23: Be holy and kind. Stay away from all evils.

V. 1: This kind of people has defect in themselves that they cannot have natural descendants. They do not fellowship with God so that they cannot bear fruit. They may not enter the assembly of the Lord. The Assembly of God means meetings that have the presence of God. There God’s children exalt God as their King and they are blessed by God. (Deut. 33/3-5)
V. 2: Those who are not clearly reborn cannot draw near to God.
V. 3-6: No Ammonite or Moabite may draw near to God because they are born of human decision or sinful lust. They hired Balaam to curse God’s children. Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them as long as you live.
V. 7-8: Do not abhor an Edomite or an Egyptian, because they might be converted in the third generation. The Edomite means members at church but belong to the flesh. Egyptian means people belong to this world.
V. 9-14: Keep away from everything impure when you preach gospel to people. One Achan brings trouble on the whole nation. Therefore, your camp must be holy. Otherwise, God may turn away from you.
V. 15-16: Accept a slave takes refuge with you. Be kind to him and do not oppress him. How Paul has changed Onesimus, from a run away slave into a true Christian of God’s very heart.
V. 17-18: Never accept offering from the earnings of a female or male prostitute. This can also apply to any offerings from impure religion. Once I refused to accept an offering from a sister. It was because she comprised with communist religious organization. After that my God moved a sister to provide me every month for a long time. This sister lived very far away from me and I have never met her even up to this day.
V. 19-20: Do not take interest from a brother. (Share a testimony of Martha.)
V. 21-23: Fulfill your vow at once. How Hannah fulfilled her vow.
V. 24-25: Do not be greedy when you are blessed. Do not desire more or demand more for the worldly things. Be content.

Chapter 24: Be strict with self-discipline. Be compassionate to others.

V. 1-2: God permits His children to divorce because their hearts are hard.
God says, “I hate divorce and I hate a man’s covering himself with violence as well as with his garment.”(Malachi 2/16) Therefore, guard yourself in your spirit.
V. 3-4: How the earth is full of sins! How God hates it, if a man marries a woman, divorces her, and then remarries her again.
V. 5: A recent married man can stay free at home for one year. But Uriah husband of Bathsheba refused to go home and relax when King David sent him home. He slept at the entrance to the palace and did not want to go home. Uriah only cared about those who were fighting in the open field. He was faithful to God and His people. What a true heavenly warrior he was.
V. 6-18: Do not gain on others lost. Nor oppress others or take advantage of them. All these are wickedness before the eye of God. They violate the loving way of God.
V. 19-22: Be compassionate to others. Then God may bless you in all the work of your hands.
In all, discipline yourself strictly and be compassionate to others is the secret to blessing.

Chapter 25: Honor the Lord’s name. Destroy the Amalekites and deal with everything honestly.

V. 1-3: Punish as one deserves. Do not overdo it.
The discipline from God is to do good to us. It is not to destroy us. Paul taught the church, “The punishment inflicted on him [an immoral brother] by the majority is sufficient for him. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him.” (2 Corinthians 2/6-8)
V. 4: Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.
Do not let servants of God minister with an empty stomach. Paul always reminded the church to support those who were sent out to work so that they would be lack of nothing. Share the testimony of sister Leong in London.
V. 5-10: Honor the name of the Lord. Do not be The Family of the Unsaddled.
It is our duty to bear fruit so that we can honor the name of our Lord. The Lord is the Elder brother of every Christian. Our Lord has sacrificed Himself and shed His blood to redeem us from eternal death. How can we repay all His gracious love to us? We will exalt His name so that many people will receive the blessing of salvation. The Family of the Unsaddled means a Christian who is unwilling to put on the sandal of gospel to proclaim the name of Jesus. It is shameful that a Christian only lives for his own interests. Let us not receive God’s grace in vain. Honor God’s name and bring many people to the Lord.
V. 11-12: Do not use wicked ways to save one’s husband.
Though the motivation of this wife is to save her husband, her method is wicked. It is so wicked before the eye of God that her wicked hand should be cut off. Jesus Christ is the husband of the Church. His name is Almighty Lord. That is why Moses was warned, “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”(Hebrews 8/5) God struck Uzzah to death when he used his own hand to take hold of the Ark of God. How God hates it when we minister by using the way of men or the way of this world. Needless to say, God hates it more when we use wicked methods in His ministry.
V. 13-16: Deal with everything honestly.
Do not have two differing weights in your heart. Do not use double standard in your home. God’s Word is the yardstick of justice and honesty. Practice justice and honesty so that you may live long. Get rid of every selfishness or favoritism in your heart. God hates anyone who acts in injustice.
V. 17-19: Completely blot out the memory of Amalek.
The meaning of Amalek is warlike. It is the most stubborn enemy of God’s children. Amalek is just like our flesh and sinful desires that always war against our souls. We must be at war against it from generation to generation. Put it to death by the Holy Spirit. The Bible says, “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.” (Ephesians 5/3-6) Let us blot out the name of Amalek completely. DO NOT FORGET! We will not take up its name on our lips.

Chapter 26: Give offering with thanksgiving. Receive blessings and bless others.

V. 1-11: Give offering with thanksgiving to God when we are blessed.
When we have entered the good land, we take the first fruits of the land to the Lord. Take as much as you can and put them in a basket. Bring them to the place that proclaims pure faith and has the presence of God. Then we should count the blessings before the Lord. We share our blessings with God’s servants and people around us.
V. 12-15: Store up the blessings so that you can bless God’s servants and the poor.
Then pray to God: (1) I have not turned aside from your commands or forgot them. I have taken out the portion belonged to God and have given it to people. (2) I have not eaten the sacred portion when I was in mourning. (Mourning means defiled oneself with this world.) (3) I have not removed any of the sacred portion when I was unclean. It pleases God if we obey His words and cleanse ourselves before we make any sacrifice. (4) I have not offered any of it to the dead. Do not use the sacred portion as a present to entertain people.
Finally, ask the Lord to bless God’s children and the land God has given us.
V. 16-19: If we follow God’s words today, with all our heart and with all our souls, God will bless us according to His promises.
(1) Take hold of “Today”—the past is gone; the future is not at your hand; only “Today” is yours.
(2) From Today follow God’s words with all our heart and with all our souls. Be a good Christian that is grateful to God and kind to people.
(3) Then the Lord promises “Today” He removes all the sins in your heart so that you can keep all of His commands carefully.
(4) God will set you in praise, fame and honor high above all the nations.
(5) God will make you holy to the Lord.
Has the Lord given you a job? Has the Lord delivered you from trouble? How can you and I forget God’s gracious kindness? Today, are you willing to be grateful to God? Are you willing to obey His words and be a blessing to others? Bring your tithes to the Lord and bless others. God will greatly bless you from Today.

Chapter 27: Imprint God’s words into your heart. Take God’s warnings seriously.

V. 1-10: As soon as we enter the land God gives us, imprint God’s words in our heart and make offering to God.
Abraham built up the altar wherever he moved around in the promised land. He prayed to the name of God and made offering on the altar. We must follow his good example. Wherever we go, the first thing is to pay attention to God’s words. Then we make offering to God. Dedicate ourselves completely to the Lord as a living burnt sacrifice. Let the Lord be our head. Be willing to be broken into pieces for the Lord. Cleanse ourselves completely. Serve the Lord fervently, like a sacrifice burning with fire on the altar. Give the entire fat portion, all of our love and honor, to the Lord. Then we will be full of peace and joy. Follow God’s words and walk in His way. Be a good child of God that can bring glory to God and bring blessing to people.
V. 11-26: God’s servants shall warn God’s people in a loud voice lest they be cursed.
Pay more attention to God’s words. Do the work of salvation with fear and trembling. If we take God’s words lightly, we may offend God in His ministry. We will end up like many of the Israelites dying in the desert. We may be cut off from the blessing and the good land God gives us.
In the past we did not paid attention to this chapter. Therefore, whenever we arrived at the mission field, we were busy with settling down, taking showers, or other things.
We did not know that the first thing we should do was to meditate God’s words and to dedicate ourselves completely to the Lord. That was why many times we lost the battle field right from beginning. Before we realized it, Satan had put some idol in our hearts. Two of our co-workers lost their power for that when they just arrived at the mission field. The Israelites fell into the trick of the Baal of Peor right before they were going to enter the Promised Land. They commit sexual immorality with gentile women. Then the plague came and it killed 24,000 men. How dreadful it is, if we ignore God’s words!
The greatest command of the Lord is for us to love His words with all our hearts and with all our souls. The second is to love others as ourselves. All the wickedness listed from V. 15-26 is against God’s way. A curse will surely be the result of it. Let us repent because we have not paid attention to God’s words. Let us start to guard His words well in our hearts and take His warnings seriously from today. Then, we will be blessed, not cursed.

Chapter 28: Listen to God and walk in His ways attentively. You will be blessed, not cursed.

How can we fully obey and carefully follow all of God’s commands? Jesus is our best example. He went to the temple when he was only 12. He did not care about anything but listened to the teachers and asked them questions. Jesus had paid attention to the words written in the Holy Bible. He obeyed them fully. That was why Jesus was baptized by John so that he could fulfill all righteousness. That was also why Jesus would fast and prayed watchfully 40 days and nights in the face of temptation. He asked the Holy Spirit to help him lest he be deceived by the tempter. When he was so hungry, Jesus was not tempted by the devil to change the stone to bread. Jesus guarded God’s words well, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” When Jesus was taken to the highest point of the temple, the devil tempted him to jump down. The devil even tried to use God’s words to mislead Jesus, saying that God would command angels to protect him. But Jesus had paid attention to God’s words so that he knew one should not misuse God’s promise in this way. Therefore, Jesus answered, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Then the devil showed him all the kingdom of the world. The devil asked Jesus to bow down to him to have all this. But Jesus said, “Away from me, Satan!” Jesus truly put God’s words richly in his heart. He understood His words and kept them in his heart all the time. Jesus would keep God’s words to the point of death.
This is why we have encouraged you: There is only one thing is needed. Sit before the foot of Jesus, humbly listening to His words everyday. Then you will do a beautiful thing that is after God’s heart. It is also why we must read the book of Deuteronomy everyday.
If we do not pay attention to what is written in the Bible, we may drift away from God in the following ways: (1) We may treat sins lightly. If we pay attention to God’s words, we will know how much God hates sins. And we will know how God has power and grace for us to be delivered from sins completely. In our heart there are evil thoughts, sexual immorality, greediness, cheating. If we truly determine to remove it,
God will certainly answer our prayers. Our part is to confess our sins and be cleansed by the blood of Jesus on the cross by faith. By the power of the Holy Spirit we put to death the misdeeds of the body. Never lose hope. Earnestly seek the Lord until He leads us to victory and sanctifies us.
(2) We may regard what is not sin as great sin. The Pharisees counted the disciples of Jesus as sinning because they picked some heads of grain and ate them on the Sabbath. We may therefore fear what we should not fear. And ignore what we should fear.
(3) Regard good as evil. The Pharisees regarded Jesus as committing great sin to heal the sick on the Sabbath.
(4) Go beyond what is written in the Bible. Balaam built up 7 altars everywhere because he wanted to make money from his ministry. He made lots of offering on his altars. But the more altars he built up, the more he led people to sin against God. A sister in London was like that. She thought she could help people by building up more altars. She fasted 24 days for a gambler. But that brother ran away to gamble again.
(5) Turn to left or right from the truth. Saul was like this. He asked people to vow not to eat when they were fighting against the enemy. But God said, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” God commanded Saul to destroy the Amalekites completely. But Saul and his people showed pity to Agag king of Amalekites and the best of the sheep and cattle. He thought he did a great honor in this battle.
(6) We will be deceived easily by the devil, either be proud or be led astray by idols.
(7) We will follow great wonders or signs. The Lord said that even the Elect would be deceived by great wonders or signs in the end time.
From now on be sure to pay attention to follow God’s words more than anything. Then we will not go astray or provoke God to anger. We will get great blessing from God, not disasters.

Chapter 29: Carefully obey God’s words. Do not deceive yourself.

V. 1-15: Those who keep God’s covenant get blessings promised by God. They will prosper in all things.
God does not show favoritism. Whoever hears His words and puts them into practice by faith will get blessing promised by God. God has made this covenant with His children and sealed with an oath. We have also experienced great wonders of God by ourselves. Therefore, follow God’s words carefully so that we may prosper in everything.
V. 16-28: Do not deceive yourself. Whoever turns away from God’s words will be cursed.
Do not turn away from God to worship other gods. Make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison. Hebrew 12/15-16 tells us about the bitter root will cause trouble and defile many. The bitter root could be sexually immorality or godlessness like Esau. God will single out this person from all His people for disaster. The endings of this person will be like those who died in the desert and never entered God’s Promised Land. (1 Corinthians 10/5-10)
V. 29: Forever follow what God has told us clearly.
We must follow what God has told us clearly and continue to obey them fully by the power of the Holy Spirit for the days of our lives. In addition to it, we need to make every effort to know God’s words according to Proverbs 2/1-5. By meditating His words and by the Holy Spirit we enter into the depth of all truth. We may have an Insight into the mystery of the Bible. Paul and Daniel have done that. They are highly favored by God.

Chapter 30: Return to God and obey His commands. You will be blessed with the inherited land.

V. 1-10: Return to God when we have troubles. God will restore us and have compassion on us.
Very often we are like the prodigal son that does not appreciate God’s blessing. Therefore, we waste God’s gifts and grace in following the sinful desires. It is until we suffer to the bottom that no one gives us anything, not even the pods, and then we return to God. Our heavenly Father is waiting earnestly for the lost son just like that father. As he saw the son, he ran to his son, threw his arm around him and kissed him. Quickly the Father put the new robe on him. Put sandals on his feet. What a joy God has when we return to Him. How compassionate God will restore us. After we suffer enough for turning away from God, we will come back to follow God’s words with fear and trembling. Those who are forgiven more will love God more.
V. 11-14: God’s words are not too difficult to do.
His words are not beyond our reach. His words are in our mouth and in our heart so we may obey them. Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”(Matthew 7/7) His word is true. Jesus has destroyed the power of sin on the cross. He has given us the Holy Spirit to help us to overcome and be holy. Jesus has redeemed us so that we become noble instruments that can honor God and be blessings to people. By the power of the blood on the cross and the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus can change a lowly prodigal son to a noble prince. How he had changed Saul to Paul. Hallelujah! So long as we love the light and draw near to the light, we will never be condemned. Continue to pray earnestly for the good we desired and to do the right thing. God will change us to the noble instrument that lives out His glory. God’s words are never too difficult to do. It is by faith and grace that we can do His words according to the Holy Spirit. We accept the salvation that has accomplished by Jesus.
V. 15-20: Life and death, prosperity and destruction; choose life.
Those who love God and keep all of His commands carefully will have eternal life and eternal blessings. If we are led astray to disobey His words or to worship other gods, we will perish. Therefore, you must choose life today.

Deuteronomy: Chapters 15-21

Chapter 15: Cancel the debt and help the poor. Give God our very best.

V. 1-6: If we cancel the debts that people have owed us, we will be blessed greatly by God. Testimony (1) How Mrs. Yin loved her enemy. (2) A test of love before Mary went to America.
V. 7-11: Always give freely to people whatever they need. We are lending to the Lord when we do this.
V. 12-15: Give people plenty and generously as the Lord has blessed us.
V.16-18: Do not be harsh on people; let them go free. If they do not want to leave, let them stay.
V. 19-23: Give our best to God. Genesis 4/4-5, “But Abel brought fat portions from some of the first-born of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering He did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.???Share testimony of sister Leong in London.

Chapter 16: Take out the yeast; bring offerings to God with thanksgiving. Pursue justice.

V. 1-3: Observe the day we are redeemed from sin all the days of our lives.
Jesus Christ appears so that He delivers us from sin and evil. How can we continue to sin? Since Christ suffered in His body, arm ourselves also with the same attitude. We will not live the rest of our earthly lives for evil human desires. But we will live for the good will of God. V. 3, “Do not eat…bread made with yeast, but for 7 days eat unleavened bread??? This is how we should observe the true Passover. Completely get rid of the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness. Then we are truly new creations. It is like what happened to Naaman of leprosy. He went down to the Jordan River and washed himself in it seven times. He was healed totally. Everyday we wash ourselves with water through God’s words. We will be delivered totally from our sins and sinful nature.
V. 4-8: We remove yeast not only from ourselves, but also from our possession in all our land.
Be watchful for our Lord to check whether there are any sins, false teachings or cults existing in our homes, churches, towns and nations. Then stand in the gap, praying and removing the old yeast on behalf of our land.
V. 4 God’s Word is our daily bread and meat. We should eat His words everyday and put it into practice on the same day. Never postpone doing God’s words until the next day or later. “The meat you sacrifice???means putting God’s words into practice.
V. 5 Sacrifice according to God’s will. Hannah prayed to God for a son and vowed to dedicate this son to God. The Lord answered her prayer because it was after His heart. As soon as Samuel was weaned, she brought him to the house of the Lord. Hannah was so grateful that she also brought many gifts with her to fulfill her vow to God. She truly roasted the meat and ate it. She gave praise to God and dedicated her first born son to the Lord.
V. 8 Be sure to obey God’s words to get rid of the old yeast completely before we do any ministry. Never serve the Lord with sins or old nature. Many people are busy with driving out the demons and healing the sick. But they remain in sinful ways of life. On that Day, the Lord will say plainly to them, “I never know you. Be away from me.???br> V. 9-12: Count off seven weeks
(1) From the time we begin to put the sickle to the standing grain, we must earnestly focus our prayer for Pentecost–a world-wide revival of gospel preaching so that we can be ready for the second coming of Jesus Christ. We will become so motivated in our ministry that we will serve with such humility, diligence, holiness and gratefulness, just like Ruth. Our ministry is sure to be blessed by God. (2) If we continue to celebrate this Feast by giving a freewill offering to God, we can share more blessing with others. God will keep on using us to bring more and more people to Christ. If we ignore this Feast of Weeks, we may lose focus in harvest and backslide. Many people have forsaken the Lord and go back to the world just like Demas.
V. 13-15: After we have had a harvest, we celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.
For the Lord has blessed us we must joyfully share the blessing with others. But the most important thing is to live with the Lord. Whatever joy we have on the earth is temporarily. Follow the example of Jesus. He always retreated to a mountain by himself after he did great wonders. There he spent time with Father and enjoyed living with Father.
V. 16-17: Three times a year we must keep these Feasts to God. It is to show our gratitude to the Lord and to repay His kindness.
No man should appear before the Lord empty-handed. We must bring a gift in proportion to the way God has blessed us.
V. 18-20: Seek Justice and justice alone, so that we may prolong our lives.
Appoint judges and officials for God’s people to judge fairly. Only those who listen to God’s words and put them into practice are qualified to be judges and officials in church. Do not pervert justice. Do not judge by appearance. Do not accept bribes. Follow justice and justice alone. Do not have two differing weights and differing measures. The Lord hates them both because it is injustice. Injustice cannot last long.
V. 21-22: Do not set up any wooden idol beside the Altar. Nor erect a sacred stone for oneself. The Lord hates them.
Always lead people to follow all the commands of the Lord. See no one but Jesus alone.

Chapter 17: Purge the evil and keep the covenant. Do not turn away from the law.

V. 1: When one has defect or flaw in him:
If that is our case, we should humble ourselves and pray to the Lord for healing by faith. Follow the example of that man of leprosy. He humbly begged for healing. Jesus said, “I am willing.???Then Jesus touched him, he was healed. Also that sick woman when she touched the Lord’s clothes by faith, she was healed from 12 years of bleeding.
V. 2-7: When we find people doing evil things:
If we find God’s children violate God’s covenant or worship other gods, we must not ignore it. Investigate it thoroughly. If it is true, someone really have done a detestable thing, we must purge this sin from among us. That is why Paul asked the church to expel the immoral brother who married his step-mother. Then Paul openly handed that man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.
V. 8-13: When we find cases are too difficult for us to judge:
We should take these cases to the place the Lord your God will choose—a place has the truth. Inquire of the priests who stand ministering to God and the judge. Then we must act according to the judgment of the truth they give us. For example, when the church at Antioch faced a dispute about whether the Gentiles believers should be circumcised or not, they appointed Paul and Barnabas to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. Finally, Peter and James all came to agreement that they should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who were turning to God. Instead, they decided to just tell them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. (Acts 15/19-20)
When we get instructions from such holy spiritual elders, we must follow them. They know the truth well in their heart and they stand before God ministering day and night. The judgment they give us is from God so that we must do as they direct us.
V. 14-15: When we want to set a king (a leader) over us.
Be sure to appoint over us the king God chooses. We must pray and wait for God to give us the chosen one. The Israelites could not wait for God but demanded a king at once. Therefore, they got Saul as their king. Saul was not the chosen one of God but a permissible leader of men. When Saul reigned, he brought many troubles to them. Therefore, when the house of God needs a leader, a pastor, a deacon or a manager, we should pray to God and wait for His answer. Never set up leaders by man’s opinion.
V. 16-17: Three “No???for a leader.
(1) Do not acquire great numbers of horses for himself. Nor make the people return to Egypt to get more horses for his own power. For example, in China there is a special group demands sisters to cover their heads during meetings. Their leader opened a big factory of medicine. He said that it was to help the poor and needy. But what he did had stumbled many Christians. One of them was Mrs. Wu who used to be so zealous about gospel preaching. She was the one who brought me to Jesus. She was influenced by that leader so that she covered her head and stopped preaching gospel. And she started to do business and thought she would make a fortune. But she failed badly, materially and spiritually.
(2) Do not take many wives.
Proverbs 31/3 tells the leader,“do not spend your strength on women??? Nor turn your heart away from God to your favorite co-workers or believers. Follow the example of Paul, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.???Galatians 6/14) “Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus,???said by Paul. (6/17)
(3) Do not store up large amounts of silver and gold.
The downfall of King Solomon was because he violated these three “No???
V. 18-20: Only one thing is needed for a leader.
A leader is to read the Bible carefully for himself and keep it in his heart. He is to read the Bible all the days of his life so that: (1) he may follow carefully all the words of the Bible. (2) He may not consider himself better than others. (3) He may not turn from God’s words to the right or to the left. (E.g. Saul)

Chapter 18: Be content with God’s provision and strive upwards in the spirit. Be blameless before God.

V. 1-8: God’s servants should give all of their attention to God.
They should be content with God’s provision. But when they go to a new place to open up a new ministry, they may have to work for a living since no one knew about them. It should never deprive their full attention to the ministry of gospel preaching. Paul once worked for a living as a tentmaker for a short time so that he could continue his ministry there. He did not work for money. Nor did he work for a better life for himself or his family. God tells His children to give the best to God. In fact, this is the share given to His faithful servants.
V. 6-8: Strive upwards in the spirit wholeheartedly.
If a servant of God understands God’s heart and he is willing to move on to wherever sends him to, he will receive more share of benefits. He who labors more in God’s kingdom will receive more. And he will bear more fruit for God’s kingdom. Our Lord desires us to spread gospel widely, do not hold back. For example, after Silas arrived at Antioch, he never went back to Jerusalem but joined Paul to preach gospel everywhere.
V. 9-14: Do not learn to follow the detestable ways of the Gentiles. Be blameless before the Lord.
V. 15-19: God will raise up a faithful servant. He will tell us everything God commands him. If anyone does not listen to His words, God will call him for account.
V. 20-22: Put to death the false prophet who speaks in the name of other gods.
What the false prophet says by himself will not come true. In the time of prophet Jeremiah, there were some false prophets saying that God would bring back the captives in two years. But Jeremiah pointed out that they were lying and warned God’s people not to believe them.
Even if their false prophecies come true, they will be ashamed at the end. A brother in Beijing was very blessed by God. Later he was put into jail for the sake of Jesus. But when he was in the jail, he was deceived by a man possessed by the evil spirits. He wrote down many prophecies from that man which had come true. That man was associating with the devil but he thought it was God speaking to him. After he was released from jail, he came to the mountain to see us. He prophesied that sister Zhang would soon go abroad and I would stay in China. But it turned out to be the opposite. This proved that the spirit speaking to him was not the Spirit of truth but the evil spirit.

Chapter 19: Set up six cities of refuge. Save those who have killed people unintentionally.

V. 1-10: Set up six cities of refuge Jesus Christ is our refuge. The Lord is the Word. When we are caught in a sin, we take refuge in Jesus. In city of refuge we read God’s words carefully and pray according to His words day and night. The avenger of blood cannot harm us anymore. Set it up on the whole land. Then we will not be guilty of bloodshed.
V. 11-13: But if a man hates people and lies in wait to kill him, he shall be put to death. Show him no pity.
V. 14: Do not hurt others for our own interests. Never remove a neighbor’s boundary for enlargement of our land.
V. 15: A matter must be set up by the testimony of two or three witnesses. One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime.
V. 16-21: If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse a man of a crime, we must purge the evil from among us. Show no pity to him, eye for eye.
In all, this chapter reminds us to save people. Do not hurt, harm or kill anyone.

Chapter 20: Fight against the enemies according to God’s words.

V. 1-4: Do not be afraid to war against the enemies, because God will be with us.
Do not be terrified by the great army of the enemies. For God is the one who goes with us to fight for us. God gives us victory.
V. 5-9: Anyone gets involvement with civilian affairs or is afraid can go home.
Anyone who has concerns about his house, his vineyard (ministry) or his fiancée can go home. Is any man afraid? Let him go home. What God wants is an army of volunteers who do not love their own lives.
V. 10-11: First of all, make an offer of peace.
We preach gospel of peace. If they accept the gospel, we have won over their souls to God.
V. 12-15: If they refuse the gospel, we lay siege to them.
If they refuse the gospel, we must focus our prayers on them. It is just as the Israelites marching around the Jericho until its wall collapsed. We must pray on them until God delivers their souls into our hand. Then put all “the men???to sword. It is just like Paul’s teaching, “Demolish arguments and every pretension that set itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every though to make it obedient to Christ.???2 Corinthians 10/5) As for the women, the children and everything in it, we can take it as plunder. This is rules for towns far away from where we live.
V. 16-18: But totally destroy the Canaanites in our land.
The Canaanites, the enemies of God, are full of evil and wickedness and they want others to follow them. Destroy them totally. Otherwise, they will teach us to follow all the detestable things. We will sin against our God.
V. 19-20: When we lay siege to a city for a long time, do not destroy its trees by an ax.
Do not lose control and cut its tree by our own will when we lay siege to the city for a long time. We can eat their fruit. We may cut down trees that we know are not fruit tree. And use them to build siege works until the city at war with us falls.

Chapter 21: Be righteousness and just. Save the people nearest to us.

V. 1-9: If a man is found killed, the one nearest to him is responsible for his death.
It is important to know that we are responsible for the salvation of people nearest to us. If we have never preached gospel to them and they die, we are guilty of shedding their blood.
V. 10-14: Lead a recent convert to separate from sins completely before you marry her.
She must shave her head, removing all of the worldly vanity. She also must trim her nails, cleansing from all the inner or hidden sins. She must put aside the clothes she was wearing when captured—she must abandon her sinful ways of life and behaviors. Then she should mourn her parents for a full month—a complete repentance of her old self. After all these, you may marry her. King Jehoshaphat ignored this and married daughters of the house of Ahab. Jehoshaphat brought deep troubles to his house.
V. 15-17: Act in justice. Do not act in favoritism.
When a man has two wives and wants to set up his last will, he must not give the rights of the firstborn to the son of the wife he loves. He should give a double share to the actual firstborn son. King Jeroboam violated this rule.
V. 18-21: Do not cover the sins of your own son for kinship.
Take the case of Eli as a warning. He did not punish his two sons when they sinned greatly against God. He respected his sons more than God. As a result, his whole household was forsaken by the Lord.
V. 22-23: Be sure to bury the body hung on a tree that same day.
God says we must put to death a man of a capital offense and hang his body on a tree. The first meaning of “hanging his body on a tree???is to warn people not to make the same offense. Apostle John called attention to the church not to follow what wicked things Diotrephes had been doing. (3 John/9-10)
Second application of it is: we are encouraged to confess our own sins in public. It shows our faith and determination to cut off from sins and to do right. When we confess our sins openly by faith, we believe that we are dead to this sin. Then, we bury our sinful body with Him on that same day. From that time on, we live a new life by faith.

Deuteronomy: Chapters 8-14

Chapter 8: Keep the Lord’s commands attentively. Avoid pride and idol worshipping.

V. 1-9: Here we learn that in all kinds of situations, in dry desert or in rich good land, God has a purpose for that. He wants to test us in order to know what is in our heart. God uses the environment to teach us that man does not live on bread alone but on EVERY WORD THAT COMES FROM THE MOUTH OF THE LORD.
V. 10-20: It is so easy for us to become proud when we have eaten well and lived in the good land. Then we forget what a suffering life we had when we were in Egypt as slaves. We forget how dreadful and how hard the journey we had in the desert. How easily we forget the gracious grace and mercy of Jesus Christ who was crucified to redeem us from sin and eternal death. We also have forgotten how God has nourished us with great love and patience. As a result of it, we become very proud and follow other gods. We are sure to lose all the blessing if we do that. Keep in mind what happened to King Solomon when his heart was led astray by foreign wives. How King Asa lost his glory when he turned to trust in power and man rather than in God. Follow the example of Apostle Paul. He has never regarded himself as having taken hold of perfection before the Lord. Paul does one thing: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. When Daniel is put in high position, he sets his mind to understand the things to be happened wholeheartedly. He cares about the future of God’s people. Therefore? Daniel is highly favored by God.

Chapter 9: Do not forget your own wickedness. Intercede for others.

V. 1-5: Keep in mind that God is the one who subdues the enemies. God alone is the one who turns people’s heart to Jesus Christ. It is to fulfill His promise that God gives us the land. Never think to ourselves that it is because our righteousness.
V. 6-21: Remember this and never forget our own wickedness. It is God’s mercy and grace that we can get this good land. And there are so many God’s children intercede earnestly for us. We shall also follow the example of Moses to pray for God’s children and our co-workers. Then, we can give warnings and timely correction to those who have gone astray. And bring them back to God’s way.
V. 22-24: Remember well how and why we provoked God to anger before. Take it as a lesson, so that we may never fall into the same mistake.
V. 25-29: Moses prays for forgiveness of God’s people. He asks God to show great mercy for the sake of His own name. The Lord says, “I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.”(Ezekiel 22/30) How God values our intercession for all nations. What an impact it will bring to the whole world. If there is one, just one person intercedes for a nation; God will spare that nation from destruction. When Queen Esther pleads earnestly for her people, her intercession changes the dark into the light. A tribulation turns out to be a great revival. Today, who is willing to be an intercessor?

Chapter 10: Lead others to obey God’s commandments. Cleanse your heart.

V. 1-5: God commands Moses to prepare stone tablets as the first ones again. He will write on them the Ten Commandments. God’s words will stand still and never change. Jesus also has told us that His words will condemn us at the last day. (John 12/48) We must trust and obey God’s words. In this way, we will not be punished but be blessed.
V. 6-11: Here we see God sets apart the tribe of Levi to serve Him. We learn that God’s servants shall be faithful to their ministries so that they will lead people to God’s grace and to God Himself. God’s servants should be: (1) Holy. God says that the Levites are to be set apart from His children and this world to serve Him. (2) Carry the ark of the Lord’s covenant in one heart. It means God’s servants in one heart exalt only God’s words as the highest. It is their duty to preach the sound doctrine of truth. (3) Stand before the Lord to minister. Be watchful for themselves and the flock. They are to please God not man. (4) Intercede faithfully. (5) Have no share or inheritance in this world. But the Lord is their inheritance. God wants them to serve Him wholeheartedly without any distraction. The best offering from God’s children to the Lord will be their enjoyment. Follow the faithful example of Moses and Jesus Christ. Earnestly intercede for God’s children. Those who serve Him faithfully never lack of anything. Paul is even willing to make every effort and spends all he has for the flock.
V. 12-17: Now what does the Lord ask of us but to fear Him and to walk in all His ways. It is for our own good and fortune. Therefore, cleanse our hearts. Be obedient children of the Lord. God sees our hearts not our appearances.
V. 18-22: If we realize the heart of heavenly Father, we will love and care for the poor. For example, Cornelius the centurion who gives generously to those in need and prays to God regularly. It has become a memorial offering before God.

Chapter 11: Listen to God attentively. Proclaim the Word ceaselessly.

V. 1-7: Love our God and always keep all of His words. Remember it is our own eyes have seen all these great things the Lord has done. God has performed signs to deliver us from great disasters. We are the one who have experienced the discipline of His majesty. If we do not love the Lord—a curse be on us. (1 Corinthians 16/22)
V. 8-12: Obey God’s words, so that we may take possession of the promised good land.
V. 13-17: Be very carefully when we are blessed, or we will be enticed to worship other gods. Then the Lord’s anger will burn against us.
V. 18-25: Fix these words of God in our hearts and minds. Whatever we do by our hands or we think (our foreheads), we must tune it in to God’s words. Teach them to our children at all occasions. Talk to people about God’s words. If we follow His words in this way, we will sure to have great blessings. God promises that no man will be able to stand against us. We will bear good fruit in Jesus Christ.
V. 26-27: If we follow God’s words, we receive the blessing. If we turn from God to serve other gods, we receive the disaster. Today, let us make a wise choice before the presence of God. What is your choice, the blessing or the disaster?

Chapter 12: Hate evil and wickedness. Keep the Lord’s commandments and save people.

V. 1-4: Hate what is evil and wickedness and destroy them totally. Never worship our God by following the way of Gentile. For example, (1) so called prophets and prophecies among the group of spirit-filled; (2) Catholic and their worshipping of Mary, saints and angels; (3) elections in church according to man’s rules and traditions; (4) In Japan, almost every house has images of idols. Bible teachers from South Korea tell Christians in China that they only need to recite the Lord’s Prayers all day long. Then, they will get power. A group called “I HOP” proclaiming their ministry is before the Throne when they sing and dance. And there are other cults such as Eastern Lightening, Jehovah Witness and so on.
V. 5-14: Seek the place the Lord our God chooses to put His Name there for His dwelling. His Name is His Word. (Rev. 19/13) W e should go to the house of the living God where the foundation of the truth is. To there we must go and pray. And there we bring our offerings, and give thanks and share our blessings with others.
V. 15-19: Never eat the blood. For the life of a creature is in the blood. Also the blood makes atonement for our lives. Woe to us if we do not preach gospel to save the gentile. Woe to us if we do not help people to turn from doing wrong things. If we read carefully Ezekiel 33/1-9 & 12-13, we will understand the love of God in forbidding us to eat any blood. The heart of our Lord desires no one to be perished. Therefore, when you and I are blessed and rejoice in Jesus, we must always put soul-winning as the first priority in our lives.
V. 20-28: When God has enlarged our territory, we can enjoy His blessing. But be sure we do not eat the blood. For example, when God blesses us with money and time, we can travel around and enjoy our holidays. But keep in mind to take that chance to preach gospel to the gentile. When we meet Christians, we should edify one another to keep God’s words and to love God more. Then, it may go well with us and our children forever.
V. 29-31: Be careful not to be ensnared by following the wicked ways of idol worshiping. For example, once I went to a friend to preach gospel to her. She happily treated me with the best food. And she turned on the TV for me. My mouth was stuffed with her food; my eyes were on the TV. I lost power and I could not share gospel with her. I knew it very well that good food and TV shows were her gods, but I was ensnared by it too. I should have followed the faithful example of old servant of Abraham and told my friend, “I will not eat until I have told you what I have to say.”
V. 32: Do all God commands us. Do not add to it or take away from it.
Please pay attention that three times God asks us to “Be careful” and once He reminds us “But be sure”.
(1) V. 13: “Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings anywhere you please.” Never attend worship of impure gospel. Go to the church which proclaims pure truth and has the presence of the living God.
(2) V. 19: “Be careful not to neglect the Levites as long as you live in your land.” The Levites mean full-time servants of God.
(3) V. 30: “Be careful not be ensnared by inquiring about their gods”, after they have accepted the gospel.
(4) V. 23: “But be sure you do not eat the blood” when you rejoice in God’s grace. God has been training us to preach gospel at all times and all occasions. Whenever we take taxi or the plane, we are urged by the Holy Spirit to preach gospel and to save the lost souls as much as possible. Every one of us should do that from today. This pleases our God.

Chapter 13: Destroy all kinds of enticement. Touch not the evil.

V. 1-5: The enticement of false prophets. Do not be deceived by the false prophets even if their signs or wonders come true. It is God testing us to find out whether we love Him or not. A false prophet tries to entice us to go astray from God’s words by his signs or wonders. We must put that false prophet to death.
V. 6-11: The enticement of families and friends. When Satan uses them to entice us to serve other gods secretly, we must refuse it absolutely by 5 No. Our hand must be the first in putting them to death. When Mrs. Ho was clearly called by God to go to Fuzhou to open a new Home of Grace, she had a hard test. Her husband was a general in the army. He cried before her the whole night asking her not to follow God. She refused this enticement by 5 No. How God has used her to bless servants and churches in Fuzhou.
V. 12-16: The enticement of the wicked men. If we hear that there are wicked men trying to entice people to worship other gods, we must be concerned about it, find out information about it, and investigate it. How can we do that? It is by the words of God and watchful praying. If it is true, we must put to the sword all the wicked men. Burn whatever belongs to them totally.
V. 17-18: None of those condemned things shall be found in our hands. Be sure to destroy every enticement. Our God is a jealous God. Follow God’s words and keep all His commands. God will show us mercy and grace, and increase our numbers.

Chapter 14: Eat not anything detestable. Present offerings with thanksgiving.

V. 1-2: Do not follow the practice or custom of other religions.
V. 3-8: Do not eat any detestable thing. Do not touch their dead bodies. Here eating means accepting their teachings. Be careful about what kind of teachings we accept. What does it mean by chewing the cud and having a split hoof? In the spirit, chewing the cud means meditating on God’s words day and night. It is said in Psalm 119/97, “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.” Meditation enables us to absorb His words into our life. Then we can follow God’s words and walk in His way without shaking. Psalm 119/101 says, “I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word.”
(1) Those who chew the cud but do not have a split hoof are like the Pharisees. They talk about God’s words by their mouth. They do not put it into practice. (2) The one has a split hoof but does not chew the cud is a type of person who does good in the presence of men. He has no God’s words in his heart. (3) How about one has a split hoof not completely divided? It represents a type of person who is double-minded. He is not willing to follow God’s words completely to the end. Pilate was this type of people. Though he did not want to put Jesus to death, he did it at the end for his own interests. Jonathan, son of King Saul, was another example. He loved David deeply. He knew he would be second to David in David’s kingdom. But Jonathan also loved his father Saul and the enjoyment in his father’s palace. He could not leave all these things behind to follow David in his suffering. At the end Jonathan died together with Saul on a mountain. How pity it is! How about you, are you like that? You know how much you have been blessed by God. It has been many years that you really want to love Jesus Christ and want to offer yourself to the Lord. But you also enjoy this world so much that you are reluctant to give it up for the cross. Repent tonight. Turn to Jesus Christ. Set up your mind to follow the Lord to the end to repay His great kindness.
V. 9-10: Do not eat any living creatures in water that do not have fins and scales. Fins are for directions. Those creatures in water without fins mean Christians follow the way of this world. They are like the reeds swayed by the wind. They cannot follow God’s narrow way but drift away. Scales protect creatures from pollution in the water. Those with no spiritual scales are defiled by the world. Therefore, they are counted as unclean and detestable.
V. 11-20: Do not eat unclean birds. These kinds of birds have two wings—they know the Bible and they can pray. But their evil and wicked nature has never been changed. For example, the ravens fly but they love to eat the meat of dead bodies. This is a type of nominal Christian. They have the knowledge of Bible and can pray by lips very well. But they love this world in their heart. So they are unclean before God’s eye.
All flying insects that swarm or walk on all fours (Leviticus 11/20) are unclean to us. (E.g. Balaam)
If we meet Christians or even pastors who do not love God, we should be careful not to be influenced by them. If a Christian indulges himself in this world, e.g. money, power, luxury, and sinful desires, he will not love to read the Bible or pray to God. He will not be approved by God. Therefore, he is counted as spiritual unclean. We shall never accept (eat) his way of life or his teaching of truth.
V. 21: Do not eat anything you find already dead. (One sister went to Japan with her husband. Later her husband died. From outside she has overcome many temptations. She is active at church. But inside her heart, she always regrets that she should have accepted temptations. Then she could have been someone’s mistress and does not have to work hard by herself.)
“Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk”. Milk means the pure words of God. It is to nourish our spiritual life. We shall never use God’s words to condemn people or make them despair. Nor shall we use God’s words to hurt people for our emotional problems. Jesus came to this world not to condemn us but to save us. As long as we repent when we hear His words, we are saved. How great the love of our God is! He desires no one to be perished. God says, “As surely as I live…I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?”(Ezekiel 33/11)
V. 22-27: When Nehemiah learned that the portions assigned to the Levites had not been given to them, and that all the Levites and singers responsible for the service had gone back to their own fields, he corrected it at once. He rebuked the officials, “Why is the house of God neglected?”(Nehemiah 13/11) Nehemiah then called back the Levites and made sure the tithes and other offerings were provided for them.
V. 28-29: Give willingly and share our blessings with the needy. In addition to the tithes, we should be willing to give more to the Levites who serve the Lord wholeheartedly. We should also care about the poor, the fatherless and the widows in our towns. In this manner, God will bless us in all the work of our hands.
Altar calling: Who is willing from now on to pay attention to every word that comes from the mouth of our Lord?
Who wants Jesus to cleanse his/her heart totally? Is there pride in your heart? Hatred? Lies? Greediness? Any idols?
(1) Who is willing to understand Father’s heart and to be an intercessor for all nations?
(2) Who wants to take every chance to preach gospel—exalting Jesus before men?
(3) Is there anyone who wants to leave everything behind to follow the Lord? Do you want to take the way of cross? Are you willing to deny yourself and to save people’s souls?

Deuteronomy: Chapters 1-7

Chapter 1: Follow the Lord wholeheartedly. Act not out of your own will.
V. 1-8: The Lord said: “Go in and take possession of the promise land.”
V. 9-18: Moses took man’s advice and he appointed leaders to share the burden of ruling. All of the people thought his plan was good. But those leaders became a big trouble for Moses later because they wanted more power.
V. 19-25: The Israelites obeyed God’s words and set out to take possession of the promise land. But they asked to spy out the land first. They should have just gone and took possession of the land in simple faith.
V. 26-33: Now they became discouraged because they looked at the enemies, the environment and themselves. They started to grumble against God. They became disbelieved and rebellious. And they forgot about the great kindness of almighty God.
V. 34-40: In this way they provoked God to anger. All of those who did not believe could never see the land. Only Caleb and Joshua should see the good land God swore to them. Two of them followed God wholeheartedly. And the weak ones such as women and children would also enter the good land.
V. 41-46: Then, they acted out of their own will. They were bound to be defeated because they had sinned against God. God was not with them so they were completely defeated by their enemies. It would be better if they had connected to the Lord closely without any doubts.
Chapter 2: Be very careful. Follow God’s commands completely.
V. 1-25: Be very careful to follow God’s words. Do not war against Esau, the Moabites or the Ammonites. But fight against the Amorite, king of Heshbon.
V. 26-37: Fully obey God’s words. Then, there was not one town too strong for them. The Lord handed all of the towns over to the Israelites. Be sure not to go near any of the land forbidden by God.
Chapter 3: Do not be afraid. Desire nothing but the will of God.
V. 1-21: Do not be afraid how strong the enemies are. God said: “I have handed them over to you.” None of the enemies would survive. The Lord our God Himself would fight for us. But the two and half tribes chose their own land because they were selfishness. They cared only about themselves. In fact, God’s chosen land was the best. (e.g. Testimony of Gandi)
V. 23-29: God did not listen to Moses’ prayer because it was not of God’s will. Desire nothing but the will of God.
Chapter 4: Obey the word of God. Do not add to it, subtract from it, or mix it.
V. 1-8: Fully obey God’s words so that you may live. Do not add to it, subtract from it, or mix it. It is by trusting in the Lord that we can follow His words completely. Surely it is wise and smart to follow God’s words completely. No other gods like the way of our God who is near us whenever we pray to Him. God said, “Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.”(Isaiah 65:24) When we pray according to the Holy Spirit and the will of God, we are sure that God will answer it. It is just like prophet Ezekiel who prayed according to the command of God over the dry bones. His prayer became a prophecy. Let us read Ezekiel 37/7-10: “So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them;
prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.”
V. 9-14: Only be careful, and watch your heart closely. Always follow the word of God and never stop proclaiming His words.
V.15-28: Watch yourselves very carefully, so that you do not become corrupt by idols. If you corrupt yourselves by idols, you would make God angry and have great disasters.
V.29-31: Turn to God and follow God’s words. The Lord would never forsake you.
V. 32-40: Be sure to know that the Lord is God; besides Him there is no other. If you follow God’s words, you may go well and live long in the good land.
V. 41-49: Set up cities of refuge. Anyone who has killed a person by accident can flee into the Lord. He will be trialed by the word of God everyday in the city of refuge. He does not have to die for his sins. Rather, he can live a new life in Jesus Christ and take possession of the land.
Chapter 5: Keep God’s commands carefully. Act out all His orders.
V.1-22: These are the ten commandments of the Lord. God adds nothing more. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees because they held on to the traditions of men and their own tradition. Therefore, the Pharisees regarded the guiltless as guilty. One Christian sister taught others how to drive out the demons by her own tradition. It made her like a detestable witch. We must not put God’s commandments aside and follow traditions of men.
There is a lady in London. She has been famous for her good behaviors at church. Ever since she started to attend church, she has always carried two heavy bags with her wherever she goes. One is full of spiritual books, and the other is full of tapes about spiritual teachings. She has been distributing them free to anyone she came across even when she did not believe in Jesus. Many of her books or tapes are not pure gospel. She has not led people to build up their faith in the most holy words of God. She told people that once she fasted 24 days for a man who was addict to gamble. Though many people think she is spiritual and caring, she is not after God’s own heart. God desires us to intercede for all nations and everyone. Apostle Paul warned church of Corinthian not to go beyond what was written in the Bible. Be aware of Satan pretending as an ANGEL of LIGHT. If we do not keep God’s words carefully, we will go astray from the truth. We will mislead people. Therefore, it is very important that we ourselves must first of all keep God’s words carefully and take root in the foundation. Then we can really help others.
V. 29: Fear God and always keep all of God’s commands, you will prosper forever.
V. 32-33: Be careful to do what the Lord has commanded you. Do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in all the way that God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the good land.
Chapter 6: Be prudent and fear God. Reject evil and practice good.
V.20 and V.24: Why does God repeatedly ask us to pay attention to His words? It is because the evil doer and the deceiver go from bad to worse. If we do not follow God’s words carefully and do well fervently, we may be led astray from God easily.
V. 4-9: How can we love the only true God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our strength? (1) It is to be like Mary listening to God’s words with a quiet spirit and remember them well in our heart. (2) Never stop proclaiming God’s words. (3) Meditate His words day and night so that they will be imprinted in our mind. (4) Whatever we do, do it for the sake of the Lord.
V. 12-14: Be careful that you do not forget the Lord. Do not follow other gods. Do not test your God. If we know it is wrong and still do it thinking we can get away with it, we put God to test. (e.g. testimony of Guo) God cannot be mocked.
Chapter 7: Depend on the power of the Almighty God. Destroy the enemies totally.
V. 1-11: Be sure to destroy the enemies totally. Show them no mercy because they are enemies against God. Smash and cut down their sacred stones and idols. Though we are holy people of God, we have enemies outside and inside. Outside there are seven nations in the land of Canaan. Inside we have flesh and sinful nature to deal with. It is by the atonement of the precious blood of our Lord and the power of the Holy Spirit that we will put to death our enemies internally and externally.
V. 12-16: If we are careful to follow God’s words, then God will keep His covenant of love with us. Destroy all the enemies. Do not look on them with pity, for they will be a snare to you. (e.g. Saul and Solomon)
V. 17-24: Do not doubt how you can drive out all of the enemies. Remember well the great power of God. God is almighty. No one will be able to stand up against you. Do not be discouraged. Continue to pray by faith until you destroy them totally.
V. 25-26: Be careful not to covet the silver and gold on the idols of the enemies. Nor take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it. Utterly abhor and detest what God detests. If you bring a detestable thing into your house, you will be like one of it.