Reading Through the Bible with Elder Linda

The Israelites were told to watch the ark carried by the Priest and follow it into the Jordan River (which parted like the Red Sea). The ark of the covenant represented the presence of God. We are also supposed to keep our eyes on God and follow where He leads. If we keep our minds stayed on Him, He will keep us in perfect peace even with all the chaos going on in our nation. Pray for those in authority that they do right by the people. 🙏🙏 #foryou #joshua #arkofthecovenant #jordan #christian #biblestudy #foryourpage  ⁨@readingthroughthebiblewith3242⁩ 

In this episode we read about God’s charge to Joshua and about how Rahab hid the spies. We talked about how Rahab’s faith was mixed with her works. She believed in the God of Israel and she showed it with her works by hiding the spies. We talked about faith without works is dead (James 2:19-26). Faith and works go hand in hand. If we have faith, we will do works. Our works include the gifts God has given us. We must use our gifts for the kingdom. We need what everyone has to offer. The Body is not whole without you. We need you! #foryou #bible #biblestudy #joshua #rahab #spies #promisedland  @readingthroughthebiblewith3242 ​

We reviewed the books of the law (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). We also did an overview of the rest of the Bible. We will start on the Historical Books next week beginning with Joshua.

In this episode Moses blesses the people just before he dies. Moses was not able to go to the promised land with the Israelites because he didn't do what God told him to do. The people were complaining about not having water. God told Moses to speak to the rock and water would come out of the rock for the people. Instead of speaking to the rock, Moses got angry and struck the rock twice. What can we learn from this? We must do things God's way or there could be negative consequences. At first I felt sorry for Moses because he had dealt with those complaining Israelites for 40 years and he makes one mistake and miss out on going to the promised land. So from that incident we can see that God requires more from his leaders. Some of us have probably even said, 'how can they get away with that, God doesn't let me get away with any thing'. Just remember, 'to whom much is given, much is required'. Also remember that although Moses was disciplined for that mistake, he is still with Jesus as we see in Matt 17:3. He appeared on the Mountain of Transfiguration with Elijah and talked with Jesus. Moses is OK! #moses #foryou #foryourpage #promisedland #christian #biblestudy  @readingthroughthebiblewith3242 ​

In Chapter 32 Moses teaches the Israelites a song that warns them about what will happen if they disobey God. God also tells Moses he will see the promised land, but he will not be allowed to go there. Although we might feel sad for Moses after he put up with the Israelites for 40 years, there is something we can learn from Moses. Namely that we must always do what God tells us to do. Taking matters into our own hands or doing what we want to do will not give us the best outcome. We must remember to be like Jesus and always say ‘not my will but thine be done’. Remember God knows what is best for us and He will always work things out for our good. #moses #foryou #foryourpage #song #rebellion #laws #demons #integrity #judgement #christian  @readingthroughthebiblewith3242 ​

In this episode Joshua is chosen to replace Moses, and Moses gives them instructions to read the law to all the people every 7th year at the Feast of Tabernacles. In this Chapter Moses is also told that the people will disobey after Moses dies. One thing I want us to remember from this lesson is how Joshua use to spend time in the presence of God (Exodus 33:11) which helped prepare him for his destiny. If we want to be well prepared for our destiny, we must also spend time in God’s presence (praying and just laying before Him). #moses #joshua #foryou #foryourpage #destiny #promisedland #victory #obedience #deuteronomy #christian  @readingthroughthebiblewith3242 ​

In this episode Moses reviews the covenant with the Israelites and reminds them that in the future if they repent, God will restore them to their land. Moses is days away from dying. So these last words are very important. This lesson reminded me of the grace and mercy of God. Even after the Israelites fail, God tells them ahead of time that if they repent He will forgive them. The same is true for us today. No matter how many times we fail God, He is right there to forgive us if we repent. Thank God for His mercy and grace! #moses #canaan #deuteronomy #foryou #christian #israelites @Reading through the Bible with Elder Linda

In this episode we read about the horrible things that would happen to the Israelites if they disobeyed God’s instructions and laws. This was a rough Chapter to read as it talked about how the Israelites would even be forced to eat their own children because they were under siege and starving to death. What can we learn from them? That there are serious consequences for disobeying God. God is both severe and kind as it tells us in Romans 11:22. He is grace but He is also judgement. If we fail to accept Jesus into our hearts (He is the provision God sent to take away our sin) we will also face serious consequences. Jesus was sent to take on our judgment and punishment. If we don’t accept Him, we will have to take on our own judgment and join the Devil in the lake that burns with fire forever. There is a judgment day coming, let’s choose eternal life instead of eternal damnation. #hell #damnation #eternity #foryou #foryourpage #biblestudy #cannibalism #warnings #moses #disobedient #curses  @readingthroughthebiblewith3242 ​

In this lesson we read about the blessings and curses the Israelites will receive depending on if they are obedient to God or not. Although Moses was talking to the Israelites, God also has blessings for us if we walk in His ways. Our sin nature is cursed. If we give our lives to Jesus and invite Him into our hearts, He takes care of our cursed sin nature. The choice is ours, Jesus already made a way for us to escape the curse, but we have to let Him in. How? By saying ‘I repent of my sins, come into my heart and be my Lord and savior.’ Jesus is the only way we can be free from the curse of the law which tells us, ‘the soul that sins must die’. Give Him your heart today. #canaan #bible #deuteronomy #moses #sins #cursed #blessed  @readingthroughthebiblewith3242 ​

In this episode from Deuteronomy Chapter 26, Moses tells the Israelites that they will have to give a tithe to the Lord from their very first harvest. They were also told to give a tithe every three years for the needy in their towns. As Christians today God still expects us to give. We are not only to give to the Church and the kingdom of God, but we are also expected to bless others when God puts it on our hearts to do so. We read the scripture in Matthew 25:31-46 where Jesus indicated that helping others who are in need is the same as helping Him. Jesus makes it very plain that those who helped others are considered His sheep, considered righteous, and are welcomed into the kingdom. Those who did not help others were considered cursed and was thrown into the fire with the devil and his demons. I believe this scripture is a warning to us. When God has a needy person cross your path, and He pulls on your heart to help them, remember the scripture in Matthew. We definitely don’t want to be one of the goats who becomes excluded from the kingdom because we never helped anyone. Don’t miss you opportunity to bless someone when God puts it on your heart. #canaan #bible #deuteronomy #foryou #foryourpage #bible #moses #oldtestament #harvest #tithe #give  @readingthroughthebiblewith3242 ​

In this episode from Deuteronomy Chapters 25:17 - 26:10, Moses continues to give the Israelites instructions about what they must do once the get into the promised land. At the end of Chapter 25, Moses instructs them to destroy the Amalekites. The Amalekites had attacked God’s people when they first left Egypt. We read Galatians 5:16-25 and Romans 7:21 - 8:4 where Paul talks about the war between the flesh (sin nature) and the Spirit. Because we will constantly be fighting our flesh until Jesus comes back - Amalek is a type of our flesh. In Exodus 17:16 it tells us the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation - just as we will continue to have war with our flesh (sin nature). As Paul said, thank God that Jesus Christ is our help and the answer to our sin problem. Because of Christ, we are no longer condemned to follow the demands of our flesh. Jesus has set us free. Now we get to choose each day to walk after the Spirit and not the flesh. Let us continue to choose the Spirit daily! #canaan #moses #promisedland #deuteronomy #biblestudy #amalek #joshua #foryou #foryourpage  ⁨@readingthroughthebiblewith3242⁩ 

In Deuteronomy Chapters 24:8 - 25:16, Moses continues to give instructions to the Israelites about the laws they must keep once they enter the promised land. One of the laws he gave them was about having integrity in their business practices. This law still holds true for us today. We must have integrity as Christians, in everything we do. One way you know you have integrity is when you do the right thing whether someone is watching or not. Remember, God is always watching. He is the one we will one day have to answer to. God wants us to have a heart like David, ready to repent when we are made aware of our faults. Thank God for His grace!

In this episode Moses continues to give the Israelites more rules and regulations they must follow when they get into the promised land. Remember the law will just show them what a kingdom citizen should look like and how they should behave. However, due to their sin nature, they will not be able to keep all these laws. But God knows they will not be able to keep them all. Jesus Christ is God’s secret weapon. The ultimate plan is for God to come down in the form of Jesus and die for us taking care of our sin problem. Christ fulfilled the law and He now lives in us. In Him we live and Move, and walk in our purpose. Thank God for Jesus! #canaan #moses #deuteronomy #biblestudy #foryourpage #foryou #laws #christ #jesus  @readingthroughthebiblewith3242 ​

In this episode we zoomed out to study the 7 major dispensations (periods of God’s dealings with His people through the Bible). The Dispensations include the following: 1. Dispensation of Innocence (the time in the garden - Adam and Eve), 2 The Dispensation of Conscience (men’s evil thoughts led to the flood), 3. The Dispensation of Human Government (tower of Babel where the people were dispersed ), 4. The Dispensation of Promise (God chose Abraham and made a nation from his descendants and entered into covenant with them. 5. The dispensation of law (Moses), 6. The dispensation of grace (this is the time we are in now - ends with the rapture, ) 7. The dispensation of the millennial reign (ends with the final judgment day) and then we enter into a new heaven and a new earth. We have been studying the dispensation of the law. The purpose of the law was to bring us to Christ. Christ is the fulfillment of the law. He promised to write his laws in our heart. With Christ living inside us, He enables us to walk right, to talk right, and to live right. We are complete in Him. #canaan #moses #dispensation #law #grace #deuteronomy #foryou #foryourpage  @readingthroughthebiblewith3242 ​

In this episode Moses begins by telling the Israelites who would be restricted from joining the community when it was time to gather in the presence of the Lord. The list included those who had been emasculated, those born from forbidden foreign relations (they could participate after 10 generations), the Ammonites and the Moabites (who refused to help the Israelites and tried to get Balaam to curse God’s people-they had to wait 10 generations before they could join the assembly), and the Edomites and the Egyptians (they had to wait for 3 generations to pass). One thing I want us to remember is that God sees everything. It’s a dangerous thing to mistreat God’s people. The scriptures tell us that anyone who touches us, touches the apple of His eye. The Israelites had no idea that the Ammonites and the Moabites were looking down at them from a mountain trying to put a curse on them. This should really give us comfort to know that even when we are not aware of the enemies plans, God is always watching over us and protecting us. Thank you God for loving us always! #canaan #moses #foryou #foryourpage #deuteronomy #assembly #biblestudy #promisedland  @readingthroughthebiblewith3242 ​

In this episode Moses continues to give the Israelites rules and regulations that they must live by when they get into the promised land. One thing that really stood out to me was in verses 6-7, where God shows His concern for the birds. This was encouraging to me because Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:26-34 and 10:29-31 that God not only feeds the birds, but He knows when one of them falls. Jesus said if God cares for the birds, you know He cares for you and me. He knows how many hairs we have on our head. God cares about everything that concerns us. We are loved!! #moses #laws #canaan #promisedland #rules #holy #god #deuteronomy #birds  @readingthroughthebiblewith3242 ​

In this episode Moses continues to give the Israelites instructions, rules, and regulations they will have to live by once they get into the promised land of Canaan. It was a capital offense in the Old Testament to disobey and dishonor your parents. We are under the new covenant so we no longer have capital punishment for disobedient children. That being said, I do think we have to continue to put our children in God’s hands. If we have counseled them and warned them about some bad decisions (I am speaking of adult age children) we have to learn to let it go. Even if we know they are going to learn the hard way. Remember, God is molding and making our children just like He’s molding and making us. God can take care of our loved ones better than we can 😊. Pray for them and trust that God knows what He is doing. #canaan #moses #deuteronomy #biblestudy #laws #promisedland #regulations #christian #dishonor #foryou #foryourpage #oldtestament  @readingthroughthebiblewith3242 ​

In this episode Moses tells them not to steal anyone’s property, you must have more than one witness to convict someone, and what to do about a false witness. In Chapter 20 Moses gives them instructions about going to war. One thing I want us to remember is that as soldiers in God’s army, we cannot afford to be distracted. In Chapter 20:5-9, Moses tells them to dismiss any soldier who is distracted. We must be focused if we want to win our battles. The scripture says that a double minded man is unstable in all his ways. Once we have decided to follow Jesus we must not turn back. We must continue to fight the good fight of faith. Remember we wrestle daily against wickedness and demon spirits. The battle is real and we must stay focused as God gives us the victory in every battle. And remember that the end of the Book (Revelation), says WE WIN! #canaan #moses #deuteronomy #promisedland #stayinyourlane #war #distraction #foryou #christian  ⁨@readingthroughthebiblewith3242⁩ 

In this episode, Deuteronomy 18:9 - 19:13, Moses warns the Israelites not to do what the nations around them were doing (witchcraft, sacrificing their children, etc.) when they get into the promised land. He also tells them how to spot a false prophet. In Chapter 19 Moses tells them to create 3 cities of refuge once they get into the promised land. These cities would be a place of protection for the innocent to keep them from being murdered. This would bring the number of cities of refuge to six, 3 on the east side of the Jordan River and 3 in the promised land. The cities of refuge is a type of Christ who is our refuge. We run to Jesus when we have sinned or made mistakes and He washes us in His blood, taking away our sins. Jesus is our protector and our savior. He has declared us 'not guilty'! #canaan #moses #foryou #holy #biblestudy #deuteronomy #jesus #cityofrefuge  @readingthroughthebiblewith3242 ​

In this episode Moses reminds the Israelites of the punishment for worshiping other gods. Moses also instructs them to bring all difficult cases to the Priest and the appointed judge. Chapter 17 ends with Moses giving them instructions about choosing a king. In Chapter 18:1-8, Moses reminds them of their responsibility in giving to support the Levites. One thing I want us to see in this lesson is how God is faithful to warn us and tries to keep us from doing the wrong thing. We see that in Chapter 17. God already knew that Solomon was going to fall because of his many wives, power, and wealth. So in this Chapter, long before Solomon is born, God warns that a king should not have many wives, too much power, or too much wealth. Even today, God loves us so much, He will warn us and try to stop us from doing wrong. The problem is that we see the warnings and the ‘stop signs’ but we plow ahead and fall in the devil’s traps. God make us more sensitive to your warnings so that we can represent You well in this world 🙏. #canaan #moses #deuteronomy #idols #king #levites #christian #foryou #biblestudy  ⁨@readingthroughthebiblewith3242⁩