Provoking the Lord!

That’s the term Deuteronomy 31:20 uses, predicting how Israel will behave after the death of Moses!

Not loving the Lord, provoking Him!

Here’s God speaking to Moses of the Jewish Nation: “For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, AND PROVOKE ME, and break my covenant.” Deuteronomy 31:20

“Shall have brought” is, in English anyway, a “future perfect tense!” (Wow! I love grammar. And the beauty of language, particularly English and Greek and Hebrew. Though I am surely a beginner in all three.)

God just “guaranteed” He would bring Israel into her “promised” Land!

Christian, with like resolve, He is going to bring you into Glory, into Heaven, too!

God “suspects” (actually it’s much stronger than that … HE KNOWS) that Israel will NOT be true to the Commandments just given them. (The Book of Deuteronomy being “specifically” in mind.) But all the Law (Genesis to Deuteronomy) as well.

Look in today’s Text at an often repeated sequence:  “They will eat. They will become fat. They will turn to other gods. They will serve those false gods and goddesses. Then … they thereby will ‘provoke’ our great God!” (Notice this “downward spiral” of sin!)

And what in Deuteronomy 31:20 was prophecy … is now history!

Israel did exactly what God feared!

What about that verb “provoke?”

I find it used in the Bible only 25 times, relatively rare then.

It is spelled “naatzs,” and means “to spurn” someone! “To despise or abhor,” as well.

Here’s its “usage,” the way it is translated throughout the King James Bible, Old Testament.

“Despise,” 8 times.

“Provoke,” 5 times.

“Abhor,” 4 more times.

Then “blaspheme” 4 times.

“Contemn (our word condemn) 2 times.

“Great occasion to blaspheme” 1 more time.

Plus one “miscellaneous” occurrence.

Keep in mind that other Hebrew verbs are also translated “provoke.”

In English “provoke” has this background. “Pro” means “forth.” And “vocare” means “to challenge, to summon!” It’s Latin, folks. (Like “calling God on the carpet,” so to speak!) Which action obviously”upsets” God Almighty!

I am amazed that anything I do can so disturb God. I suppose that is an indication of how much He loves me! I NEVER want to “despise” Him, do you?

Now I am wondering, is the Old Testament act of “provoking” God the same thing (or nearly so) as “quenching” the Holy Spirit? Or “grieving” the Holy Spirit?

1st Thessalonians 5:19 … short but clear: “Quench not the Spirit.” The verb means “to put a fire out!”

And Ephesians 4:30, equally imperative: “Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” Here “grieve” means “to hurt, to cause pain,” suggesting sensitivity! Personality in the Godhead!

Wow!

I don’t know that I’ve “taught” anyone much today … but my heart sure does feel challenged!

I want to live in such a way as to “please” or “glorify” the Lord, not hurt Him!

Grant it, Lord.

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

 

The Clause struck me, mightily!

In the rather lengthy closing section of the Book of  Deuteronomy … which by the way means “Second Law,” or the second time God stated the Law to Moses and the Israelites … we find Israel being strongly “encouraged” to obey God’s Words, all of Them!

It’s there I read these words: “That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: FOR HE IS THY LIFE, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

He is the Very Life of Israel!

To live … is to known and love God!

Do note that not only is the Lord God that Nation’s “Life” but also is “the Length of thy Days!”

I find this astounding!

If a man or woman really believes, directs his or her life by this statement … HE IS MY LIFE … all will be well. I am not saying “all will be smooth!” But indeed, all will be well!

Our classic Verse again: “That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: FOR HE IS THY LIFE, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

Love Him.

Obey Him.

Cleave to Him.

In Hebrew, these three verbs: “ahab, shama” and “dabaq,” to “stick” literally!

If those are implemented, those fundamental actions, HE WILL BE YOUR LIFE!

Do any of us love Him that much?

Paul (the Apostle) did.

He said as much in Philippians 1:21 … “For to me to live is Christ.”

Wow!

What a challenge today.

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

 

We are driving early this morning.

I will write today’s lesson when we arrive home, around 10:30, the Lord willing.

Then I’ll leave driving to tonight’s Revival Meeting in Newborn, Georgia.

It’s an honor … serving the Lord!

Thanks for dropping by to study with us today.

Deuteronomy, chapter by chapter!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

Yesterday we mailed this month’s Newsletter and CD Sermon.

Those of you who support our ministry, no matter how much you give, will be receiving your packet soon.

And sincerely we say to you … THANKS for your help!

 

 

Deuteronomy Chapter 30 … is the great “life or death” chapter of the Bible. As is clearly seen in its fifteenth verse: “See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil.”

And is quickly repeated in verse nineteen: “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.”

And these two diametrically opposed conditions (life and death) are based on what?

OBEYING THE WORD OF GOD!

Verse sixteen: “I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.”

Wow!

And just how HARD might that be, finding this Word of God? To learn and follow all the days of one’s life? To enjoy such a time of blessing?

Now, today’s Bible “Text” …

“For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.” Deuteronomy 30:11-14

These stipulations, laws, are all readily available!

This “commandment” (meaning the whole lot of them, all 613 if the rabbis are right) is here being depicted as “One Word” from God.

And it is not “hidden!” Here the Holy Spirit uses the word “pala,” an unusual word in this context. But 5 times in the Bible (Old Testament, “pala” being Hebrew) it is translated “hard.” This (our Text) is the only time it is translated “hidden,” but the meaning is essentially the same.

Plus, the parallel clause locks the meaning securely, “neither is it far off.” Where “rahoq” is used, meaning “remote, distant, a great space.”

If God is going to require that His “COMMANDMENT” be respected and implemented … He will make it available, handy, not far removed and inaccessible! That’s the point of the whole paragraph!

One does not have to go to “Heaven” to get it!

Nor across the “sea!”

No, the Jews have been so taught the Word of God that it can be said … “But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart.”

Already memorized!

In fact, they wore it on their heads and arms!

They also posted these words on their doorposts and walls of their homes!

They were taught to speak of them (God’s Words, Commands) day and night. When they got up on the morning! When they went to bed every night! When they ate their meals! Virtually, all the time!

Truthfully it could be declared: “But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart.”

If God makes a strong demand … He also makes the following of that command easy! He makes His precepts handily found!

To what end, what’s the goal?

The last words to every clause in the passage are … “that we may hear it, and do it!” Applying the Word of God! Note the sequence … hearing first. Then doing!

Wondrous thoughts!

From what nearly amounts to a geography lesson!

By the way, God’s Word (the New Testament I mean now) is equally available to us today!

To obey the Commands of Jesus!

Thank God today for your Bible, dear friends!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

Oh yes, Paul in Romans 10:6-9 quotes these Deuteronomy verses about the (easy) availability of God’s plan of Salvation! Here it is: “But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? That is, to bring Christ down from above, or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

Wow!

 

 

 

I’ve know of the verse for years. And every time I’ve read through the whole Bible, I naturally came across Deuteronomy 29:29 again. (George Mueller read through his Bible over 200 times … on his knees! So says his biographer.)

“The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.”

God has “secrets?”

Yes, in the sense that GOD KNOWS EVERYTHING.

And we don’t know everything!

And apparently … some of those secret things may NEVER be made known!

Until we get to Heaven, anyway.

The Hebrew word “secret” (spelled “sathar”) means “hidden,” and at times even “concealed!”

But with God much is also “revealed!”

“Galah” here means “uncovered, discovered, shown.”

I think Moses may be saying that some things are beyond human capability to discern. Or at least beyond the bounds of propriety!

But those “revealed” things (God having made them known) can be appropriated, personalized and made our very own! “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed BELONG UNTO US and to our children for ever.”

See here that we’re supposed to “pass along” those truths to our children (and grandchildren)?

Make God’s revealed truths part of those younger lives as well!

But why?

Why does God “tell” us certain things?

“For our own good,” my Dad would have said.

God reveals them to us … “that we may do all the words of this law.”

That we may obey!

“Do” (“asah”) means “to follow through and perform” those things.

The “time” idea of the verb (an infinitive in Hebrew) is progressive.

Habitual “doing!”

For a lifetime!

“The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.”

Wow, let’s ponder this one today.

— Dr. Mike Bagwell