Deuteronomy 17 - 20 (17th Mar) - Ezra

Deuteronomy 17

This passage shows us that, God has appointed leaders over every nation, and not just nation, over our lives to.

Who are these leaders?
They are the governments. Church pastors and leaders, etc…

Why do we have these leaders over our lives?
They are all God’s appointed leaders.
- For the governments: so that the law will be in place.
o 11 Act according to the law they teach you and the decisions they give you. Do not turn aside from what they tell you, to the right or to the left.
- For church, pastors advices, sometimes with guidelines so that we won’t go astray and fall into a dark pit.
o 15 be sure to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses.
o 16 The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, "You are not to go back that way again."

Deuteronomy 18

This chapter shows us the submission we have to give towards our spiritual leaders and not to imitate the world out there.

Spiritual leaders that God has placed over us; we must submit to them and support them in ministry.

Recently, the young arrows survivor camp just ended and before that, during that weekend was the Encounter Weekend headed by our tribe. Some of the family was at the encounter helping Pastor and also preaching, and some of us were at / going in and out of the survivor camp supporting these ministry.

Many of pastor’s 12 have and always took time off from their work, rest, personal time, etc… to be present for tribe activities.

In the same way as written:
3 This is the share due the priests from the people who sacrifice a bull or a sheep: the shoulder, the jowls and the inner parts.
4 You are to give them the firstfruits of your grain, new wine and oil, and the first wool from the shearing of your sheep,
5 for the LORD your God has chosen them and their descendants out of all your tribes to stand and minister in the LORD's name always.

And as versus nine puts;
9 When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there.
That’s where you can learn to really appreciate your spiritual father or mother when you are heading the wrong direction, in the direction of the worldly view, they will be the ones to direct you back to God’s view.

Deuteronomy 19

These instructions and laws are put across in this chapter to show us that God is a God who watches over us and wants the best of our every character.
He places these laws so that men can live in righteousness and without hatred for one another. This chapter also tells us that God is a merciful God, He understands situation and He will make a way for us.

4 This is the rule concerning the man who kills another and flees there to save his life—one who kills his neighbor unintentionally, without malice aforethought.

Not to escape, but to learn from our mistakes so that we will grow more in Him as He molds us, our character and attitude.

9 because you carefully follow all these laws I command you today—to love the LORD your God and to walk always in his ways—then you are to set aside three more cities.

Deuteronomy 20

We are at war, spiritual war.

You know, when you are a solider, you learn how to be tactical so that the enemy will not spot you. You are thought to engage an enemy when his attacking you. You also learn and train to take over territories and secure it so that enemies will not take over it.

Sounds fun huh?

Well, it’s exactly the same with our own lives. What you read in this chapter is not just about going to fight a war and killing the enemy.

13 When the LORD your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it.

When you have overcome your past or whatever that distracts you, put an end to every accusation from the evil one that tries to remind you of the badness you use to be.

16 However, in the cities of the nations the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes.

18 Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods, and you will sin against the LORD your God.

If you have overcome the distractions in your life, you must make sure that, that area of you life does not breathe again. Which means, your past, the kind of person you use to be, these all must not breathe again in your life.

You may not be able to overcome this alone, but your spiritual parent / leader is around for you to be accountable to.