Notice on a slight format change:

Except for July 2012, these are mostly a collection of current devotional notes.

July 2012 is a re-write of old quiet times. My second child was born Nov 11, 1987 with multiple birth defects. I've been re-reading my QT notes from that time in my life, and have included them here. They cover the time before the birth and the few years immediately after the birth. They are tagged "historical." I added new insights and labeled them: ((TODAY, dd mmm yy)).

Thursday, February 9, 2012

QT 9 Feb 12, Direct rebellion is despising God's word


Num 15:30-36 (NIV) "'But anyone who sins defiantly, whether native-born or alien, blasphemes the Lord, and that person must be cut off from his people. 31 Because he has despised the Lord's word and broken his commands, that person must surely be cut off; his guilt remains on him.'"

32 While the Israelites were in the desert, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. 33 Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, 34 and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him. 35 Then the Lord said to Moses, "The man must die. The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp." 36 So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the Lord commanded Moses.

NOTE: Riggans, 1983, wrote,
There are eleven offenses punishable by stoning according to the Old Testament: idolatry (Deut. 17:2-7); encouragement of idolatry (Deut. 13:6-10); child sacrifice (Lev. 20:2-5); prophecy in the name of another god (Deut. 13:1-5); divination (Lev. 20:27); blasphemy (Lev. 24:15-16); breaking the Sabbath (here); murder by an ox (Exod. 21:28-29); adultery (Deut. 22:22ff.); rebellion by a son (Deut. 21:18ff.); violation of God's ban on plunder devoted to him (Josh. 7:25).
Today, in the new covenant, we know that we are not under law but under grace. There is still punishment for direct rebellion,  but it is handled directly by our father (Hebrews calls it discipline). Additionally, we are no longer under the restrictions of the Sabbath, as evidenced by Jesus' statements and Paul's letters. Still, God is not pleased with direct rebellion--the principle of direct rebellion is still valid in both covenants. The foundation is the same, "he has despised the Lord's word." That is why fear of the Lord is just as important in the new covenant as it was in the old. God is our judge and our father, and he will deal with us if we despise his word.

Father, I thank you that I am not under the old covenant law, but I know that I still struggle with sin in my inner self. Forgive me and cleanse me. Help me to walk in a way that pleases you.
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