Devotionary Ken Miller

In Ecclesiastes 3:16-22, Solomon continues his diatribe against the injustices of life, communicating his distress over the topsy-turvy nature of the world, where righteousness and justice get replaced by wickedness and oppression. From his perspective, man was no better off than the animals, because both end their lives in death. And as far as Solomon could tell, there was no guarantee that man ended up any place different after death than any other creature created by God. In fact, he flatly states that man has no advantage over the animals. He may get to enjoy the benefits of his manhood while on this planet, but once death comes calling, a dead man is no better off than a dead dog. But one of the things we have to keep reminding ourselves about is that Solomon was a man who had lost touch with his God. He had proven unfaithful to God. And while his life was filled with all kinds of material possessions and pleasures, he was missing the one thing he needed most: A healthy and vibrant relationship with God. Without God, he was operating in a vacuum, unable to see life through God’s eyes. His whole perspective was warped by his secular world view and his obsession with seeking satisfaction and meaning in this life. And the real eye-opener in all of this is the stark contrast between the views of Solomon and those of his father. How could a father and son end up so far apart in their understanding of and love for God. They both believed in Him, but while one saw Him as loving, gracious and kind, the other had come to view Him as distant and detached. And those opposing views of God dramatically influenced their view of the world.

Today we begin a brand-new series on the Gospel of John. This remarkable book will take us on incredible journey of discovery that that begins with the very first day of Jesus’ earthly ministry when He was baptized by John in the wilderness, all the way to His death, burial, and resurrection more than 3 years later. And along the way, John will provide us with his first-person account of all that he witnessed along the way. As one of Jesus’ hand-picked disciples, John had a unique vantage point from which to observe and assess all that Jesus said and did. Like the other disciples, he would struggle to grasp exactly who Jesus was and what He had come to do. In his heart, he longed for Jesus to be the long-awaited Messiah of Israel. And that hope carried certain expectations. But his gospel account, written years later, will reveal how his understanding of and belief in Jesus changed over time. John learned that Jesus was far more than a man sent to sit on a throne in Israel. He was the Son of God and the Savior sent to redeem a lost and dying world.   

The Bible is one book that emanated from a single source: God. Yes, He used a variety of human authors to pen the words, but each did so under the influence of the Holy Spirit. The words they wrote were, as Paul put it, God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16). And what makes the Word of God so unique is its unbelievable continuity and cohesiveness, even though its content was written over a lengthy period of time by a diverse array of individuals from different backgrounds and living in different centuries. When reading the Bible in its entirety, one is able to see the divine authorship of God as he weaves a narrative that points to His plan of redemption for mankind. And there are few places where this is made more clear than in Deuteronomy 18:15:22.

Nothing surprises God. There is never a moment when He is caught off guard or finds Himself asking, “How did that happen?” And we’re going to see that truth lived out in Deuteronomy 19:1-13, as God reveals His plan for the cities of sanctuary that were to be established by the Israelites once they entered the land of Canaan. God was preparing for future events, long before they ever happened. He was lovingly protecting His people from unknowingly committing a sin. The Israelites were only human and God knew they would be prone to act according to their emotions. He knew the land of promise was going to be filled with people who could and would hurt one another – even kill one another. So, He had Moses provide them with His plan for the inevitable so that they would not do the unthinkable.

God had set apart the people of Israel, deeming them to be His treasured possession. As such, they were expected to live differently than the other nations around them. And to make sure they understood just how distinctive their lives were to be, God had given them His law as a code of conduct. He had left nothing to chance. They were not free to establish their own rules or to live according to their own standards. God had given them an extremely detailed list of rules intended to regulate every area of their lives – from the minuscule to the major and the common to the holy. And in Deuteronomy 19:14-21, Moses provides the people of Israel with some last-minute reminders about God’s law and His expectation that they hear and fear them. In other words, obey them.

Once the people of Israel crossed over the Jordan and entered the land of Canaan, the real work would begin. They would be expected to do battle with the current occupants of the land, defeating them and dispossessing them from their homes, villages, towns, and cities. It was going to require a great deal of effort and, as with any war, there would be casualties. So, God had Moses inform the people of Israel about a series of exemptions from battle designed to protect the family unit. While everyone would be expected to do their part in the conquering of the land, God graciously provided His people with legal exemptions from military service. At the end of the day, any victory they enjoyed would be because God was fighting for them. So, He could afford to give some of His people time off from doing battle.