Ok, I mentioned that there would be a lot of review in these chapters, and that's true. But they are still bursting with more application than I can absorb at once, so lets dive right in and get to work.
Chapter 16
Verse 3 Some say that leaven is always a metaphor for sin, but here it is clearly different. He calls the unleavened bread the "bread of affliction". Just think about that loaf of bread you had with dinner. It was warm, fluffy, soft and tasty. Yum. But for the week of the Passover, God is asking His people to eat bread that is not so pleasant. It probably took lots of chewing and didn't go down at all easily. Maybe a corner of it scraped against the gums. But while they were chewing, they were to think of the day that God delivered them out of Egypt.
I think in some ways God still requires to "eat the bread of affliction." He allows seasons in our life to be unpleasant or even painful to pull us out of our daily lives and remind us of our focus. He has brought us out of slavery, too. Only this time, the blood of the perfect lamb that keeps us from death is from His Son, Jesus Christ.
Chapter 17
Verse 14. God has set up His government with himself as King, but he knows that in the future they will want a human king. Although it would be many years later, this is the prophesy of that, proof that God knew their hearts and their futures. And still he provided for them in their mistakes.
Verses 16-17 These are serious requirements for the Israelite King. God knew that power would temp a man to wander from Him. And as we know, even the greatest kings in Israel's history will break these rules. And the consequences will be exactly as predicted here.
Chapter 18
Much of this chapter warns God's people against dabbling in the occult. I believe that we are in a very similar position, and should heed this warning as well. On television alone, how many shows play with the idea of mediums and communing with the dead. Many of these have consultants who do it in the real world for a living. This is not just make believe. The spirit world is real, something we should be aware of, and these shows are making it look like fun or something that can be mastered.
Verse 20. While it must have been an unbelievable honor to be named as a prophet of God, it was not a job to be taken lightly.
Next time: Deuteronomy 19-20
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