Journal 18-8-2009

Journal 18-8-2009

Scripture

Deuteronomy 23:9-25 (The Message)

^9-11 When you are camped out, at war with your enemies, be careful to keep yourself from anything ritually defiling. If one of your men has become ritually unclean because of a nocturnal emission, he must go outside the camp and stay there until evening when he can wash himself, returning to the camp at sunset.

^12-14 Mark out an area outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourselves. Along with your weapons have a stick with you. After you relieve yourself, dig a hole with the stick and cover your excrement. God, your God, strolls through your camp; he's present to deliver you and give you victory over your enemies. Keep your camp holy; don't permit anything indecent or offensive in God's eyes.

^15-16 Don't return a runaway slave to his master; he's come to you for refuge. Let him live wherever he wishes within the protective gates of your city. Don't take advantage of him.

^17-18 No daughter of Israel is to become a sacred prostitute; and no son of Israel is to become a sacred prostitute. And don't bring the fee of a sacred whore or the earnings of a priest-pimp to the house of God, your God, to pay for any vow—they are both an abomination to God, your God.

^19-20 Don't charge interest to your kinsmen on any loan: not for money or food or clothing or anything else that could earn interest. You may charge foreigners interest, but you may not charge your brothers interest; that way God, your God, will bless all the work that you take up and the land that you are entering to possess.

^21-23 When you make a vow to God, your God, don't put off keeping it; God, your God, expects you to keep it and if you don't you're guilty. But if you don't make a vow in the first place, there's no sin. If you say you're going to do something, do it. Keep the vow you willingly vowed to God, your God. You promised it, so do it.

^24-25 When you enter your neighbor's vineyard, you may eat all the grapes you want until you're full, but you may not put any in your bucket or bag. And when you walk through the ripe grain of your neighbor, you may pick the heads of grain, but you may not swing your sickle there.

Observation

God is a God of hygiene. He cares or the environment. In v 14, we are reminded to keep our camp holy. We are not to permit anything indecent or offensive in God’s eyes. We must be clean and stay clean.

We are also to provide refuge to refugees. We are to provide our brothers in their time of need.

We must not delay when we make a vow to God. How ironic that we expect God to answer our prayers but we come up with excuses when it comes to fulfilling our promises to God.

Application

I must take care of my hygiene.

I must be kind to refugees

I must help my brothers in their time of need.

I must fulfill my promises to God

Response

Lord I thank you for today. Help me to always care for the environment and manage our wastes. Teach me to be kind to everybody I meet. Help me to always be in a position to be able to help those in need. Let me fulfill my promises to you and others God. Help me always to be a beacon that shines for you. Amen.