POPULAR BIBLE STORIES, LESSONS AND MORE
"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15
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 Amen!Throughout God's Holy Word (the Bible), He routinely blesses man for his obedience, and curses him for disobedience. "Our God is a consuming fire" Hebrews 12:29, and He will not tolerate disobedience. "It is a fearful and terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God [incurring His judgment and wrath]." Hebrews 10:31 After 40 years being led through the wilderness by the Lord, the Israelites were finally ready to take possession of the land promised by God to their fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel), a land flowing with milk and honey. God promises great blessings if they keep all His commandments, but, also, great punishment for disobedience. I mean, if we really think about it, no one should wonder why the world is in its current state of affairs. In Genesis 6:5-6, "The Lord saw that the wickedness (depravity) of man was great on the earth, and that every imagination or intent of the thoughts of his heart were only evil continually. The Lord regretted that He had made mankind on the earth, and He was [deeply] grieved in His heart." God loves us, though. We are His peculiar people, created by Him and for Him, in His likeness and image, and paid for with a hefty ransom, the blood of His only begotten son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. His Peculiar People: 1 Peter 2:9 "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;" Created By Him and For Him: Colossians 1:16 "For by Him all things were created in heaven and on earth, [things] visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities; all things were created and exist through Him and for Him." In His Likeness and Image: Genesis 1:27 "So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them." Paid for With a Hefty Ransom: 1 Corinthians 6:20 "You were bought with a price [you were actually purchased with the precious blood of Jesus and made His own]. So then, honor and glorify God with your body." He is our heavenly Father, and His blessings for obedience are great, but He will not tolerate disobedience, for which His curses are also abundant. God's Treasured Possession Deuteronomy 26 18 "Today the Lord has declared that you are His people, His treasured possession, just as He promised you, and that you are to keep all His commandments; 19 and that He will set you high above all the nations which He has made, for praise, fame, and honor: and that you shall be a holy people [set apart and consecrated] to the Lord your God, just as He has spoken.” God Provides . . . Blessings for Obedience and Curses for Disobedience Deuteronomy 27 11 "Moses also commanded the people that day, saying, 12 These [tribes] shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people when you have crossed the Jordan: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. 13 These [tribes] shall stand on Mount Ebal to pronounce the curse [for disobedience]: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. 14 The Levites shall answer with a loud voice to all the men of Israel: 15 ‘Cursed is the man who makes a carved or cast image (idol), a repulsive thing to the Lord, the work of the hands of the artisan, and sets it up in secret.’ All the people shall answer and say, ‘Amen.’ 16 ‘Cursed is he who dishonors (treats with contempt) his father or his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ 17 ‘Cursed is he who moves his neighbor’s boundary mark.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ 18 ‘Cursed is he who misleads a blind person on the road.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ 19 ‘Cursed is he who distorts (perverts) the justice due to a stranger, an orphan, and a widow.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ 20 ‘Cursed is he who is intimate with his father’s [former] wife, because he has violated what belongs to his father.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ 21 ‘Cursed is he who is intimate with any animal.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ 22 ‘Cursed is he who is intimate with his [half] sister, whether his father’s or his mother’s daughter.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ 23 ‘Cursed is he who is intimate with his mother-in-law.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ 24 ‘Cursed is he who strikes his neighbor in secret.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ 25 ‘Cursed is he who accepts a bribe to strike down an innocent person.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ 26 ‘Cursed is he who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them [keeping them, taking them to heart as the rule of his life].’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’" God Provides . . . Blessings and Curses Deuteronomy 28 1 “Now it shall be, if you diligently listen to and obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all of His commandments which I am commanding you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 2 All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you pay attention to the voice of the Lord your God. 3 You will be blessed in the city, and you will be blessed in the field. 4 The offspring of your body and the produce of your ground and the offspring of your animals, the offspring of your herd and the young of your flock will be blessed. 5 Your basket and your kneading bowl will be blessed. 6 You will be blessed when you come in and you will be blessed when you go out. 7 The Lord will cause the enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they will come out against you one way, but flee before you seven ways. 8 The Lord will command the blessing upon you in your storehouses and in all that you undertake, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God gives you. 9 The Lord will establish you as a people holy [and set apart] to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk [that is, live your life each and every day] in His ways. 10 So all the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will be afraid of you. 11 The Lord will give you great prosperity, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your livestock and the produce of your ground, in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. 12 The Lord will open for you His good treasure house, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand; and you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow. 13 The Lord will make you the head (leader) and not the tail (follower); and you will be above only, and you will not be beneath, if you listen and pay attention to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I am commanding you today, to observe them carefully. 14 Do not turn aside from any of the words which I am commanding you today, to the right or to the left, to follow and serve other gods. Consequences of Disobedience 15 But it shall come about, if you do not listen to and obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today, then all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: 16 You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the field. 17 Your basket and your kneading bowl will be cursed. 18 The offspring of your body and the produce of your land, the offspring of your herd and the young of your flock will be cursed. 19 You will be cursed when you come in and you will be cursed when you go out. 20 The Lord will send upon you curses, confusion, and rebuke in everything that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed, perishing quickly because of the evil of your deeds, because you have turned away from Me. 21 The Lord will make the pestilence and plague cling to you until He has consumed and eliminated you from the land which you are entering to possess. 22 The Lord will strike you with consumption [causing you to waste away] and with fever and with inflammation and with fiery heat and with the sword and with blight and with mildew [on your crops]; and they will pursue you until you perish. 23 The heaven which is over your head shall be bronze [giving no rain and blocking all prayers], and the earth which is under you, iron [hard to plow and yielding no produce]. 24 The Lord will make the rain of your land powder and dust; from heaven it will come down on you until you are destroyed. 25 The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies; you will go out against them one way, but flee before them seven ways, and you will be an example of terror to all the kingdoms of the earth [when they see your destruction]. 26 Your carcasses will be food for all the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth, and there will be no one to frighten them away. 27 The Lord will strike you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors and with the scab and the itch that you cannot heal. 28 The Lord will strike you with madness and with blindness and with bewilderment of heart and mind; 29 and you will be groping at noon [in broad daylight], just as the blind grope in the darkness, and nothing you do will prosper; but you will only be oppressed and exploited and robbed continually, with no one to save you. 30 You will be pledged to marry a wife, but another man will be intimate with her [before you]; you will build a house, but you will not live in it; you will plant a vineyard, but you will not use its fruit. 31 Your ox will be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will not eat any of it; your donkey will be torn away from you, and it will not be returned to you; your sheep will be given to your enemies, and you will have no one to save you. 32 Your sons and daughters will be given to another people, while your eyes look on and long for them continually; but there will be nothing you can do. 33 A people whom you do not know will eat the produce of your land and all the products of your labors, and you will never be anything but oppressed and exploited and crushed continually. 34 You shall be driven mad by the sight of the things you see. 35 The Lord will strike you on the knees and on the legs with sore boils that you cannot heal, from the sole of your foot to the crown of your head. 36 The Lord will bring you and your king, whom you appoint over you, to a nation which you and your fathers have never known; there you will [be forced to] serve other gods, [lifeless gods of] wood and stone. 37 And you will become a horror, a proverb [a mere object lesson], and a taunt [a derisive joke] among all the people to which the Lord drives you. 38 You will bring out a great quantity of seed to the field, but you will gather in little, because the locusts will consume it. 39 You will plant vineyards and cultivate them, but you will not drink the wine or gather the grapes, because the worm will eat them. 40 You will have olive trees throughout your territory but you will not anoint yourselves with the oil, because your olives will drop off. 41 You will have sons and daughters, but they will not be yours [for long], because they will go into captivity. 42 The cricket will take possession of all your trees and the produce of your ground. 43 The stranger who lives among you will rise above you higher and higher, and you will go down lower and lower. 44 He will lend to you [out of his affluence], but you will not lend to him [because of your poverty]; he will be the head, and you the tail. 45 So all these curses will come on you and pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God by keeping His commandments and His statutes which He has commanded you. 46 They will be a sign and a wonder to you and your descendants forever." Amen. And, what is important to know is that our God, our heavenly Father, is just and forgiving, if we repent [turn away from sin]. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9 "I tell you, no; but unless you repent [change your old way of thinking, turn from your sinful ways and live changed lives], you will all likewise perish.” Luke 13:5 "Change your hearts! And show by the way you live that you have changed." [Repent] Matthew 3:8 "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14 There is only one way to God, through His son, the Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 2 5 "For there is [only] one God, and [only] one Mediator between God and mankind, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the right and proper time." John 8:24 "I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins." Ephesians 6 10 "In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [draw your strength from Him and be empowered through your union with Him] and in the power of His [boundless] might. 11 Put on the full armor of God [for His precepts (commandments) are like the splendid armor of a heavily-armed soldier], so that you may be able to [successfully] stand up against all the schemes and the strategies and the deceits of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places. 13 Therefore, put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to [successfully] resist and stand your ground in the evil day [of danger], and having done everything [that the crisis demands], to stand firm [in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious]. 14 So stand firm and hold your ground, having tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist and having put on the breastplate of righteousness (an upright heart), 15 and having strapped on your feet the gospel of peace in preparation [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news]. 16 Above all, lift up the [protective] shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God." Amen.
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 Deuteronomy 34 The Death of Moses 1 "Now Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is opposite Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land, from Gilead to Dan, 2 and all Naphtali and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah to the western sea (Mediterranean Sea), 3 and the Negev (South country) and the plain in the Valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. 4 Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.” 5 So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. 6 And He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; but no man knows where his burial place is to this day. 7 Although Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, his eyesight was not dim, nor his natural strength abated. 8 So the sons of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab for thirty days; then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended. 9 Now Joshua the son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; so the sons of Israel listened to him and did as the Lord commanded Moses. 10 Since that time no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, 11 [none equal to him] in all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, all his servants, and all his land, 12 and in all the mighty power and all the great and terrible deeds which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel." Praise God! Amen.  The Blessing of Moses Deuteronomy 33 biblegateway.com 1 "This is the blessing with which Moses the man of God [a]blessed the sons of Israel before his death. 2 He said, The Lord came from Sinai, And dawned on them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran, And He came from among ten thousand holy ones; At His right hand was a [b]flaming fire, a law, for them. 3 Indeed, He loves His people; All [c]Your holy ones are in Your hand. They followed in Your steps; They accept and receive direction from You. 4 Moses commanded us with a law, As a possession for the assembly of Jacob. 5 The Lord was King in Jeshurun (Israel), When the heads of the people were gathered, The tribes of Israel together. 6 May [the tribe of] Reuben live and not die out, [d]But let his men be few.” 7 And [Moses said] this of [e]Judah: Hear, O Lord, the voice of Judah, And bring him to his people. With his hands he contended for them, And may You be a help against his enemies.” 8 Of Levi he said, Your [f]Thummim and Your Urim belong to Your godly man [Aaron], Whom You tested and proved at Massah, With whom You contended at the waters of Meribah; 9 Who [g]said of his father and mother, ‘I did not consider them’; Nor did he acknowledge his brothers, Nor did he regard his own sons, For the priests observed Your word, And kept Your covenant. 10 The priests shall teach Your ordinances (judgments) to Jacob, And Your law to Israel. They shall put incense [h]before You, And whole burnt offerings on Your altar. 11 O Lord, bless Levi’s substance (ability), And accept and take pleasure in the work of his hands; Crush and shatter the loins of those who rise up against him, And of those who hate him, so that they do not rise again. 12 Of Benjamin he said, May the beloved of the Lord [i]dwell in safety by Him; He shields and covers him all the day long, And he dwells between His shoulders. 13 And of [j]Joseph he said, Blessed by the Lord be his land, With the precious things of heaven, with the dew, And from the deep water that lies beneath, 14 With the precious fruits of the sun, And with the precious produce of the months. 15 With the best things of the ancient mountains, And with the precious things of the everlasting hills, 16 With the precious things of the earth and its fullness, And the favor and goodwill of Him who dwelt in the bush. Let these blessings come upon the head of Joseph, And upon the crown of the head of him who was distinguished [as a prince] among his brothers. 17 His majesty is like a firstborn young bull, And his horns like the horns of the wild ox; With them he will gore the peoples, All of them together, to the ends of the earth. And those are the ten thousands of Ephraim, And those are the thousands of Manasseh. 18 Of Zebulun he said, [k]Rejoice, Zebulun, in your interests abroad, And, Issachar, in your tents [at home]. 19 They will call the peoples to the mountain (Mount Carmel); There they will offer sacrifices of righteousness; For they will draw out the abundance of the seas, And the hidden treasures of the sand. 20 Of Gad he said, Blessed is the one who enlarges Gad; He lurks like a lioness, And tears the arm and the crown of the head. 21 He selected the best [land] for himself, For there the leader’s portion was reserved; Yet he came with the leaders of the people; He carried out the justice (righteous will) of the Lord, And His ordinances (judgments) with Israel. 22 Of Dan he said, Dan is a lion’s cub, That leaps forth from Bashan. 23 Of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, And full of the blessing of the Lord, Take possession of the sea [of Galilee] and the south. 24 Of Asher he said, More blessed than sons is Asher; May he be favored by his brothers, And may he dip his foot in oil. 25 Your strongholds will be iron and bronze, And as your days are, so will your strength, your rest and security be. 26 There is none like the God of Jeshurun (Israel), Who rides the heavens to your help, And through the skies in His majestic glory. 27 The eternal God is your refuge and dwelling place, And underneath are the everlasting arms; He drove out the enemy from before you, And said, ‘Destroy!’ 28 So Israel dwells in safety and security, The fountain of Jacob alone and secluded, In a land of grain and new wine; His heavens also drop down dew. 29 Happy and blessed are you, O Israel; Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, The Shield of your help, And the Sword of your majesty! Your enemies will cringe before you, And you will tread on their high places [tramping down their idolatrous altars].” Footnotes
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Melanie GarciaFaithful and humble servant of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Archives
June 2023
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