TODAY IN THE WORD

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Deuteronomy 19:1-21
Do no wrong or violence to the alien, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place. - Jeremiah 22:3
TODAY IN THE WORD
The Jewish philosopher Philo once wrote, “Holiness toward God and justice toward men usually go together.” We see this reflected in the Law of Moses. God’s Law was not merely concerned about law and order–its aim was to move Israelite society in the direction of justice. One proof of this is seen in the rules laid down for the establishment of cities of refuge.

Once God’s people had settled in the land, they were to establish cities in a central location and build roads to them so that people would have easy access. Anyone guilty of unintentionally killing another person and who took refuge there was guaranteed protection from the “avenger of blood” until the elders of the city judged his case.

The “avenger of blood” was the one charged with responsibility for executing the death penalty on those guilty of murder. The text doesn’t say how this person was appointed. It is likely that he was a family member of the victim who was given the responsibility of seeing that justice was done.

If the accused was found guilty by the elders of the city, he was given to the avenger of blood. If found innocent, he remained there, serving a virtual life sentence until the death of the High Priest. This law balanced the community’s responsibility to avenge innocent blood with its obligation to protect the rights of the accused.

In addition, the Law of God required the validity of all accusations to be corroborated by the testimony of two or more witnesses. Anyone who gave false testimony was liable to the same punishment that would have been executed on the one who had been accused.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
God’s holiness is reflected in His passion for justice. His justice is tempered with mercy. Both come together in the work of Jesus Christ. God did not lower the demands of the Law in Christ. Instead, He met them by sending His Son to suffer the death penalty that our sins deserve. As a result, Jesus has become a source of mercy for all those who trust in Him.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Deuteronomy 20:1-20
And without faith it is impossible to please God. - Hebrews 11:6
TODAY IN THE WORD
During the turbulent days of his government, Oliver Cromwell sent one of his envoys to Sweden to represent his interests. The official stopped at an inn while in route, accompanied by his servant, but the envoy found that he was so troubled by the affairs of state that he could not sleep. He tossed and turned until his servant finally spoke up. “Sir,” the servant asked, “Do you not think that God governed the world well before you came into it?” “Undoubtedly,” the envoy replied. “And sir,” the servant continued, “do you not think that He will govern it quite as well when you are gone out of it?” “Certainly!” snorted the envoy–a little irritated at being asked the obvious. “Then sir, excuse me, but do you not think you may trust Him to govern it quite as well as long as you live?’ The envoy promptly turned over and went to sleep.

For Israel, the secret to success in taking possession of the land that God had promised to them didn’t lie in human strategy or military might. Ultimately it was a matter of faith. The directives laid down for God’s people in today’s passage echo the message of the gospel song that declares,“faith is the victory that overcomes the world.”

If this was true for God’s people in a time of literal warfare, it is even more important in the spiritual warfare all believers encounter today. God’s people continue to face a formidable opponent: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 6:12). These same spiritual powers were created by Christ and for Christ (Col. 1:16).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Do the obstacles you face seem overwhelming today? God is more than equal to the challenge. His message to Israel as they were about to confront their enemies was essentially this: “I am in charge and I am able to accomplish my purposes through you.” Make a list of the “enemies” that are arrayed against you today. As you pray, commit each one to the Lord. When you have finished sing the chorus, “He is Able, More than Able” and thank Him for accomplishing His will in all that concerns you today.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Deuteronomy 21:1-17
Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. - Philippians 2:4
TODAY IN THE WORD
Hubert Humphrey once observed: “The moral test of a government is how it treats those who are at the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the aged; and those who are in the shadow of life, the sick, the needy, and the handicapped.”

Today’s passage conveys a similar thought. It reveals that God expects His people to treat human life with respect. This expectation is reflected in laws that called for the community as a whole to take responsibility for the shedding of innocent blood. The Law also regulated cultural practices affecting some of society’s most vulnerable members: captives, wives, and children.

What may surprise us most about these laws is their failure to speak against practices that most of us would condemn today. They regulate practices like polygamy and the taking of women as “spoils” in warfare. This doesn’t mean that God endorses such things. The purpose of these laws was to introduce a redemptive dynamic into cultural practices that already existed. When compared to the customs of the surrounding nations in Moses’ day, they are clearly more humane. Rape, for example, was a common feature of ancient warfare. The Law of Moses did not allow this. Instead of permitting a woman who had been taken captive to be treated as an object and then cast aside, she was to be treated with dignity and given an opportunity to mourn the loss of her family. Likewise, in an age when the husband possessed the right to divorce his wife or disown his children for virtually no cause, the Law of Moses required God’s people to protect the inheritance rights of the first-born. This, in turn, protected the financial interests of the mother, who was both socially and economically vulnerable.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
While it is likely that the specific commands contained in today’s passage do not reflect the kinds of situations you are going to face today, the underlying principle does. You can expect to come into contact with those who are socially or economically vulnerable and those whose interests need to be protected. It may be the homeless, the elderly, the unborn, or simply those who are lonely and overlooked in your church. What can you do today to show them that God is concerned about them and is looking out for their interests?

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Deuteronomy 21:18-22:30
But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity. - Ephesians 5:3
TODAY IN THE WORD
A little boy who had been given the part of a sheep in his school’s nativity play was asking others in the program about their roles. Coming to a little girl whose mother was helping her into her costume he asked, “I’m a sheep–what are you?” “I’m Mary,” she replied. With an air of solemnity, the boy declared: “It’s hard being a sheep, you know.” “Yes,” the little girl agreed. “But it’s also hard being a virgin.”

She could have been speaking for many of us. Whether our commitment is to abstinence as a single person or fidelity to our spouse as one who is married, it isn’t always easy being morally pure in today’s society. Impure practices are widely tolerated. They are a common feature in movies and on television. Advertising images frequently appeal to our sexual impulses to sell their products, and many implicitly endorse homosexuality. Instead of being seen as a covenant made for life, marriage is now widely regarded as a temporary social commitment that can be revoked at any time. Many people don’t see any need for marriage at all.

Today’s passage contains an assortment of commands whose purpose, in some cases, is not always easy to understand. The intent of the command to help a neighbor whose ox or donkey has fallen in the road is clear enough. So are the commands that protect a woman’s reputation from false accusations about her moral behavior. What, however, are we to make of the others? Why did God care if an Israelite took the mother bird along with the young from her nest? Why did He command His people not to wear clothes of wool and linen woven together or to plant two kinds of seed in a vineyard?
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Spend some time watching prime time television (or scan the channels). Note how many programs portray in a positive light those situations that violate biblical principles of morality and purity. As you do, consider whether your own values are shaped more by popular practice or biblical standards. Do you find the limits God has set too confining? Are there some you have deliberately ignored? If so, what steps will you need to take to bring these areas in line with God’s Word? Pray about what action you should take, and ask God for His strength to follow through on this commitment.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Deuteronomy 23:1-25
From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind. - Psalm 33:13
TODAY IN THE WORD
In his classic book entitled Holiness, nineteenth-century Anglican bishop and evangelical leader J. C. Ryle asks his readers to consider whether it would be possible to be happy in heaven without holiness. “Suppose for a moment that you were allowed to enter heaven without holiness,” he writes. “What would you do? What possible enjoyment could you feel there? To which of all the saints would you join yourself, and by whose side would you sit down? Their pleasures are not your pleasures, their tastes not your tastes, their character not your character.”

Today’s passage emphasizes a similar theme. Just as there is no happiness in heaven without holiness, it is equally true that those who are most at home among God’s people live holy lives. The regulations in the Mosaic Law set limits on those who were permitted to join God’s people when they were assembled for worship. In many cases, the conditions of exclusion were related to pagan worship practices. Other stipulations, however, provided direction for handling a range of daily concerns, from the charging of interest to picking grapes from a neighbor’s vineyard.

Living as we do in a culture that tends to separate the spiritual from the mundane, such matters may seem strangely unrelated. What do necessary bodily functions, the practice of community hygiene, and the economy have in common? Most of all, what do they have to do with holiness? While they are not directly related to one another, they are all part of the same lifestyle. Holy living demands that we be careful in all our actions. Even the most private behavior comes under God’s scrutiny.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Read through today’s passage and identify the major areas of life that are addressed. When you are finished, identify some of the major categories in your own life. Some examples might be “Holiness in the neighborhood,” “Holiness on my job,” or “Holiness in the use of my body.” Record each category and underneath write a paragraph that describes what you think the practice of holiness should look like for that area of your life. Are there changes you need to make in the way your life is structured in order to make this a reality?

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Deuteronomy 24:1-22
He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord. - Proverbs 19:17
TODAY IN THE WORD
“All the arguments which are brought to represent poverty as no evil show it to be a great evil,” Samuel Johnson noted. “You never find people laboring to convince you that you may live very happily with a plentiful fortune.”

God’s concern for the poor is a consistent theme in the Scriptures. Far from romanticizing the plight of the poor as some in the church have occasionally done, God’s Word acknowledges that the poor are often taken advantage of and need society’s protection. The Law of Moses included many regulations that protected the rights of the poor and offered them a kind of social safety net. The regulations found in Deuteronomy 24 reflect this priority, as well as a general concern for others who were vulnerable in Hebrew society: women, orphans, and foreigners. Commentator J. G. McConville explains, “The movement in the chapter, from marriage to other measures protecting family life, and thence to commands protecting the poor and disadvantaged, is part of the laws’ connected reflection on what it means to be the people of Yahweh.”

Why should we care about the weak? First, we should care because God cares about them. He has an abiding interest in those that society has overlooked. This was reflected in Christ’s ministry when He accepted as His disciples those that Jewish society despised.

Second, we should care about the weak because we were once weak (1 Cor. 1:26). It is true that such a concern contributes to a more humane society, but that is not primarily why we as Christians show an interest. Our concern is an expression of the gratitude we feel for God’s grace shown to us. It is an expression of our longing to have a heart that reflects God’s own heart.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
It is easy to be so overwhelmed by the magnitude of the problems caused by poverty that we fail to do anything about it. Individually, we may not be able to change the social structures and injustices that cause poverty. In fact, it is unlikely that we will. Jesus said that we would always have the poor among us (John 12:. This does not mean, however, that what you do is insignificant–it’s important to the people who are touched by your actions and to God. Ask your pastor for suggestions about practical ways you can “remember the poor.”

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Deuteronomy 25:1-19
Do not pervert justice. - Leviticus 19:15
TODAY IN THE WORD
In June 2000, Genevieve Simenon murdered her lover by bashing in his skull. She called a close friend who was a doctor and told him that her lover had suffered a heart attack and had hit his head while falling. The doctor wrote out a death certificate without examining the body and cited “natural causes” as the cause of death. However, the mortician became suspicious and called the police, and Simenon confessed to the crime. Two years later, after hearing testimony about her difficult past, a jury sentenced Simenon to psychiatric evaluation and five years of probation.

Some would say that Simenon’s case exemplifies a key component of the American judicial system in our day–clear protections of the rights of the accused. In God’s legal system, even the rights of the guilty were protected. They were punished, but limits were set to ensure that the penalty was commensurate with the crime. Care was taken, not only to see that justice was done, but to make certain that the guilty would not be degraded in the process (Deut. 25:3).

This concern is a striking example of the importance of preserving the human dignity of others–even those who seem to be the least deserving of such protection. Likewise, the rights of animals were to be protected, as well as the inheritance rights of widows.

Mosaic justice, however, was not soft. A woman who unfairly helped her husband gain advantage in a fight was punished severely, and the sins of the Amalekites during the Exodus were remembered long after they took place. Overall, though, divine justice was tempered by God’s mercy, while His economy had more than the “bottom line” in view. In His eyes a just society is one that protects the rights of all, even those who deserve to be punished. It has a special concern for those who are easily taken advantage of by others who possess more power or position.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
In simplest terms, justice involves doing the “right” thing. It is concerned about protecting the interests of others. Use a concordance or the search function on your Bible study software to see how often the term justice appears in the Bible. You will discover that God has more than a passing interest in it. You can emulate that interest on a personal level by speaking up for the rights of others when you see that they have been overlooked and by offering a biblical perspective to those leaders who are responsible for making certain that justice is carried out.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Deuteronomy 26:1-19
And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. -
TODAY IN THE WORD
In his book Holiness By Grace, Bryan Chapell tells of the time he gave his father a tie rack for his birthday. It was made from a rotten log shaped like a horse’s head. “I attached a length of two-by-four board to that log head, attached a rope tail, and stuck on some sticks to act as legs. Then I halfway hammered in a dozen or so nails down the two-by- four, put a bow on it, and presented it to my father” Chapell writes. “When he took off the wrapping, he smiled and said, 'Thank you, it’s wonderful . . . what is it?’ ”

Chapell’s father used the tie rack for many years. From a child’s point of view, Chapell explains that he believed that his gift to his father was as good as it gets--a true work of art. In time, however, he came to see it differently: “I understood ultimately that my father had received and used my gift not because of its goodness but out of his goodness.”

This is the same perspective we should have as we give to God. When we give to God we are not trying to supply Him with something He needs or to bribe Him for favors. Instead, we are acknowledging His faithfulness in providing for our needs and declaring our dependence upon Him. In the Law of Moses such confidence in God was expressed in a concrete way through laws that commanded God’s people to offer firstfruits and tithes.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
When God’s people brought their offerings to the chief priest, they were to make a public declaration of God’s faithfulness (Deut. 26:3, 5–10). The two statements focus on concrete examples of God’s care for His people. They served as reminders to Israel of God’s call, His concern for them during their suffering, and of their ultimate deliverance by His powerful hand.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Deuteronomy 27:1-26
O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. - Psalm 78:1
TODAY IN THE WORD
Several years ago media mogul Ted Turner expressed his opinion about the Ten Commandments by saying, ”If you're only going to have ten rules, I don't know if adultery should be one of them.” Whether he was serious or not, his comment reflects the rejection of moral absolutes. It's not a denial that morals exist. Rather, some believe that ideas of right and wrong are so personal and subjective that they can't apply to anyone else. For them, nothing is ”written in stone.”

God's laws for Israel, however, were written in stone, both literally and figuratively. They weren't open for debate by God's people. Once Israel finally entered the land of promise, they were to renew their covenant with God by listening to the Levites recite the blessings of obedience and the consequences of disobedience as promised in the Law. God's people were then to acknowledge their accountability to this standard by responding with an ”Amen” to each promise or threat.

Many aspects of the Law of Moses, however, were instructional and temporary. For example, the Mosaic Law declared some foods clean and others unclean in order to drive home the need for God's people to distinguish between what is holy and what is unholy. When Jesus came, He declared all foods clean (Mark 7:19). The animal sacrifices and offerings required by the Law were fulfilled by Christ (Heb. 10:1). These sacrifices were ”shadows” of Christ's sacrifice and were never meant (or able) to remove sin. Instead, they pointed to the suffering of Jesus Christ who would offer Himself ”once for all” (Heb. 7:27; 10:10; 1 Peter 3:18).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Ultimately, the same moral standard lies behind both Testaments. That standard is righteousness as God defines it-and He alone has the authority to define it. Can you identify the principles that lie behind the warnings in today's reading? For example, what would be a modern equivalent to moving a neighbor's boundary stone? What universal moral principle informs the commands that deal with sexual practices in these verses?

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Deuteronomy 28:1-68
What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! - Romans 6:21
TODAY IN THE WORD
Newton's third law of motion states: ”For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” According to Newton's law, every action has the potential to set something in motion. This is also true in the spiritual realm-but the consequences of obedience or disobedience are not always equal to the actions that set them in motion. The blessings we receive from obedience are often greater than our small efforts to please God. Likewise, the consequences of disobedience reach beyond us to affect those around us, and even have the potential to affect generations to come.

Two striking features characterize the curses in today's reading. First, most threaten to reverse the promised blessings. The Lord warned Israel that if they broke His covenant He would treat them the same way He had treated their enemies. Although they would not cease to be His chosen people, they would forfeit many of the benefits they had enjoyed as a result of that relationship. Second, we see that the curses seem to outnumber the blessings.

Certainly, this underscored the seriousness of disobedience. But it also pointed to the ultimate purpose of the Mosaic Law-as God's instrument to show us our need for redemption from sin. Although the commands of the Law were intended to bring life, the reality of sin means that they are only able to produce death (Rom. 7:10). When God's Law comes into contact with the sinful nature the result is toxic. Sin produces within us the very things God's Law forbids (Rom. 7:7-11). This is the reason no one can be justified by trying to obey the Law (Gal. 3:10-11).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The blessings and curses in today's passage allowed God's people to think through the consequences of their choices before making a decision. We can do the same by meditating on the past consequences of some of the sinful choices we have made and comparing them to the blessings we have experienced as a result of obedience. If you were to divide your past experiences into ”blessings” and ”curses,” what would your list include? Who, besides yourself, was affected by these consequences? What motivation do they offer for future obedience?

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Deuteronomy 30:1-20
Restore us, O God; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved. - Psalm 80:3
TODAY IN THE WORD
Early one February morning while Leyla Nordby slept, her 13-month-old daughter Erika slipped quietly out the door of the home where they were staying and wandered off, clothed only in a diaper and a pink dress. Several hours later her frantic mother found her lying face down in the snow. Erika's body temperature had dropped by more than half, her veins were frozen, and a cardiac monitor failed to register any measurable pumping action by her heart. Clinically speaking, Erika was dead. Doctors had prepared a heart-lung bypass to try and warm her blood when something remarkable happened. Little Erika's heart suddenly began beating again on its own. ”How that happened,” the paramedic on the scene later observed, ”is a mystery to everyone right now.”

Moses foresaw a time when Israel would share a similar experience. He promised that after suffering the consequences of their own disobedience, Israel's fortunes would be restored. Their cold hearts would begin to beat once again for God. Turning back to God, however, would require more than a mere act of the will. It would need intervention by God Himself. He would have to give them ”a mind that understands,” ”eyes that see,” and ”ears that hear” (Deut. 29:4).

This promise of reconciliation was contingent on Israel's future repentance. Before it could come to pass, they would need to ”take to heart” all the blessings and punishments they had experienced at God's hand (Deut. 30:1). Moses made it equally clear that such a repentance was itself a work of divine compassion. God alone was able to ”circumcise” their hearts and create within them an ability to love Him with their hearts and souls (Deut. 30:6).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Read Deuteronomy 29:1-29. How did God expect Israel to respond to His Word? What did He expect them to learn from their experiences? One of Israel's problems seems to have been their inability to process their experiences through the grid of divine truth. Consider using a spiritual journal to keep you from making the same mistake. As you record your experiences, think about what God's Word has to say about your circumstances and try to discover the spiritual lessons He has hidden in the ordinary events of your day.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Deuteronomy 32:1-33:29
Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. - Ephesians 5:19
TODAY IN THE WORD
Ira Sankey was the song leader and hymn writer for D. L. Moody’s evangelistic campaigns. On one occasion Sankey was traveling on a steamer down the Delaware River when a group of passengers asked him to sing a hymn. Sankey led the group in the hymn by William Bradbury entitled, “Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us.”

When he had finished, a man stepped forward with a question. “Were you ever in the army, Mr. Sankey?” he asked. “Yes, I joined in 1860,” Sankey replied. Hearing this, the man asked another question: “Did you do guard duty at night in Maryland, about 1862?” “Yes, I did,” Sankey answered, wondering why the man wanted to know such a thing. “Well, I was in the Confederate army,” the man explained. “I saw you one night at Sharpsburg. I had you in my gun sight as you stood there in the light of the moon. Then just as I was about to pull the trigger, you began to sing. It was the same hymn you sang tonight. I couldn’t shoot you.”

Songs of worship have the power to shape our thinking about biblical truth. Corporate worship is a divinely ordained vehicle for instruction. It can teach us about God’s faithfulness and remind us of our need for His grace. In view of this, it is fitting that Moses concluded his ministry to Israel with a song. It recounted God’s dealing with His people from Israel’s birth as a nation to the present. Its recurring themes revolved around the contrast between God’s faithfulness and Israel’s unfaithfulness. Moses’ song also served a prophetic function by predicting Israel’s future rejection of Yahweh to follow the gods of the surrounding nations.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Moses’ song offers a helpful corrective in an age where the quality of worship is largely defined by how good it makes us feel. But there is more to God’s blessing than feeling good. He may want to use worship to convict us of our sin. He may want use it to teach us some new truth from His Word, or remind us of an old truth we’ve forgotten. He may even want to use it to change our behavior. Find a hymnal and spend some time reading or singing through it. Ask God to speak to you, and resolve to listen to what He says even if it feels uncomfortable.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Deuteronomy 34:1-12
And the things you have heard . . . entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. - 2 Timothy 2:2
TODAY IN THE WORD
In his book Leadership Is an Art, Max DePree characterizes leadership as a stewardship. “Leadership is a concept of owing certain things to the institution,” he explains. “It is a way of thinking about institutional heirs, a way of thinking about stewardship as contrasted with ownership.” Moses understood this principle. It was a measure of Moses’ humility that he could “walk away” from leadership at the end of his ministry. He knew that God’s blessing would not end with the completion of his ministry and that God’s people were not dependent upon any single leader, no matter how great that leader might be.

This doesn’t mean that every leader is the same. Deuteronomy 34:10 says that Moses was unparalleled as a leader. Imagine how intimidated Joshua must have felt following in his footsteps! While it was true that Joshua was no Moses, it was equally true that he had one great advantage. Joshua was empowered by the same Spirit that had enabled Moses to be effective. He did not need to be Moses. Indeed, it is likely that at this stage in Israel’s development as a nation they needed a very different kind of leader. Moses had brought God’s people to the threshold of the land of promise; Joshua would bring them into the land and help them settle it. Moses had been an instrument of divine revelation; Joshua would ensure that Israel remembered all that had been revealed.

The stewardship of leadership also means that leaders are responsible for developing other leaders. Moses understood this and trained Joshua to succeed him. If Moses’ graceful handling of leadership succession speaks of his humility, the fact that he did not try to turn Joshua into a carbon copy of himself speaks of it even more.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
You may not be the leader of an organization or hold a position in the church. Yet it is likely that you have been called to exercise leadership in some area of your life. It may be as a parent, as a committee member for your church, or in your workplace.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Psalm 45
Your lips have been anointed with grace, since God has blessed you forever. - Psalm 45:2
TODAY IN THE WORD
Fluorescent feathers are a key part of parrots' romantic lives, according to zoologist Katherine Arnold of the University of Glasgow. She recently completed a study that found that certain fluorescent feathers are the same feathers used in courtship exhibitions by male parrots. Arnold examined more than 60 species of parrots and noted via ultraviolet light which feathers were fluorescent, then correlated her findings with parrots' mating rituals. She even daubed male parrots' feathers with an odorless sunscreen and confirmed that the uncoated feathers were more attractive to female parrots.

In the royal wedding portrayed in Psalm 45, it seems that a great deal of “exotic plumage” was on display! This ceremonial wedding poem or “epithalamion”—the Song of Songs is the only other example of this genre in the Bible—was doubtless used for many royal weddings. Because it was written for a formal occasion, it has a formal, exalted style, with a specific introduction and conclusion (vv. 1, 17).

The bridegroom is praised as gracious, blessed, mighty, splendid, majestic, victorious, truthful, humble, righteous, just, and joyful (vv. 2-9). What matters most is that he sits on the throne of David and has thus inherited God's blessings and promises to David, particularly that his kingdom would endure forever. The bride, apparently a foreign princess, is described as beautiful, richly dressed, glad, and worthy of her groom (vv. 10-16). She is exhorted to have sons, to honor and remain loyal to her husband, and also to embrace her new household, identity, people, and God.

Commentators after Israel's Exile found a description of the Messiah in this psalm, and so we see in the bridegroom a type or foreshadowing of Christ. The epistle to the Hebrews justifies this application, since verses 6-7 are quoted specifically as being about Jesus (Heb. 1:8-9). He is the perfect King, the Bridegroom of His church, whose Resurrection victory over death guarantees that one day every knee will bow to Him.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Today might be a good day to pull out your wedding album (or borrow a friend's) and take a walk down memory lane. As you look through the photographs and remember the joy of that day, what spiritual themes do you see reflected? How do they relate to God's purposes for marriage? Does the symbolism turn your thoughts toward the Wedding Supper of the Lamb? Pray specifically today that Christian marriages would reflect the glorious Wedding of the Lamb that they are called to represent.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Psalm 46
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. - Psalm 46:1
TODAY IN THE WORD
In his book, It's Not About Me, Max Lucado celebrated God's love: “Aquifer fresh. Pure as April snow. One swallow slackens the thirsty throat and softens the crusty heart. Immerse a life into God's love and watch it emerge cleansed and change. But who has plumbed the depths of God's love? Only God has. ”˜Want to see the size of my love?' He invites. ”˜Ascend the winding path outside of Jerusalem. Follow the dots of bloody dirt until you crest the hill. Before looking up, pause and hear me whisper, ”˜This is how much I love you' . . . Does God love you? Behold the cross and behold your answer.”

God's infinite love is the best reason for us to trust Him unreservedly, the bottom-line message of today's psalm. He is our refuge and strength (vv. 1-3). It may seem that He's absent in the midst of calamity, but in truth He's “ever-present.” Though the world is crumbling around us, we need not fear because God is with us.

God's presence keeps His people safe. The “river” is a metaphor for the stream of blessings that flows from God's throne to His people (cf. Rev. 22:1-2). Though nations are in uproar and kingdoms fall, God is above it all and firmly in control.

Leland Ryken has described the artistry and power of this psalm as based in its “underlying contrasts: God versus forces of disruption or chaos, the stability of God's presence versus instability in other areas of life, peace of mind versus the things that would induce fear, the destructiveness that characterizes the worlds of nature and human history versus the salvation of God's acts in history.”

God's greatness means that we can rely upon Him as an impregnable fortress (vv. 8-11). As the sovereign Lord, He brings desolation or peace, as He wills. Human strength cannot compare and human wisdom cannot question the ways of the Lord. He will be exalted and worshiped throughout the whole earth!
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Memorization is one of the best ways to “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom” (Col. 3:16). Even if you think that Scripture memory is a daunting challenge, the blessings of having this entire psalm in your memory will be priceless. This task might begin as mere rote recitation, but as you work to commit these eleven verses to memory, you'll find that God's words have the power to transform your life.