OceanSide church of Christ
Read devotionals for March 2024
April 1, 2024
Deuteronomy 22:1 – Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt in any case bring them again unto thy brother.
Thought: There are times when unfortunate events happen in the lives of our brothers and sisters. We are often witnesses of these events. As we watch what happens, we must ask ourselves: “Do I want to get involved?” The Law of Moses required the Jews to get involved. If a person witnessed his neighbor’s ox or sheep going astray, he was supposed to round them up and bring them back to his brother. There was no excuse he could offer for not doing good.
Exodus 23:4-5
April 2, 2024
Deuteronomy 22:2, 3 – And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or if thou know him not, then thou shalt bring it unto thine own house, and it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it, and thou shalt restore it to him again. In like manner shalt thou do with his ass; and so shalt thou do with his raiment; and with all lost things of thy brother’s, which he hath lost, and thou hast found, shalt thou do likewise: thou mayest not hide thyself.
Thought: There could be times when a person found something that belonged to a brother who lived far away. Too, he might find a wandering animal and not know whose it is. In such cases under the Law of Moses, the individual was required to keep it until the brother came looking for it. Doing this would require some time, energy, and sacrifice on the finder’s part. When the owner came looking for what was lost, the one who found it was to simply return it.
Matthew 7:12
April 3, 2024
Deuteronomy 22:4 – Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ass or his ox fall down by the way, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again.
Thought: All kinds of things could cause an ox or donkey to stumble and fall. Occasionally, we see a situation like this. When we do, we have a choice to make. Will I just pass on by? Or, will I stop and assist? In the Jewish economy, God made the choice for the Israelite. “Thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again.” Helping one’s neighbor manifests many positive traits: compassion, kindness, and love. Remember, one day you may need assistance.
2 Corinthians 12:15
April 4, 2024
Deuteronomy 22:5 – The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth to a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God.
Thought: When God created humans on the Sixth Day of Creation, He created two genders, male and female. God designed men to be men. God designed women to be women. He intended for each of them to continue in the gender assigned at birth. Cross dressing was not permitted. Moses said that this was an abomination unto the Lord. God knew that all perversions of the genders would lead to sexual immorality and would lead to society’s demise.
Genesis 1:26-27
April 5, 2024
Deuteronomy 22:6, 7 – If a bird’s nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be young ones, or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young: but thou shalt in any wise let the dam go, and take the young to thee; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days.
Thought: The laws found in Judaism were often minute. Here, we read about the legislation regarding a mother bird and her nest. If a Jew found a nest with eggs or with hatchlings, they could take those. However, the Israelite was forbidden from taking the mother. The mother was mature and could produce again very quickly. If the mother were taken, the eggs and hatchlings would not survive. Thus, there would be no supply in the future.
Leviticus 22:28
April 6, 2024
Deuteronomy 22:8 – When thou buildest a new house, then thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thine house, if any man fall from thence.
Thought: Precautions are an essential part of life. In Israel, houses were built with flat roofs. Stairs were placed on the side of the house to climb to the roof. Family and friends could enjoy both fellowship and rest on the rooftop. It was the responsibility of the homeowner to make certain a battlement, a barrister, was placed round the top of the house to keep individuals from falling off. If this were not done, the homeowner would be responsible for those who fell.
Matthew 10:27
April 7, 2024
Deuteronomy 22:9 – Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled.
Thought: God is the Creator of all things. He knows the best means of producing a healthy crop. Thus, He instructs Israel not to sow their vineyard with divers seeds. Adam Clarke gives two illustrations regarding this matter. He writes: “It would be improvident to sow oats and wheat together: the latter would be injured, the former ruined. The turnip and carrot would not succeed conjointly, where either of them separately would prosper and yield a good crop…”
Leviticus 19:19
April 8, 2024
Deuteronomy 22:10 – Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together.
Thought: Common sense would teach us the truth of this verse. An ox and an ass are not the same size. Too, because they are not the same variety of animal, they often do not get along well with each other. It would be foolish to couple these two animals together with a yoke. If this is the case, why did God give this prohibition? One reason involves the superstitious beliefs of the heathen nations in Canaan. They often tried to yoke different animals together.
2 Corinthians 6:14
April 9, 2024
Deuteronomy 22:11, 12 – Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of woolen and linen together. Thou shalt not make thee fringes upon the four quarters of thy vesture, wherewith thou coverest thyself.
Thought: These restrictions are confusing to men who live in 2024. One writer gave the following explanation: “These practices might have been considered as altering the original constitution of God in creation; and this is the view which the Jews, and also Josephus and Philo, take of the subject. There were, probably, also both moral and political reasons for these prohibitions” (TSK Cross References, e-sword). God was molding Israel into a holy nation.
Exodus 19:6
April 10, 2024
Deuteronomy 22:13, 14 – If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her, and give occasions of speech against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid.
Thought: Marriage can be difficult. Over time, people mature and change which causes the relationship to change. Sometimes, this leads to emotional changes between the partners. The one who was loved becomes the one who is hated. But, marriage is for life unless there is a Scriptural cause to put one’s mate away. In Israel, if a man could prove his wife wasn’t a virgin when he married her, he could put her way. Moses addresses this issue here.
Genesis 29:29-30
April 11, 2024
Deuteronomy 22:15 – Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel’s virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate.
Thought: The marriage bond involves a legally binding contract. When accusations are made in a marriage, legal officials must get involved. In the days of Moses, the legal officials were the elders of the city. If a husband charged his wife with not being a virgin when they married, an investigation was made into the situation. Being sexually pure before marriage was very important in Bible times. Parents had ways to prove the purity of their daughters.
Leviticus 21:13
April 12, 2024
Deuteronomy 22:16, 17 – And the damsel’s father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her; and, lo, he hath given occasion of speech against her, saying, I found not thy daughter a maid; and yet these are the tokens of my daughter’s virginity. And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city.
Thought: When a man and woman were married, they would consummate the marriage that evening. If the woman were a virgin, there would be evidence left on the sheets the following day. The parents of the damsel would collect these as evidence of the purity of their daughter. If charges were ever made against the women by the husband, these would be presented as evidence of her chastity. They would be brought and presented to the elders of the city.
Proverbs 25:18
April 13, 2024
Deuteronomy 22:18, 19 – And the elders of that city shall take that man and chastise him; and they shall amerce him in a hundred shekels of silver, and give them unto the father of the damsel because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel: and she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days.
Thought: Bearing false witness against another is a serious matter. Here Moses legislates regarding a husband who has made a false accusation against his wife. If the matter was investigated and the husband brought a false charge, he was to be chastised and fined “a hundred shekels of silver.” Too, he could not put the woman away all of his days. Just because we do not care for a person does not give us the right to falsely charge them in any matter.
Proverbs 19:5
April 14, 2024
Deuteronomy 22:20, 21 – But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel: then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father’s house, and the men of the city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father’s house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you.
Thought: If a wife was proven not to be a virgin, she was to be put to death by being stoned by the men of the city. Moses explains the reason for the punishment: “…because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father’s house.” God wanted Israel to be a holy nation. Sexual expression was a gift from God to be conducted only in marriage. Apart from marriage, it was an evil to be punished. Men do not honor it this way in our society.
Genesis 34:1-2
April 15, 2024
Deuteronomy 22:22 – If a man be found lying with a woman married to a husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.
Thought: The situation Moses describes in this verse is adultery. It is simply defined as a man “found lying with a woman married to a husband.” Both of these individuals show a disdain for the divine institution of marriage. The woman reveals her callous attitude toward the covenant relationship she shares with her husband. God looked upon adultery as an act of evil. Both individuals involved in the sin were to be put to death. Adultery is still evil today!
Galatians 5:19-21
April 16, 2024
Deuteronomy 22:23, 24 – If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour’s wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you.
Thought: Betrothal found in the Law of Moses has been compared to engagement in today’s society, but it was much different. It involved a legal arrangement between the man and woman. It was a covenant relationship prior to the marriage. Sexual relationships with others prior to the marriage were violations of the covenant. If the covenant was violated, both the man and the woman who engaged in the sin were to be put to death. Evil had been committed.
Matthew 1:18-19
April 17, 2024
Deuteronomy 22:25 , 26, 27 – But if man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die: but unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbour , and slayeth him, even is this matter: for he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her.
Thought: In the previous verse, the damsel was to be stoned. The reason is because she could have cried out against the man who laid with her, but she did not. She would have been heard because she was in the city. Here, the woman is forced against her will. Her crying out would not have saved her because the attack happened in the field. This is a plain case of rape. The attacker is to be put to death. The innocent victim has committed nothing worthy of death.
2 Samuel 13:8-14
