[Ohio-Communities-of-Faith] DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR WEDNESDAY MARCH 2

[Donnie Parrett]

DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR WEDNESDAY MARCH 2

WORD OF WISDOM

Isn't it ironic that procrastination is something you can do immediately?

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DAILY DEVOTION

What God Says Stands	


And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it
together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. The voice said, Cry. And
he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness
thereof is as the flower of the field: The grass withereth, the flower
fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is
grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall
stand for ever.
Isaiah 40:5-8

When Isaiah gave his prophecy about the coming of John the Baptist, the
events he described were still some seven hundred years in the future. Yet
when the "voice crying in the wilderness" appeared on the scene in Israel,
everything happened just as Isaiah had foretold. There is nothing mysterious
or difficult to understand about this fulfillment of prophecy, because it
was based not on Isaiah's ideas or opinions, but on what God had revealed to
him about the future. Everything that God has promised has either already
happened just as He said, or it will when God's time is right for that
promise to be fulfilled. There is no doubt about the truth or validity of
the Word of God.
In our day, it is common for books to come out with new editions. Many times
the later versions are substantially changed from the original. New
information may have come to light, new studies may have been done, and
errors in the first version may need to be corrected. That is not true of
the Bible. It was exactly right when the Holy Spirit inspired the human
authors of Scripture, and it is still exactly right today. It will never
change. Jesus declared, "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth
pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be
fulfilled" (Matthew 5:18). Despite the fact that things around us change,
the Bible never will.
Everything God said in His Word is completely reliable and trustworthy, and
we must obey it.

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DAILY BIBLE READING

Deuteronomy 31-34 New King James Version
Joshua the New Leader of Israel
31 Then Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. 2 And he said to
them: "I am one hundred and twenty years old today. I can no longer go out
and come in. Also the Lord has said to me, 'You shall not cross over this
Jordan.' 3 The Lord your God Himself crosses over before you; He will
destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua
himself crosses over before you, just as the Lord has said. 4 And the Lord
will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites and
their land, when He destroyed them. 5 The Lord will give them over to you,
that you may do to them according to every commandment which I have
commanded you. 6 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of
them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not
leave you nor forsake you."

7 Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, "Be
strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land
which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause
them to inherit it. 8 And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He
will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be
dismayed."

The Law to Be Read Every Seven Years
9 So Moses wrote this law and delivered it to the priests, the sons of Levi,
who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of
Israel. 10 And Moses commanded them, saying: "At the end of every seven
years, at the appointed time in the year of release, at the Feast of
Tabernacles, 11 when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God in
the place which He chooses, you shall read this law before all Israel in
their hearing. 12 Gather the people together, men and women and little ones,
and the stranger who is within your gates, that they may hear and that they
may learn to fear the Lord your God and carefully observe all the words of
this law, 13 and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and
learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land which you
cross the Jordan to possess."

Prediction of Israel's Rebellion
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Behold, the days approach when you must
die; call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of meeting, that
I may [a]inaugurate him."

So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the tabernacle of
meeting. 15 Now the Lord appeared at the tabernacle in a pillar of cloud,
and the pillar of cloud stood above the door of the tabernacle.

16 And the Lord said to Moses: "Behold, you will [b]rest with your fathers;
and this people will rise and play the harlot with the gods of the
foreigners of the land, where they go to be among them, and they will
forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. 17 Then My
anger shall be aroused against them in that day, and I will forsake them,
and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be [c]devoured. And many
evils and troubles shall befall them, so that they will say in that day,
'Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?' 18 And
I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they
have done, in that they have turned to other gods.

19 "Now therefore, write down this song for yourselves, and teach it to the
children of Israel; put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness
for Me against the children of Israel. 20 When I have brought them to the
land flowing with milk and honey, of which I swore to their fathers, and
they have eaten and filled themselves and grown fat, then they will turn to
other gods and serve them; and they will provoke Me and break My covenant.
21 Then it shall be, when many evils and troubles have come upon them, that
this song will testify against them as a witness; for it will not be
forgotten in the mouths of their descendants, for I know the inclination of
their behavior today, even before I have brought them to the land of which I
swore to give them."

22 Therefore Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the
children of Israel. 23 Then He inaugurated Joshua the son of Nun, and said,
"Be strong and of good courage; for you shall bring the children of Israel
into the land of which I swore to them, and I will be with you."

24 So it was, when Moses had completed writing the words of this law in a
book, when they were finished, 25 that Moses commanded the Levites, who bore
the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying: 26 "Take this Book of the Law,
and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may
be there as a witness against you; 27 for I know your rebellion and your
stiff neck. If today, while I am yet alive with you, you have been
rebellious against the Lord, then how much more after my death? 28 Gather to
me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these
words in their hearing and call heaven and earth to witness against them. 29
For I know that after my death you will become utterly corrupt, and turn
aside from the way which I have commanded you. And evil will befall you in
the latter days, because you will do evil in the sight of the Lord, to
provoke Him to anger through the work of your hands."

The Song of Moses
30 Then Moses spoke in the hearing of all the assembly of Israel the words
of this song until they were ended:

The Song of Moses
32 "Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak;
And hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.
2 Let my [d]teaching drop as the rain,
My speech distill as the dew,
As raindrops on the tender herb,
And as showers on the grass.
3 For I proclaim the name of the Lord:
Ascribe greatness to our God.
4 He is the Rock, His work is perfect;
For all His ways are justice,
A God of truth and without injustice;
Righteous and upright is He.

5 "They have corrupted themselves;
They are not His children,
Because of their blemish:
A perverse and crooked generation.
6 Do you thus deal[e] with the Lord,
O foolish and unwise people?
Is He not your Father, who bought you?
Has He not made you and established you?

7 "Remember the days of old,
Consider the years of many generations.
Ask your father, and he will show you;
Your elders, and they will tell you:
8 When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations,
When He separated the sons of Adam,
He set the boundaries of the peoples
According to the number of the [f]children of Israel.
9 For the Lord's portion is His people;
Jacob is the place of His inheritance.

10 "He found him in a desert land
And in the wasteland, a howling wilderness;
He encircled him, He instructed him,
He kept him as the [g]apple of His eye.
11 As an eagle stirs up its nest,
Hovers over its young,
Spreading out its wings, taking them up,
Carrying them on its wings,
12 So the Lord alone led him,
And there was no foreign god with him.

13 "He made him ride in the heights of the earth,
That he might eat the produce of the fields;
He made him draw honey from the rock,
And oil from the flinty rock;
14 Curds from the cattle, and milk of the flock,
With fat of lambs;
And rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats,
With the choicest wheat;
And you drank wine, the blood of the grapes.

15 "But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked;
You grew fat, you grew thick,
You are obese!
Then he forsook God who made him,
And scornfully esteemed the Rock of his salvation.
16 They provoked Him to jealousy with foreign gods;
With [h]abominations they provoked Him to anger.
17 They sacrificed to demons, not to God,
To gods they did not know,
To new gods, new arrivals
That your fathers did not fear.
18 Of the Rock who begot you, you are unmindful,
And have forgotten the God who fathered you.

19 "And when the Lord saw it, He spurned them,
Because of the provocation of His sons and His daughters.
20 And He said: 'I will hide My face from them,
I will see what their end will be,
For they are a perverse generation,
Children in whom is no faith.
21 They have provoked Me to jealousy by what is not God;
They have moved Me to anger by their [i]foolish idols.
But I will provoke them to jealousy by those who are not a nation;
I will move them to anger by a foolish nation.
22 For a fire is kindled in My anger,
And shall burn to the [j]lowest [k]hell;
It shall consume the earth with her increase,
And set on fire the foundations of the mountains.

23 'I will heap disasters on them;
I will spend My arrows on them.
24 They shall be wasted with hunger,
Devoured by pestilence and bitter destruction;
I will also send against them the teeth of beasts,
With the poison of serpents of the dust.
25 The sword shall destroy outside;
There shall be terror within
For the young man and virgin,
The nursing child with the man of gray hairs.
26 I would have said, "I will dash them in pieces,
I will make the memory of them to cease from among men,"
27 Had I not feared the wrath of the enemy,
Lest their adversaries should misunderstand,
Lest they should say, "Our hand is high;
And it is not the Lord who has done all this." '

28 "For they are a nation void of counsel,
Nor is there any understanding in them.
29 Oh, that they were wise, that they understood this,
That they would consider their latter end!
30 How could one chase a thousand,
And two put ten thousand to flight,
Unless their Rock had sold them,
And the Lord had surrendered them?
31 For their rock is not like our Rock,
Even our enemies themselves being judges.
32 For their vine is of the vine of Sodom
And of the fields of Gomorrah;
Their grapes are grapes of gall,
Their clusters are bitter.
33 Their wine is the poison of serpents,
And the cruel venom of cobras.

34 'Is this not laid up in store with Me,
Sealed up among My treasures?
35 Vengeance is Mine, and recompense;
Their foot shall slip in due time;
For the day of their calamity is at hand,
And the things to come hasten upon them.'

36 "For the Lord will judge His people
And have compassion on His servants,
When He sees that their power is gone,
And there is no one remaining, bond or free.
37 He will say: 'Where are their gods,
The rock in which they sought refuge?
38 Who ate the fat of their sacrifices,
And drank the wine of their drink offering?
Let them rise and help you,
And be your refuge.

39 'Now see that I, even I, am He,
And there is no God besides Me;
I kill and I make alive;
I wound and I heal;
Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand.
40 For I raise My hand to heaven,
And say, "As I live forever,
41 If I [l]whet My glittering sword,
And My hand takes hold on judgment,
I will render vengeance to My enemies,
And repay those who hate Me.
42 I will make My arrows drunk with blood,
And My sword shall devour flesh,
With the blood of the slain and the captives,
>From the heads of the leaders of the enemy." '

43 "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His [m]people;
For He will avenge the blood of His servants,
And render vengeance to His adversaries;
He will provide atonement for His land and His people."

44 So Moses came with [n]Joshua the son of Nun and spoke all the words of
this song in the hearing of the people. 45 Moses finished speaking all these
words to all Israel, 46 and he said to them: "Set your hearts on all the
words which I testify among you today, which you shall command your children
to be careful to observe-all the words of this law. 47 For it is not a
[o]futile thing for you, because it is your life, and by this word you shall
prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to possess."

Moses to Die on Mount Nebo
48 Then the Lord spoke to Moses that very same day, saying: 49 "Go up this
mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, across
from Jericho; view the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of
Israel as a possession; 50 and die on the mountain which you ascend, and be
[p]gathered to your people, just as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor and
was gathered to his people; 51 because you trespassed against Me among the
children of Israel at the waters of [q]Meribah Kadesh, in the Wilderness of
Zin, because you did not hallow Me in the midst of the children of Israel.
52 Yet you shall see the land before you, though you shall not go there,
into the land which I am giving to the children of Israel."

Moses' Final Blessing on Israel
33 Now this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the
children of Israel before his death. 2 And he said:

"The Lord came from Sinai,
And dawned on them from Seir;
He shone forth from Mount Paran,
And He came with ten thousands of saints;
>From His right hand
Came a fiery law for them.
3 Yes, He loves the people;
All His saints are in Your hand;
They sit down at Your feet;
Everyone receives Your words.
4 Moses [r]commanded a law for us,
A heritage of the congregation of Jacob.
5 And He was King in Jeshurun,
When the leaders of the people were gathered,
All the tribes of Israel together.

6 "Let Reuben live, and not die,
Nor let his men be few."

7 And this he said of Judah:

"Hear, Lord, the voice of Judah,
And bring him to his people;
Let his hands be sufficient for him,
And may You be a help against his enemies."

8 And of Levi he said:

"Let Your [s]Thummim and Your Urim be with Your holy one,
Whom You tested at Massah,
And with whom You contended at the waters of Meribah,
9 Who says of his father and mother,
'I have not seen them';
Nor did he acknowledge his brothers,
Or know his own children;
For they have observed Your word
And kept Your covenant.
10 They shall teach Jacob Your judgments,
And Israel Your law.
They shall put incense before You,
And a whole burnt sacrifice on Your altar.
11 Bless his substance, Lord,
And accept the work of his hands;
Strike the loins of those who rise against him,
And of those who hate him, that they rise not again."

12 Of Benjamin he said:

"The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him,
Who shelters him all the day long;
And he shall dwell between His shoulders."

13 And of Joseph he said:

"Blessed of the Lord is his land,
With the precious things of heaven, with the dew,
And the deep lying beneath,
14 With the precious fruits of the sun,
With the precious produce of the months,
15 With the best things of the ancient mountains,
With the precious things of the everlasting hills,
16 With the precious things of the earth and its fullness,
And the favor of Him who dwelt in the bush.
Let the blessing come 'on the head of Joseph,
And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.'
17 His glory is like a firstborn bull,
And his horns like the horns of the wild ox;
Together with them
He shall push the peoples
To the ends of the earth;
They are the ten thousands of Ephraim,
And they are the thousands of Manasseh."

18 And of Zebulun he said:

"Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,
And Issachar in your tents!
19 They shall call the peoples to the mountain;
There they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness;
For they shall partake of the abundance of the seas
And of treasures hidden in the sand."

20 And of Gad he said:

"Blessed is he who enlarges Gad;
He dwells as a lion,
And tears the arm and the crown of his head.
21 He provided the first part for himself,
Because a lawgiver's portion was reserved there.
He came with the heads of the people;
He administered the justice of the Lord,
And His judgments with Israel."

22 And of Dan he said:

"Dan is a lion's whelp;
He shall leap from Bashan."

23 And of Naphtali he said:

"O Naphtali, satisfied with favor,
And full of the blessing of the Lord,
Possess the west and the south."

24 And of Asher he said:

"Asher is most blessed of sons;
Let him be favored by his brothers,
And let him dip his foot in oil.
25 Your sandals shall be iron and bronze;
As your days, so shall your strength be.

26 "There is no one like the God of Jeshurun,
Who rides the heavens to help you,
And in His excellency on the clouds.
27 The eternal God is your refuge,
And underneath are the everlasting arms;
He will thrust out the enemy from before you,
And will say, 'Destroy!'
28 Then Israel shall dwell in safety,
The fountain of Jacob alone,
In a land of grain and new wine;
His heavens shall also drop dew.
29 Happy 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 shall submit to you,
And you shall tread down their [t]high places."

Moses Dies on Mount Nebo
34 Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of
Pisgah, which is across from Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land
of Gilead as far as Dan, 2 all Naphtali and the land of Ephraim and
Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the [u]Western Sea, 3 the South,
and the plain of the Valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as
Zoar. 4 Then the Lord said to him, "This is the land of which I swore to
give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, 'I will give it to your
descendants.' I have caused you to see it with your eyes, but you shall not
cross 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 a valley in the land of
Moab, opposite Beth Peor; but no one knows his grave to this day. 7 Moses
was one hundred and twenty years old when he died. His [v]eyes were not dim
nor his natural vigor [w]diminished. 8 And the children of Israel wept for
Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. So the days of weeping and mourning
for Moses ended.

9 Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had
laid his hands on him; so the children of Israel heeded him, and did as the
Lord had commanded Moses.

10 But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom
the Lord knew face to face, 11 in all the signs and wonders which the Lord
sent him to do in the land of Egypt, before Pharaoh, before all his
servants, and in all his land, 12 and by all that mighty power and all the
great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.

Footnotes
Deuteronomy 31:14 commission
Deuteronomy 31:16 Die and join your ancestors
Deuteronomy 31:17 consumed
Deuteronomy 32:2 doctrine
Deuteronomy 32:6 repay the
Deuteronomy 32:8 LXX, DSS angels of God; Symmachus, Lat. sons of God
Deuteronomy 32:10 pupil
Deuteronomy 32:16 detestable acts
Deuteronomy 32:21 foolishness, lit. vanities
Deuteronomy 32:22 lowest part of
Deuteronomy 32:22 Or Sheol
Deuteronomy 32:41 sharpen
Deuteronomy 32:43 DSS fragment adds And let all the gods (angels) worship
Him; cf. LXX and Heb. 1:6
Deuteronomy 32:44 Heb. Hoshea, Num. 13:8, 16
Deuteronomy 32:47 vain
Deuteronomy 32:50 Join your ancestors
Deuteronomy 32:51 Lit. Contention at Kadesh
Deuteronomy 33:4 charged us with
Deuteronomy 33:8 Lit. Perfections and Your Lights
Deuteronomy 33:29 Places for pagan worship
Deuteronomy 34:2 Mediterranean
Deuteronomy 34:7 eyesight was not weakened
Deuteronomy 34:7 reduced