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OceanSide church of Christ
Read devotionals for July 2024
August 1, 2024
Deuteronomy 28:28, 29 – The Lord shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart: and thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.
Thought: The curses upon the disobedient just keep coming from the breath of God. Madness, blindness, and astonishment of heart due to troubling circumstances are difficult to bear. The Jews would grope about in their spiritual darkness. They would seek to make their situation better, but they would not prosper in their ways. They would be “oppressed and spoiled ever more.” The counsel and advice of men would fail. No man could save them.
Isaiah 59:10
August 2, 2024
Deuteronomy 28:30 – Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof.
Thought: One of the joys in a man’s life involves marriage, a home, and working to provide for that home. The Lord warned Israel that if she refused to obey His commands, these things would not become a reality. In fact, they would appear to be coming to fruition, but would be taken away. Another man would lie with one’s betrothed wife. A house would be built but never lived in. A vineyard would be planted, but grapes would not be gathered.
Jeremiah 8:9-10
August 3, 2024
Deuteronomy 28:31 – Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep shall be given to thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue thee.
Thought: Farm animals were vital to the life of the Israelites. They provided food. Too, they were used to barter. Flocks and herds were a source of wealth to the Jews. God promised the Israelites that these resources would be cut off if they failed to honor their covenant with Him. They would not eat of the oxen slain before their eyes. Their pack animals would be taken and not returned to them. Their sheep would be taken by their enemies.
Judges 6:4-5
August 4, 2024
Deuteronomy 28:32 – Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long, and there shall be no might in thine hand.
Thought: The curses from God continued to be listed. If Israel chose not to keep their covenant with God, they would lose their children to foreign nations. They would be kidnapped. They would be taken as hostages during war. Moses pictures the emptiness of the parents in the words “thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long.” Children are a reward from God. To have them taken from you is a huge burden.
2 Chronicles 29:8-9
August 5, 2024
Deuteronomy 28:33, 34 – The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed always: so that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.
Thought: It takes time, effort, and money to produce an abundant crop. Israel was told that their disobedience would lead to their crops being taken by strange nations. In addition, they would be “oppressed and crushed always.” This would lead Israel to “be mad” when their eyes saw the devastation. They would rave with insanity. If this anger were directed properly, they would be angry with themselves. Their disobedience caused this curse.
Isaiah 1:7
August 6, 2024
Deuteronomy 28:35 – The Lord shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of they foot unto the top of thy head.
Thought: We do not use the word “botch” as a medical term today. Elsewhere in the Bible, the Hebrew term is translated “boil.” The lexicons define the word as “an itch, a burning, a boil.” Some believe it could be referring to leprosy. The point the Lord is making is that if Israel chose to disregard His covenant, He would inflict disease and pain in their bodies. If just their knees and legs were impacted, their lives would become extremely difficult.
Job 30:17-19
August 7, 2024
Deuteronomy 28:36 – The Lord shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone.
Thought: If Israel defied the covenant they had made with God, He would cause them to be taken captive by a foreign nation. This nation is described as one “which neither thou nor thy fathers have known.” When God spoke these words, Babylon was not the world power. In that foreign land, they would be forced to serve other gods. These gods are not describe as living gods. Instead, they are described as “wood and stone.” Sin comes with a heavy price.
2 Kings 24:12-15
August 8, 2024
Deuteronomy 28:37 – And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the Lord shall lead thee.
Thought: When Israel was carried into captivity, their name would no longer be honored among the nations. Instead, they would become an astonishment, that is, “a horror” or “an appalment.” They would also be a proverb. A proverb is “a pithy maxim.” This maxim would be forever connected to the Jewish people. Third, they would become a byword. This is defined as “a gibe, a taunt, or a short cutting word.” Yes, their name would be ridiculed.
Jeremiah 24:9
August 9, 2024
Deuteronomy 28:38, 39, 40 – Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it. Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them. Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with oil; for thine olive shall cast his fruit.
Thought: Most of the Israelites made a living through agriculture. They prepared and planted their fields in the spring. They cared for their fields in the summer. Then, in the fall, they gathered the harvest. This, however, was forbidden to them by God if they failed to obey His covenant. The locusts would eat the plants. The vines would be eaten with worms. The olive tree would cast off her fruit. Their disobedience would bring hunger and poverty.
Amos 4:9
August 10, 2024
Deuteronomy 28:41 – Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity.
Thought: It was a curse for a Jewish woman to be barren. Children were a reward from God. However, it was also a curse for a child to be taken from a parent, especially if that child was taken captive by an enemy nation. There would be a hole in the heart of the mother and father. They would constantly have to live with the image of their child being taken away. Too, they would have to constantly wonder about the suffering of their child.
2 Kings 24:14
August 11, 2024
Deuteronomy 28:42 – All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume.
Thought: Fruit was a nutritious, tasty food among the Jews. Too, their fruit could be sold in the marketplace or traded for other goods and services. All of these blessings, however, would be lost if Israel disobeyed God. He warned them that their trespasses would cause locust to consume their trees and their fruit. A swarm of locusts leaves nothing behind of value. All the fruit and the leaves are consumed. The tree becomes a barren piece of wood.
Joel 1:4
August 12, 2024
Deuteronomy 28:43, 44 – The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low. He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.
Thought: If Israel failed to obey God, the stranger would be exalted above the citizens of the nation. The distinction between the two would be great. The stranger would become “very high.” The Israelite would “come down very low.” They would also reverse their roles in the realm of commerce. The stranger would lend to the Jew. In the political world, the stranger would “be the head,” and the Jew would “be the tail.” Disobedience some with a high cost.
Judges 2:11-15
August 13, 2024
Deuteronomy 28:45, 46 – Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenest not unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee: and they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.
Thought: The Lord is always clear as to the cause of the curses that He would bring upon Israel. “…because thou hearkenest not unto the voice of the Lord thy God…” Israel had a choice. If curses came upon them, it was because they chose them. God always warns them that their punishment for disobedience would be for a sign and a wonder as other nations saw their affliction. Too, their punishment would be passed to future generations.
Jeremiah 25:18
August 14, 2024
Deuteronomy 28:47, 48 – Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; therefore thou shalt serve thine enemies which the Lord shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.
Thought: God blesses His people abundantly. Too, He is not a harsh taskmaster. Therefore, they should serve Him with joyfulness and gladness of heart. Yet, some Israelites did not manifest this spirit. Therefore, God would cause them to serve their enemies. The yoke the enemy would bring is described as “a yoke of iron.” While in subjection, they would suffer hunger, thirst, nakedness, and be in want of all things. Destruction was their ultimate end.
Nehemiah 9:33-35
August 15, 2024
Deuteronomy 28:49 – The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand.
Thought: When Moses spoke these words to Israel, they had not yet taken the Promised Land. In time, the nation would be divided. However, the words of this verse applied to both the Northern and the Southern Kingdoms. The Assyrians would take the Northern Kingdom captive in 722 B.C. The Babylonians would take the Southern Kingdom captive beginning in 606 B.C. Both came from far off. Both were swift as an eagle. Both had foreign tongues.
Jeremiah 5:15
August 16, 2024
Deuteronomy 28:50 – A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young.
Thought: God promised Israel that if they were disobedient, He would bring a nation of “fierce countenance” against them. Strong defines the word “fierce” as “strong, vehement, harsh.” The powerful nation was evil and cold. Life meant very little to it. It was driven by pride, power, and wealth. The leaders and warriors would have no regard of the old, and they would show no favor to the young. Evil hearts like this are difficult to comprehend.
2 Chronicles 36:17
August 17, 2024
Deuteronomy 28:51 – And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee.
Thought: The disobedience of Israel would bring a strange nation against them. This nation would manifest itself like a locust. It would ravage the land. Their cattle, their wine, their oil, and the increase of all their flocks and herds would be taken. The enemy would have one purpose in mind, to destroy the nation of Israel. When prophecies are given, they are hard to believe. When they come to fruition, we wish we would have listened.
Jeremiah 15:13
August 18, 2024
Deuteronomy 28:52 – And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all they land, which the Lord thy God hath given thee.
Thought: The major cities of Israel were well fortified. They had tall, thick walls of stones. Their gates were well fortified as well. Around the walls were high towers wherein guards could easily see an approaching enemy. These fortifications were designed to keep the Jews safe from their enemies. However, they would not protect Israel if they disobeyed God. The walls would crumble. The gates would be torn down. The enemy would conquer the city.
2 Kings 18:13
August 19, 2024
Deuteronomy 28:53 – And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the Lord thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee.
Thought: We don’t say, “the fruit of thine own body,” in our society. Moses, explains those words as he continues, “the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters.” Conquering a walled city was not an easy task for any army. It could take months to accomplish. However, during the siege, all supplies to the city were cut off. When all the food was gone, adults would often eat their own children to survive. Surely not the Israelites. Yes, the Israelites.
Lamentations 4:10
August 20, 2024
Deuteronomy 28:54, 55 – So that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave: so that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates.
Thought: Hardships change people. When people are starving to death, they act differently than they would in times of peace and prosperity. Moses told Israel when the enemy besieged their cities, they would eat their children. Now he reveals that the man who is normally benevolent will have an evil eye upon his neighbor. He will refuse to give the flesh of his children away. The reason is because he will need their flesh to survive.
2 Kings 6:28-29
August 21, 2024
Deuteronomy 28:56, 57 – The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter, and toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege and straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates.
Thought: Women are usually describes by words such as “tender” and “delicate.” They are beautiful. They are kind. They are caring. They are vicious when is comes to protecting their families. However, Moses told Israel that these qualities would not be found in the woman experiencing the siege against the city of Jerusalem. Her eyes would be evil toward her family. Her hunger would cause her to “eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege.”
Lamentations 4:3
August 22, 2024
Deuteronomy 28:58, 59 – If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD; then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance.
Thought: There are three thoughts that are found in these two verses. First, the emphasis on obedience to the words of the law of Moses. Second, obedience springs from fear, that is, an awe and healthy respect of the glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD. Third, disobedience comes with a heavy price. God would send wonderful and great plagues on the people and their seed. These plagues and sicknesses would be of long continuance.
Psalm 83:18
August 23, 2024
Deuteronomy 28:60, 61 – Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee. Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
Thought: Some of the Jews who were listening to Moses on this occasion had witnessed the powerful hand of God against the Egyptians. They had seen the destruction, witnessed the pain, and had heard the cries. They could testify to the death and destruction of the land. If Israel disobeyed their covenant with God, He threatened to bring these plagues upon the Israelites. Other plagues not written in the law would also be unleashed upon them.
Exodus 15:26
August 24, 2024
Deuteronomy 28:62, 63 – And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as that stars of heaven for a multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the LORD thy God. And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it.
Thought: The Lord had promised the patriarchs that He would multiply them as the stars of heaven and as the sand of the sea. By the time Israel reached the Jordan River, the Lord’s promise had come to fruition. They were a large multitude of people. But, the Lord threatened their continued growth if they would not obey His voice. In fact, He promised to destroy them and bring them to nought. Too, He would pluck them off the Promised Land.
Genesis 22:17-18
August 25, 2024
Deuteronomy 28:64 – And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.
Thought: One of the strengths of a nation is its cohesion. As long as the people are together, they are strong. If a nation is scattered, it becomes weak. Oftentimes, the nation dissolves. If the nation of Israel refused to obey God, God told them He would scatter them “from one end of the earth even unto the other.” Their relationship with Him would come to an end. In those foreign lands, they would serve other gods, unknown gods, gods of wood and stone.
Jeremiah 50:17
August 26, 2024
Deuteronomy 28:65, 66 – And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the Lord shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind: and thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life.
Thought: Israel’s disobedience to God would lead to their being overthrown by a strange nation. Their captivity wouldn’t involve any type of comfort. There would be constant labor. Their hearts would tremble in fear before the captors. Their eyes would fail looking for the coming Messiah. They would have sorrow of heart for all that was lost. They would constantly fear for their lives. Day or night brought no assurance their lives would continue.
Isaiah 57:21
August 27, 2024
Deuteronomy 28:67 – In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! And at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! For the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eye which thou shalt see.
Thought: Both day and night in captivity are horrible. In the day, the oppression of the oppressors was visible. Evil afflictions were constantly witnessed. Therefore, the Israelites would long for the evening to come. However, evening was not any better. They could hear the cries. They trembled wondering if they would be the next ones to suffer. Every sound was interpreted as the coming of the enemy. Thus, at even, they longed for the morning.
Job 7:4
August 28, 2024
Deuteronomy 28:68 – And the Lord shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.
Thought: Israel left Egypt as free men forty years prior to Moses’ address. They had crossed the Red Sea on dry land. Moses now warns them that the reverse could happen to them if they violated the covenant with God. They would be brought back to Egypt to be sold as bondmen and bondwomen. Instead of crossing the Red Sea by the hand of God, they would be taken by ships. They would not be wanted by the Egyptians. They would be given away.
Hosea 9:3
August 29, 2024
Deuteronomy 29:1 – These are the words of the covenant, which the Lord commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the covenant which he made with them in Horeb.
Thought: Due to their rebellion against God, the children of Israel had wandered forty years in the wilderness. An entire generation of people fell in the wilderness. The Israel Moses was now addressing was a “new Israel.” The content of the covenant God was making with Israel was the same at that found in the covenant at Mount Sinai. It was “new” only in the sense that it was made at a different location and with a different group of Israelites.
Deuteronomy 5:1-3
August 30, 2024
Deuteronomy 29:2, 3 – And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh and unto all his servants, and unto all his land; the great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles.
Thought: Moses calls Israel together one last time to address the nation. He begins this admonition reminding them of the power of God manifested against the land of Egypt. Many of these had witnessed the plagues firsthand. They saw the affliction. They saw the sorrow. They saw the destruction. They saw the death. They saw the defeat of the Pharaoh’s hosts. This was their God who fought for them. It was He who redeemed them by a strong arm.
Joshua 24:5-7
August 31, 2024
Deuteronomy 29:4 – Yet the Lord hath not given you an heart to perceive and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.
Thought: God often does things to influence the hearts of men to seek Him and to obey His will. If man pays attention to God’s works, he will manifest a heart that is open to God’s instruction. Such a heart had not yet been possessed by Israel. They had seen God’s mighty acts, but they continued in their rebellion against him. Their hearts did not perceive. Their eyes did not see. Their ears did not hear. Right now, however, was a new day to seek God.
Acts 28:24-27
Read devotionals for September 2024