Often it seems Christianity is a balance of contradictions, and that without the Holy Spirit, we can't possibly live within the tension. As much as I want us to embrace that He is a God that longs to dwell with us, we must never forget that he's a holy God that must be revered and honored.

In job. I said, often things happen to us that aren't the result of our own sin. But as we read today, it is certainly a biblical principle that we reap what we sow. The warnings in Deuteronomy are terrifying for those who turn away from God. If you can see these warnings coming from the love of a God jealous for His Bride, you'll understand how deeply loves you. If you turn away from him, the best thing he can do is to thwart all your plans and purposes so that you come to the end of yourself and run back to him.

Today's Reading: Deuteronomy 26-28

Scripture Read or Referenced:

Deuteronomy 26:15

Deuteronomy 28:1-32, 45-50, 58-63

Psalm 16:2

Why does obedience matter so much to God? Entrusted can help you understand! This quick episode explains how this study can guide moms, bless your church, and actually help the leaders! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-again-podcast-for-christian-moms-encouragement-in/id1700555502

Want a pretty printable reading plan? Find our free Bible-reading Resources here: www.entrustedministries.com/podcast

Commentaries Most Referenced: Moody Commentary, MacArthur Commentary

This is the Dwelling Place from Entrusted Ministries.

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I'm Stephanie Hickox.

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as we continue reading through

scripture chronologically, we've

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come to Deuteronomy 26 through 28.

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Often it seems Christianity is a

balance of contradictions and that

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without the Holy Spirit, we can't

possibly live within the tension.

7

As much as I want us to embrace that he

is a God that longs to dwell with us,

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we must never forget that he's a holy God.

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That must be revered and honored.

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In job.

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I said, often things happen to us

that aren't the result of our own sin.

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But as we read today, it is

certainly a biblical principle

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that we reap what we sow.

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The warnings in Deuteronomy are terrifying

for those who turn away from God.

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But if you can see these warnings coming

from the love of a God jealous for his

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bride, you'll understand how deeply loves

you, and if you turn away from him, the

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best thing he can do is to thwart all your

plans and purposes so that you come to

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the end of yourself and run back to him.

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Have you ever seen that pattern in

your life that when you try to rebel

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or go your own way, that the Lord

allowed you to see consequences or

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make you realize that there is no

lasting happiness apart from him.

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It entirely reveals the goodness and

love of his character to lay out exactly

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what a life apart from him entails.

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In chapter 26, Moses prescribes that

when they come into the land, they're to

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bring the first fruits of their harvest

in a basket and dedicate it to the Lord.

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God's blessings toward his people

are repeated and his love for

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them is declared in Chapter 27.

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Half of the tribes stand on Mount

Garrison to call out the blessings

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of the Lord, and half of the tribes

stand on Mount Eal for the curses.

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It doesn't seem there's any

reason or distinction why the

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tribes are divided as they are.

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Except the tribes represented on

Mount Garrison to bless other tribes

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that descended from the sons of

Leah and Rachel, and then the tribes

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in Mount Ial descended from the

hand maintenance Bil ha and Ilpa

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with the exception of Reuben and Debon.

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And they call out particular sins that

would bring a curse upon the nation.

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Many of these are specific applications

of the 10 Commandments, god is honest

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and reminds us once again, there is

no joy or blessing apart from him,

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and he's not leaving it up to chance.

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He wants them to know exactly what

they're choosing, if they forget

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him once they enter all of the

blessings in the Promised land.

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But the blessings that they

call out aren't recorded.

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This might be to emphasize that

the Israelites weren't going

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to be faithful in the covenant.

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Ouch.

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To all the curses they responded.

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Amen.

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In Hebrew, this means so be it.

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They're acknowledging their understanding.

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We've talked about chiasm before.

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It's a literary device

that structures the text.

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The beginning mirrors the end.

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And the main point is in the

middle, in Deuteronomy 11 through

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28, there's a CTIC structure that

begins and ends with the reality that

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blessings or curses are a choice.

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Then moving inward on either side,

we have the promised blessings

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going into the command to obey.

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Then in the center are chapters

12 through 26, which are the

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commands to be obeyed in 26 15.

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Heaven is mentioned for the

first time to be God's specific

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dwelling place or habitation.

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Up until this point, it's always been

said that he dwells with his people.

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In 28, beautiful promises precede

powerful warnings against disobedience.

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It begins.

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And if you faithfully obey the voice of

the Lord, your God, being careful to do

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all his commandments that I command you

today, the Lord your God will set you

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high above all the nations of the earth.

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And all these blessings shall come

upon you and overtake you if you

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obey the voice of the Lord your God.

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Blessed shall you be in the city and

blessed shall you be in the field.

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Blessed shall be the fruit of your

womb and the fruit of your ground,

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and the fruit of your cattle,

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the increase of your herds

and the young of your flock.

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Blessed shall be your basket

and your kneading bowl.

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Blessed shall you be when you come in

and blessed shall you be when you go out.

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The Lord will cause your enemies who rise

against you to be defeated before you.

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They shall come out against you

one way and flee before you.

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Seven ways.

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The Lord will command a blessing

on you, in your barns and

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in all that you undertake.

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And he will bless you in the land

that the Lord your God is giving you.

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The Lord will establish you as the people

holy to himself as he has sworn to you.

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If you keep the commandments of the

Lord your God and walk in his ways.

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And all the peoples of the earth shall

see that you are called by the name of

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the Lord and they shall be afraid of you.

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And the Lord will make you abound in

prosperity, in the fruit of your womb

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and in the fruit of your livestock,

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and in the fruit of the ground

within the land that the Lord

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swore to your fathers to give you.

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The Lord will open to you his good

treasury, the heavens, to give the

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reign to your land in its season and

to bless all the work of your hands.

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And you shall lend to many

nations, but you shall not borrow.

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The Lord will make you the head and not

the tail, and you shall only go up and

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not down if you obey the commandments

of the Lord your God, which I command

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you today, being careful to do them.

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And if you do not turn aside from any

of the words that I command you today

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to the right hand or to the left to

go after other gods to serve them.

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But if you will not obey the voice of the

Lord your God, or be careful to do all

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his commandments and his statutes that I

command you today, then all these curses

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shall come upon you and overtake you.

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Cursed shall you be in the city and

cursed shall you be in the field.

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Cursed shall be your basket

and your kneading bowl.

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Cursed shall be the fruit of your

womb and the fruit of your ground.

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The increase of your herds and the

young of your flock cursed shall

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you be when you come in and cursed

shall you be when you go out.

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The Lord will send on you curses

confusion and frustration and

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all that you undertake to do.

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Until you are destroyed and perished

quickly on account of the evil of

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your deeds, because you have forsaken

me, the Lord will make the pestilence

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stick to you until he has consumed

you off the land that you are

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entering to take possession of it.

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The Lord will strike you with wasting

disease and with fever, inflammation,

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and fiery heat, and with drought, and

with blight, and with mildew, they

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shall pursue you until you perish.

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And the heavens over your

head shall be bronze and the

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earth under you shall be iron.

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The Lord will make the rain of

your land powder from heaven.

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Dust shall come down on you

until you are destroyed.

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The Lord will cause you to be

defeated before your enemies.

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You shall go out one way against

them and flee seven ways before

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them, and you shall be a horror

to all the kingdoms of the earth.

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And your dead body shall be food

for all birds of the air and

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for the beasts of the earth.

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And there shall be no one

to frighten them away.

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The Lord will strike you with the boils

of Egypt and with tumors and scabs and

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itch of which you cannot be healed.

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The Lord will strike you with madness

and blindness and confusion of mind,

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and you shall grope at noonday as

the blind grope in darkness, and

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you shall not prosper in your ways.

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And you shall be only oppressed

and robbed continually, and

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there shall be no one to help you.

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You shall be trow the wife,

but another man shall rish her.

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You shall build a house, but

you shall not dwell on it.

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You shall plant a vineyard, but

you shall not enjoy its fruit.

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Your ox shall be slaughtered before your

eyes, but you shall not eat any of it.

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Your donkey shall be

seized before your face.

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But shall not be restored to you.

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Your sheep shall be given to your enemies,

but there shall be no one to help you.

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Your sons and your daughters shall

be given to another people while

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your eyes look on and fail with

longing for them all day long.

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But you shall be

helpless and in verse 45,

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Because you did not obey the voice of the

Lord your God, to keep his commandments

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and his statutes that he commanded you.

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They shall be a sign and a wonder against

you and your offspring forever because

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you did not serve the Lord your God,

with joyfulness and gladness of heart.

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Because of the abundance of all things.

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Therefore, you shall serve your

enemies, whom the Lord will send

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against you in hunger and thirst,

in nakedness and lacking everything.

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And he will put a yoke of iron on

your neck until he has destroyed you.

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The Lord will bring a nation against

you from far away from the end of the

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earth, swooping down like the eagle.

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A nation whose language you do

not understand, a hard faced

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nation who shall not respect the

old or show mercy to the young.

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I

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end in 58.

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If you are not careful to do all the

words of this law that are written in

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this book, that you may fear the glorious

and awesome name, the Lord your God,

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then the Lord will bring on you and your

offspring, extraordinary afflictions,

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affliction, severe and lasting, and

sicknesses, grievous and lasting.

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And he will bring upon you again, all

the diseases of Egypt, of which you were

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afraid, and they shall cling to you.

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Every sickness also and every affliction

that is not recorded in the book

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of this law, the Lord will bring

upon you until you are destroyed.

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Whereas you were as numerous as the

stars of heaven, you shall be left few

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in number because you did not obey

the voice of the Lord your God, and as

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the Lord took delight in doing you good

and multiplying you, so the Lord will

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take delight in bringing ruin upon you.

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And destroying you,

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and you shall be plucked off the land that

you are entering to take possession of it

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Let's pray that we would heed

this warning in our own hearts.

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Lord, we thank you that

you are a jealous God.

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with the Psalmist we say we

have no good apart from you.

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We know our hearts are prone to wander,

particularly when we're in seasons of

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comfort or blessing, keep us close.

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Help us to diligently pursue you

knowing that no earthly blessing.

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No relationship or no endeavor

can compare with the joy of

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knowing and walking with you.

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We know we are promised difficulties

on this earth, but we humbly recognize

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that many are the result of our own sin.

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So enlarge our hearts for your

ways, Lord, that we could run in

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the path of your commandments.

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And we pray for our children that

you would teach them to not be

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complacent, but give them a supernatural

comprehension that you are the only

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source of joy and satisfaction.

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May they have a healthy reverence

of you and flee for temptation.

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That they would not require the

consequences of rebellion before

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they humble their hearts before you.

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And for those in seasons of walking

away from you, Lord, we pray that

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you would draw them back to yourself.

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Thank you Jesus for how much you gave

for your bride, and we thank you for

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the jealousy with which you love us.

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It's in your name we pray.

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Amen.