Torah: Deuteronomy 11:26–16:17
PROPHETS: Isaiah 54:11–55:5  
APOSTOLIC WRITINGS: John 7:37–52

The devotional below is designed to help you dive deeper into God’s heart by exploring Torah as the gateway into transformational Bible reading.

SUNDAY

Torah 1 & 2

Torah 1: 
The Path of Blessing
Deuteronomy 11:26–12:10

Moses lays it out straight: blessings flow from obedience, cursing flows from disobedience (11:26–32). We know this. So why don’t we naturally obey all the time?

The answer is in verse 28. Where does disobedience flow from? Following God instead of other gods (including the “god” of self) is the only way to walk down the path of obedience and blessing. This is why God so consistently calls us to a covenant relationship defined by its exclusivity (12:1–3). This requires following Him not according to the ways of other people, nor according to the ways of our own inclination, but exclusively according to the way He’s prescribed for us (vv. 4–10). In fact, following is the essence of discipleship.

Torah 2:
The Place God Puts His Name
Deuteronomy 12:11–28

Moses continues to flesh out this “way” in terms of appropriate sacrifices to offer, food to eat, and possessions to give. Some of these requirements apply to a later time after God has given “rest” (peace and safety) to His people in the land (cf. vv. 10–11 and 2 Samuel 7:1).

According to Leviticus 17:10–12 and Hebrews 9:22, why is blood always off limits?

Read Deuteronomy 12:5, 11, and 18 and reflect on how God has been leading throughout history to redeem His creation by putting His Name on one people group (Israel) to reach all peoples (the nations)—and by putting His Name in one place (Tabernacle/Temple) to spread it to all places (“earth full of the glory of God,” cf. Psalm 72:19 and Habakkuk 2:14). 

MONDAY

Torah 3 & 4

Torah 3: 
Do Not Follow Other gods
Deuteronomy 12:29–13:18

Over and over, God calls us to follow Him exclusively, according to His revealed instructions (12:29–32). He even gives us guidelines for evaluating those who try to exercise leadership by proclaiming things unseen. He points us beyond the person, the message, the sign, and the wonder to the One who continually beckons us to follow Him alone. God wants us to follow Him more than any seemingly enlightened person (13:1–5), even more than our very own flesh and blood (vv. 6–11). This means more than just reacting to those around you, but proactively pursuing those who are going astray in order to cultivate purity within God’s covenant community (vv. 12–16). God instructs His beloved community, about to enter the land, in order to stir them to trust Him and obediently follow Him for their own good and to the glory of their/our promise-keeping Sovereign (vv. 17–18).
 

Torah 4:
Follow Me and Be Holy
Deuteronomy 14:1–21

Following God requires being like Him and walking in holiness, and will necessarily impact every aspect of our lives (14:1–2). Israel’s regulated diet was designed to accomplish two purposes. First, dietary regulations discouraged “table-fellowship” with the surrounding peoples who would lead Israel astray. Second, these instructions laid a foundation for teaching us the difference between “clean and unclean” (vv. 3–21, cf. Leviticus 10:10). How does Messiah Yeshua build on this foundation in Mark 7:15?

application

Where in your life is “uncleanness” hindering your walk with the Lord? Is your marriage suffering from the bitterness of unforgiveness? Is selfishness eroding your commitment to serve others? Is pride leading you to seek the approval of others more than living to please God alone?

Consider this motto: “Trust in the Lord. And when you don’t: Repent. And trust in the Lord.” (Trust involves believing and acting out that belief through obedience.) Good instruction.

TUESDAY

torah 5 & 6

Torah 5: 
Three Uses For Tithes 
Deuteronomy 14:22–29

God instructed His people to set aside 10% of all He blessed them with. Remember that Israel was given a 7-year cycle which culminated in the Sabbatical year (the Jubilee year came at the end of seven 7-year cycles, cf. Leviticus 25). Throughout this 7-year cycle, the worshiper was to regularly:

1) consume some of their tithe in a feast to the LORD while rejoicing (cf. 1 Corinthians 9:7) in His Presence (vv. 22–26, cf. 12:6, 11 and 17; probably during the pilgrimage feasts of Shavuot and Sukkot).

Every three years (3rd and 6th) the tithe was to be collected and stored in each town to:

2) support the Levites, and

3) serve the poor (vv. 27–29, cf. 26:12–15 and 1 Corinthians 16:1–3). 
 

Torah 6: 
Deuteronomy 15:1–18  

The Sabbatical year granted release from debts for fellow Israelites (15:1–11). The Sabbatical year also allowed the option for freedom from “debt-slavery” for fellow Israelites (vv. 12–18). This system of debt-slavery, however, was not a system of controlling and abusing others for personal gain. This abusive miffed is what we typically associate with slavery but that comes more from our culture than from the Bible. Biblical debt-slavery functioned as an economic “safety-net” designed to protect the poor. Compare these instructions with those given in Exodus 21:1-11 just after the Ten Commandments were given.

application

Consider how God organized His covenant community. He called for an order that promotes justice and mercy by facilitating brotherly love and Fatherly worship! To what degree is your tithing an act of worshipful obedience (giving as unto the LORD)? Furthermore, to what extent is your giving promoting brotherly love (giving up what you have to help others) and Fatherly worship (growing in responsible, God-honoring stewardship remembering that everything belongs to God)? What can you do to grow in godliness in this area?