Tuesday, July 7, 2020
“Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest” (Joshua 1:7 KJV).
Dear readers, let us learn this vital lesson from ancient Israel’s history.
Go now to Deuteronomy chapter 13: “[1] If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, [2] And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; [3] Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
“[4] Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. [5] And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust [throw, force!] thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.”
Whatever Satan used to deceive Israel long ago would certainly be profitable to him today: he still uses counterfeit (false) teaching to distract and divide God’s people. In Deuteronomy, the LORD warned Israel not to be led astray by any “miracle worker.” Even if an “inexplicable” or “supernatural” demonstration was involved, the underlying thought itself was a lie, so that teacher or preacher was to be executed by stoning! He or she was “seducing” Israel, drawing the nation away from God’s revelation to the Jews (see verse 5). Even now, such individuals still seek to “turn [us] away from the LORD [our] God.” Brethren, we should therefore be wary….
333 Words of Grace 