#55. Deuteronomy 19-22 | I Don't Always Get It... But I Know You're Good

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This is a dwelling place for mid trusted Ministries.

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I'm Stephanie Hickox today, we'll

continue to look at some of the civil laws

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that God was commanding Israel to embrace.

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To set them apart from

the nations around them.

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I've shared some testimonies before about

how I've been absolutely transformed by

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the word of God but I also wanna admit

that there are times I come to the word

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and I just think, huh, I don't get it.

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As I pray and press into the Holy

Spirit, sometimes I still walk away

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thinking, I still don't get it.

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But at least I know you're good,

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If you're reading through some of

these laws, feeling that same way I

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want you to know that I'm with you

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But in each chapter, I do see the

character and the goodness of God,

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But I really like how the Bible project

talks about the laws in Deuteronomy.

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They say remember, these are the

terms of the covenant between God

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and ancient Israel, which was a

very different culture from our own.

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In other words, it's not going to be

helpful to compare them with modern

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laws from a different time and culture.

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These laws were given to set

Israel apart from their neighbors.

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When you compare biblical laws with those

of Israel's neighbors in Babylon, or

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Assyria rules that at first seem bizarre

or harsh, become more clear, you can

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see God pushing Israel to a higher level

of justice than was ever known before.

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That's so well said.

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And though a lot of these laws were

for a different culture and a different

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time, and we know they don't need to

apply to us anymore, the moral law does.

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Let's talk about a couple

examples of things that were

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wrong then and are still wrong

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This is an episode that

touches on issues of purity.

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And it's best for mom ears.

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In God commands them.

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To designate cities of refuge for

those accused of taking a life

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, Throughout God's word,

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, There is a high reliance on witnesses.

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God says that there should be two or

three witnesses before someone can

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be fairly punished for a crime, and

there are severe consequences for

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those that bring a false testimony

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1915, a simple witness shall not

suffice against a person for any crime

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or for any wrong in connection with

any offense that he has committed.

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Only on the guidance of two

witnesses or of three witnesses

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shall a charge be established.

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The chapter goes on to say that judges

should inquire diligently and then we

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encounter a phrase that we'll see many

times purge the guilt or purge the evil.

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Now let's talk about God's

thoughtfulness in Chapter 20.

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When you go out to war against your

enemies and see horses and chariots

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and an army larger than your own,

you shall not be afraid of them.

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For the Lord your God is with you.

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Who brought you up out

of the land of Egypt.

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and when you draw near to the battle.

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The priest shall come forward and speak

to the people and shall say to them,

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here, O Israel, today you are drawing

near for battle against your enemies.

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Let not your heart faint.

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Do not fear or panic

or be in dread of them.

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For the Lord your God Is he who goes

with you to fight for you against

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your enemies, to give you the victory?

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Then the officers shall speak

to the people saying, is there

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any man who has built a new

house and has not dedicated it?

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Let him go back to his house lest he die

in the battle, and another man dedicated.

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And is there any man who has planted a

vineyard and has not enjoyed its fruit?

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Let him go back to his house

lest he die in the battle

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and another man enjoys fruit.

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And is there any man who has betrothed

the wife and has not taken her?

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Let him go back to his house.

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Lust.

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He die in the battle and another man

taker, and the officers shall speak

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further to the people and say, is there

any man who is fearful and faint-hearted?

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Let him go back to his house.

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Lust.

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He make the heart of his

fellows melt like his own.

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Once again, I'm sure you saw that

promise that the Lord is gonna

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go with them to fight for them.

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That they don't need to fear that

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It doesn't really matter how many horses

or chariots they're to walk in faith.

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but then we're given four circumstances.

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That God's not requiring them

to be in this voluntary army.

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If they just built a new house.

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If they just built a vineyard,

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if they are betrothed, but haven't.

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Consummated the relationship, or if

they're so afraid that it's rubbing off

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honestly, today I was convicted.

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I had to apologize because I

had a really crummy attitude

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and I.

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Didn't like my influence

on my sisters in Christ.

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I can understand the heart of this

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they needed men of courage to be there

fighting for their nation, not men

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who wish they were somewhere else.

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You might be confused if you're reading

chapter 20 when you get to verse 10 that

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says, when you draw near to a city to

fight against it, offer terms of peace,

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didn't God command them to devote

these people to utter destruction,

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killing everyone and everything

while this guideline relates to

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those outside of the promised land?

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It's the nations inside the promised land

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we're given more instructions

on a few verses later.

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It says, but you shall devote

them to complete destruction.

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The hitite and the Amorites, the

Canaanites and the parasites, the

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Hivites and the Jebusites, as the

Lord your God has commanded that they

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may not teach you to do according

to all their abominable practices

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that they have done for their gods.

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and so you sin against the Lord your God.

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So the rules are still the same.

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and then they're even commanded

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don't just start cutting down a bunch

of trees to help you in the battle and

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this is for their protection in the

future, that food is gonna bless them.

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Then we read that if there was a

woman they had taken captive that

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was beautiful, there is a process

in which they could marry her.

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I'm thinking ahead.

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Not too far in scripture to Rahab.

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She submitted to the God of the Bible

and she was allowed to join them.

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God allows favor and blessing on these

outsiders that want to worship him,

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And then we read again that if

there is a child that is absolutely

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defiant to their parents.

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And you can tell this is an older

son because he's given himself over

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to gluttony and drunkenness that the

nation is to stone him because they're

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purging the evil from their midst.

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And all Israel shall hear and fear.

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I can think of so many examples today

where we'll hear about an incident

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of drunk driving or texting while

driving, and we try to use them

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as teachable moments so that even

though something horrible happened

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to someone, hopefully we can all.

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Grow in the fear and the wisdom

of the Lord by looking at that

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example and not repeating it.

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this is a severe consequence, but it

would've helped the entire nation to

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realize how important authority is to God.

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Paul Tripp says, there is no

greater issue in the heart of a

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child than the issue of authority.

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He still wants us to get to the heart

of our kids and teach them to obey us.

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And then Chapter 21 concludes by saying.

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That anyone who hangs on a tree is cursed.

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Galatians three 13, Paul tells

us that Jesus became a cursed for

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us so that we could be redeemed.

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And it's in reference to this.

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In chapter 22, we're told

to go above and beyond.

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When God says, you shall not see

your brother's ox or his sheep going

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astray and ignore them, you shall

take them back to your brother.

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And if he does not live near you

and you do not know who he is.

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You shall bring it home to your

house and it shall stay with

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you until your brother seeks it.

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Then you shall restore it to him,

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this is such a great encouragement

that we should have eyes to see

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how we can serve and bless others.

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when the neighbor's child or

dog goes missing, stop what

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you're doing and help them

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The chapter continues with

talking about purity within

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marriage and prior to marriage.

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It's made very clear.

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In the Old Testament

and the New Testament,

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that the only appropriate time

for intimacy is within a marriage

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between a man and a woman.

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And there are consequences

for breaking this.

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God certainly wanted this to be a

deterrent for his people as well,

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that they would know that the marriage

covenant is to be taken seriously.

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But as I was preparing, I felt

very strongly to speak life and

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forgiveness over an area that

some may be wrestling with shame.

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In 22, 28, if a man meets a virgin who

is not betrothed and seizes her and

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lies with her and they are found, then

the man who lay with her shall give

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her to the father of the young woman,

50 shekels of silver, and she shall be

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his wife because he has violated her.

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He may not divorce her.

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All his days,

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this isn't referring to rape.

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This is consensual premarital sex.

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we know that because of the

parallel law and exodus.

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And because it's a different verb

than forces, which is used to

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refer to rape in other passages.

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And even though this is a civil

law at a different time, the fact

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that God commanded that they be

married and stay married forever.

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I just wanna speak that over anyone.

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Who is feeling shame for a sin?,

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Maybe it was before you came to the

Lord or maybe you were in the Lord, and

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you dishonored God in this choice and

you know you broke God's commandments

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to stay pure before marriage,

but then you married that person.

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And you stay true to a covenant with them.

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You have honored the heart of God.

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Yes, there was sin there,

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But just as God provided a

way here, he provided a way.

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Through Jesus Christ for

forgiveness of your sins.

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You can cast your sin upon him.

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Jesus has already paid the payment for it,

and you don't need to carry that anymore.

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In 2115, it talks about having two wives.

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Unless you think that this is

justifying polygamy, it's not.

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It actually is best

translated, has had two wives.

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So it seems it's referring to

a man had a wife and she died,

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and then he got another wife.

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, Instead of him saying, Ooh, I really

like my second wife, I think I'm

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gonna give all my land to her kids.

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Instead, God was saying,

no, you need to give it.

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To your true firstborn.

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We know that the rule of the firstborn

is often one, that God has turned down

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his head in scripture, but he wanted them

to be fair and to not have favoritism.

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He gets to make those choices

because he can see the heart.

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Let's pray.

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Heavenly Father, we come

before you saying that

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sometimes we don't exactly get.

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All we read in scripture and we

don't exactly get what you're

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doing in our lives sometimes, but

we choose to say, you are good.

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Help us to foul you and

all of your guidelines

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Because your word says so

that it may go well with you.

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give us clarity about the heart

behind these rules and what

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you're requiring for us today.

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I pray we would be faithful to teach

our children to submit to authority so

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that their hearts would be prepared to

submit to you in all things as they grow.

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We pray that we would live lives of

purity and that our children would as

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well help us to be diligent to protect

them, whether it's with technology

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or in real life circumstances,

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We pray we would leave our sin and

our failings at the cross, Lord

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that we would agree with you and then

choose to move forward in your grace.

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Jesus, thank you for becoming a

cursed on the tree for us so that we

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could be It's in your name we pray.

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Amen.