Be Still And Know

Deuteronomy 14:2 Moses declared: “You have been set apart as holy to the Lord your God, and he has chosen you from all the nations of the earth to be his own special treasure.” The word ‘holy’ means something that is special. Moses wanted the people of Israel to know they were so special to God that they needed to live a life that was distinct from the people around them. They were to ensure that all that they did was pleasing to him. They followed strict dietary rules and ensured that they did everything possible to avoid getting mixed up in other religions. They belonged to the God of Israel and only to him. They were his own special treasure. When Peter wrote his first letter, he used very similar language to describe the Church. In 1 Peter 2:9, he wrote: “You are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” The Church has not been called to offer t

Deuteronomy 11:26 Moses declared, “Look, today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse!” The book of Deuteronomy gives us the sermon that Moses preached as the people gazed at the promised land. God had told Moses that he would not enter into Canaan and, so, he stood on Mount Nebo looking at the land which God had promised to give to his people. He knew God well enough to know he longed to bless them. He wanted this new chapter in the life of the people of Israel to be full of blessing and happiness, but he also knew it was down to the choices they would make. They had the power to choose a blessing or a curse. This is a stark message, and it is precisely the one that we face today. We can choose God’s blessing, but we are not forced to. We have free will. If we choose to go our own way, that’s up to us. It might seem as if we are not making any particular decisions sometimes. However, stand back from your life for a moment. Everything you do, from the moment you wake up, is guided by

Deuteronomy 10:18-19 “God ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing. So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. You must fear the Lord your God and worship him and cling to him.” I’ve never been a widow or an orphan but, for two years, I was a foreigner, living in India. It was the most amazing experience. Everything felt different. The language, constantly warm weather and hot curries were just the start of it. Indian customs and attitudes to life were totally unfamiliar. I was surrounded by the love and generosity of the Indian family I lived with, but there was no disguising the fact that I was a foreigner. I belonged to another country. And I can easily understand how foreigners can feel vulnerable and threatened. Moses reminded the people of Israel that they had once been foreigners themselves. They lived in Egypt for 400 years and, although that was an

Deuteronomy 8:10-11 “When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today.” Moses preached this sermon just before the people of Israel crossed into the promised land. An exciting new life awaited them, but it was going to be different from anything they had ever known. For a generation they had been wandering in the wilderness, and so their new settled life in Canaan would present lots of entirely new challenges. Firstly, it would be easy for them to forget about the Lord. They would be so busy setting up home, establishing their farms and bringing up their families that they would simply neglect the God who had brought them to the promised land. And in forgetting about the Lord, they would then neglect to obey all the loving regulations that he had given them to ensure their happi

Deuteronomy 8:10-11 Moses preached this sermon just before the people of Israel crossed into the promised land. An exciting new life awaited them, but it was going to be different from anything they had ever known. For a generation they had been wandering in the wilderness, and so their new settled life in Canaan would present lots of entirely new challenges. Firstly, it would be easy for them to forget about the Lord. They would be so busy setting up home, establishing their farms and bringing up their families that they would simply neglect the God who had brought them to the promised land. And in forgetting about the Lord, they would then neglect to obey all the loving regulations that he had given them to ensure their happiness, peace and security. It’s no different today. It is incredibly easy to forget about the Lord, not through any deliberate intention to do so, but simply because life gets busy. Perhaps we get a new job, move to a different area, have an illness or take up a new hobby and, su

Deuteronomy 7:7 The people of Israel were very special to God. But it is only natural to ask the question: “Why?” Why should God favour one particular nation over all the rest? In his sermon, Moses considers this question and concludes that the only possible explanation was love. The Israelites were not powerful and strong. Far from it, they formed a little nation that had spent much of its life in slavery. But God decided to show them his love. The verb that Moses used in Hebrew is really interesting, because it’s not a typical religious word. It literally means ‘to hang on to’ someone. God decided to hang on to the people of Israel through thick and thin. He had made a commitment to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and he wasn’t going to let them down. Love is always a miraculous gift. You can’t buy love or force it to happen. That’s true of all our human relationships and supremely true of God’s relationship with us. God loves you and me and there is nothing we can do to change that fact. He is determined

Deuteronomy 6:20-21 One of the greatest blessings of my life has been that, for much of the time, I have lived with small children – and one of the joys that children bring is in their questioning. I have noticed this is particularly intense around the age of four or five. Their theological questioning leaves learned professors standing! They want to know who made God, where heaven is, why God stopped making dinosaurs and why he allows suffering. And all before eight o’clock in the morning! You may well have had a similar experience. Moses anticipated that children would ask questions. He knew they may ask why God had given his people so many laws. And Moses was keen that the children shouldn’t be fobbed off with slick answers. They needed to be told about the turbulent history of the people of Israel. They needed to know how God had saved their ancestors from slavery in Egypt. Although it happened a long time ago, they needed to understand the great things that God could do. He was the God who saved

Deuteronomy 6:4-6 These words stand right at the heart of the Jewish faith. In Jewish worship, they are repeated in both morning and evening prayers. They are a continual reminder of the fundamental truth that there is only one God, and he deserves total devotion. These words are known as the Shema and the people of Israel were commanded to keep repeating them to their children. They were so fundamental that Moses told them to: “talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up” (Deuteronomy 6:7). They were also told to write the words on tiny fragments of paper and put them in leather pouches called phylacteries, which were tied around their hands and foreheads. The words were also placed on the doorposts of their homes. They did everything possible to ensure these words were not forgotten. Repetition is often a characteristic of a loving relationship. I regularly tell my wife and children that I love them. I don’t do this because

Deuteronomy 4:9 In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses was preparing the people of Israel for their entry into the promised land. What they were about to experience was something entirely different from the many years they had spent in the wilderness. They would be able to settle down and enjoy food and drink. It would be a land truly flowing with milk and honey. But they would also face enormous obstacles. The people who lived in Canaan were not going to welcome them with open arms. Moses sought to equip them for this experience and, at the heart of his message, was their need to remember their history. They had incredible experiences of God’s provision in the 40 years since they left Egypt, and they needed to keep reminding themselves of all that he had done. More than that, they needed to tell their children and grandchildren about it, too. It’s interesting how often the Bible addresses the issue of forgetting. It clearly isn’t a new problem! Moses could foresee that people would quickly get involved in

Deuteronomy 1:30-31 In the opening chapter of Deuteronomy, Moses reminds the people of their history. The journey from the Nile river to the promised land of Canaan took less than two weeks. When they arrived in Kadesh-barnea, just south of the border with Canaan, Moses encouraged them to enter the land that God had promised to give them. But the people were cautious. They suggested spies should be sent in, to find out whether it was safe to proceed. When the 12 spies returned, most focused on the problems. They reported that the inhabitants of the promised land were taller and more powerful than they were, and their towns and walls were enormous. They even said they had seen giants. This was enough to scare the Israelites, who suggested it would be better to head back to slavery in Egypt. The fact that two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, gave a very positive report did nothing to calm their nerves. God responded angrily. The spies’ report was based on 40 days in the promised land, and so God punishe

Deuteronomy 1:12-13 Moses was a great man. He had been appointed by God to lead the people out of Egypt, but there was no way in which he could do this by himself. He needed lots of help, particularly from wise people who could help to resolve all the difficult issues that arose. From all the very honest accounts we have of those 40 wilderness years, we know the people were often in a bad mood. They frequently complained about the harsh conditions and often wished they could turn the clock back and return to slavery in Egypt. But what we read about was probably just the tip of the iceberg. Grumbles were part of daily life, and it simply wasn’t possible for one person to handle them all. The appointment of well-respected people from each tribe was a wise way forward. Although it is sad to hear that there were so many problems during those wilderness years, this story should offer us a degree of reassurance. We shouldn’t be surprised when we face problems and bickering. It’s sad, but it’s often a fact of

Deuteronomy 1:12-13 Moses was a great man. He had been appointed by God to lead the people out of Egypt, but there was no way in which he could do this by himself. He needed lots of help, particularly from wise people who could help to resolve all the difficult issues that arose. From all the very honest accounts we have of those 40 wilderness years, we know the people were often in a bad mood. They frequently complained about the harsh conditions and often wished they could turn the clock back and return to slavery in Egypt. But what we read about was probably just the tip of the iceberg. Grumbles were part of daily life, and it simply wasn’t possible for one person to handle them all. The appointment of well-respected people from each tribe was a wise way forward. Although it is sad to hear that there were so many problems during those wilderness years, this story should offer us a degree of reassurance. We shouldn’t be surprised when we face problems and bickering. It’s sad, but it’s often a fact o

Psalm 5:3 Let’s be clear that God loves to hear from us at any time. Morning, noon or night he loves to hear our prayers. But there is something very important about us coming to God in the morning when the day is still new. It’s a fresh page and so far we have done nothing to mess it up! It may well be that you find it better to have a quiet reflective time with God later in the day and that’s fine. But I urge you not to miss the opportunity to start the day with the Lord, even if it is very brief. What could be better than for us to thank him for the gift of a new day and to ask him to strengthen and lead us through it? Whatever is happening in the day ahead there are bound to be requests that we want to make. We want God to bless our activities and the people we will meet. I was talking with a friend only a few days ago who showed me a well-thumbed notebook in which he had written the names of people he had prayed for over the last few years. Against most of the names was a tick which he sensed tha

Psalm 4:8 How are you sleeping at the moment? If you always sleep well, that’s wonderful. But for many people, sleep is hard work. In the UK, 33 per cent of people over the age of 55 struggle to fall asleep quickly. For 25 per cent of adults, money worries are a major factor in disturbing their sleep. No one questions the importance of sleep - and the psalmist was well aware of the blessing it brings. In this psalm, David was reflecting on the pressures of life. Despairingly, he asked how long he would have to live with people who were trying to ruin his reputation and speaking lies about him. We may not have faced these particular challenges, but many of us will go through tough or unsettling times. Perhaps we will face pressures at work, strained family relationships or health challenges. Such times can shake us and test what we are made of. David responded to his challenges by concluding that he could “be sure of this. The Lord set apart the godly for himself. The Lord will answer when I call to hi

Psalm 3:1-3 Some of the psalms have a brief introductory note, and this is one of them. It tells us that it was written when David fled from his son, Absalom. This was possibly the most tragic moment in David’s long, eventful reign. Absalom was a great favourite of David and much loved by the people as well. He was handsome, charming and loved all the pomp which went along with belonging to a royal family. He drove a magnificent chariot with 50 men running in front of it. However, tragically, he was determined to take over his father’s throne, leading a rebellion which forced David to flee from Jerusalem in fear for his life. Can you imagine anything worse? It is bad enough to be attacked by your enemies, but for David to have his much- loved son turn against him must have been a crushing experience. David stood back from this disaster and reflected on where his true security lay. He knew God was the one who gave him lasting security and that he would hold his head high. The Bible never pretends t

If this psalm had been written recently, you might assume the psalmist had just read that day’s newspaper or listened to the news on TV. He begins by asking: “Why are the nations so angry? Why do they waste their time with futile plans?” (v1). Sound familiar? He then reflects on the fact that the rulers of the earth plot against God, trying to get free from his control. In response, he pictures God in heaven having a good laugh at their stupidity, for whatever they do, he is in ultimate control. This psalm underlines God’s interest in the political life of our world. At times, I fear that our churches talk as if God is really only interested in what happens among Christians. But he is God of the whole world - and his longing is for every nation and individual to live in unity with him. The punch line of this psalm is the statement that God gives joy to “all who take refuge in him” (v12). Our verses today are God’s words of advice to the rulers of the world. They are encouraged to act wisely and to giv

Psalm 1:1-2 It’s interesting that the Book of Psalms begins on a negative note. Here are three things that godly people reject. They don’t accept the advice of wicked people. They don’t hang around with sinners. And they don’t have anything to do with those who mock God. It’s almost as if he is talking about preparing a field for cultivation. There is no point in sowing seed until the stones and weeds have been cleared out. God’s desire is to bless us and give us his joy, but none of that can happen until the rubbish is gone. When people hear about the invitation to give their life to God, the danger is that they simply try to add this dimension to their present way of life. They want to ‘join the God club’ in the same way as one might join a motoring organisation or gym. They simply want to add it to their list of subscriptions and commitments. But this is precisely what God doesn’t want. His desire is for us to turn our back on our old way of life, in order to set off with him on a new journey. Th

James 5:19-20 These verses bring James’ letter to an end. They are very different from the ending of many New Testament letters, which are often full of warm greetings and prayers for the recipients. James’ letter was utterly practical and, in these final verses, he confronted the fact that, sadly, there are those who wander away from the Christian faith. The verb “to wander” is absolutely correct in my pastoral experience. I have been aware of very few people who depart from the Christian faith because they suddenly decide that it is all wrong. Most of the time, people get busy with other things and simply drift away from the Church. This very often happens when people move to a new area. They visit a few local churches but never really feel at home - and so they stop attending and, eventually, wander away from their faith. James wanted his readers to know the importance of restoring someone who has wandered away. They were effectively saving them from death. Restoration needs to be on the active

James 5:16 This is one of many verses in the Bible where I wish the author had written a lot more! In fact, I would have been perfectly happy if James had written a book to explain exactly what he meant when he suggested Christians should confess their sins to each other. I wonder how he expected this to be done, and which sins he had in mind. I assume that he didn’t expect services of worship to be the context within which these confessions would take place. But was he thinking about a small group, or a meeting between just two people? We just don’t know. In the early days of Methodism, John Wesley devised a number of accountability questions which would help people to grow in holiness. People would meet together in groups of three to five of the same gender (known as bands), and ask each person the following four questions: What known sins have you committed since our last meeting? What temptations have you met with? How were you delivered? What have you thought, said, or done, of which you doubt

James 5:13-14 I love these verses. Basically, James is saying that whatever is going on in your life at the moment, it’s the right time to pray! Many people seem to see prayer as a religious activity that needs to be confined to particular times or places. Churches are well known as places to pray, and many people set aside a special quiet time each day so that they can bring their prayers to God. This is all splendid, but we still need to hear James’ encouragement. It is always the right time to pray - whether you are in church or not, and whether it is your special time to pray to God or not. James is introducing us to the idea that prayer is a way of life in which we share whatever is going on with a God who cares about every aspect of our lives. James’ letter contains many indications that the churches he was writing to were going through a hard time. The people were under pressure from the authorities and probably from their neighbours and employers, too. They needed to pray to God about their di