Ken Miller

Moses continues his exhortation of the Israelites to keep the various feasts and festivals instituted by God. These annual events were non-optional and every single Israelite was to participate in them, from the oldest to the youngest and the richest to the poorest. In Deuteronomy 16:9-17, Moses outlines the seven feasts that were to be celebrated each and every year. But even he was oblivious to the hidden meaning behind each and every one of these festivals. They were to act as precursors, pointing the way to the coming Messiah. In one way or another, He fulfills and completes each one of the festivals, providing mankind with more than enough cause to celebrate. At least for those who have placed their faith in Him. These feasts and festivals were to be times of joy, celebration, and thanksgiving, providing God’s people with the opportunity to rejoice in all that God had done for them, over the previous year and the many generations since He had made them His own.

Ep 967 – Deuteronomy 16:9-17

Forgetfulness. We all suffer from it at one time or another. But for the people of Israel, forgetting God was going to be a constant problem. And Moses knew that it would be. So, in Deuteronomy 16:1-8, we have recorded his words warning the Israelites to never forget all that God had done for them. And the way they were to keep all His mighty acts seared into their memory was by keeping the various feasts and festivals He had prescribed for them. From the Passover to the Feast of Unleavened Bread, God had provided a host of annual commemorative ceremonies designed to keep the memory of God’s goodness alive and well. While God had great things in store for the people of Israel as they prepared to enter the Promised Land, He also wanted them to never let all His past deeds on their behalf fade from their memories. Remembering was going to be a great way of reminding the Israelites to keep trusting.

Ep 966 – Deuteronomy 16:1-8

In Deuteronomy 15:19-23, Moses is going to bring up the topic of the firstborn again. He first addressed it in chapter 12 and then again in chapter 14. But this time he is going to discuss the sacrifice of the firstborn of the flock and the herd. The doctrine of the firstborn was to have strong significance for the people of Israel, providing a link all the way back to the days before the exodus from Egypt. As a result of God sparing the firstborn son of every Hebrew family, as well as the firstborn of their sheep and bulls, the Israelites were to dedicate these animals as offerings to God. They belonged to Him. And the presence of the Levites among the other tribes was to act as a constant reminder that they stood as substitutes for every firstborn male among the Israelites. The tribe of Levi had been dedicated to God for His service. And the firstborn of the flocks and herds also belonged to God – as tokens of thanks and expressions of worship.

Ep 965 – Deuteronomy 15:19-23

Poverty and need are nothing new. They have been a part of the human condition ever since the fall. In fact, they’re both a byproduct of sin’s entrance into the world. With sin came death. And not just the physical kind. Poverty is a form of economic death that leaves an individual, a family, or even a community experiencing the slow and debilitating loss of life. When the resources necessary for experiencing fullness of life are unavailable, it results in a host of people who become like the walking dead, robbed of their dignity and devoid of any real hope of change. In Deuteronomy 15:12-18, Moses addresses the issue of poverty among the people of Israel and gives them God’s divine plan for alleviating it. In a nation that was guaranteed the blessings of God, there should be no one who suffered want. God’s blessings were meant to be shared.

Ep 964 – Deuteronomy 15:12-18

In Deuteronomy 14:22-29 Moses is going to remind the people of God of their obligation to keep the designated feast days that God had established for them. These were non-negotiable events in which every Israelite was to participate. But the feasts and the sacrifices that accompanied them were about more than law-keeping. They were designed to be communal festivals of celebration and thanksgiving to God. Three times a year, the nation of Israel was to gather at the site of the tabernacle and share the joy of being God’s chosen people. They had ample reason to rejoice and God wanted them to do it together – as a family. And He made sure that everyone was to be included, from the widow and orphan to the foreigner in their midst. They were to share their food and their common sense of gratitude to God for all that He had done for them.

Ep 962 – Deuteronomy 14:22-29

The Israelites were meant to stand out from the crowd. They were to be distinct and different, from their actions and attitudes to the way they dressed and the food they ate. God had called them to be His prized possession, having set them apart as uniquely His and having provided them with His law which would dictate every aspect of their behavior. He had even come up with regulations regarding their food consumption. They were not free to eat whatever they wanted to eat. Rather than allowing themselves to be driven by their appetites, they were to live in submission to the will of God. God knew what was best and by obeying His commands, they would express their trust in Him. While the rest of the world did whatever they deemed best, the people of God were to do what God had determined to be holy. And in Deuteronomy 14:1-21, Moses makes that point perfectly clear.

Ep 961 – Deuteronomy 14:1-21

God had intended for Israel to stand out as a nation. He had chosen them and set them apart as His own prized possession. Now, as they prepared to enter the land God had promised to give them, Moses warned them to maintain their set-apart status. They were not to blend in or cozy up to the nations occupying the land. There was no place for compromise or thoughts of coexistence with the Canaanites. In fact, God had made it clear that the Israelites were to eliminate every last Canaanite and to purge the land of anything and everything associated with them, including the altars and high places they had constructed to their false gods. In Deuteronomy 12:29-32, Moses reminds the people that emulating the Canaanites was a bad idea. Worshiping their gods was even worse. And any thought of adapting their forms of worship were to be avoided at all costs. In this case, imitation would NOT be the sincerest form of flattery.

Ep 959 – Deuteronomy 12:29-32

As Christians, we tend to make a habit out of doing things our own way. Even when it comes to worship, we have strong opinions about what kind of worship we find most enjoyable and acceptable. But the problem is that worship was never intended to have man as its focus. We are the worshipers, not the ones being worshiped. So, our worship is meant to be God-directed, not man-centered. And in Deuteronomy 12:1-14, Moses warns the people of Israel that their worship of God was going to be according to God’s standards, not their own. Once they arrived in the land of Canaan, there was going to be one divinely approved place of worship. No more setting up shrines and altars wherever they felt like it. And they were to refrain from adapting and adopting the pagan shrines, converting them for the worship of Yahweh. That was going to be unacceptable. Doing what was right in their own eyes was not going to be an option. Their worship of God would have to be on His terms, or not at all.

Ep 957 – Deuteronomy 12:1-14

Israel was totally unworthy of God’s goodness and grace. They were undeserving of all that He had done for them and had proven themselves incapable of living in faithfulness to Him. Yet, God had continued to bless them – in spite of them. Their entire history up until this point had been marked by rebellion and not righteousness. Even as they stood on the border of the land of Canaan, they had a long track-record of disobedience to God. Yet, in Deuteronomy 9:13-29, we will see Moses reminding them that God remained faithful to them because He was the covenant-keeping God. He had plans for them and those plans included their continued existence as a nation. God had promised that He would bless them and that they would be a blessing to the nations of the earth. It would be God’s plan to bring redemption to the world through a rebellious and unrighteous people. Because He is a faithful God.

Ep 952 – Deuteronomy 9:13-29

We’ve already covered the topic of forgetfulness, but it seems that Moses is not quite done with this point. In Deuteronomy 8:11-20, he is going to raise the issue of forgetfulness one more time, reminding the people of Israel that they needed to avoid it like the plague. God had done amazing things on their behalf and had even more He was going to accomplish as they prepared to cross the River Jordan and enter the land of promise. But Moses knew they ran the risk of suffering from short-term memory. Once they got into the land and began to enjoy all the fruitfulness and blessings it provided, they would begin to think that they had somehow earned or deserved their newfound prosperity. That is why Moses warned them to remember God. If not, forgetfulness of God’s role in their conquest of the land would lead to self-exaltation and self-reliance, robbing God of glory and rewarding themselves with credit they did not deserve.

Ep 950 – Deuteronomy 8:11-20

Moses out of a burning bush. He had led the Israelites through the wilderness by making Himself visible as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. When God had descended upon Mount Sinai to give the law to Moses, He had made His presence known both visibly and audibly through the means of thunder, lightning, fire, and smoke. And the people had been so impressed by this tangible show of force that they had refused to approach the mountain out of fear. Now, in Deuteronomy 7:17-26, Moses tries to encourage a new generation of Israelites to remember the Lord their God. As they prepared to enter the promised land, it was going to be essential that they not forget God. He may be invisible, but He was going ahead of them and would turn back their enemies before them. As long as they remained faithful to Him.

Ep 948 – Deuteronomy 7:17-26

God had big things in store for Israel. And all that He had promised to do for them was backed by His covenant commitment. He had told them what He would do and He could be trusted to keep His word. But the problem was that the covenant He had made with Israel had been a bilateral one. That means both sides had to keep their part of the commitment. Any hope they had of enjoying all the blessings God had promised was directly tied to their willingness to remain faithful to Him and fully obedient to all the requirements of the law. As a nation, they had given their word to do everything the Lord had commanded. But Moses knew they were a fickle people who had a track record of unfaithfulness. So, in Deuteronomy 7:7-16, he provides them with a much-needed reminder that their status as God’s chosen people was based on grace, not their own goodness. But if they wanted to continue to enjoy His presence and provision, they would have to be faithful.

Ep 947 – Deuteronomy 7:7-16

God thought of everything. But that shouldn’t surprise us. After all, He’s the all-knowing, all-powerful God of the universe. Nothing escapes His notice. And nothing takes place outside His sovereign will. So, in Deuteronomy 4:41-49, Moses reveals God’s plan for cases of unpremeditated murder. God knew it was going to happen. It was the inevitable outcome of fallen men and women living in a fallen, sin-marred world. Accidents would happen. But what were the Israelites supposed to do when they did? God had a plan. Because He did not want one sin leading to another. This section is going to cover God’s creation of the cities of refuge. This unique program of asylum for anyone guilty of committing murder, but without premeditation and malice, reveals a great deal about God and His justice and mercy.

Ep 939 – Deuteronomy 4:41-49

God is invisible and impossible for mere men to know or comprehend – unless He chooses to make Himself known. And in Deuteronomy 4:32-40, Moses is going to remind the people of Israel that their God had made a habit of making Himself known for centuries. From the first day He had appeared to Abraham in Ur, God had been revealing Himself to the descendants of Abraham in a variety of ways. In fact, it was to Abraham’s seed that God had chosen to make Himself known. And the nation of Israel represented the mighty nation God had promised to produce from Abraham and Sarah. He had kept His promise and now He was about to reward His people with the land He had set apart for Abraham’s seed. And Moses wanted the Israelites to never forget that God had proven Himself faithful and they had no reason to ever doubt His existence or presence.

Ep 938 – Deuteronomy 4:32-40

Israel is still on the wrong side of the Jordan. They have yet to cross over and it was because God had work for them to do on the east side of the river. According to God’s command and with His divine help, they defeated the armies of Og and Sihon, capturing their cities and putting all their inhabitants to the sword. These battles on the eastern side of the Jordan had to take place before Israel could begin their conquest of Canaan. And God had good reasons for requiring these seemingly unnecessary battles. He was preparing the Israelites for the years of warfare that loomed before them and was revealing that what He did east of the River, He could do in Canaan as well. But before they had time to celebrate their God-ordained victories over the Amorites, Moses found himself faced with a potential problem. The tribes of Gad and Reuben approached him with a request to settle in the recently liberated lands located outside the land of promise. They saw an opportunity to settle in an area with prime pasture lands, perfect for their many flocks. But Moses saw a rebellious people refusing to do what God had commanded them to do, and he had been down that road before.

Israel is still on the wrong side of the Jordan. They have yet to cross over and it was because God had work for them to do on the east side of the river. According to God’s command and with His divine help, they defeated the armies of Og and Sihon, capturing their cities and putting all their inhabitants to the sword. These battles on the eastern side of the Jordan had to take place before Israel could begin their conquest of Canaan. And God had good reasons for requiring these seemingly unnecessary battles. He was preparing the Israelites for the years of warfare that loomed before them and was revealing that what He did east of the River, He could do in Canaan as well. But before they had time to celebrate their God-ordained victories over the Amorites, Moses found himself faced with a potential problem. The tribes of Gad and Reuben approached him with a request to settle in the recently liberated lands located outside the land of promise. They saw an opportunity to settle in an are

Ep 933 – Deuteronomy 3:12-22

God has His way of doing things and He fully expects His people to follow His lead. In accomplishing His will, He rarely requires our opinion or advice. He doesn’t seek our viewpoint or give us the option of replacing His divine plan with one of our own. But that doesn’t stop us from trying. And in the book of Deuteronomy, we have plenty of examples of Moses and the people of Israel attempting to help God out by opting for their own strategies in place of His. But this plan-B tactic rarely works out. We may not understand or even like what God has told us to do, but there is never a case where our preferred option will produce better results. It just won’t happen. A big part of being a child of God is learning to obey Him, which requires that we trust Him. We have to believe that what He is telling us to do will be for our good, whether we understand it or not. He knows what He is doing. And Moses and the people of Israel were going to learn that lesson time and time again as they began their conquest of Canaan. In fact, it would start before they entered the land.

God has His way of doing things and He fully expects His people to follow His lead. In accomplishing His will, He rarely requires our opinion or advice. He doesn’t seek our viewpoint or give us the option of replacing His divine plan with one of our own. But that doesn’t stop us from trying. And in the book of Deuteronomy, we have plenty of examples of Moses and the people of Israel attempting to help God out by opting for their own strategies in place of His. But this plan-B tactic rarely works out. We may not understand or even like what God has told us to do, but there is never a case where our preferred option will produce better results. It just won’t happen. A big part of being a child of God is learning to obey Him, which requires that we trust Him. We have to believe that what He is telling us to do will be for our good, whether we understand it or not. He knows what He is doing. And Moses and the people of Israel were going to learn that lesson time and time again as they bega

Ep 932 – Deuteronomy 3:1-11

There’s a line in the closing chapter of the book of Judges that gives us a glimpse into what things were like in the days after Moses and Joshua were dead and the nation of Israel had been in the land of Canaan for some time. It simply reads: “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 25:25). Everyone did what was right. That’s an interesting phrase, because the Hebrew word translated as “right” actually means “righteous.” They thought that what they were doing was righteous and good, but it was based on their own subjective viewpoint, not that of God. And this kind of self-righteous decision making was something they had begun long before they even arrived in the land. We see a case of it in Deuteronomy 2:26-37 and it involves Moses, their divinely appointed leader. In this passage, we’ll see Moses receive very specific instructions from God, but then watch as Moses attempts to do what was right in his own eyes. He probably thought he was going the right thing, but it was not God’s thing. While Moses might have had reservations concerning God’s plan, that didn’t give him the freedom to alter it.

There’s a line in the closing chapter of the book of Judges that gives us a glimpse into what things were like in the days after Moses and Joshua were dead and the nation of Israel had been in the land of Canaan for some time. It simply reads: “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 25:25). Everyone did what was right. That’s an interesting phrase, because the Hebrew word translated as “right” actually means “righteous.” They thought that what they were doing was righteous and good, but it was based on their own subjective viewpoint, not that of God. And this kind of self-righteous decision making was something they had begun long before they even arrived in the land. We see a case of it in Deuteronomy 2:26-37 and it involves Moses, their divinely appointed leader. In this passage, we’ll see Moses receive very specific instructions from God, but then watch as Moses attempts to do what was right in his own eyes. He probably though

Ep 931 - Deuteronomy 2:26-37

As Christians, we have been so inculcated with the doctrine that our salvation is by God's grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, that we've almost become numbed by it. Yes, it's true and is a foundational doctrine of our faith, but if we're not careful, we can become complacent and lazy regarding our faith. The apostle Paul makes it quite clear that salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it (Ephesians 2:9). But the same man wrote, "Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear" (Philippians 2:12). And then Paul provides the undeniable tension that lies between our role and that of God. "For God is working in you, giving you the desire the power to do what pleases Him" (Philippians 2:13). While it's true we can't save our sanctify ourselves,  we do have to participate and cooperate. And the Israelites were going to discover that their occupation of the land promised to them by God, was going to require some blood, sweat, and tears.

As Christians, we have been so inculcated with the doctrine that our salvation is by God's grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, that we've almost become numbed by it. Yes, it's true and is a foundational doctrine of our faith, but if we're not careful, we can become complacent and lazy regarding our faith. The apostle Paul makes it quite clear that salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it (Ephesians 2:9). But the same man wrote, "Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear" (Philippians 2:12). And then Paul provides the undeniable tension that lies between our role and that of God. "For God is working in you, giving you the desire the power to do what pleases Him" (Philippians 2:13). While it's true we can't save our sanctify ourselves,  we do have to participate and cooperate. And the Israelites were going to discover that their occupation of the land promised to them by God, 

Ep 930 – Deuteronomy 2:16-25

Why can’t you all just get along? Oh, if I only had a dollar for every time my mother asked that question of my three siblings and myself. I would be a rich man. You see, we didn’t get along very often. We fought. We bickered and argued. And we seldom spent more than a few hours together without an argument breaking out among us. As you can imagine, family vacations were particularly fun for my mom and dad. Four kids crammed into the family car and forced to spend prolonged periods of quality time together in close quarters. Moses must have felt like my dad. Except his family numbered in the millions and the number of the daily disputes left Moses feeling overwhelmed and ready to turn in his title as the deliverer of Israel. This poor man was required by God to lead a veritable host of hostile, perpetually unhappy campers who had made a national sport out of bickering and complaining. And while Moses had hired extra help to handle the caseloads from all the disputes, the interpersonal climate among the people of Israel had not exactly taken a turn for the better. And Moses knew that if they couldn’t learn to get along, they would never get far in the quest to conquer the nations of Canaan.

Why can’t you all just get along? Oh, if I only had a dollar for every time my mother asked that question of my three siblings and myself. I would be a rich man. You see, we didn’t get along very often. We fought. We bickered and argued. And we seldom spent more than a few hours together without an argument breaking out among us. As you can imagine, family vacations were particularly fun for my mom and dad. Four kids crammed into the family car and forced to spend prolonged periods of quality time together in close quarters. Moses must have felt like my dad. Except his family numbered in the millions and the number of the daily disputes left Moses feeling overwhelmed and ready to turn in his title as the deliverer of Israel. This poor man was required by God to lead a veritable host of hostile, perpetually unhappy campers who had made a national sport out of bickering and complaining. And while Moses had hired extra help to handle the caseloads from all the disputes, the interpersonal 

Ep 926 – Deuteronomy 1:9-18

The New Testament is fairly clear about the fact that the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within those who place their faith in Christ. Jesus promised it, the book of Acts describes it, and generations of Christians can give testimony concerning it. And yet, we still find it hard to imagine the third person of the Trinity actually taking up residence within us. Especially when we consider how unsuitable our earthly tents can become at times. After all, we still find ourselves committing sins that grieve the Holy Spirit. And, far too often, we do things that end up quenching the full weight of His power in our lives. And yet, as we will see in today’s episode, His presence within us is guaranteed, and proof that we have indeed been made fully righteous and holy by the blood of Christ.

Ken Miller Videos

Ep 967 – Deuteronomy 16:9-17

Ep 966 – Deuteronomy 16:1-8

Ep 965 – Deuteronomy 15:19-23

Ep 964 – Deuteronomy 15:12-18

Ep 962 – Deuteronomy 14:22-29

Ep 961 – Deuteronomy 14:1-21

Ep 959 – Deuteronomy 12:29-32

Ep 957 – Deuteronomy 12:1-14

Ep 952 – Deuteronomy 9:13-29

Ep 950 – Deuteronomy 8:11-20

Ep 948 – Deuteronomy 7:17-26

Ep 947 – Deuteronomy 7:7-16

Ep 939 – Deuteronomy 4:41-49

Ep 938 – Deuteronomy 4:32-40

Ep 933 – Deuteronomy 3:12-22

Ep 932 – Deuteronomy 3:1-11

Ep 931 - Deuteronomy 2:26-37

Ep 930 – Deuteronomy 2:16-25

Ep 926 – Deuteronomy 1:9-18

Ep 890 – Sanctification – 2 Thessalonians 2:13-15

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