Seize the Moment – Day 619

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26
Nov '21

Seize the Moment – Day 619

Posted on Nov 26, 2021 by Jerry Ingalls in Devotions |

26
Nov '21

Enter the Rest of God!

Deuteronomy 3

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, November 26.

 

Have you entered the “rest” of God?

 

Deuteronomy 3 reviews the conquest of the land in the Transjordan that would give “rest” to God’s people (20). To enter this rest, they had to march into battle first. Listen to verse 1,
 
“Then we turned and went up the road to Bashan, and Og, king of Bashan, with all his people came out to meet us in battle at Edrei.”

 

The Promised Land was not a place of rest until the kingdoms that served false gods were removed from the area. Deuteronomy 3 references places such as Bashan and Mount Hermon, which are just names to us, but were commonly known as the ancient domains of evil. The ancient worldview of these geographic locations is significant for us to be able to grasp the depth of God’s victories so that His people could enter His rest:

 

Canaanite (Ugaritic) peoples, then, literally believed Bashan to be the gateway to the Underworld—the dwelling place of the dead. … According to Jewish theology of the Second Temple period (from books like 1 Enoch), the sons of God (called “watchers”) of Gen 6:1–4 descended to Mount Hermon in Bashan before carrying out the deeds described in Gen 6:1–4. Bashan and Hermon thus had sinister reputations.[1]

 

God conquered these ancient domains of evil so that His people could live free from evil influences. In the same way, Jesus defeated the domains of evil on the Cross. Paul proclaimed in Colossians 2:15,
 
“When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.”

 

Seize the moment and “be diligent to enter [God’s] rest, so that no one will fall” by trusting Jesus and His victory over evil (Hebrews 4:11).

God bless you!

 
 
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YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.
 
 
 

FOOTNOTES:

 

[1] Michael S. Heiser, “Bashan and the Gates of Hell,” in Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).

 
 

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