August 5, 2019

Deuteronomy 24 is an interesting chapter.  It’s God’s law that protects and looks out for people.

• Things like protection for a newly married man from being drafted and sent away from his new wife for the first year (v.5).  
• Taking a set of millstones (necessary for a family’s survival) as security for a loan (v.6)
• Protection against kidnapping, and skin diseases (v.8-9)
• Never taking advantage of the poor (v.10-15, 19-22)
• True justice (v.16-18)

All of these things boil down to us treating others with kindness – treating them like we want to be treated.

Jesus was challenged with this in Luke 10 when an attorney (trying to trick Him) asked Him what the greatest commandment is.  Jesus replied:

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”  Luke 10:27

The attorney responded by asking who his neighbor was.  Jesus answered with a story.

30Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead.  31And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.  32Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.  33But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion,  34and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him.  35On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’  36Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?”  Luke 10:30-36

The man in Jesus’ story understood the Law – loving and caring for others like Deuteronomy commands.  

Jesus told the attorney to go and treat others like that.  How can you and I grow in our love and kindness of others? This shows Jesus to a lost and watching world.  

• What’s God speaking to you about today in this area?
• Who can you go out of your way to show love and kindness to today?
• How can you grow in this important discipline?

By: Tim Parsons — Lead Pastor