Pastor Bob DuPar
March 31, 2008

Journal Entry


Scripture

Deuteronomy 16:1-17:20; Luke 9:7-27; Psalm 72:1-20; Proverbs 12:8-9.

Observation

I don’t remember reading a verse like Deuteronomy 16:17 before:

“No man should appear before the Lord empty-handed; each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you.”

This related to three times a year at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles respectively.

Deuteronomy 17:6 gives deeper insight into the Matthew 18 passage about 2 or 3 witnesses:

“On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but no one shall be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.”

“Two or Three witnesses” is not a formula for “name-it-and-claim-it” theology or even a magic number for ensuring God’s presence like some divine quorum. It is and was a safeguard against subjectivity and personal agendas.

I was struck by the repetition in the OT reading of the phrase: “You must purge yourself of the evil among you.”

Application

Important decisions should not be arrived at in a vacuum or in isolation but after seeking the counsel and wisdom of a number of people who are all seeking God’s heart and mind.
We don’t treat evil like the cancer that it is. We entertain and tolerate evil too much. We as leaders need to deal with evil swiftly, boldly, biblically and unapologetically.

Prayer

“God, help me to begin by not tolerating evil in my own life. May I prune evil from my life before it has time to take root and form into habit or lifestyle.”