King James Daily Bible Study: Avouched For
Date: Wednesday March 09, 2011
Chapters: Deuteronomy 24-27
Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-march-9
Details of Today's Reading: Laws concerning divorce, newly married couples, pledges, justice, generosity to strangers, first born rights, weights and measures, the covenant made with God and His people, and the law to be written and followed.

Hello My Friend/Guest,
The word avouch means to assume responsibility for, to testify on one's behalf. When Jesus Christ died on the cross He avouched for all of us, He took on the responsibility for all our sins and gave His life for everyone, regardless of whether or not they accept Him. Now, when you call on Jesus Christ to save you, He takes that one step further, He stands before God and avouches for you, testifies on your behalf that you have accepted Him and are depending on Him for your salvation (to be saved from death, hell, and being cast into the lake of fire). “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” - Romans 6:22,23.

When God chose the Israelites to be His people, He avouched for them, took on the responsibility of them as a parent would his very own children. When God avouches for you He will never go back on His promise and He will never forsake you, but He does expect you to follow through with the covenant He made with you. That is why He enforced so many rules upon the Israelites, even from marriage to divorce God enforced some kind of rule in order to show the world that His people are not to follow suit with them. Moses explains this further.

“When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife. And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife; Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the LORD: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance. When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any business: but he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife which he hath taken.” - Deuteronomy 24:1-5.

Marriage is very sacred to God, it means much more to Him than a man and woman saying “I do.” It is a union in which the man and woman have avouched themselves to each other. They are no longer two separate people, but joined as one. Jesus said, “It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.” - Matthew 5:31,32. Fornication means immorality or adultery of any kind and is the only exception to divorce, if all other means to reconcile are exhausted.

When we accept Christ as our Savior we enter a marriage with Him, a union, joined as one, and nothing can separate or divorce us from Him, therefore, God sees a marriage between a man and woman just as He would a marriage between Christ and His convert. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” - Romans 8:35-39.

God's choice in His people had nothing to do with them being more righteous than any one else, it had to do simply with the covenant He made with Abraham, a man who committed adultery with his own wife, to establish Himself through his seed and make him a father of many nations. God promised the Israelites that He would not only avouch for them, He would bless them if they simply hearken to His voice.

“This day the LORD thy God hath commanded thee to do these statutes and judgments: thou shalt therefore keep and do them with all thine heart, and with all thy soul. Thou hast avouched the LORD this day to be thy God, and to walk in his ways, and to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and to hearken unto his voice: And the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments; And to make thee high above all nations which he hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honour; and that thou mayest be an holy people unto the LORD thy God, as he hath spoken.” - Deuteronomy 26:16-19.

God not only avouches for the Israelites, but all who hearken to His voice, all who listen to the call to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. If you have accepted Christ you are one of God's people, a peculiar people, unique, and a holy people. “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.” - I Peter 2:9,10.

Likewise, God wants you to avouch for Him, to take on the responsibility of showing the world that being one of God's people is an honor, a blessing, and something to value. The sad thing is that so many people who claim to be Christians do not live as Christians or live even worse than people in the world do. They have put God to shame and caused a great deal of distrust in Him in the eyes of the world. “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.” - Romans 1:22,23.

Therefore, it is important that we who do live as true Christians avouch for God in how He has changed our lives and lift Him us as the amazing, wonderful and merciful God that He is. “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away... Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.” -I Peter 5:2-4,8-10.

Jesus Christ Revealed: Today Jesus is revealed through the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt and Pharaoh (26:8). “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:” - II Peter 2:9.

Thanks and God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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