DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR MONDAY JANUARY 24
WORD OF WISDOM
Ring your doorbell on your way to bed; this will clear the dogs off of the
bed just long enough for you to get comfortable.
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DAILY DEVOTION
The Rejected Jesus
That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the
world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world
knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as
many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even
to them that believe on his name:
John 1:9-12
Jesus came into the world to offer salvation to all who would receive it.
Yet in His day, as well as in ours, there are many who reject the message.
Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem because so many there refused to
accept Him as the Messiah. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the
prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have
gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under
her wings, and ye would not!" (Matthew 23:37).
The natural world accepted the Lord without question. When He spoke to
storms, or illness, or food, all did as He commanded. Even the demons were
forced to acknowledge His power over them. Yet it was the height of God's
creation, the people He had made in His image, who rejected Him. There is no
greater tragedy than someone refusing the message of God. It is not in our
power to force others to be saved, but we can have the same heart of
compassion that Jesus did. "And of some have compassion, making a
difference:" (Jude 1:22).
The responsibility that falls on us is not to produce the results, for that
is something that only God can do. Our task is to make sure that others know
about their need for salvation and the offer of salvation found in Jesus
Christ alone. Some will refuse to hear or accept that message, and that is
heartbreaking. But others will respond, and that is our joy. All those who
are willing to receive Him become children of God.
It is a tragedy when people reject Jesus, but it is an even greater tragedy
when they never hear about Him.
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DAILY BIBLE READING
Exodus 22-24 New King James Version
Responsibility for Property
22 "If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, he
shall restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep. 2 If the thief
is found breaking in, and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be no
guilt for his bloodshed. 3 If the sun has risen on him, there shall be guilt
for his bloodshed. He should make full restitution; if he has nothing, then
he shall be sold[a] for his theft. 4 If the theft is certainly found alive
in his hand, whether it is an ox or donkey or sheep, he shall restore
double.
5 "If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed, and lets loose his
animal, and it feeds in another man's field, he shall make restitution from
the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard.
6 "If fire breaks out and catches in thorns, so that stacked grain, standing
grain, or the field is consumed, he who kindled the fire shall surely make
restitution.
7 "If a man delivers to his neighbor money or articles to keep, and it is
stolen out of the man's house, if the thief is found, he shall pay double. 8
If the thief is not found, then the master of the house shall be brought to
the judges to see whether he has put his hand into his neighbor's goods.
9 "For any kind of trespass, whether it concerns an ox, a donkey, a sheep,
or clothing, or for any kind of lost thing which another claims to be his,
the cause of both parties shall come before the judges; and whomever the
judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor. 10 If a man delivers to his
neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any animal to keep, and it dies, is
hurt, or driven away, no one seeing it, 11 then an oath of the Lord shall be
between them both, that he has not put his hand into his neighbor's goods;
and the owner of it shall accept that, and he shall not make it good. 12 But
if, in fact, it is stolen from him, he shall make restitution to the owner
of it. 13 If it is torn to pieces by a beast, then he shall bring it as
evidence, and he shall not make good what was torn.
14 "And if a man borrows anything from his neighbor, and it becomes injured
or dies, the owner of it not being with it, he shall surely make it good. 15
If its owner was with it, he shall not make it good; if it was hired, it
came for its hire.
Moral and Ceremonial Principles
16 "If a man entices a virgin who is not betrothed, and lies with her, he
shall surely pay the bride-price for her to be his wife. 17 If her father
utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money according to the
bride-price of virgins.
18 "You shall not permit a sorceress to live.
19 "Whoever lies with an animal shall surely be put to death.
20 "He who sacrifices to any god, except to the Lord only, he shall be
utterly destroyed.
21 "You shall neither mistreat a [b]stranger nor oppress him, for you were
strangers in the land of Egypt.
22 "You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. 23 If you afflict
them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry; 24
and My wrath will become hot, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives
shall be widows, and your children fatherless.
25 "If you lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shall
not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him interest. 26 If
you ever take your neighbor's garment as a pledge, you shall return it to
him before the sun goes down. 27 For that is his only covering, it is his
garment for his skin. What will he sleep in? And it will be that when he
cries to Me, I will hear, for I am gracious.
28 "You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people.
29 "You shall not delay to offer the first of your ripe produce and your
juices. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me. 30 Likewise you
shall do with your oxen and your sheep. It shall be with its mother seven
days; on the eighth day you shall give it to Me.
31 "And you shall be holy men to Me: you shall not eat meat torn by beasts
in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.
Justice for All
23 "You shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the
wicked to be an unrighteous witness. 2 You shall not follow a crowd to do
evil; nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to
pervert justice. 3 You shall not show partiality to a poor man in his
dispute.
4 "If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely
bring it back to him again. 5 If you see the donkey of one who hates you
lying under its burden, and you would refrain from helping it, you shall
surely help him with it.
6 "You shall not pervert the judgment of your poor in his dispute. 7 Keep
yourself far from a false matter; do not kill the innocent and righteous.
For I will not justify the wicked. 8 And you shall take no bribe, for a
bribe blinds the discerning and perverts the words of the righteous.
9 "Also you shall not oppress a [c]stranger, for you know the heart of a
stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
The Law of Sabbaths
10 "Six years you shall sow your land and gather in its produce, 11 but the
seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your
people may eat; and what they leave, the beasts of the field may eat. In
like manner you shall do with your vineyard and your [d]olive grove. 12 Six
days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that
your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant and the
stranger may be refreshed.
13 "And in all that I have said to you, be circumspect and make no mention
of the name of other gods, nor let it be heard from your mouth.
Three Annual Feasts
14 "Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year: 15 You shall keep
the Feast of Unleavened Bread (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as
I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you
came out of Egypt; none shall appear before Me empty); 16 and the Feast of
Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field;
and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered
in the fruit of your labors from the field.
17 "Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord
[e]God.
18 "You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread; nor
shall the fat of My [f]sacrifice remain until morning. 19 The first of the
firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the Lord your
God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.
The Angel and the Promises
20 "Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring
you into the place which I have prepared. 21 Beware of Him and obey His
voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for
My name is in Him. 22 But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I
speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your
adversaries. 23 For My Angel will go before you and bring you in to the
Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the
Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will [g]cut them off. 24 You shall not bow
down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their works; but you
shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their sacred pillars.
25 "So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and
your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you. 26 No one
shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the
number of your days.
27 "I will send My fear before you, I will cause confusion among all the
people to whom you come, and will make all your enemies turn their backs to
you. 28 And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the
Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite from before you. 29 I will not drive
them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the
beasts of the field become too numerous for you. 30 Little by little I will
drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit
the land. 31 And I will set your [h]bounds from the Red Sea to the sea,
Philistia, and from the desert to the [i]River. For I will deliver the
inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before
you. 32 You shall make no [j]covenant with them, nor with their gods. 33
They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me. For if
you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you."
Israel Affirms the Covenant
24 Now He said to Moses, "Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and
Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. 2 And
Moses alone shall come near the Lord, but they shall not come near; nor
shall the people go up with him."
3 So Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the
[k]judgments. And all the people answered with one voice and said, "All the
words which the Lord has said we will do." 4 And Moses wrote all the words
of the Lord. And he rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the
foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of
Israel. 5 Then he sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered
burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. 6 And
Moses took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he
sprinkled on the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in
the hearing of the people. And they said, "All that the Lord has said we
will do, and be obedient." 8 And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the
people, and said, "This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made
with you according to all these words."
On the Mountain with God
9 Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the
elders of Israel, 10 and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His
feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very[l]
heavens in its clarity. 11 But on the nobles of the children of Israel He
did not [m]lay His hand. So they saw God, and they ate and drank.
12 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Come up to Me on the mountain and be there;
and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I
have written, that you may teach them."
13 So Moses arose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up to the
mountain of God. 14 And he said to the elders, "Wait here for us until we
come back to you. Indeed, Aaron and Hur are with you. If any man has a
difficulty, let him go to them." 15 Then Moses went up into the mountain,
and a cloud covered the mountain.
16 Now the glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it
six days. And on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the
cloud. 17 The sight of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on
the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel. 18 So Moses
went into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain. And Moses
was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
Footnotes
Exodus 22:3 Sold as a slave
Exodus 22:21 sojourner
Exodus 23:9 sojourner
Exodus 23:11 olive yards
Exodus 23:17 Heb. YHWH, usually translated Lord
Exodus 23:18 feast
Exodus 23:23 annihilate them
Exodus 23:31 boundaries
Exodus 23:31 Heb. Nahar, the Euphrates
Exodus 23:32 treaty
Exodus 24:3 ordinances
Exodus 24:10 Lit. substance of heaven
Exodus 24:11 stretch out His
