By Mike Peek

“For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.” (Luke 22:27) During the Passover meal, Jesus inaugurated the Lord’s supper; the eating of bread in remembrance that his body was broken for us and the drinking of wine in remembrance that his blood was shed for us. A discussion began to occur about which of the disciples was the greatest. John records how Jesus took off his outer garments, put a towel around his waist, took a bowl of water and began to wash his disciples feet. He gave them an example that they were to emulate. (John 13:15) Nursing began in this way. It was not a secular profession as it is today but a service to others for Jesus sake. And nursing was not a profession for women, it was men who cared for the sick and weary. “For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake.” (2 Corinthians 4:5) ...

“By your endurance you will gain your lives.” ( Luke 21:19) What is endurance? According to the Olive Tree Enhanced Strong’s dictionary:  ὑπομονή hypomonē, translated e ndurance,  is “the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings.”  When the disciples were admiring the Temple, Jesus told them that the Temple is to be destroyed. They wanted to know when these things would happen but Jesus gave them much more than they asked for, he told them how things will be in the world until his return.  Imagine that your leader has said that he is going to depart from you at the hands of men. He tells you that you are going to be persecuted, beaten, put in prison and undergo much suffering for his name sake. Yet, he has promised to return but does not tell you when. However, he promised that if you endure, you will gain eternal life in the kingdom of God. This my friends is ...

But Jesus looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written: ‘THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER STONE’? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.” ( Luke 20:17-18) It is impossible to come to the Lord Jesus Christ and live in unrepentant sin. He will break you to pieces. It is better to be broken now than to die the eternal death in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone. A person cannot live an unrighteous lifestyle and inherit the kingdom of God. A person cannot come to Jesus and continue to live in unrighteousness. Coming to Jesus will break you to pieces, causing you to repent from sin. To continue in unrepentant sin is to reject the chief corner stone. You can live in this way for a season but a day and hour is coming in which the stone will fall on you and scatter you like dust. All of the parables in Luke 20 are about one subject: Who did Jesus believe hims...

“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10) The enemy of mankind is sin and God is not to blame. “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.” (James 1:13-15) Jesus was sent by God to be our Savior and Lord. Mankind was lost to sin but Jesus took our death and rose again. Therefore, he is worthy of all our honor, glory and praise. This world is such a difficult place. Lately, I long for the days of the Son of Man to come. I long for the rule of the Lord in the hearts and minds of men.  As I write this, I confess that my heart is broken and my mind is at a loss because of certain persons and events that are occurring in my life. I have failed in many aspects of this l...

And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.” ( Luke 18:19) Jesus taught his disciples to pray without loosing faith. Continually make your request known to God and God who is good will deliver from evil. Jesus also taught his disciples to not think of themselves as better than other men. Instead of boosting in prayer about the good things, confess the bad and you will be forgiven. Do you consider yourself to be a good person? Have you committed adultery?  “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery... ( Luke 16:18)  but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” ( Matthew 5:28) Have you murdered anyone?  “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ But I say to you that every...

Luke 17:20-21 Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.” I do not know about you but I am longing for the days of the Son of Man to come. Things on the earth are not what they ought to be, yet Jesus said that the kingdom of God is in our midst. If we look around us, we can see the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is the rule of God in the lives of his people.  Lately, I have had trouble seeing the kingdom of God in our midst. My mind’s eye has been clouded by the trials of life. I confess that this has been a very difficult year rot with loneliness. I have felt very isolated, alone, and disconnected from the brethren. The world around me seems to be falling apart. I have had a difficult time seeing the rule of God in this world. Yet, I must tru...

This morning I read Luke 16. In this chapter, Jesus tells a parable about an unrighteous steward, who when he heard that he was going to be dismissed by his master, makes friends with his masters debtors by changing their bills. Jesus said that man cannot serve God and money. The Pharisees did not like to hear this because they loved having wealth. Not only did they love having wealth but they loved themselves more than they loved the other person. One of the many things that they were doing was divorcing their wives to marry another woman. Casting aside the woman whom they promised to have and to hold until death do them part. A woman in this time period could not support herself, so she had to find another man to marry or die of exposure and starvation. Jesus then told a parable about a rich man and a poor man named Lazarus. The rich man did nothing to help the poor man during their lives. Both men died and Lazarus went to heaven but the rich man went to hell. The rich man desired th...

The Pharisees and the scribes grumbled because Jesus received tax collectors and irreligious Jews. (Luke 15 vv 1-32)  Is there a difference between persons? Let us compare two young men. One young man grows up in the church, gets a college education, a respectable job in the community, has a wife, and children who all attend the church. The second young man did not grow up in the church, his occupation is not respectable, he has had multiple live in girlfriends with children from each. Which of these two young men need to come near and hear Jesus? The answer is both, “for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith.” (Rom. 3:22b-25a) Jesus said that there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine persons who need no repentance. A man is not justified by the ...

The Pharisees believed it unlawful to heal on the Sabbath, yet will save a son or ox who has fallen into a well.  (vv. 1-6) Jesus continually exposed legalism as hypocrisy. The Pharisees would not left a finger to help a man in need because it was the Sabbath, yet they would help their son or their ox who was in need. This exposes legalism is being a selfish and unloving. Jesus and the Pharisees believed many of the same things but Jesus continually stepped on their hypocrisy and exposed their hearts. This is what the word of God does. Jesus says to never take the place of highest place of honor but always take the lowest place unless you are invited to move up. (vv. 7-11) Some things are difficult for us to understand because they are culturally based. However, we have all been to a place where everyone is trying to be first and have the best seat. People clammer to be noticed by other people and to receive honor. However, the greatest honor is given when one is not seeking. Do no...

Unless you repent, you will perish. (vv. 1-5) The apostle paul said in his letter to the Romans 6 v 23 that the wages for sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. We often hear of bad things happening to people. Some people have it much worse than others. However, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and all die. Death comes to everyone. Death and especially tragic death should cause us to turn toward the Lord in repentance.  Jesus told a parable about a fig tree that did not bear fruit. (vv. 6-9) We have only so many years to bear fruit, keeping with repentance. Some have more years than others but there is a time limit on all human life. Eventually, you will be cut down, regardless of how great that you think that you are. Repent and believe in Jesus Christ before it is to late. Jesus exposed the contradiction between taking care of animals on the Sabbath and healing ones neighbor. (vv. 10-17) Legalism is always contradictory. ...

Luke 12 I day and an hour is coming in which God will judge the world in righteousness, yet do we spend most of our time worrying about the trivial things in this life. Everyone is going to die. The death rate in the world is 100% and the Bible tells us that after this comes the judgment. What do you worry about? I confess that I am not without worry. I worry about a great many things that I do not nor should not be worried about. Do you worry about how people perceive you? What can they really do to you and is it going to matter in 100 years how persons perceive you today? Maybe you worry about your looks or your health. These are good things but not as important as your eternal soul. Jesus warns us about being rich in this life and poor towards God. Having riches in and of themselves is not evil, it is the pursuit of riches above our relationship with God and how we treat other people that really matters.  Jesus tells us not to worry about the things of this life; what to wear or...

What does it say? Jesus taught his disciples to pray for God’s name, God’s kingdom, our needs, our sin, forgive others, and protection from temptation. In the form of a parable, Jesus taught his disciples to be persistent in prayer to God. God will give the gift of the Holy Spirit to those who ask him. Some were saying that Jesus casts out demons by the ruler of demons but Jesus showed that this is not logical; if Satan is divided against himself, he cannot stand; however, if Jesus casts out demons by the finger of God, the kingdom of God has come upon us. If a man is made clean, but not holy, his end will be worse than if he was never made clean. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” Jesus is greater than all the Old Testament prophets and kings. Make sure that the light that you see with is good light and not actually darkness. Jesus said, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter; but inside you are full of robbery and wick...

Luke 10 Jesus sent seventy others, in pairs, to proceed him in every city and place, to heal the sick and say: “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” (vv. 1-12) A day and hour is coming in which Jesus is going to return to judge the earth. We are to go make disciples of all nations, baptize and teach them. The seventy was sent to the cities ahead of Jesus. The church has been sent to every city in the world. Just like when the seventy were sent out, there will be some who receive us and some who will reject us. Jesus spoke woes to the cities Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum for not repent. (vv. 13-15) It is not good when a place does not receive the gospel. All who hear the gospel will be held more accountable than those who did not hear. Then Jesus told the seventy, that everyone who receives them receives him and the one who rejects them, rejects both the Son and the Father. (v 16) If a follower of Jesus Christ is preaching the truth about the kingdom of God; then if he is rece...

Luke 9 Jesus sent out the twelve to preach the gospel and to heal people. (vv. 1-6)  The late Martin Lloyd Jones said that the right place to be is between the mountains of intellectualism and the experiential. This way of thinking also applies for preaching the gospel and serving physical needs. We should be doing both. The best missionary efforts have all included a right balance between preaching and medicine. Herod became interested in Jesus because he had beheaded John and some were saying that Jesus is John risen from the dead or another prophet from old. (vv. 7-9)  Many people have their thoughts about Jesus. Many will accept him as a good teacher. I recently read some of the religious writings of Leo Tolstoy. While Tolstoy understood much of what Jesus taught, he did not accept the miraculous; thus, something is missing from the way that he saw Jesus. Jesus is a prophet but greater than the prophets of old. The apostles gave a report to Jesus about their outreach and J...

Deuteronomy 34 Moses died on Mount Nebo and was buried in the valley of Moab. It is a good thing that no one knows where he was buried, other wise, someone would have likely turned it into a shrine and a place of pilgrimage. This would have contradicted the commandments that Moses gave the sons of Israel. Moses was aloud to see from a distance the land which the Lord swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob but he could not set his foot on the land because he sinned against the Lord. When Moses died, the sons of Israel wept for him for thirty days in the plains of Moab; however, the days of morning and weeping came to an end. This indicates that there is a time for mourning and weeping in this world but there is a time to proceed forward from mourning and weeping.  Not only did Moses die and not enter the land of promise but his servant became his successor. Verse 10 was written as a memoriam and was true up to the advent of Jesus Christ but the statement can no longer be said of Moses, ...

Deuteronomy 33 Moses prayed to the Lord a blessing on behalf of the people. He mentioned in prayer one by one each tribe. During this prayer, he used more words on some tribes than other tribes. Rueben, Benjamin, Dan and Naphtali  were given one thought each. I find it interesting that Judah, who would become the most prominent of the twelve tribes, was given one verse, which amounted to two compete thoughts. Levi was given four verses and Joseph five verses. I also find it interesting that Joseph is spoken as one tribe, when most often he is split into two tribes: Ephraim and Manasseh. This prayer is similar to Jesus high priestly prayer before his arrest, trial and crucifixion. However, Moses was praying as a servant and Jesus prayed as a Son.  There was no people like Israel on the earth, saved of the Lord. However, they cannot compare to the church of Jesus Christ. A people from every tribe, tongue and nation on the earth, saved with an eternal salvation. The sons of Israe...

Deuteronomy 32 Moses spoke the song that he had written to the sons of Israel, a song that glorified the Lord in holiness, righteousness and justice. After completing the words of this song, Moses said, “Take to your heart all the words with which I am warning you today, which you shall command your sons to observe carefully, even all the words of this law. For it is not an idle word for you; indeed it is your life. And by this word you will prolong your days in the land, which you are about to cross the Jordan to possess.” Then the Lord spoke to Moses and commanded him to the peak of Mount Nebo and see the land of Canaan, from the land of Moab and die on the mountain peak. The Lord told Moses to die and be gathered to his people as his brother Aaron died and was gathered to his people. Moses died and did not enter the land of Canaan because he broke faith with the Lord in the midst of the sons of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin. He did not treat the Lo...

Deuteronomy 31 The Lord is salvation and he is the one who goes ahead of the sons of Israel to defeat the enemy; therefore, do not fear, for the Lord will not fail you or forsake you. Moses then spoke to his successor, וֹשׁוּעַ Yehoshua, translated Joshua, which means “The Lord is Salvation.” The Law that Moses spoke to the people was put into a book (this book) and he gave copies to the priests, the sons of Levi who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord and all of the elders; he commanded that they read the words of this law to all the people when they gather every seven years for the remission of debts. Moses and Joshua went to the tent of meeting and the Lord said to Moses, “The people will forsake the Lord and break the his covenant and the Lord will hide his face because of the evil which they will do.” Moses wrote a song that day, as the Lord commanded him and he taught the song to the sons of Israel. The Lord commissioned Joshua the son of Nun to be strong and courageous a...

Deuteronomy 30 There is forgiveness of sins and the promise of restoration for those who repent. If you return to the Lord your God, he will rejoice over you and bless you. The word is set before you, to observe and is not to difficult for you. Loving the Lord and obeying his voice is life and prosperity but turning your heart away to worship other gods and serve them is death and adversity. Moses saw the Lord God at Horeb, when all of his goodness passed before him, the Lord declared to him: “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” (Ex 34:6-7)  True biblical theology teaches us that the Lord God is compassionate and gracious; therefore, he forgives those who sin aga...

Deuteronomy 29 All that Moses spoke to this point in Deuteronomy are the words of the covenant that the Lord made with the sons of Israel. The Lord God took care of them for forty years in the wilderness. The God who swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob desired to establish the sons of Israel as his own people. The covenant goes beyond those who were standing before Moses. When they break the covenant, the Lord God promises to send plagues, disease and afflict the land; that men may know that the Lord has done this, because they broke his covenant. When they break the covenant, the Lord will uproot them from the land and cast them into another land. We cannot know all the things of the Lord our God but the things revealed belong to us. This covenant was given to the sons of Israel, their children and their grandchildren for as many generations as they keep the covenant. Like the sons of Israel were given a covenant, the Lord has given a new covenant for all people, nations and tribes in ...

Twenty-three years ago today, December 11, 1997, I graduated from an Associate of Applied Science - Associate Degree Nursing program. The school that I graduated from is now called Dallas College. I would later complete a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Theological Studies.  When I graduated from nursing school, there was no lag time between graduation and working. I went to work on a medical-surgical unit, as a graduate nurse, on the Monday morning after my graduation. I was assigned a preceptor, but the preceptor had a patient assignment equal to my own. In those days, a graduate nurse was expected to come out of nursing school with the knowledge and skill set of a medical-surgical ward nurse.  Nursing has changed a great deal since that day, but one thing has not change, people continue to be in need of nursing care. I have always thought nursing to be a stressful endeavor, but in this year, 2020, the stress of the work has abounded and has spilled over into th...

Deuteronomy 28 Blessings at Gerizim “Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the LORD your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the LORD your God:” (Dt 28:1, 2) Consequences of Disobedience “But it shall come about, if you do not obey the LORD your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you.” (Dt 28:15) This is the longest chapter in Deuteronomy. Moses spends less than 1/4 of the chapter describing the blessings and more than 3/4 of the chapter describing the curses. The blessing are wonderful but the curses are horrible and grow in strength as the description continues. This is the promised blessing and curse for the sons of Israel as they come into the land that was promised to their fathers: Abraham, Isaac...

Deuteronomy 27 The sons of Israel were instructed by Moses to make a structure of stones. They were to coat the stones with lime and write on them the words of the law that he spoke to them, the law recorded in this book. This structure was to be an altar to the Lord for making sacrifices. The structure was to be built on Mount Ebal. “Gerizim and Ebal are the mountains that flank the town of Shechem in the central hill country, Gerizim (elevation 2,849 feet) to the south, Ebal (3,077 feet) to the north.” (IVP BBC OT) Schechem is often mentioned in Genesis. In this area, the Lord God made a covenant with Abraham. The structure made of whole stones and coated with lime were to be written the words of the law given by Moses, the law recorded in Deuteronomy. The sons of Israel were charged with keeping all of these commandments. One-half of the tribes were to stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people. For the curse, one-half of the tribes were to stand on Mount Ebal. It should be noted th...

Deuteronomy 26 The final two commandments are given, followed by a reminder to keep all of the Lord’s commandments. When the sons of Israel come into the land and possess the land that the Lord is giving them; when they harvest from the land, they shall take some of the produce and put it in a basket. They shall bring the basket of produce to the place that the Lord has designated and give it to the priest. The priest will set it before the altar and the person who brought the fruit to the altar is to pray to the Lord the history of his people, worship the Lord and rejoice with others in all the good that the Lord has given his household. In the third year he is to give the tithe to the Levite, to the stranger, to the orphan and to the widow that they may eat in the town near to his land. Then he is to pray to the Lord, the Lord’s commandments and ask for the Lord’s blessing on his people and the land on which they live.  This taught the sons of Israel to pray, give, worship and re...

Deuteronomy 25 A guilty man shall not be beaten more than forty times. An ox should not be kept from eating while working. A man should give his brothers widow a son, but if any man is not willing to build up his brothers house, he is a disgrace in Israel. If two men are fighting and the wife of the one reaches out and grabs the genitals of the other man, her hand shall be cut off without mercy. All business transactions are to be honest. The sons of Israel were commanded to blot out the memory of Amalek, a son of Esau, who attacked the rear stragglers when they were faint and weary because he did not fear God.  There are six laws recorded  in this chapter. They are various laws because they do not seem to be connected to one another. Honestly, I find most of them very strange when viewing them as a Christian and from my cultural back ground, 20th and 21st century America. I do not understand beating a man as punishment. I do not understand going into your deceased brothers wi...

Deuteronomy 24 There are eleven laws given in this passage, the first of which is the law of divorce. If a man decides that he does not like her, after marrying her, and writes her a certificate of divorce, if she marries another man, the first husband is not permitted to take her back. The certificate of divorce was give, so that the woman and her new husband could prove that she was divorced; therefore, not falling under the law for adultery; for the penalty was death for both the man and woman caught in the act of adultery.  Jesus said:  “It was said, ‘WHOEVER SENDS HIS WIFE AWAY, LET HIM GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE’; but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. (Mt 5:31)  So, did Jesus change the law of divorce? I say to you no, Jesus did not change the law, he magnified the law. When answering the question asked: “Why then did Moses co...

Deuteronomy 23 The Lord God is holy; therefore, his people whom he walks among shall be holy. There are eleven commandments given in this chapter: The first commandment specifies whom to exclude from the assembly of the Lord: No emasculated male, no one of illegitimate birth, and no ammonite or Moabite because they did not give them food and water when the sons of Israel came from Egypt. However, they are not to exclude an Edomite because he is a brother, nor an Egyptian because they were aliens in Egypt. The sons of Israel are to keep from every evil thing when camping together. If a man has a nocturnal emission, then he must leave the camp, wash with water, and not return until sundown. There shall be a place outside of camp to dig and cover up their excrement. If a slave escapes from his master and comes to the land of Israel, they are not to hand him over, but he shall live among the sons of Israel. The sons and daughters of Israel shall not be prostitutes, and money received from ...

Deuteronomy 22 Fifteen laws are given in this text. The translators divided these into eight sundry laws and seven moral laws. Sundry simply means, various kinds. However, I do not believe that these are various kinds, but are derived from one principle, The law of Christ, (Gal 6:2) “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.” (Rom 13:8, NASB ) All the laws in this text are about treating people right and not acting like what you are not. Not only were the sons of Israel to always to do right by their neighbor but they were to do right by the created things as well. When building a house, they were commanded to put a protective wall on the edge of the roof to keep people from falling off.  Men are not women and women are not men. They were commanded to not sow their vineyards with two kinds of seeds, or plow with two kinds of animals yoked together, or wear a garment of mixed fabrics.  The Lord God made us different,...

Deuteronomy 21 In this chapter are  five laws: The expiation of murder done in a community without a witness. Taking a daughter of an enemy as wife. The law regarding who the first born is when there is more than one wife. The law regarding a rebellious son. The law regarding a man put to death, by hanging him on a tree.  Someone would be murdered without witnesses, so how can the community be holy in the sight of the Lord? Men delight in women, so how can a man take an enemies daughter as wife? Men just as quickly become disenchanted, so how should she be released? A man might take more than one wife, so whose son should be given the rights of the first born? A father and mother may have a rebellious son, who left unchecked, may bring condemnation upon them, so how should this be dealt with? Men will be put to death for crimes, but should the body be dishonored?  All of these laws were given with the expectation of sin. Psalms 14:1-3 says: The fool has said in his heart,...

Deuteronomy 20 There are three main laws about warfare, an each law has caveats. The first law is to not be afraid of your enemies. The second law gives stipulations on what to do when besieging a city. The third law commands the sons of Israel to not destroying the fruit trees. The sons of Israel are about to enter the land of Canaan. The people in the land are in greater number than they; therefore, the natural response is to be afraid. Therefore, the commandment is to not be afraid and trust that the Lord is with you. The Christian is not going into physical war against a physical enemy. Our war is spiritual and we fight spiritual battles, and we use spiritual weapons. (Eph 6:10-17) However, like the Israelites, who were going into battle against the Hittites, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite; we are facing an enemy that is more numerous than we are, but we should not be fainthearted, or afraid, or panic, or tremble before them, for the Lord ou...

Deuteronomy 19 There are three laws given in this text: The law regarding the cities of refuge. The law regarding boundary markers. The law regarding witnesses. These three are connected. Cain was the first man to kill another man and men continued to kill men until God destroyed the earth with a worldwide flood. During the time of Noah, God commanded: Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man. (Genesis 9:6) Human life is superior to that of the animals because we were created in the image of God. Murder is defined as malice of forethought. It is an intended act. In our society, some may disagree with the concept of life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot justice until it happens to them or someone that they love. When it does, they want vengeance.  The law regarding the cities of refuge were put in place to protect the innocent. We live in a dangerous world, were accidents happen and people lose...

Deuteronomy 18 In this chapter, there are three laws: The law concerning the Levites portion, the law forbidding spiritism and the promise of a prophet like Moses.  The Lord God created a situation in which there was a class of people dependent on the giving of others to live. If the sons of Israel did what they ought, then this class had all that they needed, but if not, this class would suffer or turn from serving the Lord. The Levitical priests, the whole tribe of Levi, was to have no portion in Israel; however, they were to eat what was offered to the Lord. They were to be the Lord’s physical representatives in the nation of Israel. They were not the Lord, but were the Lord’s servants, and being the Lord’s servants, they ate from the Lord’s table. The people in the land of Canaan, before the sons of Israel, practiced divination, witchcraft, sorcery and spiritism. Today, these are thought of as entertainment. Both children and adult television programs and movies are filled with...