Decalogue, part 7 (Deuteronomy 22:1-23:14)

Scripture: Deuteronomy 22:1-23:14 (especially 23:3-5)

We are moving through Moses' delivery of the Law to Israel just before they finally enter the promised land. Each section generally corresponds to one of the Ten Commandments, in order, and today we've come to the section related to #7:

You shall not commit adultery.

Deuteronomy 7-- Because the Lord loved you

Scripture: Deuteronomy 7 (especially verses 7-16)

We're moving through Deuteronomy, and doing so in a medium of short devotionals has its perils. For instance, it's hard to ignore that part of Israel's history in which God commands them to destroy all the peoples in the promised land. There is something deeply objectionable and disturbing about this when viewed through our current cultural lens. We'll look at this a little more when we get to chapter 9, so if you want to wrestle with this part of the account, we'll get there soon. 

1 John 5:1-5-- This Is Love For God

Scripture: 1 John 5:1-5

Different types of relationships create different expressions of love. Love between spouses looks different from siblings' bond of love, and both of those are distinct from, say, a grandparent's love for a child.

The million dollar question answered in today's passage is this: what does love look like from a person to God?

1 John 4:7-21-- What Love Is, Part 3

Scripture: 1 John 4:7-21

After a brief interlude on the teachings of Gnosticism, we return to the theme of love. And while that Love-Heresy-Love pattern may be jarring, 1 John is a pretty circular book. (I checked a very official-looking outline, and indeed, in this part of the book the professor has Love-False Teachers-Love, so yeah... Yahtzee!)

1 John 3:19-24-- What Love Is, Part 2

Scripture: 1 John 3:19-24

Having grown up in the 90s, when I read the phrase "This is how we know what love is," I can't help but bob my head to the Night at the Roxbury tune, "What is love? Baby, don't hurt me, don't hurt me no more."

1 John 3:1-18-- What Love Is, Part 1

Scripture: 1 John 3:1-18

It would almost be impossible to overstate the importance of love to human life and society. And history. And pretty much every other phrase that starts with "human."