Dear Friends,

Too often people dismiss the Bible and what it teaches by saying something like “That was then; this is now!” They ignore the fact that the Bible is for all times and rob themselves of the gracious guidance God has given for life. Today’s devotional shows God’s intent. God bless you.

Because of Calvary,

John Janney

• Deuteronomy 4:9 (ESV)

  9 “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children-“

“The character of the book, as a kind of last will and testament of Moses, and its conclusion, with the death of Moses, signal the end of an era; future generations now have in this book the full story of how they came to be and what God wants of them. The foundations are laid. Nothing more is necessary. The torah of the Lord is complete….

“Thus the Book of Deuteronomy is to be understood backwards; its significance is its summarizing and closing of the foundational period. Deuteronomy signals that the period is over. That very fact, however, means that the book is also to be understood from the future. Its impact is not fully comprehended apart from reading the books that follow and sensing sharply that the word of the Lord in Deuteronomy is always set for future generations. The intentionality of the book prohibits its ever being viewed as over and done, an enterprise belonging only to the past. No other book of the Old Testament is so straightforward and self-conscious about its character as a guide for the future.” [Patrick Miller, “Deuteronomy,” Interpretation, (Louisville: John Knox Press, 1990), p. 9-10]