Message from Scripture: 12/8/2020

 

Our message from Scripture today is Deut. 19:14. “You shall not move your neighbor’s boundary mark, which the ancestors have set, in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land that the Lord your God gives you to possess.”

Before the extensive use of fences, property was marked out by stones or posts, set up to determine the divisions of family estates. By its very nature, It was easy to remove one of these landmarks, and set it in a different place. A dishonest person could enlarge his own estate by shrinking that of his neighbor. Boundaries in ancient society, then were important, marking who owned what was enclosed, and what was able to take place within the security of its borders. We can understand why people in those days wanted to protect them, and why those who wanted to alter them were so strongly opposed.

There is a spiritual application to all this. God has established certain boundaries we are to live in, for our well-being, now and eternally. Satan, however, wants to destroy these landmarks, and destroy our heritage and inheritance.

For example, God establishes faithfulness, while Satan moves the boundary to unfaithfulness. Scripture reminds us being faithful is blessed of God (Prov. 28:20), while unfaithfulness leads to the second death (Rev. 21:8).

God establishes His love in Christ, and nothing can separate us from the love of God (Rom. 8:38-39), but Satan wants to replace this landmark with sinful desires that will destroy (1 John 2:17).

God establishes hope based on what Christ has done for us (Heb. 6:19), but Satan wants to replace this with despair (2 Cor. 1:8).

Let’s live in the boundaries God offers in His word, where His blessings are, where life is found. Satan only wants to condemn us by moving the boundaries of righteousness to sin. Hold fast to what is good, and find everything good God provides. God bless.

Robert