Reading
SAA Notes
Most of these regulations apply to either loving God or your neighbour. The three examples in 22:9-11 were visible pictures of the injunction to be unmixed in our affections towards God – anything unequally yoked was taken as a visible symbol of our rejection of God as our Creator. He made everything separate. Israel was to respect His order in creation in this visible way.
SJA Notes
* God in Heaven, we take refuge in You, let us sing for joy forever!
“You shall not see your brother’s ox or his sheep going astray and ignore them.”
Here in these verses the Lord is telling His people how to act with each other.
Think of others before yourself.
The sum of the law is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and mind and to love our neighbour as ourself.
Don’t ignore those in distress.
Don’t shut your mind from caring about something not yours.
Look after something not yours, look after it with no time-limit and without partiality – Because the Lord says to do this.
In Philippians 2 we read,
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interest of others.”
This is the crux of what we read here in Deuteronomy!
We can see very practical applications of the command to help our brothers and sisters.
Let us be encouraged to pursue this kind of humility, that counts others more significant than ourselves.
* Lord God Above,
Please help us be singular in our devotion of You, faithful in our worship of You.
Please help us to humble ourselves under Your mighty hand.
Please help us work each day to put the needs of others before ourselves.
Amen.