March 31 (Deuteronomy 4; Psalm 83; Acts 6)

Summary

Podcast Summary: Through the ESV Bible in a Year with Jackie Hill Perry

Episode Title: March 31 (Deuteronomy 4; Psalm 83; Acts 6)
Release Date: March 31, 2025
Host/Author: Crossway featuring Jackie Hill Perry

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Introduction

In this episode of Through the ESV Bible in a Year, Jackie Hill Perry guides listeners through pivotal passages from the Old and New Testaments. Focusing on Deuteronomy 4, Psalm 83, and Acts 6, Perry delves into the enduring themes of covenant faithfulness, divine protection, and the early challenges of the Christian church. This summary encapsulates the key discussions, insights, and conclusions drawn from these scriptures.

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1. Deuteronomy 4: Upholding the Covenant

Overview: Deuteronomy 4 features Moses exhorting the Israelites to adhere strictly to God's commandments as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. The chapter emphasizes the importance of obedience, the dangers of idolatry, and the necessity of passing down God's laws to future generations.

Key Themes:

• Obedience to God's Word: Moses warns against altering God's commandments, stating, "You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it" ([00:00]). This underscores the sanctity and completeness of God's law.

• Covenant Faithfulness: The Israelites are reminded of their unique relationship with God, highlighted by their deliverance from Egypt and protection from idol worshipers at Baal Peor. Moses urges them to remember these acts to maintain their devotion.

• Warnings Against Idolatry: A significant portion warns against creating and worshiping idols, emphasizing that such actions provoke God's anger. Moses implores, "Beware, lest you raise your eyes to heaven... and bow down to them and serve them" ([00:00]).

• Generational Teaching: The importance of educating children and grandchildren about God's deeds and commandments is stressed: "Make them known to your children and your children's children" ([00:00]).

Notable Quotes:

• "What great nation is there that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today?" ([00:00])
• "The Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God." ([00:00])

Insights:

Jackie Hill Perry highlights the timeless relevance of these directives, drawing parallels between the Israelites' challenges and contemporary struggles with maintaining faithfulness in a pluralistic society. She underscores the necessity of grounding one's life in divine commandments to navigate moral complexities.

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2. Psalm 83: A Cry for Divine Intervention

Overview: Psalm 83 is a fervent plea for God to act against a confederation of enemies conspiring to destroy Israel. Authored by Asaph, the psalmist calls upon God to remember His covenant and to execute justice against those who seek the nation's downfall.

Key Themes:

• Lament Over Enemies: The psalmist details the unified efforts of various nations and peoples ("Edom, the Ishmaelites, Moab, and the Hagrites," etc.) aiming to annihilate Israel.

• Divine Justice: A strong appeal is made for God to emulate His past acts of judgment against enemies like Midian, Sisera, and Jabin, reinforcing His role as the righteous judge.

• Hope for Recognition: The ultimate desire is that the enemies' defeat would lead them to seek and acknowledge God: "Fill their faces with shame that they may seek your name, O Lord" ([00:00]).

Notable Quotes:

• "O God, do not keep silence... do not hold your peace, or be still, O God." ([00:00])
• "As fire consumes the forest, as the flames sets the mountains ablaze, so may you pursue them with your tempest" ([00:00])

Insights:

Perry interprets Psalm 83 as a reflection of the Israelites' historical experiences with relentless opposition. She connects this to modern-day conflicts, emphasizing the importance of trusting in God's sovereignty and justice amidst adversity. The psalm serves as a reminder of God's unwavering commitment to protect His people.

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3. Acts 6: Establishing the Early Church's Structure

Overview: Acts 6 narrates the administrative challenges faced by the burgeoning Christian community in Jerusalem, leading to the appointment of seven deacons. This chapter also marks the beginning of external opposition, particularly against Stephen, one of the appointed deacons.

Key Themes:

• Church Organization: To address the complaint that Hellenistic widows were being neglected, the apostles propose selecting seven men "of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom" to oversee daily distributions. This move signifies the importance of structured leadership in sustaining community welfare.

• Growth and Expansion: The word of God continues to spread, with "the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem" ([00:00]).

• Emerging Opposition: Stephen, notable for his "grace and power," faces opposition from members of the synagogue. Accusations of blasphemy and threats to "change the customs that Moses delivered to us" indicate growing tensions between early Christians and traditional Jewish authorities ([00:00]).

Notable Quotes:

• "It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables." ([00:00])
• "For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place." ([00:00])

Insights:

Perry explores the delicate balance between ministry and administration, highlighting the apostles' strategic delegation to foster growth without compromising their primary mission. The opposition faced by Stephen foreshadows the broader persecution that the early church would endure, underscoring the resilience and faith required to uphold the gospel amid resistance.

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Conclusion

This episode intricately weaves together themes of obedience, divine protection, and organizational integrity within the faith community. Through Deuteronomy 4, listeners are reminded of the foundational importance of adhering to God's commandments. Psalm 83 amplifies the call for divine intervention against formidable opposition, resonating with the struggles depicted in Acts 6, where the early church grapples with internal organization and external challenges.

Jackie Hill Perry adeptly connects these scriptures, illustrating the perpetual relevance of steadfast faith and structured leadership in overcoming adversity. The episode serves as a profound reflection on maintaining covenant fidelity, seeking divine assistance, and cultivating a resilient community grounded in spiritual wisdom.

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Key Takeaways:

• Covenant Fidelity: Upholding God's commandments is essential for divine favor and communal wisdom.

• Divine Intervention: In times of collective threat, turning to God for protection and justice is paramount.

• Structured Leadership: Effective organization within the faith community fosters growth and addresses internal challenges.

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Listener Reflection:

For those navigating personal or communal challenges, this episode offers timeless guidance on maintaining faithfulness, seeking divine assistance, and fostering a structured, supportive community. It encourages believers to draw strength from scripture and exemplify resilience in the face of adversity.

Transcript

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A reading from the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 4. And now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the rules that I am teaching you, and do them that you may live and go in and take possession of the land that the Lord the God of your fathers is giving you. You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you. Your eyes have seen what the Lord did at BAAL Peor. For the Lord your God destroyed from among you all the men who followed the BAAL of Peor. But you who held fast to the Lord your God, are all alive today. See, I have taught you statutes and rules as the Lord my God commanded me that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. Keep them and do them. For that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what great nation is there that has a God so near to it as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call upon him? And what great nation is there that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today? Only take care and keep your soul diligently lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen. And unless they depart from your heart all the days of your life, make them known to your children and your children's children. How on the day that you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, the Lord said to me, gather the people to me, that I may let them hear my words so that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children so. And you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, while the mountain burned with fire to the heart of heaven wrapped in darkness, cloud and gloom. Then the Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of words, but saw no form. There was only a voice. And he declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform. That is the Ten Commandments. And he wrote them on two tablets of stone. And the Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and rules that you might do them in the land that you are going over to possess. Therefore watch yourselves very carefully, since you saw no form on the day that the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire. Beware, lest you act corruptly by Making a carved image for yourselves in the form of any figure. The likeness of male or female. The likeness of any animal that is on the earth. The likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air. The likeness of anything that creeps on the ground. The likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth. And beware, lest you raise your eyes to heaven. And when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the hosts of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them. Things that the Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven. But the Lord has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace out of Egypt. To be a people of his own inheritance, as you are this day. Furthermore, the Lord was angry with me because of you. And he swore that I should not cross the Jordan. And that I should not enter the good land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance. For I must die in this land. I must not go over the Jordan. But you shall go over and take possession of that good land. Take care, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you. And make a carved image, the form of anything that the Lord your God has forbidden you. For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. When you father children and children's children. And have grown old in the land. And you act corruptly by making a carved image in the form of anything. And by doing what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God. So as to provoke him to anger. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today. That you will soon utterly perish from the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess. You will not live long in it, but will be utterly destroyed. And the Lord will scatter you among the peoples. And you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord will drive you. And there you will serve gods of wood and stone, the work of human hands that neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. But from there you will seek the Lord your God. And you will find him if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in tribulation. And all these things come upon you in the latter days. You will return to the Lord your God and obey his voice. For the Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you, or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them. For acts now of the days that are past which were before you. Since the day that God created man on the earth and acts from one end of heaven to the other. Whether such a great thing as this has ever happened or was ever heard of. Did any people ever hear the voice of a God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard and still live? Or has any God ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation? By trials, by signs, by wonders and by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great deeds of terror. All of which the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes. To you it was shown that you might know that the Lord is God. There is no other besides him. Out of heaven he let you hear his voice, that he might discipline you. And on earth he let you see his great fire. And you heard his words out of the midst of the fire. And because he loved your fathers and chose their offspring after them, and brought you out of Egypt with his own presence, by his great power, driving out before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in, to give you their land for an inheritance, as it is this day. Know therefore today and lay it to your heart that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath there is no other. Therefore you shall keep his statutes and his commandments, which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for all time. Then Moses set apart three cities in the east, beyond the Jordan, that the manslayer might flee there. Anyone who kills his neighbor unintentionally, without being at enmity with him in time past, he may flee to one of these cities and save his life. Bezer in the wilderness on the tableland for the Reubenites, Ramoth and Gilead, for the Gadites and Golan and Bashan for the Manasseites. This is the law that Moses set before the people of Israel. These are the testimonies, the statutes, and the rules which Moses spoke to the people of Israel when they came out of Egypt beyond the Jordan, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, in the land of Sihon, the king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon, whom Moses and the people of Israel defeated when they came out of Egypt. And they took possession of his land in the land of Og, the king of Bashan, the two kings of the Amorites, who lived to the east beyond the Jordan, from Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon as far as Mount Sirion, that is Hermon, together with all the Arabah on the east side of the Jordan, as far as the sea of the Arabah, under the slopes of Pisgah. A reading from the Book of Psalms. Psalm 83. A song. A psalm of Asaph. O God, do not keep silence. Do not hold your peace, or be still, O God. For behold your enemies make an uproar. Those who hate you have raised their heads. They lay crafty plans against your people. They consult together against your treasured ones. They say, come, let us wipe them out as a nation. Let the name of Israel be remembered no more, for they conspire with one accord against you. They make a covenant. The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites, Gebal and Ammon, and Amalek, Philistia, with the inhabitants of Tyre. Asher also has joined them. They are the strong arm of the children of Lot. Selah, do to them as you did to Midian, as to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon, who were destroyed at Endor, who became dung for the ground. Make their nobles, like Oreb and Zeebal, all their princes, like Ziba and Zalmunna, who said, let us take possession for ourselves of the pastures of God. O my God, make them like whirling dust, like chaff before the wind. As fire consumes the forest, as the flames sets the mountains ablaze, so may you pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your hurricane. Fill their faces with shame that they may seek your name, O Lord. Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever. Let them perish in disgrace, that they may know that you alone, whose name is the Lord, are the most high over all the earth. A reading from the Book of Acts, chapter six. Now in these days, when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews, because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the 12 summoned the full number of the disciples and said, it is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty, but we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip and Prochorus and Nicanor and Timon and Parmenas and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles. And they prayed and laid their hands on them. And the word of God continued to increase. And the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem. And a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue, or the freedmen, as it was called. And of the Cyrenians and of the Alexandrians. And of those from Cilicia and Asia. Rose up and disputed with Stephen. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. Then they secretly instigated men who said, we have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God. And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes. And they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council. And they set up false witnesses who said, this man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place. And will change the customs that Moses delivered to us. And gazing at him, all who sat in the council Saw that his face was like the face of an angel.