Am I My Brother's Keeper?

This Sunday, Mr. Horn, preached about Deuteronomy 21:22 through Deuteronomy 22:8.

Am I My Brothers Keeper? Yes! I am my brother’s keeper. The word brother does not only mean your blood brother, it also means any one around you is your brother. The first act of being your brother’s keeper mentioned in this text is in 21:22-23.If a person does something deserving of death, you should hang him from a tree. You are not supposed to leave him hanging on the tree over night. The same day that you hang him is the same day you’re supposed to bury him. This may not seem like an act of kindness, but it will put fear in the people of the city. They will know what will happen if they did the same thing that the person did who is hanging.

In chapter 22, verse 1-3 we are told that if we see someone’s lost property we are to get it, take care of it, and keep it in a place where every one can see it, and wait for the owner to come, and claim it. We are not to keep lost property hidden, or keep it for ourselves.

In chapter 22, verse 4, it says that if we see our brother’s animal struggling under its load, we are to lessen the animals load and help it.

In chapter 22, verse 5, it says that it is an abomination to the Lord for a man to wear a woman’s clothes, or for a woman to wear a men’s clothes (even clothes that are made for a woman but look like mans clothes). Mr. Horn explained that this verse is speaking about roles. If a woman puts on clothes to do something that is a man’s role, then that is wrong. It also goes for men. So is it wrong for a woman to wear pants? This is a very hard question to answer. Mr. Horn also explained the history of women wearing pants. During World War II woman started to wear pants because they wanted to work like men. Before that, a feminist also introduced a type of pants because she wanted to be free from women’s clothes. A feminist is a woman who wants to be equal to a man. It was not too long ago that no woman would ever even consider wearing pants. In my family my mom and sister wear dresses and skirts. I like that.

Some people think that clothes are not important to God, but everything is important to God, even our clothes. God knows the amount of hairs on our head. But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. (Luke 12:7) If God knows and cares about details like our hair, then it is obvious that he even cares about our clothes. We should be careful to please God with our clothing.

Than in chapter 22, verse 6-7, it says that if you happen upon a nest with a mother bird sitting on eggs, or chicks you are not allowed to take the mother you are only allowed to take the eggs, or chicks for your own purposes, but you are not allowed to take the mother. If God cares for the birds, how much more does he care for us? If God cares for animals, then we should care for those around us because people are more valuable than animals.

Lastly, in chapter 22, verse 8, it says that when you build your house (with a flat roof), you have to make a railing around the edge of the roof to keep any one from falling off. How is this being your brother’s keeper? You protect his life. This also means we need to make all dangerous places on our property safe.

I learned many things from this message. Most of all, I learned that I need to be conscious of everyone around me, not just my own family. I need to care for my fellow man and help anyone who has a need.

Polygamy - Deuteronomy 21:15-17

Two Sundays ago, our church elder, Mr. Brown, talked about Deuteronomy 21:15-17. These verses are giving us instructions on what to do when there is as man that has two wives; one loved, and the other unloved, both giving him children. When the time comes to give the inheritance to the first born son, who will receive it? The true first born belongs to the unloved wife. The father wants to give the inheritance to the first born of the loved wife, but in vs.17 it says that you have to give the inheritance to the true first born (even if it’s the son of the hated wife).

Mr. Brown said that a man (or anyone) cannot act on his emotions. He must act in obedience to Gods Word. Mr. Brown also said that there is not one verse in the Bible that directly says that polygamy is wrong, but it is full of principles that do. We see that God only wants men to have one wife. How many wives did God give Adam? Only 1!

Also, in every situation in the Bible where a man had more than one wife, there were marriage problems and problems between all the children. Polygamy is wrong!

One thing I learned is that when the Bible does not say that something is specifically wrong, we must look at all the principles laid out in the whole Scripture. Based on these principles we can know what is right or wrong.

Put Away the Evil From Among You

This Sunday, our elder, Mr. Horn preached a sermon entitled, "Put Away the Evil From Among You" (Deuteronomy21:18-21).

"If any man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey his father or his mother, and when they chastise him, he will not even listen to them, then his father and mother shall seize him, and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gateway of his home town. "And they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey us, he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ "Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death; so you shall remove the evil from your midst, and all Israel shall hear of it and fear," (Deut. 21:18).

(v.18) This passage tells us what to do with a rebellious son, who is starting to effect the community, and won’t obey his father or mother even though they discipline him.

(v.19) In this verse it states that they must physically take him to the leaders of the city, in public, where every one can see and understand what is going on.


(v.20) They had to tell the leaders of the city that they can’t control their son any more.

Mr. Horn said that there had to be three witnesses to prove that the son is rebellious. Since the wife has to conform to the husband, the parents only count as one witness.

(v.21) Once the parents proved that the son was rebellious all the men of the city were to stone him with stones. The first witness was to throw the first stone (the father). The wife is spared of this awful pain. They did this so that the everyone in community would hear about it, and fear of what would happen if they too were to rebel and not submit to the authority of their parents and community.

God is showing great love to his people by clearly explaining what to do in these situations. Sometimes a rebellious child will influence the other children in the family and this is to prevent that. Also, before he is stoned, the parents already have disciplined him, but the child refuses to submit. The rebel is also probably causing many terrible problems in the community. If he is left alone he will probably commit crimes like murder.

In our society, we don’t do this anymore, but if it was done, then we would probably not have so many rebellious children.

Mr. Horn said that if you fear God and love your children you have to discipline them, whether you like it, or not.

I learned that I have to honor, and obey my parents now to keep from getting to the point where they can’t control me any more, and not to obey because I have to, but because I want to obey what they tell me. To obey and please my parents is to obey and please God and then He will bless me.

The Mysterious Islands

Tonight most of the families in our church and alot of other people will watch the movie, "The Mysterious Islands." We will be leaving home early so we can get good seats.

Here is some information of the movie from the Vision Forum website:

At the far end of the world, there exists a strange and unusual chain of islands, resting above vast tectonic plates.

This is the world of the Galápagos Archipelago, home to salt-spitting marine iguanas, flightless cormorants, and giant tortoises that can live to be more than 150 years of age. It is also the birthplace of Darwinism, for here in 1835, a young Charles Darwin began to formulate a theory which would turn the world upside down. More than a century and a half later, these mysterious islands remain at the center of a controversy that has shaped the way modern men perceive science, religion, and life itself. The unique ingredients found on the Galápagos have led many of Darwin’s followers to describe it as Darwin’s Eden — a “laboratory of evolution.”

Now, for the 200th anniversary of Darwin’s birth and the 150th of his seminal work, On the Origin of Species, Doug Phillips leads a team of Christian scientists and investigators to this “ground zero” in the war of the worldviews. Seen through the eyes of 16-year-old Joshua Phillips, who joins his father and noted researchers like Dr.John Morris of the Institute for Creation Research, The Mysterious Islands is the story of one boy’s search for answers to the great controversy of the modern world. It is a refreshing father-and-son adventure that combines cinematically breathtaking footage with high adventure. The quest: to determine whether the Galápagos Islands are a laboratory of evolution, or a testimony to creation.

This beautiful, ninety-minute documentary takes viewers deep beneath the ocean waves, among hundreds of white-tip sharks, into volcanic craters with giant lizards, and to the unusual habitat of the Blue-footed booby. Featuring the only team of Creationists and Christian scientists to shoot a documentary on the Galápagos in 2009 — Darwin’s anniversary year — the film brings a fresh perspective on the Theory of Evolution and presents stunning cinematography of one of the most desolate and fascinating locations in the world.

Proverbs 9:10

Proverbs 9:10

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom:and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

What this means to me:
If you want wisdom, you must first love and fear the Lord. To have understanding of his Word,the Bible,you must ask God for it,and read the Bible every day, which will give you knowledge.