Jo’s Place

A Warning against Idolatry “Suppose there are prophets among you …or those who dream dreams about the future, and they promise you signs or miracles, and the predicted signs or miracles occur.  If they then say, ‘Come, let us worship other gods’—gods you have not known before—do not listen to them.  The Lord your God is testing you, to see if you truly love Him, with all your heart and soul.  Serve only the Lord your God …and fear Him alone.  Obey His commands, listen to His voice, and cling to Him.  The false prophets or visionaries, who try to lead you astray, must be put to death, for they encourage rebellion, against the Lord your God, who redeemed you from slavery …and brought you out of the land of Egypt.  Since they try to lead you astray, from the way, that the Lord your God commanded you to live, you must put them to death.  In this way, you will purge the evil from among you.  “Suppose someone secretly entices you—even your brother, your...

A Warning against Idolatry “…Be very careful! (…said Moses to the people of Israel).  You did not see the Lord’s form, on the day He spoke to you, from the heart of the fire, at Mount Sinai.  So, do not corrupt yourselves, by making an idol, in any form—whether of a man or a woman, an animal on the ground, a bird in the sky, a small animal that scurries along the ground, or a fish in the deepest sea.  And when you look up, into the sky, and see the sun, moon, and stars—all the forces of heaven—don’t be seduced, into worshiping them.  The Lord, your God, gave them, to all the peoples of the earth.  Remember that the Lord rescued you, from the iron-smelting furnace of Egypt, in order to make you His very own people …and His special possession, which is what you are today.  “But, the Lord was angry, with me, because of you.  He vowed, that I would not cross the Jordan River, into the good land, which the Lord, your God, is giving you, as your special poss...

A Warning against Drifting Away So we must listen very carefully to the truth (which) we have heard, or we may drift away from it.  For the message God delivered through angels has always stood firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished.  So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus Himself and then delivered to us by those who heard Him speak?  And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever He chose.  And furthermore, it is not angels who will control the future world we are talking about.  For in one place the Scriptures say, “What are mere mortals that You should think about them,  or a son of man that You should care for him?  Yet for a little while You made them a little lower than the angels  and crowned them with glory and honor.  You gave them authority over all...

A warning against judging others, a warning against self-confidence, and a warning against the rich Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters.  If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law.  But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you.  God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge.  He alone has the power to save or to destroy.  So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?  Look here, you who say,  “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year.  We will do business there and make a profit.”  How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow?  Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.  What you ought to say is,  “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.”  Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil....