The Lord is asking us here to do something that is very difficult: love yourself as God loves you.
When Jesus told his disciples they’d always have the poor with them, he was reminding them of a passage from Deuteronomy—a passage...
Our society is consumed with the next trend, chasing all that glitters in hopes it will lead to happiness. But a life...
One of the first things I learned as a chaplain was to stop telling people in today’s culture to “slow down.” It’s not that this isn’t good advice. People just don't know how...
An old Jewish story says that when the Israelites fled Egypt, they followed each other so closely, so diligently that they never noticed the miracle happening around them.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 is known as the “Shema.” This is the most significant passage of the Old Testament for the Jewish faith. The...
As a young businessman in Oklahoma City's oil industry, my friend Keith Miller took both work and faith seriously. So when his church asked him to lead a Bible class, it took him...
What did you do last week? Where did you spend your time? Perhaps like the old Dolly Parton song, you were working...
I often equate listening to God with silence. But that’s not an easy task. At my home, the quiet is routinely pierced by the dog next door, the ever-present highway noise that rumbles...
God led the Hebrews out of Egypt, and he led them through the Red Sea. Then he instructed them to build a traveling tabernacle. They were about to begin a 40-year road trip...
To be faithful stewards, we must understand four important leadership principles.
Deuteronomy helps us better understand how to live in response to God’s love and serve others through our work.
Work is a major subject of the book of Deuteronomy, and prominent topics include the following: The meaning and value of work. God’s command to work for the benefit of others, the blessings...
Deuteronomy begins with a speech by Moses recounting the major events in Israel’s recent history. Moses draws lessons from these events and...
In the wilderness, the people's fear leads to a failure to trust God. As a result they rebel against God’s plan for...
In the wilderness, Israel's abandon of trust in God arises not only from fear, but also from success. At this point in...
Deuteronomy continues with a second speech containing the main body of the book. This section centers on God’s covenant with Israel, especially...
The Ten Commandments are great contributors to the theology of work. They describe the essential requirements of Israel’s covenant with God and...
The first commandment reminds us that everything in the Torah flows from the love we have for God, which is a response...
The second commandment raises the issue of idolatry. Idols are gods of our own creation, gods that...
The third commandment literally prohibits God’s people from making “wrongful use” of the name of God. This...
The issue of the Sabbath is complex, not only in the books of Deuteronomy and Exodus and...
Of the few variations between the two versions of the Ten Commandments, the majority occur as additions to the fourth commandment in...
The fifth commandment says that we must respect the most basic authority among human beings, that of parents for children. To put...
Sadly, the sixth commandment has an all-too-practical application in the modern workplace, where 10 percent of all job-related fatalities (in the United...
The workplace is one of the most common settings for adultery, not necessarily because adultery occurs in the workplace itself, but because...
The eighth commandment is another that takes work as its primary subject. Stealing is a violation of proper work because it dispossesses...
The ninth commandment honors the right to one’s own reputation.[1] It finds pointed application in legal proceedings...
The tenth commandment prohibits coveting “anything that belongs to your neighbor” (Deut. 5:21). It is not wrong...
In the second part of his second speech, Moses describes in detail the “statutes and ordinances” that God charges Israel to obey...
In case the commandments, statutes, and ordinances in God’s covenant might come to seem like nothing but a burden to Israel, Moses...
In contrast to joyful obedience to God is the arrogance that often accompanies prosperity. This is similar to the danger of complacency...
Givers Take All: A Helping Culture Improves Performance The strongest factor for organizational performance may be a culture of helping. According to...
A troubling topic in Deuteronomy is slavery. The allowance of slavery in the Old Testament generates a great deal of debate, and we cannot resolve all the issues here. We should not, however...
The effectiveness of property rights and workers’ protections often depends on law enforcement and judicial systems. Moses’ charge to judges and officials...
Moses sets up a system of trial courts and courts of appeal that are surprisingly similar to the structure of modern courts...
Just as people and institutions must not contravene legitimate authority, people in positions of power must not use their authority illegitimately. Moses...
Deuteronomy requires owners of productive assets to employ them to benefit the community, and it does so in a clear-headed way. For...
Differences of class and wealth can create opportunities for injustice. Justice requires treating workers fairly. We read in Deuteronomy 24:14, “You shall...
Moses concludes with a third speech, a final appeal for obedience to God’s covenant, which will result in human thriving. It reinforces...
Succession Planning (Deuteronomy 31:1-32:47) After the speeches, Joshua succeeds Moses as leader of Israel. “Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in...
In retelling the events of Israel’s early history and God’s giving of the law, Deuteronomy vividly portrays the importance of work to...
A lesson for kids about bringing God into all days of the week.
