February 25, 2022: Day 43 – Deuteronomy 6-10 and Mark 8

You find in the first chapter that we are reading, 6, is the shema starting in vs.4 which is one of the most famous Scriptures in all of the Old Testament.  It provides the basis for the passing down of the law from one generation to the next and underscores the importance of that generational passing down of the faith and the commandments.  In the Old Testament the faith was able to be passed down from generation to generation.  In the New Covenant with Jesus the faith has to be claimed by the individual and cannot be passed down through inheritance.

Chapter 7 gives a recount of God reminding the people that they were chosen specifically and that God has given them the victory because of his might and not because of their righteousness.  That theme is continued in 8 and then 9 gives us the recount of God giving the 10 commandments to Moses while the people below the mountain offered up sacrifices to the golden calf.  From there God wanted to destroy the people but Moses, like both Elijah and Jesus after him, fasts for 40 days and nights to avert the anger of the Lord from falling on the people.

God gives Moses new tablets and from there re-establishes the fact that God is the one whom the people have to serve with all of their heart and soul and might.  Their responsibility is to keep the commandments, for if they are not kept then God will answer appropriately, which is not what we want.

The one chapter in Mark gives us another story of the feeding of the people but this time it is with 7 loaves and only 4 thousand people.  In spite of these repeated life lessons the disciples continue to not understand what Jesus is doing and the lessons that he is teaching and how to incorporate them into their daily lives.  

It gets to the point where the disciples are able to answer correctly, but then Peter tries to protect Jesus from having to go through what he has to go through and Jesus calls him Satan as a response.  Not something one would want Jesus to call you.