“Gather the people together, men,and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates,that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the Lord your God, and observe to do all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 31:12).
TEXT — Deuteronomy 31:15
“Before Jehovah’s awesome throne Ye nations, bow with sacred joy,” wrote the great hymn writer, Isaac Watts. “Know that the Lord is God alone; He can create; and He can destroy.” He alone therefore, is to be served, and to Him should we bow and worship. In today’s passage, Moses received the Law from God and gave it to the priests and the elders of Israel; he instructed them on the need for a convocation at a chosen place at the end of every seven years, during which God’s word would be read to all categories of Israelites, including strangers within their gates. The purpose was clear: to ensure they hear, learn, and fear the Lord for their benefit and that of succeeding generations.
Holy convocations were mandatory for Israel as a nation. Usually, they were avenues for fellowship, reenacting God’s laws, and receiving divine instructions. They provided platforms for reminding Israel of her covenant with God and promised reassurance in their journeys and lives. Forsaking such assemblies was considered an offence punishable by God and detrimental to their corporate existence. The New Testament places no less emphasis on the assembling of brethren. The early Church gathered regularly for fellowship, prayers, intercessions, teachings, and instructions through chosen leaders to build and edify the Body of Christ, preparing her for duties, proper coexistence, and the coming of the Lord.
In specific terms, the Bible instructs that saints must not forsake their assembling together to avoid the heart’s hardness through sin’s deceitfulness. We do not condemn receiving inspiration through social media interface/meetings, as a medium of hearing from God. Yet, they cannot be justifiable replacements for physical gatherings of believers of common faith, except where restrictions are based on the extant laws of nations or countries where such believers are found.
The strength, stability, and progress of families or nations depend on God and His holy Writ. Therefore, the culture of teaching, hearing, and learning God’s word must be imbibed and sustained by all. The Bible cannot be replaced by literature or books on psychology, philosophy, sociology, and other works by men. The value of such effort is time-bound and demands renewed editions. God’s revelation, however, is eternal and relevant to all peoples and cultures, cutting across all geographical and demographic boundaries. It restores, enlightens, empowers, saves, purifies, edifies, sanctifies, guides, heals, reproves and corrects unto righteousness. So read, study, obey, and teach it to your children and everyone under your influence.
Thought for the day
Assembling with fellow believers enriches and refreshes.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
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