Thanks for sharing your wisdom! Deuteronomy chapter 25.
Respect for one's brother is to be shown if he dies. His life is valuable and means something. But Jesus calls us to love our brothers and sisters now, before they die. Both our physical and spiritual brothers and sisters.
That's not always easy especially if you fought a lot as kids. But often as siblings get older their relationship naturally improves. But not always.
Sometimes I think people try hard to make amends but if both parties are not willing it's difficult. If you want to improve one of your relationships then I feel it's important to:
1. Pray for God's leading and help.
2. Occasionally reach out with a comment or act of kindness to see what kind of response you get.
3. Do this with no expectation of getting anything in return so that you're not disappointed if you get no response.
4. Be persistent in prayers and reaching out.
Growing up with two brothers and one sister was not without arguments and fighting. We also had many good memories. I'm finding now that with my brothers we respond more with each other with love and respect. Not that we hated each other, it's just that at first, we moved on with our own lives. But now that we are older, we act with more openness and love and respect as if we know we won't be around together forever. Or maybe we're just maturing, LOL probably not.
I value this topic because we should have good relationship with our blood relatives. But in reality we should have good relationships with our spiritual brothers and sisters as well. If we are willing to invest in our blood brothers and sisters to make a positive relationship then we'll be better prepared to be able to do the same with our spiritual brothers and sisters. There should be love and respect. Don't wait for the other person to make the first move. Let go of pride and let God work.
I think that Chapter 25 is another one of those chapters that contains some parts that might not be expected to actually be found in the Bible. For example, the thought of a widow directed to spit in her brother-in-law’s face is not something that we may think that the Bible would ever say to do, but there it is in verse 9. Spitting on others is gross and it shows dishonor. It’s something that we probably tend to teach our kids not to do at an early age.
I’m reminded of how Jesus allowed so much abuse to be done to Himself because of His love for us and that included being spit on. Isaiah 50:6 tells us “I gave My back to those who strike, and My cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not My face from disgrace and spitting.”
We also read about this in Matthew 27:30. “And they spit on Him and took the reed and struck Him on the head.”
As I think about how Jesus was spit on and nailed to the cross for us, I think of another place in the Bible that talks about spit. This time it is Jesus who is doing the spitting in Revelation 3:15-17. “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.”
What a warning to not be lukewarm! Chapter 3 of Revelation goes on to say these words in verse 19. “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.”
May our love not grow cold, but may we endure to the end as we see in Matthew 24:12-13.
PB your words
Do this with no expectation of getting anything in return so that you’re not disappointed if you get no response.
Really hit me …. thank you, I needed that reminder.
it’s not me in charge, it’s God …. if it’s in HIS plan my family will heal.
9 his brother’s widow shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, take off one of his sandals, spit in his face and say, “This is what is done to the man who will not build up his brother’s family line.”
Wow …
13 Do not have two differing weights in your bag—one heavy, one light.
This made me think of the book of Proverbs
13 Do not have two differing weights in your bag—one heavy, one light. 14 Do not have two differing measures in your house—one large, one small. 15 You must have accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. 16 For the Lord your God detests anyone who does these things, anyone who deals dishonestly.
I looked more into this verse and it is teaching us not to deceive one another where we buy the heavy weight and sell the light weight.
We are not to be deceitful to our brothers and sisters. Sometimes I feel like today we will do anything to get a bargain or a good deal, even if that means being dishonest. God doesn’t want that. He tells us it is not worth it to even have those differing weights with the deceitful intentions in our hearts.