Don't remove the ancient landmarks - Daily Devotional November 6th, 2009

Daily Bible Reading - 2 Chronicles 35, Hosea 3, Acts 18-19

Don't remove the ancient landmarks

Proverbs 22:28 says, "Do not move the ancient landmark that your fathers have set" and again in Proverbs 23:10, "Do not move an ancient landmark, or enter the fields of the fatherless". These two scriptures are small but so powerful in what they are telling us. God uses those that have gone before us and authority figures in our lives to help establish things that we should never go against. God uses these people to do these things not to be restrictive but to protect us. The warning is very clear as are the results. If we we are to move these landmarks we are acting like fatherless children or as it says in Hebrews 12:8 illegitimate children.

In 2 Chronicles 35 we see that the children of Israel were very careful to not remove a landmark that was set up years before under Moses when they were getting ready to leave Egypt. This become known to them as the passover feast. Here in this passage we see how meticulous the people were to do exactly as they were told so that the landmark would not be removed from them. 2 Chronicles 35:16-17, "So all the service of the LORD was prepared that day, to keep the Passover and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD, according to the command of King Josiah. And the people of Israel who were present kept the Passover at that time, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days." Everyone who was involved did as they were told and the it goes on to say that there was never a passover like it since the days of Samuel.

Why were the children of Israel so meticulous and thorough in doing the Passover Feast and why was this established? To fully understand why this landmark was set up you need to go back and read Exodus 12. In this passage we see that everyone who followed the instructions that were given them at this time that their lives were spared. If they did not follow the instructions then as the angle passed over their house their lives were not spared. Pretty important instructions I would say, and thus the landmark set up by the forefathers. This is why in 2 Chronicles 35 the children of Israel not allowing the landmark to be removed.

We need to understand that God puts people in our lives to help us along the way. People like parents, leaders, pastors and good friends. He puts them there to speak into our lives so that we do not make stupid choices or as it says in Proverbs that we do not remove the ancient landmarks. You see God has established these landmarks for us because He knows if we go beyond them or remove them we will be hurting ourselves and we will be illegitimate children. To often times though we ignore those landmarks by making decisions we want to make or ones that we think are right. We completely ignore the blaring signs of others around us pointing to the landmark. But it is the fool who rages against all wise counsel. The sad thing is just like those that did not listen in Exodus 12 our decision to remove the landmark ultimately leads to our death. The bible says in Proverbs 14:12, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death".

Take a minute and examine your life today and see what ancient landmarks you are removing in your life. Then stop removing them and you will stop living a life that leads to death.

Tomorrows Bible Reading - 2 Chronicles 36, Hosea 4, Acts 20

Dream Big
Ben