On my quest to be as miserly with our finances as possible :) as well as continue my search for better ways to do most everything, I recently started making most of my own household cleaners. These are very quick and inexpensive to make. Here are three of the recipes I’ve found to work very well:

All Purpose Spray Cleaner
1 cu. rubbing alcohol
1/2 cu. vinegar
1 tsp dish soap

Combine the above ingredients in a 24 oz spray bottle and fill the bottle the rest of the way with water.

Homemade “Soft Scrub”
1 2/3 cu. baking soda
1/2 cu. liquid hand soap (NOT dish soap – too bubbly)
1/2 cu. water
2 Tbsp white vinegar

Mix baking soda and soap in a bowl (using a fork works well). Add water and mix until smooth. Add baking soda and mix. Pour into your container.
I use an old 24oz ketchup bottle with a squirt-top for this cleaner – works well. (if you have an old soft scrub bottle I’m sure that would be great.) You do have to shake it pretty vigorously before you use it because all the baking soda settles to the bottom!

Floor Cleaner
(I don’t have exact measurements for this – I’m estimating because I usually use the “eyeball and dump” measuring technique handed down to me from my mother!)

1 gal hot water (I just fill the sink rather than using a bucket…)
1/2 cu white vinegar
1/2 cu ammonia
“a squirt” of dish soap

This works great! I was skeptical, but it does a great job and isn’t sticky after it dries. It doesn’t leave much of a smell (unless you have a powerfully scented dish soap!), so you have to retrain yourself that an overpowering scent of lemon or pine is not what means your house is clean!!

Happy cleaning! If you have favorite cleaning recipes, please post them!

When I was a student in Dr. Miller’s Old Testament Survey class back in 1999, we covered the entire Old Testament in one quarter. Our class met five days a week, and usually covered a book per day! We were required to read each book as we covered it (which was a lot on top of the rest of our college course load), but were given a couple of “skips” that we could take if we didn’t have time to read a particular book. I chose to use a skip on Deuteronomy, because I was so buried with other classes. (and come on, how much of the law can you read in one week?)

I got to class the next day and Dr. Miller opened with, “I hope that you read Deuteronomy last night, because this book really encompasses God’s heartbeat.” Rats. Needless to say, I went back and read it. :)

I think many people probably look at Deuteronomy the way that I did – yet another rehashing of weird laws that don’t apply to us. Let’s skip over to Joshua – at least we’re back to an exciting story line! This is a huge symptom of not really understanding the Old Testament. Deuteronomy is a cornerstone book in the Old Testament. It is the most concise recording of the law, their complete “constitution.” Almost anytime the phrase “Book of the Law” is used anywhere in the Scriptures it’s referring to Deuteronomy.

Another factor which should motivate us to read and understand this book is the great importance Jesus himself placed upon it. Most people who have been in the church for a while know that when Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan, He responded to each temptation with Scripture. What you may not realize, however, is that each and every Scripture He quoted was from the book of Deuteronomy!

Deuteronomy 8:3
“So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.”

Deuteronomy 6:16 (NLT)
“Do not test the Lord your God as you did when you complained at Massah.”

Deuteronomy 6:13
“You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name.”

Later on, Jesus is approached by his enemies and put to a different kind of test – a trick question crafted by the Jewish leadership seeking to find a weakness. He was asked, “Master, what is the greatest commandment?” And yet again, Jesus replied straight out of Deuteronomy.

Deuteronomy 6:4-5
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”

Every book is in the Bible for a reason. There are no “mistakes” or unnecessary repeats. I’m going to keep this post short today, but do want to challenge you: if we truly believe that our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever; if we truly want to think the way Jesus thinks and act the way He acts (still have one of those “WWJD” bracelets around somewhere?); if we want to understand the whole counsel of God, we must, MUST take a serious look at the Old Testament. If the gospels were all we needed, why didn’t God start there? Deuteronomy is an incredible book… open up your Bible and ask the Lord to show Himself to you!

Oh, that they had such a heart in them
that they would fear Me
and always keep all My commandments,
that it might be well with them
and with their children forever!
Deuteronomy 5:29

In Numbers 22:3-6, we meet two more interesting characters.

And Moab was exceedingly afraid of the people because they were many, and Moab was sick with dread because of the children of Israel. So Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now this company will lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.” And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time. Then he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying: “Look, a people has come from Egypt. See, they cover the face of the earth, and are settling next to me! “Therefore please come at once, curse this people for me, for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”

That last part should sound familiar… where have we seen that before? Oh, yes. Genesis 12:3, in the promise God gave to Abraham. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you… It’s a safe conjecture to guess that God doesn’t like having His promises outright denied and His words twisted and used against His people. And oh, it’s gonna be good…

So, Balak (“K” for “king”) hires Balaam to curse the Israelites. Balaam sets out on his donkey, but he encounters some unexpected transportation issues. I will just quote it here rather than rehashing the whole thing. (22:21-35)

So Balaam rose in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab.
Then God’s anger was aroused because he went, and the Angel of the Lord took His stand in the way as an adversary against him. And he was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. Now the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and the donkey turned aside out of the way and went into the field. So Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back onto the road.
Then the Angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side. And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she pushed herself against the wall and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall; so he struck her again.
Then the Angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam’s anger was aroused, and he struck the donkey with his staff.
Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?”

[I love this part...]

And Balaam said to the donkey, [did this not seem a bit strange to him?...] “Because you have abused me. I wish there were a sword in my hand, for now I would kill you!” So the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden, ever since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever disposed to do this to you?” And he said, “No.”

[Seriously. Read that again! Balaam not only answers his donkey like this is no big deal, but... who won the argument??]

Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face. And the Angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to stand against you, because your way is perverse before Me.
“The donkey saw Me and turned aside from Me these three times. If she had not turned aside from Me, surely I would also have killed you by now, and let her live.” And Balaam said to the Angel of the Lord, “I have sinned, for I did not know You stood in the way against me. Now therefore, if it displeases You, I will turn back.” Then the Angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but only the word that I speak to you, that you shall speak.” So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.

I love this story! I remember being taught this in Sunday school, but once again, I never remember actually getting to the point. We talked about the talking donkey, but if the teacher told us why this random story is in the Bible, I surely do not remember it. For those of you who, like me, either were not taught why this is there (or don’t remember), or those of you who are right now saying to yourself, “There’s a story about a talking donkey in the Bible?,” let’s discuss!

Balaam was hired for this job because his words were supposed to be powerful. Indeed, Balak even used God’s own promise of blessings and cursings, but turned it around to say that whomever Balaam blessed was blessed and whomever Balaam cursed was cursed. Clearly, this is not so.

So on his way, God uses his donkey to rebuke him. Of all animals, donkeys are one species not known to be reasonable and wise. Yet, God opens her mouth, enables her to speak with Balaam, and actually is the more reasonable one in the discussion! If Balaam thinks his words are so mighty and powerful, God can make the words of even a donkey more reasonable than his own!

Now, I do want to say that Numbers 22:7-21 is confusing. It sounds like Balaam is not that that bad of a guy, perhaps that he even was genuinely obeying God, which is confusing for the rest of the story. At those times you let Scripture explain itself.

Joshua 24:9-10
Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose to make war against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you. ‘But I would not listen to Balaam; therefore he continued to bless you. So I delivered you out of his hand.

Nehemiah 13:2
…because they had not met the children of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them. However, our God turned the curse into a blessing.

2 Peter 2:15
They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness…

These Scriptures clearly indicate that Balaam was not a good guy. We don’t know all the details – perhaps he was outwardly obedient but inwardly planning to curse them still… we just don’t know. Back to the story.

Four different times Balaam and Balak attempt to curse Israel. And four different times, God puts different words into his mouth (again, see those passages listed above for clarification). Let’s look at parts of these “curses” and see if anything rings a bell.

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“Curse” #1- Numbers 23:8-10

“How shall I curse whom God has not cursed?
And how shall I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced?
For from the top of the rocks I see him,
And from the hills I behold him;
There! A people dwelling alone,
Not reckoning itself among the nations.

[Remember Exodus 19:5- "...you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine."]

“Who can count the dust of Jacob,
Or number one-fourth of Israel?
Let me die the death of the righteous,
And let my end be like his!”

[Genesis 28:14 (during Jacob's dream) - "Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed."]

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“Curse” #2- Numbers 23:19-20

God is not a man, that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, that He should repent.
Has He said, and will He not do?
Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
Behold, I have received a command to bless;
He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.

“Curse” #3 – Numbers 24:9
“Blessed is he who blesses you,
And cursed is he who curses you.”

[Genesis 12:3 - I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you... ]

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“Curse” #4- Numbers 24:17

“I see Him, but not now;
I behold Him, but not near;
A Star shall come out of Jacob;
A Scepter shall rise out of Israel,
And batter the brow of Moab,
And destroy all the sons of tumult.”

[The LEADER promise! A particular person will come out of this nation who will have ultimate authority and crush the heads of their enemies...]

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There are many other details within these “curses,” but just notice this: God is reaffirming His promises and blessing – through the mouths of a donkey and a sorcerer hired to curse them! Keep the context of this in mind.

They refused to enter the land the first time.
Thousands of people have died in plagues because of rebellion against God.
They have been wandering in the wilderness for years and will continue to do so until the entire unbelieving generation has died.
They have outright broken their side of the covenant with God many times.

…and yet, God is faithful. He remembers His promises. He WILL keep them. In the midst of their disobedience He blesses them, reaffirms His promises, and shows His sovereignty over and protection of His people.

Our God is a faithful God.

If we are faithless,
He remains faithful;
He cannot deny Himself.
2 Timothy 2:13

After AG’s nap, I told her that LB and Dad were outside. We came downstairs and this was our conversation as she looked out the door.

(A) I saw LB!
(K) You did? Was he raking the yard?
(A) No, he’s too little.
(K) That’s right. Babies can’t rake!
(A) Just kids. And Daddies.
(K) And Moms sometimes, too.
(A) No.
(K) Mommy’s can’t rake? What do Mommy’s do?
(A) Just hang things on the clothesline.