Deuteronomy

34 posts

Deuteronomy

The events in Deuteronomy should have taken 11 days. Instead, they took 40 years.

What had stalled the Israelites in the desert was not an issue of might but at the core the condition of their hearts. God could do anything, can do anything as He is over all and in all, but it was the heart of the people that put them on hold. Simply consider this thought. Actually, consider this question, what is my heart stalling of God’s work?

Sobering.

Yet, God’s work continues even when our hearts are not bent in obedience. He would use these 40 years to develop and reiterate their need to trust Him. He would use these years of difficulty and discouragement to make a lasting impression not only on them but we who read it. God uses such times for all of His children to get hearts ready to serve and be what He’s called.

The book of Deuteronomy is much like a series of sermons preached by Moses. His heart heavy because he knew he would not enter into the land with the people. His heart passionate because he knew that the unbelieving generation were gone and what stood before him was a new generation who needed to embrace faith like none other to receive what was promised. These speeches to the people was reiterating their need to be prepared for what God had and act upon His Word.

Moses remembers their journey and walks them back to significant marks to consider. Stakes in the ground if you will, where direction could have changed.

For the people of Israel, that line was when they stood and looked over at the land promised. When report came back from 10 men who spoke of nothing but defeat, that was the moment where things changed. The people listened. They grumbled in their tents. They dug in their feet and would not go forward. God had done nothing but showed His strength and might throughout their journey so far, but these faithless ones chose to simply rebel.

Deuteronomy 1

Deuteronomy 1

Deuteronomy 1 – What should have taken 11 days took 40 years. If you have read the book of Numbers, you already have a good understanding of these events. Deuteronomy opens by …

Deuteronomy 2

Deuteronomy 2

Deuteronomy 2 – It is a unique time in Israel’s history. Moses continues to lead and teach the people even though *spoiler alert* he will die before making it to the Promised Land. This time of transition …

Deuteronomy 3

Deuteronomy 3

Deuteronomy 3 – They told Moses, “We explored the land and found it to be rich and fertile; and here is some of its fruit. 28 But the people who live there are powerful, and their cities …

Deuteronomy 4

Deuteronomy 4

Deuteronomy 4 – “No other nation, no matter how great, has a god who is so near when they need him as the LORD our God is to us. He answers us whenever we call for help. …

Deuteronomy 5

Deuteronomy 5

Deuteronomy 5 – False teachers love to cherry-pick verses and twist the context to their liking. A perfect example of this is found in Deuteronomy 5:9. ‘You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness …

Deuteronomy 6

Deuteronomy 6

Deuteronomy 6 – Here in Deuteronomy 6, we find the “shema.” The word itself means “hear” or “listen” and begins in verse 4. “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!  5  “You …

Deuteronomy 7

Deuteronomy 7

Deuteronomy 7 – What is your motivation for obedience? Do this because you belong to the LORD your God. From all the peoples on earth he chose you to be his own special people. 7 “The LORD …

Deuteronomy 8

Deuteronomy 8

Deuteronomy 8 – Remember that the LORD your God corrects and punishes you just as parents discipline their children. 6 So then, do as the LORD has commanded you: live according to his laws and obey him. …

Deuteronomy 9

Deuteronomy 9

Deuteronomy 9 – Today know this: GOD, your God, is crossing the river ahead of you—he’s a consuming fire. He will destroy the nations, he will put them under your power. You will dispossess them and very …

Deuteronomy 10

Deuteronomy 10

Deuteronomy 10 – “Now, people of Israel, listen to what the LORD your God demands of you: Worship the LORD and do all that he commands. Love him, serve him with all your heart, 13 and obey …

Deuteronomy 11

Deuteronomy 11

Deuteronomy 11 – Remember. Teach. Obey. This is the instruction given to those who were responsible for raising the next generation. Remember today what you have learned about the LORD through your experiences with him. It was …

Deuteronomy 12

Deuteronomy 12

Deuteronomy 12 – What separated the people of God from the pagans around them was their total allegiance to the One True God. He gave them commands to follow which centered around every facet of life. They …

Deuteronomy 13

Deuteronomy 13

Deuteronomy 13 – When did self-appointed titles become a “thing” in the church? When did “a word” become more important than action? When did the thoughts inside people’s heads become full-blown prophecies directly from the mouth of …

Deuteronomy 14

Deuteronomy 14

Deuteronomy 14 – Holiness and practicality are two thoughts that are sometimes difficult to reconcile. Why did God not allow certain animals to be eaten? Why did the people have to tithe from their agriculture? The laws …

Deuteronomy 15

Deuteronomy 15

Deuteronomy 15 – A few years ago my wife and I had the opportunity to provide respite care to three little boys. Respite care is when current foster parents need to go away for a short time …

Deuteronomy 16

Deuteronomy 16

Deuteronomy 16 – Favoritism. Bribes. Bias. Corruption. Does this not describe our current political climate? God gave specific laws regarding the judges that He Himself would appoint for Israel. First, there would be impartiality. Everyone would be …

Deuteronomy 17

Deuteronomy 17

Deuteronomy 17 – There are many times that the Old Testament rituals and rules can seem odd and misplaced under our New Covenant relationship with Jesus. It is imperative that when we go back through the Old …

Deuteronomy 18

Deuteronomy 18

Deuteronomy 18 – “God said…” It’s a phrase that has permeated our Christian culture. It’s a statement that flies out of people’s mouths easily and routinely. Reading it in Christian books and magazines and hearing it in …

Deuteronomy 19

Deuteronomy 19

Deuteronomy 19 – We find the familiar “eye for an eye” passage in Deuteronomy 19. In such cases show no mercy; the punishment is to be a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a …

Deuteronomy 20

Deuteronomy 20

Deuteronomy 20 – A lot of us have never thought about what it means to go to war vastly outnumbered. When the facts of the situation do not look to be in our favor, where do we …

Deuteronomy 21

Deuteronomy 21

Deuteronomy 21 – How many today take responsibility for their errors? It seems everywhere we turn, we see people playing the blame game. When people are determined to be right and have things their way at all …

Deuteronomy 22

Deuteronomy 22

Deuteronomy 22 – Many of these laws seem outdated or inapplicable to our modern culture. Furthermore, one might say that since we are under the New Covenant we are no longer under the Old Testament law. Though …

Deuteronomy 23

Deuteronomy 23

Deuteronomy 23 – As we’ve written many times in Deuteronomy, these laws can seem foreign to us. In some ways, they prescribe almost an ascetic type of lifestyle. Asceticism is defined as a lifestyle characterized by abstinence …

Deuteronomy 24

Deuteronomy 24

Deuteronomy 24 – Just as God showed compassion on you, now you are to show compassion to others. The last half of Deuteronomy 24 is a “put you in your place” kind of chapter. It is a …

Deuteronomy 25

Deuteronomy 25

Deuteronomy 25 – “Do not muzzle an ox when you are using it to thresh grain.” Deuteronomy 25:4 GNB On the surface, this seems like a straightforward passage. In that time, an ox would break the grain …

Deuteronomy 26

Deuteronomy 26

Deuteronomy 26 – Once again we enter into an Old Testament story which has significant implications for how we understand events documented in the New Testament. “Then it shall be, when you enter the land which the …

Deuteronomy 27

Deuteronomy 27

Deuteronomy 27 – F.B. Meyer paints a beautiful picture of the scene we find in Deuteronomy 27. “Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal were two masses of limestone rock, reaching 2700 and 2000 feet above the sea-level. Between …

Deuteronomy 28

Deuteronomy 28

Deuteronomy 28 – “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool. …

Deuteronomy 29

Deuteronomy 29

Deuteronomy 29 – When I was younger, I used to think it was enough to “keep my oath” with God. If I tried to live as a good person, prayed once in a while, and asked for …

Deuteronomy 30

Deuteronomy 30

Deuteronomy 30 – I was drawn specifically to verse 6 of this chapter because it relates closely to the process a believer undergoes within the New Covenant. “Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and …

Deuteronomy 31

Deuteronomy 31

Deuteronomy 31 – “But was his momentary failure not far too severely punished?” Alexander MacLaren We tend to look at old man Moses and feel sorry for him. The fiery temper that ended the life of an …

Deuteronomy 32

Deuteronomy 32

Deuteronomy 32 – Look at all the names Moses ascribed to God in one song! the Rock: Deu 31:4; Deu 31:15; Deu 31:18; Deu 31:30Jehovah: Deu 31:6Father: Deu 31:6the Most High: Deu 31:8God: Deu 31:3Lord: Deu 31:3 …

Deuteronomy 33

Deuteronomy 33

Deuteronomy 33 – Moses gives his final blessings to the tribes of Israel. I was drawn to the guidance given to the Levites. About the tribe of Levi he said: “You, LORD, reveal your will by the …

Deuteronomy 34

Deuteronomy 34

Deuteronomy 34 – So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. 6 And He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, …