Week 58, Day 2: Teaching the Commands
Today’s Reading: Deut 6:1-25
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
Moses tells the Israelites that they are to love the Lord with all their heart and have His words on their heart (4-6). They were also to teach these words diligently to their children. To stress this principal, Moses mentions they are to speak of these things when they sit in their house, when they walk by the way, when they lie down and when they rise up. They were to bind these words as a sgn on their hand and as frontals on their forehead and on their doorposts and gates. ALL the time they were to speak of God’s commands to their children. This is what it means to be diligent to teach these things. The teaching of these commands was vital to the wellbeing of their children. Moses tells them that they were to fear the Lord God for their good always and for their survival (24). It was vital for them to instill God’s commands in their children’s heart and to help them to fear God for their good also.
Question: How does Moses define righteousness in verse 25? How does this verse help us understand what it means to be righteous today?
Week 58, Day 1: The 10 Commands
Today’s Reading: Deut 5:1-33
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
Moses reminds the people of the covenant that God made with them at Horeb (vs. 3). He restates the 10 commandments for them. I want to list these out as a reminder for us. But I also want to remind each of us that the Law of Moses included all the ordinances and statutes that God gave them at Horeb (Mt. Sinai) (4:44). Today many make the mistake of thinking of the law of Moses as only being the 10 commandments. They then try to classify the other ordinances as a Levitical law and civil law, etc. They will then argue that what was done away with through Christ was the Levitical law (sacrificial law) but not the law of Moses (the 10 commandments). Be careful that you do not fall into this trap. One example to consider. In John 10:34 Jesus says, “has it not been written in your Law” and then it quotes from the book of Psalm. Jesus refers to the book of Psalm as part of their “law”. Thus lumping this book in with the Law of Moses.
The 10 commandments 1. You shall have no other gods before Me (7) 2. You shall not make for yourself an idol (8-10) 3. You shall not take the name of God in vain (11) 4. You shall keep the Sabbath day holy (12-15) 5. You shall honor your father and mother (16) 6. You shall not murder (17) 7. You shall not commit adultery (18) 8. You shall not steal (19) 9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor (20) 10. You shall not covet (21)
Question: Why do you think that some of the 10 commandments are accompanied with explanations or additional comments and some are not?
Week 57, Day 5: Keep your soul diligently
Today’s Reading: Deut 4:1-49
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
Moses has now finished doing a very quick summary of the journey of Israel up to where they are now, on the east side of the Jordan. He now turns to the main trust of His admonitions. He will soon be leaving them because he cannot enter into the promised land with them. So he begins to try to reinforce that they need to be careful to keep the commands the Lord God has given to them. He tells them to “give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life;” (9). And he tells them to “watch yourselves carefully” that they are not tempted to create a graven image for themselves to represent God. He includes in this last area the warning that they be careful not to be “drawn away” to worship and serve the sun, moon and stars. Moses is cautioning them to give diligence to keep their hearts true to God. Don’t forget what all they had seen done. God had spoken to them from Mount Sinai and He had taken them as His people from Egypt by trials, signs and wonders, war and by a mighty hand. These people had seen these things (they were young men when at Mount Sinai, younger than 20(Num 1:2-3)). But Moses also states here a knowledge that after they have been long in the land, they will turn away from God. And Moses also knew that God would drive them out of the land to be scattered among the nations (28). How would he know these things unless he was truely a prophet of God.
Question: How is God described in verse 24? Why did the Lord let Israel hear His voice from out of the heavens (vs 36)?
Week 57, Day 4: Taking the Ammorite’s land
Today’s Reading: Deut 3:1-29
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
I am further immpressed by the victories that God provided Israel by what is said in this chapter. We were told in chapter two that the Israelites took the land of Sihon (an Ammorite king) and then in this chapter we are told about them taking the kingdom of Og (another Ammorite king). This passage emphasized in my mind how great a victory this was by detailing just how many cities were defeated in the kingdom of Og alone. 60 fortifid cities with high walls, gates and bars. Besides these were many unwalled towns that were utterly destroyed. God provided a magnificent victory to Israel. They overthrew these people completely and utterly. They wiped out all of the people and there is no indication that they lost any in the fighting. We should be impressed by these accounts of the works of God. He was fighting for them (vs 22) in their conflicts. We need to not allow ourselves to loose our appreciation for these works of God. Do not allow ourselves to take these things for granted. God’s works are amazing.
Question: Why was Moses not permitted to enter into the promised land?
Week 57, Day 3: The Wilderness Wanderings
Today’s Reading: Deut 2:1-37
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
In chapter one Moses had recounted how Israel had been unfaithful when they were first commanded to enter the promised land. Now he recounts their wanderings up untill they came to the east side of the Jordan. We are not told a lot about the wanderings of Israel in the wilderness for those long, 38 years until all the generation of the men of war had perished (14). Which should tell us that it is not important for us to know where all they went, how long they dwelt somewhere, or how they passed the time exactly. The main emphasis should be placed on the fact that those who were unfaithful to God, who had not heeded God’s commands were destroyed in the wilderness. They did not enter into the land of promise. We are blessed today to be able to have opportunity to repent of our sins and turn back to God before it is too late. I think that often we think of the Israelites as not having such a chance to repent of their ways. The view is often that God quickly sentenced them to death in the wilderness. But I want us to keep in mind how many times they had been given warnings and how many signs God showed them that should have established in them the confidence to trust God and fear Him in order to keep His words. They were not simply banished to the wilderness because of one incident. They demonstrated repeated acts of rebellion and disbelief. And it certainly was just for God to destroy them in the wilderness. This point is not the main thrust of this recounting of the history of Israel by Moses but I do think that it will play an important role in what Moses is trying to emphasize to the children of Israel. Do not be like your fathers, remember the covenant with God and be faithful to do all that He commands of you.
Question; Why was Israel not permitted to harass Moab or Edom?
Week 57, Day 2: The History of Israel
Today’s Reading: Deut 1:1-13
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
Moses recounts what has happened to Israel in their past. It is interesting to note the additional comments made here regarding events that we read about in Numbers. For example, it is noted that when they came to Kadesh-Barnea, Moses tells the people to go up into the land to take it (vs. 21). The people asked that they be able to send the 12 spies into the land first (v. 22). This information is something that we were not told about in Numbers 13. Also we are told more details about what Moses said to the people when they rebelled about going into the land to take it (vs. 29-31). Some of these additional detail are interesting to note and consider. As we go through the book of Deuteronomy pay attention to the additional details given and see how much more can be learned about the history of Israel.
Question: Why should the people of Israel been confident to go and fight against people who were bigger, more numerous than they and living in well fortified cities?
Week 57, Day 1: Passing on Inheritance
Today’s Reading: Numbers 36:1-13
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
The last chapter of Numbers contains some tying up of loose ends. We had been told before about the complaint brought up by the daughters of Zelophehad. He had died without sons but his daughters petitioned that their father’s portion of the inheritance not be cut off. The Lord granted that the daughters would receive the inheritance. Now the others in their tribe express their concern that such circumstances opens up for that portion of the inheritance to go to another tribe when the women marry outside of their tribe. Thus the Lord decrees that when the daughter receives her father’s inheritance she is to marry only within her tribe. This way the inheritance will remain with her father’s tribe.
Question: Were such commands optional? God restricted who these daughters could marry. What if the daughters didn’t want to marry within the tribe, could they choose to marry outside the tribe? What applications could be made to New Testament commands regarding marriage?
Week 56, Day 5: Cities of Refuge
Today’s Reading: Numbers 35:1-34
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
In this chapter Moses is told to command Israel to give a portion of their inheritance to the Levites. They are to give 42 cities and their surrounding fields to live in. Each tribe was to give cities for them to live in, each giving based on the size of their inheritance. In addition to these cities they were to give them 6 cities to be cities of refuge. These cities were to be places of refuge for the manslayer. The Lord then gives details of who is to be regarded as a manslayer. This is a very interesting section to me since we see a practice in our justice system of trying to sympathize with criminals or killers. A wife can kill her husband by shooting him 15 times and the courts want to characterize her actions as excusable because she was abused. This portion of scripture indicate that God views such actions as murder, not manslaughter. Man slaughter is clearly defined as accidental death caused to another. If the act was done suddenly, without enmity or without lying in wait (planning it) or with any deadly weapon (an object of stone, wood, iron, etc), then it could be classified as manslaughter (22-23).
God also emphasizes the importance of punishing those guilty of murder. They were not to allow a ransom to be paid for sparing the guilty (30). The spilling of blood pollutes the land. God said they were not to allow the land to be defiled since He dwelt in the midst of Israel. The only way to make atonement for blood being shed was that the blood of those guilty of murder to be shed (33).
Even the one guilty of manslaughter could not escape punishment (living in the city of refuge for the rest of the days the high priest lived) (32). Also justice needed to be established on the basis of at least two witnesses (30).
Question: What do you think happens when a country begins to make excuses for murderers? What is wrong with a different standard of punishment for those who are rich or famous?
Week 56, Day 4: Dividing the Land
Today’s Reading: Numbers 34:1-29
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
In this chapter the Lord details the borders of the land Israel is to receive as an inheritance. He then tells Moses that he is to send one leader from each tribe to portion the land out. After the land has been divided into sections they will allot each of the 9 and a half tribes left to receive their inheritance their portion by lot (26:55-56). In this manner the dividing of the land would be done impartially.
Question: Why is there wisdom in sending one leader from each tribe to participate in dividing the land?
Week 56, Day 3: The Journey Recounted
Today’s Reading: Numbers 33:1-56
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
It is close to time for Moses to die and Joshua to take over leading Israel. Moses recounts the journey from Egypt to where they are now. And then he looks to the near future. Israel will be going into the promised land soon. So Moses warns them to be sure to drive out all the inhabitants of the land and destroy all their figured and molten images. They are also to demolish all the high places. He tells them very clearly that if they don’t do this then the inhabitants who remain will become pricks in their eyes and thorns in their sides and trouble Israel. And if this was not bad enough God warns them that if they don’t drive out the inhabitants and destroy their idols then he will do the same to them (vs. 56).
Question: Why would it be good to remind Israel of the places they have journey through getting to where they are?