Deut 5-7
What is this?? 
After reading Chapters 5, 6 and 7 I am like what else could possible be in Deuteronomy? That right there said it all! Read them sloooooowww. Pick up on special words like so that, and, then…I am not going to rephrase any of these Chapters, they are very clear to understand and very beautiful.
Chapter 5 The 10 Commandments. They are the same (always have been always will be) but the circumstances of why may change. The first time they were stated it was at the beginning of the declaration of the law. This time it was after the 40 years of wandering. They are repeated all throughout the Bible is various chapters. We today follow them because Jesus stated them in the New Testament. So this time Moses used the Exodus in his Sabbath Law. He changed it from a Sabbath to remember God’s creation to a Sabbath to remember you were once in slavery. (Horeb is Mt Sinai)
Again I could not help to spot the “Be Careful” statements.
I challenge you to read them out loud. I am certain God will hightlight one for you, and He will be saying “INSERT NAME….this is the one you, need to work on RIGHT NOW’. Take heart when you hear that HE IS SPEAKING to YOU. 🙂
Chapter 6 verse 4-9 is often called the Shema, coming from the Hebrew word for Hear. It means Listen to Me! or Pay Attention! or Now Hear this! The Lord wants the people to know that what he is about to say is super important! Click here for the verse. Verse 5 is clearly important to Israel as well as to us today. Reapeated in the New Testament.
Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment.
Moses says several times not to forget the Lord, especially in times of good. (If you didn’t put your mirror away from last week, we can use it again) It amazes me as a person how we cling to the Lord in trial yet in times of prosperity we get so far from Him.
Moses also says don’t test the Lord. Many of you may have thought about the time Jesus said that to Satan: Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test. (Mt 4:7) This was the scripture he was referencing. WE ARE READING THE SAME WORDS JESUS REFERENCES!
Chapter 7 Ever wonder why the Israelites? Why did God choose them? Why did God choose us? Why does He choose to save Christians? The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.
All throughout Scripture other gods are referred to by names. Baal is the most common. It actually means “husband” in Hebrew. That is how close the Canaanites were to their false gods…they were like married to them. (It does not mean we should worship our husbands…phew! Can I get an Amen from the twisted sista congragation)) Anyway, 7:5 Moses instructed them to cut down their Asherah poles. She was the Baal’s female companion in the god world. She was a god of fertility, love and war. (King Solomon will worship her in 1 Kings). This Asherah is a relic that was found in Judah. (Side note, I just remembered Kohls has a sale on bras this week)
Deut 3-4
-
Moses First Address (pt.2)
Chapter 3 is an explanation of some of the land division. Flip back to Numbers 32 and you will see that 2 1/2 tribes received the land on the East side of the Jordan (calling them Transjordan Tribes) to be establish for their woman, children and livestock. The men must trust in the Lord in taking possession of the Promise Land but after that, they can return to the land allotted to them. (if that confuses you let me know)
Moses Forbidden to Cross the Jordan
Probably one of the hardest things for people to grab so let me see if this might help. Let me tell you what some of you might be thinking…
“Trish, your telling me after all that work Moses did…walking into the Pharaoh’s place, leading the people out of Egypt, going up the mountain, receiveing the law, praying for all those people’s mistakes, the Israelites keeping him out of the Promise Land, building the tabernacle….40 years TRISH! and one hit of a rock….one angered moment of using the words “must WE bring you water”…and the Lord punishes him”… I don’t get it!
Well let me ask you this…If God had not made a consequence to not trusting the Lord, what kind of message would He be sending the Israelites and US today. It would be like saying….”well you don’t have to trust him EVERY TIME”… No, this was a huge moment, God had provided for them for 40 years, everyday (they never could survive desert living without God….3 million people living on sand…think about it) The very core of the wandering was God’s provision so that the next generations would TRUST in the Lord , not to make the same mistakes their ancestors did. The past generation was not allowed into the Promise Land for not trusting the Lord. This was a pivotal moment for the new generation and is was crucial that they completely trusted in the Lord in order to take the Land. In order for us to obtain our Promise Land, our Salvation, to have a relationship with the Lord we must TRUST in the Lord. When the Lord makes a promise we need to believe in that promise. He can do anything in our Life. It is His promise that gives us the Living water, not us. So with that, the Lord loved Moses so much that he still remained with Him (as He does us in our stupid moments) but needed the consequence, not just for his learning, but for all those around him.
Chapter 4 if you have never read the bible before you may be reading this as a “warning”. However, If you have read it before you might finish it and say….Ummmm that is all a prophecy, because all that HAPPENS!
A phrase that stuck out to me was ‘be careful’. It is said 5 times in Chapter 4 (34 times in Deuteronomy)
Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. (9)
Be careful not to forget the covenant of the LORD your God that he made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything the LORD your God has forbidden.(23)
But as I read Chapter 4, I was soaking in every word, and then I came to verse 29, and it was awesome
But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the LORD your God and obey him. For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath.
Did anybody else think of Jeremiah 29:11 when they read that? It is my favorite verse in the whole Bible:
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity.
Lots to underline in Chapter 4. May even be worth a re-read. I want you to really dig into the paragraphs about idol worship. Many of us are from different backgrounds and denominations. Even in our own life we have possibly married or switched churches ourselves . So we have a mix of all sorts of teachings. WELL, this is the very reason we are reading the bible. We are going to FILTER all teachings through the word of God.
Start in Chapter 4:15. Idol Worship.
Deut 1-2
- The reading today is a Recap of what has passed
- What God has Done for us: Moses’ First Address (pt. 1)
This is a great opportunity to make sure you “get” what we have read so far. Also, if Deuteronomy was a Starting place for you, this is a great place for you to get a recap BUT be comfortable enough to write in comments “I don’t understand” this section. We can catch you up.
Chapter 1 is awesome. A great way to make sure we understand what is going on is: at the end of each chapter ask yourself: Who, What, Where, When, and Why. Chapter 1 states that.
I also noticed some names from the past…Descendants of Esau (I wrote in my bible…Arabs). Amorites…a wider term for “Canaanites”. Horeb…another name for Mt. Sinai. But I also underlined some phrases that caught my heart like:
In spite of this, you did not trust in the LORD your God, who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go. (Deut 1:32-33)
Even though we did not trust the Lord, he never foresaked us. He was with us each and every day still providing a path. Still leading the way.
Map time March 10
I want you to grasp this map. This is where we are! The Israelites were in Egypt (Goshen) and went south, through the parting of the Red Sea and down to Mt. Sinai. Then took an 11 day journey and reached the entrance of the Promise Land (find Kadesh Barnea). Sent the 12 Spies in and failed to trust the Lord that they could take the Land. Soooo you will see they wandered…for 40 years and now look on the right side of the map they go through Edom, have a few battles, the Moab (yes yes…the King wanted Balaam to curse them and the whole talking Donkey Day.. the Phinehas stabbing the couple having … ..and now they sit on the River bank across from Jericho where Moses is going to take 7 days reciting to this completely NEW Generation what their parents were told and how they failed SO THAT they don’t make the same mistake twice.
A Great Map to look at is also in the Handouts Section labeled The Exodus.
Deuteronomy Overview
Deuteronomy in Hebrew is ‘Elleh Haddebarim meaning “These Are the Words”. The Greek translation to English is “Second Law”. The entire generation that fled Egypt in the Exodus has died. None were allowed to enter the Promise Land as a consequence to their lack of trust in the Lord. Only 3 people from the first generation are alive, Moses, Joshua and Caleb. Moses’s brother and sister just died this year, and before the year is over Moses will too.
So this book is a collection of speeches “addresses” from Moses to the new Generation, giving it the name “the second law” since he will have to repeat the law over again. Moses is such a faithful servant to the Lord, he makes these speeches to the new generations knowing the entire time that his lack of obedience has already cost him his entry into the Land.
These addresses probably took about 7 days to recite.
- Leviticus was a 2 year period camped at the bottom of Mt. Sinai.
- Numbers was a 40 year period of wandering.
- Deuteronomy will only be a 2 month period.
Many of us have wandered for years in our own life, even as a Christian, and there comes a time when we dedicate ourselves to the Lord. The first 4 books of the Bible is about God choosing His people. This book is about His people choosing God. This book is divided into 4 sections:
- What God has done for us. (History)
- The principals for Godly Living (Law)
- A call for Commitment to God (Blessings or Curses)
- A change in Leadership.
So as we hear the law for the second time, let’s pray that it falls new on our hearts, and that this time we Choose these words to be our standard of living in order to commit ourselves to the Lord. A dedication.
Reading the Bible in 365 