Deuteronomy 6:1-25 - Greatest Commandment of the Heart

Deuteronomy 6:1-25

The Greatest Commandment

1 “Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the LORD your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, 2 that you may fear the LORD your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. 3 Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the LORD God of your fathers has promised you—a land flowing with milk and honey.’

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

6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Caution Against Disobedience

10 “So it shall be, when the LORD your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, 11 houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant—when you have eaten and are full— 12 then beware, lest you forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 13 You shall fear the LORD your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name. 14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you 15 (for the LORD your God is a jealous God among you), lest the anger of the LORD your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the earth.

16 “You shall not tempt the LORD your God as you tempted Him in Massah. 17 You shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, His testimonies, and His statutes which He has commanded you. 18 And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD, that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land of which the LORD swore to your fathers, 19 to cast out all your enemies from before you, as the LORD has spoken.

20 “When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which the LORD our God has commanded you?’ 21 then you shall say to your son: ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand; 22 and the LORD showed signs and wonders before our eyes, great and severe, against Egypt, Pharaoh, and all his household. 23 Then He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in, to give us the land of which He swore to our fathers. 24 And the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day. 25 Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the LORD our God, as He has commanded us.’

The greatest commandment that sums up all others, in the Ten Commandments just given, is one of showing love to the LORD God above all others.  This is part of the first three of the Ten, but is the summation as our heart’s motivation for following them as God-pleasers.  Israel was told to fear and revere Him by doing what His word says if they wanted to prosper and not suffer needlessly.  Surely suffering of adversity is still part of the fallen life as sin has corrupted us and the world (Genesis 6:11-12, Psalm 14:3, Romans 8:21, Ephesians 4:22), yet adding to it by suffering the consequences of disobedience is not necessary if we set our hearts to following His commandments that are not burdensome and that honor and please our Creator.  This is the opposite of legalism which attempts to save or justify oneself as true obedience is from a heart of love for God that drives the footsteps of a life to follow willingly and joyfully according to His word loving given us for our good and His glory.  This is why it is still vitally necessary to “love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength,” as repeated in Matthew 22:37-38 (with the added inclusion of others in Matthew 22:39) as a summary of all the commandments (Matthew 22:40) followed from a heart of love for God and His creations, including (Matthew 5:44) our enemies.  We are called to continue following this moral and essential commandment in Christ after firmly entrenching them in our own hearts, that we may also find ourselves living these out to our physical and spiritual children for their example to follow as fellow God-pleasers.  The children of God were also warned about the consequences of disobedience.  They were told how easy it might be to grow lax in love for God when they had good things in life and to beware the disobedience of forgetting Him and His words.  We also have this tendency do the same thing because of our fallen nature still fighting within each of us.  Do we continue to remind ourselves and one another (2 Peter 1:12) about the folly of forgetting doing what is right as His word instructs and encourages us to do?  If we do not, then we may be tempted to ignore the inward urging of His Spirit and the outward influence of His scriptures on showing our love for Him and others.  We need continued reminding of these things, just as they did long ago, but we have the added advantage of the presence of Christ in us and we in Him and His righteousness to help us (John 14:15-17, 26) follow these precepts of love and life.  True righteousness is found in following the commandment to believe the gospel (1 John 3:23-24) and is fleshed out and proven in our love for God and one another.  This is the greatest commandment to be lived out of the heart.

Deuteronomy 5:23-33 - Fearful Presence of Hope

Deuteronomy 5:23-33

The People Afraid of God’s Presence (Exodus 20:18–21)

23 “So it was, when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, that you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes and your elders. 24 And you said: ‘Surely the LORD our God has shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire. We have seen this day that God speaks with man; yet he still lives. 25 Now therefore, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the LORD our God anymore, then we shall die. 26 For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? 27 You go near and hear all that the LORD our God may say, and tell us all that the LORD our God says to you, and we will hear and do it.’

28 “Then the LORD heard the voice of your words when you spoke to me, and the LORD said to me: ‘I have heard the voice of the words of this people which they have spoken to you. They are right in all that they have spoken. 29 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! 30 Go and say to them, “Return to your tents.” 31 But as for you, stand here by Me, and I will speak to you all the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments which you shall teach them, that they may observe them in the land which I am giving them to possess.’

32 “Therefore you shall be careful to do as the LORD your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. 33 You shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess.

When the people were confronted with the presence of God Almighty, they saw the consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24, 9:3) they feared as they saw His glory and greatness and feared death as a result.  We are reminded in Hebrews 12:28-29 not to fear losing our eternal lives or the hope of an eternal kingdom guaranteed by grace by the Almighty Sovereign God, but to rest in His work of salvation that promises us the unshakable kingdom so we can serve and worship Him with awe and godly reverential fear.  We can hear His voice and one day see His face (Revelation 22:3-4) and live!  The people of Israel did not yet comprehend that relationship with God and truly feared annihilation for gazing on Him and hearing His voice thundering from the blazing mountain where the Law of Commandments was issued.  They sent Moses to face the God they could not as their mediator to listen and tell them what God said.  We now have the Lord Jesus Christ to tell us His words as written by the apostles and by the Spirit who lives in us to give us understanding as we stand in this unshakable and immovable kingdom now and beyond death that we all face one day.  May we, like the people of God gone before us, also have a heart to fear and revere the Lord God to the point where we strive to keep His unburdensome (Micah 6:8, Matthew 11:29-30, 1 John 5:3-4) commandments.  This is how things go well for our souls and sometimes in our lives as well in adverse circumstances.  We similarly go to our tents to listen to the commandments of God’s word delivered to us through Moses and the prophets that speak of Christ (Luke 24:26-27, 31-32) and His work of redemption and illumination of the glory of God in His grace to us in Him.  We are also called to love and teach these words as we walk the narrow road according to the Bible that it “may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess.”  We are to possess the heavenly country to come and yearn for that day as we journey along life narrow way in willing obedience to the word we receive and follow as pleasing (2 Corinthians 5:9-10, Colossians 1:10, Hebrews 13:20-21, 1 John 3:21, 22-23) children.  We do not fear judgment in God’s presence because we have been accepted (Ephesians 1:6) in the Beloved.  Let us draw near in full assurance (Hebrews 10:22-23) without wavering doubts of those trying to mislead us (2 Peter 3:16-17) as we continue in the faith of the faithful one given us to be willing and able to obey.  His fearful presence is now our hope.

Deuteronomy 5:1-22 - The Good Commandments of God

Deuteronomy 5:1-22

The Ten Commandments Reviewed (Exodus 20:1–17)

1 And Moses called all Israel, and said to them: “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your hearing today, that you may learn them and be careful to observe them. 2 The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. 3 The LORD did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, those who are here today, all of us who are alive. 4 The LORD talked with you face to face on the mountain from the midst of the fire. 5 I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the LORD; for you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up the mountain. He said:

6 I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

FIRST: 7 You shall have no other gods before Me.

SECOND: 8 You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 9 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 10 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

THIRD: 11 You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

FOURTH: 12 ‘Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 15 And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

FIFTH: 16 ‘Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may be well with you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you.

SIXTH: 17 You shall not murder.

SEVENTH: 18 You shall not commit adultery.

EIGHTH: 19 You shall not steal.

NINTH: 20 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

TENTH: 21 You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife; and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.’

22 “These words the LORD spoke to all your assembly, in the mountain from the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and He added no more. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.

These ten words are commandments of the moral law of the LORD to be followed by all God’s people.  Even the often disputed fourth commandment concerning keeping the sabbath day finds adherence commanded to we who are in Christ as we rest in the work of Christ Jesus who is our (Mark 2:27-28, Hebrews 4:3-4, 5-6, 9-10) Sabbath rest.  We are to learn and do all of God’s word in Christ, including these moral laws fulfilled in God’s Son (Matthew 5:17) for us to (1 Corinthians 11:1) imitate.  The ceremonial laws are no longer in our purview (Ephesians 2:15) as they were meant to teach Israel good from evil, right from wrong, as we now are taught by God’s Spirit and word (Hebrews 5:14) while we grow in sanctifying conformity (2 Corinthians 3:18, Romans 12:1-2) to His image recreated in us at our new birth.  These commandments hold us with awestruck wonder to faithful and willing obedience when we consider our own liberation from sin’s bondage which once held us (Galatians 4:3-5) from knowing and pleasing our great God and Savior, even though we did not stand before the mountain shaken and quaking in God’s presence when the Law of commandments was handed to Moses for the people to read and heed.  These still apply in that we are to have no other god but God who lives and breathes from heaven above over all His sovereign creation.  Therefore, we cannot even begin to worship any other false idol of our own creation, in carved or imagined form.  We are not to use His name to cover evil or dishonor His holiness and righteousness as Lord over us all, but honor and revere that name in word and deed.  We are also to rest in His work that saves us and not continue to expend useless effort to win His favor to gain or maintain our salvation from judgment due to us all (Romans 3:23, 6:23) from birth as inherited.  As children, we are to remember to honor our own parents in similar manner because they have been placed over us as we have been created by God through them that our lives may find good as promised by living in such submission.  Of course the heaviest ones to us in moral society hold as well, such as not intentionally taking the lives of others outside of war in personal hatred or vengeance.  We are not to defame the marriage covenant between a man and wife in which we enter into before the Lord by becoming one flesh (Genesis 2:24, 1 Corinthians 6:15-17) with another and defiling these temples (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) in which He now lives for our wholehearted worship in body and soul.  Yes, we are still to not steal material possessions from another or take their good character by slanderous words in or out of court, taking what is precious to them with greedy and malicious intent.  Likewise, even if we do not commit adultery, we still cannot desire another person’s spouse for ourselves nor anything else that is theirs, learning contentment with godliness (1 Timothy 6:6) is the most true and great possession that we already have in Christ.  When we realize that these words of command once written on hard, cold stone tablets are now rewritten on our very hearts (Jeremiah 31:33, 2 Corinthians 3:3), we will be moved to willingly follow them to please God and not to earn rewards or escape punishment in judgment for we are kept by grace to escape judgment but are still accountable (1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 14-15) for how we live towards God and man.  We (1 John 5:3-5) therefore keep these good commandments as our Lord did for us (John 15:10) in honor to Him and His word that works all for our good and His glory because they are not burdensome (Matthew 11:28-30, 1 John 5:3) as some believe; we rest in Christ in us and His work as we are led by His Spirit (Romans 8:14, 16) as His beloved children to honor Him and reap the promised rewards of obedience to our Father in eternity. 

Deuteronomy 4:41-49 - Refuge and the Law

Deuteronomy 4:41-49

Cities of Refuge East of the Jordan

41 Then Moses set apart three cities on this side of the Jordan, toward the rising of the sun, 42 that the manslayer might flee there, who kills his neighbor unintentionally, without having hated him in time past, and that by fleeing to one of these cities he might live: 43 Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau for the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead for the Gadites, and Golan in Bashan for the Manassites.

Introduction to God’s Law

44 Now this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel. 45 These are the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which Moses spoke to the children of Israel after they came out of Egypt, 46 on this side of the Jordan, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon, whom Moses and the children of Israel defeated after they came out of Egypt. 47 And they took possession of his land and the land of Og king of Bashan, two kings of the Amorites, who were on this side of the Jordan, toward the rising of the sun, 48 from Aroer, which is on the bank of the River Arnon, even to Mount Sion (that is, Hermon), 49 and all the plain on the east side of the Jordan as far as the Sea of the Arabah, below the slopes of Pisgah.

Cities of refuge for suspected murderers and the Law of God given through Moses close this chapter.  The three refuge cities were not for lawbreakers to hide or be protected, but for those professing innocence of murder to await trial and be freed or held accountable as the verdict decided.  This was for manslaughter cases, nothing more as today’s society misapplies the terminology for places to protect other sorts of illegal activities.  The second part of these closing verses reiterate and reinforce the word of God in the Law given to Moses for the people to live accordingly.  The Law was described as consisting of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments given to the people of God to guide and protect them from the fallen nature of sin rampant in us all.  Laws being order and accountability.  They provided guidance and authority over the people as they possessed the promised land, piece by piece as given by the LORD to them.  The blessing of the inheritance was regulated by obedience to God’s word as the Law provided by the accountability to Him in doing right and facing punishment for doing against His will in that word to them to do and therefore live by.  We now who are in the present day in the grace of Christ are not so harshly corralled into fear of death for disobedience to ceremonial laws, but are governed from the moral laws inscribed by the finger of God on our hearts that we might now live by an internal desire to please the Lord and not under compulsion and fear of imminent destruction.  This certainly does not negate consequences for sin, but allows forgiveness and restoration (1 John 1:9) when we fail as the manslayers of old mentioned here.  He keeps us safe as we work out our salvation with fear (Philippians 2:12) and awe-driven trembling at the thought of continuing in sin and losing (1 Corinthians 3:14-15, 2 John 1:8, Revelation 22:12) eternal rewards or repenting to keep them while (Colossians 3:24) keeping the inheritance forever.   We who are truly in Christ will certainly gain an inheritance in the kingdom to come but should be so eternally grateful that we strive to please Him with willing obedience to the scriptures in the power of His Spirit (Philippians 2:12, Romans 8:12-13) as we find refuge in the Lord and in the Celestial City to come as our inheritance in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior according to the fulfilled Law of the word of God that we follow. 

Deuteronomy 4:15-40 - Listen to Lifeless Idols or His Voice?

Deuteronomy 4:15-40

Beware of Idolatry

15 “Take careful heed to yourselves, for you saw no form when the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, 16 lest you act corruptly and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of any figure: the likeness of male or female, 17 the likeness of any animal that is on the earth or the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, 18 the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground or the likeness of any fish that is in the water beneath the earth. 19 And take heed, lest you lift your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve them, which the LORD your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage. 20 But the LORD has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be His people, an inheritance, as you are this day. 21 Furthermore the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, and swore that I would not cross over the Jordan, and that I would not enter the good land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance. 22 But I must die in this land, I must not cross over the Jordan; but you shall cross over and possess that good land. 23 Take heed to yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the LORD your God which He made with you, and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of anything which the LORD your God has forbidden you. 24 For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

25 “When you beget children and grandchildren and have grown old in the land, and act corruptly and make a carved image in the form of anything, and do evil in the sight of the LORD your God to provoke Him to anger, 26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that you will soon utterly perish from the land which you cross over the Jordan to possess; you will not prolong your days in it, but will be utterly destroyed. 27 And the LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the LORD will drive you. 28 And there you will serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell. 29 But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30 When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the LORD your God and obey His voice 31 (for the LORD your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.

32 “For ask now concerning the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that God created man on the earth, and ask from one end of heaven to the other, whether any great thing like this has happened, or anything like it has been heard. 33 Did any people ever hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and live? 34 Or did God ever try to go and take for Himself a nation from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? 35 To you it was shown, that you might know that the LORD Himself is God; there is none other besides Him. 36 Out of heaven He let you hear His voice, that He might instruct you; on earth He showed you His great fire, and you heard His words out of the midst of the fire. 37 And because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them; and He brought you out of Egypt with His Presence, with His mighty power, 38 driving out from before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in, to give you their land as an inheritance, as it is this day. 39 Therefore know this day, and consider it in your heart, that the LORD Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. 40 You shall therefore keep His statutes and His commandments which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which the LORD your God is giving you for all time.”

Like God’s people in Moses’ time, we have a choice to listen to lifeless idols of our own making or to God’s voice inscribed and passed down the centuries to us in the scriptures.  We cod not often see anyone carving statues of people or animals to worship as the cultures then routinely did, though there are some instances still in remote parts of the earth where this continues.  Most of the modern idols are simply the work of man’s hands in images of words that elevate philosophical ramblings of man’s importance or imaginations crafted into images of artistic expression of the godless mind that excludes the living God from their view and thoughts (Psalm 14:1, 10:4) as they elevate their excluding understanding above the revelation of the Divine Creator (Romans 1:21-23) and make His creation of His hand as lord over Him by their hand.  These can see God’s hand in everything (Romans 1:20) yet still ignore the glaring proof in all the world and universe around themselves as they deny Him and worship them and their vain imaginations as if the universe was made by them and not God.  In seeking to denounce the Creator and His word, they worship the idols of faux rationalism and intellectualism that have no power to create life in them since they are lifeless constructs of debased minds set on denial.  This is the atheistic worldview that worships anything other than the Lord and Maker of them and all around themselves, a sad worship of lifeless idols substituted for the infinite glory of the Lord of the universe and hope of the world.  In all this time, nothing seems to have changed.  Some will hear and read the scriptures and harken to the truth of the word God speaks to us, yet many fear accountability to His judgment and refuse to bow to their Lord whose hand fashioned us all as they substitute the works of their own derivative hands made in His image to worship their own images instead of Him in whose image they have been created.  The LORD reminded the people through Moses and we as well in this discourse to avoid lifelessly mute idols and listen to His voice that speaks instead.  He pulled them out of the idolatry and immorality of the nations who served nothing that they might serve and worship Him alone, warning them of the consequences and reminding them of His covenant with them as His own special people , just as we are (1 Peter 2:9-10) in His Son, Jesus Christ, the exact image of God (Hebrews 1:2-3) Himself who revealed all these things to us.  We have heard His voice than Moses did in the burning bush, more clearly and for a longer time, for as the Son of God, the Word of God (John 1:1-3) who created the universe (John 1:10) and us in it, He came to personally tell us these things (John 1:14) in the flesh (1 John 1:1-2) that there could be no further doubt of who to worship.  He delivered Israel from the bondage in Egypt and through the wilderness with the trials and tribulations of enemies and victories, just as He now delivers us from the bondage of our wills to sin and into the promised land of the kingdom of God that is within us now (Luke 17:21) and will find itself established on the scourged and cleansed earth to come in the end of all time.  There we will all worship before His face with no more lifeless idols of our own imagination as we listen to His voice in His presence (Job 19:25-27, Revelation 21:3, 22:3-4) at last.  May we therefore look forward to seeing Him and abstain from bowing to any idols of our own imagination or work of our hands as we listen and heed His voice spoken in the scriptures. 

Deuteronomy 4:1-14 - Eager to Hear and Obey God’s Word!

Deuteronomy 4:1-14

Moses Commands Obedience

1 “Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers is giving you. 2 You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. 3 Your eyes have seen what the LORD did at Baal Peor; for the LORD your God has destroyed from among you all the men who followed Baal of Peor. 4 But you who held fast to the LORD your God are alive today, every one of you.

5 “Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess. 6 Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’

7 “For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the LORD our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him? 8 And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day? 9 Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren, 10 especially concerning the day you stood before the LORD your God in Horeb, when the LORD said to me, ‘Gather the people to Me, and I will let them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.’

11 “Then you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire to the midst of heaven, with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness. 12 And the LORD spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of the words, but saw no form; you only heard a voice. 13 So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone. 14 And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you might observe them in the land which you cross over to possess.

Do we listen to the commands and obey the instructions of God that we read in the scriptures?  That was what Moses took the time to tell the vital importance of to God’s people then, and it holds just as much now.  The only difference is that we know we cannot keep the law perfectly to earn salvation from the just due on our sin, for we now have the Son of God who kept the law perfectly for us so we live by faith in His work and not, “if a man does these things he shall live (Ezekiel 20:11).”  Now we hear Leviticus 20:8 more clearly that tells us to keep God’s word but know it is He who sanctifies us, makes us holy, in the righteousness of Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22, 26, 4:11, 1 Corinthians 1:30, Philippians 3:9) and not in ourselves or earned by doing good alone.  Certainly we are to do good (Ephesians 2:10) as a response to such grace of righteousness and deliverance from the law’s bondage to endless efforts to do enough good to deliver ourselves from judgment.  But that doing good is not the determining factor of our eternal standing in Christ, for we stand in His righteousness and not our own now as we then obey the commands of scripture to please God and not earn or maintain our standing with Him in the final judgment.  Just as Moses taught the people the statutes and judgements of God that they might enter into the promised land set before them with wisdom and understanding, so we are given the word of God with the knowledge that we are already given access into the promised heavenly land to come and that our failings only determine loss of rewards (1 Corinthians 3:12-13, 14-15) to give glory to the Lord and not as a determination of our entrance there.  Our willingness to obey His word reflects His glory and grace to the world (Isaiah 43:7) and pleases Him as we have been created (Ephesians 2:10) to do as we lay up treasures in heaven for His name’s sake.  Like Israel of old, we are to constantly be reminded of His word through regularly hearing it taught and preached and by attention to reading, studying, and meditating on all things we have been told so we never forget the glorious grace that opened the eyes of our hearts to know Him and our place in Christ for eternity and to pass it on to our children (2 Timothy 2:2) of flesh and spirit alike.  The people then trembled in fear of the judgement of the LORD before the burning mountain as they received God’s word, but we know our certain hope of an unshakable kingdom (Hebrews 12:18, 22-23, 24, 28) that gives us eternal assurance of immutable salvation and a place in the heavenly promised kingdom to come, and so we willingly and joyfully listen and are eager to obey form His name’s sake out of abundant thanksgiving.  We are now free and eager to hear and obey God’s word because we are safe and secure from all alarms in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior! 

Deuteronomy 3:1-29 - Conquests, Commands, and Consequences

Deuteronomy 3:1-29

King Og Defeated (Numbers 21:33–35)

1 “Then we turned and went up the road to Bashan; and Og king of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. 2 And the LORD said to me, ‘Do not fear him, for I have delivered him and all his people and his land into your hand; you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon.’

3 “So the LORD our God also delivered into our hands Og king of Bashan, with all his people, and we attacked him until he had no survivors remaining. 4 And we took all his cities at that time; there was not a city which we did not take from them: sixty cities, all the region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan. 5 All these cities were fortified with high walls, gates, and bars, besides a great many rural towns. 6 And we utterly destroyed them, as we did to Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the men, women, and children of every city. 7 But all the livestock and the spoil of the cities we took as booty for ourselves.

8 “And at that time we took the land from the hand of the two kings of the Amorites who were on this side of the Jordan, from the River Arnon to Mount Hermon 9 (the Sidonians call Hermon Sirion, and the Amorites call it Senir), 10 all the cities of the plain, all Gilead, and all Bashan, as far as Salcah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan.

11 “For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of the giants. Indeed his bedstead was an iron bedstead. (Is it not in Rabbah of the people of Ammon?) Nine cubits is its length and four cubits its width, according to the standard cubit.

The Land East of the Jordan Divided (Numbers 32:25–41)

12 “And this land, which we possessed at that time, from Aroer, which is by the River Arnon, and half the mountains of Gilead and its cities, I gave to the Reubenites and the Gadites. 13 The rest of Gilead, and all Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to half the tribe of Manasseh. (All the region of Argob, with all Bashan, was called the land of the giants. 14 Jair the son of Manasseh took all the region of Argob, as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maachathites, and called Bashan after his own name, Havoth Jair, to this day.)

15 “Also I gave Gilead to Machir. 16 And to the Reubenites and the Gadites I gave from Gilead as far as the River Arnon, the middle of the river as the border, as far as the River Jabbok, the border of the people of Ammon; 17 the plain also, with the Jordan as the border, from Chinnereth as far as the east side of the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea), below the slopes of Pisgah.

18 “Then I commanded you at that time, saying: ‘The LORD your God has given you this land to possess. All you men of valor shall cross over armed before your brethren, the children of Israel. 19 But your wives, your little ones, and your livestock (I know that you have much livestock) shall stay in your cities which I have given you, 20 until the LORD has given rest to your brethren as to you, and they also possess the land which the LORD your God is giving them beyond the Jordan. Then each of you may return to his possession which I have given you.’

21 “And I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, ‘Your eyes have seen all that the LORD your God has done to these two kings; so will the LORD do to all the kingdoms through which you pass. 22 You must not fear them, for the LORD your God Himself fights for you.’

Moses Forbidden to Enter the Land

23 “Then I pleaded with the LORD at that time, saying: 24 ‘O Lord GOD, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your mighty hand, for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do anything like Your works and Your mighty deeds? 25 I pray, let me cross over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, those pleasant mountains, and Lebanon.’

26 “But the LORD was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me. So the LORD said to me: ‘Enough of that! Speak no more to Me of this matter. 27 Go up to the top of Pisgah, and lift your eyes toward the west, the north, the south, and the east; behold it with your eyes, for you shall not cross over this Jordan. 28 But command Joshua, and encourage him and strengthen him; for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which you will see.’

29 “So we stayed in the valley opposite Beth Peor.

The LORD delivered His people and drew them into the inheritance as promised, delivering conquest over the ungodly idolatrous nations and commands for division of the inheritance among them.  He also delivered consequences to Moses for failing to consecrate His name by his disbelief and angry disobedience (Numbers 20:11-12, Deuteronomy 4:21), keeping him from being allowed to do more than merely see the promised land from far off (Hebrews 11:13-14, Deuteronomy 3:27) but not enter it himself.  He had to appoint faithful Joshua to lead the people into the land as a painful consequence.  The LORD then reminded Joshua through Moses that the battle belongs to the LORD because Jesus fights for his people then as now; why then do we fear when the armor of God’s word and faith in His ability and will to protect and lead us into the promised heavenly land is assured?  We need to be reminded and encouraged by these truths spoken to the prophets and apostles before us who related God’s word of hope and promise in the battles and who equips us to (Ephesians 6:13-18) fight the good fight (Philippians 3:12, 1 Timothy 1:18, 6:12, 2 Timothy 4:7-8) until we possess that inheritance.  May we remember that the Lord fights the battles (1 Samuel 17:47, Proverbs 21:31, Revelation 19:11) and leads us to triumph in Christ (2 Corinthians 2:14) by His command (Matthew 28:19-20) and authority (Matthew 28:18) and there are consequences for our disobedience in drawing back (1 Corinthians 9:16, Hebrews 10:39) from the fray of the gospel instead of fighting the good fight in His strength with the word equipping and protecting us to that end.  He will faithfully lead us home through trials, tribulations, failures, and successes with His blessings of grace.  Amen.

Deuteronomy 2:1-37 - The Long and Winding Road

Deuteronomy 2:1-37

The Desert Years

1 “Then we turned and journeyed into the wilderness of the Way of the Red Sea, as the LORD spoke to me, and we skirted Mount Seir for many days.

2 “And the LORD spoke to me, saying: 3 ‘You have skirted this mountain long enough; turn northward. 4 And command the people, saying, “You are about to pass through the territory of your brethren, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. Therefore watch yourselves carefully. 5 Do not meddle with them, for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as one footstep, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession. 6 You shall buy food from them with money, that you may eat; and you shall also buy water from them with money, that you may drink.

7 “For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand. He knows your trudging through this great wilderness. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.“‘

8 “And when we passed beyond our brethren, the descendants of Esau who dwell in Seir, away from the road of the plain, away from Elath and Ezion Geber, we turned and passed by way of the Wilderness of Moab. 9 Then the LORD said to me, ‘Do not harass Moab, nor contend with them in battle, for I will not give you any of their land as a possession, because I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession.’”

10 (The Emim had dwelt there in times past, a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anakim. 11 They were also regarded as giants, like the Anakim, but the Moabites call them Emim. 12 The Horites formerly dwelt in Seir, but the descendants of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their place, just as Israel did to the land of their possession which the LORD gave them.)

13 “‘Now rise and cross over the Valley of the Zered.’ So we crossed over the Valley of the Zered. 14 And the time we took to come from Kadesh Barnea until we crossed over the Valley of the Zered was thirty-eight years, until all the generation of the men of war was consumed from the midst of the camp, just as the LORD had sworn to them. 15 For indeed the hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from the midst of the camp until they were consumed.

16 “So it was, when all the men of war had finally perished from among the people, 17 that the LORD spoke to me, saying: 18 ‘This day you are to cross over at Ar, the boundary of Moab. 19 And when you come near the people of Ammon, do not harass them or meddle with them, for I will not give you any of the land of the people of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the descendants of Lot as a possession.’”

20 (That was also regarded as a land of giants; giants formerly dwelt there. But the Ammonites call them Zamzummim, 21 a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anakim. But the LORD destroyed them before them, and they dispossessed them and dwelt in their place, 22 just as He had done for the descendants of Esau, who dwelt in Seir, when He destroyed the Horites from before them. They dispossessed them and dwelt in their place, even to this day. 23 And the Avim, who dwelt in villages as far as Gaza—the Caphtorim, who came from Caphtor, destroyed them and dwelt in their place.)

24 “‘Rise, take your journey, and cross over the River Arnon. Look, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to possess it, and engage him in battle. 25 This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the nations under the whole heaven, who shall hear the report of you, and shall tremble and be in anguish because of you.’

King Sihon Defeated (Numbers 21:21–32)

26 “And I sent messengers from the Wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon, with words of peace, saying, 27 Let me pass through your land; I will keep strictly to the road, and I will turn neither to the right nor to the left. 28 You shall sell me food for money, that I may eat, and give me water for money, that I may drink; only let me pass through on foot, 29 just as the descendants of Esau who dwell in Seir and the Moabites who dwell in Ar did for me, until I cross the Jordan to the land which the LORD our God is giving us.’

30 “But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass through, for the LORD your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that He might deliver him into your hand, as it is this day.

31 “And the LORD said to me, ‘See, I have begun to give Sihon and his land over to you. Begin to possess it, that you may inherit his land.’ 32 Then Sihon and all his people came out against us to fight at Jahaz. 33 And the LORD our God delivered him over to us; so we defeated him, his sons, and all his people. 34 We took all his cities at that time, and we utterly destroyed the men, women, and little ones of every city; we left none remaining. 35 We took only the livestock as plunder for ourselves, with the spoil of the cities which we took. 36 From Aroer, which is on the bank of the River Arnon, and from the city that is in the ravine, as far as Gilead, there was not one city too strong for us; the LORD our God delivered all to us. 37 Only you did not go near the land of the people of Ammon—anywhere along the River Jabbok, or to the cities of the mountains, or wherever the LORD our God had forbidden us.

The journey of God’s people reveals many things.  They journeyed from Mount Sinai along the Red Sea into the deserted wilderness after forty years going in circles, taking the tablets of stone that God had personally written the Law upon with them.  As they headed north through the land of Esau, Isaac’s brother who had sold his birthright, they were warned not to fight them but to be cautious and leave their land to them.  That was not part of their promised land because it had already been given in promise long ago (Genesis 36:8-9, Joshua 24:4) to Esau’s descendants.  From there, they went on with the reminder of how God had blessed them and met all their needs those forty years.  This lesson is for us all, that God is always faithful through the years of feast and famine, of needs and bounty.  We carry His word now not on tablets of stone but written with the very finger of His Spirit upon our hearts (2 Corinthians 3:3) to guide (Romans 8:14, Galatians 4:18) and comfort through life’s long sojourning towards the promised heavenly kingdom to come down to us.  They were given victory over adversity and adversaries along their arduous path through giants and enemies.  Their enemies had the fear of God put in them by His hand and marched on towards their goal, steadily and purposefully.  When they asked nicely to pass through the land and were refused, victory came and their path was assured through it all as the LORD delivered them and they gained along the way.  These accounts give us hope in our own journeys through life’s trials and obstacles as we feel the triumph in the air in Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57, 2 Corinthians 2:14) who goes before us (John 10:4) to lead us home.  We have all we need and should be content (1 Timothy 6:6) as we carry His law in our hearts to follow His word written for our instruction (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 1 Peter 1:3-4) along life’s narrow (Matthew 7:13-14) way from the moment of our salvation until our dying day.  This is our long and winding road we walk with our Savior with greater hope than even Israel in the wilderness because we see the hope of a better heavenly country (Hebrews 11:13, 16) promised us and them which we now can more clearly see and grasp in all its wonderful implications. 

Deuteronomy 1:19-46 - Consequences of Rebellious Disobedience

Deuteronomy 1:19-46

Israel’s Refusal to Enter the Land (Numbers 13:1–33)

19 “So we departed from Horeb, and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which you saw on the way to the mountains of the Amorites, as the LORD our God had commanded us. Then we came to Kadesh Barnea. 20 And I said to you, ‘You have come to the mountains of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving us. 21 Look, the LORD your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the LORD God of your fathers has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged.’

22 “And every one of you came near to me and said, ‘Let us send men before us, and let them search out the land for us, and bring back word to us of the way by which we should go up, and of the cities into which we shall come.’

23 “The plan pleased me well; so I took twelve of your men, one man from each tribe. 24 And they departed and went up into the mountains, and came to the Valley of Eshcol, and spied it out. 25 They also took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us; and they brought back word to us, saying, ‘It is a good land which the LORD our God is giving us.’

26 “Nevertheless you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD your God; 27 and you complained in your tents, and said, ‘Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. 28 Where can we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our hearts, saying, “The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.“‘

29 “Then I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified, or afraid of them. 30 The LORD your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, 31 and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.’ 32 Yet, for all that, you did not believe the LORD your God, 33 who went in the way before you to search out a place for you to pitch your tents, to show you the way you should go, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day.

The Penalty for Israel’s Rebellion (Numbers 14:20–45)

34 “And the LORD heard the sound of your words, and was angry, and took an oath, saying, 35 Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land of which I swore to give to your fathers, 36 except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him and his children I am giving the land on which he walked, because he wholly followed the LORD.’ 37 The LORD was also angry with me for your sakes, saying, ‘Even you shall not go in there. 38 Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall go in there. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.

39 Moreover your little ones and your children, who you say will be victims, who today have no knowledge of good and evil, they shall go in there; to them I will give it, and they shall possess it. 40 But as for you, turn and take your journey into the wilderness by the Way of the Red Sea.’

41 “Then you answered and said to me, We have sinned against the LORD; we will go up and fight, just as the LORD our God commanded us.’ And when everyone of you had girded on his weapons of war, you were ready to go up into the mountain.

42 “And the LORD said to me, ‘Tell them, “Do not go up nor fight, for I am not among you; lest you be defeated before your enemies.“‘ 43 So I spoke to you; yet you would not listen, but rebelled against the command of the LORD, and presumptuously went up into the mountain. 44 And the Amorites who dwelt in that mountain came out against you and chased you as bees do, and drove you back from Seir to Hormah. 45 Then you returned and wept before the LORD, but the LORD would not listen to your voice nor give ear to you.

46 “So you remained in Kadesh many days, according to the days that you spent there.

After the people had been delivered from the bondage of idolatrous Egypt and experienced the miraculous walk through the Red Sea as their baptism of grace and saw the awesome power of God on Horeb, that is Sinai, and had flashing thunder bring fear and the handwritten commandments of God to them, they feared to fight in order to enter the promised land.  Their cowardice turned to outright rebellion against the word of the LORD that they had so wonderfully received and they refused to enter the good land which the LORD our God was giving them.  They lied about the strength of the adversaries there after spying out the land as they exaggerated the opposition and blamed God as if He hated them by bringing them out of comfortable enslavement in Egypt to face the reality of conflict and so denounced the land of plenty offered them.  They gained the anger of the LORD for this rebellious disobedience of sin even after Moses reminded them of the power of God to defeat their enemies as He did in Egypt and along the way until that very day.  Only Caleb and Joshua remained faithful and true to their God as they advocated for pushing forward into the fray for the inheritance, knowing the battle was the LORD’s and therefore failure was never an option.  Joshua was appointed to cause Israel to enter that land with Caleb, but the rest of Israel was doomed to die in a decades-long wandering in the desert wilderness for their lack of faith and rebellious response of slander, doubt, and fear.  Only the children who had no understanding of good and evil displayed by their parents would be allowed to follow those faithful two into the promised land of milk and honey as promised.  They came to grasp this truth of Hebrews 5:14 which had not been yet written that their parents did not, that they had to learn the knowledge of good and evil by listening to God’s instruction and following it by faith to gain that heart of wisdom lost in Eden (Genesis 3:2-3, 4) long before.  The people knew they had sinned, but added to their error with further disbelief and disobedience to fight battles they were not given to fight and suffered great loss as a consequence.  These lessons teach us to hear and believe God’s word, even when we don’t understand fully and cannot see the victory is only in Christ and is due to His grace and not our own strength (2 Corinthians 12:10) or knowledge of good and evil unless revealed and taught to us by Him.  Why fear the enemy in the battle for the souls of men and women (Revelation 12:17) when the power to overcome the lies and doubts of disobedience and disbelief lies in His power and the faith God gives to the listeners?  Together we will enter the promised heavenly land by this faith and work of God’s Son as we learn by the teaching of His Spirit (John 6:45, 14:26, 1 John 2:27) within and among us as His people of the promise.  We are of those entering by faith and not those who rebelliously disbelieve (Hebrews 3:12, 16-17, 18-19,4:2, 8-10) and cannot follow us to our inheritance.