“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words.” (Deut 29:29) No man can fully understand God’s ways but He has provided us with what we need to know regarding salvation and following Christ in His Word. “The Law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.” (Psalm 19:7) This is why it is so important to be in the Word so that it is downloaded into you to be uploaded when needed. The Lord tells the Israelites, “But the word is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it…I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing, therefore choose life…” The Lord has Moses write down a song “that this song may be a witness for Me against the children of Israel…for I know the inclination of their behavior today, even before I have brought them to the land of which I swore to give them.”

God knows the hearts of the people and He is still on a pursuit to save them through the Savior. “…but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) He knows that none of us are fully capable of obeying the law and that we are all in need of a Savior so He is working His plan to send His Son. Under the new covenant with Christ the Lord will send the Holy Spirit upon his people which will give His people a heart that desires obedience to the Lord and He will wash away all of their sins through the blood of Jesus. “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds…I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” (Hebrews 10:16–17 from Jeremiah 31:31-34)

Moses will die soon in the Story but the perfect Prophet is coming so keep reading!

(Deuteronomy 29:2-31:29)

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God is constantly telling His people to REMEMBER what He has done for them. Today He says when they come into the land flowing with milk and honey, He wants them to remember how He rescued them out of Egypt. So He tells them to gather the first of the produce and bring it to the priest and do what? Tell the Story! “‘My father was a Syrian (Jacob), about to perish, and he went down to Egypt and dwelt there…Egyptians mistreated us…we cried out…the Lord heard our voice…so the Lord brought us out…and he gave us this land…’”

This is God’s Story all about Jesus and He wants His people to remember it and retell it. “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Cor 15:20) Like the Israelites, we are to remember how we were rescued. We were dead in our trespasses but made alive in Christ. (Ephesians 2:1-6)

What does remembering do? It leads to worship and thanksgiving. Moses tells the Israelites when they cross the Jordan they are to write a copy of the book of the law and place it on Mount Ebal so that His words are constantly before the people. Then he gives further instructions for the ceremony of blessings on Mount Gerizim and curses on Mount Ebal as we first read about in Deut 11:26-32. This ceremony takes place in Shechem where the Lord first promised the land to Abram’s descendants (Gen 12:6-7). After the conquest Joshua will renew the covenant with the Israelites at Shechem (Joshua 24) before he dies.

We are almost to the Conquest Era so keep reading!

(Deuteronomy 26:1-29:1)

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God’s heart for the outcast, broken-hearted, and unloved shines in today’s reading. He shows care for slave women, unloved wives with firstborn son, wives falsely accused by their husbands, brother with lost items, women who were raped, runaway slaves, poor servants, strangers, fatherless, widows, and so forth. They might not be seen by society, but God sees them, loves them, protects them, and will take vengeance on anyone mistreating them.

When Jesus comes on the scene, we will see that He has the same heart as His Father, a heart for the outcast. “And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:16-17) “I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.” (Luke 5:32)

Today’s reading ends with Moses telling the Israelites to remember when the Amalekites attacked them when they came out of Egypt. He says once settled in the land they are to “blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. You shall not forget.” Later we will see the downfall of a king due to his disobedience with the Lord’s orders against the Amalekites.

Tomorrow Moses gives the Israelites instructions for a corporate ceremony they will perform when they cross the Jordan in to the promised land. Keep reading.

(Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19)

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“Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose’.” (Isaiah 46:9-10) Nothing surprises God. He knows that one day the Israelites are going to reject the Lord as their ruler and ask for a king like the people around them. So God lays out some rules for a king:
1) Can’t be a foreigner
2) Can’t multiply horses for himself or cause people to return to Egypt for horses
3) Can’t have multiple wives
4) Can’t multiply silver and gold for himself
5) Must write a copy of the Book of the Law for himself and read it all the days of his life.
When we get to the Kingdom Era we will see that none of the kings nail all 5 of these rules. The perfect King is coming…”King of kings and Lord of lords”. (Rev 19:16) The Lord spoke to Moses of this coming King in today’s reading “I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him”.

But first in this Story, the Israelites have to get out of the wilderness and into the promised land which is going to require a lot of battles. Moses tells the people “Today you are on the verge of battle with your enemies. Do not let your heart faint, do not be afraid, and do not tremble or be terrified because of them; for the Lord your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you”.

We have several more days of instructions from Moses and then the battles begin! Keep reading.

(Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9)

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We all have heard the saying “be careful the company you keep”. It‘s explained in Proverbs 13:20 “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm”. We see today how serious the Lord is concerning the company we keep. “If your brother, the son of your mother, your son or daughter, the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is as your own soul, secretly entices you, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers, of the gods of the people which are all around you, …you shall surely kill him.”

God is a jealous God (Deut 6:15) and does not want His people to be lured into idolatry, which is the worship or love of anything or anyone above the Lord, bc He knows it will lead to their destruction. God’s instructions for His people are ALWAYS for our good and His glory.

Moses goes on to give instructions regarding diet, tithing, the Sabbatical Year and feasts which we read about earlier in Exodus and Leviticus. Tomorrow Moses gives guidelines for a king. Wait. What?! 🤔 They don’t have kings. We gotta keep reading to see why one day the children of Israel will need these rules. God always provides what we need before we even know we have a need! He is good like that! Keep reading.

(Deuteronomy 13:1-16:17)

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“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” This has always been God’s desire but sin entered the world with the fall back in the garden. Now the Lord is telling His people, “Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer.” Physical circumcision was a sign of the covenant the Lord made with His people, as He first told Abram in Gen 17. God is interested in people’s hearts and circumcision of the heart means a heart totally devoted to the Lord.

Later in the Story Jeremiah will tell the people to “Circumcise yourselves to the Lord; remove the foreskin of your hearts, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem”. (Jeremiah 4:4) Then in the New Testament Paul will go on to say in Romans 2:28-29 “For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter”. Paul is saying that the Holy Spirit (which the Lord will give to his people after His Son dies, rises from the dead, and ascends to heaven with His Father) changes people, not the law. Only God can change hearts. “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God…anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” (Romans 8:8-10)

The whole Story is pointing to the arrival of Jesus but in today’s reading the Lord is telling His people that there is only ONE place to worship Him and they “shall seek the place where the Lord your God chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His name for His dwelling place; and there you shall go”. We will see the Lord pick Shiloh as the place to worship Him when the Israelites settle into the promised land and before the temple is built in Jerusalem. Then one day He will send the Holy Spirit upon His people to give them a new heart. ❤️ So keep reading!

(Deuteronomy 10:1-12:32)

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Today we see the Lord teach 3 truths regarding elevating His Word, giving God the glory, and remembering Him.

1) “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.” The Lord tells Israel to diligently teach their children and to talk of His Word constantly; when you sit, when you walk, when you lie down and when you rise up. The Lord has been training up this new generation to solely rely upon His Word. “…God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart…So He humbled you…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”. The Lord expects His people to know His Word, trust that it is true, and pass His Story down!

2) God points out that the Israelites did nothing to earn the promised land and that they should not equate future victories with their own righteousness. He is driving out the inhabitants due to their extreme wickedness and giving the Israelites their land because of His promise He made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Same with our salvation. We can not earn it; salvation is a gift from the Lord through Jesus Christ our Savior. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,”. (Ephesians 2:8)

3) The Lord warns Israel to be careful that when they enter the new land and get all fat and happy that they don’t forget Him. God knows how we tend to neglect Him when things are going great. This is why He tells Israel, “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day”. See, it is all about Him, not us.

The last thing we read was Moses recalling the epic fail with the golden calf in the wilderness. Have the children of Israel learned from their past mistakes? Will pride come with battle success and the new land? Will they forget the Lord? Keep reading to find out.

(Deuteronomy 6:1-9:29)

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In today’s reading Moses addresses 5 main points with the children of Israel.

1) Moses recounts the Lord not allowing him to enter the promised land and then he blames the people by saying, “the Lord was angry with me on your account”. But Moses goes on to encourage the people to take the land and keep God’s commandments.

2) Moses says, “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”. Something similar is said at the end of this Story regarding the book of Revelation but the principle is consistent throughout scripture. “For I testify to everyone who hears the words of prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” (Rev 22:18-19) God is not really interested in us teaching our thoughts and opinions. He wants us to teach what He said bc His ways and thoughts are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9).

3) Moses instructs the people to pass down generation after generation by teaching their children and their grandchildren the Lord’s ways and all that He has done for Israel.

4) Moses again warns the people NOT to worship false gods. He must know that they are not going to listen bc next he says, but when you do worship false gods, the Lord will scatter you among the people. Moses however gives them hope by telling them, “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”. This is exactly what will happen and we will read about it down the road.

5) Moses restates the commandments the Lord gave to the generation before them. He concludes by saying to do as God commanded; “…you shall not turn aside to the right or the left…that it may be well with you…”
Keep reading bc tomorrow Moses lets Israel know that they did nothing to earn the land they are about to receive.

(Deuteronomy 3:21-5:33)

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After 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, Moses speaks to the new generation of Israelites. He reminds them of the time they asked for spies to spy out the promised land and how the people listened to the bad report from the 10 spies and didn’t take the land. Moses tells them the consequence was that only Joshua and Caleb, the faithful spies, would enter the land from that generation but “…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 posses it.”

Moses also reminds them how He has been faithful to them. “These forty years the Lord your God has been with you: you have lacked nothing.” Moses recounts how God told the Israelites not to harass Esau’s descendants (Jacob’s brother) or Lot’s descendants (Abraham’s nephew). God destroyed the enemies of Esau, Moab and Ammon (Moab and Ammon are from Lot and his daughters) and gave them land. Next Moses reminds Israel of the victories He gave them over the king of Sihon and the king of Og. Basically, what Moses is saying is, if the Lord has defeated the enemies of Esau, Moab and Ammon and given them their land how much more will He do for you. Matter of fact, God has already defeated 2 major enemies and gave their land to Reuben, Gad and 1/2 the tribe of Manasseh so you can trust Him with the remaining conquest.

We will see further into the Story that there will be tension between the Israelites and their three neighbors; Edom, Moab and Ammon. God will use these nations to discipline Israel but later He will pronounce judgment against them for so eagerly attacking the children of Israel. This highlights the Lord’s sovereignty over His people and their enemies. God is in control of it all! Tomorrow Moses restates the law to the new generation so keep reading!

(Deuteronomy 1:1-3:20)

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Today the Lord tells Moses about the land which the remaining 9 1/2 tribes will inherit once they come into Canaan. The Levites are given 48 cities scattered throughout the inheritance of the tribes of Israel, of which, 6 are cities of refuge. If a person accidentally kills someone they can flee to the city of refuge for protection until the trial so that a family member cannot avenge the death of the victim. If the person is deemed innocent at the trial he is to remain in the city of refuge until the high priest dies. After the death of the high priest he can return back home. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble”. (Psalm 46:1)

So a few days ago we learned that the Lord granted Zelophehad’s daughters’ request for their father’s land inheritance. Today the Lord commands that these daughters must marry within their tribe of Manasseh. “So the inheritance of the children of Israel shall not change hands from tribe to tribe, for every one of the children of Israel shall keep the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers.” The daughters did as the Lord commanded. God is keeping with His promise that He made to Abraham back in Gen 17:8. “And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”

Tomorrow we start the book of Deuteronomy which contains the final instructions from Moses before he dies and before the Israelites enter Canaan. Keep reading.

(Numbers 34:1-36:13)

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