March
14th Deuteronomy
29
The Covenant renewed
1:
These are the words of the covenant, which the LORD commanded Moses
to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the
covenant which he made with them in Horeb. 2:
And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen
all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto
Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land; 3:
The great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and
those great miracles: 4:
Yet the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to
see, and ears to hear, unto this day. 5:
And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are
not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot.
6:
Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink:
that ye might know that I am the LORD your God. 7:
And when ye came unto this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon, and Og
the king of Bashan, came out against us unto battle, and we smote
them: 8:
And we took their land, and gave it for an inheritance unto the
Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half tribe of Manasseh. 9:
Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may
prosper in all that ye do. 10:
Ye stand this day all of you before the LORD your God; your captains
of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, with all the men of
Israel, 11:
Your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp,
from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water: 12:
That thou shouldest enter into covenant with the LORD thy God, and
into his oath, which the LORD thy God maketh with thee this day: 13:
That he may establish thee to day for a people unto himself, and that
he may be unto thee a God, as he hath said unto thee, and as he hath
sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. 14:
Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath; 15:
But with him that standeth here with us this day before the LORD our
God, and also with him that is not here with us this day: 16:
(For ye know how we have dwelt in the land of Egypt; and how we came
through the nations which ye passed by; 17:
And ye have seen their abominations, and their idols, wood and stone,
silver and gold, which were among them:) 18:
Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe,
whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go and
serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a
root that beareth gall and wormwood; 19:
And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he
bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk
in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst: 20:
The LORD will not spare him, but then the anger of the LORD and his
jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are
written in this book shall lie upon him, and the LORD shall blot out
his name from under heaven. 21:
And the LORD shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of
Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written
in this book of the law: 22:
So that the generation to come of your children that shall rise up
after you, and the stranger that shall come from a far land, shall
say, when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses which
the LORD hath laid upon it; 23:
And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning,
that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like
the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the
LORD overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath: 24:
Even all nations shall say, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto
this land? what meaneth the heat of this great anger? 25:
Then men shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the
LORD God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought
them forth out of the land of Egypt: 26:
For they went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods whom
they knew not, and whom he had not given unto them: 27:
And the anger of the LORD was kindled against this land, to bring
upon it all the curses that are written in this book: 28:
And the LORD rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath,
and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is
this day. 29:
The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things
which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that
we may do all the words of this law.
Deuteronomy
30 God’s promises remain constant
1:
And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee,
the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou
shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy
God hath driven thee, 2:
And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice
according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children,
with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; 3:
That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have
compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the
nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee. 4:
If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from
thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he
fetch thee: 5:
And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers
possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and
multiply thee above thy fathers. 6:
And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of
thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all
thy soul, that thou mayest live. 7:
And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies,
and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee. 8:
And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the LORD, and do all his
commandments which I command thee this day. 9:
And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine
hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and
in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the LORD will again rejoice
over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers: 10:
If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his
commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the
law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and
with all thy soul. 11:
For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden
from thee, neither is it far off. 12:
It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us
to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? 13:
Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go
over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and
do it? 14:
But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart,
that thou mayest do it.
The
choice of life and death
15:
See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and
evil; 16:
In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in
his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his
judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God
shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. 17:
But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt
be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; 18:
I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that
ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest
over Jordan to go to possess it. 19:
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have
set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose
life, that both thou and thy seed may live: 20:
That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his
voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and
the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the
LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to
give them.
Deuteronomy
31 Joshua is your new leader
1:
And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel. 2:
And he said unto them, I am an hundred and twenty years old this day;
I can no more go out and come in: also the LORD hath said unto me,
Thou shalt not go over this Jordan. 3:
The LORD thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy
these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: and
Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the LORD hath said. 4:
And the LORD shall do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, kings
of the Amorites, and unto the land of them, whom he destroyed. 5:
And the LORD shall give them up before your face, that ye may do unto
them according unto all the commandments which I have commanded you.
6:
Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for
the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail
thee, nor forsake thee. 7:
And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all
Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this
people unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to
give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. 8:
And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with
thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither
be dismayed. 9:
And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons
of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and unto all
the elders of Israel. 10:
And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in
the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles,
11:
When all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the
place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all
Israel in their hearing. 12:
Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy
stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they
may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the
words of this law: 13:
And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear,
and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land
whither ye go over Jordan to possess it. 14:
And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou
must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of
the congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua
went, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation.
15:
And the LORD appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud: and
the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle. 16:
And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy
fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the
gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them,
and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with
them. 17:
Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will
forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be
devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they
will say in that day. Are not these evils come upon us, because our
God is not among us? 18:
And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which
they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods. 19:
Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children
of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness
for me against the children of Israel. 20:
For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto
their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have
eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto
other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant.
21:
And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen
them, that this song shall testify against them as a witness; for it
shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for I know
their imagination which they go about, even now, before I have
brought them into the land which I sware. 22:
Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it the
children of Israel. 23:
And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and
of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into
the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee.
D.
The Last words, and death of Moses
Moses speaks to the Levites
24:
And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words
of this law in a book, until they were finished, 25:
That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant
of the LORD, saying, 26:
Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the
covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness
against thee. 27:
For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet
alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the LORD;
and how much more after my death? 28:
Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that
I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to
record against them. 29:
For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves,
and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will
befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight
of the LORD, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.
30:
And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the
words of this song, until they were ended.
Deuteronomy 32
1
Give
ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of
my mouth. 2 My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall
distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the
showers upon the grass: 3 Because I will publish the name of the
LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. 4 He is the Rock, his work
is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without
iniquity, just and right is he. 5 They have corrupted themselves,
their spot is not the spot of his children: they are a perverse and
crooked generation. 6 Do ye thus requite the LORD, O foolish people
and unwise? Is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not
made thee, and established thee? 7 Remember the days of old, consider
the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee;
thy elders, and they will tell thee. 8 When the most High divided to
the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he
set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children
of Israel. 9 For the LORD'S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot
of his inheritance. 10 He found him in a desert land, and in the
waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he
kept him as the apple of his eye. 11 As an eagle stirreth up her
nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh
them, beareth them on her wings: 12 So the LORD alone did lead him,
and there was no strange god with him. 13 He made him ride on the
high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the
fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of
the flinty rock; 14 Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of
lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of
kidneys of wheat; and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape.
15 But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art
grown thick, thou art covered with fatness then he forsook God which
made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation. 16 They
provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations
provoked they him to anger. 17 They sacrificed unto devils, not to
God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom
your fathers feared not. 18 Of the Rock that begat thee thou art
unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee. 19 And when the
LORD saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons,
and of his daughters. 20 And he said, I will hide my face from them,
I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward
generation, children in whom is no faith. 21 They have moved me to
jealousy with that wich is not God; they have provoked me to anger
with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those
which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish
nation. 22 For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto
the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and
set on fire the foundations of the mountains. 23 I will heap
mischiefs upon them; I will spend mine arrows upon them. 24 They
shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with
bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them,
with the poison of serpents of the dust. 25 The sword without, and
terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the
suckling also with the man of gray hairs. 26 I said, I would scatter
them into corners, I would make the remembrance of them to cease from
among men: 27 Were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, lest
their adversaries should behave themselves strangely, and lest they
should say, Our hand is high, and the LORD hath not done all this. 28
For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any
understanding in them. 29 O that they were wise, that they understood
this, that they would consider their latter end! 30 How should one
chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their
Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up? 31 For their rock
is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges. 32 For
their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah:
their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter: 33 Their
wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps. 34 Is not
this laid up in store with me, and sealed up among my treasures? 35
To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in
due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things
that shall come upon them make haste. 36 For the LORD shall judge his
people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their
power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left. 37 And he shall
say, Where are their gods, their rock in whom they trusted, 38 Which
did eat the fat of their sacrifices, and drank the wine of their
drink offerings? let them rise up and help you, and be your
protection. 39 See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god
with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is
there any that can deliver out of my hand. 40 For I lift up my hand
to heaven, and say, I live for ever. 41 If I whet my glittering
sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance
to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me. 42 I will make
mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh, and
that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the
beginning of revenges upon the enemy. 43 Rejoice, O ye nations, with
his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will
render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his
land, and to his people. 44 And Moses came and spake all the words of
this song in the ears of the people, he, and Hoshea the son of Nun.
45 And Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel:
46 And he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I
testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to
observe to do, all the words of this law. 47 For it is not a vain
thing for you; because it is your life: and through this thing ye
shall prolong your days in the land, whither ye go over Jordan to
possess it.
Moses
called to Mt Nebo to die
48 And the LORD
spake unto Moses that selfsame day, saying, 49 Get thee up into this
mountain Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that
is over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give
unto the children of Israel for a possession: 50 And die in the mount
whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy
brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people: 51
Because ye trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the
waters of Meribah-Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because ye
sanctified me not in the midst of the children of Israel. 52 Yet thou
shalt see the land before thee but thou shalt not go thither unto the
land which I give the children of Israel.
Yesterdays reading
was both wonderful and frightening, exciting and fearful. Every
Christians needs to get a grip of the profound truth of the special
covenant that God had with his ancient people Israel. However they
must also understand that as christians they are in a completely new
relationship. It is not based on keeping the Mosaic Law in fact they
are in grace. Those who enter it, do so, on the basis of faith in the
work that Christ has completed and not circumcision. It is grace and
faith and not law and obedience. And while there are blessing untold
for the Christian there are no curses. But coming back to todays
Bible reading The Mosaic covenant with Israel is reiterated and it is
stated that the LORD’s promises of blessing are constant for the
nation that is faithful to the Lord. Then Moses presents before
Israel the choice of life or death. Will they follow the LORD or will
they forsake the Lord and die? Then we have the appointment of the
new leader of Israel Joshua and then we have the last words of Moses
to his people, the first part of that is a special message to the
Levites. First the Lord reherses the whole of their history from
their deliverance from Egypt right up the the present day. He reminds
them that they (Moses, Joshua and Caleb) saw all the the Lord did in
the wilderness and that for 40 years they ate no bread and drank any
wine and that their clothes and shoes never wore out. And he reminds
them of their recent victories over the kings of Bashan and Heshbon.
And how the Lord gave the land to the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the
half tribe Manasseh. And then Moses gives them the solemn warning
‘Keep the Law’. All the children of Israel heard his words from
the elders to the little children. Then Moses said you are entering
into this covenant again today. He says let no man bless himself
saying to his own heart that he has peace when in fact he is a
drunkard. (The concept of peach – Shalom for the Israelites was
simply this that between him and his God there was no specific
consciousness of sin and so he enjoyed unbroken communion with his
God. It became the greeting between Israelites when they met and was
in fact a pray for the one they met. (May) Peace be with you. It was
used by the Lord Jesus when greeting his disciples.) Here Moses says
that the man who thinks that God is with him when he is not will come
under the judgment of God. (Think of Samson) The curses of the Law
will be laid against him and his name will be blotted out of those
who are alive in the earth. It might be that one day the land will be
destroyed and your children will rise up against you and strangers
will see the land destroyed and wonder at the judgment of the LORD.
Other nations will ask Why has the Lord destroyed this land and they
will answer because they have forsaken covenant of the LORD God of
their fathers who brought them out of Egypt. They went and served
other gods and the anger of the LORD went out against them and threw
them out of the land. Then the Lord says that after all these curses
have come on you as a nation you will remember and you will return
unto the LORD your God and obey his voice with one heart and soul.
Then the Lord will return you to the land. He will gather you from
all the nations that he has scattered you to. (This has a partial
fulfilment in the return from the Babylonian captivity and possibly a
fulfilment in the last century when the Jews returned from the
nations to establish a homeland but it will one day have its true
fulfilment in the gathering of the scattered of every tribe even the
ten northern tribes. Christ said, I have other sheep which are not of
this fold them also l must gather and there will be one fold and one
shepherd.) Then the Lord will bring them into a new covenant, a
covenant of blessing far beyond anything they have previously known.
The LORD will multiply their seed and increase their wealth beyond
anything known before. Then Moses presents before Israel a stark
choice, he says l set before you this day life and good or death and
evil. He said l command you this day to love the LORD your God and
live righteously and keep his commandments so that you might live and
multiply and the Lord will bless you in the land you are about to
enter. BUT if you turn your minds away and will not hear and be drawn
into idolatry. Then let me tell you that you will be destroyed and
quickly. He said l call on heaven and earth to witness this day
against you that l have give you the choice of life and death,
blessing and cursing. So choose LIFE ! So that you may live, that
you may love the LORD your God and obey his voice, that you will be
attached to him because he is your life and the length of your days,
that you may live in the land which the Lord promised to your
fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We do not know what the effect of
this speech was but what a great speech to end a glorious life of
service to his God. Then Moses spoke some more, he said, I am 120
years old today (It was his birthday!) The Lord has sid to me that
you are to go over the Jordan and destroy the nations of the land
like he did to nations that have opposed us already. The LORD your
God will lead you and Joshua will lead you. Be strong and have good
courage. Do not be afraid because the LORD your God is with you and
will not fail you or forsake you. Then Moses called Joshua forward to
spoke the same words of encouragement to him personally. Then Moses
wrote his closing law and gave it to the Levites. And he told them at
every Sabbatical year his law was to be read to all the people, men,
women and children and strangers. The purpose of this is that Israel
might hear, learn and fear the LORD their God and keep the Law. Then
the Lord told Moses that the day is coming near for you to die. Call
for Joshua and present yourself at the door of the Tabernacle so that
l can give him a charge. The Lord appeared in a pillar of cloud and
said Moses yu are going to sleep with your fathers but this people
will rise up to idolatry and will forsake me and break the covenant
with me and I will forsake them and turn away from them. They will
say Our God is not among us. So write this song and teach them to
sing it. This song will be a witness against them when they turn away
from me. Moses wrote down the song and taught it to the children of
Israel. Then he encouraged Joshua to trust in the Lord. When Moses
had finished the book of the Law that he commanded the Levites to put
the book of the law inside the Ark of the Covenant. It was to be a
witness against Israel, because Israel is a rebellious people and
they will be more so after my death, said Moses. He said call the
tribes together because l know that after my death Israel will
totally corrupt themselves and turn away from the Lord. Then Moses
spoke the words of the Song that the LORD gave him to the people.
This song is a recital of the greatness and glories of the Lord seen
in his acts of blessing on the children of Israel. It speaks of
creation and of the works of God in the judgment of men. The last
part is linked very much with the messages to his servants in
Revelation. He says…I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and
will reward them that hate me. I will make mine arrows drunk with
blood, and my sword shall devour flesh; and that with the blood of
the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon
the enemy. Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge
the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his
adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people.
This song could easily have a place in the book of Revelation. Moses
ended by saying this song will be your very life if only you will do
it.
- What was the Covenant that the Lord made with Israel through Moses?
- How did Moses prepare for Israels future leadership?
- What does Moses say in the closing speech of his life?
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