The Book of Deuteronomy is off and running in the Old Testament. This Book is so called Deuteronomy, which means a second law, because it repeats, explains, and expands the Law given on Mount Sinai. It contains three discourses of Moses encouraging the Israelites, who will shortly enter The Promised Land, to observe the Law.
The last four chapters describe the last days and the death of Moses on Mount Nebo in the Land of Moab just before the Israelites enter The Promised Land.
Moses was a saint in the Old Testament in my opinion. A murderer of an Egyptian early on in life though converted and convicted that obedience to God was where one would find fulfillment in life.
His prayer life was exceptional. If my devotion and my prayer life was as good maybe I could have conversations with God or at least a more intimate relationship. I am perfect except when I am not and that is a good deal of the time.
Moses, it seemed to me, through his prayer life, brought the New Testament God, a.k.a. God, His Son Jesus Christ and The Holy Spirit into the Old Testament.
Despite being, again, in my opinion, unfairly treated at the end by God, his prayers and God’s response brought a loving, compassionate and accepting God into The Old Testament.
And when thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, yet so, if thou seek him with all they heart, and all the affliction of thy soul. After all the things aforesaid shall find thee, in the latter time thou shalt return to the Lord thy God, and shalt hear his voice. Because the Lord thy God is a merciful God: he will not leave thee, nor altogether destroy thee, nor forget the covenant, by which he swore to thy fathers.
That thou mightiest know that the Lord he is God, and there is no other besides him.
Know therefore this day, and think in thy heart that the Lord is God in heaven above, and in the earth beneath, and there is no other.
Because the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
Okay, Deuteronomy is still in the Old Testament!
Moses knew he needed help organizing and sharing God’s Word and Commandments with the half-a-million-plus Israelites: I alone am not able to bear your business, and the charge of you and your differences.
So God answered his prayers: That I may appoint them your rulers. Who night teach you things,
Hear them, and judge that which is just, whether he be one of your country, or a stranger. There shall be no difference of persons, you shall hear the little as well as the great: neither shall you respect any man’s person, because it is the judgment of God. And if any thing seem hard to you, refer it to me, and I will hear it. And I commanded you all things that you were to do.
I now understand why Moses never got to The Promise Land… he was simply the leader and the followers messed up not believing and trusting fully in the Lord.
See the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee: go up and possess it, as the Lord our God hath spoken to thy fathers: fear not, nor be any way discouraged.
The land is good which the Lord our God will give us.
The messengers have terrified our hearts, saying: The multitude is very great, and taller than we: the cities are great, and walled up to the sky, we have seen the sons of Enacims there. The Enacims were giants in their day.
Fear not, neither be ye afraid of them. The Lord God, who is your leader, himself will fight for you, as he did in Egypt in the sight of all.
And yet for all this you did not believe the Lord your God.
And when the Lord had heard the voice of your words, he was angry and swore, and said: Not one of the men of this wicked generation shall see the good land, which I promised with an oath to your fathers, except Caleb… for he shall see it… because he hath followed the Lord.
Moses: since the Lord was angry with me also on your account, and said: Neither shalt thou go in thither. But Josue… thy minister, he shall go in for thee: exhort and encourage him, and he shall divide the land by lot to Israel.
But return you and go into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea.
Go not up, and fight not, for I am not with you: lest you fall before your enemies. I spoke, and you hearkened not: but resisting the commandment of the Lord, and swelling with pride, you went up into the mountains. And the Ammorrhite… made slaughter of you.., and when you returned and wept before the Lord, he heard you not, neither would he yield to your voice. So you abode in Cadesbarne a long time.
God was with Israel in their exile, a self-inflicted exile, via pride and not trusting in the Lord.
The Lord thy God dwelling with thee, knoweth thy journey, how thou hast passed through this great wilderness, for forty years, and thou hast wanted nothing.
Tough call for Moses…
Unto the sea of the desert, which is the most salt sea
Thy eyes have seen what the Lord your God hath done to these two kings: so will he do to all the kingdoms to which thou shalt pass. Fear them not for the Lord your God will fight for you.
And the Lord was angry with me on your account and heard me not, but said to me: It is enough: speak no more to me of this matter… go up to the top of Phasga and cast they eyes… and behold it, for thou shalt not pass this Jordan (into The Promise Land).
You shall not add to the word that I speak to you, neither shall you take away from it: keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command to you.
But you that adhere to the Lord your God, are all alive until this present day.
So shall you do them in the land which you shall possess, and you shall observe, and fulfill them in practice. For this is your wisdom, and understanding in the sight of nations, that hearing all these precepts, they may say” Behold a wise and understanding people, a great nation.
Keep thyself therefore and thy soul carefully. Forget not the words that thy eyes have seen, and let them not go out of thy heart all the days of thy life. Thou shalt teach them to thy sons and thy grandsons…
That they may hear my words, and may learn to fear me all the time that they live on earth, and may teach their children.
And the Lord spoke to you from the midst of the fire. You heard the voice of his words, but you saw not any form at all. And he showed you his covenant, which he commanded you to do, and the ten words that he wrote in two tables of stone.
Keep therefore your souls carefully.
Lest perhaps lifting up thy eyes to heaven, thou see the sun and the moon, and all the stars of heaven, and being deceived by error thou adore and serve them, which the Lord thy God created for the service of all nations, that are under heaven.
Behold I die in this land, I shall not pass over the Jordan: you shall pass, and possess the goodly land.
Despite not getting to enter The Promise Land, I am inspired by and want to be like Moses. Should be a Saint Moses. His testimony, prayerful life, and a New Testament perspective before there was a resurrection helps me pass through the darker, Old Testament trials of my life.
The New Testament perspective is found in the Old Testament, yet Moses saw but did not enter The Promise Land as far as we know. But we don’t know everything despite what we think about ourselves, others and the world.
Day 59: Reading The Bible with a TROML Perspective; The New in the Old, Yet Moses Sees but Does Not Enter The Promise Land.
Read and inspired by the Old Testament, The Book of Deuteronomy Chapters 1-4
Bible Notes:
This Book is so called Deuteronomy, which means a second law, because it repeats, explains, and expands the Law given on Mount Sinai. It contains three discourses of Moses encouraging the Israelites, who will shortly enter The Promised Land, to observe the Law.
The last four chapters describe the last days and the death of Moses on Mount Nebo in the Land of Moab.
Deuteronomy Chapter 1: Setting of Moses’ speech; Jesus ordered to leave Mount Sinai; Appointment of judges; Journey to Cadesbarne; Spies sent into Chanaan; Israelites afraid of their enemies; Moses urges then to trust God; God punishes then for their lack of faith; The Lord does not help them.
Moses spoke to the children of Israel all that the Lord had commanded him to say to them.
Behold, said he, I have delivered it to you: go in and possess it, concerning which the Lord swore to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that he would give it to them, and to their seed after them.
Moses; I alone am not able to bear your business, and the charge of you and your differences.
That I may appoint them your rulers.
Who night teach you things,
Hear them, and judge that which is just, whether he be one of your country, or a stranger. There shall be no difference of persons, You shall hear the little as well as the great: neither shall you respect any man’s person, because it is the judgment of God. And if any thing seem hard to you, refer it to me, and I will hear it. And I commanded you all things that you were to do.
We passed through the terrible and vast wilderness.
See the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee: go up and possess it, as the Lord our God hath spoken to thy fathers: fear not, nor be any way discouraged.
The land is good which the Lord our God will give us.
The messengers have terrified our hearts, saying: The multitude is very great, and taller than we: the cities are great, and walled up to the sky, we have seen the sons of Enacims there.
Fear not, neither be ye afraid of them. The Lord God, who is your leader, himself will fight for you, as he did in Egypt in the sight of all.
And yet for all this you did not believe the Lord your God.
And when the Lord had heard the voice of your words, he was angry and swore, and said: Not one of the men of this wicked generation shall see the good land, which I promised with an oath to your fathers, except Caleb… for he shall see it… because he hath followed the Lord.
Since the Lord was angry with me also on your account, and said: Neither shalt thou go in thither. But Josue… thy minister, he shall go in for thee: exhort and encourage him, and he shall divide the land by lot to Israel.
But return you and go into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea.
Go not up, and fight not, for I am not with you: lest you fall before your enemies. I spoke, and you hearkened not: but resisting the commandment of the Lord, and swelling with pride, you went up into the mountains. And the Ammorrhite… made slaughter of you.., and when you returned and wept before the Lord, he heard you not, neither would he yield to your voice. So you abode in Cadesbarne a long time.
Deuteronomy Chapter 2: Journey from Cadesbarne to Moab; Israel ordered not to fight the Moabites; The duration of the journey from Cadesbarne; Israel ordered not to fight the Ammonites; Command to cross the Arnon; Israel defeats Sehon.
And we compassed mount Seir a long time.
The Lord thy God dwelling with thee, knoweth thy journey, how thou hast passed through this great wilderness, for forty years, and thou hast wanted nothing.
Was thirty-eight years: until all the generation of the men that were fit for war was consumed out of the camp, as the Lord had sworn. For his hand was against then, that they should perish from the midst of camp.
And begin thou to possess his land and make war against him. This day will I begin to send the dread and fear of thee upon the nations that dwell under the whole heaven: that when they hear thy name they may fear and tremble, and be in pain like women in travail.
And Sehon the king of Hesebon would not let us pass: because the Lord thy God had hardened his spirit, and fixed his heart, that he might be delivered into thy hands, as now thou seest.
And the Lord our God delivered him to us: and we slew him with his sons and all his people… We left nothing of them, except the cattle… and the spoils of the cities… the Lord our God delivered all unto us.
Deuteronomy Chapter 3: Defeat of Og; Defeat of the Amorrhites; Land given to Ruben, Gad, and Manasses; Ruben, Gad, and Manasses help the others; Moses encourages Josue; Moses is not permitted to cross the Jordan.
Fear him not: because he is delivered into thy hand, with all his people and his land…
And we utterly destroyed them
And we utterly destroyed them
Destroying every city, men and women and children. But the cattle and the spoils of the cities we took for our prey.
I gave the cities thereof to Ruben and Gad… to the half tribe of Manasses.
Unto the sea of the desert, which is the most salt sea
Thy eyes have seen what the Lord your God hath done to these two kings: so will he do to all the kingdoms to which thou shalt pass. Fear them not for the Lord your God will fight for you.
And the Lord was angry with me on your account and heard me not, but said to me: It is enough: speak no more to me of this matter… go up to the top of Phasga and cast they eyes… and behold it, for thou shalt not pass this Jordan (into The Promise Land).
Deuteronomy Chapter 4: Moses urges obedience to the Law; Warning against Idolatry; Punishment for idolatry; Power of God shown to Israel; Three cities of refuge; Land east of the Jordan given to Israel.
You shall not add to the word that I speak to you, neither shall you take away from it: keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command to you.
But you that adhere to the Lord your God, are all alive until this present day.
So shall you do them in the land which you shall possess, and you shall observe, and fulfill them in practice. For this is your wisdom, and understanding in the sight of nations, that hearing all these precepts, they may say” Behold a wise and understanding people, a great nation.
Keep thyself therefore and thy soul carefully. Forget not the words that thy eyes have seen, and let them not go out of thy heart all the days of thy life. Thou shalt teach them to thy sons and thy grandsons…
That they may hear my words, and may learn to fear me all the time that they live on earth, and may teach their children.
And the Lord spoke to you from the midst of the fire. You heard the voice of his words, but you saw not any form at all. And he showed you his covenant, which he commanded you to do, and the ten words that he wrote in two tables of stone.
Keep therefore your souls carefully.
Lest perhaps lifting up thy eyes to heaven, thou see the sun and the moon, and all the stars of heaven, and being deceived by error thou adore and serve them, which the Lord thy God created for the service of all nations, that are under heaven.
Behold I die in this land, I shall not pass over the Jordan: you shall pass, and possess the goodly land.
Because the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, a jealous God
And when thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, yet so, if thou seek him with all they heart, and all the affliction of thy soul. After all the things aforesaid shall find thee, in the latter time thou shalt return to the Lord thy God, and shalt hear his voice. Because the Lord thy God is a merciful God: he will not leave thee, nor altogether destroy thee, nor forget the covenant, by which he swore to thy fathers.
That thou mightiest know that the Lord he is God, and there is no other besides him.
Know therefore this day, and think in thy heart that the Lord is God in heaven above, and in the earth beneath, and there is no other.
Who were beyond the Jordan towards the rising sun.
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