Moses’ mission was accomplished. Joshua had been commissioned as his successor (Deuteronomy 31:14,23). Israel was on the brink of entering the land of Canaan. They had renewed their promise to live under the covenant first given to the nation at Sinai (29:9-14). The next chapter of their story will be told in the book ofContinue reading “Finishing Strong”
Category Archives: Deuteronomy
Be Strong and Courageous!
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:7) These are words from Moses to Israel just prior to his death on Mount Nebo (Deuteronomy 34). The phrase “be strong and courageous” occurs two more times in the chapter (v. 7,Continue reading “Be Strong and Courageous!”
Curses
Mark Twain famously noted that it wasn’t the parts of the Bible he didn’t understand that brought him grief—it was the parts he did understand! I think that’s the case with the section of Scripture in Deuteronomy 28-30. There’s not much that’s vague, ambiguous, or cryptic—it’s all very straightforward: Follow God and be blessed; forsakeContinue reading “Curses”
Not Chance But Choice!
The book of Deuteronomy is (among other things), a record of Moses preparing Israel for life in the promised land. Chapter 28 is part of a concluding section of Moses’ address given to the nation shortly before his death (34:1-8). Not long after his passing, Israel entered Canaan under Joshua’s leadership. We reach a crescendoContinue reading “Not Chance But Choice!”
More, More, More
Greed is the state of wanting more than you need. It’s never a good look. It’s the attitude that says, “More, more, more!” when there is no legitimate purpose or reason for it. People can be greedy because of status. They buy into the lie that you are what you own. They are under theContinue reading “More, More, More”
Hide or Seek?
Jesus summed up the Torah as being about loving God exclusively and loving your neighbor as yourself. But of course, He did more than talk about it, He modeled it in all aspects of His life so that when we look at Him, we see Someone who was the epitome of loving God and others. Continue reading “Hide or Seek?”
Truth Telling
The witness section of Deuteronomy 19:15-21 should lead us to think about truth telling as it relates to the community of Christ. After all, the text isn’t addressing honesty in general terms, its specific concern is with truth telling as it relates to the community of Israel and its judicial proceedings. The judicial system wasContinue reading “Truth Telling”
Community, Justice, & Truth-Telling
We’re in a section of Deuteronomy that’s largely concerned with governing. That being so, we hear about: judges (16:18-20), how to handle difficult court cases (17:8-13), instruction concerning the king (17:14-20), care of the Levites (18:1-8), prophets (18:21-22), cities of refuge, and witnesses (19:15-21). In all this, it’s not hard to see a focus onContinue reading “Community, Justice, & Truth-Telling”
The Kingdom of More
Deuteronomy 17:16-17 says this about Israel’s king: The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate largeContinue reading “The Kingdom of More”
How to be a King
It was always the plan of God for Israel to have a king. Deuteronomy 17:14-20 is one of the passages that tells us this, but there are more. As part of the blessing God speaks to Jacob in Genesis 35, He tells him that “kings will be among your descendants” (v. 11). Then there’s talk of theContinue reading “How to be a King”
