The Book of Deuteronomy is the fifth book of Moses’ Pentateuch. It records three sermons of Moses delivered to the new generation of Israel who were about to enter the land of Canaan. The first sermon is recorded in Deuteronomy Chapter 1 though Chapter 4 Verse 43. The theme of the sermon is obedience to the law of God. The Israelites could enter the land in forty days after they crossed the Red Sea. Given the opportunity, they rebelled to obey God who promised to destroy the Canaanites for the sake of his holy name with which he made the covenant with Abraham (Genesis 15). So, God did not allow a single person to enter the land but all perished in the wilderness except Caleb and Joshua because they did not believe in the Lord their God. The wilderness life wasn’t intended to experience by the Lord but they chose due to their unbelief and disobedience. Now Moses delivered the instructions to the people of Israel what to remember and how to live in the holy land of the Lord.
“In the
fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses proclaimed to the
Israelites all that the Lord had commanded him concerning them.” (Deuteronomy
1:3)
After
defeating the two kings of east of the Jordan, in the fortieth year since the
cross of the Red Sea Moses began to expound the instructions and laws, saying
“You have stayed long enough at this mountain and go into the hill country of
the Amorites, to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains,
in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of
Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates.” God had
given them this land so they would go in and take possession of the land. This
land is holy because it belongs to the Lord. Possessing the land means they
would become the partakers of the inheritance of the Lord. The land produces
the fruits of all kinds of plants and vegetables. Life in the land, especially
the land God swore to give to the forefathers of faith signifies the
Spirit-filled life which produces the fruits of love, joy, forbearance,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians
5:22).
“Do
not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be
afraid of anyone, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for
you, and I will hear it.” (Deuteronomy 1:17)
Moses appointed officials and
judges for each tribe in Israel to handle the disputes among people and
commanded them not show partiality in judging and not take bribes. When they
set out from Horeb and went through all that vast and dreadful wilderness and
reached Kadesh Barnea. There God commanded them to go up and take possession of
the land since the Lord had given it to them. The people suggested to Moses to
spy out the land and bring back a report about the route to take. Moses sent
out twelve spies who returned back and reported, “It is a good land that the
Lord our God is giving us.” But the people rebelled against the command of God
because the ten spies except Caleb and Joshua reported that they would be
destroyed by the Amorites if they went up. Their hearts melted in fear because
they were told that the people in the land were stronger and taller than they
were and the cities were large with walls up to the sky. They were terrified
when they didn’t trust in the Lord of Almighty who brought them out of Egypt
with power. Then Moses said to them:
“Do not be terrified; do not be
afraid of them. The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you,
as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the wilderness. There
you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the
way you went until you reached this place.” (Deuteronomy 1:29-31)
In spite of this, they did not
trust in the Lord God who was in their midst all the days of the journey in
fire by night and in a cloud by day. When the Lord heard what they said, he was
angry and solemnly swore: “No one from this evil generation shall see the good
land I swore to give your ancestors, except Caleb son of Jephunneh.” Moses was
not allowed to enter it either because he did not obey the command of the Lord
when he was told to speak to the rock he struck it instead. The Lord appointed
Joshua to lead his people to enter the promised land to possess. When the people
heard this, they replied that they sinned against the Lord and put on the
weapons, thinking it easy to go up into the hill country. They stubbornly disobeyed
the Lord who told them not to go up and fight because he would not be with
them. But out of arrogance and pride they marched up into the hill country,
rebelling against the Lord’s command. They were defeated by the enemies and
wept before the Lord but he paid no attention to their weeping and turned a
deaf ear to them.
The Lord commanded to pass
through the territories of the descendants of Esau, the Moabites, the Ammonites
without engaging in the fight against them because any land belonging to them would
not be given to possess by the Israelites. The Lord had given them the land to
possess.
“Thirty-eight years passed from
the time we left Kadesh Barnea until we crossed the Zered Valley. By then, that
entire generation of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the Lord had
sworn to them. The Lord’s hand was against them until he had completely
eliminated them from the camp.” (Deuteronomy 2:14-15)
Just as God swore to them all
the fighting men had perished in the wilderness. Now when the last of these
fighting men among the people had died, the Lord said, “Today you are to pass
by the region of Moab at Ar.” Then Moses led his people to defeat Sihon the
Amorite, king of Heshbon because they refused for the Israelites to pass
through the land. As the Lord said to Moses, they conquered all the land of the
Amorites and possessed it because the Lord delivered them over to his people. The
Lord also delivered Og king of Bashan over to Moses and his people at Edrei. The
people of Israel took all the towns on the plateau, and all Gilead, and all
Bashan as far as Salekah and Edrei, towns of Og’s kingdom in Bashan. Moses
divided the occupied territory of East of Jordan to the Reubenites and the
Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh with one crucial condition.
“I commanded you at that time: ‘The
Lord your God has given you this land to take possession of it. But all your
able-bodied men, armed for battle, must cross over ahead of the other
Israelites.’” (Deuteronomy 3:18)
Though these two and half-tribes
already occupied the land all the fighting men must have crossed over ahead of
the other Israelites. It’s because they were brothers and the holy war hadn’t
been begun yet. The Lord wanted every tribe to fight against the enemies of
God.
“But because of you the Lord was
angry with me and would not listen to me. ‘That is enough,’ the Lord said. ‘Do
not speak to me anymore about this matter.’” (Deuteronomy 3:26)
Moses pleaded with the Lord that
he would enter the land of Canaan. But the Lord would not listen to him, saying
“That’s enough.” God forbid to speak to Moses anymore about this matter. Moses
disobeyed the Lord in anger striking the rock when he was told to speak to it. Although
the water was gushed out of the rock, God would not permit Moses and Aaron to
enter the land. There are certain prayers which would not be answered and even
permitted to ask. This is the case. The word of God is irrevocable. God himself
cannot change his stance of being righteous and just all the time now and
forevermore.
“But the Lord said to Moses and
Aaron, ‘Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight
of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.’”
(Numbers 20:12)
Now Moses turned the people’s
attention how to live in the land of God’s promise after crossing the Jordan
River. The old generation of Israel refused to obey God who commanded to enter
the land and all perished in the wilderness. This is the lesson the new
generation shall never forget but always remind of the truth only through the
obedience to the laws of God they can live a life worthy of the Lord.
“Now, Israel, hear the decrees
and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go
in and take possession of the land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is
giving you. Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but
keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.” (Deuteronomy 4:1-2)
Why is obedience so significant
to live and go in and take possession of the land of the Lord? It’s because it’s
the only way and no other way. God has repeatedly been showing them the same
judgment call over and over again in order to plant the truth that he is
forever love. The Lord God swore an oath and made the covenant with Abraham when
he had demonstrated his obedience, not withholding from the Lord his only son,
Isaac.
“The angel of the Lord called to
Abraham from heaven a second time and said, ‘I swear by myself, declares the
Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only
son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars
in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take
possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all
nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.’” (Genesis
22:15-18)
That’s exactly what the cross of
our Lord Jesus speaks about now and forevermore. Jesus was God but emptied
himself and became a man by taking the very nature of a servant. As a man, he
humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on the cross of
Calvary (Philippians 2:6-7). Why did he suffer and die with blood, being
ashamed, punished, stricken, smitten, humiliated, and even forsaken by the Father
in heaven? It’s because this is the only way to the Father who has destroyed
the power of sin and death through the death of the Son and made alive those
who believe in him. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. No one
comes to the Father except through him (John 14:6).
“You saw with your own eyes what
the Lord did at Baal Peor. The Lord your God destroyed from among you everyone
who followed the Baal of Peor, but all of you who held fast to the Lord your
God are still alive today.” (Deuteronomy 4:3-4)
This incident is recorded in the
Book of Numbers Chapter 25 which tells that the Israelites engaged in the
activities of idol worship, having sexual immorality with Moabite women. So they
yoked themselves to the Baal Peor and the Lord’s anger burned against them. The
priest Phinehas son of Eleazar killed the man who brought a Midianite woman
into the camp of Israel with a spear. Then the plague against the Israelites
was stopped; but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000 (Numbers 25:6-9).
There is no other way to escape from the plague of death except through the death
of our Lord Jesus Christ who died for the sin of the world in our place. There is
no other way to stop the fierce anger of the Lord except through the blood of
Christ.
“See, I have taught you decrees
and laws as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the
land you are entering to take possession of it. Observe them carefully, for
this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about
all these decrees and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding
people.’ What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way
the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him? And what other nation is
so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am
setting before you today?” (Deuteronomy 4:5-8)
Careful observation of the laws
and decrees which Moses taught them would show their wisdom and understanding
to the nations. The nations would call this great nation a wise and understanding
people only when they carefully followed and obeyed the laws the Lord
commanded. They would be a wise and understanding people not because they were
smart and clever but because they feared the Lord by keeping the laws and
decrees carefully. This is exactly what Christians are called for. The New
saints are no different than the Old saints. Here is what Apostle Paul says about
what is to live a life of worthy of the calling we have received.
“But among you there must not be
even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed,
because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be
obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather
thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy
person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of
Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such
things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.” (Ephesians 5:3-6)
What is the obedience that
pleases the Lord? It is truly to love the Lord with all our heart, with all our
soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength. That’s what the commandments
of God were summarized by our Lord Jesus Christ.
“Love the Lord your God with all
your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your
strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There
is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31)
Loving God is our duty to obey. How
can we love God? Jesus gave his disciples a new command which is exactly the
same the old one with this phrase, “As I have loved you.”
“A new command I give you: Love
one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this
everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John
13:34-35)
We cannot love anyone by our own
might and morality. So, our Lord Jesus has demonstrated for us how he loved us
first. The Scripture says that while we were still sinners he died for us
(Romans 5:6). God commands us to love him in perfection and flawlessness, but
not without the cause. God demonstrated his powerful and unconditional love
that he sent his begotten Son and whoever believes in him shall not perish but
have eternal life (John 3:16). God has showed us first how much he loved us
through the Son Jesus Christ. That’s what the Lord God had done in Egypt to his
people Israel that he sent the angel of death and destroyed all the firstborns
of Egypt but passed over the Israelites who had the blood of animals on the doorframes. Now our God demands us to love him only with all our heart and soul
and mind and strength to live eternal life.
“Follow God’s example,
therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ
loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to
God.” (Ephesians 5:1-2)
We are called to follow God’s example.
Instead of judging us he punished his Son in our place. Likewise, in order to
love our God, we first die with Christ by denying ourselves because our old
self cannot love anyone, let alone God. Then, we take up our crosses daily,
which means we take our shame, guilt, humiliation with our Lord Jesus Christ by
simply admitting our faults and trespasses. The last logical step is to follow
our Lord Jesus Christ over and over again. Every Christian has the gift of the
Spirit freely received by faith in Christ. Christ has come in to indwell within
us. That’s the hope of glory for all authentic Christians, “Christ in you.” (Colossians
1:27) In truth, Christ in us is the one who loves the Father. That’s the
mystery of Christ Jesus. Apostle Paul expounded that we no longer live but
Christ lives in us.
“I have been crucified with
Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the
body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
(Galatians 2:20)
Prayer: Thank you once again
Father for teaching the naked truth that we can live and possess the holy land
of the Lord only if we obey all the laws and decrees carefully. Thank you
Father for telling us honestly that there is no other way to have life than in
our Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ’s name. Amen.
April 26, 2016
© 2015-2016 David
Lee Ministries – All Rights Reserved.
