The Lord reminds the Israelites in Deuteronomy 11, of all the things that He has done for them.  The promise of Jehovah to give them a land that will grow plentiful food for them and their descendants is just one.

A warning is given again to obey Him and that if they do not, they will not be blessed in the way that has been promised.  There is a blessing and a curse included here.  They must remind themselves and their children each day of who Yahweh is and what He wants them to do in the law.

Deuteronomy 12 tells specific ways to keep from falling into the worship of other gods.  Putting your faith in Jehovah is an action you must take.  He will choose a place of worship.  This is the worship center.  Not a single temple or high place for another god is to be converted to His worship.  When the early Christian church became the national church of the Roman government, many festivals and holidays were changed to Christian holidays.  Christmas, Easter, and Halloween are three.  We must separate the holy from the unholy because of this.  That is why Christmas and other holidays are more secular than they are holy.

The priests who were descended from Levi must be taken care of.  They would not have land to inherit.  Their legacy was the service to God.  The blood is pointed out as the part that has life in it.  Blood is not to be eaten or drank.  Other laws are not to be added unless specifically given by God.

Following other gods seems to be a broken record in Deuteronomy 13.  Here we see that prophets or dreamers who try to direct the Israelites to other deities are to be executed.  Family relationships are not to deter them from dealing with anyone who attempts to draw them from Jehovah.

Yahweh is serious about not worshiping anyone but Him and instructs the destruction of an entire town if it follows a worshiper of other gods.   By stopping individuals or groups from falling into idolatry the nation can be saved from the tragedy of being rejected by The Lord.  As we will read later, they did not obey these commands and suffered the consequences.

©Copyright 2020 by Charles Kensinger

Deuteronomy 8 is the first place we read “People do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”  This is the scripture that Jesus quoted to Satan when He was tempted to turn stones into bread.  God will discipline them and us just as parents discipline their children.

Jehovah will provide a good life for them.  That will also be a problem.  A life of plenty will lead them to believe they are entitled and deserve everything they have.  That is our problem, in the United States today.  We are affluent and believe affluenza is an excuse for our children disobeying.  Yahweh tells us it is not.

In Deuteronomy 9 the Lord tells the Israelites that they will soon go into Canaan and conquer the Anakites and all the other people groups no matter their strength, power, or protection of the cities.  When this happens, they should not believe that God did this for them because they are better than others.  The reason they are given the land is because of the wickedness of the current inhabitants.

Moses reminds them of the times they have failed Jehovah and he has had to plead on their behalf.  The Jews were like we are.  We say we will follow Yahweh, but constantly break His laws in some of the worst ways possible.

Deuteronomy 10 rehearses the origin of the Ark of the Covenant and the separation of the Levites. This is necessary because for the last forty years those who witnessed this have died.  Their children and grandchildren are now ready to enter the promised land.  They are reminded of what their ancestors knew and had done.

The Jews are again commanded to obey The Lord’s laws and statutes.  They are instructed to take care of widows and orphans and to be kind to the foreigners that come to their land.  They were strangers in a land not their own.  Israel should set the example of what a truly holy people can be like.  Jesus told His followers to become what the Jews could never accomplish.

©Copyright 2020 by Charles Kensinger

Deuteronomy 5 is a rerun of the Ten Commandments.  These are often thought to be the ten most important laws.  They should be viewed as representative of what Jehovah wants us to do.  God is the only being that should be worshiped.  His name should be respected, and no false gods should be created.  The Sabbath day of rest is another way to honor him.

The fifth commandment and further establishes the order in the family with the children’s respect for their parents. Other laws of personal behavior are enumerated.  Murder, theft, adultery, false testimony, and coveting establish conduct that shows love and commitment for others.  Following these instructions are necessary for a civilized society.

Deuteronomy 6 tells us “If you obey all His decrees and commands, you will enjoy a long life.”  This is the dilemma of all humanity.  We must obey all the laws with no mistakes.  No one can do that.

To remind themselves and their children of these laws they are to teach them to their children, talk about them all day and night long, write them on their clothes and walls.  As Christians, we must do the same.  Sunday School, Bible studies, Bible schools, Christian camps, T-shirts, and wall plaques are all ways we try to accomplish this.  This daily Bible reading is another way to bring God’s word into you.

The repetition may seem overkill, but we need the reminder often.  We must constantly remind ourselves of what Jehovah promised first the Jews and now us.  When we forget about Him, we will fail Him and ourselves.  Our sins are forgiven, but we want to be as faithful as we can.

The promise in Deuteronomy 7 is that Yahweh will enter the promised land ahead of them and drive out the current residents.  All they must do is remain faithful to God and He will provide for them.  Simple isn’t it.  Yeah, right.  They are being rejected because they have refused to acknowledge the Lord.

This also happened to Israel and can happen to us.  We must follow God and not just obey man-made rules that sound good to us.  We must listen to Jehovah, not our culture, ministers, parents or other leaders.  We are individually responsible for our own behavior.  God will bless us.  That blessing may not follow our desires, but His.

©Copyright 2020 by Charles Kensinger

The Deja-vu continues in Deuteronomy 3.  The land of Og is taken as was written in Numbers.  These were some of the tall men that are called the Raphaites.  We are rehearsing the taking of the country before they crossed the Jordan.  We see again how Jehovah makes it possible for them to defeat those that appear physically stronger than the Israelites.

Moses will see the promised land from the mountain.  He will still not be allowed to cross over into it.  This was because of his disobedience with striking the rock to bring water for the Jews.

The instructions in Deuteronomy four are to obey and not add to or subtract from Yahweh’s law.  The Jews are different from every other nation in the world.  Their gods are not close to them as Jehovah is to the Hebrews and now Christians.

The laws that Jehovah has given them are to be honored.  All the law, not just the ones that they want to obey.  They are to be handed down to their children.  Idolatry is specifically mentioned as a threat to the Hebrew nation.  They are warned that they will be removed from the land if they do not obey Yahweh’s commands.  The interesting thing is that in the books of Kings, Chronicles and the prophets we will see this prediction coming to fruition.

The cities of refuge east of the Jordan are specified. The Land of Canaan will be established as the only place in the world where God’s laws are followed and no worship of any idol or false God will be accepted.  It may not be Heaven on earth, but it should be much better than anything seen before.

©Copyright 2020 by Charles Kensinger

God is ready for the Israelites to enter Canaan in Deuteronomy chapter one.  Moses reminds the leaders that were chosen to help him for settling disputes in each of the tribes.  He continues with the history of the last forty years.  Including the twelve spies that were selected and sent out to scout the land and the rejection of Joshua and Caleb’s recommendation to enter the land.  After the rebellion and Jehovah’s punishment, they attempt to enter after they are told they will wander for forty years.  Have they learned anything over those years?  We will see tomorrow.

Deuteronomy 2 tells how the Israelites passed certain nations to go into Canaan.  The lands of Edom, Moab, and Ammon are not to be conquered.  The Amorites were not as fortunate.  Their nation was defeated because Jehovah had decided to give it to the Jews.  This is the same thing we read at the end of Numbers.  The Lord had His own reasons for which of the countries could be conquered and which were left alone.  He also had a plan for repeating the stories in these five books.  As with the rest of the Bible, Yahweh wants us to understand what He is attempting to teach.

©Copyright 2020 by Charles Kensinger