Deuteronomy
The Consequences of Disobedience
These final verses in chapter 28 speak of (1) the siege (vv. 49-57) and (2) the exile (vv. 58-68). It says that “a nation from far” comes to bring judgment to Israel (v. 49). It doesn’t say who that nation was. Some commentaries say it was the Babylonians and others say it was the Romans…
Living With The Consequences
In the last half of this chapter Moses reviews the distribution of this conquered land (vv. 12-29). The kingdom of Og was given to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh which chose to stay on the east side of the Jordan River (vv. 12-13). Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, took …
The Lord is God
It is so easy for us to look everywhere else but to God for our guidance and leadership. We trust financial advisors, news commentators and medical doctors, but do we really trust God? It seems that Moses is trying to get the Israelites to see that their trust needs to be in God and not in man …
Israel’s Rebellions Reviewed
While Moses was praying, God told him to perform a twofold responsibility (vv. 12-21): 1. To stop the apostasy of making the golden calf. 2. To make intercession for the divine execution of the people of God. Moses reminds his people that when he came down from the mountain, he broke the two tablets …
The People Afraid of God’s Presence
Moses rehearses for this younger generation going into the Promised Land the tremendous experience of receiving the law directly from God (vv. 22-26). The children of Israel promised to keep the Law, but they did not do it (v. 27). These people were under favorable conditions, living …
Occult Practices verses Prophetic Revelation
When God divided the Promised Land among the 12 tribes, the Levites did not receive a portion of land. Instead, 48 cities were set aside for them (Numbers 35:1-8). The Lord was their inheritance. The Israelites were to support the Levites as they served the Lord. The Levites carried out tasks …
Do Not Listen to False Prophets
The key phrase in Deuteronomy 13 is, “Let us go after other gods†(vv. 2,6,13). The Israelites were warned not to listen to false prophets or to anyone else who tried to get them to worship other gods (vv. 2-11). Loved ones and friends can be especially persuasive. But love for relatives should not …
The Curses For Disobedience
Moses reminds Israel that they are not naive concerning idolatry (vv. 16-18). They had seen it in Egypt and then had fallen into idolatry along the way to the promised land. Because of this they should watch out for this sin when they entered the promised land and faced new temptations…
Moses Deals With Diet
In this chapter Moses deals with foods, talking about those that were acceptable and those which were forbidden for Israel to eat. When it comes to animals, they are divided into three classes: land (vv. 4-8), water (vv. 9-10), and air (vv. 11-20. He lists the animals that they should not eat…
A Warning Against Self Righteousness
In this chapter Moses turns his attention to two of Israel’s problems: pride and self-righteousness. Instead of receiving the blessings of the Promised Land as unmerited gifts of grace, Israel felt they deserved the land. The reason is not given; perhaps it was because they felt it was promised to …