Israel – Praying Pint

53.n. Wilderness – 17.t. “But you shall not go there”

Deu 32:48-52 That very day the LORD spoke to Moses, “Go up this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, opposite Jericho, and view the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel for a possession. And die on the mountain which you go up, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died in Mount Hor and was gathered to his people, because you broke faith with me in the midst of the people of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, and because you did not treat me as holy in the midst of the people of Israel. For you shall see the land before you, but you shall not go there, into the land that I am giving to the people of Israel.”

On the day on which Moses rehearsed this song in the hearing of the people, his death was announced to him by God, and the command was again given to him to ascend Mount Nebo, thence to survey the Promised Land, and there to be gathered to his people. Moses, as the last act of his 120 years, would climb Mount Nebo, and die at the summit of the mountain.

We should never take our sins lightly. God’s grace and mercy should not give us free reign to discount the sinfulness of sin in our lives.

God’s Word is profitable for instruction and reproach. It should encourage us as well as convict us of sin so that we would recognize it and repent it. This is no shallow commitment. It is heart, mind, and soul deep. If you are not encouraged or convicted of sin, if there is a seemingly aimless wondering in your soul, if there is a void of God’s Word coming to mind, if there is a longing for something more if there is no Holy Spirit’s leading in your life….. It could be there is a famine of God’s Word in it. Neglect of His Word will always leave you void of comfort, hope, trust, reliance, joy, purpose, and satisfaction…..

It is no shallow commitment – it is an intentional choice and commitment that relies on and feeds on the Word of God.

53.m. Wilderness – 17.s. ““Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today”

Deu 32:45-47  And when Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel, he said to them, “Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”

Deuteronomy 6:6-7    And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

Deuteronomy 11:18     “You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.

1 Chronicles 22:19    Now set your mind and heart to seek the LORD your God.

Proverbs 3:1-4    My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments,  for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.  Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.  So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.

Ezekiel 40:4    And the man said to me, “Son of man, look with your eyes, and hear with your ears, and set your heart upon all that I shall show you, for you were brought here in order that I might show it to you. Declare all that you see to the house of Israel.”

Hebrews 2:1    Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.

1 Timothy 4:8     for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

And he said unto them,…. By way of exhortation: set your hearts to all the words which I testify among you this day; it was not enough to hear them, but they were to lay them up in their hearts, and retain them in their memories; and not only so, but reflect on them in their minds, and closely apply to the consideration of them, and get the true knowledge and sense of them, and put it in practice. (Gill)

Moses: “I am warning you today”. Mose’s time was about up. He was not going into the Promised Land. He had spent 40 years in the wilderness, leading and instructing them in the Word of God, the Things of God, and the intentional choice to obey and follow God. Unbelief, grumbling, and disobedience were always at the door of their hearts and minds. The older generation of these unbelieving, grumbling, and disobedient people passed away in the wilderness. They were not allowed to enter into the promised land. This new generation was about to enter the promised land and Moses was instructing them on the importance of obeying and following after God; ““Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law.”

I sometimes think how easy it would be to follow after God if there wasn’t so much busyness and intrusion, things that grab hold of my time and concern. (which by the way are nothing more than excuses we use to become complacent) Think about the Israelites. They spent 40 years in the wilderness with very little outside influence. They weren’t building towns or homes or businesses. They were tending their flocks and when God indicated it was time to move they broke camp and moved on to another place. They would see firsthand the provisions of God in their water and food supply in the desert. They would see the could by day and fire by night of the presence of God leading them. They would have seen God’s blessings and judgments. They would have heard firsthand communication from God through Moses. They were taught temple worship, sacrifice, and the Law of God. What happened? They would commit to the covenant of God and then, over time, forget and commit the very things they committed not to do and not do the things they said they would.

I have come to understand that it is not the busyness of life that distracts us into complacency and falling away. Our heart, mind, and soul are not making an intentional choice, a life commitment choice, to follow, obey, trust, and rely upon God. Busyness is just an excuse we use to neglect God’s Word.

Take a look at where you are spiritually. Do you hear the quiet whispers of the Holy Spirit’s leading in your life? Are you hungering, thirsting, and desiring the Word of God so that you can better honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all your thoughts, words, and actions? If the Word of God has become a dry well, and its fruits a dead and dying tree, then recognize it and repent of it, and seek after that which is holy and honorable. The world and its pleasures and lusts will consume the heart, mind, and soul if the Word of God is neglected and not desired.

53.k. Wilderness – 17.q. “For the day of their calamity is at hand”

Deu 32:35  Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.’

Psalms 94:1   O LORD, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth!

Nahum 1:2    The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD is avenging and wrathful; the LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies.

Nahum 1:6     Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him.

Romans 12:19    Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

Hebrews 10:30     For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.”

Psalms 73:17-19   until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end.  Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin.  How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors!

Proverbs 4:19    The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.

Jeremiah 13:16    Give glory to the LORD your God before he brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the twilight mountains, and while you look for light he turns it into gloom and makes it deep darkness.

1 Peter 2:8    and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

2 Peter 2:3     And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

Isaiah 30:12-13    Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, “Because you despise this word and trust in oppression and perverseness and rely on them,  therefore this iniquity shall be to you like a breach in a high wall, bulging out and about to collapse, whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant;

Habakkuk 2:3    For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.

2 Peter 3:8-10     But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.  The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.  But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

The Lord will never disgrace the throne of his glory. It is great wisdom, and will help much to the return of sinners to God, seriously to consider their latter end, or the future state. It is here meant particularly of what God foretold by Moses, about this people in the latter days; but it may be applied generally. Oh that men would consider the happiness they will lose, and the misery they will certainly plunge into, if they go on in their trespasses! What will be in the end thereof? Jer 5:31. For the Lord will in due time bring down the enemies of the church, in displeasure against their wickedness. When sinners deem themselves most secure, they suddenly fall into destruction. (Henry)

It is my office to punish sin, and therefore as I know their sins, so I will assuredly punish them. Their feet shall slide; they who now think they stand fast and unmovable, they shall fall into utter destruction. In due time; though not so soon as some may expect it, yet in that time when it shall be most proper and seasonable, when they have filled up the measure of their sins (Brown)

We read these verses and see the coming of God’s vengeance on those who reject and deny Him and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We might even have thoughts of cheering on the coming of this event. Yet when I read these verses I can only humbly bow my head and reverently say; “Thank you, Lord Jesus”. The verses describe the exact punishment I deserved prior to God exposing my Sin and revealing His Son to me. It is not as though I was on a mindful journey seeking to find redemption and salvation through Jesus Christ. No, I was content in my sin and my life apart from God. God, in His love, mercy, and grace, exposed me to Himself through a painful event that opened my eyes to Him and the need for redemption.

I look back at how the couple across the street invited my wife and I to come to listen to an evangelist on a Thursday night, and how the words of this man spoke deep into my soul, and with utter clarity I was given a clear understanding of the need for redemption, salvation, and forgiveness. God orchestrated it all. Not only that, but the couple across the street were well-grounded and strong believers who continually explained more and more of the bible to us.

I grasp glimpses of understanding God’s vengeance and His grace, mercy, and love. These always bring me to the same place in my thoughts; “Thank you, Lord Jesus”!

53.h. Wilderness – 17.n. “Oh, that my people would listen to me”

Deu 32:29  If they were wise, they would understand this; they would discern their latter end!

Deuteronomy 5:29     Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!

Psalms 81:13    Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!

Psalms 107:15     Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!

Psalms 107:43   Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD.

Isaiah 48:18-19   Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea;  your offspring would have been like the sand, and your descendants like its grains; their name would never be cut off or destroyed from before me.”

Hosea 14:9    Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.

Luke 19:41-42     And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it,  saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

Amos 8:11. “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign LORD, “when I will send a famine through the land— not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD.“

Matthew 9:36    When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Romans 11:7-10    What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened,  as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.”  And David says, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them;  let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever.”

The idolatry and rebellions of Israel deserved, and the justice of God seemed to demand, that they should be rooted out. But He spared Israel, and continues them still to be living witnesses of the truth of the Bible, and to silence unbelievers. They are preserved for wise and holy purposes and the prophecies give us some idea what those purposes are. The Lord will never disgrace the throne of his glory. It is great wisdom, and will help much to the return of sinners to God, seriously to consider their latter end, or the future state. It is here meant particularly of what God foretold by Moses, about this people in the latter days; but it may be applied generally. Oh that men would consider the happiness they will lose, and the misery they will certainly plunge into, if they go on in their trespasses! What will be in the end thereof? Jer 5:31. For the Lord will in due time bring down the enemies of the church, in displeasure against their wickedness. When sinners deem themselves most secure, they suddenly fall into destruction. And God’s time to appear for the deliverance of his people, is when things are at the worst with them. But those who trust to any rock but God, will find it fail them when they most need it. The rejection of the Messiah by the Jewish nation, is the continuance of their ancient idolatry, apostacy, and rebellion. They shall be brought to humble themselves before the Lord, to repent of their sins, and to trust in their long-rejected Mediator for salvation. Then he will deliver them, and make their prosperity great. (Henry)

I sometimes wonder if we continue in sin because we are ignorant of God’s Word, lack the desire to study and know it, have less desire to apply it, and have deluded our hearts with worldly wisdom to the point where we are void of the wisdom, truth, promises, warnings, hope, blessings, refuge, strength, and encouragement it proclaims. We know more about worldly stuff than we know about the Word of God. How is Jesus Christ honored and glorified in this? How are we to know if our feet are on the path to righteousness? How are we to know right from wrong, good from bad, and truth from false if the Word of God is not in our hearts and minds? How can we be ever-growing and maturing in our understanding and knowledge of God’s grace, mercy, and love apart from His Word? How are we to live so that Jesus Christ is honored and glorified in all of our thoughts, words, and actions if the desire of our hearts and minds is on worldly pursuits and blind to the things of God?

How is the Holy Spirit to speak into our lives if our ears are deaf? How are we to see things of God if our eyes are blind? How do we understand the signs of the times? How are we to recognize sin? How are we to know that we need to repent? How are we to be light to the lost? How are we to be the salt of the earth? Will people be curious about Jesus by the way you live and treat others?

We make time in our day for many things, things we deem important and need to do. We make time for things that are not so important but these things occupy much of our time in mindless consumption. (TV, Social Media, News outlets, Sports) We pursue things that are important to us. We also allow our minds to be consumed by the unimportant. It seems as if we gravitate toward the worldly and away from things of God. “Oh, that my people would listen to me”

53. Wilderness – 17.f. “They will forsake me and break my covenant that I have made with them”

Deu 31:14 And the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, the days approach when you must die. Call Joshua and present yourselves in the tent of meeting, that I may commission him.” And Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the tent of meeting. And the LORD appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud. And the pillar of cloud stood over the entrance of the tent. And the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers. Then this people will rise and whore after the foreign gods among them in the land that they are entering, and they will forsake me and break my covenant that I have made with them. Then my anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide my face from them, and they will be devoured. And many evils and troubles will come upon them, so that they will say in that day, ‘Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?And I will surely hide my face in that day because of all the evil that they have done, because they have turned to other gods. “Now therefore write this song and teach it to the people of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the people of Israel. For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covenant. And when many evils and troubles have come upon them, this song shall confront them as a witness (for it will live unforgotten in the mouths of their offspring). For I know what they are inclined to do even today, before I have brought them into the land that I swore to give.” So Moses wrote this song the same day and taught it to the people of Israel. And the LORD commissioned Joshua the son of Nun and said, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the people of Israel into the land that I swore to give them. I will be with you.” When Moses had finished writing the words of this law in a book to the very end, Moses commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, “Take this Book of the Law and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against you. For I know how rebellious and stubborn you are. Behold, even today while I am yet alive with you, you have been rebellious against the LORD. How much more after my death! Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears and call heaven and earth to witness against them. For I know that after my death you will surely act corruptly and turn aside from the way that I have commanded you. And in the days to come evil will befall you, because you will do what is evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger through the work of your hands.”

Moses and Joshua attended the Divine Majesty at the door of the tabernacle. Moses is told again that he must shortly die; even those who are most ready and willing to die, need to be often reminded of its coming. The Lord tells Moses, that, after his death, the covenant he had taken so much pains to make between Israel and their God, would certainly be broken. Israel would forsake Him; then God would forsake Israel. Justly does he cast those off who so unjustly cast him off. Moses is directed to deliver them a song, which should remain a standing testimony for God, as faithful to them in giving them warning, and against them, as persons false to themselves in not taking the warning. The word of God is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of men’s hearts, and meets them by reproofs and correction. Ministers who preach the word, know not the imaginations of men; but God, whose word it is, knows perfectly. (Henry)

After handing over the office to Joshua, and the law to the priests and elders, Moses was called by the Lord to come to the tabernacle with Joshua, to command him (צוּה), i.e., to appoint him, confirm him in his office. To this end the Lord appeared in the tabernacle (Deuteronomy 31:15), in a pillar of cloud, which remained standing before it, as in Numbers 12:5 (see the exposition of Numbers 11:25). But before appointing Joshua, He announced to Moses that after his death the nation would go a whoring after other gods, and would break the covenant, for which it would be visited with severe afflictions, and directed him to write an ode and teach it to the children of Israel, that when the apostasy should take place, and punishment from God be felt in consequence, it might speak as a witness against the people, as it would not vanish from their memory. The Lord communicated this commission to Moses in the presence of Joshua, that he also might hear from the mouth of God that the Lord foreknew the future apostasy of the people, and yet nevertheless would bring them into the promised land. In this there was also implied an admonition to Joshua, not only to take care that the Israelites learned the ode and kept it in their memories, but also to strive with all his might to prevent the apostasy, so long as he was leader of Israel; which Joshua did most faithfully to the very end of his life. (Keil)

Knowing and being in covenant with God, knowing and receiving His blessings under this covenant, and being given clear warnings of blessings and curses is not enough for a person to walk in obedience and honor the covenant between God and us. There are two sides to a covenant and it requires both parties to fulfill their obligations of the covenant. It is not enough to just “know”. We can know of God and His promises, and yet not live for Him. We can know of His love, grace, and mercy, and yet not trust Him. We can know of His offer of salvation, and yet not believe it. We can know of His great might and awesome power, and yet not rely upon Him. We can know of His all-knowing of our thoughts and intents, and yet, still allow sinful thoughts into our minds. We can know of His in-filling Holy Spirit, and yet, not listen and follow its leading. We can have His Word readily at our fingertips, and yet, not read it. We can know of His healing powers, and yet, deny it for ourselves. We can know of His holiness, and yet, continue in our sinfulness. Knowing is not enough. There must be a reason, purpose, something more, something deeper driving us to more than knowing.

This covenant is offered to us by the Creator of all there is. Let this sink in. God, Creator of all there is, All-Powerful, Ever-Present, and All-knowing has made a covenant with His creation. This covenant is born out of grace, mercy, and love. Holiness reaches out to sinfulness and makes a covenant with those who would take hold of it, obey it, follow it, trust it, rely upon it, believe it, and cling to every word of it.

We live under a new covenant that came at a great cost for Jesus Christ, who was beaten, spit upon, whipped, flogged, ridiculed, nailed to the cross, and died. He is worthy of all honor, glory, praise, and worship. The redemption and salvation of our sinful souls have a very high cost, and yet, we give it little respect if we were to be honest with ourselves. Our time in His Word seems to be more of an afterthought, or a bit of an inconvenience, or a tick in the box of “living for Jesus”. Does this sound at all like the type of person who was thankful, repentant, humble, and wanting to bring honor and glory to Jesus Christ?

We intentionally choose to be always mindful of the covenant, the presence of God, the quiet whispers of the Holy Spirit, the sacrifice made for our redemption, and His worthiness of all our praise and worship, not only for what He has done but also for the promises of what He is doing and will do.

Growth, understanding, and wisdom of and about God are not obtained apart from His Word and a desire and seeking of it. This is an intentional choice. A life choice. A purposed life. A mindset and ever-present purpose to bring honor and glory to Jesus Christ. Every thought is taken captive, every word spoken is with grace, mercy, and kindness, and every action is subject to bringing honor and glory to Jesus.

The new covenant of redemption and salvation has two parties. God has given and fulfilled this blessed, graceful, and merciful covenant. Are we living up to our obligations of it?

52.z. Wilderness – 17.e. “Hear and learn to fear the LORD your God

Deu 31:9-13 Then Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel. And Moses commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, at the set time in the year of release, at the Feast of Booths, when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place that he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law, and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as you live in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”

Though we read the word in private, we must not think it needless to hear it read in public. This solemn reading of the law must be done in the year of release. The year of release was typical of gospel grace, which is called the acceptable year of the Lord; for our pardon and liberty by Christ, engage us to keep his commandments. It must be read to all Israel, men, women, children, and to the strangers. It is the will of God that all people should acquaint themselves with his word. It is a rule to all, therefore should be read to all. Whoever has read of the pains taken by many persons to get scraps of the Scriptures, when a whole copy could not be obtained, or safely possessed, will see how thankful we should be for the thousands of copies amongst us. They will also understand the very different situation in which the Israelites were placed for many ages. But the heart of man is so careless, that all will be found too little, to keep up a knowledge of the truths, precepts, and worship of God. (Henry)

The Feast of Tabernacles was appointed as the season for the reading, doubtless because there was a connection between the end for which the Law was read and the spirit and meaning of that festival as a festival of rejoicing because of their deliverance from the uncertainty and unsettledness of their state in the wilderness, and their establishment in a well-ordered state where they could in peace and quietness enjoy the blessings which the bounty of God bestowed. (Unkown)

Much could be said about the importance of this Law in regards to the timing of its reading, we should not lose sight of the importance given to reading it at this time for the children who may have not heard before. The law was to be their guiding observance for conduct and worship and obedience to God every single minute of every single day. And yet, it appears that during this special time of feasting the reading of the law to everyone.

How easy is it to lapse into a famine of God’s Word in our lives? We may continually have Christian music playing, and we might listen to snippets of sermons on the radio or read a daily devotion but is the Word of God hungered and thirsted for each day? Do we desire and cherish it? Is The Word of God more important than social media sporting events or the pursuit of our pleasures in this world? A host of things come to mind that lead to our lukewarmness. Envy, fear, pride, greed, jealousy, self-worth, busyness, worry, arrogance, boastfulness, hate, anger, lust, neglect, complacency, etc…. are common threats to our walk with God. His Word and the Holy Spirit’s leading bring to light when they stand at the door of our hearts.

Come to His Word with a hunger to learn from it. Thirst to be led by it. Commit to apply it as the Holy Spirit instructs you. Strive to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all thoughts, words, and actions each moment of every day. As we grow in the knowledge and understanding of our sinfulness we will grow in our experience and knowledge of God’s grace, mercy, and love.

52.y. Wilderness – 17.d. “The LORD your God himself will go over before you.”

Deu 31:1-8 So Moses continued to speak these words to all Israel. And he said to them, “I am 120 years old today. I am no longer able to go out and come in. The LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not go over this Jordan.’ The LORD your God himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations before you, so that you shall dispossess them, and Joshua will go over at your head, as the LORD has spoken. And the LORD will do to them as he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when he destroyed them. And the LORD will give them over to you, and you shall do to them according to the whole commandment that I have commanded you. Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

Moses assures Israel of the constant presence of God with them. This is applied by the apostle to all God’s spiritual Israel, to encourage their faith and hope; unto us is this gospel preached, as well as unto them; he will never fail thee, nor forsake thee, Heb 13:5. Moses commends Joshua to them for a leader; one whose wisdom, and courage, and affection they had long known; one whom God had appointed to be their leader; and therefore would own and bless. Joshua is well pleased to be admonished by Moses to be strong and of good courage. Those shall speed well, who have God with them; therefore they ought to be of good courage. Through God let us do valiantly, for through him we shall do victoriously; if we resist the devil, he will flee from us. (Henry)

In chapter 30 Moses instructed the people on “Blessings and Curses”, and that the choice is in each individual person. Follow and obey and serve and trust and rely upon God will result in blessings. Conversely – curses. Being steadfast in this commitment and not being distracted by the worldly pursuits that those who deny God follow after. Now Moses is passing leadership to Joshua for entry into the promised land. He was not going because God said “You shall not go over this Jordan”.

Moses encourages them; God will go before you, He will destroy these nations, You will dispossess them, Joshua will lead you. God will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og. They will be given over to you. Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or dread them. The Lord your God not only goes before you, He goes with you. He will never leave you or forsake you. Then Moses summons Joshua before all of Israel and encourages Him as the leader who will take them into the promised land.

How many times do we have our hearts and minds on other things than God going before us and being with us? When God is not our internal vision of desire, then the things of this world will become a snare and lead us down paths neither pleasing or in line with God’s Word for our lives. It would seem that we want the blessings of God and yet we live with our hearts and minds focused on things of this world, its pleasures, worries, and fears.

Every morning we awake we are given the opportunity to live that day to bring honor and glory to Jesus Christ in every thought, every word spoken, and every action taken. This must be an intentional choice, a desire, purpose, and lived out. Are we striving after this or are we just tending our lives with lukewarm commitment?

52.s. Wilderness – 16.y. “That he may establish you today as his people”

Deu 29:10-15 “You are standing today, all of you, before the LORD your God: the heads of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, all the men of Israel, your little ones, your wives, and the sojourner who is in your camp, from the one who chops your wood to the one who draws your water, so that you may enter into the sworn covenant of the LORD your God, which the LORD your God is making with you today, that he may establish you today as his people, and that he may be your God, as he promised you, and as he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. It is not with you alone that I am making this sworn covenant, but with whoever is standing here with us today before the LORD our God, and with whoever is not here with us today.

The national covenant made with Israel, not only typified the covenant of grace made with true believers, but also represented the outward dispensation of the gospel. Those who have been enabled to consent to the Lord’s new covenant of mercy and grace in Jesus Christ, and to give up themselves to be his people, should embrace every opportunity of renewing their open profession of relation to him, and their obligation to him, as the God of salvation, walking according thereto. (Henry)

None of them were allowed to consider themselves as exempt from the terms of that national compact, lest any lapsing into idolatry might prove a root of bitterness, spreading its noxious seed and corrupt influence all around. (Brown)

“To-day,” when the covenant-law and covenant-right were laid before them, the whole nation stood before the Lord without a single exception to enter inwardly, to make the covenant an affair of their heart and life.. (Keil)

There is no limit to the blessing of following Jehovah and keeping His word. It is open to all, from the highest to the lowest, to take hold of His covenant. (Elliott)

Fast forward to when Joshua was leading in battle of Jericho and they were told to destroy everything because of its great sin. Achan took some of the plunder and because of this sin God’s blessing of victory over the nations they were battling was absent. The sin of one had an affect on the whole. The whole nation of Israel stood in covenant with God. God’s covenant with the whole did not allow for willful disobedience of one. Achan was called out and his sin exposed that caused the break in the covenant with God. Achan and his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had. After they had stoned they burned them.

God’s fierce anger was released on them for the sin of one. Sin, our sin(s), have an effect on not only us individually, but others as well. We may think that to be the case but it is true. Greed, lust, hate, anger, pride, unkindness, lies, gossiping, backbiting, etc…… all have an affect on others, not to mention the disregard for God.

How many of us would be deserving of being stoned, save for the grace, mercy, and love of God? We do well to live with hearts and minds that honor and glorify Jesus Christ for the great grace, mercy, and love of God.

52.r. Wilderness – 16.x. “Therefore keep the words of this covenant and do them”

Deu 29:1-9 These are the words of the covenant that the LORD commanded Moses to make with the people of Israel in the land of Moab, besides the covenant that he had made with them at Horeb. And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: “You have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders. But to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear. I have led you forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandals have not worn off your feet. You have not eaten bread, and you have not drunk wine or strong drink, that you may know that I am the LORD your God. And when you came to this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon and Og the king of Bashan came out against us to battle, but we defeated them. We took their land and gave it for an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of the Manassites. Therefore keep the words of this covenant and do them, that you may prosper in all that you do.

This was not a new covenant in addition to that made at Sinai, but simply a renewal and reaffirmation of that covenant. At Sinai the covenant was, properly speaking, made; sacrifices were then offered, and the people were sprinkled with the sacrificial blood, whereby the covenant was ratified, but on the occasion here referred to, no sacrifices were offered, for this was merely the recognition of the covenant formerly made as still subsisting.

Some 40 years before this, at Horeb (Mount Sinai), Israel made a covenant with God: Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the LORD has said we will do, and be obedient.” And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with you according to all these words.” For the most part, the people who had the blood of the covenant sprinkled upon them had died in the wilderness. The generation of unbelief had died, now it was an opportunity for the generation of faith. So, Moses will reconfirm the covenant with the new generation.

Israel saw great wonders from the hand of God since coming from Egypt. They saw the plagues, they saw the death of the firstborn, they saw the Red Sea parted, they saw the Egyptian armies destroyed, they saw victories won by prayer, they ate the manna, they drank the miraculously provided water, and they saw miracle after miracle. Some people today think the greatest help to evangelism would be to see more miraculous events. After all, who could not believe in the face of such displays of spiritual power? But seeing great wonders accomplishes nothing apart from a supernatural work of God in someone’s heart.

During their forty years in the wilderness, their clothes did not wear out, their sandals did not wear out, and though they had no bread to eat or wine to drink, their needs were provided for. Israel conquered over their enemies, and they took their land.

Plainly, these are remarkable miracles. Clothes and sandals simply do not last 40 years of hard marching in the wilderness apart from a miracle. The wilderness does not provide enough food and water to meet the needs of some two million people apart from a miracle. A nation of slaves for 400 years does not conquer standing nations and take their land apart from a miracle. Seeing these great works of God, there is one logical response. Knowing the greatness of God’s love and power should make Israel more committed than ever to His covenant. (Guzik)

Both former mercies, and fresh mercies, should be thought on by us as motives to obedience. The hearing ear, and seeing eye, and the understanding heart, are the gift of God. All that have them, have them from him. God gives not only food and raiment, but wealth and large possessions, to many to whom he does not give grace. Many enjoy the gifts, who have not hearts to perceive the Giver, nor the true design and use of the gifts. We are bound, in gratitude and interest, as well as in duty and faithfulness, to keep the words of the covenant. (Henry)

52.j. Wilderness – 16.p. “Walk as children of light “

Deu 27:9-10  Then Moses and the Levitical priests said to all Israel, “Keep silence and hear, O Israel: this day you have become the people of the LORD your God. You shall therefore obey the voice of the LORD your God, keeping his commandments and his statutes, which I command you today.”

Romans 6:22    But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11    Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,  nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.  And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Ephesians 5:8-9    for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light  (for the fruit of light is found in

1 Peter 2:10-11    Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.  Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

If the LORD is our king, then it is fitting that we obey Him this way. Moses, and all the leadership of Israel simply declared a fact that was obvious to everyone. (Guzik)

“You have become the people of the Lord your God”. As children of the King of Kings, we are blessed beyond all measure. Through God’s grace, mercy, and love we have been redeemed and born again through faith in Jesus Christ’s sacrifice. Jesus suffered beating, ridicule, whipping, and nailed to the cross. He did this to redeem and save us from the corruption within our souls. What manner of children should we be in light of this?

Should we:

Give into worldly pleasures and lusts?
Give into greed, pride, fear, anxiousness, hate, jealousy, worry, etc…?
Give into the busyness of life?
Give into neglect of God’s Word?
Give into being babes in our knowledge and understanding of God’s Word and things of God?
Give into being lukewarm in our commitment?
Give into gossip?
Give into blind eyes and deaf ears to the leading of the Holy Spirit?

We are a child of God, the King of Kings, Creator of all there is, our all-knowing, all-powerful, and ever-present Heavenly Father. What manner of children should we be? What witness in your life brings recognition, honor, and glory to Him alone?