Deuteronomy 32-35

The Promised Land

Chapter 32
Moses teaches the Israelites a song whose lyrics appear in this chapter. In essence, the song exalts God, summarizes what the Lord has done for Israel, predicts how they will turn away from Him, and then details how they will suffer curses as a result of the Lord's "vindiction."

Moses uses this song to warn the Israelites to obey the Lord. If they do,
"By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”

God then commands Moses to climb up the mountain to die. Moses will never be able to see the Promised Land because he and Aaron "broke faith with [God] in the presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Desert of Zin," and because they did not uphold God's holiness among the Israelites.

Chapter 33
Moses then blessed each of the tribes one by one:

Let Reuben live and not die
be Judah's help against his foes
Bless Levi's skills and strike down those who rise against him
Let the beloved of the Lord rest in Benjamin
Many many blessings, both material goods and battle strength, were bestowed upon Joseph
Zebulun will feast on the abundance of the seas
Gad chose the choicest land, and blessed is he who enlarges it
Dan is a lion’s cub, springing out of Bashan
Naphthali will inherit southward to the lake
Asher's strength will equal his days

Blessed are you, Israel!
Who is like you,
a people saved by the LORD?
He is your shield and helper
and your glorious sword.

Chapter 34
Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo and the Lord showed him all the land that the Israelites would inherit. Then, Moses died at the age of 120. The Israelites mourned his death for a month. Joshua, who was filled with the spirit of wisdom from the Lord, took over as leader.

I like the ending . . .

10 Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, 11 who did all those signs and wonders the LORD sent him to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. 12 For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

Deuteronomy 30-31

1. Prosperity After Turning to the Lord
Moses knows that the Israelites will turn away from the Lord and be thoroughly cursed, including being forced into exile. Moses then assures them that if they wholeheartedly return to the Lord and follow His ways, He will bless them abundantly regardless of their past sins. Moreover, He will then thoroughly curse their enemies.

2. The Offer of Life or Death
Now Moses tells the Israelites that he has just shown them how to honor the Lord and follow His ways. They did not need to ascend into heaven or cross the sea to determine how to obey God and receive His blessings; he had just told them how to live in that regard. To impress upon them the importance of obeying the Lord, he states that they are essentially choosing between life and death by either obeying or disobeying Him, respectively. Heaven and earth are called as witnesses against the Israelites to ratify their treaty with God and establish Moses' assertion that Israel now had an important decision to make in terms of following Him.

3. Joshua to Succeed Moses
Next Moses tells the Israelites that Joshua would lead them into the Promised Land. He exhorts them to be strong and courageous, as they would be attacking - and defeating - the heathen nations in their path with the Lord's help.

4. The Reading of the Law
Moses then instructs the priests, the sons of Levi and the elders of Israel to read the entire law of the Lord to the assembly of Israel during the (septennial) Feast of Tabernacles. This would ensure that Israel would be continually reminded of its perpetual obligation to live up to its covenant with the Lord.

5. Israel's Rebellion Predicted
Now the Lord tells Moses and Joshua that He knows that the Israelites will fail to live up to their covenant with Him. He would then bring all of His promised curses on them and cause them to remember Him. He tells Moses to teach the Israelites a particular song that would remind them - especially when they had been punished - of His ability and willingness to punish those who forsake Him. The Lord exhorts Joshua to be strong and courageous in leading His people into the Promised Land, since He will be with him. Moses then relays the Lord's prediction of Israel's apostasy to the Levites, telling them that the Book of the Law, heaven and earth would serve as witnesses against them in this regard - especially after the Lord begins to curse them for their disobedience.

6. The Song of Moses
Moses prepares to teach the Israelites the Lord's song of judgment.

Deuteronomy 28-29

In this passage, God lists the blessings (or curses) that Israel can expect if they obey (or disobey) His commands. Moses then exhorts Israel to hew to the Lord's covenant with them, because the consequences for failing in this regard are too horrible to be contemplated.

1. Blessings for Obedience
If the Israelites are careful to obey all of the Lord's commands, He will bless them as follows:

• their blessings will not be limited by geography


• their children will be blessed


• they will not go hungry - in fact, they will have a surplus of food


• their livestock will be blessed


• their blessings will not be restricted by the time of day


• they will be blessed in their military endeavors.

As a result of these blessings, all other nations will fear Israel - and by extension, the Lord. They will be in a dominant position relative to other nations.

2. Curses for Disobedience
Now if the Israelites fail to obey all of the Lord's commands, He will reverse all of the aforementioned blessings. In addition, He will curse them as follows:

• they will be afflicted with all kinds of unpleasant diseases


• drought, blight, mildew, locusts and worms will strike their land


• they will be afflicted with mental illnesses and blindness


• they will lose their families and possessions, and other nations will be able to put them to good use


• they will be driven into exile and forced to serve their enemies and worship their gods


• they will be in debt to the aliens living among them


• they will resort to cannibalism during long sieges of their fortified cities


• they will lack peace of mind.

3. Renewal of the Covenant
Now that the Lord has presented His new covenant with Israel, Moses reminds them of His faithfulness to them - which should motivate them to honor it. In particular, he reminds them of how God led them out of Egypt, how He sustained them during 40 years of wandering in the desert, and how He helped them to defeat Sihon and Og. He then establishes the fact that all Israel - including future generations - is entering into this new covenant with God. Now he reminds them that serving other gods will lead to disaster, so he warns Israel against this sin. Finally he reminds them that the Lord will punish individuals for their sins, so they cannot hide from Him in the midst of the community. Moreover, Israel should not sin corporately, as this will cause the Lord to strike their land for many generations to come. Other nations would see the resulting destruction and know that the Lord was punishing His people for their sins - especially that of idolatry.

Deuteronomy 26-27

The Israelites are about to enter the Promised Land!!

Through Moses, God instructs the Israelites "once you have entered the promised land and settle in it, take the first fruits of your crop and give it as an offering to God." This money shall then be used for the Levites (priests), the fatherless, and the widow "so that they may eat and be satisfied."

God truly cares about taking care of the priests (in our case, pastors, ministers, etc), the fatherless and the widow (poor, hungry, etc).

God then tells them to keep his commandments. In fact, he tells them to write the commandments on a stone. He asks them to build an alter without using iron tools! In fact, he asks them to build it out of fieldstones! Man, that's a lot more work!

Almost ominously, Moses then tells them that the tribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin will stand on Mount Ebal to bless the people while Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali will pronounce curses. (!)

Then the Levites will pronounce what kinds of curses will befall a member if he commits a series of sins (such as sleeping with your father's wife, setting up idols, leading the blind astray, killing your neighbor, moving a boundary stone, dishonoring parents, immoral sexual relations). He ends with

He ends with the following general statement:

“Cursed is the man who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them out.”
Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

Deuteronomy 23-25

In this passage, God shows the Israelites how to address additional real-life situations.

1. Exclusion from the Assembly
The Israelites are given several commands regarding who could worship in the Lord's presence. In particular, God did not permit those who had emasculated themselves in the course of idol worship to worship Him. Others who were excluded in this regard included children who were products of "forbidden marriages" (whether this denotes those who were born out of wedlock and/or those who were products of affairs with shrine prostitutes is unclear), Ammonites and Moabites (based on their actions in Numbers 22-24). Edomites and Egyptians were to be punished less harshly, though, as the third generation of their descendants would be allowed to worship the Lord.

2. Uncleanness in the Camp
The Israelites are then given several commands regarding proper hygiene when maintaining their encampments during periods of warfare. Any soldier who had a nocturnal emission needed to leave the camp during the day - and could only return in the evening after washing themselves. If soldiers needed to relieve themselves they had to perform this function outside the camp, and they needed to cover their excrement afterward. This was done to preserve the holiness of the camp, as the Lord was not absent from His army during those times.

3. Miscellaneous Laws
In addition, the Lord gives the Israelites a veritable potpourri of commandments in this long section that spans the remainder of today's reading. The stated regulations can be lumped into several general categories:

• do not take unfair advantage of others


• set yourselves apart from the nations around you by not engaging in their evil practices


• honor the Lord with all your heart and soul and mind


• care for the disadvantaged among you


• strive to build up families.

Deuteronomy 20-22

In this passage, God shows the Israelites how to handle various real-life situations.

1. Going to War
The Israelites are commanded to stand firm in the face of an enemy that is numerically superior, since God has already given them the victory. To emphasize the Lord's role in the impending battle, the Israelite officers are told to discharge any soldiers who are not fully committed to dealing with their enemies. Also, when conquering enemy cities that are relatively isolated, the Israelites are allowed to take women, children and livestock as plunder while killing all of the enemy males - but only after presenting an initial offer of peace and laying siege to the city in question. In addition, when conquering enemy cities that are not relatively isolated, the Israelites are commanded to completely destroy them, lest they fall into sin. As an addendum, the Israelites are prohibited from using fruit trees for their siege works.

2. Atonement for an Unsolved Murder
Assume that a man has been murdered, and the identity of his killer cannot be determined. The elders of the town that is closest to the body of the dead man are commanded to take a heifer that has neither plowed a field nor been yoked and lead her to a pristine valley with a flowing stream. They must then break the heifer's neck and pray that the Lord will accept the heifer's death as an atonement for the murder in question. I do wonder why God wouldn't allow the identity of the killer to be ascertained via the drawing of lots, though.

3. Marrying a Captive Woman
Whenever the Israelites are permitted to take women as captives after their battles, they are also allowed to marry them. These brides-to-be must have their heads shaved and their nails trimmed; they must also put aside the clothes that they were wearing when they were captured. After a period of mourning for their parents that lasts one month, these brides-to-be can be married to their Israelite lovers. Divorce is allowed in these situations, though the divorced women cannot be regarded as slaves, which would be a mark of dishonor.

4. The Right of the Firstborn
Assume that a man has two wives, and he loves one but not the other; moreover, the wife that he does not love has given him his firstborn son. In this case, the man must conform to the standard practice of giving his firstborn son a double portion of his possessions. I find this to be quite satisfying.

5. A Rebellious Son
A son who refuses to obey his parents must be dragged by them to the elders at the gate of their town. After the parents declare the facts regarding their son's behavior, the men of their town must stone the rebellious son to death. This is done in order to set a dramatic example for all Israel to note.

6. Various Laws
Here, the Israelites are presented with a potpourri of commandments, including: promptly burying a man who has been hanged for murder, properly dealing with an item that a fellow Israelite has lost, helping a fellow Israelite's fallen donkey or ox to get up, prohibiting cross-dressing, freeing a mother bird when taking her young or her eggs (which I found to be a bit strange), building a parapet around the roof of a new house as a safety measure, enforcing purity - as seen in commandments regarding seed planting and proper material for clothing, and making tassels on the corners of cloaks (which I also found to be a bit strange).

7. Marriage Violations
Here, the Israelites are presented with various regulations regarding marriage. First, assume that a man claims that his wife was not a virgin when they were married. This is a serious allegation, and so his wife's parents must go to the town elders at the gate of their town and bring proof of their daughter's virginity before her marriage. If the elders deem the evidence to be acceptable, the man must pay a hundred shekels of silver to his father-in-law, and he is prohibited from divorcing his wife. Now if the evidence is not deemed acceptable, the men of that town must stone his wife to death in front of her father's house. Second, adulterers must be put to death. Third, assume that a man has slept with a betrothed virgin within the limits of a town; both of them must be put to death. Now if this act occurs outside of a town, only the man must be put to death. Fourth, assume that a man has slept with a virgin who is not betrothed; they must then be married after the man has paid the girl's father fifty shekels of silver, and divorce is not allowed for the duration of the husband's life. Lastly, a man must not commit adultery with any of his father's wives.

Deuteronomy 17-19:Purity Is Of Utmost Importance

Hi folks,

Yes, it's been months, but I'm determined to continue this for as long as it takes for us to finish reading the Bible. Was chatting with Emily a few weeks back, and she seems ready to get back on it too. Are you all with me??

:)

In these next few chapters we really see God emphasizing holiness and justice in so many different ways.

1. Sacrifices Must be Without Defect
It would be "detestable" to bring a lamb or goat that has a defect.

2. Purge the Evil Among You
God specifically instructs the Israelites to STONE to death anyone among them who is doing evil in the eyes of the Lord. God sets up a system to make sure that this is done as fairly as possible. One can only be stoned based on the testimony of 2-3 witnesses, not just one.

Furthermore, issues that are too difficult to determine will be handled by the Levitical priest and the judge. Anyone who shows contempt for the priest or the judge will ALSO be stoned.

3. The Appointed King Must be "from among you."
God instructed them to choose an Israelite as a king (not foreigner!). Not only that, the king MUST work with the priests and follow all of God's laws and commandments.

4. Do Not Mix with the Foreigners!
The foreigners that the Israelites would replace practiced detestable acts, such as sorcery, divination, witchcraft, child sacrifice, etc. God specifically commanded them not to engage in such practices. Instead, God told the Israelites he would provide them with a prophet, through whom God would speak.

5. Take Care of Your Priests
God specifically gave instructions for the Israelites to support their priests, since the priests serve the people and do not receive their own inheritance. "The LORD is their inheritance."

6. Provide a Refuge
Though God provided many laws to maintain holiness, He understood human nature and provided ways to protect those that might be harmed unnecessarily. He understood the desire that humans have for revenge. He knew that if a person accidentally hurt another, that person's family would want revenge, even if it wasn't his fault.

God asked the Israelites to set aside a few cities that would act as refuge areas for these people.

Of course, if a person murdered with malice aforethought, the rules were completely different. In that case, God instructed them to bring him back to his avengers. "Show no pity."

7. Fairness Is Important
At the end of it all, God reminds them that you can never convict anyone based on the testimony of one witness. God emphasizes how important it is for the judge to listen to all the facts, evidence, before he makes his impartial decision.