Deuteronomy 1-3
Today we start the last of the Torah. Deuteronomy, the final book penned by Moses. How he was able to write about his death is one of the amazing parts of the Bible (KJV1611).
Deuteronomy means, "things". Some people take it to mean the second writing of the laws. The book itself is composed of 3 sermons given by Moses to the people, before he dies and they go take over the promised land.
So, lets begin day 51 of our Bible in a Year trek through the scripture.
Today we get to hear Moses talk about:
The whining of the people
He reiterates the 40 day search
The people they avoided; the people they utterly destroyed
Giving land to Gad, Reuben and half of Manasseh
The appointment of Joshua
Deuteronomy 1
MOSES (not God) said:
6 The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount:
It's about time, isn't it, almost 40 years now.
8 Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.
Moses then talks about how many people there are and he mentions the time that he appointed judges over the people in Exodus 18:21-26. He doesn't mention that he got the idea from his father-in-law Jethro.
This was the rule he gave to those judges.
17 Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God's: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it.
Don't pay attention to what the person looks like, rich people can be just as guilty as poor people.
20 And I said unto you, Ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorites, which the LORD our God doth give unto us.
They were right on the doorway to the promised land.
26 Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God:
29 Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.
30 The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;
But they didn't believe, except for Caleb and Joshua, so they all got cursed to die in the wilderness except for their children under 20.
35 Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers.
Moses then sets the "Age of Accountability". This is the first, and possibly only time where children are held blameless. Remember, only people under 20 were allowed in. So when we read Deuteronomy 1:39. Pay attention to what it says.
39 Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.
Children, had no knowledge between good and evil. Moses establishes the age of accountability at 20.
He then mentions how the people decided they'd go fight for the land, but God had abandoned them, so they died.
44 And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, even unto Hormah.
Deuteronomy 2
Moses then mentions that they were (for a while) in the land of Esau, which is Seir. Now this is rather odd. Why wasn't Esau mentioned in Numbers 24, when the people were going through Seir? Why didn't Moses go and talk to the leader who was their distant cousin, AS their distant cousin?
Why did Moses suddenly remember that Seir was the land of Esau?
5 Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.
Then they went past the Moabites.
9 And the LORD said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give thee of their land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession.
What the heck is going on? First we are told/reminded that Seir (Edom) is Esau, and now we are told that Ar belongs to the incestuous children of Lot.
We go from Genesis 19, to Deuteronomy 2 without hearing about Lot and now Moses is name dropping him too?
So after all the people who were fighting age at the time of being sent into the wilderness died, it was time for the people to go into the promised land.
Now that we are passed Esau's offspring, and Lot's offspring, the Hebe's can start killing, and claiming land!
24 Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the river Arnon: behold, I have given into thine hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land: begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle.
Sihon was the first.
33 And the LORD our God delivered him before us; and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people.
34 And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones, of every city, we left none to remain:
I thought they kept the virgins?
Deuteronomy 3
Next to die was Og.
3 So the LORD our God delivered into our hands Og also, the king of Bashan, and all his people: and we smote him until none was left to him remaining.
6 And we utterly destroyed them, as we did unto Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the men, women, and children, of every city.
Again, didn't they keep the virgins?
Now we get to hear again, about Reuben and Gad and half of Manasseh staying on this side of Jordan.
12 And this land, which we possessed at that time, from Aroer, which is by the river Arnon, and half mount Gilead, and the cities thereof, gave I unto the Reubenites and to the Gadites.
He then reiterates the promise of Reuben and Gad to fight to free the promised land, and leave their wives and kids and cattle behind.
Moses then asks if he can go (again) but God said no. Now Moses does do some blame shifting (even though he's the meekest person on the earth).
26 But the LORD was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me: and the LORD said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter.
Then he talks about Joshua being the new "the man".
28 But charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him: for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which thou shalt see.
So what have we learned today?
1. We are reminded that Edom is Esau.
2. We are told that Ar is Lot.
3. We don't really learn much new, it's pretty much all stuff we've been taught in Numbers and Exodus.
YIC
V
Today we start the last of the Torah. Deuteronomy, the final book penned by Moses. How he was able to write about his death is one of the amazing parts of the Bible (KJV1611).
Deuteronomy means, "things". Some people take it to mean the second writing of the laws. The book itself is composed of 3 sermons given by Moses to the people, before he dies and they go take over the promised land.
So, lets begin day 51 of our Bible in a Year trek through the scripture.
Today we get to hear Moses talk about:
The whining of the people
He reiterates the 40 day search
The people they avoided; the people they utterly destroyed
Giving land to Gad, Reuben and half of Manasseh
The appointment of Joshua
Deuteronomy 1
MOSES (not God) said:
6 The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount:
It's about time, isn't it, almost 40 years now.
8 Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.
Moses then talks about how many people there are and he mentions the time that he appointed judges over the people in Exodus 18:21-26. He doesn't mention that he got the idea from his father-in-law Jethro.
This was the rule he gave to those judges.
17 Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God's: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it.
Don't pay attention to what the person looks like, rich people can be just as guilty as poor people.
20 And I said unto you, Ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorites, which the LORD our God doth give unto us.
They were right on the doorway to the promised land.
26 Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God:
29 Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.
30 The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;
But they didn't believe, except for Caleb and Joshua, so they all got cursed to die in the wilderness except for their children under 20.
35 Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers.
Moses then sets the "Age of Accountability". This is the first, and possibly only time where children are held blameless. Remember, only people under 20 were allowed in. So when we read Deuteronomy 1:39. Pay attention to what it says.
39 Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.
Children, had no knowledge between good and evil. Moses establishes the age of accountability at 20.
He then mentions how the people decided they'd go fight for the land, but God had abandoned them, so they died.
44 And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, even unto Hormah.
Deuteronomy 2
Moses then mentions that they were (for a while) in the land of Esau, which is Seir. Now this is rather odd. Why wasn't Esau mentioned in Numbers 24, when the people were going through Seir? Why didn't Moses go and talk to the leader who was their distant cousin, AS their distant cousin?
Why did Moses suddenly remember that Seir was the land of Esau?
5 Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.
Then they went past the Moabites.
9 And the LORD said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give thee of their land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession.
What the heck is going on? First we are told/reminded that Seir (Edom) is Esau, and now we are told that Ar belongs to the incestuous children of Lot.
We go from Genesis 19, to Deuteronomy 2 without hearing about Lot and now Moses is name dropping him too?
So after all the people who were fighting age at the time of being sent into the wilderness died, it was time for the people to go into the promised land.
Now that we are passed Esau's offspring, and Lot's offspring, the Hebe's can start killing, and claiming land!
24 Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the river Arnon: behold, I have given into thine hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land: begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle.
Sihon was the first.
33 And the LORD our God delivered him before us; and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people.
34 And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones, of every city, we left none to remain:
I thought they kept the virgins?
Deuteronomy 3
Next to die was Og.
3 So the LORD our God delivered into our hands Og also, the king of Bashan, and all his people: and we smote him until none was left to him remaining.
6 And we utterly destroyed them, as we did unto Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the men, women, and children, of every city.
Again, didn't they keep the virgins?
Now we get to hear again, about Reuben and Gad and half of Manasseh staying on this side of Jordan.
12 And this land, which we possessed at that time, from Aroer, which is by the river Arnon, and half mount Gilead, and the cities thereof, gave I unto the Reubenites and to the Gadites.
He then reiterates the promise of Reuben and Gad to fight to free the promised land, and leave their wives and kids and cattle behind.
Moses then asks if he can go (again) but God said no. Now Moses does do some blame shifting (even though he's the meekest person on the earth).
26 But the LORD was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me: and the LORD said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter.
Then he talks about Joshua being the new "the man".
28 But charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him: for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which thou shalt see.
So what have we learned today?
1. We are reminded that Edom is Esau.
2. We are told that Ar is Lot.
3. We don't really learn much new, it's pretty much all stuff we've been taught in Numbers and Exodus.
YIC
V
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