Welcome!
We’ve arrived in the course of our weekly bible study to the book of Deuteronomy.
For those who haven’t followed us regularly; we post the next bible study every Thursday in our COME AS A CHILD section of the blog. You can always find us on facebook under Wordcastle Publications and on Pinterest too. Just look for theinseasonlifestyle.com. Or you can sign up for a weekly lesson delivered into your e-mail box right here: https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/find-us/
CONTINUING THE ADVENTURE
The whole idea is to walk through the bible together with the heart of a child trusting their father to show them the way through life.
One fun part is that we all get to study together. You will love this community once you get to know us better.
We are taking this slow walk going page-by-page through the scriptures. It is a very steady and deliberate journey. We have put aside our pre-conceived ideas and concepts and we are trusting God (our Father) to reveal things to us as we go.
OPENING THE DOOR TO DEUTERONOMY
So it is that another fresh clean page of our journey turns today as we begin our study in Deuteronomy; Chapter One.
Israel is still out in the desert.
They are camped east of the Jordan River. This part of the country is called the Arabah. The Arabah is opposite Suph, and between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Dizahab.
With God’s help the people of Israel have defeated the Amorites (from Heshbon.) They have also defeated Og, the King of Bashan. The way to the promises has been cleared of their worst enemies; and they will now be able to go into the land of promise.
They are headed toward Kadesh Barnea. It takes eleven days to go from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea if you take the road through Mount Seir.
AFTER FORTY YEARS OF WANDERING
In the fortieth year of their wandering, on the first day of the eleventh month, as the people were camped on the mountain in Moab; Moses proclaimed that the LORD had commanded him concerning them.
God said that they had lingered long enough on that mountain.
That day Moses told them God wanted them to break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites. They were to go through all the neighboring lands of the Arabah, the mountain, the western foothills, the Negev valley, and to keep along the coast right on up into the Land of Canaan. Once there; they were to move straight on into Lebanon just as far as the great river called The Euphrates.
THE MAP OF GOD
This was the route to the land which God was giving them.
God commanded that they go in and take possession of the land that the LORD swore he would give to their fathers; to Abraham, to Isaac and Jacob and their descendants after them.
Moses reminded them of how their fathers had come right up to this point of the journey before, and yet they did not move on to claim the promises as commanded by God.
Have you ever been in a place where you were so afraid that you chose the wrong thing and passed up the destiny that God had had planned for you?
Moses knew the pain and agony of making this mistake. He did not want this next generation of Israelites to make the same mistake as their parents who died in the wilderness.
He told them the story of how he prayed and told God that the generation of rebellious people that were their parents, were too great a burden for him to bear, and God had answered Moses. God continued to provide for the people in spite of their disobedience. The grown children about to enter the land now were the recipients of their parents provision from God.
Now this new generation had their chance to be obedient and to go forward into the promised land.
ANOTHER CHANCE FOR A NEW GENERATION
God had kept his promises to Abraham and his descendants. They were now as many as the stars of the sky and the sand of the sea. A great multitude of people were about to cross over to the land of promise.
Their time in the wilderness was over.
A new life was about to begin in a better place; a place where God had put his name. It was a place prepared ahead especially for them.
Would this generation be faithful?
Will they move into the place of God’s blessings?
A NEW TIME FOR NEW LEADERS
Moses had led them through the procedure of choosing their wisest and most respected men; appointing them to have authority over them.
Israel now had commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens. Each tribe had their own tribal officials.
This was important.
Good leadership was crucial in forming a good and godly nation; a nation that would set the example of God’s ways for the whole world to follow.
PROVIDING ASSURANCE FOR TRUE JUSTICE IN THE NEW LAND
Also; Moses reminds them that he has led them in the process of setting up judges to hear their disputes and to judge fairly among all men, whether the case was between brother Israelites or between one of them and an alien.
Moses warns the judges not to show partiality.
He bids that they hear both the small and the great the same.
An older, wiser Moses tells the people not to be afraid in judgment because judgment belongs to God.
For all of their time in wandering; Moses had been with these judges; hearing all of the hardest decisions himself. They had been taught what was right and wrong for the nation. They knew how God desired for the people to live. They had learned from the one that God had used to give them the law.
God’s laws would always prevail in his people and his land.
MOSES UNDERSTANDS HOW TO LEARN FROM HISTORY
Now Moses speaks further to the people, reminding them of how their father’s had set out before them from Horeb, and how they had gone toward the Hill Country of the Amorites until they had reached Kadesh Barnea.
Back then Moses had said to their fathers “You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving us.”
Way back in those days Moses had told their fathers to go up and take possession of the land. He had warned them not to be afraid. His advice to them was not to be discouraged.
But that generation had not done so.
They had come to Moses asking to send men out to bring them back a report on the best routes to take and to tell them of the towns they would need to go through.
Moses had selected one man from each tribe to go. They left and went up to the hill country. When they came to Eshcol they explored the land. They saw and reported that the land was good and fruitful. When they returned; they brought samples of the luscious fruit.
Still; the people were unwilling to go on up to take the land.
SELFISH AND DISOBEDIENT PEOPLE BECOME UNFRUITFUL
Instead of doing what God had commanded they do; they turned rebellious. They grumbled against God’s will inside their tents and talked of how He had brought them out of Egypt to be defeated by the Amorites.
The people let fear control them instead of having faith that God would protect them and look after them.
They relayed some of the stories among themselves which the men who returned had told to each other. Each person who told the story again piled fear on top of more fears.
WHEN PEOPLE SEE THE PROBLEMS INSTEAD OF SEEING GOD
It was said among many that the people in the land were stronger and taller than the Israelites.
Their cities were large and walled high.
Some had even seen the people who resembled giants (the Anakites) dwelling there.
Moses encouraged them not to be afraid.
The same God who had delivered them from Egypt would be with them and fight for them and defend them in this place.
God had already carried them through the desert like a father carrying a son.
He had tenderly cared for them all the way of the journey.
The LORD went ahead of them in the fire by night and the cloud by day. He had directed their path and kept them safe and provided food, water and shelter for them.
TEACHING FEAR INSTEAD OF COURAGE, OBEDIENCE AND HONOR
But the people complained that they could not go because they feared for their children’s sake.
When God had heard the cry of the people He was angry with them. Because of their actions against Him God had sworn that not one of that generation would see the Promised Land.
God made exception only for Caleb and his family because he had followed God’s instructions and encouraged the people not to be afraid and to follow those instructions.
Because of the fear and disobedience of the people in entering the land; God had also become angry with Moses.
Moses was part of that generation; and now he too was forbidden to enter the land.
God had given instructions to Moses saying that his assistant Joshua would enter the land leading the next generation of people. Moses was told to encourage Joshua to be the leader to the inheritance of the people.
THE IRONY OF ONE GENERATION
Ironically; God told Moses that the little children of that time which the disobedient people thought would be taken captive by the enemies would grow up and become the ones to enter the land.
God said he would give the promises to the next generation. That generation would take possession instead of their parents who would die in the wilderness.
Moses was a great leader; but a great leader has to have good followers or their mission does not become possible. Because of the sins of his generation even Moses suffered needlessly. Rebellious generations can cause even innocent people harm for many years in the future. Sometimes it takes a whole generation of wrongs to get back to a new generation of rights.
This happened to Israel and it could happen to any generation.
Have you ever been given a priceless gift which you didn’t appreciate or recognize its value until too late? That is exactly what happened to a whole generations of Israelites.
TIME HEALS HOPELESSNESS
At that point of total hopelessness, God had commanded Moses to turn around and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea.
Time and hardship would teach them what they did not learn from God.
When it was much too late; after the people saw Moses was returning to where they had come from originally; the people realized their wrongfull attitude and one by one they began to repent and to admit they had sinned against the LORD.
They had changed their minds and NOW they wanted to go up and fight.
The warriors put on their weapons during a time that God had turned away from them. My friends; never go into battle without The LORD by your side. In those conditions you are always bound to lose.
The fickle and unthinking people assumed it would be easy to defeat their enemies now.
However; God had already informed Moses that they should not go up to fight.
It was too late.
God had decided not to go with them, but to let them die in the wilderness and their sins. He told Moses they would be defeated even before they went to battle.
Again; the people did not listen to The LORD through the sayings of Moses.
ARROGANCE AND GODLESSNESS IS A SURE PLAN FOR DEFEAT
In arrogance they marched up to the hill country and the Amorites came out against them.
The Amorites chased them like a swarm of bees and beat them down from Seir to Hormah.
The Israelites came back to their camps and wept before the LORD, but he paid no attention to them and turned a deaf ear to their cries. He had seen enough of their rebellious ways and their desire to make their own plans without consulting Him.
So they stayed in Kadesh for many days.
LOOKING INTO THE MIRROR
How closely we resemble that old generation of Israelites; the ones who would not walk on and trust God to handle their problems and defeat their enemies.
God had given them the route to take.
They knew the way.
Their enemies on all sides had already been defeated; all they had to do was to walk into Canaan and take the land. God had promised to be with them; but they were weak and afraid and disobedient.
This is America today; weak and afraid and disobedient.
AMERICA, AMERICA GOD SHED HIS GRACE ON THEE
Right now in this short time full of grace, we need to heed the same warning given by Moses to the People of God in the wilderness.
Our present generation has to be brave, courageous and faithful and learn the route of God’s plan for crossing over and taking back the land that God has fulfilled in His promises to us today.
America is our promised land.
God has planted a people here; a people who could grow into a nation of righteous believers with the power of God that changes the world.
We have let the enemies of God build a stronghold over our Father’s gift to us. We must learn how to reclaim our inheritance from God.
JUST FOLLOW THE WORDS TO THE SONG
Do you remember the third verse of America The Beautiful?
“Oh, beautiful for pilgrim feet, whose stern, impassioned stress, a thoroughfare of freedom beat across the wilderness!
America! America!
God mend thine ev’ry flaw. Confirm thy soul in self-control, thy liberty in law,”
LEADERS MUST BE BRAVE AND COURAGEOUS
The very first thing that Moses and Joshua told the next generation was to be brave and courageous. He told them not to be afraid.
They had to understand, like us, that God is in the midst of them and when that is true; no enemy is too great.
No virus.
Not even a group of racist and evil thinkers.
No political party.
NOT ONE ENEMY IS GREATER THAN OUR GOD.
THE PROOF IS THE WAY OF THE RIGHT GENERATION
Are we truly taking this concept to heart in our daily lives as we continue to fight the man-made and inflicted disease called COVID19? Racism? Lawlessness? Immorality? Idolatry? Evil and destruction? Violence? Poverty?
Can we say that we are moving ahead and focusing on God instead of what godliness has caused in the world?
Do you think we can see that this is all being planted by God’s enemies?
Will God’s people living in this modern-day promised land called America find enough courage to fight again for God’s best ways to live?
Can God’s churches stand strong and stay open and continue to exist for it’s members, and more so – for those who need to know God?
Shall we allow our government and our politicians tell us to shut our mouths and not mention the God Who has brought us to this place which has always been a blessing to us even up through this very day?
Can God’s people stay marked for God and not marked for God’s enemy?
THE BATTLE OF THE TIMES
Are we staying awake and aware and taking a stand when it is needed?
Will we take a better stand for our next generation than that cowardly group of a generation of Israelites did in ancient times?
Is it possible that our generation might be the last ones to be able to seize the opportunity?
Can we leave a good and godly country for our descendants to live in long after we have passed over to the next land of promise?
It is something to think and pray about.
WHERE DOES OUR HELP COME FROM?
We must not make the same mistake that first rebellious, selfish generation of Israelites made.
Our generation; the one with the power to change things right now and today; needs to lead the way to right thinking, obedience to God and a way to live in a much better place. It is not in the words that we speak; but in the action that we take every day in our daily lives.
Otherwise; we are doomed to die in the wilderness of sin leaving no promises for our children and grandchildren except a broken, enemy-infested land that will not heal in time for their children to grow up in a better place.
The time to listen to God is when He is leading us to go forward.
If we, like the ancient Israelites, ignore the timeliness of God’s promises; we will lose our protection and our help.
Where does our help come from?
I think David said it best in Psalm 121:
“My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. Indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”