DEUTERONOMY

 Deuteronomy is the 5th book of the bible and it's also the last one written by Moses. Before we look into Deuteronomy, I wanted to look at a brief description of the book. 

DEUTERONOMY

A number of years have passed since the law was given at Mt. Sinai to the parents of these Israelites. But that generation has since died in the desert except Caleb and Joshua and this new generation needs to learn how to develop a proper relationship with God. Moral regulations are expanded on, and the 10 commandments are repeated.

I wanted to give a brief description because I think it's important to know a few things before we get started. The biggest thing we need to realize is who Moses is talking to. God said shortly after the Israelites left Egypt that because of the lack of their faith and disobedience, everyone who was over the age of 20 would not enter the promised land. So now we are at the point where all of those people have passed away and Moses needs to explain everything that he explained to their parents. In some ways that means that everything that has happened in the last few books, Moses is going to repeat. So instead of repeating a bunch of things, I want to show people how important the book of Deuteronomy is to the New Testament.

In the New Testament, Jesus quotes from the book of Deuteronomy more than any other book of the bible. I completely understand when someone says that it's hard to read the Old Testament. Some people are big history people, so when they read about wars, they get excited. I am not a big history person, that means that when I am reading the Old Testament I get distracted every time I read anything about war, anything about descendants, anything about measurements and anything that is trying to describe something because I just can't see those things in my head. The good news is that we still have so many other books that I can enjoy that I still find enjoyment in a lot of the Old Testament, but it also means that I struggle with a large portion of it. The hardest part for me when I quickly skim over some parts of the Old Testament is that Jesus talks about the Old Testament a lot. My other struggle is that the bible talks a lot about false prophets and the easiest way to know that someone is a false prophet is to know the scripture so you can tell when they something that isn't right.  But, let's focus on Jesus and some of the times he talks about the Old Testament. Let's look at Mark 10:1-3.

Discussion about Divorce and Marriage

Then Jesus left Capernaum and went down to the region of Judea and into the area east of the Jordan River. Once again crowds gathered around him, and as usual he was teaching them. 

2 Some Pharisees came and tried to trap him with this question: “Should a man be allowed to divorce his wife?” 

3 Jesus answered them with a question: “What did Moses say in the law about divorce?” 

When someone comes to ask Jesus a question, his response is to ask them what Moses said about the subject. If I skimmed over the Old Testament, I have no idea what Moses said. So let's go look at Deuteronomy.

Deuteronomy 24:1-2

“Suppose a man marries a woman but she does not please him. Having discovered something wrong with her, he writes a document of divorce, hands it to her, and sends her away from his house. 2 When she leaves his house, she is free to marry another man.

So now that we understand what Moses said, How did Jesus use this information to show people what to do?

Mark 10:5-9

5 But Jesus responded, “He wrote this commandment only as a concession to your hard hearts. 6 But ‘God made them male and female’ from the beginning of creation. 7 ‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, 8 and the two are united into one.’ Since they are no longer two but one, 9 let no one split apart what God has joined together.” 

Jesus took this opportunity to show people how important marriage is. He used this information to show them that we have a new covenant coming that is all about loving others. Now I want to look at Matthew 18:15-17. I want to look at this set of verses because I think it's crazy that the way the church is ran today in 2023, is based on something from the book of Deuteronomy.

Matthew 18:15-17

Correcting Another Believer

15 “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. 16 But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. 17 If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.

Deuteronomy 19:15

15 “You must not convict anyone of a crime on the testimony of only one witness. The facts of the case must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. 

Finally, I want to look at one other situation. A group of religious leaders called the Sadducees came to Jesus to trick him. They did not like Jesus, and they were afraid of Jesus. So, they had a brilliant idea, If they could catch Jesus making a mistake, everyone would realize that he was a fake and they would stop listening to him. Let's look at Luke 20:27-32.

Discussion about Resurrection

27 Then Jesus was approached by some Sadducees—religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead. 28 They posed this question: “Teacher, Moses gave us a law that if a man dies, leaving a wife but no children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will carry on the brother’s name. 29 Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children. 30 So the second brother married the widow, but he also died. 31 Then the third brother married her. This continued with all seven of them, who died without children. 32 Finally, the woman also died. 

Here is what they are talking about, again from the book of Deuteronomy.

Deuteronomy 25:5-6

5 “If two brothers are living together on the same property and one of them dies without a son, his widow may not be married to anyone from outside the family. Instead, her husband’s brother should marry her and have intercourse with her to fulfill the duties of a brother-in-law. 6 The first son she bears to him will be considered the son of the dead brother, so that his name will not be forgotten in Israel. 

So how does Jesus respond when he knows that he is being tricked. Let's continue with the book of Luke and see what Jesus says in verses 33-40.

33 So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her!” 34 Jesus replied, “Marriage is for people here on earth. 35 But in the age to come, those worthy of being raised from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage. 36 And they will never die again. In this respect they will be like angels. They are children of God and children of the resurrection. 

37 “But now, as to whether the dead will be raised—even Moses proved this when he wrote about the burning bush. Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, he referred to the Lord as ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ 38 So he is the God of the living, not the dead, for they are all alive to him.” 

39 “Well said, Teacher!” remarked some of the teachers of religious law who were standing there. 40 And then no one dared to ask him any more questions. 

What I love about this is that it teaches us that there are people in this world that are going to use scripture against us. Satan knows scripture. People who do not like religion know scripture. People who want us to fail know scripture. If we do not know scripture, we have no way of going up against these people. Another great example of Jesus using the book of Deuteronomy is when Jesus is tempted, that story is in Matthew chapter 4.

I want to finish with a few things. I want to say that if you continue to read the Old Testament, it will start to make more sense, it will be easier to read. You will recognize more names; you will know more stories and the Old Testament can be exciting. Please be patient and keep reading. The last thing I want to do is put Deuteronomy chapter 34 at the end of this post. It's the chapter that describes Moses passing away. Moses had way too big of an impact on the bible and Jesus to not tell the ending of his story.

Chapter 34

The Death of Moses

Then Moses went up to Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab and climbed Pisgah Peak, which is across from Jericho. And the LORD showed him the whole land, from Gilead as far as Dan; 2 all the land of Naphtali; the land of Ephraim and Manasseh; all the land of Judah, extending to the Mediterranean Sea; 3 the Negev; the Jordan Valley with Jericho—the city of palms—as far as Zoar. 4 Then the LORD said to Moses, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have now allowed you to see it with your own eyes, but you will not enter the land.” 5 So Moses, the servant of the LORD, died there in the land of Moab, just as the LORD had said. 6 The LORD buried him in a valley near Beth-peor in Moab, but to this day no one knows the exact place. 7 Moses was 120 years old when he died, yet his eyesight was clear, and he was as strong as ever. 8 The people of Israel mourned for Moses on the plains of Moab for thirty days, until the customary period of mourning was over. 9 Now Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him, doing just as the LORD had commanded Moses. 10 There has never been another prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face. 11 The LORD sent him to perform all the miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, and all his servants, and his entire land. 12 With mighty power, Moses performed terrifying acts in the sight of all Israel. 

Numbers part 2

 In the last post I talked about the going through the book of numbers, I could see four points that needed to be made. I started in part one by going over the first census and then I followed that with why the old generation would not inherit the promised land. That leaves the second census and the new generation inheriting the promised land. Let's look at Numbers chapter 26 to read about the second census.

Chapter 26

The Second Registration of Israel’s Troops

After the plague had ended, the LORD said to Moses and to Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, 2 “From the whole community of Israel, record the names of all the warriors by their families. List all the men twenty years old or older who are able to go to war.” 

3 So there on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho, Moses and Eleazar the priest issued these instructions to the leaders of Israel: 4 “List all the men of Israel twenty years old and older, just as the LORD commanded Moses.” 

This is the record of all the descendants of Israel who came out of Egypt. 

And now the results:

Results of the Registration

51 In summary, the registered troops of all Israel numbered 601,730. 

52 Then the LORD said to Moses, 53 “Divide the land among the tribes, and distribute the grants of land in proportion to the tribes’ populations, as indicated by the number of names on the list. 54 Give the larger tribes more land and the smaller tribes less land, each group receiving a grant in proportion to the size of its population. 55 But you must assign the land by lot, and give land to each ancestral tribe according to the number of names on the list. 56 Each grant of land must be assigned by lot among the larger and smaller tribal groups.” 

Now that we have a total number of people, we can start to figure out where to put everyone. Now we just need to figure out who is going to lead them. Let's look at Numbers 27:12-23

Joshua Chosen to Lead Israel

12 One day the LORD said to Moses, “Climb one of the mountains east of the river, and look out over the land I have given the people of Israel. 13 After you have seen it, you will die like your brother, Aaron, 14 for you both rebelled against my instructions in the wilderness of Zin. When the people of Israel rebelled, you failed to demonstrate my holiness to them at the waters.” (These are the waters of Meribah at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.) 

15 Then Moses said to the LORD, 16 “O LORD, you are the God who gives breath to all creatures. Please appoint a new man as leader for the community. 17 Give them someone who will guide them wherever they go and will lead them into battle, so the community of the LORD will not be like sheep without a shepherd.” 

18 The LORD replied, “Take Joshua son of Nun, who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him. 19 Present him to Eleazar the priest before the whole community, and publicly commission him to lead the people. 20 Transfer some of your authority to him so the whole community of Israel will obey him. 21 When direction from the LORD is needed, Joshua will stand before Eleazar the priest, who will use the Urim—one of the sacred lots cast before the LORD—to determine his will. This is how Joshua and the rest of the community of Israel will determine everything they should do.” 

22 So Moses did as the LORD commanded. He presented Joshua to Eleazar the priest and the whole community. 23 Moses laid his hands on him and commissioned him to lead the people, just as the LORD had commanded through Moses. 

This going to be a fairly short post, but I wanted to lay some groundwork for the book of Deuteronomy. We looked at the second census and we are starting to see the people prepare for entering into the promised land. The rest of the book focuses on offerings, boundaries and leaders. Leviticus and Numbers are not the most exciting books, but they are setting everything up to enter the promised land. When we talk about God's chosen people, We knew that we somehow had to go from Egypt to the promised land and we also knew that somehow along the way, things had to happen to separate these people from being just like everyone else. 

Numbers part 1

 I really like the outline for numbers that is in my personal bible. It focuses on six different points, but I think I want to keep it to four points. In my bible it says that Numbers was written between 1450 BC and 1400BC. The author is Moses, and the book gets its name from the two censuses that are in the book.  Four of the points in the outline that I want to focus on are:

1. The first census of the Israelites is taken.

2. The old generation fails to inherit the promised land.

3. The second census of the Israelites is taken.

4. The new generation prepares to inherit the promised.

Let's start at the beginning and see why the first census is taken. Here is Numbers chapter 1.

Registration of Israel’s Troops

A year after Israel’s departure from Egypt, the LORD spoke to Moses in the Tabernacle in the wilderness of Sinai. On the first day of the second month of that year he said, 2 “From the whole community of Israel, record the names of all the warriors by their clans and families. List all the men 3 twenty years old or older who are able to go to war. You and Aaron must register the troops, 4 and you will be assisted by one family leader from each tribe. 

16 These are the chosen leaders of the community, the leaders of their ancestral tribes, the heads of the clans of Israel.” 

17 So Moses and Aaron called together these chosen leaders, 18 and they assembled the whole community of Israel on that very day. All the people were registered according to their ancestry by their clans and families. The men of Israel who were twenty years old or older were listed one by one, 19 just as the LORD had commanded Moses. So Moses recorded their names in the wilderness of Sinai. 

I'm skipping the names and numbers here for the sake of time and space. Now let's at least look at the total.

44 These were the men registered by Moses and Aaron and the twelve leaders of Israel, all listed according to their ancestral descent. 45 They were registered by families—all the men of Israel who were twenty years old or older and able to go to war. 46 The total number was 603,550. 

47 But this total did not include the Levites. 48 For the LORD had said to Moses, 49 “Do not include the tribe of Levi in the registration; do not count them with the rest of the Israelites. 50 Put the Levites in charge of the Tabernacle of the Covenant, along with all its furnishings and equipment. They must carry the Tabernacle and all its furnishings as you travel, and they must take care of it and camp around it. 51 Whenever it is time for the Tabernacle to move, the Levites will take it down. And when it is time to stop, they will set it up again. But any unauthorized person who goes too near the Tabernacle must be put to death. 52 Each tribe of Israel will camp in a designated area with its own family banner. 53 But the Levites will camp around the Tabernacle of the Covenant to protect the community of Israel from the LORD’s anger. The Levites are responsible to stand guard around the Tabernacle.” 

54 So the Israelites did everything just as the LORD had commanded Moses. 

So now the first census has been taken and the total is 603,550. That number does not include the Levites. If I was saying it in my own words, I would say something like "This number is all of the people who were able to go to war, so it doesn't count the Levites because they are the priests and so they would not go to war". This would cover the first of the four points.

Point number two is a little bit more interesting because what happens for the next 10 chapters or so is a whole lot of complaining and rebelling. We get a first-hand look at how bad the complaining is and how God reacts. This is Numbers 11:1-15.

Chapter 11

The People Complain to Moses

Soon the people began to complain about their hardship, and the LORD heard everything they said. Then the LORD’s anger blazed against them, and he sent a fire to rage among them, and he destroyed some of the people in the outskirts of the camp. 2 Then the people screamed to Moses for help, and when he prayed to the LORD, the fire stopped. 3 After that, the area was known as Taberah (which means “the place of burning”), because fire from the LORD had burned among them there. 

4 Then the foreign rabble who were traveling with the Israelites began to crave the good things of Egypt. And the people of Israel also began to complain. “Oh, for some meat!” they exclaimed. 5 “We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic we wanted. 6 But now our appetites are gone. All we ever see is this manna!” 

7 The manna looked like small coriander seeds, and it was pale yellow like gum resin. 8 The people would go out and gather it from the ground. They made flour by grinding it with hand mills or pounding it in mortars. Then they boiled it in a pot and made it into flat cakes. These cakes tasted like pastries baked with olive oil. 9 The manna came down on the camp with the dew during the night. 

10 Moses heard all the families standing in the doorways of their tents whining, and the LORD became extremely angry. Moses was also very aggravated. 11 And Moses said to the LORD, “Why are you treating me, your servant, so harshly? Have mercy on me! What did I do to deserve the burden of all these people? 12 Did I give birth to them? Did I bring them into the world? Why did you tell me to carry them in my arms like a mother carries a nursing baby? How can I carry them to the land you swore to give their ancestors? 13 Where am I supposed to get meat for all these people? They keep whining to me, saying, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ 14 I can’t carry all these people by myself! The load is far too heavy! 15 If this is how you intend to treat me, just go ahead and kill me. Do me a favor and spare me this misery!” 

I want to point out a few things that I found interesting. First, I can't imagine how hard all of this was for Moses. The conversations he must have had with God on a regular basis just to get through all of this. In verse 13, when Moses says, " Where am I supposed to get meat for all of these people", I think that he says it that way because he knows that God is going to provide for them. The tone I hear in his voice sounds like he is saying "I know you are going to want to get meat for all of these people and I just don't see how that can be possible". He is mentally and physically drained, but he knows that God is going to provide for his people.

Let' see how God reacts to the people wanting some meat!

Moses Chooses Seventy Leaders

16 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Gather before me seventy men who are recognized as elders and leaders of Israel. Bring them to the Tabernacle to stand there with you. 17 I will come down and talk to you there. I will take some of the Spirit that is upon you, and I will put the Spirit upon them also. They will bear the burden of the people along with you, so you will not have to carry it alone. 

18 “And say to the people, ‘Purify yourselves, for tomorrow you will have meat to eat. You were whining, and the LORD heard you when you cried, “Oh, for some meat! We were better off in Egypt!” Now the LORD will give you meat, and you will have to eat it. 19 And it won’t be for just a day or two, or for five or ten or even twenty. 20 You will eat it for a whole month until you gag and are sick of it. For you have rejected the LORD, who is here among you, and you have whined to him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?” ’ ” 

21 But Moses responded to the LORD, “There are 600,000 foot soldiers here with me, and yet you say, ‘I will give them meat for a whole month!’ 22 Even if we butchered all our flocks and herds, would that satisfy them? Even if we caught all the fish in the sea, would that be enough?” 

23 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Has my arm lost its power? Now you will see whether or not my word comes true!” 

24 So Moses went out and reported the LORD’s words to the people. He gathered the seventy elders and stationed them around the Tabernacle. 25 And the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to Moses. Then he gave the seventy elders the same Spirit that was upon Moses. And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But this never happened again. 

26 Two men, Eldad and Medad, had stayed behind in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but they had not gone out to the Tabernacle. Yet the Spirit rested upon them as well, so they prophesied there in the camp. 27 A young man ran and reported to Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp!” 

28 Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses’ assistant since his youth, protested, “Moses, my master, make them stop!” 

29 But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit upon them all!” 30 Then Moses returned to the camp with the elders of Israel. 

First of all, God gave Moses some help. Second of all, if I was Moses I would be completely scared when God said that they would have so much meat that they would gag on it and get sick of it. I also love the response God gives when Moses questions how God will provide. In verse 23 God replies, "Has my arm lost its power? Now you will see whether or not my word comes true". I wonder how many times God says that to us from heaven. No matter how powerful we believe God to be, we can't comprehend it. Now let's see how God provides some meat.

The LORD Sends Quail

31 Now the LORD sent a wind that brought quail from the sea and let them fall all around the camp. For miles in every direction there were quail flying about three feet above the ground. 32 So the people went out and caught quail all that day and throughout the night and all the next day, too. No one gathered less than fifty bushels! They spread the quail all around the camp to dry. 33 But while they were gorging themselves on the meat—while it was still in their mouths—the anger of the LORD blazed against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague. 34 So that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah (which means “graves of gluttony”) because there they buried the people who had craved meat from Egypt. 35 From Kibroth-hattaavah the Israelites traveled to Hazeroth, where they stayed for some time. 

The graves of gluttony, I'm worried that is my name some days. I worry God will recommend that for a new tattoo for me. He tattoos my name in the palm of his hand so he can't forget me, maybe I need to tattoo that on my palm so I can finally learn a lesson.

Let's move to chapter 12 so we can see how Aaron and Miriam complain about Moses.

Chapter 12

The Complaints of Miriam and Aaron

While they were at Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because he had married a Cushite woman. 2 They said, “Has the LORD spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t he spoken through us, too?” But the LORD heard them. 3 (Now Moses was very humble—more humble than any other person on earth.) 

4 So immediately the LORD called to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam and said, “Go out to the Tabernacle, all three of you!” So the three of them went to the Tabernacle. 5 Then the LORD descended in the pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the Tabernacle. “Aaron and Miriam!” he called, and they stepped forward. 6 And the LORD said to them, “Now listen to what I say: 

    “If there were prophets among you, 

      I, the LORD, would reveal myself in visions. 

      I would speak to them in dreams. 

    7 But not with my servant Moses. 

      Of all my house, he is the one I trust. 

    8 I speak to him face to face, 

      clearly, and not in riddles! 

      He sees the LORD as he is. 

    So why were you not afraid 

      to criticize my servant Moses?” 

9 The LORD was very angry with them, and he departed. 10 As the cloud moved from above the Tabernacle, there stood Miriam, her skin as white as snow from leprosy. When Aaron saw what had happened to her, 11 he cried out to Moses, “Oh, my master! Please don’t punish us for this sin we have so foolishly committed. 12 Don’t let her be like a stillborn baby, already decayed at birth.” 

13 So Moses cried out to the LORD, “O God, I beg you, please heal her!” 

14 But the LORD said to Moses, “If her father had done nothing more than spit in her face, wouldn’t she be defiled for seven days? So keep her outside the camp for seven days, and after that she may be accepted back.” 

15 So Miriam was kept outside the camp for seven days, and the people waited until she was brought back before they traveled again. 16 Then they left Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran. 

Verse 8 is crazy to me! God actually asks them why they aren't afraid to criticize Moses. Can you imagine being called out like that? 

I want to wrap up point two here soon, so I want to move on to the 10 people who scout the land of Canaan. Here is chapter 13.

Chapter 13

Twelve Scouts Explore Canaan

The LORD now said to Moses, 2 “Send out men to explore the land of Canaan, the land I am giving to the Israelites. Send one leader from each of the twelve ancestral tribes.” 3 So Moses did as the LORD commanded him. He sent out twelve men, all tribal leaders of Israel, from their camp in the wilderness of Paran.

17 Moses gave the men these instructions as he sent them out to explore the land: “Go north through the Negev into the hill country. 18 See what the land is like, and find out whether the people living there are strong or weak, few or many. 19 See what kind of land they live in. Is it good or bad? Do their towns have walls, or are they unprotected like open camps? 20 Is the soil fertile or poor? Are there many trees? Do your best to bring back samples of the crops you see.” (It happened to be the season for harvesting the first ripe grapes.) 

Here are the results:

The Scouting Report

25 After exploring the land for forty days, the men returned 26 to Moses, Aaron, and the whole community of Israel at Kadesh in the wilderness of Paran. They reported to the whole community what they had seen and showed them the fruit they had taken from the land. 27 This was their report to Moses: “We entered the land you sent us to explore, and it is indeed a bountiful country—a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is the kind of fruit it produces. 28 But the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak! 29 The Amalekites live in the Negev, and the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country. The Canaanites live along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and along the Jordan Valley.” 

30 But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. “Let’s go at once to take the land,” he said. “We can certainly conquer it!” 

31 But the other men who had explored the land with him disagreed. “We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!” 32 So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites: “The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge. 33 We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!” 

Here is how the people reacted in chapter 14 to the majority believing that they could not take the land.

Chapter 14

The People Rebel

Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night. 2 Their voices rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron. “If only we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness!” they complained. 3 “Why is the LORD taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?” 4 Then they plotted among themselves, “Let’s choose a new leader and go back to Egypt!”

Now let's finish up point two by seeing how God reacts to them wanting a new leader and wanting to go back to Egypt.

The LORD Punishes the Israelites

26 Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 27 “How long must I put up with this wicked community and its complaints about me? Yes, I have heard the complaints the Israelites are making against me. 28 Now tell them this: ‘As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very things I heard you say. 29 You will all drop dead in this wilderness! Because you complained against me, every one of you who is twenty years old or older and was included in the registration will die. 30 You will not enter and occupy the land I swore to give you. The only exceptions will be Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. 

And this is how the old generation failed to inherit the promised land. Completely not having any faith in God!

Leviticus

 The good news is that we are on to something new. I love the book of Exodus, but to try and write about it was actually more difficult that I thought it would be. To try and figure out what to include and what to skip over was a challenge I just wasn't expecting. So now we move on to the next book in the bible, Leviticus. When I go to read a new book, I like to look in the bible at the description they give. When I look at the book of Leviticus description, the first words I see are "A Continuation of the book of Exodus" That makes me a little nervous. Next, I focus on these words, " Leviticus sets down regulations to preserve the spiritual, moral, and physical purity of the people. Instructions are provided on how to live holy lives through sacrifice and worship". So, if I am reading that correctly, the book of Leviticus is a book about regulations and instructions. I would love to tell you that the description given is just an overview and that the book really isn't completely about that, but I can't. So, what I want to do is list some of the topics that are discussed in the book.

Ceremonially Clean and Unclean Animals

Serious Skin Diseases

Treatment of Contaminated Clothing

Cleansing from Skin Diseases

Bodily Discharges

Prohibitions against Eating Blood

Forbidden Sexual Practices

An Example of Just Punishment

Redemption of Property

Redemption of the Poor and Enslaved

So, after reading those topics you really want to ask yourself the question, why? Why did God give us a book with all of those things in it? I'm sure that someone out there finds reading that kind of stuff amazing, but most of the people I have ever talked to really don't find the book exciting. So, I want to give two opinions on this book. First, God knew what was going on in the world at that time. If God did not come up with rules and regulations for his people to follow, they would end up just like everyone else. This is something that I feel like I am guilty of. I don't think I would call myself a follower, but I do find myself compromising when I didn't even realize it. With movies and music, I especially struggle. If you turn on the radio today, it's filled with music that 25 years ago would have been banned. What was an R-rated movie when I was younger seems to be PG-13 now. One of my struggles over the last month has been that if I take myself away from this blog for any amount of time, it's hard to get going again. Doesn't that mean that when we take ourselves away from Godly things or religious things it's hard to get back to it. For those of you following the reading plan, have you ever missed two days in a row? It's a guilt trip just to get going again. God had to come up with a whole new set of rules because he knew how hard the struggle was. The second reason he gives us this book about regulations and instructions is to tell us about the reward for following them. In chapter 26 the headline says this " Blessings for Obedience".  So, what is the reward for following what God wants? Let's look at Leviticus 26:3-13.

3 “If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, 4 I will send you the seasonal rains. The land will then yield its crops, and the trees of the field will produce their fruit. 5 Your threshing season will overlap with the grape harvest, and your grape harvest will overlap with the season of planting grain. You will eat your fill and live securely in your own land. 

6 “I will give you peace in the land, and you will be able to sleep with no cause for fear. I will rid the land of wild animals and keep your enemies out of your land. 7 In fact, you will chase down your enemies and slaughter them with your swords. 8 Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand! All your enemies will fall beneath your sword. 

9 “I will look favorably upon you, making you fertile and multiplying your people. And I will fulfill my covenant with you. 10 You will have such a surplus of crops that you will need to clear out the old grain to make room for the new harvest! 11 I will live among you, and I will not despise you. 12 I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people. 13 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so you would no longer be their slaves. I broke the yoke of slavery from your neck so you can walk with your heads held high. 

When I read that I actually get sad. Is that what we could have if we obeyed? God is saying that we will have more food than we need, we will have peace from all of our enemies, and he will live among us. All we have to do is obey! I feel like I need to start each day reading those verses. Everything we could ever need and all we have to do is obey!

Exodus part 4

 When we ended the last post, we were discussing how the Israelites were in awe of God after he helped Moses part the Red Sea. Before we move on to the book of Leviticus, I want to spend some time looking at some of the ways that the Israelites struggled with faith or just following God. Chapter 14 of Exodus was the parting of the Red Sea, chapter 15 starts with the Israelites singing a song of deliverance. But, by the end of chapter 15 we already have an issue, let's look at verses 22-27

Bitter Water at Marah

22 Then Moses led the people of Israel away from the Red Sea, and they moved out into the desert of Shur. They traveled in this desert for three days without finding any water. 23 When they came to the oasis of Marah, the water was too bitter to drink. So they called the place Marah (which means “bitter”). 

24 Then the people complained and turned against Moses. “What are we going to drink?” they demanded. 25 So Moses cried out to the LORD for help, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood. Moses threw it into the water, and this made the water good to drink. 

It was there at Marah that the LORD set before them the following decree as a standard to test their faithfulness to him. 26 He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the LORD who heals you.” 

27 After leaving Marah, the Israelites traveled on to the oasis of Elim, where they found twelve springs and seventy palm trees. They camped there beside the water. 

Am I reading that correctly? Did it really just take 3 days before they started to lack faith? The Lord uses this as a learning opportunity, in verse 26 he says to carefully listen and do what is right in his sight, then he will not make you suffer any diseases that the Egyptians had. Then even though they didn't have faith, he led them to the oasis of Elim, where they found twelve springs and seventy palm trees. The Lord showed great parenting skills here, the kids were misbehaving, he used it as an opportunity for a lesson and then when he believed that they had listened, he rewarded them. Now, everyone who has even done any babysitting knows that you do something like this hoping that the behavior has been fixed. But, let's look at the start of chapter 16.

Manna and Quail from Heaven

Then the whole community of Israel set out from Elim and journeyed into the wilderness of Sin, between Elim and Mount Sinai. They arrived there on the fifteenth day of the second month, one month after leaving the land of Egypt. 2 There, too, the whole community of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron. 

3 “If only the LORD had killed us back in Egypt,” they moaned. “There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.” 

One month after being in awe they moan that it would have been better to die in Egypt. This is why I love the book of Exodus. I want to argue and complain about how crazy the Israelites are, but I know that this is a reflection of my life. I wonder how many times I have been in awe of something that the Lord did for me only so that less than a month later I would complain that it would be better if my life was over. Maybe I don't go to that extreme, but I am sure that instead I said something about wishing that I could be in completely different circumstances. Why do we not trust God? So, after God fixed the food situation, let's move on to chapter 17.

Water from the Rock

At the LORD’s command, the whole community of Israel left the wilderness of Sin and moved from place to place. Eventually they camped at Rephidim, but there was no water there for the people to drink. 2 So once more the people complained against Moses. “Give us water to drink!” they demanded. 

I can't imagine what this was like for Moses. No matter what he did, or what God did, the people complained. Moses shows some frustration after their complaining this time.

“Quiet!” Moses replied. “Why are you complaining against me? And why are you testing the LORD?” 

3 But tormented by thirst, they continued to argue with Moses. “Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Are you trying to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?” 

4 Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What should I do with these people? They are ready to stone me!” 

I'm glad that Moses went to the Lord with their complaining. Maybe that is something we should do more. When the world around us is complaining, instead of going to someone else and complaining about the complainers, take to the Lord. Here is how the Lord responds.

5 The LORD said to Moses, “Walk out in front of the people. Take your staff, the one you used when you struck the water of the Nile, and call some of the elders of Israel to join you. 6 I will stand before you on the rock at Mount Sinai. Strike the rock, and water will come gushing out. Then the people will be able to drink.” So Moses struck the rock as he was told, and water gushed out as the elders looked on. 

7 Moses named the place Massah (which means “test”) and Meribah (which means “arguing”) because the people of Israel argued with Moses and tested the LORD by saying, “Is the LORD here with us or not?” 

When I read this, I have a few thoughts. First of all, The Lord provided for them AGAIN! Second, I wish that I knew enough about other languages to give fancy names to certain places. When I go to the store, instead of calling it the store, maybe I could call it " The Place of Impulsive Purchases". Then every time I went there, I would have to think about the times that I wasted money on impulsive purchases. All throughout the Old Testament are stories of people complaining about the situation they are in. I think it's so important to read those stories and realize that we are the same way. When we focus so much time complaining about the situation we are in, we can't focus on the lesson we need to take from the situation. Next time we find ourselves in a situation we aren't happy about, we need to stop and pray and ask God what we can learn.

Exodus Part 3

 When I am writing I am usually thinking about a few different things. First, I want to bring attention to a certain area of the bible. Second, I want to give some sort of modern-day perspective to the part of the bible we are looking at. Sometimes I assume that the reader knows a certain amount about that story and so I either skip over something or I don't spend as much time on something. So here we are on part 3 of Exodus and at some point, we have either make this a 10-part series or we have to skim over some things. It's hard to skim over Exodus when my whole purpose is to show the bible through the eyes of God's people. So as a compromise, I want to see if focus on certain things and then just briefly mention others. When we finished part two, Moses was on his way to Egypt. As chapter 5 starts, Moses and his brother Aaron are now ready to talk to Pharoah. Let's see how that first meeting goes. 

Chapter 5

Moses and Aaron Speak to Pharaoh

After this presentation to Israel’s leaders, Moses and Aaron went and spoke to Pharaoh. They told him, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Let my people go so they may hold a festival in my honor in the wilderness.” 

2 “Is that so?” retorted Pharaoh. “And who is the LORD? Why should I listen to him and let Israel go? I don’t know the LORD, and I will not let Israel go.” 

3 But Aaron and Moses persisted. “The God of the Hebrews has met with us,” they declared. “So let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness so we can offer sacrifices to the LORD our God. If we don’t, he will kill us with a plague or with the sword.” 

4 Pharaoh replied, “Moses and Aaron, why are you distracting the people from their tasks? Get back to work! 5 Look, there are many of your people in the land, and you are stopping them from their work.” 

A few things are confusing to me when I first read this. In verse three, Moses tells Pharoah that they need to take a three-day journey. I thought this was a rescue mission. In order for us to realize the big picture we have to remember that God said that he would harden Pharoah's heart. In chapter 3:18-22, When Moses is trying to convince God not to send him, this is one of the many responses that God has for Moses.

18 “The elders of Israel will accept your message. Then you and the elders must go to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So please let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the LORD, our God.’ 

19 “But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand forces him. 20 So I will raise my hand and strike the Egyptians, performing all kinds of miracles among them. Then at last he will let you go. 21 And I will cause the Egyptians to look favorably on you. They will give you gifts when you go so you will not leave empty-handed. 22 Every Israelite woman will ask for articles of silver and gold and fine clothing from her Egyptian neighbors and from the foreign women in their houses. You will dress your sons and daughters with these, stripping the Egyptians of their wealth.” 

Again, in the name of time, I want to look at just how hard-hearted Pharoah was. Let's list the 10 plagues that happened before Pharoah decided to finally let the people go.

1.Water to blood (Chapter 7)

2.Frogs (Chapter 8)

3.Gnats (Chapter 8)

4.Flies (Chapter 8)

5.A plague against livestock (Chapter 9)

6.Boils (Chapter 9)

7.Hail (Chapter 9)

8.Locusts (Chapter 10)

9.Darkness (Chapter 10)

10. Death of the first born (Chapter 11)

This list is all over the place in some ways, Frogs, gnats, flies and locusts all seem annoying and overwhelming to me. Water to blood is both scary and creepy. Boils are painful. Darkness is a way of not only showing power but also taking away something that we always take for granted. Hail is the destruction of what they spent so much time building. All of the time they spent, and God destroyed in a very short time. Now if we look at the plague against the livestock and the death of the first born. Pharoah was so selfish that even after livestock died, he didn't listen. It wasn't until someone died in every single household that he was ready to listen and even that didn't work for very long. 

Now before we move on, I just want to look at something. Let's look at Genesis 46:31:33

31 And Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s entire family, “I will go to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘My brothers and my father’s entire family have come to me from the land of Canaan. 32 These men are shepherds, and they raise livestock. They have brought with them their flocks and herds and everything they own.’ ” 

33 Then he said, “When Pharaoh calls for you and asks you about your occupation, 34 you must tell him, ‘We, your servants, have raised livestock all our lives, as our ancestors have always done.’ When you tell him this, he will let you live here in the region of Goshen, for the Egyptians despise shepherds.” 

The reason I want to look at this really quickly is because I want to point out that over 400 years before Moses was going to lead the people out of Egypt God led Joseph's family to Goshen, not to Egypt. The Egyptians despised shepherds and so they didn't want to be around them. They could have been insulted, they could have argued, instead they did what Joseph told them to do. What Joseph told them to do was all a part of God's plan. If you go and read about when the plagues were happening, Goshen did not have the darkness and they also did not have the plague of livestock and of course they did not have the death of the first born. We get so angry when we are left out of something. I believe the kids these days call in FOMO, The fear of missing out. God had a plan and the Israelites listened. Instead of being mad when we feel like we are being separated we need to understand that maybe that is God's will and that he is protecting us from something down the road.

Ok, back to the story. We are now at the point where they Egyptians are getting ready to finally be done with the Israelites. This is what happened right before and during the final plague.

Exodus 12:21-23, 28-30

21 Then Moses called all the elders of Israel together and said to them, “Go, pick out a lamb or young goat for each of your families, and slaughter the Passover animal. 22 Drain the blood into a basin. Then take a bundle of hyssop branches and dip it into the blood. Brush the hyssop across the top and sides of the doorframes of your houses. And no one may go out through the door until morning. 23 For the LORD will pass through the land to strike down the Egyptians. But when he sees the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe, the LORD will pass over your home. He will not permit his death angel to enter your house and strike you down.

28 So the people of Israel did just as the LORD had commanded through Moses and Aaron. 29 And that night at midnight, the LORD struck down all the firstborn sons in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn son of the prisoner in the dungeon. Even the firstborn of their livestock were killed. 30 Pharaoh and all his officials and all the people of Egypt woke up during the night, and loud wailing was heard throughout the land of Egypt. There was not a single house where someone had not died. 

After this, Moses had Pharoah's attention, here is what Pharoah said to Moses in Exodus 12:31-36

Israel’s Exodus from Egypt

31 Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron during the night. “Get out!” he ordered. “Leave my people—and take the rest of the Israelites with you! Go and worship the LORD as you have requested. 32 Take your flocks and herds, as you said, and be gone. Go, but bless me as you leave.” 33 All the Egyptians urged the people of Israel to get out of the land as quickly as possible, for they thought, “We will all die!” 

34 The Israelites took their bread dough before yeast was added. They wrapped their kneading boards in their cloaks and carried them on their shoulders. 35 And the people of Israel did as Moses had instructed; they asked the Egyptians for clothing and articles of silver and gold. 36 The LORD caused the Egyptians to look favorably on the Israelites, and they gave the Israelites whatever they asked for. So they stripped the Egyptians of their wealth! 

I worry I am like the Egyptians more often than I want to admit. I wait so long to do what God wants; I end up being stripped of my wealth. 

Now this is a part where I really want to quickly go over, If you grew up in the church or are following in the reading plan, the next part is the parting of the Red Sea. I don't want to completely dismiss it, but I also think it's something that has been spoken of plenty of times. The main thing I want to point out is that this is a post about Moses and it's important to know that the parting of the Red Sea was all God. I will put it here for anyone to read who wants to, this is Exodus 14:15-31.

Escape through the Red Sea

15 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving! 16 Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the sea. Divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground. 17 And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they will charge in after the Israelites. My great glory will be displayed through Pharaoh and his troops, his chariots, and his charioteers. 18 When my glory is displayed through them, all Egypt will see my glory and know that I am the LORD!” 

21 Then Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the LORD opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind. The wind blew all that night, turning the seabed into dry land. 22 So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side! 

23 Then the Egyptians—all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and charioteers—chased them into the middle of the sea. 24 But just before dawn the LORD looked down on the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud, and he threw their forces into total confusion. 25 He twisted their chariot wheels, making their chariots difficult to drive. “Let’s get out of here—away from these Israelites!” the Egyptians shouted. “The LORD is fighting for them against Egypt!” 

26 When all the Israelites had reached the other side, the LORD said to Moses, “Raise your hand over the sea again. Then the waters will rush back and cover the Egyptians and their chariots and charioteers.” 27 So as the sun began to rise, Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the water rushed back into its usual place. The Egyptians tried to escape, but the LORD swept them into the sea. 28 Then the waters returned and covered all the chariots and charioteers—the entire army of Pharaoh. Of all the Egyptians who had chased the Israelites into the sea, not a single one survived. 

29 But the people of Israel had walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, as the water stood up like a wall on both sides. 30 That is how the LORD rescued Israel from the hand of the Egyptians that day. And the Israelites saw the bodies of the Egyptians washed up on the seashore. 31 When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the LORD had unleashed against the Egyptians, they were filled with awe before him. They put their faith in the LORD and in his servant Moses. 

Again, I want the focus to be on God. Moses was a great leader, but the Israelites really struggled with faith. Read verse 31, it says that when they saw the mighty power of the Lord, they were in awe. That tells me that before that they weren't in awe. Everything they had seen up to that point, and they still couldn't understand how powerful God truly was.