The
book of Deuteronomy is the last book written by Moses. Deuteronomy
means, “Second Law”, but it is more than a simple retelling of
facts again. Throughout the book Moses interprets and adapts the
events to provide a spiritual lesson for the new generation. The
purpose of this second law was to infuse faith into God’s people to
enable them to move ahead to accomplish something new and greater.
What a fantastic lesson that is for us today; by faithfully trusting
God, there are greater experiences ahead of us yet to come! May the
lessons in this book encourage each of us to step out by faith into
something new. Chapter one begins, “These
are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the desert east of the
Jordan.”
Moses is preparing the nation to take possession of the land that he
cannot enter. He begins the pre-game pep talk at the moment of
Israel’s greatest failure to remind them of the victory that awaits
them by trusting God’s promise.
“As
the Lord God commanded us… see the Lord has given you the land. Go
up and take possession of it… do not be afraid and do not be
discouraged“.
But Moses continues the history lesson, “You
were unwilling to go… you grumbled… our brothers have made us
lose heart… the people are stronger and taller than we are“.
There will always be doubters that stir up fear and point out our
own limitations. But our God can accomplish abundantly more than we
can ask or think if we allow His Spirit to work in our lives
(Ephesians 3:20). Next, Moses reminds them of the resulting
judgment, “When
the Lord heard what you said, He was angry and solemnly swore: “Not
a man of this generation shall see the good land… your children who
do not yet know good from bad–they will enter the land“.
True to His nature, even in proclaiming judgment, God extends hope!
Moses
chides, “Because
of you the Lord became angry with me also and He said, “You shall
not enter it either“.
Conveniently, Moses overlooks his own disobedience to make the
point. As a parent, I am reminded that I do not need to expose all
of the sin in my past to instruct my children. Sometimes we need to
leave the past in the past. Because of their lack of faith God
commanded, “Turn
around and set out toward the desert“.
The lesson ends with a terrifying thought, “You
came back and wept before the Lord, but He paid no attention to your
weeping and turned a deaf ear to you“.
As believers in the salvation of Christ, we know that our confidence
is no longer in our own faithfulness, but in the promise of God. “If
we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our
sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness
(1 John 1:9). May you experience the victory of Christ in your life
today!