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The Book of Deuteronomy

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The Book of Deuteronomy Supplemental Notes: The Book of Deuteronomy compiled by Chuck Missler © 2004 Koinonia House Inc. Audio Listing Deuteronomy 1 - 2 Wilderness Travels. Failure at Kadesh Barnea. Defeat of Sihon. Deuteronomy 3 - 4 Victory over Og of Bashan. Moses Commands Obedience. Deuteronomy 5 - 6 The Great Commands...and Warnings. Deuteronomy 7 - 10 Acknowledgments The Law of Love. God’s Goodness Recalled. Israel’s Rebellion These notes have been assembled from speaking notes and related Recalled. materials which had been compiled from a number of classic and contemporary commentaries and other sources detailed in the bibliog- Deuteronomy 11 - 12 raphy, as well as other articles and publications of Koinonia House. While we have attempted to include relevant endnotes and other One Place of Sacrifice. references, we apologize for any errors or oversights. Deuteronomy 13 - 14 The complete recordings of the sessions, as well as supporting dia- grams, maps, etc., are also available in various audiovisual formats from Laws Reflecting the Holiness of the People. Clean and Unclean the publisher. Meats. Deuteronomy 15 - 16 The Passover and Other Feasts. Deuteronomy 17 - 18 Priests and Levites. Occult Practices. The Prophets. Page 2 Page 3 Audio Listing The Book of Deuteronomy Session 1 Deuteronomy 19 - 20 Chapters 1 - 2 Cities of Refuge. Holy War and Military Service. The Torah Deuteronomy 21 - 22 Genesis The Book of Beginnings Exodus The Birth of the Nation Various Laws and Laws about Chastity. Leviticus The Law of the Nation Numbers The Wilderness Wanderings Deuteronomy 23 - 24 Deuteronomy The Laws Reviewed Human Relationships. Love for Neighbors and Families. The Book of Deuteronomy is the bridge between the first four books (outside the Land) and the next seven books (inside the Land). It Deuteronomy 25 - 26 contains the Sh’ma: the Great Commandment. There are more quotes by Jesus from Deuteronomy than from any other book. It also includes the Sanctification of the Kingdom. Firstfruits and Tithes. Song of Moses. Deuteronomy 27 - 28 Deuteronomy 1 Alternatives for a God-Related People. Blessings and Cursings. 1] These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red sea, between Paran, and Tophel, Deuteronomy 29 - 30 and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab. God’s Covenant. Ultimate Restoration. The Hebrew title of the book is ~yrIªb’D>h; hL,aeä ’elleh haddebarim (“these are the words”) in keeping with the Hebrew custom of often titling a work Deuteronomy 31 - 32 by its first word(s). The English title Deuteronomy stems from the Septuagint’s mistranslation of Deuteronomy 17:18, “this repetition of Passing the Baton. Song of Moses. the Law.” The Septuagint translated those words deuteronomion (deutero means “two” or “second,” and nomion is “law”; lit., “second Deuteronomy 33 - 34 Law”), which were rendered Deuteronomium in the Vulgate, Jerome’s fourth-century Latin translation of the Bible. Blessing the 12 Tribes. The place names in verse 1 are not known with any certainty. Israel was not yet in the Promised Land, but was perched at its entrance (cf. v. 5) as they received Moses’ final instructions. “Words of Moses”: Moses was eminently qualified to speak for God. He was more than Israel’s human Lawgiver, he was the founder of Israel’s religion and mediator of the covenant at Sinai (we’ll review this in Chapter 5). He was Israel’s first prophet (34:10). (Though God called Abraham a prophet (Gen 20:7), Israel did not then exist as a nation.) Page 4 Page 5 Through Moses, God set such a high standard for the people that all From Horeb to Kadesh Barnea was only about 200 miles. The Israelites subsequent prophets lived under his shadow, never attaining to it, until turned an eleven-day journey—from Horeb (another word for Mount the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Not surprisingly, the New Sinai; cf. Ex 34:2, 27 with Deut 5:2) to Kadesh Barnea, the first site for Testament authors mentioned Moses more frequently than any other entering into the Promised Land from the south—into a 40-year wander- Old Testament person. So Deuteronomy is essentially a series of ing in the wilderness before they came to a second potential site for sermons by the greatest Old Testament prophet. entering the land. It took only three days to get Israel out of Egypt; but it took 40 years to get “Egypt” out of Israel! As Stephen pointed out Moses’ words were addressed to all Israel, an expression used at least centuries later (Acts 7:39, 51), the Israelites had always been slow to 12 times in the book. Its frequent occurrence emphasizes the unity of believe God. Israel which was brought about by God’s mighty deliverance of the nation from Egypt, and by her acceptance of His covenant at Sinai. They 3] And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day were uniquely God’s people, the only nation on earth that had as its of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all “constitution” the Word of God. that the LORD had given him in commandment unto them; Moses’ death was probably added by Joshua, whose book was added hw”±hy> YHWH, Yahveh, Jehovah,or YeHoVaH: In the OT, God was to the “Hexateuch.” [Michael fights with Satan over the body? Trans- addressed as Yahveh when the writers wanted to stress the personal figuration appearance? One of the two witnesses in Revelation 11?] nature of the One who entered into a covenant with people (cf. Ex 3:13- 14). Sometime after the close of the OT canon (the end of the 5th century 2] (There are eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto B.C.) the Jews developed a superstition about pronouncing the name Kadesh Barnea.) “Yahveh” (or YeHoVah). This was an unfortunate loss for the saints. Christians today no longer address God as Yahveh in their prayers Bashan because God’s personal revelation of Himself is fully realized in Jesus Christ (Heb 1:1-2). Now Christians know God even more personally as ob rg their Father (Jn 14:6; 20:17; Rom 1:17; 8:15; 1 Cor 1:3), a designation only A infrequently used of God in the Old Testament. The authority behind Moses’ first speech (Deut 1:5-4:43) was Yahveh, Israel’s personal God. n a a n 4] After he had slain Sihon the king of the Amorites, which dwelt in Heshbon, and a Og the king of Bashan, which dwelt at Astaroth in Edrei: C Moab Wilderness The historical background to Moses’ first speech is made complete with of Zin the note about the defeat of two kings, Sihon and Og (cf. Num 21:21-35; Deut 2:26-3:11). Edom 5] On this side Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare this law, saying, 6] The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough Midean in this mount: Jabal al Lawz First Attempt to Enter the Promised Land (1:5-46) Traditional Mt. Sinai The word ra;B’ ba’ar, to make plain, distinct; to make clear; to declare. Declare, expound, is significant for it means that Moses did all he could to make God’s Word clear to the Israelites. The word ba’er is used only here and in 27:8 (where it is rendered by the adverbs “very clearly”) and Page 6 Page 7 in Habakkuk 2:2 (“make it plain”). Basically, the verb means “to dig” (e.g., emphasis on the “land” is unusually strong in Deuteronomy, for this to dig a well; “well” is be’er; as in BeerSheba, etc). word occurs almost 200 times. The word translated Law, hr’AT Torah, actually means “instruction,” not 9] And I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone: merely a body of laws in the modern sense. It is instruction in how to 10] The LORD your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the walk with God. Paul referred to it as our “schoolmaster” (Gal 3:24, 25). stars of heaven for multitude. The new generation, now grown to adulthood, needed to have the Law 11] (The LORD God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as he hath promised you!) interpreted for them in the light of 38 years’ experience in the wilderness. When Moses expounded these words, Israel was east of the Jordan in If the nation had any doubt about God’s intention or ability to fulfill His Moab. ancient covenant with Abraham she had only to look at her present condition. Israel had become so numerous that they were like the stars 7] Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto in the sky (v. 10). This, of course, was one thing God had promised all the places nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto Abraham and Isaac (Gen 15:5; 22:17; 26:4; Ex 32:13). The nation’s growth the great river, the river Euphrates. thus proved both God’s intention and ability to fulfill His original promises to Abraham. Moses was confident God would continue to The first words of the speech, the Lord (Yehovah) our God, set a increase and bless them, for they had the same Lord as their ancestors.
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