These Are the Words
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
THESE ARE THE WORDS A STUDY OF DEUTERONOMY Trinity Bible Church Portland, Oregon L. Dwight Custis, pastor THESE ARE THE WORDS A Study of Deuteronomy And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 Trinity Bible Church Sunday School Fall, 2002 Table of Contents Introduction ....................................................................... 3 Schedule.......................................................................... 5 Memory assignment: selected passages from Deuteronomy .................................. 6 Hymn: “I am Trusting Thee, Lord Jesus” ................................................. 8 Lesson 1: Rebellion Against the Command of the LORD ................................. 9 2: The Conquest Begins................................................... 10 3: Take Heed to Yourself .................................................. 11 4: Love the LORD your God................................................ 12 5: The Way of Blessing in the Land........................................... 13 6: Remember!........................................................... 14 7: A Blessing and a Curse.................................................. 15 8: Worship by Divine Design................................................ 16 9: Practices of Holy People................................................. 17 10: A Prophet Like Moses................................................... 18 11: Pollution Control ...................................................... 19 12: A Holy Land.......................................................... 20 13: A Kind and Gentle Nation................................................ 21 14: The Law Written on the Altar ............................................. 22 15: Blessings and Curses................................................... 23 16: A Covenant of Life and Death............................................. 24 17: He Will Provide Atonement............................................... 25 18: The Death of Moses.................................................... 26 Outline of Deuteronomy............................................................. 27 Introduction “These are the words which Moses spake unto disobedience. Their God “is a consuming fire, all Israel on this side of the Jordan in the a jealous God” (4:24). He would not suffer their wilderness . .” Thus begins the fifth and final rebellion. They must obey the LORD. book of Moses. In the Hebrew Bible, the book is titled simply, “These are the Words.” We The book is largely a series of sermons by know it as Deuteronomy. This title was taken Moses and can be divided into four parts: from the Greek translation (the Septuagint) of Deuteronomy 17:18 where the king was 1. A review of history (1-4). instructed to write a “copy of this law” (Greek 2. A review of the Law (5-26). “deuteronomion”). 3. A review of the Covenant (27-30). 4. The death of Moses (31-34). Deuteronomy literally means a second Law. It is not an inappropriate title in that the book The first division is a sermon in which Moses does give an abbreviated form of the Law of reviewed how the LORD had provided for them. Moses for a second time. But this is more than He exhorted this new generation to learn from a popularized version of the Law. In a series of history and faithfully follow the LORD. The messages, Moses confronted a new generation second and largest section of the book is a with the spiritual and moral issues of God’s single sermon in which Moses repeated the Ten Covenant. He wanted to impress upon them Commandments. He then reviewed the tes- their privileges and obligations as the Covenant timonies, statutes and judgments they must people of the One True God. As they prepared learn and be careful to observe when they went to enter the land, they needed to know their into the land. As the special possession of a solemn obligation to love and serve the LORD holy God, they, too, must be holy. The Law God without reserve and according to “these described this holiness. words.” In the third section, Moses focused upon the In the previous writings of Moses, the LORD Covenant between Israel and the LORD God. spoke either to Moses or through him to the By the Covenant they had become “the people nation. In this book, Moses spoke to the of the LORD.” Accordingly, they could expect nation. The Law had been given. The people rich blessings if they diligently obeyed Him. On now must love and obey the LORD with all their the other hand, Moses solemnly warned of the heart, their soul and their might. All depended terrible curses that would come upon them if upon their strict obedience to Him. Because of they did not obey the voice of the LORD their their special relationship with the holy God, they God. The miseries of disobedience are clearly must be holy. Their temporal blessing in the declared. Having set this all before the people, land, even their very lives, depended upon Moses enjoined them to choose life. unwavering faithfulness to the LORD. In these sermons, Moses urged this obligation upon the The final section deals with the death of Moses. people. In it, Moses appointed Joshua to take his place as leader of the nation. He anticipated the Moses admonished Israel to remember and not future rebellion of the nation and gave them a to forget. They must remember all the ways song. The song was to remind them of their the LORD had led them. They must remember rebellious hearts and the fierceness and their special relationship with the LORD. They compassion of their God. His last act was to must remember the commandments He gave. bless the twelve tribes. Finally, the LORD took They must not forget the Covenant and turn to Moses to view the land he would not permit him their own devices, or worse, to idols. They to enter. After this, the man “whom the LORD must not forget the blessings pronounced upon knew face to face” was taken from them. obedience and the curses pronounced upon –3 Introduction (continued) The initial intent of this book is to declare the revelation of the compassion of God toward depravity of the heart of man, the righteous sinful people. The very things that Moses urged standard of God and the fierceness of His wrath the people to do, they were not able to do. against sin. The nation, so richly blessed to see Therefore, they deserved only the curses of the hand of God in their beginning and to God. But it was to these “stiff-necked people” receive “these words,” was warned that it would (9:6) that the LORD revealed Himself to be a be brought “to naught” (28:63) because of God of love. Because of His great love toward rebellion against God’s righteous standard. Sin His people, He promised to make them worthy would prevent Israel from receiving the by a transformation of their hearts. Moses’ final promised blessings. words to the rebellious nation anticipated their condemnation because of their utter sinfulness. That might well be the end of the story, but He then presented to them the only possible Moses also spoke of “a Prophet like me” Whom solution to their dreadful state through the the people shall hear (18:15). One would come coming Prophet. This was the announcement Who would be heard and obeyed. A time of the Gospel of the grace of God. would come when “the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy The book closes with the death of Moses, but seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine anticipates One greater than Moses Who will do heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest what Moses was not able to do. He would lead live” (30:6). The ultimate purpose of this book the nation into the blessings of God forever. was to direct the expectations of the nation That Prophet is Jesus Christ. More than a toward the coming Prophet. recital of the Law of Moses, “these are the words” that speak of Christ “ (John 5:39). These final sermons of Moses are truly a –4 2002 Fall Schedule September 1 1. Rebellion Against the Command of the LORD Deuteronomy 1:1-46 September 8 2. The Conquest Begins Deuteronomy 2:1-3:29 September 15 3. Take Heed to Yourself Deuteronomy 4:1-49 September 22 4. Love the LORD your God Deuteronomy 5:1-33 September 29 5. The Way of Blessing in the Land Deuteronomy 6:1-7:26 October 6 6. Remember! Deuteronomy 8:1-9:29 October 13 7. A Blessing and a Curse Deuteronomy 10:1-11:32 October 20 8. Worship by Divine Design Deuteronomy 12:1-13:18 October 27 9. Practices of Holy People Deuteronomy 14:1-15:23 November 3 10. A Prophet Like Moses Deuteronomy 16:1-18:22 November 10 11. Pollution Control Deuteronomy 19:1-21:23 November 17 12. A Holy Land Deuteronomy 22:1-23:25 November 24 13. A Kind and Gentle Nation Deuteronomy 24:1-26:15 December 1 14. The Law Written on the Altar Deuteronomy 26:16-27:26 December 8 15. Blessings and Curses Deuteronomy 28:1-68 December 15 16. A Covenant of Life and Death Deuteronomy 29:1-31:13 December 22 17. He Will Provide Atonement Deuteronomy 31:14-32:47 December 29 18. The Death of Moses Deuteronomy 32:48-34:12 –5 Scripture Memorization Deuteronomy 4:24 For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God. Deuteronomy 6:4-7 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. Deuteronomy 8:2-3 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.