Deuteronomy 32: Old Habits Die Hard

Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you- they are your life.

The last chapters of Deuteronomy show the Israelites facing a situation much like that of a prisoner who emerges into freedom after many years of incarceration. Four decades in the desert of Sinai had served as a kind of imprisonment, or probation period. And then the long-awaited day of freedom arrived.

It's difficult to read the last chapters of Deuteronomy without detecting a sense of fatalism in Moses' words. Pulling out all the stops, though, Moses orchestrated a dramatic object lesson that would live in their memories forever. (It actually took place after Moses' death, as recorded in Joshua 8:30-35). Representatives from all the tribes would climb two mountains, with a narrow valley in between. These designated speakers were to shout out curses and blessings on the Israelites. Then, as the Israelites entered the new land, their ears would ring with the dissonance of wonderful blessings and horrific curses.

And just in case the Israelites didn't get the message, Moses taught them a song given him by God here in chapter 32. It became a kind of national anthem, memorized by everyone and sung as they marched into Canaan. But the song is like no other national anthem. It has virtually no words of encouragement or hope, only doom.

Just before he died, Moses gave a final word to the Israelites, most of whom had lived their entire adult lives under his leadership. Now they would no longer have him to lean on. As they prepared to enter the promised land without him, he bequeathed to them something more valuable than money, stronger than power, deeper than learning: a blessing. Tribe by tribe, Moses spoke of God's personal care and salvation for the people of Israel.

And yet, to his great disappointment, Moses could not lead his people into Canaan. This sad final scene may have made the strongest impression of all. No one could get away with rebellion against God- not even Moses, "whom the Lord knew face to face". Yet, years later, in a very unexpected way, Moses did realize his dream of setting foot in the promised land for he returned with the prophet Elijah and visited Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17)

Comment: Hey Greg...thanks so much for making this journey with me so far. It's taken a bit longer than I had anticipated. I suppose though that if it took 40 years for the Israelites to return home, 5 months isn't all that bad to get through Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Your reflections have been truly inspiring to read and have provided much needed encouragement to continue this project. Get ready for Joshua and the Battle of Jericho!

Deuteronomy 28: A Loud and Clear Warning

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If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth...If you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you.

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In Joshua 8:30-35, Joshua will carry out Moses' instructions for the blessings and curses that are listed here in Deuteronomy 27-28. The location- Mount Ebal- had special significance for the Israelites for they believed it to be the same place that Abraham first worshiped God after receiving the original promise of the land. (Genesis 15)

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In 28, Moses clearly warns that if the Israelites fail to obey God's law, they will be uprooted from the new land and scattered all over the earth. As history shows, at least three times this kind of dispersion- known as the Diaspora- took place on massive scales: Assyria, Babylon, and finally the Roman Empire all invaded the homeland of the Jews and scattered them far abroad.

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As if being able to foresee the grim future of his people, Moses cannot share the spirit of optimism that the Israelites show towards the end of this book. Having led these fickle people, he knows that the future will likely resemble the past. These last chapters of Deuteronomy express his sense of pessimism about what lies ahead.

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Here in what is the 3rd great speech of this book, Moses defines in simple yet elegant terms the benefits of keeping the covenant with God. But as he relates the consequences of breaking the agreement with God, his language changes. He describes scenes of woe and potential catastrophes that should scare anyone into obedience.

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Life Question: One has to wonder if the Israelites received Moses' words as nothing more than an idle threat. That will never happen to us, right? Have you ever delivered or been on the receiving end of what you thought might be an idle threat?

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Well, with three kids, it's extremely easy to mete out idle threats- especially to my two eldest ones. But, kids are pretty perceptive, and they know all too well when you- as a parent- have thrown out a set of consequences that simply can't be enforced. That said, it's almost unfathomable to see how the Israelites failed to take Moses seriously- after having been privileged to see God's wonder and power over the last 40 plus years.

Deuteronomy 24: The Outsiders
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When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the Lord your god may bless you in all the work of your hands.
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Old Testament laws contained many provisions to protect people from exploitation. Israelites could not charge each other interest for loans (Exodus 22:25). And Deuteronomy set limits on the "collateral," or pledge, that secured a loan. Here, the lender could not accept a millstone, for that would threaten the debtor's livelihood. Verses 10-13 show further safeguards. The debtor was allowed to keep everything necessary for living. And the lender could not even enter the debtor's house to get his pledge.
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One remarkable aspect of Israel's Covenant was the command to care for the poor, the strangers, the widows, and the orphans. These four groups were the outsiders in ancient Israel because they fell outside Israel's socioeconomic system. The poor often had no means to sustain themselves. Strangers were not part of Israel's tribal organization. Widows depended on the charity of others. Orphans were destitute because they had no family to help them survive.
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God provides a reason why Israel must care for the poor and oppressed. Just as the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt- when they were poor, oppressed, orphans in a foreign land- and God responded to their cry for help, so they must care for the poor, oppressed, forgotten, and marginalized in their midst.
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Life Question: Can this be any less true for us today?
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Yes...and no. I think all too often not enough credit is reported on all the good that is done for the impoverished of the world. Certainly, more can- and should- be done, but right here in our own church are two wonderful examples of a Christian community reaching out to the "outsiders" in hopes of not only spreading God's word to them, but also providing for them what should be a better quality of life. The projects of Mozambique and the Indian schools for the Dalit children are wonderful examples of how we can all take responsibility and exemplify the message written here in Deuteronomy.

Deuteronomy 16: Do only good things happen to good people?

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Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord you God is giving you.

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Do Christians have car accidents? Do they get cancer? Are they ever fired from their jobs? The answer to all three questions is, of course, yes. But that answer causes big problems for some new Christians. Doesn't the Bible promise that God will protect his followers? How can such bad things occur?

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People puzzled by such questions often refer to Old Testament books where God clearly promised success and protection to the Israelites. In Deuteronomy, Moses spelled out God's promises in complete detail. Israelite wives would have many babies. All the crops- grain, grapes, and olive trees- would produce bountifully. Cattle and sheep would multiply. And Moses even included this extraordinary promise: "The Lord will keep you free from every disease" (7:15)

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For the Israelites to receive these benefits, God asked only one thing in return: They must follow the covenant agreement first set forth in the book of Exodus. God had a unique relationship with this band of refugees who had been roaming the Sinai for 40 years. Moses promised that good things would come the Israelite's way if they merely held up their end of the covenant. If, he said- underscoring that small, but crucial, word. Threads of doubt and anxiety run all through the book. Will the Israelites stick to the terms of the covenant? Will they obey?

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Deuteronomy may offer a clue to the question, "Why doesn't God now exempt his followers from every bad thing in life?" Moses' fear came true: the Israelites proved least faithful to God after they had moved into the prosperity of the promised land. In the desert, at least, they had been forced to lean on God for daily survival. But after a very short time in Canaan, they forgot about God.

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Life Question: When do you think most about God- when things are going well or when you are in trouble.

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I suppose human nature leads us towards the latter. It's easy to take credit for the good things in life, but undoubtedly we never want to take responsibility for the hard times. That said, I've always struggled to make sense out of incidents like the Virginia Tech massacre. Why would God allow something like that to happen? As I've said to a number of folks over the past month, it is amazing, though, how God sends us a "hero" during these calamities to ensure us that mankind can be caring and loving- evidenced by the courageous acts of the VT professor who saved the lives of a number of his own students while he took the bullets.

Deuteronomy 12: Who Needs All These Laws?

Be careful to obey all these regulations I am giving you, so that it may always go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the Lord your God.

Deuteronomy repeats verbatim many of the laws given in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. Yet, it is far from a rulebook. A different spirit pervades it: the spirit of love. The rules in Deuteronomy read more like a guide on "How to Have a Successful Family" than, say, some kind of an automobile maintenance manual. To keep up a car you need only follow the rules. To maintain a close personal relationship you need more- you need love.

Deuteronomy focuses on motives: why people should obey laws. The preceding three books barely mentioned the love of God for his people, but Deuteronomy again and again refers to it (4:37; 7:8; 19:15; 23:5). The author portrays God as a father with his children and as a mother who gives them life. In return, God simply asks for obedience based on love, not on a sense of duty. At least 15 times in the book Moses tells the Israelites to love God and cling to him with an obedience that comes from the heart.

Life Question: Can you remember a "rule" that was given to you by your parents that at the time you may have thought was silly?

At the time- you know when I was 16 years old and knew everything- I thought all the rules that my folks had were silly. Now as a parent, it has slowly dawned on me how smart my folks actually were. One household "rule" that- again I felt to be extremely oppressive back in my "know it all" high school days- was simply that my dad and mom expected to know where we were at and who we were spending our time with at ALL TIMES- no exceptions. Was it to be nosy, over-indulging parents who simply wanted their kids to have no social life whatsoever- or was it more in line with the parenting father whom God replicates here in Deuteronomy. It's taken me a while, but I think I finally know the answer.

Deuteronomy 8: Dangers of Success

When your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery....You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth...

The Israelites have learned the habit of depending on God in the Sinai wilderness, where they needed God's intervention each day just to eat and drink. But now, on the banks of the Jordan River, they are about to face a more difficult test of faith. Moses fears the coming prosperity even more than the rigors of the desert, and he voices those fears here in chapter 8. In the promised land, a lush country of streams and fruit trees and valuable resources, the Israelites might forget God and begin to take credit for their own success.

For this reason, Moses keeps urging them to remember the days of slavery in Egypt and God's acts in liberating you. Remember the trails of the vast, desolate desert and God's faithfulness there. Remember your special calling as a peculiar treasure of God. Do not forget, as a prosperous nation, what you have learned as refugees in the Sinai.

Moses has good reason for concern. God, who sees the future, told Moses plainly what will happen: "When I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, the land I promised on oath to their forefathers, and when they eat their fill and thrive, they will turn to other gods and worship them, rejecting me and breaking my covenant." (31:20) As the books following Deuteronomy record, everything that God and Moses fear comes true. The Israelites prove less faithful to God after they move into the promised land, breaking the covenant irreparably. In the end they receive, not wealth and happiness, but slavery and suffering.

Ironically, as Deuteronomy shows, success can make dependence on God less of an urgent need in our lives. There is grave danger in finally getting what we want.

Life Question: What has been the most "successful" period of your life? What was your relationship with God like then?

Honestly, I think I'm living it right now...and am trying earnestly to improve my relationship with Christ because it is all too easy to lose sight of what's important in life when you have very little financial concerns or family tragedies to contend with. I've been blessed in both areas, and I know that it's time now for me- more than ever- to give back to God for He deserves all the credit and praise for the blessings in my life.

Deuteronomy 4: Pep Talk at the Border

Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.

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Four decades after leaving Egypt, the Israelites stand again at the edge of the promised land. With the older generation of doubters and grumblers now dead and buried, a new generation chafes to march in and claim the land. Egypt is a faint memory from childhood, for God's people now have their own cultural identity.

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Here at the border, the elderly man Moses delivers three speeches, his final opportunities to advise and inspire the people he has led for 40 tumultuous years. Passionately, deliberately, tearfully, he reviews their history step-by-step.

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In this chapter Moses recalls the hallmark day when God delivered the covenant on Mount Sinai. He remembers aloud the black clouds and deep darkness and blazing fire. God took on no shape or form then, he reminds them; so don't repeat the mistakes of your parents, who melted their gold into an idol. Moses' central message: Never forget the lessons you learned in the desert.

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Besides all the warnings, Moses gives a kind of pep talk, a challenge for the Israelites to claim their unique calling as a nation. If they follow God's laws, the lavish advantages of the covenant will be theirs: uninterrupted peace, health, and prosperity. Every other nation will look to them and want to know their God.

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Moses seems incurably astonished at all God has done for him and the Israelites. This speech represents his last, best chance to communicate that sense of wonder and thanksgiving to the next generation.

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Life Question: When was the last time you gave a pep talk? Was it a success?

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I have a friend at work who is going through a divorce. Having experienced one as well, I think/ hope that I was able to offer a perspective that may have been helpful. For me, it's always a challenge to inspire as oppose to preach to someone who may be hurting or in need of some direction. You certainly want to speak with prudence, but I also think that listening can be a key component in any pep talk as well.

Numbers 33: Final Warnings

Sadly, the Israelites lost faith not only in themselves, but in their God. Because of that, a whole generation of them lies buried in the peninsula known as Sinai. References to the "desert wanderings" crop up again and again in the Bible. The period of rebellion left an indelible mark on the Jewish people. The apostle Paul points out that these failures "happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall." (1 Cor. 10:11-12)

Numbers 20-36 concerns a whole new generation of Israelites, who were making final preparations before the invasion. Because Moses had disobeyed God (20:1-13), he was not allowed to enter the promised land. In 27:14, he seems to accept his punishment without complaint, quietly turning over his leadership to Joshua. Later in 33:50-56, just before the dramatic crossing into the promised land, God gave a clear statement of his priorities and a warning of what would happen if the Israelites failed to obey. His words would one day come back to haunt them, for they failed to carry out fully any of his orders.

Life Question: Of the many thousands who had left Egypt, only two adults, Joshua and Caleb, would make it into the promised land. Are there times in your life where you want to just ask, "Is this fair?"

Yeah, and rather often too. But, God's plan may not always be the same as the one that I have laid out in my mind. More often than not, when I think that I got stuck with a raw deal, I tend to overlook an indiscretion that I committed that may very well be the cause for my "grumbling". If nothing else, the Book of Numbers is an awesome lesson for us all to place our entire lives in God's hands and trust in him for guidance and counsel.