The foundation of the covenant is its prohibition against worshiping any god other than Yahweh. Nothing is more fundamental to the people’s place as God’s chosen people than their exclusive worship of Him. Thus violations of the first two commandments are to be dealt with in the harshest terms. In Chapter 13 Moses lists specific […]
Moses reaches the end of his discussion of the importance of the Law that he began in 5:1. In this chapter he repeats many of the themes and warnings he has discussed throughout this address. It is critical that the people love God and obey Him as they enter and conquer the land. They must […]
Time for a confession. My wife knows this, my daughter knows this, pretty much everyone in my family knows this, so it’s probably appropriate to tell you – the tens of followers of this blog – so you can know it too (and perhaps decide if you want to continue following). I’m not a loveyoubye […]
Moses begins to conclude this portion of his second sermon (which began in 5:1) by explaining how the incidents he has described affect the people going forward. His concluding remarks will lead into the specific application of the Law which begins in 12:1. Along with 30:15-19, this is one of the key passages in Deuteronomy. […]
In these verses (along with verses 18-19) Moses records his response to the people’s sin with the golden calf. After rebuking them and making them realize the seriousness of their actions he rushes back to God and appeals to Him to spare the people. What drives him are God’s words in verse 14 – “Let […]
No one earns Canaan. No one deserves the Promised Land. This is the message Moses wants to convey to the people with this part of his sermon in Chapter 9. He goes to great lengths to make sure they know their upcoming conquest has nothing to do with them. It is all about purging the […]
The first six verses of this chapter discussed trials and discipline. In those verses Moses explained the purposes of the rough times the people experienced over the last forty years. What at first appeared to be harsh treatment at the hands of God was actually a measure of His grace and love. God used the […]
How are we to respond to trials? How do we know when God is behind a trial? What does God want us to learn through a trial? What is the proper response to prosperity and blessing? How do we know when our prosperity is from God? What brings us closer to God – trial or […]
I am wholly the product of Christian education. I started in preschool at Heritage Christian School on the northeast side of Indianapolis in 1968 when I was four years old. I graduated from the same school 14 years later in 1982. I then attended Cedarville College (now ‘University’ since they put on airs), a Christian […]
In the second half of Chapter 6 Moses preached to the people about their lives in the Promised Land after the conquest. In Chapter 7 he discusses the conquest itself. He instructs them as to their role in driving out the inhabitants of Canaan and reassures them that God’s presence and power will be with […]
