Friday, August 30, 2013

Twelve stones


(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Joshua 3:7–13, “And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan. And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God. And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man. And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap.”
There are four kinds of people on the earth: those who have been called by man, those who have been called by God, those who have been called by both God and man and those who have been called by neither God nor man. Joshua was called by both God and man. The Lord chose Him and Moses also chose him to be his assistant. (see Ex 24:13, “And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God.” and Num 27:22–23, “And Moses did as the LORD commanded him: and he took Joshua, and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation: And he laid his hands upon him, and gave him a charge, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses.”) However, Joshua was also the newly appointed leader and still had to prove himself to the people. There are always some people who complain about the leader and suggest that someone else would make a better leader. Often these people suggest that the person complaining would make the best leader of all. The Lord understood these things and decided to show Israel that He had in fact chosen Joshua to be Israel’s leader. He told Joshua that He would be with Joshua in the same way that He had been with Moses. The was an important promise for the Lord had been with Moses all the time that Moses led Israel. Joshua could feel confident as he took charge of the nation and their armies. There was no one for him to blame any more if things went wrong. However, the Lord said that He would make it very clear to the entire nation that He was with Joshua. The people would see marvellous miracles and understand that the Lord was going to work in a miraculous way through Joshua. After all the miracles, there would be no doubt at all that the Lord was in charge and that Joshua was the Lord’s chosen leader. The River Jordan was in flood and there was neither bridge nor ford where Israel was going to cross but the Lord said that He would stop the flooded river and they would be able to cross over on dry land. So that people could remember what the Lord had done, Joshua was to choose a representative from each of the twelve tribes and ask them to select twelve stones from the bed of the dry river so that they could be set up as a memorial to what the Lord had done.

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Thursday, August 29, 2013

And lodged there


(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Joshua 3:1–6, “And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host; And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it. Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore. And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you. And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.”
We can pray about things and plan as much as we like but nothing will ever happen unless we actually set out to complete the task. Forty years earlier Israel refused to set out to take possession of the Promised Land and the Lord punished them by making them wander for forty years through the wilderness. However, at this stage, Israel set out to enter the Promised Land. They camped next to the Jordan River, the eastern boundary of the Land they were called to take. Israel were acting as the Lord’s agents to punish the Amorites for their sin and the fact that they had debased the good land they lived in. In order to act as the Lord’s agents Israel needed to be ceremonially pure. They were told to make sure that they were ready to serve the Lord so they had to wash themselves and go through the process of preparing to serve the Lord. While Israel travelled in the wilderness the Tabernacle and the ark were in the middle of the tribes (Numbers 10:15–18, “And over the host of the tribe of the children of Issachar was Nethaneel the son of Zuar. And over the host of the tribe of the children of Zebulun was Eliab the son of Helon. And the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari set forward, bearing the tabernacle. And the standard of the camp of Reuben set forward according to their armies: and over his host was Elizur the son of Shedeur.) However, when Israel went to war the ark was taken first so that the people would know that they were following the Lord’s commandments and they would know that the Lord was going before them to make sure that His promises came to pass.
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Wednesday, August 28, 2013

The Lord hath delivered


(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Joshua 2:22–24, “And they went, and came unto the mountain, and abode there three days, until the pursuers were returned: and the pursuers sought them throughout all the way, but found them not. So the two men returned, and descended from the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all things that befell them: And they said unto Joshua, Truly the LORD hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us.”
The spies had to make sure that they remained undetected after escaping from Jericho. The king of Jericho thought that they had already escaped when Rahab hid them so there were soldiers out in the countryside searching for them. In the southern part of the Jordan valley there are steep mountains with deep gorges on each side. While most of the area is quite dry there are many places where people can stay and find springs of water. The spies went into this area and stayed there until the soldiers returned to Jericho. The soldiers spent three days looking for the spies but they were unable to find them. The spies left their hiding place and they went back over the Jordan River and returned to Joshua. They had good news to tell Joshua. The people in the Land had been afraid of Israel for forty years. They were expecting Israel to come and deal with them as Israel had dealt with Egypt and the two kings of the Amorites.
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Tuesday, August 27, 2013

The scarlet thread


(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Joshua 2:8–21, “And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof; And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath. Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father’s house, and give me a true token: And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death. And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the LORD hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee. Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall. And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go your way. And the men said unto her, We will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear.  Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father’s household, home unto thee. And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him. And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear. And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window.”
Rahab spoke to the spies and told them about the situation in Jericho at that time. This was very important information for the spies for they didn’t only want to know about the physical nature of the land, they also wanted to know about the morale of the people. They found out that the people in Jericho still remembered how the Lord had dried up the Red Sea so that they could escape from the Egyptians. This had happened over forty years before but it was still fresh in their collective memories. It is interesting to note that the people in the Promised Land were afraid of Israel at the same time that Israel was afraid to take possession of the Land because of the giants. Not only were there events from over forty years before that troubles the people in Jericho they had heard of the recent battles where Israel had soundly defeated two mighty kingdoms of the Amorites on the other side of the River Jordan. Rahab was so afraid of the Israeli armies that she begged the spies to save her and her family from the Lord’s judgment that was coming to Jericho. As Rahab lived in a house built into the city wall, she let the spies out of the city by lowering them on a scarlet rope and allowing them to escape. The spies promised Rahab that the Lord would protect her if she left the scarlet rope hanging from her window when Israel finally attacked Jericho. There was no doubt in their minds that they would triumph over Jericho because the Lord had promised them that they would.
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Monday, August 26, 2013

The spies


(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Joshua 2:1–7, “And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot’s house, named Rahab, and lodged there. And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither to night of the children of Israel to search out the country. And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country. And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were: And it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them. But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof. And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the fords: and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate.”
Even though the Lord had promised Joshua that he would have success in the task he was doing, he still had to make sure that he prepared himself and his army to take possession of the Land. Apart from Joshua and Caleb, no one else in Israel had been inside the borders of the Promised Land. Joshua took a wiser precaution and sent spies to gain intelligence about the first city they were to attack. Even though Abraham left his home and went to an unseen and unknown destination, Joshua was going with about two million people and it was wise for him to take precautions and make careful preparations. They crossed the Jordan River in secret and then went to find out as much as they could about Jericho, the fist city they would encounter, and the surrounding region. These men entered the city and stayed at, a woman called, Rahab’s house. This was a good place for them to stay because people would be coming and going and they would be able to hear what was being said in the town. Someone saw them there and realised that they were Israelis and told the king that there spies from Israel gaining intelligence about Jericho. The king wasn’t stupid so he sent and asked Rahab to surrender the men to him. However, Rahab told the king that two men had come and she didn’t know who they were. Jericho was a city with a surrounding wall to protect the inhabitants from attack. In order to maintain security, the leaders of the city made sure that the city gates were securely locked each night. After the gates were locked no one could come in or go out until the gates were opened the next morning. The king sent for the spies after the gate was guarded so they couldn’t escape from the city. Rahab told the king that men had left then she took them to the flat roof of her house and hid them. In those days people would dry grain and other things on the flat roof in the sun. Rahab hid the men under some some flax, these fibres would later be used to make linen cloth. The king sent men to find the spies but they remained hidden on the flat roof of Rahab’s house.

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Friday, August 23, 2013

They answered Joshua


(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Joshua 1:16–18, “And they answered Joshua, saying, All that thou commandest us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us, we will go. According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee: only the LORD thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses. Whosoever he be that doth rebel against thy commandment, and will not hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death: only be strong and of a good courage.”
Joshua was appointed as leader. The people had just finished listening to Moses and remaking their contract with the Lord. Now they were motivated and promised to follow Joshua and do whatever he commanded them because the knew that Joshua had been chosen and ordained by the Lord. They also encouraged Joshua to be strong and courageous.
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Thursday, August 22, 2013

Prepare you victuals


(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Joshua 1:10–15, “Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, Pass through the host, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the LORD your God giveth you to possess it. And to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, spake Joshua, saying, Remember the word which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, The LORD your God hath given you rest, and hath given you this land. Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side Jordan; but ye shall pass before your brethren armed, all the mighty men of valour, and help them; Until the LORD have given your brethren rest, as he hath given you, and they also have possessed the land which the LORD your God giveth them: then ye shall return unto the land of your possession, and enjoy it, which Moses the LORD’S servant gave you on this side Jordan toward the sunrising.”
After Moses died, and the people mourned his death in the appropriate way, it was time for the people to move forward to the next stage in their journey with the Lord God. Ever since Israel left Egypt the Lord had provided them with manna every day but, now that they were moving into the Promised Land, the Lord told them to prepare their own food. The Promised Land was to be a land flowing with milk and honey so they wouldn’t need to have any manna. (Exodus 3:8, “And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.”) This also showed that they went in to fight a war and needed to camp along the way. The Lord’s promise didn’t change; they were going to possess the Land. Two and half tribes had opted to stay on the eastern side of the Jordan River because it was good land for their herds and flocks but they had a responsibility to go into the Land with their brothers and help them take the Land from the people who had debased the Land for many years. These men left their families behind and were obliged to stay with the armies till they had conquered the Land. When everybody had access to their promised inheritance then everyone was free from the obligation to take part in the invading force.
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Wednesday, August 21, 2013

After the death of Moses


(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Joshua 1:1–9, “Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”
Moses finished his work and died but the Lord still had plans for Israel. The Lord had already prepared Joshua for many years because he worked with Moses. He would have been called an ADC today as he went with Moses on many the tasks Moses did but he also was the senior general in the army at times as well. The Lord told Joshua that he was to take Israel over the Jordan River and into the Promised Land. The Lord also told Joshua that the Land had already been promised to them and they were to believe the truth of the Lord’s promise. Wherever they travelled in the Land, the Lord promised to give them that part of the Land. They were not stay in one place and wait for the Lord to bring the Land to them but they had to go our and take the Land for themselves. Israel would require strong and courageous leadership and Joshua was charged to give them that leadership. He was told that he must follow the same instructions that the Lord had given to Moses. These instructions were written down in the book of the Law. Joshua would be successful if he made sure that he spent his time meditating of the book of the Law. This way he would know and trust the book of the Law and would not be in a situation where he wasn’t sure what to do. Joshua could go forward in confidence because the Lord promised that He would be with Joshua all the way.

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Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Moses death


(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Deuteronomy 34:1–12, “And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the LORD shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan, And all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea, And the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar. And the LORD said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither. So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day. And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended. And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses. And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, In all the signs and the wonders, which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel.”
Moses was a good man and he did everything that the Lord asked him to do. He set Israel free from slavery in Egypt and brought them to the borders of the Promised Land. The Lord gave Moses the Law and he taught the Law to Israel. He led them in battle and led them through the wilderness. Even though Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land, the Lord showed him the Land from a high vantage point so that he could appreciate something of what he had done for the Lord. Moses lived for 120 years in three distinct phases. In the first phase he was trained in Egypt to lead, in the second phase the Lord trained him to trust and obey and in the last forty years he put everything that he had learned into practice. At the time of his death he was still a strong man, able to everything that much younger men are able to do. The Lord buried Moses in a secret place and the people mourned his death as was appropriate for a much love leader. Joshua became the leader after Moses but Moses was unique in history because he knew the Lord face to face like no one has since. The last section was completed by someone else, probably Joshua because Moses wasn't there to witness his own burial.
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Moses' blessing


(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Deuteronomy 33:1–29, “And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them.  Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words. Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob. And he was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together.
“Let Reuben live, and not die; and let not his men be few. 7 And this is the blessing of Judah: and he said, Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah, and bring him unto his people: let his hands be sufficient for him; and be thou an help to him from his enemies. 
“And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one, whom thou didst prove at Massah, and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah; Who said unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen him; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own children: for they have observed thy word, and kept thy covenant. They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law: they shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar.  Bless, LORD, his substance, and accept the work of his hands: smite through the loins of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again. 
“And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by him; and the LORD shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders. And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath, And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills, And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.  His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh. 
“And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; and, Issachar, in thy tents. They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand. And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head. And he provided the first part for himself, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated; and he came with the heads of the people, he executed the justice of the LORD, and his judgments with Israel. 
“And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion’s whelp: he shall leap from Bashan. And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the LORD: possess thou the west and the south. And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil. Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be. 
“There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky. The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them. Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew. Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.”
Moses had been a father to Israel all the years since they had left Egypt. Now that he was going to die, he blessed them as any father would bless his children. He had  an individual blessing for each of the tribes. Everything was based on the fact that the Lord is God. He is eternal and a gives His people a secure place that can never be taken from them.
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Friday, August 16, 2013

In the ears of the people


(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Deuteronomy 32:44–52, “And Moses came and spake all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he, and Hoshea the son of Nun. And Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel: And he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law. For it is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life: and through this thing ye shall prolong your days in the land, whither ye go over Jordan to possess it. And the LORD spake unto Moses that selfsame day, saying, Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession: And die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people: Because ye trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah-Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because ye sanctified me not in the midst of the children of Israel. Yet thou shalt see the land before thee; but thou shalt not go thither unto the land which I give the children of Israel.”
Moses made sure that he finished the task the Lord gave Him. He was sent to deliver Israel from slavery in Egypt and bring them to the Promised Land. However, he also had to teach them that they had obligations to the Lord as well. Their job was to actively take part in brining the blessings, which the Lord promised to Abraham, to all the families of the earth. In order to do this they had to live according the Law of the Lord and be a good example of the fact that there is one God and His people must bow before Him. As part of his final task Moses wrote this song so that Israel could learn to sing it and remember all that the Lord commanded them. Obeying the Law was to be the core of their lives. Everything they did was to be governed by the Law. It was not just a vain thing, that is, an invention of man but it was absolutely essential to their existence. After Moses had finished writing the song and teaching Israel how to sing it, the Lord told him to go up into a high mountain so that he could see the Land before He died. There is on evidence that Moses ever entered the Promised Land but he played an essential role in bringing the nation to that Land.
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Thursday, August 15, 2013

I am He and there is no god with me


(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Deuteronomy 32:39–43, “See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever. If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me. I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh; and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy. Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people.”
The basic principle of the Law is that that there is one God and Israel were not to assume or tolerate any other gods. The true God is in complete control of His creation but is also completely separate from it. We can write this in a more technical way by saying that the Lord God is both immanent and transcendent. He is above His entire creation but He also present everywhere in His creation. The most basic issue is that God has not allowed any part of Himself to remain in His creation. No creature, by making any effort, can find part of God and take that for himself and so become a superior kind of man or woman. The Lord gave life to everyone on earth but, before the Lord God, we are all equal. No one can do anything to impress God and so save himself from the consequences of his sin. The Lord always does whatever He pleases (see, Psalm 115:3, “But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.”) No one can take His chosen away from Him and no one can force Him to accept someone who has rejected Him. When people rebel against the Lord, He gives them the random and arbitrary course that they have chosen. A world without the Lord is completely chaotic, nothing is predictable and it is very easy to get badly hurt. Each person see himself or his group as superior and they have the right to attack and destroy anyone who doesn’t belong to their own group. If people attack Israel they will be cursed by the Lord, just as He promised Abraham, when He first called Abraham. (Genesis 12:1–3, “Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”)
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Wednesday, August 14, 2013

I would scatter them


(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Deuteronomy 32:26–38, “I said, I would scatter them into corners, I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men: Were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, lest their adversaries should behave themselves strangely, and lest they should say, Our hand is high, and the LORD hath not done all this. For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them. O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end! How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up? For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges. For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter: Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps. Is not this laid up in store with me, and sealed up among my treasures? To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste. For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left. And he shall say, Where are their gods, their rock in whom they trusted, Which did eat the fat of their sacrifices, and drank the wine of their drink offerings? let them rise up and help you, and be your protection.”
Whenever the Lord discussed exiling Israel to the four corners of the earth, He did it in the context of, “And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee. If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee: And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.  And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.” (Deut 30:1–6). After all, He delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt so why would he utterly destroy them? His plan was always to bring them to their knees and bring them back. However, when they have repented of their sin and believed again in the Name of the Lord, He will write the Law in their hearts rather than on tablets of stone. This would introduce a new order for them whereby they would keep the Law as their highest priority rather than trying to be like the nations around about. This plan is precise and perfect. The Lord doesn’t not save people to destroy them or cast them out forever.
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Tuesday, August 13, 2013

I will hide my face from them


(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Deuteronomy 32:19–25, “And when the LORD saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters. And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith. They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation. For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains. I will heap mischiefs upon them; I will spend mine arrows upon them.  They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust. The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs.”
Israel proved again and again that they would sin against the Lord. He is always longsuffering and gentle and continues to bring them to that place where they finally give up and submit to Him. The Lord gave them the things that they chose time and again when they chose to ignore Him. They preferred the way of death to the way of life and the Lord didn’t stop loving them and working for their final submission.
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Monday, August 12, 2013

Whom your fathers feared not


(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Deuteronomy 32:15–18, “But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation. They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger. They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not. Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.”
In this last section of Moses last speech, the Lord showed Israel that their disobedience didn’t take Him by surprise. The Lord knows the end from the beginning (see, Is 46:9–10, “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:”) and He understood that they would sin before He delivered them from slavery in Egypt. Even when the Lord gave Adam His first command, He gave in the form of a choice (Gen 2:16–17, “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”) The Lord made His point in Deut 30 when He told Israel that His plan was to bring them to their knees in submission to His will. Even at this stage they were not yet ready to completely submit to the Lord. There were individuals who had submitted to the Lord, like Abraham, Moses and Joshua, but Israel was not yet ready to be the source of blessing to all the families of the earth when the entered the Promised Land as a nation for the first time. This would take time and they would have to be broken through exile to the farthest parts of the earth before they would finally be broken on their knees before the Lord. The name “Jeshurun” refers to Israel and means “someone who belongs to the Lord and means the same as “Jacob” or “Israel” (compare Isaiah 44:1–8, “Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen: Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen. For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses. One shall say, I am the LORD’S; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the LORD, and surname himself by the name of Israel. Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them. Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.”) At first they would grow prosperous in the Land and believe that it was because they deserved it because they were good but later they would understand that it was because they belonged to the Lord. Israel would only be blessed and be a source of blessing to others if they were submitted and understood that they belonged to the Lord.
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Friday, August 9, 2013

Remember the days of old


(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Deuteronomy 32:7–14, “Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee. When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. For the LORD’S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: So the LORD alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him. He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock; Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape.”
It is always important to check a person’s record before we decide to trust them. Israel was called up to check on the Lord’s record. Everyone is invited to ask their parents and the old people with the longest memories and see what the Lord has done. Ever since the Lord divided the people into different nations and tribes He gave everyone a place to live. The Lord’s didn’t forget Israel. By rights, Israel should have been ignored because they were strangers wandering in the desert but the Lord chose them to be His favourite people. When the Lord says that He kept Israel as the apple of His eye He meant that He kept the close and made them His most precious people. He was as protective of Israel as an eagle is of her young. The eagle prepares a nest of her young, she makes the nest soft and keeps it protected. Even though the nest is high on the side of the cliff for protection, when the young eagle is learning to fly the older eagle spreads out her wings and flies underneath the fledgling so that it will not fall but be carried up if it cannot fly. The Lord did this alone and He required no help for anyone else, after all, there is only One God. He brought Israel to rich and fertile Land so that they could live well.
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Give ear, O ye heavens


(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Deuteronomy 32:1–6, “Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:  Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he. They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children: they are a perverse and crooked generation. Do ye thus requite the LORD, O foolish people and unwise? is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee?”
This is the beginning of the song that the Lord inspired Moses to write. He called up creation to listen to what he was teaching Israel to sing. The Lord’s teaching is the same as all the other good things that the Lord provided in creation. His words bring life as the dew and the rain brings to the grass and the herbs. Israel, as well as the rest of creation, was called upon to talk about the Lord’s greatness. As the only Creator, he is great and powerful and supreme above everything that He has made. The Rock provides security but anyone who trusts on other gods is really trusting sinking sand. Everything that the Lord does is perfect. He has no association with sin and can never be accused of doing anything evil. In His grace, the Lord gave the people made in His own image the right to choose. This does not make the Lord responsible for the choices that people make. Every person is responsible for the choice that he makes and the Lord is completely innocent even though He is both gracious and merciful. When people sin they get what they choose but the Lord gives them time to repent.
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Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Moses wrote this song


(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Deuteronomy 31:22–30, “Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel. And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee. And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying, Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee. For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the LORD; and how much more after my death? Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to record against them. For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands. And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they were ended.”
As soon as the Lord told Moses to write a song, he composed that song. Lord inspired Moses as he wrote that song so the song was appropriate to its purpose. However, Moses was also handing the leadership to Joshua. He had trained Joshua since the time Israel left Egypt. (Ex 17:9, “And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.”) Now, Moses was to lay down his own burden of leadership. It was too late for him to spend more time making sure that Joshua was ready, he just had to trust the Lord to guide Joshua. Moses made sure that the written copy of this second making of the Law was complete and he handed it over to the Priest, who were responsible to keep the book, and they put it in the Ark of the Covenant. Moses also reminded Israel that they already had a bad record of disobedience to the Lord’s commandments. If they disobeyed the Lord under Moses ‘leadership then surely they would disobey under any leadership. In spite of this, they were encouraged to remain pure and not corrupt themselves by disobeying the Lord.
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Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Write this song


(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Deuteronomy 31:14–21, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation. And the LORD appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud: and the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle. And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them. Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us? And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods. Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel. For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant. And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen them, that this song shall testify against them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for I know their imagination which they go about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I sware.”
Moses had just about finished his job, at this stage. He had gone to Egypt and confronted Pharaoh. He demanded, in the Name of the Lord, that Pharaoh set Israel free from slavery. Eventually he had sent them away but changed his mind. The Egyptian armies were completely destroyed by the Lord so Israel could move on without any fear of retribution from Egypt. The Lord gave Moses the Law and Moses taught Israel the Law. In spite of this, Israel refused to go into the Promised Land because they were afraid of giants. Moses led them through the wilderness and trained the next generation. The Lord told Moses to train his successor and Moses did that. Now Moses was ready to die but, before he died, he needed to ensure that Joshua, his assistant, was ordained and accepted by Israel as their leader. Moses took Joshua and the presented themselves before the Lord in the Tabernacle. The Lord demonstrated His approval by appearing in the pillar of cloud. This had been the way that the Lord showed His presence since they left Egypt. He warned Moses and Joshua that Israel would not always remain completely true to the Law of the Lord. The Lord would deal with them according to the penalty clauses of their contract so that they would realise that they were rejecting the Lord and come back to Him. The Lord told Moses to write a song that the people could learn, sing and remember. Songs are easier to remember than prose. They would be able to sing the song and remember that everything good that existed in their Land was a gift from the Lord.
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Monday, August 5, 2013

Every seven years


(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Deuteronomy 31:9–13, “And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and unto all the elders of Israel. And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles, When all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing. Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law: And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.”
When Moses gave the contract to Israel so that they new generation could make it on their own behalf, he committed it to writing. Everybody’s memory is faulty in some respect but if something is written down then it is fixed and can be referred to at any time if people have different recollections. The priests were dedicated to acting for the people to the Lord and for the Lord to the people so they were the natural choice to be custodians of this written contract. Every seven years, Israel was called upon to celebrate their jubilee, which was similar to the Sabbath but measured in years instead of days. Every year Israel was also called upon to celebrate holidays so that they could remember what the Lord had done for them and offer Him their thanks for His goodness. Once a year, Israel was to live in tents to remember that they lived in tents for forty years as they travelled in the wilderness. This was a celebration of the fact that the Lord miraculously fed them and gave them water while they lived as desert nomads for all those years. In the seventh year, at this time, they were to read the Law together in a public place. In every period of seven years a new group of children would be born. Their parents were expected to teach them about the Lord and their contract with Him as they grew up. However, it was essential that the whole nation affirmed this contract on a regular basis so that they young people would understand that the contract was not just a matter for the individual but for the entire nation as well. They were all to be reminded that each person in the nation would be held responsible if they rejected the Law on a national basis. It would never be good enough for an individual to say, “I’m okay!” because they were all responsible to male sure that everybody was keeping the Law. As long as everybody took full responsibility then everyone would remain true to the Lord. It was important to remember that every generation wants to push the boundaries but each generation starts from the place where the last generation stopped. The only way to stop this tendency was for everyone to go back to the beginning every seven years to that each generation would start with the pure contract before they tried to push their boundaries.

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Friday, August 2, 2013

He will not fail thee, neither forsake thee


(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Deuteronomy 31:1–8, “And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel. And he said unto them, I am an hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in: also the LORD hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan. The LORD thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the LORD hath said. And the LORD shall do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, kings of the Amorites, and unto the land of them, whom he destroyed. And the LORD shall give them up before your face, that ye may do unto them according unto all the commandments which I have commanded you. Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.”
Moses had just been telling Israel that it was essential for them to make the contract with the Lord God on their own behalf. They needed to understand that they had responsibilities that came with the privileges of living in the Promised Land. He had just made an incredibly simple but deeply profound statement. Everything in the Law was based on the fact that there is only one God. God is Almighty and Eternal but is completely distinct from His creation. Even though the Lord chose Israel to be the vehicle through whom He would bless all the families of the world, they were still just creatures made in His own image. He then moved on to his closing remarks. At that stage, he was 120 years old. Even though Moses had taken Israel from slavery in Egypt, by the Lord’s miraculous intervention, and brought them to the borders of the Promised Land, he was  not going in to the Land himself. This was a punishment for something that Moses chose to himself. Instead of speaking to the rock to bring out water, in a fit of anger, Moses struck the rock instead and his actions had consequences. (Num 20:7–12, “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink. And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.”) Moses reminded Israel of the fact that they had already defeated two of the great Amorite kings because their iniquity was now full (compare Genesis 15:16, “But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.”) If the Lord had already begun the destruction of the Amorites, He was going to complete that task. However, Moses went on to say that they were to be strong and courageous as they went about that task. If they believed in the integrity of the Lord then they would experience His integrity and enjoy everything that He promised them. The Amorites believed in other gods but if there is only one God then they believed in nothing and would not find any help as they tried to resist the Lord God. The Lord does not fail people, because “failure” means that a person has run out of resources to complete a task he has begun. “Forsake” means leave alone. In many ways these are parallel concepts. As long as they believed that there is only one True God then they could go about their task with confidence knowing that He is always there and His resources are always available.
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Thursday, August 1, 2013

I have set before thee


(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Deuteronomy 30:15–20, “See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it. I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”
Before Israel entered the Promised Land they were given a choice. The choice was between good and evil, as defined by the Lord. God is associated with life and evil is associated with death. The first time that we encounter death in the Bible is in Gen 2:17 (“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”) This shows that dying is a consequence of rejecting the Lord’s commands. There are only two possibilities: obeying the Lord or not. Obeying the Lord leads to life, not just physical life but a rich spiritual life as well while disobeying the Lord leads to death both physical and spiritual. Both good and evil are defined in these terms as well. Good is to accept that the Lord God has the authority to tell us what to do while evil is to reject the Lord God and His wisdom. Just before this section the Lord told Israel that His commandment was not hard and there is nothing hard about these definitions. If the Lord God is Israel’s Maker, and He is, then He knew what was best for them. He didn’t have to tell them what to do but, in grace and love, He gave them the instructions to get the best out of the life that He gave them in the Promised Land. As long as they were willing to trust His wisdom they would enjoy all the benefits of His goodness. As soon as they decided to be evil and reject His wisdom then they would lose the benefits of His goodness. After all the Lord has perfect integrity and will give anyone exactly what they choose. This is overridden by the fact that, “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.” (Psalm 103:8) He takes His time to give a chance to be sure that we want to follow the way of death, that is, everlasting separation from God and all the good things that He has in store for us.
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