tom hogsed

Before the nation of Israel entered into the Promised Land, Moses gave them three speeches which comprised most of the content of the book of Deuteronomy. Moses’ first speech reflected on God’s faithfulness in the past (Deuteronomy 1:1-4:43). His second speech reminded Israel about the importance of God’s commandments (Deuteronomy 4:44-28:68). The final speech of Moses challenged the nation of Israel to recommit themselves to obeying God so they would be able to experience God’s goodness once they occupied Canaan (Deuteronomy 29:1-30:20). Following all three of these addresses, Moses informed Israel that Joshua would become their new leader and led them into the land God had promised to them (31:1-8). This transition in leadership marked a major event in the history of Israel, but Moses challenged Joshua to “…be strong and of a good courage” (31:7). After Moses announced this shift in leadership, the Lord called Moses and Joshua to meet with Him in the tabernacle of meeting where Joshua would be inaugurated as the new leader over Israel (31:14-15). Although Joshua’s confirmation as the new leader should have been a time of celebration, it was marked with bad news. Sometime after the death of Moses (31:14-16a), Israel would turn their back on God by worshiping other gods (31:16b) and Israel’s rebellion would result in God’s wrath being poured out on them and the Lord would ultimately hide His face from them (31:17-18). God then commanded Moses to write down a song and teach it to the children of Israel so that it would be a reminder of the consequences of Israel’s disobedience (31:19-21). The words of this song were recorded in Deuteronomy 32:1-43 and it contained the following themes: the faithfulness of God and the unfaithfulness of His people (32:4-9), God’s goodness to Israel (32:10-14), Israel’s rebellion against God (32:15-18), God’s judgement of Israel (32:19-27), Israel’s lack of discernment (32:28-33), and God’s vengeance upon Israel’s rebellion (32:34-43). After Moses wrote the song and taught it to the children of Israel, Joshua was inaugurated the leader over all of Israel (31:22-23). After Joshua’s inauguration, all of the words Moses had spoken (Genesis 1 – Deuteronomy 32) were written in a book and placed beside the ark of the covenant by the Levites (32:24-26). These words would become a testimony against Israel’s future rebellion against God (31:27-29).

The majority of the book of Deuteronomy is a compilation of Moses’ speeches to the nation of Israel during the last few weeks of his life. There are three speeches given by Moses before his death and prior to Israel entering Canaan to receive the land God promised to give them. The first speech of Moses (Deuteronomy 1:1-4:43) was a historical review of all the miraculous acts of God on their journey to Canaan and a call for them to obey God’s commandments. The second speech of Moses (Deuteronomy 4:44-28:68) was primarily a review of God’s commandments and laws as well as a challenge to maintain a proper relationship with God and others. In this second speech, Moses also reminded Israel about the blessings and cursings of obeying or disobeying God’s commandments (Deuteronomy 27-28). The third speech of Moses (Deuteronomy 29:1-30:20) was simply a call for Israel to commit themselves to God so that they could experience the rich blessings of God in the land of Canaan.

Moses gave three addresses (speeches) to Israel before his death and prior to their entering the Promised Land. The majority of the book of Deuteronomy is a transcription of those three speeches. Moses’ first speech reflected on God’s faithfulness in the past (Deuteronomy 1:1-4:43). His second speech reminded Israel about the importance of God’s commandments (Deuteronomy 4:44-28:68). The final speech of Moses challenged the nation of Israel to recommit themselves to obeying God so they would be able to experience God’s goodness once they occupied Canaan (Deuteronomy 29:1-30:20). This third speech of Moses is introduced by these words, “These are the words of the covenant which the Lord commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, besides the covenant which He made with them in Horeb” (29:1). These words of introduction have caused some scholars to believe that the words to follow were an additional covenant to the one they had already received forty years earlier in Horeb at Mount Sinai (see Exodus 19:1-24:18; Leviticus; Numbers). Other scholars believe that this third speech of Moses is simply a renewal of the covenant between God and the people of Israel. In my opinion, this third speech seems to be a renewal of the covenant God had already made with Israel in Exodus 19-20; furthermore, there are no additional covenants given which were not already made in Moses’ other speeches. Regardless of the viewpoint a person chooses, Moses’ words were meant to remind Israel about God’s past faithfulness to them and His desire to be their God (29:12-13). Israel would now need to recommit themselves to obedience so that they could be blessed in the land they would soon occupy.

These chapters contain the final words of Moses’ second speech to the nation of Israel before they entered the land that had been promised to their forefathers. In the first half of Moses’ second address to the people, he declared to Israel that obedience leads to blessing and disobedience leads to cursings (Deuteronomy 5-11). The middle part of his speech focused on God’s instructions regarding worshiping properly (Deuteronomy 12:1-16:17), leading responsibly (Deuteronomy 16:18-18:22), maintaining orderly behavior in society (19:1-23:14), obeying various laws (Deuteronomy 23:15-25:19), and practicing tithes and firstfruits upon inhabiting Canaan (26:1-15). At the conclusion of this speech, Moses called the Israelites to a fully obey the Law and its demands (27:1). Oftentimes, these times of commitment were entered into with an outward, visible ceremony so that all Israel would understand the magnitude of what was about to transpire. After Israel crossed over the Jordan River into the land God had promised to them, they were to set up large stone pillars with the entire Law of God written on them (27:2-4). This would be a constant reminder of their relationship with God and His Law. Along with setting up the pillars on Mount Ebal, an altar was to be built and offerings were to be made (27:5-8). All of these ceremonies are carried out in Joshua 8:30-35. “Then Moses and the priests, the Levites, spoke to all Israel, saying, ‘Take heed and listen, O Israel: This day you have become the people of the Lord your God. Therefore you shall obey the voice of the Lord your God, and observe His commandments and His statutes which I command you today’” (27:9-10).

Although Moses gave three speeches prior to Israel entering the land of Canaan, his second speech reminded Israel about the importance of God’s commandments (Deuteronomy 4:44-28:68). The first half of Moses’ second address instilled in Israel that obedience leads to blessing and disobedience leads to cursings (Deuteronomy 5-11). The second half of his speech would focus on instructions regarding worshiping properly (Deuteronomy 12:1-16:17), leading responsibly (Deuteronomy 16:18-18:22), maintaining orderly behavior in society (19:1-23:14), obeying various laws (Deuteronomy 23:15-25:19), and practicing tithes and firstfruits once entering the land (26:1-15). As Moses was closing out his second speech, he mentioned twenty laws which displayed the extent of obedience upon entering Canaan.

The nation of Israel was on the verge of entering the land of Canaan, which God had promised to give Abraham and his descendants hundreds of years before this time (Genesis 12:1-3). Prior to inhabiting the land, Israel had wondered in the wilderness for 40 years after God had miraculously delivered them from Egyptian bondage (Exodus 12:29-51). Israel had a chance to enter the Promised Land in the second year of their wandering (Numbers 14), but they disobeyed God and the older generation was sentenced to die in the wilderness without ever entering Canaan. It took 38 more years before the older generation died off, but now the time had come for Israel to inherit the land; however, before conquering the inhabitants of Canaan, Moses gave three speeches which reflected on God’s faithfulness in the past (Deuteronomy 1:1-4:43), reminded Israel about the importance of God’s commandments (Deuteronomy 4:44-28:68), and challenged them to recommit themselves to obeying God so they would be able to experience God’s goodness once they occupied the land (Deuteronomy 29:1-30:20). The second speech of Moses (Deuteronomy 4:44-28:68) reminded Israel that obedience leads to blessing and disobedience leads to cursings (Deuteronomy 5-11); furthermore, the second half of this speech would focus on instructions regarding worshiping properly (Deuteronomy 12:1-16:17), leading responsibly (Deuteronomy 16:18-18:22), maintaining orderly behavior in society (19:1-23:14), obeying various laws (Deuteronomy 23:15-25:19), and practicing tithes and firstfruits once entering the land (26:1-15).

Moses gave three addresses (speeches) to Israel before his death and prior to their entering the Promised Land. In Moses’ speeches he reflected on God’s faithfulness in the past (Deuteronomy 1:1-4:43), reminded Israel about the importance of God’s commandments (Deuteronomy 4:44-28:68), and challenged them to recommit themselves to obeying God so they would be able to experience God’s goodness once they occupied the land (Deuteronomy 29:1-30:20). The second speech of Moses (Deuteronomy 4:44-28:68) reminded Israel that obedience leads to blessing and disobedience leads to cursings (Deuteronomy 5-11); furthermore, the second half of this speech would focus on instructions regarding worshiping properly (Deuteronomy 12:1-16:17), leading responsibly (Deuteronomy 16:18-18:22), maintaining orderly behavior in society (19:1-23:14), obeying various laws (Deuteronomy 23:15-25:19), and practicing tithes and firstfruits once entering the land (26:1-15).

Moses gave three speeches right before the nation of Israel entered into the land of Canaan and these addresses to the people marked important principles they were to remember prior to inhabiting the Promised Land. Moses’ words reflected on God’s faithfulness in the past (Deuteronomy 1:1-4:43), reminded Israel about the importance of God’s commandments (Deuteronomy 4:44-28:68), and challenged them to recommit themselves to obeying God so they would be able to experience God’s goodness once they occupied the land (Deuteronomy 29:1-30:20). In the first half of Moses’ second speech (Deuteronomy 4:44-28:68), he had provided a general principle that obedience leads to blessing and disobedience leads to cursings (Deuteronomy 5-11), but the second half of his speech would focus on specific instructions regarding worshiping properly (Deuteronomy 12:1-16:17), leading responsibly (Deuteronomy 16:18-18:22), maintaining orderly behavior in society (19:1-23:14), obeying various laws (Deuteronomy 23:15-25:19), and practicing tithes and firstfruits once entering the land (26:1-15).

The book of Deuteronomy is mostly comprised of three speeches Moses made to the nation of Israel before they entered into and conquered the inhabitants of Canaan. In his three addresses to the people, Moses reflected on God’s faithfulness in the past (Deuteronomy 1:1-4:43), reminded them about the importance of God’s commandments (Deuteronomy 4:44-28:68), and challenged them to recommit themselves to obeying God so they would be able to experience God’s goodness once they occupied the land (Deuteronomy 29:1-30:20). So far in Moses’ second speech he had reminded them of the Ten Commandments (Deuteronomy 5), challenged every generation to obey His Law (Deuteronomy 6), commanded them to separate themselves from the gods of others nations (Deuteronomy 7), warned them against forgetting the Lord (Deuteronomy 8), and illustrated their past disobedience as a way for them to avoid it in the future (Deuteronomy (9-10). Based on all that Moses had said, he demanded that Israel “…love the Lord your God, and keep His charge, His statutes, His judgments, and His commandments always” (11:1). God had already proven His faithfulness to Israel through miraculously delivering them from Egypt (11:2-4) and His love had been displayed as He provided for them in the wilderness (11:5-7); however, now Israel was to keep every commandment of God and go in to possess the land of Canaan (11:8-12). If Israel obeyed the land would prosper (11:13-15) and God would drive out all the inhabitants of the land (11:22-25). If Israel disobeyed, the land would not prosper (11:16-21) and they would experience God’s curse (11:28). Obedience or disobedience was dependent on Israel. God had set before them a blessing or a cursing (11:26-28). At the close of Deuteronomy 11, Moses gave instructions for a ceremony Israel was to observe once they entered into Canaan (11:29-32). The blessings and the cursings of this covenant between God and Israel would be recited on Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal (11:29). Although Moses refers to this ceremony in Deuteronomy 11, the details are further described in Deuteronomy 27-28 and actually practiced in Joshua 8:30-35.

Israel was on the verge of entering the land of Canaan, which God had promised to give to Abraham and his descendants (Genesis 12:1-3). For 40 years following their escape from Egyptian bondage they had wandered in the wilderness because of their disobedience and lack of trust in God’s provision and protection. After the disobedient, older generation died off in the wilderness, Israel was about to conquer Canaan and her inhabitants, but first Moses gave a series of speeches in order to prepare the people for what lied ahead for the nation. In these three addresses to the people, Moses reflected on God’s faithfulness in the past (Deuteronomy 1:1-4:43), reminded them about the importance of God’s commandments (Deuteronomy 4:44-28:68), and challenged them to recommit themselves to obeying God so that they could experience God’s goodness (Deuteronomy 29:1-30:20). In the first part of Moses’ second speech he reminded them of the Ten Commandments (Deuteronomy 5) and challenged every generation to obey His Law (Deuteronomy 6). Moses continued his second speech by commanding the Israelites to completely destroy the inhabitants of Canaan (7:1-2, 17-24), not intermarry with the Canaanites (7:3-4), and tear down any altars or images used in worshiping of false gods (7:5, 25-26). Doing these things would ensure that Israel would not be influenced by the pagan culture in Canaan, but become a holy people who were pleasing to the Lord (7:6-11). If Israel obeyed God, they would become a nation “blessed above all peoples” (7:12-15).