Deuteronomy 1:1-18 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today we begin the book of Deuteronomy. You might say that Deuteronomy was Jesus’ favourite book in the Old Testament. When Jesus was asked what was God’s greatest commandment, Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy 6:5. When Jesus was being tempted by the devil, Jesus fought back with quotations from Deuteronomy 8:3, 6:16, and 6:13. Since Jesus saw the power and importance of Deuteronomy and kept this book close to His heart, I pray we would do the same.
Here is some background information on Deuteronomy that you might find helpful:
– Deuteronomy is the fifth book in the Old Testament. It is also the fifth and final book of the Pentateuch (a name for the first five books in the Bible, also sometimes called the Torah).
– It is widely believed, and with good reason, that Moses was responsible for the writing of the entire Pentateuch including Deuteronomy (other than the last chapter describing Moses’ death).
– According to some Bible scholars, the writing of Deuteronomy may have taken place as early as the 15th century B.C.
– What was the purpose of Deuteronomy? Deuteronomy was written approximately 40 years after the Israelites had left Egypt where they had been slaves. Now the Israelites were getting ready to take possession of the land that God had promised to them, except that most of the Israelites who left Egypt had died and it was a new generation of Israelites that was getting ready to enter this Promised Land. So Deuteronomy is an attempt by Moses to remind this new generation of Israelites about who they were (their identity), where they came from (their roots), and where God was taking them (their destiny). Knowing that he himself would not enter the Promised Land but would die before that, Moses writes Deuteronomy to prepare a new generation of Israelites, to be led by Joshua, for life in the Promised Land. That’s why Moses takes the covenants and laws that God had made with the Israelites over 40 years of journeying with them in the wilderness and expresses them in a way that this new generation could more easily understand and apply to life in the Promised Land.
– The English name for this book – “Deuteronomy” – comes from the Latin word Deuteronomium, meaning “second law”. However, Deuteronomy is not just a restatement of laws contained in earlier books of the Pentateuch. Keep in mind the purpose of Deuteronomy described above.
Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 1:1-18 and it is packed with lessons for us.
Deuteronomy 1:1-5 (NIV)
1 These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the desert east of the Jordan–that is, in the Arabah–opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Dizahab.
2 (It takes eleven days to go from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by the Mount Seir road.)
3 In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses proclaimed to the Israelites all that the LORD had commanded him concerning them.
4 This was after he had defeated Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, and at Edrei had defeated Og king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth.
5 East of the Jordan in the territory of Moab, Moses began to expound this law, saying:
On verse 5: Verse 5 says that Moses begins to “expound this law”, and yet what we read next is Moses recounting the story of the Israelites’ journey, of how they managed to get from that first year of wandering in the wilderness till now. That’s because Moses is setting the stage and the background for some of the laws that he is going to remind the Israelites of. What’s the lesson here? Every law has a backstory. No law is ever put in place in a vacuum, with no backstory. To understand the purpose of the law, it helps to understand the backstory that led to the law coming into existence. The Bible, for example, contains God’s laws, but if you want to understand God’s purpose for those laws, you need to understand the backstory that brought those laws into existence.
Deuteronomy 1:6-8 (NIV)
6 The LORD our God said to us at Horeb, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain.
7 Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates.
8 See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land that the LORD swore he would give to your fathers–to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob–and to their descendants after them.”
On verses 6-8: Moses recounts from memory how in that first year the Israelites camped at Mount Horeb and experienced much of God’s presence there. But there came a time when God told them it was time to move forward, to take practical steps toward the land He had promised them. Likewise, there is a time for being on the mountain of prayer and drawing near to God. But there also comes a time when you need to start taking practical steps forward in dealing with what is in front of you. We need to make time for both.
In fact, every day can be like that: start the day on the mountain of prayer, even for a moment spending time in God’s presence. Then you come down from that mountain and, with the wisdom and strength you received on that mountain, deal with the things in front of you. That’s how Jesus lived, and we will be more effective if we do the same.
Deuteronomy 1:9-12 (NIV)
9 At that time I said to you, “You are too heavy a burden for me to carry alone.
10 The LORD your God has increased your numbers so that today you are as many as the stars in the sky.
11 May the LORD, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand times and bless you as he has promised!
12 But how can I bear your problems and your burdens and your disputes all by myself?
On verses 9-12: Moses recounts how the Israelite population had grown immense. God truly fulfilled His promise to Abraham from centuries before when He promised Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky (see v10 and also Genesis 15:5). (It shows that God is faithful to His promises and He does so in His time.)
Moses also recounts how as the nation of Israel grew, Moses quickly realized (with the help of his father-in-law Jethro – see Exodus 18) that he couldn’t singlehandedly help the Israelites with all their issues. Likewise, the kingdom of God was never meant to be a one person show. You were made to serve God and people in tandem with others, with a team.
Deuteronomy 1:13-15 (NIV)
13 Choose some wise, understanding and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will set them over you.”
14 You answered me, “What you propose to do is good.”
15 So I took the leading men of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them to have authority over you–as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens and as tribal officials.
On verses 13-15: Moses recalls how he appointed wise and respected men as commanders, officials and judges to help him govern the Israelites. Notice the words “wise” and “respected” come up twice in these verses. When choosing leaders, look for people whose character you respect and whose wisdom you appreciate. Some may be appropriate for leading tens, some fifties, some hundreds, and some thousands, depending on a variety of factors.
Deuteronomy 1:16-17a (NIV)
16 And I charged your judges at that time: Hear the disputes between your brothers and judge fairly, whether the case is between brother Israelites or between one of them and an alien.
17 Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike…
On verses 16-17: Moses recalls how he told his newly appointed judges to hear the people’s disputes, to judge them fairly, and not to show partiality based on any party’s ethnicity, economic condition or social status (v16-17). That’s the heart of God: He is a fair judge who does not show favoritism (Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11). Whether you’re sitting in an official role as a judge, or you’re informally judging a situation, always do so with an eye toward fairness, being aware of your own biases. Don’t be quick to jump to conclusions but listen carefully to both sides of the argument before thoughtfully reaching a conclusion.
Deuteronomy 1:17b-18 (NIV)
17…Do not be afraid of any man, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it.
18 And at that time I told you everything you were to do.
On verses 17b-18: Moses recounts one more instruction he gave his newly appointed judges. He told them: “do not be afraid of any man, for judgment belongs to God”.
What can we learn from this? When living life or carrying out your God-given duties, “do not be afraid of any man”. That is, rather than living in fear of people or living for people’s approval, let’s love and fear (i.e. reverently respect and worship) God, our true judge, and live for His approval.
As Jesus would say, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28)
And David too:
Psalm 56:4 (NIV)
4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?
And finally Paul:
Romans 8:31b (NIV)
31 …If God is for us, who can be against us?
Praise God. Because we fear God, we don’t need to live in fear of anyone or anything else. If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)
Father God, thank You that there is a time to draw near to You and pray, and there is a time to take practical steps forward and make decisions. I pray I would make the time to do both effectively. Thank You that I don’t need to fear people and live for their approval, because You are the One I serve and answer to. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
