When You Come Into the Land

Moses spoke to the children of Israel on the plains of Moab across the Jordan from the land that God had promised them through Abraham about what they were to do once they received the land. Each year, they were to bring their firstfruits offerings to the LORD and declare that they had received the inheritance of the land that God had promised to give them. This was actually just the beginning of what they were to declare. What was the purpose of this yearly declaration? What else were they to specifically do when they entered the land? How does it all point to Yeshua? And what does it mean for our lives?

The Disobedient Son

One of the harshest judgments in the Torah is the prescribed sentence for a disobedient son. When a son will not obey his parents, the Torah tells them to bring the son before the elders which will result in the son’s death through stoning. Many parents today might remember times when their sons, usually when they were teenagers, flat out refused to obey. However, the irrevocable punishment of stoning would not occur to us; instead we are horrified at the thought of putting a son to death. When does the behavior of a son cross over this line and be deserving of this harsh punishment? What does this judgment have to do with Israel and Yeshua?

 

Who Shall be King, Priest and Prophet?

This Torah Portion contains references about the selection and affirmation of the king, the priest, and the prophet. Moses tells the children of Israel how to select a king and what principles should govern his behavior in Deuteronomy chapter 17. Moses describes the set apart or sanctified status of the priest and the qualities of a prophet of God in Chapter 18. The offices of king, priest, and prophets are so that the children of Israel will not follow after the ways of the Canaanites who were already in the Promised Land. What can we learn about our own lives through these instructions for the king, the priest, and the prophet? Yeshua, as the divine Son of God, fulfills all the roles of king, priest, and prophet. What do these instructions reveal about Yeshua’s threefold mission?

 

Seek the Place the LORD Chooses

Moses’ words to the children of Israel that were recorded in the book of Deuteronomy included instructions that were to be carried out in the Promised Land. One of these instructions was to seek for the place where God would put His name. After the children of Israel took the Land, they set up the Tabernacle of Meeting at Shiloh where it remained for about three hundred years. It was, then, moved to Kirjath Jearim before finally ending up in Jerusalem. Was the place that God would place His name wherever the Tabernacle was set up or was Jerusalem the place God had in mind all along? What were they to do at this place?

Remember the LORD Your God

As Moses spoke his final instructions to the children of Israel, he recited their history from the time God took them out of Egypt. He wanted them to remember that God is the one who brought them out of Egypt and led them in the wilderness. He reminded them that those forty years were to humble and test the children of Israel. It seems odd to us in this “name it and claim it” era of church doctrine that God wouldn’t just do everything the children of Israel asked Him to do. How did God humble and test His People? What was the purpose of God humbling them and testing them? Does God still humble and test His people?

These Words Shall be in Your Heart

During Moses’ last instructions to the Children of Israel during his last week before his death, he told them to put the words that he spoke into their hearts.  These words are God’s instructions. How did God communicate them? What exactly are they and how do you put them in your heart?

Beyond the Jordan

The Book of Deuteronomy opens with Moses’ final words that he will speak to them before his death and before the cross the Jordan to take the Promised Land. Moses and the children of Israel are still at the plain of Moab across from Jericho. It was in this place that Balaam and Balak tried to curse Israel and were unsuccessful. It was in this place where the children of Israel were seduced into worship of Baal Peor and were saved by Phineas’ swift action. What is the spiritual and prophetic significance of this time and place?

 

Bound by Vows and Oaths

Vows and oaths are part of every community of people. In the marriage vow, husband and wife agree to observe specific behaviors. In a courtroom, the witnesses swear an oath that the words they speak are true. God told the children of Israel that they were bound by their vows and oaths. What does this commandment reveal about both God’s character and His people’s characters? What does Yeshua teach about vows and oaths? How important are vows and oaths?

Set a Man Over the Congregation

The children of Israel were camped in the plains of Moab right across the Jordan River from Jericho. They were ready to go into the land, but who would lead them. Miriam and Aaron had already died and God had told Moses that he would die soon. Moses was concerned for the people and who would be their next leader. Moses asked God to set a man over the congregation of Israel. What are the characteristics of this leader? We know this next leader will be Joshua, how did Joshua meet these characteristics? What was his mission? Where do we see Yeshua in Joshua, the man God set over the children of Israel?

 

The Spiritual Battlefield

After forty years of wandering, the children of Israel were finally at the borders of the Promised Land! They had carefully skirted around the land held by Edom, the descendants of Esau. They had fought and won battles against the Amorites. Now, poised on the edge of the territory of Moab, they turned their focus toward the Promised Land. However, danger was not to come from their enemies in the Promised Land, it was to come from an unexpected source behind them. Trouble was coming from the Moabites! It wasn’t a physical threat, though. This threat would turn out to be a spiritual threat. How did the children of Israel deal with this threat? What does this incident tell us about God’s protection from spiritual forces? How do we deal with spiritual threats?