Deuteronomy 33:13

Deuteronomy 33:13 says, 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,  Moses began to pronounce blessings on Joseph, which would be fulfilled through Ephraim and Manasseh.  Verse fourteen adds, And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon,  Verse fifteen continues, And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills,  Verse sixteen continues, 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.  There were quite a few blessings pronounced on the descendants of Joseph, because he had been faithful to God.  Moses also said that the descendants of Joseph would be richly blessed because of the mistreatment that he that he had suffered at the hands of his brothers.  Later, Jesus would be mistreated by the Jews, who should have been His family, but after His death, burial and resurrection He is blessed above everyone.  Verse seventeen concludes, 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.  Moses said these promises would be carried out through Ephraim and Manasseh, but more so through the descendants of Ephraim, though he was the younger of the two.  Verse eighteen states, And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; and, Issachar, in thy tents.  Verse eighteen adds, 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.  Next, Moses pronounced the blessings on Zebulun and Issachar, Jacob's sons by Leah.  Moses said that Zebulun would be blessed in his going out and Zebulun in his tents, and that they would call the people to the mountain and offer sacrifices of righteousness.  Verse twenty says,  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.  Verse twenty-one adds, 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.  Moses pronounced the blessings on Gad, who had received their inheritance by his word, and said by war they would enlarge their borders.  Not all of the people of Israel received the same blessings, but all were expected to be obedient to God in using their God given abilities for His glory.  The same is still true for Christians today.  Verse twenty-two states, And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion’s whelp: he shall leap from Bashan.  Moses said the tribe of Gad would be blessed with the strength of a lion by the power of God.  We today as Christians are given all the strength we need to overcome any enemy we might need to overcome of the forces of evil in the world.  Verse twenty-three states, 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.  Moses then pronounced the blessings on the tribe of Naphtali and said they would be full of the blessings of the LORD and possess the west and the south.  We need to be full of the blessings of the Lord as followers of Christ, no matter what is going on in our life.  This does not mean material wealth, but spiritual wealth.  Verse twenty-four says, 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.  Verse twenty-five adds, Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.  Moses finished stating the blessings on the people of Israel with the tribe of Gad.  Just because they were the last blessed didn't mean that they would be any less blessed.  As followers of Christ, we all receive our blessing according to our faith and willingness to do what God calls us to do.  Verse twenty-six declares, There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.  Moses then declared that there was no God like the only true and living God, and this should be our declaration today.  Verse twenty-seven adds, 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.  Moses said that the eternal God was their refuge and that they were to rest safely in His everlasting arms and that He would give them victory over all their enemies.  We still need to rest easy under the protection of God today, and if we do, He will give us victory over all our enemies.  Verse twenty-eight continues, 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.  Moses said that when the people of Israel remained true to their covenant with God that they would live in safety and abundance.  Verse twenty-nine concludes, 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.  Just as Moses said that there were none like Israel because of their covenant relationship with God, there are none like Christians today because of our covenant relationship God through our faith in Jesus Christ. We just need to remain true to Him.  These were the last words spoken by Moses, and they were to pronounce blessings on Israel because of their covenant relationship with God.

Deuteronomy 33:1

Deuteronomy 33:1 says, And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.  Moses, referred to here as the man of God, pronounced a blessing on the people of Israel before his death.  They had been rebellious against God quite often, and caused Moses many problems, but he still wanted the best for them.  We should want the best for people today, especially our fellow Christians, even if at times they cause us lots of problems.  Verse two adds, 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.  Moses reminded them of the awe inspiring glory of God shining down on them from Mount Sinai as He came to give His law to them, that was so bright it lit up Mount Seir and Mount Paran as well.  The people in those areas did not hear or accept the law and glory of God though.  There is enough evidence of God's glory today for all to be drawn to Him, but most still refuse to come to His light.  Verse three continues, 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 said the people of Israel all sat at the feet of God, ready to receive and obey His law.  As followers of Christ we must sit at His feet, ready to hear and obey His commandments.  Verse four states, Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.  Moses said the people acknowledged that he shared the words of God's law with them, which came as a fulfillment of the promise to Jacob.  Verse five adds, And he was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together.  Moses said they acknowledged him as the king, or leader of all the people of Israel.  We today have One greater than Moses as our leader as Christians, and that is Jesus Christ.  Verse six continues, Let Reuben live, and not die; and let not his men be few.  Moses blessed the tribe of Rueben, though Matthew Henry said he had lost his birthright.  No one is ever so lost that they cannot be saved, and Jesus stands ready to restore anyone who puts their faith in Him.  Verse seven says, 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.  Moses then asked God's blessing on the tribe of Judah, asking that God allow Judah's hands to be sufficient to defeat his enemies.  Though God could defeat all our enemies Himself, He works through us as followers of Christ to do so by His power.  Verse eight adds, 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;  Moses asked that God be with the Levites, the priests of Israel, to guide them in doing God's will.  Christian leaders today need to make sure that they are obeying God's word and following His leadership.  Verse nine states, 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.  Moses said they had stood with God against those worshipping the golden calf, even if they had to condemn their closest relatives.  We must stand with God above everyone and everything else as Christians.  Verse ten adds, They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law: they shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar.  Moses said the Levites, the priests, would be responsible for teaching the people to obey God and leading them in worshipping Him.  We as followers of Christ are the priests in the world today, and it is our responsibility to teach the world about Jesus and lead in the worship of Him.  Verse eleven continues, 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.  Moses asked God to bless the substance of the Levites and accept the works of their hands while protecting them against their enemies.  God will still do this for us spiritually today as Christians as long as we remain faithful to Him.  Verse twelve says, 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.  Moses then asked that God protect the tribe of Benjamin, who is referred to as the beloved of the LORD.  As followers of Christ, we are all the beloved of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 32:19

Deuteronomy 32:19 says, And when the LORD saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters.  Verse twenty adds, 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.  Moses said God abhorred the idolatry or the people of Israel,  and He removed Himself from guiding them.  God also said that He would see what their end would be.  We may grow rich and content as Christians, but if we allow this to turn us away from God, He may remove His protective hand from us.  Verse twenty-one continues, 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.  God said that since they had provoked Him to anger by following after false god's that they would no longer be His people.  I don't believe that once we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord that we will ever not be a part of God's kingdom, but if we are we should never give in to the temptation to follow other gods either.  Verse twenty-two states, 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.  God said the fires of hell would burn against those who rejected Him, especially those who were supposed to be His people but did not worship Him alone.  We cannot worship God and idols, or the things of this world, at the same time.  God was and is a jealous God.  Verse twenty-three adds, I will heap mischiefs upon them; I will spend mine arrows upon them.  God said that when the people of Israel, people called by His name turned away from Him that He would punish them with mischiefs and His arrows.  When we turn away from following God's will, He will remove His protective hand from us.  Not everything that goes wrong in the life of Christians is a punishment from God, but I believe that we will know if it is.  Verse twenty-four continues, 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.  God said instead of being in a land of peace flowing with milk and honey, that because of their disobedience the people of Israel would suffer from hunger and a bitter heat that would destroy their crops.  Verse twenty-five says, The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs.  God said everyone, from babies to old people, would be destroyed by the sword or their own fears.  We as followers of Christ should never live in fear of what might happen to us in this world.  Our heavenly home will always be our final destination, so we need not live in fear. Verse twenty-six adds, I said, I would scatter them into corners, I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men:  Verse twenty-seven continues, 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.  God said He would scatter the people of Israel to the corners of the world, except for the fact that their enemies might say it was them, and not God, who had done this.  It was only for God's glory that He did not just totally blot the people of Israel off the earth and out of remembrance.  As those who are called God's people today, if we turn away from Him, it may be that it is only for His glory that He doesn't just blot us out of memory in this world.  Verse twenty-eight continues, For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them.  God pronounced the people of Israel a people devoid of counseling when they would not listen to His voice.  If we are to be a Christian nation today, we must seek the counsel of God and obey it when He gives it.  Verse twenty-nine declares, Oh that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!  God said that He desired that they were wise enough to consider them latter end.  This was before they even entered the Promised Land.  We need to always consider our latter end as Christians, and that is everlasting life with God in heaven, and be wise enough to remain faithful to Him everyday.  Verse thirty adds, 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?  God reminded them of His deliverance of them when one Israelite was able to defeat a thousand enemies.  We as followers of Christ need to always remember that as long as we are faithful to God, we already have the everlasting victory over the world and all its false gods.  Verse thirty-one continues, For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges. God said that the rock of the world, what they put all the faith in, was not the Rock of the people of Israel, which is God Himself, unbreakable and unshakable.  Verse thirty-two continues, 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:   God said the vine of the world was the vinexof Sodom and the fields of Gomorrah, which lead to their total destruction because of their idolatry and disobedience to God.  Verse thirty-three concludes, Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps. God said the wine of Sodom and Gomorrah was poisonous, because even though it might have satisfied or even tasted good, it led them away from God.  The things of this world may be enjoyable today,  but if they lead us away from God they are spiritually poisonous. 

Deuteronomy 32:7

Deuteronomy 32:7 says, 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.  Moses told them to remember the days of old and remember the years of the many generations that came before them.  We still need to remember the past generations of Christians that the Bible records for us, and the struggles and triumphs of God's people.  Verse eight adds, 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.  Moses said that when God divided the land among the people of the world after the flood, that even though the Canaanites would possess it for a time, this was already established by God to be the Promised Land.  He said that God set the bounds according to the number of the children of Israel. We as followers of Christ already have a heavenly home prepared for us, and it will accommodate all who accept Him. Verse nine continues, For the LORD’s portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.  Moses said that God's portion of the people of the world were the people who like Jacob had put their faith in Him.  Not all of Jacob's descendents were a part of God's people, because they refused to put their faith in Him.  Having the most devout Christian parents today does not make us a pert of the family of God.  We must choose individually to accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord to become a part of God's family.  Verse ten states,  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.  Moses said God found Jacob in the desert and the waste of the howling wilderness.  God will find us and call us to Him today, even if we are in the greatest wilderness of sin that there can be.  We do not just stumble across God, but He calls us to Him.  Verse eleven adds, As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings:  Verse twelve continues, So the LORD alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him.  Moses said just as an eagle protects her young, so had God protected the descendents of Jacob on the way to the Promised Land,  and there was no strange god who did it. We must acknowledge God as the only God and put our faith in Him if we are going to get to Heaven one day.  Verse thirteen declares, 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;  Moses said that God was the One Who gave Jacob and His descendants success because of their covenant relationship with Him.  It was not some greater value that Jacob had because of who he was, but was the value that He had because of his faith in God, just as our value today comes from our faith in Jesus Christ alone as our Savior and Lord and the only way to salvation.  Verse fourteen adds, 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.  Moses said God had abundantly provided for the people of Israel, and He still provides for His people today.  We will never lack spiritually if we remain true to God.  Verse fifteen continues, 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.  Moses said that with God's blessings they had grown fat, and then they turned away from God, the Rock of their salvation.  We need to make sure that as Christians when we grow rich in the things of this world that we do not turn away from following God's guidance.  Verse sixteen states, They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger.  The people of Israel began to follow strange gods and provoked Gods anger.  Verse seventeen adds, 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.  Moses said that the people of Israel had started following strange and new gods.  There are also many new and false gods today that people put above God, even if we often do not call them gods.  Verse eighteen continues, Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.  Moses said that the people of Israel had forgotten God.  Even as God had brought them out of Egypt and to the Promised Land, they had forgotten Him.  We as followers of Christ cannot afford to do the same thing.

Deuteronomy 32:1

Deuteronomy 32:1 says, Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. This is Moses call for everyone to hear God when He speaks, and He still calls on us to hear Him today.  The people of Israel were often rebellious, and even the heavens and the earth were more likely to hear God's word than they were.  As followers of Christ, we must always be willing to hear God's call to us to obey His commandments.  Verse two adds, 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:  Moses said God's doctrine would drop down as a gentile rain on the tender herbs and grass.  Matthew Henry says that on the rebellious God's word would be as a harsh and driving rain, but on those who obey God's commandments it would be a gentile, reviving rain.  Of course, the first commandment we would have to obey is putting our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse three continues, Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God.  Moses said that what He had declared to the people of Israel was God’s word, and that they were to ascribe greatness to God, and not to Moses himself.  When we share the gospel with people today, or whenever we preach His word, we must make sure that people are drawn to the greatness of God and not to us.  Verse four states, 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.  Moses said that God was the Rock, that His work is perfect, all His ways were a judgment and God is a God of truth without iniquity.  This is the Rock upon which Jesus told Peter that He would build His church, and not Peter himself.  Faith in God through accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord is still the Rock of our salvation today.  Verse five adds, They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children: they are a perverse and crooked generation.  Moses said the people of Israel, God's chosen people, had corrupted themselves, and we as Christians, God's chosen people today, cannot afford to do that.  We need to live daily to bring honor and glory to God and by our faith draw others to Him.  Verse six continues, 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?  Moses then asked if they would be foolish enough to not acknowledge God as their Father, Who had bought them and made and established them as His people.  They had not become God's people because of their own goodness, but because God had called and established them as His people.  God has called everyone to Himself today to become a part of His people by putting their faith in Jesus Christ, yet people are too often too foolish to do so.

Deuteronomy 31:19

Deuteronomy 31:19 says, 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.  God instructed Moses to write a divinely inspired song to be sung as a witness for God against the people of Israel when they failed to remain true to Him. We usually have songs that remind us of God's goodness and mercy, but maybe we need more that remind us of what will happen when we as Christians stray away from God.  Verse twenty adds, 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.  The song said that when the people of Israel had grown fat from the abundance food that God blessed them with in the land that He had given them that they would turn to other gods and provoke God.  Often, when Christians are blessed with more than what they need by the graciousness of God, they turn away from Him and His word.  Verse twenty-two continues, 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.  God told Moses that the song would be a testimony against them when evils and troubles befell them.  God didn't say if, but when, because He said that He knew their thoughts often turned away from Him before He brought them into the land.  God was willing to fulfill His part of the covenant even when He knew that the people of Israel would fail in theirs.  God sent Jesus Christ to completely forever fulfill His covenant with any who would accept Him and become a pert of God's people, even though He knows that we will often fail to live up to our promise to follow Him in obedience to His guidance.  Verse twenty-two concludes, Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel.  Moses wrote the song the same day and taught it to the people of Israel, even before they had entered the Promised Land.  Though it says Moses wrote the song, it was given to Him by God.  The whole Bible, though written by many different people, is inspired by God.  Verse twenty-three states, 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.  Moses gave Joshua the charge to lead the people of Israel, but it was God's charge and not just that of Moses.  We today need to make sure that what we as followers of Christ teach is God's word and not our own.  Verse twenty-four adds, 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,  Moses then finished writing all the words of the Law that God had given Him in a book.  Verse twenty-five continues, That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying,  Verse twenty-six, 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.  Moses then called the Levites and told them to take the book and put it in the Ark of the Covenant.  This represented God's presence with them when they were traveling, and God's word written in our heart and the presence of the Holy Spirit is God's presence with us today.  Verse twenty-seven declares, 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?  Moses said that he knew their rebellion and tendency to be stiffnecked even while he was with them, and asked how much worse would they be when he wasn't with them.  Verse twenty-eight adds, 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.  Moses then called for the elders of all the tribes to be gathered to him so he could speak these words in their ears.  We need to hear God's word proclaimed often and accurately today, when we gather in His name especially.  Verse twenty-nine continues, 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.  Moses said he knew that when he was gone that they would utterly corrupt themselves and it would lead to their having evil befall them in the latter days.  Verse thirty concludes, And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they were ended.  Moses then spoke not just to the elders but to all the people the words of the song.  Though ministers may lead us in worshipping God today, we are all individually responsible for our relationship with God.

Deuteronomy 31:10

Deuteronomy 31:10 says, 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,  Verse eleven adds, 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.  Moses commanded that every seven years, at the feast of tabernacles that all of Israel were to gather together in the place that God designated and read the law so that they all could hear it.  This would have been no easy undertaking.  We as Christians should read God's word daily, and especially when we are gathered together in His name in the place He designates for us to worship Him, and though we don't do it daily, we should read through the entire Bible often.  Verse twelve continues, 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:  Moses said everyone in Israel was to be gathered together, even the stranger, so that they could hear and learn the law of God and fear, or respect, Him.  We still need to do this today as we gather together as the church, and we need to reach the strangers with God's word as well.  Verse thirteen concludes, 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.  Moses said this was to be done so that the children who had not seen the great works of God could hear and learn about Him and enter into a covenant relationship with Him as well.  We as Christian parents must teach our children to know God and pray that they will enter into a covenant relationship with Him by accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.  This was to be done as long as the people of Israel lived in the Promised Land, and it is to be done by Christians today as long as we are on this earth.  Verse fourteen states, 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.  God told Moses that the time for him to die was near, and that he was to call Joshua and that they were to appear together in the tabernacle of the congregation so that God could give Joshua his charge.  The transfer of leadership was to be done openly and with the people knowing that God was the One Who ordained it.  We need that same orderly transfer of leadership in the church todsy when one pastor leaves and another takes his place.  Verse fifteen adds, 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. When Moses and Joshua appeared together before the people of Israel in the tabernacle, God came down in the pillar of cloud and stood over the door of the tabernacle.  Though we do not have this visible presence of  God today, when we do gather in His name, we should be aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit with us to guide us in all that we do.  Verse sixteen declares, 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.  God told Moses that after he died that the people would start to follow false gods.  Moses through his faith and by God's power had kept them following God's law, often interceding with God on their behalf, but he could not ensure that they would always follow God, and neither could Joshua when he replaced Moses.  We cannot ensure that coming generations will follow Jesus Christ today, but as long as we live, we must present His gospel to them.  Verse seventeen adds, 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?  God said once they started following false gods that He would turn away from them and they would experience many troubles and be devoured by other nations.  Their strength came from God and not from the fact of their birth.  We as followers of Christ today only have power over the world by our faith in Jesus Christ, and this could be gone in a generation if we fail to reach them with the gospel.  Verse eighteen continues, 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. God said that His hiding His face from the people of Israel was a certainty if they turned away from Him and followed false gods.  We cannot follow the gods of this world and expect God to bless us, individually or as a nation. 

Deuteronomy 31:1

Deuteronomy 31:1 says, And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel.  Verse two adds, 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.  Moses told the people of Israel that he was now a hundred and twenty years old and was no longer able to go in and out.  He also told them that God told him that he would not go onto the Promised Land.  His age and health were not what prevented Moses from crossing over Jordan, but it was his disobedience to God that did.  Disobedience to God by not accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord is what will keep us out of heaven, God's Promised Land, today.  Verse three continues, 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.  Moses said that even though he wasn't going over the Jordan that God was.  Moses was God's spokesman to the people of Israel, but he wasn't God.  We may have powerful Christian leaders today, but they are not God.  Moses said Joshua would now lead them, and God will always call others to be His spokesmen and leaders as others get old and die.  Verse four states, 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.  Moses said when they entered the Promised Land that they were to destroy all the people living there by the power and under the direction of God.  We as followers of Christ today have a different directive, and that is to reach out to people, even our enemies, with the love of God.  Verse five adds, 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.  Moses said that God would give the people in the land up to the people of Israel in accordance with His command.  If we are to be successful in reaching the lost in the world today, we must do so by obedience to God's commandments.  Verse six continues, 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.  Though the people of Israel had once failed to go into the Promised Land because of doubt and fesr, Moses called on them to now be strong and of great courage, and reminded them that God was with them.  Even if we as Christians have failed to do what God has called us to do in the past, we need to turn to Him in faith and be strong and of great courage now.  As Moses told the people of Israel, God goes with us and will not fail us.  Verse seven declares, 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.  Moses then called Joshua to him and passed the leadership role over to him.  We should never believe that we are so important that we alone can fill a certain position in God's kingdom today, but must be open to the Holy Spirit telling us when it is time for someone else to take our place.  Verse eight adds, 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 told Joshua that God would be with him and never fail him.  If we have put our faith in Jesus Christ, God will never fail us but will always be with us through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  This should give us great courage no matter what is happening in the world today.  Verse nine continues, 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.  Moses wrote down the law of God and passed it on to the priests, the Levites, who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD.  As Christians, we are a part of the priesthood of believers and we carry God's law written not on stone tablets, but in our heart. 

Deuteronomy 30:11

Deuteronomy 30:11 says, For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off.  Moses said God's commandment was not hidden from the people of Israel, nor was it far off.  God's command that we enter into a covenant relationship with Him by putting our faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord is not hidden today, nor do we have to search the world to know it.  Verse twelve adds, It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?  Moses said God's commandment were not in heaven so they didn't need to ask who could go up to heaven and bring it down to them.  God first sent His commandments down to Moses and they were written down for the people of Israel, and then Jesus Christ came down from heaven to fulfill God's laws that we were unable to keep so that we might have the death penalty of sin removed and have everlasting life with God.  Verse thirteen continues, Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?  Moses said God's commandment was not beyond the sea so that they would have to ask who was going to go and get it for them.  These were God's chosen people who had received His law, so there was no need to go anywhere else to look for it.  As followers of Christ, He has come to us to bring salvation to us and we do not need to look anywhere else to know what God expects of us. Verse fourteen concludes, But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.  Moses said the word was very close to them, in their heart and mouth, so that they could do it.  We as Christians have God's word written in our heart so that we can speak it to the world, and this is what we need to be doing.  Verse fifteen states, See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;  Moses said he had set before them that day two choices.  Though Moses was the spokesman, the choices were really from God.  They could choose life and good or death and evil.  These are still our only two choices today spiritually.  Verse sixteen adds, 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.  Moses said that he commanded them to choose to love God and then everything would be well with them.  Of course, Moses could not really make the choice for them, and we cannot make the choice to follow Christ for others today.  Verse seventeen continues, But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;  Verse eighteen concludes, 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.  Moses said if their heart turned away from God that they would not have their days prolonged after they crossed over Jordan into the Promised Land.  If we do not accept Jesus Christ alone as our Savior and Lord but turn away to chase other gods, we will not gain everlasting life in heaven.  Verse nineteen declares, 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:  Moses said he called on heaven and earth to be his witness that he had that day set the choices before them and called on them to choose God and life.  We still have the same two choices today, and we must choose life by putting our faith in Jesus Christ if we are to be a part of God's kingdom.  Verse twenty adds, 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.  As Moses said then, we must love God with all our heart if we are to claim His promise of everlasting life, which comes from faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord and not from anything else that we may do or not do.  

Deuteronomy 30:1

Deuteronomy 30:1 says, 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,  This is a call for the people of Israel to remember both God's promise of blessings when they obey His commandments and His curses on them if they don't while they are in captivity in other nations.  Verse two adds, 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;  Moses said when they remembered God's promises that he hoped they would repent and return to Him in obedience.  If we stray away from God today we need to remember His promises and return to Him and obey His commandments.  Verse three continues, 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.  Moses said that if they repented and returned to God that He would gather them from all nations.  If we as followers of Christ stray away from God's commandments, we will not lose our salvation, but we may not have God's protective hand on us in the world today.  If we stray away from Him, we must first realize that we have and then repent.  Verse four declares, 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:  Moses said that they could never be so far away from God that if they repented that God would not find them.  There is no place today, in heaven or earth, that God cannot find those who repent and call on Him by faith.  Verse five adds, 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.  Moses said God would would return them to the Promised Land if they repented of their sins. Again, though we as Christians do not lose our salvation if we sin again, we can certainly lose the joy of our salvation if we do, and if we repent and once more live by faith in God, He will not restore our joy.  Verse six continues, 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.  Moses said that if they returned to God that He would mark them as His own once more,  If we are followers of Christ, and have strayed away from Him, if we repent and return to Him, we will rejoice in being a part of His kingdom once more, and the people of the world should be able to see this.  Verse seven states, And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee.  Moses said once they repented and God restored them as His people, that God would put the curses on their enemies.  The biggest curse on people today is everlasting separation from God, and the only way to be restored to Him is through faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.  Once we repent and come to Him in faith, this curse of everlasting separation is removed, but it still remains on those who do not repent and accept Jesus Christ.  Verse eight adds, And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the LORD, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day.  Moses said once God restored them that they were to obey all His commandments.  Even though we are forever saved as Christians, we are still expected to follow God's commandments.  If we do, we should be different than the rest of the world, and they should be able to see this difference.  Verse nine continues, And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers:  Moses said that after they repented and returned to God that He would bless their works.  Though we are forever saved by accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, if we stray away from Him, we still need to repent and return to Him if we want His protection and blessings in life. Verse ten concludes, If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.  This restoration was based on the people of Israel repenting and returning to God.  Our restoration today whoever we are is based on our accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, and once we do the joy of our salvation is based on our obeying His commandments. There needs to be a change in how we live our life once we become a follower of Christ. 

Deuteronomy 29:18

Deuteronomy 29:18 says, Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood;  Moses called on the entire nation to enter into a covenant relationship with God, so that no one's heart would be tuned away from Him and lead others to follow other gods.  I don't believe that once we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord that we can ever lose our salvation, but someone can profess to without really doing so and try to lead others away from Him.  Verse nineteen adds, And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst:  Moses said that they needed to take the curses seriously unless they should say in their heart that they would have peace even in disobedience.  We should never fool ourselves into believing that we will have peace without being a follower of Christ.   Verse twenty continues, The LORD will not spare him, but then the anger of the LORD and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven.  Moses said that anyone who felt this way would have all theses curses fall upon him and his name would be blotted out from under heaven.  If we reject Jesus Christ in favor of other gods, so will our name. Verse twenty-one states, And the LORD shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the law:  Moses said God would separate anyone who failed to keep His covenant from the rest of Israel, and one day He is going to separate those who put their faith in Jesus Christ from all others.  If the plague of idolatry began to rule Israel, other nations would see the plagues that had befallen them fall on the nation of Israel if they turned away from their covenant relationship with Him.  Verse twenty-two adds, So that the generation to come of your children that shall rise up after you, and the stranger that shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses which the LORD hath laid upon it;  The plagues would begin with sickness that the LORD would place on them.  Verse twenty-three continues, And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the LORD overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath:  The plagues would grow to be like those sent on Sodom and Gomorrah, or total destruction.  Total everlasting punishment or destruction is what awaits those who refuse to put their faith in Jesus Christ today.  Verse twenty-four continues, Even all nations shall say, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this land? what meaneth the heat of this great anger?  Moses said other nations would ask why God had done this to those who were supposed to be His people.  The answer would be because they had failed to do so.  Verse twenty-five says,Then men shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt:  As just stated, the answer would be because they had failed to live up yo their covenant relationship with God.  We cannot be a Christian nation without living up to our covenant relationship with Jesus Christ.  Verse twenty-six adds, For they went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods whom they knew not, and whom he had not given unto them:  The answer would also include the fact that not only did they fail to put their faith in God, but that they also served and worshipped other gods.  As Christians, we need to make sure that we don't begin to worship the things of this world more than we worship Jesus Christ.  Verse twenty-seven continues, And the anger of the LORD was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book:  Moses said because of their disobedience, the world would see God send plagues upon the people of Israel.  Verse twenty-eight states, And the LORD rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day.  Moses said that because of their disobedience to God that the people would be rooted out of the Promised Land and once again be scattered throughout other nations. Verse twenty-nine adds, The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.  Moses said that we will never totally understand the things of God, but we know enough to put our faith in Him.  We are also to seek to know more about God, though we should never think that we will ever know everything. .

Deuteronomy 29:10

Deuteronomy 29:10 says, Ye stand this day all of you before the LORD your God; your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, with all the men of Israel,  Moses said that the people of Israel stood before God that day.  We also stand before God every day, whether we admit it or not.  Verse eleven adds, Your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water:  Moses said they all stood before God, even their little ones and the strangers.  We need to bring our little ones and strangers to God.  Verse twelve continues, That thou shouldest enter into covenant with the LORD thy God, and into his oath, which the LORD thy God maketh with thee this day:  Moses said that they stood before God to enter into a covenant relationship with Him.  We today all stand before God, but the question is will we enter into a covenant relationship with Him by putting our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse thirteen concludes, That he may establish thee today for a people unto himself, and that he may be unto thee a God, as he hath said unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.  Moses said that God stood ready to enter into a covenant relationship with them, as He had sworn to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  He was still the same God, and He was calling them into a covenant relationship with Himself, and this is still true today, not just for the people of Israel, but for everyone.  Verse fourteen states, Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath;  God said that He wasn't just making the oath with those who stood there that day,  God's redemption plan was not and is not limited to just certain people at a certain time, but is available to anyone at any time.  Verse fifteen adds, But with him that standeth here with us this day before the LORD our God, and also with him that is not here with us this day:  God said that His plan included even those who weren't there that day, and that would include you and me.  Verse sixteen continues, (For ye know how we have dwelt in the land of Egypt; and how we came through the nations which ye passed by;  Verse seventeen concludes,  And ye have seen their abominations, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were among them:)   Moses reminded them of how God had dealt with Egypt and other nations because of their abominations and idols.  God still will one day deal harshly with those who reject Him and worship idols.

Deuteronomy 29:1

Deuteronomy 29:1 says, These are the words of the covenant, which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the covenant which he made with them in Horeb.  Moses had recited the covenant to the people, but it was at God's direction.  The people had entered into this covenant with God at Mount Horeb, but this was a new generation, so Moses repeated it for them, and they were to enter into a new covenant with God personally.  Though the gospel of Christ has not changed, each new generation must accept it personally for it to have effect, and no preacher or anyone else can change it.  Verse two adds, And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land;  Moses said that they had seen what God did to Pharaoh in Egypt, and but most had just heard about it.  Once we have heard the gospel, even if we have not seen the power of God through faith in Christ personally yet, we must see it spiritually by believing it.  Verse three continues, The great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles:  Moses said they had seen great temptations, but they had also seen great signs and miracles.  Both will come our way as we follow Christ in our life.  Verse four concludes, Yet the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.  Moses said that God had not given them the ability to understand all this until that day.  Until the day that we come to Jesus Christ by faith and accept Him as our personal Savior and Lord, we will not be able to understand the great salvation that God has already provided for us.  Verse five states, And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot.  Moses said that he had led them for forty years in the wilderness, and that during that time, neither their clothes nor their shoes had worn out.  This was a sign of itself that even though God was upset with their lack of faith when they refused to go into the Promised Land the first time that He was still protecting them even in the wilderness.  Once we become a follower of Christ, even when we disappoint God, He is still with us.  Verse six adds, Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink: that ye might know that I am the LORD your God.  Moses reminded them that during those forty years that God had provided their food and drink, so that they would know His might.  Sometimes, we may overlook the fact that as Christians God provides daily for our needs if we are living by faith in Jesus Christ, and we begin to think that we are responsible for this instead of giving God the credit.  Verse seven says, And when ye came unto this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, came out against us unto battle, and we smote them:  Moses then spoke of what the people there that day had seen for themselves, and that was the defeat of two kings on this side of the Promised Land.  Though our victory through Jesus Christ will not be truly complete until we reach heaven, our Promised Land, we should be able to see many victories over sin along the way.  Verse eight adds, And we took their land, and gave it for an inheritance unto the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half tribe of Manasseh.  Moses reminded them that this land that they took by the power of God had now been given to the tribe of Rueben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh.  Though not all the tribes of Israel had received their part of the Promised Land yet, they could see proof of God's power to deliver it, so they had no need to be jealous of those who had.  We as Christians never need to be jealous of what other Christians have, because God will always give us what we need if we live by faith.  Verse nine continues, Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do.  Moses called on the people there that day to enter into a covenant relationship with God and to keep His covenant that they might prosper.  What other people have done in the past by entering into a covenant relationship with Jesus Christ, or even what those today have done, does us no good until we personally enter into that covenant relationship with Him.

Deuteronomy 28:58

Deuteronomy 28:58 says, If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD;  Moses said if the people of Israel did not obey all the law written in this book, they were to be afraid of the glorious and fearful name; THE LORD THY GOD.  God was to be their only God, and if they didn't obey all His laws, they failed to keep their part of the covenant relationship.  We will always fail to keep all of God's laws, and unless we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we need to be afraid of His coming judgment.  Verse thirty-nine adds, Then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance.  Moses said if they didn't obey God's laws, He would send terrible and long lasting plagues on them.  No matter what happens in this lifetime, if we do not accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, then we face the everlasting torture in hell while being separated from God.  Verse sixty continues, Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee.  Moses said that God would bring all the plagues He sent on Egypt on the people of Israel.  The plagues were sent on Egypt because they refused to obey God, and they would be sent on Israel for the same reason.  We cannot disobey God without their being consequences.  Verse sixty-one continues, Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed.  Moses said not only would God bring all the plagues of Egypt on them, but He would bring new sicknesses that they did not know of upon them.  We see so many new diseases today, and this may be a fulfillment of God's promise, since those who were called to be His people still do not acknowledge the fulfillment of His law by Jesus Christ, and those who are not called by His name never acknowledged Him at all.  Verse sixty-two concludes, And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the LORD thy God.  Moses said that because of their failure to keep God's commandments that they would be reduced from being a nation as plentiful as the stars to a nation of few people.   When we fail to reach others with the gospel of Christ or they refuse to accept it, we become few in numbers as Christians.  Verse sixty-three states, And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it.  Moses said because of their failure to keep God's laws, which they swor to do when they entered into a covenant relationship with Him, that He would not rejoice over them, but would destroy them.  If we do not want to face everlasting destruction, we have to sincerely accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, and not just make an empty confession that we have.  Verse sixty-four adds, And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.  Moses said instead of gathering them together in the Promised Land as He wanted to do that if the didn't follow His laws, He would scatter them throughout the other nations, some of which they had never even heard of.  Verse sixty-five continues, And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind:  Moses said that once they were scattered, instead of living in a land flowing with milk and honey, they would be in lands where they could find no rest or peace.  Verse sixty-six says, And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life:  Mose said that their disobedience to God would lead to a life filled with fear and doubt, where even survival hung in the balance.  This is really all anyone can look forward to today if they do not accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.  Our everlasting destination hangs in the balance until or unless we do accept Him.  Verse sixty-seven adds, In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.  Moses said that they would pray that it was night in the morning and that it was morning at night.  They would never really find a time of rest and peace.  One day, God's judgment is going to come, and those who have not accepted Jesus Christ will find themselves in a place where there can never be any peace and comfort.  Verse sixty-eight continues, And the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.  Moses said God would bring them again into bondage in Egypt and that no one would even want to buy them as bondmen and bondwomen.  They would then be at the total mercy of the one who owned them because they had no value to anyone else.  Our only real value comes from our relationship with Jesus Christ. 

Deuteronomy 28:43

Deuteronomy 28:43 says, The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.  Moses said that when they were cursed for disobeying God that the stranger would be over them.  We can either serve God or be under the power of the world. Verse forty-four adds, He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.  Moses then said strangers would be better off financially than the people of Israel were and in a position of authority over them because they had not kept their covenant with God.  Verse forty-five declares, Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee:  Moses said that they brought all these curses on themselves by failing to listen to the voice of God and keep His commandments.   We cannot effectively serve God without obeying His laws, even if we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse forty-six adds, And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.  Moses said that these curses would be on the people of Israel forever, as long as they refused to obey His commandments and listen to His voice.  Verse forty-seven continues, Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;  Moses said that these curses would also be on them because they had not served God joyfully even as He had supplied them with an abundance of all things.  I believe that we as Christians too often complain to God or about God instead of praising Him for meeting our needs abundantly.   We will not be cursed, or lose our salvation because of this, but we will certainly lose the joy of our salvation and harm our witness for God if we complain all the time as followers of Christ.  Verse forty-eight concludes,  Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.  Moses said instead of blessing them with success, God would allow them to be totally defeated because they had failed to be obedient to Him by keeping His commandments.  Verse forty-nine states, The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;  Moses said God was going to bring a nation against them from the far ends of the earth who spoke a language that the people of Israel did not understand.  This nation was the Romans.  As a Christian nation, we have always had God on our side, but if we continue to turn farther and farther away from His commandments and say they no longer apply, then this will no longer be true.  Verse fifty adds, A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young:  Moses said that this nation that would destroy them would give no consideration to whether or not a person was old or young.  All would be at the mercy of this nation.  Verse fifty-one continues, And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee.  Moses said that the people of Israel would be left with nothing because they had refused to obey God Who had given them everything to start with.  We as Christians cannot expect to have our needs met by God if we do not live by faith in Him, glorifying Him for all His provisions He has provided for us to use.  Verse fifty-two says, And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God hath given thee.  Moses said that although God had given them the victory over all their enemies when He gave them the Promised Land, that now without His protection because of their disobedience that all their walled cities would not protect them.  As Christians, if we fail to obey God's commandments, we should not be surprised if we are besieged by sin.  Verse fifty-three adds, And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee:  Moses said that they would become so hungry that they would resort to eating their own children.  This was in the land flowing with milk and honey that God had given them.  Though God is ready to bless us today, He will not do so if we do not keep His commandments and give Him the glory.   Verse fifty-four continues, So that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave:  Verse fifty-five concludes, So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates.  Moses said that the fathers who committed this barbaric act would not even share with their wife and other children.  Verse fifty-six states, The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter,  Verse fifty-seven adds, And toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege and straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates.  Moses said that the women who were usually so kind and compassionate toward their children would even be reduced to eating them because of their hunger.  There is no end to the depravity of people when they refuse to acknowledge God and follow His commandments.  We may not even be able to imagine this happening, but without God in our life, there is no limit to the wickedness that we might give in to, especially if we are starving.  

Deuteronomy 28:28

Deuteronomy 28:28 says, The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart:  Moses continued to tell of the punishment God would send on them if they didn't obey His commandments.  Verse twenty-nine adds, And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.  Moses said God would strike them with madness, blindness, and their hearts would be astonished as they groped around in the middle of the day as though it were dark.  If we refuse to believe God and accept His commandments today, we are spiritually blind and grope around in spiritual darkness.  God said they would not prosper materially, and we will not prosper spiritually if we do not obey God's commandments.  Verse thirty continues, Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof.  Moses said if they didn't obey God's commandments that they would never be successful in anything thay did.  We today as Christians do not put our faith in Jesus Christ for material success, but even though we are saved if we truly put our faith in Him, we will never prosper spiritually if we do not obey God's commandments once we do.  Verse thirty-one states, Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them.  Just as God had blessed them with great riches when they left Egypt, they would see them taken away if the didn't obey God’s commandments.   No matter how rich a person may become today, if they do not put their faith in Jesus Christ and then live by God's commandments, one day they will lose it all.  Verse thirty-two adds, Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in thine hand.  Moses said their sons and daughters would be taken captive by other people and they would be helpless to do anything about it.  Their children were a blessing from God, and if they did not obey God's commandments and teach their children to do so as well, they would lose them.  Our children are still a blessing from God, and we will lose them spiritually if we do not follow God's commandments and teach them to as well.  Verse thirty-three says, The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway:  Verse thirty-four, So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.  Moses said that they would see all the fruit of their labor taken by another nation and they would go mad at the sight.  God was the One Who had given them success, and if they did not live up to their part of their covenant relationship with Him, He would allow it to all be taken away, since they would be His people in name only and not in fact.  If we are Christians in name only without really putting our faith in God, one day we will lose everything.  Verse thirty-five continues, The LORD shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head.  Moses said that not only would they lose everything to another nation, but God would cause them to suffer physically from the soles of their feet to the top of their head.  Just as God gives us physical health,  He can remove His protective hand as well.  Of course, this doesn't mean that everyone who suffers physically is guilty of turning away from  God.  Verse thirty-six states, The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone.  Moses said that if they didn't obey God that they would be taken captive by a nation they had never even heard of, and there they would serve false gods made of wood and stone.  We today can either put our faith in God, or we can serve the false gods of the world.   Verse thirty-seven adds, And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee.  God said the people of Israel would become an astonishment to the rest of the world.  They were known as God's people, and if they were carried away captive and worshipped other gods, this would be an amazement to others, because they had professed their God to be all powerful.   As followers of Christ today, we follow the all powerful God, and if we turn away from His teachings when we face opposition, people should still be amazed at our failure to obey Him.  Verse thirty-eight says, Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it.  Verse thirty-nine adds, Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.  Moses said that they would never reap very much from what they sowed.  Verse forty continues,  Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olive shall cast his fruit.  Moses said no matter how great the number of olive trees they had throughout the land, they would have very little oil.  God was the One Who had given them the land flowing with milk and honey, and if they refused to obey Him, He would take it away.  God promises us that He has prepared a place for us,  a place called heaven, that is a place of perfection, but if we do not accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we will never see it.  Verse forty-one states, Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity.  Moses said that they would continue to have children, but they would never enjoy them.  Verse forty-two adds, All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume.  Moses then said that the fruit of all their trees would be consumed by locusts.  Nothing that we do outside of God's will can ever bring us everlasting happiness. 

Deuteronomy 28:15

Deuteronomy 28:15 says, But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:  Moses switched from the blessings of following God's word to the curses of not following God's word.  These are still our two choices.  Verse sixteen adds, Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.  Moses said both their cities and fields, or basically all their land, would be cursed.  We cannot turn away from God today and expect Him to bless our nation.  Verse seventeen continues, Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store.  Moses said both their basket, or harvest, and their store, those things that could be bought to meet their needs, would be cursed.  We can see this happening in our world today.  Verse eighteen states, Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.  Moses said their children and their cattle would be cursed.  If we are aware of the news today, we can see this happening all-around us.  Verse nineteen adds, Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.  Moses said they would be cursed whether they were coming or going, since they were not following God when going in any direction.  If we are not following Christ while be led by the Holy Spirit, we are cursed which ever way we go.  Verse twenty declares, The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.  Verse twenty-one adds, The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land,whither thou goest to possess it.  Moses said that the LORD would send on them cursing, vexation, and rebuke in all that they did, until they perished quickly away, because of their wickedness whereby they had forsaken God.  No matter how long we live, from the perspective of eternity, we will quickly pass away because of our sin if we forsake the salvation that God offers us if we put our faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse twenty-two continues, The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.  Moses said God would smite them in a variety of ways.  We simply have to look to the last two or three years to see this happening today.  Whether this is God actually punishing people for their wickedness or not I cannot say, but at the least it is His not stopping it.  Verse twenty-three says, And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.  Moses said the skies would dry up, leading to the land drying up as hard as iron.  This is very much happening in the world today.   Verse twenty-four adds, The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.  Moses said that God would make the rain as dust.  Verse twenty-five states, The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.  Moses said that just as their enemies had come at them on way and scattered seven ways when Israel was following Him, they would now do the same before their enemies if they did not follow God's commandments.  We as Christians will never suffer a lasting defeat if we are faithful to God, even if we do perish off the earth.  Verse twenty-six adds, And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away.  Moses said that they wouldn't even be buried.  Verse twenty-seven continues, The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed.  Moses said God would send the plagues that He had sent on Egypt on Israel as well if the did not obey His commandments.  We may call ourselves a Christian nation, but if we continue to turn more and more away from Him, we may find ourselves in a similar situation. 

Deuteronomy 28:1

Deuteronomy 28:1 says, And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:  Moses said that if the people of Israel obeyed God's commandments, then God would set them high above all other nations of the earth.  They were not to be set above others simply because of who they were, but because of their relationship with God, and so are we today.  Verse two adds, And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.  If we want God's blessings to overtake us today, we must obey His voice, just as was true with the people of Israel.  Verse three states, Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.  Moses then began to list some of the things that God would bless them in if they obeyed His commands, beginning with their cities and fields, which would include basically all their land collectively.  If we want God to bless our nation, we need to obey His commands.  Verse three adds, Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Moses said all that could bear fruit would be blessed.  Verse five continues, Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.  Moses then said that what they reaped from their crops would be blessed.  Verse six concludes, Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.  Moses said they would be blessed wherever they were, whether at home or out in the world.  We need to realize that God is with us wherever we go, whether at home or out in the community or beyond as long as we are obedient to His word.  Verse seven says, The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.  Moses said that God would cause their enemies to rise up before them to be smitten, coming against them one way, or united,  and fleeing seven different ways, or scattered out.  God does not promise us that He will eliminate all our enemies, but promises us that if we are faithful to Him, He will cause them to flee before us.  Verse eight adds, The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.  Moses added another blessing that God would bestow on them, and that was to bless their storehouses and everything that they set their hand to do, under God's guidance and in obedience to His commands.  If we want God to bless all that we do today as followers of Christ, we must do everything in obedience to His commandments.  Verse nine declares, The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways. Moses said God would establish them as a holy people, or a people set aside unto Him, if they would obey His commandments.   He never said that they would be a holy people because they were born into the nation of Israel, but would only be so because of their relationship with Him.  This is still true today.  We are a holy people as Christians because of relationship with Jesus Christ.  Verse ten adds, And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.  Moses said that all the people of the earth would see that the people of Israel were called by the name of the LORD and be afraid.  Too often today, we as followers of Christ are either ignored or ridiculed, possibly because we are not following God's commandments faithfully.  Verse eleven continues, And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee.  Moses said that God would bless them with plenty if they obeyed His commands, and nowhere in His commandments did He say that He was to bless them with everything they wanted to use strictly for their own betterment.  When God blesses us with an abundance of things todsy, I believe He does so in order for us to help others.  Verse twelve continues, The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.  Moses said that God would bless them with an abundance and that they were to lend to many nations, but they were not to borrow from them.  I believe that God still expects us to help people everywhere when we have the ability to, and we are to look to God, and not other nations or people to provide for our needs.  Verse thirteen says, And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:  Moses said that if the people of Israel obeyed God's commandments that they would be above all other people.  If we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we will always spiritually be above all those who do not.  Verse fourteen adds, And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.  Moses said for these promises to be fulfilled  that the people of Israel were not to turn aside from God's word even in the least.  Though we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ alone, if we expect God's blessings here in this lifetime, we must not deviate from His commandments even the least bit.

Deuteronomy 27:11

Deuteronomy 27:11 says, And Moses charged the people the same day, saying,  Verse twelve adds, These shall stand upon mount Gerizim to bless the people, when ye are come over Jordan; Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin:  The people of the tribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin were to stand on Mount Gerazim to bless the people when they crossed over the Jordan.  Verse thirteen continues, And these shall stand upon mount Ebal to curse; Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.  The people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali were to stand on Mount Mount Ebal to pronounce the curse, but not the people of God.  We are blessed when we obey God's commandments today and our actions are cursed when we don't.  Verse fourteen states, And the Levites shall speak, and say unto all the men of Israel with a loud voice,  When they were where God commanded them to be, the Levites were to speak to them.  As Christians, I believe wherever we are that God will always speak to us, but at times we may refuse to hear Him.  Verse fifteen adds, Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen.  The Levites began by telling the people the things that they would be cursed for, beginning with making graven or molten images to worship, since these were an abomination to God, and the people were to say Amen, or agree with God's word to them.  They still are today.  Verse sixteen continues, Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen.  The people of Israel were not to disrespect their parents, and it was a sin to do so, by which their Amen said they agreed.  It still is today.  Verse seventeen says, Cursed be he that removeth his neighbour’s landmark. And all the people shall say, Amen.  The Levites were to pronounce it a sin to move a neighbour’s landmark, which was to attempt to cheat them, and was a curse on those who did.  It still is today.  By their Amen the people agreed. Verse eighteen adds, Cursed be he that maketh the blind to wander out of the way. And all the people shall say, Amen.  The Levites said those who abused the helpless, in this case the blind, were cursed, and by their Amen the people agreed.  It still is today.  Verse nineteen continues, Cursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen.  The Levites said that those who perverted justice against the less powerful, the stranger, fatherless, and widow were to be cursed.  The people agreed by saying Amen.  It is still a sin today.  Verse twenty states, Cursed be he that lieth with his father’s wife; because he uncovereth his father’s skirt. And all the people shall say, Amen.  The Levites said it was a sin for a man to have a sexual relationship with his father’s wife, who may or may not have been the man's mother.  Whether she was or not, this still showed a great disrespect for his father.  The people agreed by their Amen.  This is still very wrong today.  Verse twenty-one adds, Cursed be he that lieth with any manner of beast. And all the people shall say, Amen.  The Levites then said it was wrong for a man to have sex with any beast, or animal, and no matter what some people may say today, it still is.  By their Amen the people agreed.  Verse twenty-two continues, Cursed be he that lieth with his sister, the daughter of his father, or the daughter of his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen.  The Levites said that a man would be cursed for having a sexual relationship with his sister or half-sister.  Though some of their ancestors may have done this, it didn't justify it.  This is still a sin today.   Again, the people agreed with this by their Amen.  Verse twenty-three says, Cursed be he that lieth with his mother in law. And all the people shall say, Amen.  The Levites next said anyone having a sexual relationship with his mother-in-law was cursed.  The people agreed by their Amen.  This is still a sin today.  Verse twenty-four adds, Cursed be he that smiteth his neighbour secretly. And all the people shall say, Amen.  The Levites said those who secretly killed their neighbor were cursed, even if no one ever found out about it.  Killing someone is still a sin and a crime today, even if no one ever finds out.  The people said Amen to agree.  Verse twenty-five continues, Cursed be he that taketh reward to slay an innocent person. And all the people shall say, Amen.  The Levites then said a person who killed someone by murder was cursed, and this still applies today.  The people agreed by their Amen.  Verse twenty-six concludes, Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen.  The Levites concluded by saying that anyone who did not affirm these words of the law by doing them was cursed.  Once more, the people were to affirm this by saying Amen, but without actually following the laws, this was not enough.  We today can say Amen to everything said about God's laws, but the truth of our agreement is that we actually do our best to live by God's word.