Deuteronomy 1:30

Deuteronomy 1:30 says, The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;  Moses said God would fight for the people of Israel just as He had in Egypt. God still fights for His people today, ensuring us the victory ultimately.  Verse thirty-one adds, And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.  Moses also reminded them that God had provided for them in the wilderness.  In Egypt and in the wilderness, God did everything for the people of Israel to first secure their release from Egypt and to provide for them afterwards.  Neither situation required their being able to do things by their own power.  The same is still true today.  Verse thirty-two continues, Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God,  Moses then said that the people still refused to believe in God in spite of all that he had done for them.  Too often we as followers of Christ refuse to believe that God will always give us the victory, no matter what happens in this lifetime.  Verse thirty-three states, Who went in the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to shew you by what way ye should go, and in a cloud by day.  God provided them protection day and night,and He still does today.  Verse thirty-four adds, And the LORD heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying,  When God heard the people of Isreal murmuring, He was angry with them.  God has not changed, and we should never be guilty of murmuring against Him as Christians.  Verse thirty-five continues, Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers,  Because of their lack of faith in God, He said none of those who were over the age of twenty would enter the Promised Land.  Once we are old enough to make a decision to accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, if we refuse to put our faith in Him, we will never enter the Promised Land, Heaven.  Verse thirty-six says, Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed the LORD.  Moses then said God was going to make an exception for Caleb, who had remained faithful,  and we know this applied to Joshua as well.  Even if the whole world, even those who are called God's people, were to turn away from God, as long as we remain faithful, He will carry safely home to the Promised Land.  Verse thirty-seven adds, Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not go in thither.  Moses said that God was angry with him because of his actions and said that Moses would not be allowed to enter the Promised Land.  Fortunately for us, if we put our faith in Jesus Christ, our actions when we sometimes doubt God and act on our own will power will not keep us out of heaven.  Verse thirty-eight continues, But Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.  Joshua was going to replace Moses as the leader of Israel, just as leaders of the church are replaced today as others get old or die.  Verse thirty-nine concludes, Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.  Those who had been too young to make a decision when they first got to the Promised Land would also be allowed to enter.

Deuteronomy 1:19

Deuteronomy 1:19 says, And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which ye saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us; and we came to Kadeshbarnea.  Moses then reminded them of their journey in the wilderness, though God was still guiding them.  They were still His chosen people.  Verse twenty adds. And I said unto you, Ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorites, which the LORD our God doth give unto us. Moses said they came to the mountain of the Amorites, which God had given to them.  This didn't mean that they would not be required to obey God and fight for it.  Verse twenty-one continues, Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged.  Mose told them to go and possess the land that God had set before them and to not be afraid.  When God sends us somewhere today, we need to go without fear.  Verse twenty-two states, And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come.  Moses said the people proposed sending spies into the land to check it out.  This seems to have been their plan which God a)lowed more than God's plan to start with.  If they were faithfully following God, it would have only reinforced their desire to go.  When God sends us somewhere, we should simply go by faith without having to verify by sight that it is a good thing.  Verse twenty-three adds, And the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe:  Moses said their plan pleased him, so he took the twelve spies, on from each tribe, to send into the land.  They were all equally represented.  We as Christians are all equally represented before God by Jesus Christ.  Verse twenty-four continues, And they turned and went up into the mountain, and came unto the valley of Eshcol, and searched it out.  The spies went into the land to check it out, which really should have been unnecessary.  If they believed God, they would have known the land was good, and have also known that God had promised them victory.  We need to always remember that wherever God sends us in the world today that He goes before us and it is the best place to be.  Verse twenty-five says, And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us word again, and said, It is a good land which the LORD our God doth give us.  The twelve spies brought back the fruit of the land, and said it was a good land.  This verified a part of God's promise, but it was the easy part.  At times, we may be willingly to follow Jesus Christ as long as everything is going well and we are profiting from following Him, but that is not enough.  Verse twenty-six adds, Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God: Moses said that even though the spies came back with visual proof of the goodness of the land that the people still refused to go and possess it.  Living by sight and not by faith will always leave us short of salvation and the Promised Land of a heavenly home.   Verse twenty-eight continues, And ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the LORD hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.  The people of Israel once again began to murmur against God, saying He had brought them out of Egypt only for them to be killed by the Amorites.  After all God had done for them, they still had no faith in Him.  If we are only following Christ for the material rewards, we will see obstacles and fail to follow Him by faith because of those obstacles.  Verse twenty-eight states, Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.  The people asked why they should go up, since the spies, or at least ten of them, had discouraged their hearts.  We should never allow what someone else says, even a fellow Christian, to discourage us from doing what God has called us to do or going where He wants us send us.  Verse twenty-nine adds, Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.  This is still good advice for us today as followers of Christ.  We don't need to be discouraged by the things of this world that seem too big to overcome, but we need to follow Jesus Christ by faith.  He has already assured us of the victory, just as God had assured the people of Israel of the victory then. 

Deuteronomy 1:9

Deuteronomy 1:9 aays, And I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone:  Moses reminded them that he alone did not govern them, but that he had asked God for help, and God set up their government, both civil and spiritual.  No one person should attempt to declare himself, or herself, as the only one capable of doing either today.  Verse ten adds, The LORD your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude.  Moses said while he had ruled over them that God had multiplied them just as He had promised Abraham that He would.  We today need to faithfully share the gospel so that God can continue to increase His kingdom.  Verse eleven continues, (The LORD God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as he hath promised you!)  Moses asked that God continue to increase their numbers, and He has.  Verse twelve asks, How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife?  Moses asked how he by himself could hear all their problems.  Fortunately, God had not left Moses alone in doing this, and He does not leave us alone to carry out His work today, even if we at times may want to think so.  Verse thirteen adds, Take you wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you.  Moses had told the people to take wise men of understanding and he would make them rulers over them.  This selection by the people and blessing by Moses was to all be done by God's guidance.  Verse fourteen continues, And ye answered me, and said, The thing which thou hast spoken is good for us to do.  Moses reminded them that they had said that this was a good thing and that they would do it.  Verse fifteen states, So I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over tens, and officers among your tribes.  By God's guidance, Moses had set up the leadership structure of all the tribes.  We today need to make sure that God's church, both the local congregations and the church as a whole, is led by people that God appoints to every position to the best of our ability under God's guidance.  Verse sixteen adds, And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him.  Moses said that he charged the judges that he, under God's guidance, appointed to judge righteously.  We need the same thing in the church today.  Verse seventeen continues, Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God’s: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it.  Moses again reminded the people that they were to be impartial in their judgment.  We as followers of Christ cannot have different standards for judging different people based on who they are or what they own.  Moses also said if a question or situation was too hard for them, to bring it to him.  I believe that if we find ourselves in a situation that seems to be too hard to understand that all parties involved should bring our concerns to God under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Verse eighteen concludes, And I commanded you at that time all the things which ye should do.  Moses said that when these rulers were appointed that he told them all that they should do.  As Christians today, God has already told us all that we should do in governing the church.  The first step is to seek God's will to help us appoint wise men to be in charge in the church. 

Deuteronomy 1:1

Deuteronomy 1;1 says, These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red sea, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab.  These were some of Moses's last instructions to Israel, since He wasn't to be allowed to enter the Promised Land.  Still, the Promised Land was just a temporary home, not the everlasting home in heaven.  Verse two adds, (There are eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadeshbarnea.)  They were still in Moab, ready to cross over to the Promised Land to fight for possession of it.  We are still this side of heaven today, and we will be at war with the world wherever we are.  Verse three continues, And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the LORD had given him in commandment unto them;  In the eleventh month of the forty years of wandering in the wilderness, Moses spoke unto the people of Israel all that the LORD had given him for commandments to them.  These were God's laws, and not those of Moses, so they would last after Moses was dead.  God's law is everlasting and will still be valid after we as Christians are dead.  Verse four states, After he had slain Sihon the king of the Amorites, which dwelt in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, which dwelt at Astaroth in Edrei:  This was after the Moabites on this side of the Jordan were slain.  Verse five adds, On this side Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare this law, saying,  This repeats that it was on this side of the Jordan in the land of Moab that Moses spoke to them.  Moses may have been denied the right to enter the Promised Land, but he was still their leader under God's direction.  As long as we are alive, even if we are disappointed about some things in life, even our faithfulness in our relationship with God, as followers of Christ we are forever His and need to continue to do what He has called us to do.  Verse six says, The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount:  God's word came to Moses telling the people of Israel that they had dwelt long enough on Mount Horeb.  We cannot just stay content where we are as Christians if God is leading us elsewhere.  Verse seven adds, Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great river, the river Euphrates.  God told them it was time to possess the land that He was giving them.  We need to likewise do our best to claim the place where we live as a part of God's kingdom by His guidance and power.  Verse eight continues,  Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.  After wandering in the wilderness for forty years because they lacked the faith that God could give them the victory all those years ago, God again told them to go and possess the land.  Even if we have allowed doubt to keep us from living by faith in the past, God still calls to go out into the world and claim victory through faith in Him now.

Numbers Review Concluded

The Passover was still to be observed.  We today observe the Lord’s Supper to commemorate what He did for us on the cross.  He is our Passover sacrifice.  There were to be two trumpets made to call the congregation together.  They were a very large group and covered a lot of ground.  We today await the sounding of the trumpet of the Lord to call us home to heaven, from wherever we may be in the world.  During their journey, the people were often displeased with God and His provisions for them.  We cannot be the same way today and be effective Christians.  Though God at times gave them more to satisfy them, it was seldom enough to do so.  Sometimes today, God cannot give His followers enough to satisfy them and to stop them from complaining.  At other times, they were punished for their disobedience and feeling of self-importance above the will of God.  We will never be in a position where we know more than God does, so we should never attempt to make Him comply to our will.  Miriam died, then Aaron died, and eventually Moses died.  Miriam may not have specifically had anything to do with the unwillingness to go into the Promised Land, but she was a part of those who were told that they wouldn't be allowed to.  We may not specifically do anything against God but fail to put our faith in Jesus Christ, but that is enough.  Aaron was guilty of making the golden calf, and Moses allowed his temper to come between God and himself.   The land was divided according to God's plan, and even those who claimed land on this side of the Promised Land with God's permission were expected to cross over and fight along with the rest of the people of Israel.  Even if we are safe and secure in our life as Christians, we are still expected to stand with those who may not be, but who may be fighting for their spiritual life. There are many other lessons to be learned from Numbers I am sure, but these are a few.  Next, we will look at Deuteronomy. 

Numbers Review Continued

Aaron and his sons were to be the priests, but two of his sons died for rebelling against God.  We cannot expect to go to heaven as a part of the priesthood of Christ if we do not accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, because doing anything else is rebelling against God.  The Levites were appointed to help Aaron and his descendants in taking care of the tabernacle.   As Christians, we all have a responsibility in the church, and we all must fulfill our obligations, even if they don't seem as important as what others may be doing,  The Levites were to take the place of the first born of the people of Israel in being dedicated to God.  This did not relieve the other tribes from being dedicated to God and following His commandments.  Today, Jesus Christ represents us in the atonement of sin, and even though He removes the death sentence for our sins, if we accept His sacrifice for us, we are still not free to ignore God's commandments.  Anyone who committed a sin against God was to confess and make recompense.  If we are guilty of sinning against God today, whether we are Christians or not, we must confess our sins, but Jesus Christ has already made the recompense.  Of course, we must accept His sacrifice for us in order for it to have any effect in our life.  The vow of the Nazarite was specified, and once it was taken, it was to be fulfilled.  This was not a lifelong vow, but was for a specified time.  If we take specific vows to serve God in a particular way, we should first make sure that God is leading us in this, and then we should fulfill vow.  The people voluntarily brought wagon loads of gifts ro Moses, and God told him to give them to the Levites to help in their caring for the tabernacle.   We should still voluntarily bring gifts to God, and they should always be used to care for His church, those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ, and not just a building itself.  Not all of the Levites shared equally in these gifts, because some did not need them for their particular responsibility in caring for the tabernacle, just as we do not all require the same things in order to accomplish our role in God's kingdom today. 

Thanksgiving

 We will pause in or study today to celebrate Thanksgiving, a day set aside to give thanks to God for all that He has blessed us with.  Unfortunately, too many people today are attempting to take thanking God out of Thanksgiving, referring to it as Turkey Day and seeing it as more of a day off work than as a day of giving praises to God for His goodness.  Psalms 95:2 says, Let us us come before His presence with thanksgiving and make a joyful noise to Him with Psalms.  As we gather with family and friends this Thanksgiving, this should still be our focus.  We should first give God our thanks and our praise for all that He has blessed us with.  Happy Thanksgiving.