Deuteronomy 5:1

Deuteronomy 5:1 says, And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them.  Moses called all the people of Israel together and asked them to hear the statutes and judgments that he would tell them that day, so that they could learn and keep them.  When we gather as God's people today, we need to hear God's laws so that we can learn and keep them.  Just knowing them was not enough then, nor is it now.  We must also keep them.  Verse two adds, The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.  Moses reminded them that God made a covenant with them at Horeb, just as He made a covenant with us when we accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse three continues, The LORD made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day.  Just as Moses told the people of Israel, God's covenant was not with just one generation of the people of Israel, but is with every current generation.  God's law will never die.  Verse four states, The LORD talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire,  Moses said God talked to them face to face, or personally, out of the fire.  God continues to speak to the followers of Christ personally today through the Holy Spirit.  Verse five adds, I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to shew you the word of the LORD: for ye were afraid by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount;) saying, Moses said He stood between the people and God then because they were afraid because of the fire that God spoke out of and would not go up the mountain.  We have no reason to fear God today as Christians, nor do we need anyone to stand between Him and us, because Jesus Christ already does that.  Verse six continues, I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.  God then reminded them of Who He is.  He is the God Who brought the people of Israel out of bondage in Egypt, and He is the God Who brings all those who put their faith in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord out of the bondage of sin today. 

Deuteronomy 4:40

Deuteronomy 4:40 says, Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, for ever.  Moses told the people of Israel to keep God's commandments so that things might go well with them and their descendants forever.  There is no expiration date on God's commandments.  Verse forty-one adds, Then Moses severed three cities on this side Jordan toward the sunrising;  Verse forty-two continues, That the slayer might flee thither, which should kill his neighbour unawares, and hated him not in times past; and that fleeing unto one of these cities he might live:  Moses then set aside three cities on this side of the Jordan as sanctuary cities, where those who had accidentally killed someone could go to escape the revenge of the relatives of the one who was killed.  Verse forty-three concludes, Namely, Bezer in the wilderness, in the plain country, of the Reubenites; and Ramoth in Gilead, of the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, of the Manassites.  There was one sanctuary city in the land each of the two and a half tribes that remained this side of the Jordan.  We all have equal access to the sanctuary from the death penalty of sin if we put our faith in Jesus Christ, even if we have deliberately committed sins.  Verse forty-four states, And this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel:  Though Moses presented the law to the people of Israel, it was God's law given to him by God Himself.   Today, the Bible presents God's law to us, but it is God's law just as surely as if He Himself were speaking to us, and the Holy Spirit helps us to understand what the Bible says.  Verse forty-five adds, These are the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which Moses spake unto the children of Israel, after they came forth out of Egypt,  These were the laws given to Moses when the people of Israel came out of Egypt.  Since most of those people who would have heard them at that time were dead, they needed to be restated.  As followers of Christ, we need to teach God's commandments to each new generation.  Verse forty-six says, On this side Jordan, in the valley over against Bethpeor, in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon, whom Moses and the children of Israel smote, after they were come forth out of Egypt:  This was done on this side of the Jordan after the people of Israel defeated Sihon, the king of the Amorites.  It had to be done on this side of the Jordan since Moses was not going to be allowed to go into the Promised Land.  Verse forty-seven adds, And they possessed his land, and the land of Og king of Bashan, two kings of the Amorites, which were on this side Jordan toward the sunrising;  It was then stated that they possessed the land of Og king of Bashan and that of two kings of the Amorites on this side of the Jordan.  Through our faith in Jesus Christ, we have been given the victory over all the powers of the world, whomever or wherever they may be.  Verse forty-eight continues, From Aroer, which is by the bank of the river Arnon, even unto mount Sion, which is Hermon,  Verse forty-nine concludes, And all the plain on this side Jordan eastward, even unto the sea of the plain, under the springs of Pisgah.  Moses then gave a description of the boundaries of the land.  As God's people today, there are no boundaries to where we are to be a part of His kingdom. 

Deuteronomy 4:30

Deuteronomy 4:30 says, When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;  Moses called on the people of Israel to remember God and to be obedient to Him in times of tribulation, especially in the latter days.  This still holds true for us today as followers of Christ.  Verse thirty-one adds, (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.  We, like the people of Israel, can trust God because He is a merciful God and will never fail to keep His word.  God will never forget His covenant with anyone who accepts Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.  Verse thirty-two asks, For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it?  Moses told them to ask themselves if since God had created mankind there had ever been anything else done that was as great as what God did for them or if they had even heard of anything.  We as Christians have now heard of something greater than God's delivering the people of Israel out of Egypt, and that is His delivering anyone who will put their faith in Jesus Christ, Who died to deliver us, from the death penalty of sin.  Verse thirty-three adds, Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live?  Moses asked if any other people had heard God’s voice speaking out of the midst of the fire and lived.  We today as followers of Christ may not have physically heard the voice of God speaking out of the fire, but we have spiritually heard the voice of God calling us to Him, and the only way to everlasting life is to say yes to His call to salvation.  Verse thirty-four continues, Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?   Moses asked the people of Israel if they had ever heard of any god doing all that the one and only true God had done for the people of Israel to attain their release from Egypt.  Most of the people there had only heard about it, because the generation that had experienced it were dead.  We did not personally experience the greater act of deliverance that Jesus Christ provided on the cross, but we must put our faith in Him if we are to be saved, and we must tell our children about the great salvation that He offers everyone.  Verse thirty-five states, Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him.  Moses said that what God did fot Israel in Egypt was done so that they might know that He is God and there is none other beside Him.  I am not sure why God chose the people of Israel to be the ones who would proclaim Him to the world, but He did.  I am not sure why God chose to allow His only begotten Son to die in my place, but He did.  Verse thirty-six adds, Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee: and upon earth he shewed thee his great fire; and thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire.  Moses said that out of heaven God made His voice heard to them so that He might instruct them, and that He also showed them the great fire that they heard His voice from.  We today as Christians hear the voice of God calling us to salvation and then to faithfulness to Him.  We may not hear an actual voice speaking out loud, but we must hear the voice of God speaking to us spiritually in order to be saved.  Verse thirty-seven continues, And because he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in his sight with his mighty power out of Egypt;  Moses said that because God loved the fathers of the people of Israel that He brought them out of Egypt.  God had established His covenant with their forefathers before they went into Egypt, and God still honored that covenant relationship with them.  Once we enter into a covenant relationship with God by putting our faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, God will never go back on His covenant with us, even if we fail to live up to our part by not always putting Him first.  Verse thirty-eight says, To drive out nations from before thee greater and mightier than thou art, to bring thee in, to give thee their land for an inheritance, as it is this day.  Moses said that God drove out nations greater than the people of Israel and gave them the land of those who had been driven out.  We can still rely on God to provide for our needs today, even in difficult situations as long as we remain faithful to Him.  Verse thirty-nine adds, Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else.  This is the decision that every person has to make at some point in their life.  God is the only God in heaven and in the earth, and the only way to salvation is through faith in the fact that Jesus Christ died for our sins to bring us salvation if we put our faith in Him.

Deuteronomy 4:21

Deuteronomy 4:21 says, Furthermore the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, and sware that I should not go over Jordan, and that I should not go in unto that good land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance:  Moses said that God was angry with him because of the attitude and actions of the people of Israel and would not allow him to go into the Promised Land, but I believe it was more Moses's attitude and actions on one occasion that caused this.  We can be certain if we are not allowed into heaven it will be because of our actions alone.  Verse twenty-two adds, But I must die in this land, I must not go over Jordan: but ye shall go over, and possess that good land.  Moses said that even though he would die on this side of the Jordan, the people of Israel must go in and possess that good land.  Still, even though Moses never got into the earthly Promised Land, he is in heaven today.  We will all die on this side of Heaven, unless Jesus Christ returns first, but we will all get to Heaven if we put our faith in Him as our Savior and Lord.  Verse twenty-three continues, Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the LORD thy God hath forbidden thee.  Moses warned them against being unfaithful to God and starting to worship idols when they were settled in the Promised Land.  Simply being in the Promised Land did not mean that everyone would have a personal relationship with God, no more then simply declaring oneself  Christian means that we do today.  Verse twenty-four declares, For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.  Moses told the people then that God was a consuming fire and a jealous God, and He still is.  We cannot be a child of God and still worship other gods.  Verse twenty-five adds, When thou shalt beget children, and children’s children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke him to anger:  Moses warned them that if they started to worship false gods and idols after they had been in the Promised Land for several years, they would anger God.  We need to be careful that we do not allow allow ourselves as followers of Christ to be influenced by any false gods today as well.  Verse twenty-six continues, I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed.  Moses called on heaven and earth to be a witness that if the people of Israel turned away from God in the Promised Land that they would be utterly destroyed.  Though we are saved forever when we put our faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, if we have not truly done so, but have only claimed to do so for material reasons, we one day will be sent away to everlasting punishment.  Verse twenty-seven states, And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you.  Moses continued to warn them against turning from God to worship idols, stating that they would be scattered and their numbers few if they did.  Only those who were faithful to God would remain, and even they might be scattered from the Promised Land.  Simply going into or being born in the Promised Land did not assure the people of Israel that they were a part of God's everlasting Kingdom, just as where we are born or the family we are born into doesn't assure us that we are a part of God's everlasting Kingdom.  We must have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ to be a part of God's everlasting Kingdom.  Verse twenty-eight adds, And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.  Moses said that if they turned away from God that they would serve idols made by man and that these idols would be worthless.  Any idols that people worship today are worthless in bringing people everlasting life with God.  Verse twenty-nine continues, But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.  Moses then gave them the good news that if they sought the LORD their God, they would find Him, no matter where they were,and so will anyone who seeks Him today.  God is already seeking the lost, so all we have to do is respond to His call.

Deuteronomy 4:11

Deuteronomy 4:11 says, And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness. Moses said as they came near the mountain, that it burned with fire in the midst of heaven, but was covered with clouds and thick darkness below.  The sin of this world often obscures the glory of God, but He is always shining above.  Verse twelve adds, And the LORD spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice.  Moses said that God spoke to them out of the midst of the fire, but though they heard Him, they did not see Him.  That is true for us today also.  We can hear God, but we will not see Him until we are at home in heaven.  Verse thirteen continues, And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.  Moses said that God declared to them His covenant and gave them the Ten Commandments written in stone, and commanded them to follow them.  Today, we are to have His commandments written in our hearts instead of in stone, but we are still expected to follow them.  Verse fourteen states, And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it.  Moses said God gave him the responsibility of teaching God's statutes and judgments to them, so that they could follow them when they possessed the Promised Land.  We need to teach the world about God's statutes and judgments today, so we will follow them as we possess the land that we claim in this world.  Verse fifteen adds, Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire:  Moses warned the people of Israel to take heed of themselves, since they really hadn't physically seen God. Though we likewise have not physically seen God, we need to take heed that we never fail to believe in the reality of God.  Verse sixteen declares, Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,  Verse seventeen adds, The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air,  Verse eighteen continues, The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth:  Moses said that since the people of Israel had not physically seen God, they needed to make sure that they didn't make any idols to represent Him.  Today, this is still true.  Verse nineteen says, And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to  worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God  hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.  Moses also warned them about worshipping the sun, moon or stars, which are all a part of God's creation. Too many people today believe that their life is determined by the alignment of the stars and planets when they were born and everyday since, and sometimes Christians buy into this. Verse twenty adds, But the LORD hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance, as ye are this day.  Moses reminded the people of Israel that God had delivered them out of slavery in Egypt, just as He has delivered us out of the slavery of sin today if we have put our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. 

Deuteronomy 4:1

Deuteronomy 4:1 says, Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you. Moses called on the people of Israel to obey the laws of God that he was going to teach them, and he said if they did that they would successfully possess the land which the God of their father’s had given them.  Through obedience, He would become their God too.  If we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we are promised that one day, we will go home to our Promised Land, Heaven.  Verse two adds, Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.  Just as Moses told the people of Israel then, we are not to add to or take away from God's word, but we are simply to obey it.  Verse three continues, Your eyes have seen what the LORD did because of Baalpeor: for all the men that followed Baalpeor, the LORD thy God hath destroyed them from among you.  Moses said that they had seen what God did to those people of Israel that followed the false God of Baalpeor, and that was that He destroyed them.  We cannot follow Christ and any false god at the same time.  Verse four states, But ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God are alive every one of you this day.  Moses said that those that remained faithful to God were still alive that day, and if we put our faith in Jesus Christ, we are spiritually alive today and forevermore.  Verse five adds, Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it.  Moses said that he had taught them statutes and judgments as the LORD had commanded him.  We today need to teach people God's statutes and judgments as recorded in the Bible.  Verse six continues, Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.  Moses then told them to keep God's commandments and if they did, they would be known as a wise and great nation in the eyes of other nations.  If we are to be known as a Christian nation today, we must follow God's laws, and not just know them.  Verse seven asks, For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for?  Moses then asked them what nation was so great as Israel, which was close to God because of their obedience to Him.  They were only great when they were obedient to God, just as we as individuals and a nation are today.  Verse eight adds, And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?  Moses repeated the question about any nation being as great as Israel  because they followed God’s law, which Moses had set before them that day.  There will come a day in the life of every individual when he or she has to decide whether or not to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord, and then once they do, then they must choose to be obedient to His word.  The same can be said for a nation.  If we are to be a Christian nation, we must follow God's laws and commandments.   Verse nine declares, Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons;  Moses then warned them to diligently keep God's laws, and to teach them to their children, from generation to generation.  We must do the same today.  Unless we as followers of Christ teach the next generation about Him, the world certainly won't.  Verse ten adds, Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.  Moses said that God had the people of Israel gather at Horeb, where He had given them His law and commandments, and that they were commissioned to teach them to their children.  We as Christians come to Jesus Christ at the foot of the cross, and once we accept Him as our Savior and Lord, we have a commission to share the gospel with our children, and with the world around us. 

Deuteronomy 3:21

Deuteronomy 3:21 says, And I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, Thine eyes have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto these two kings: so shall the LORD do unto all the kingdoms whither thou passest.  Moses then spoke to Joshua, the other faithful spy, who was going to be taking over as the leader of the Israelites.  He told Joshua to remember all the things that God had done to the two kings on this side of the Jordan, and said that He would do the same on the other side.  If we ever feel that a situation seems to big for us, we need to remember what God has already done for us.  Verse twenty-two adds, Ye shall not fear them: for the LORD your God he shall fight for you.  Just as Moses told Joshua, we have no reason to fear the powers of this world, because God will and does fight for us.  Verse twenty-three declares, And I besought the LORD at that time, saying,  Moses said that he prayed to God then, seeking His guidance, which is what we should do no matter what we face in life.  Verse twenty-four adds, O Lord GOD, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might?  Moses in his prayer spoke of the unequaled power of God.  We as Christians should never doubt that God is more powerful than any false god.  Verse twenty-five continues, I pray thee, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon.  Moses then asked that God let him cross over the Jordan and see the good land.  Though this was the desire of Moses, he still asked God for permission to go.  We may want something very badly in this life, but as followers of Christ we must first make sure that it is what God wants.  Verse twenty-six states, But the LORD was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me: and the LORD said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter.  Moses said God was upset with him because of the the actions of the people of Israel under his leadership, which included Moses striking out in anger at one time.  The actions of others may make us angry at times, but we should never allow them to cause us to act in any way other than the way that would acknowledge and honor God.  Verse twenty-seven adds, Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold it with thine eyes: for thou shalt not go over this Jordan.  God told Moses to go up on Mount Pisgah and he could see the Promised Land, but that he was not going to be allowed to cross over.  We as Christians, if we are, will one day cross over into the Promised Land of Heaven, though we will only be able to get glimpses of it in this lifetime.  If we follow the idea that God wants us to be happy, so whatever we want, if we pray hard enough for it, God will give it to us, then God would have surely given Moses what he wanted.  Yet, God told Moses no, and told him not to ask again.  I believe that we may too often simply refuse to acknowledge when God tells us no and continue to pray for whatever He has said no to already.  Verse twenty-eight continues, But charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him: for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which thou shalt see.  God then told Moses to encourage and strengthen Joshua, who would lead the people of Israel into the Promised Land.  Moses could have become bitter and refused to do what God asked, but in spite of his disappointment, he didn't.  If it seems that other Christians are getting what they want when we are not, we should never allow it to make us bitter.  We should uplift them in prayer instead.  Verse twenty-nine concludes, So we abode in the valley over against Bethpeor.  Moses said they lived in the valley of Bethpeor, which was still on this side of the Jordan and the Promised Land.  We will always be on this side of the Promised Land in this lifetime, but as followers of Christ, God will always be with us.