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.

Deuteronomy 3:12

Deuteronomy 3:12 says, And this land, which we possessed at that time, from Aroer, which is by the river Arnon, and half mount Gilead, and the cities thereof, gave I unto the Reubenites and to the Gadites.  Moses said he gave most of the land on this side of the Jordan to the tribes of Rueben and Gad, as they had requested.  Verse thirteen adds, And the rest of Gilead, and all Bashan, being the kingdom of Og, gave I unto the half tribe of Manasseh; all the region of Argob, with all Bashan, which was called the land of giants. Moses then said he gave the rest of the land on this side of the river, including the part known as the land of the giants, to half  the tribe of Manasseh.  Of course, God, not Moses,  really gave them this land, just as whatever we as followers of Christ do for others today should be done for His honor and glory and not our own.  Verse fourteen continues, Jair the son of Manasseh took all the country of Argob unto the coasts of Geshuri and Maachathi; and called them after his own name, Bashanhavothjair, unto this day. One of Manasseh's sons claimed a part of the land and named it for himself.  Verse fifteen concludes, And I gave Gilead unto Machir.  Moses then said he gave Gilead to Machir.  This was another son of Manasseh.  Verse sixteen states, And unto the Reubenites and unto the Gadites I gave from Gilead even unto the river Arnon half the valley, and the border even unto the river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon;  Verse seventeen adds, The plain also, and Jordan, and the coast thereof, from Chinnereth even unto the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, under Ashdothpisgah eastward.  Moses then specified the boundaries of the land given to the tribes of Rueben and Gad.  We should always be content as Christians with what God give us and never expect Him to just give us whatever we want.  Verse eighteen continues, And I commanded you at that time, saying, The LORD your God hath given you this land to possess it: ye shall pass over armed before your brethren the children of Israel, all that are meet for the  war.  Moses then said that those on this side of the Jordan would be required to cross over and help the rest of the people of Israel in their fight for the Promised Land.  We cannot just sit back safe and secure while other people who are followers of Christ are fighting for survival in this world.  Verse nineteen says, But your wives, and your little ones, and your cattle, (for I know that ye have much cattle,) shall abide in your cities which I have given you;  The wives, little ones,and the cattle were to remain on this side of the Jordan, since there staying there would free the men from having to worry about them as well.  Sometimes, we just need to leave the things that would hinder us from fighting for God safely in His hands.  Verse twenty adds, Until the LORD have given rest unto your brethren, as well as unto you, and until they also possess the land which the LORD your God hath given them beyond Jordan: and then shall ye return every man unto his possession, which I have given you.  Moses said that once their brothers had gained possession of the land beyond the Jordan, those settling on this side of the Jordan would be free to return.  

Deuteronomy 3:1

Deuteronomy 3:1 says, Then we turned, and went up the way to Bashan: and Og the king of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei.  As Israel continued into the Promised Land, they met more opposition, just as we will as we go through this world as followers of Christ on our way to our heavenly home.  Verse two adds, And the LORD said unto me, Fear him not: for I will deliver him, and all his people, and his land, into thy hand; and thou shalt do unto him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, which dwelt at Heshbon.  God told them to not be afraid of Og the king of Bashan, because God would give them the victory over him just as He had over Sihon.  Since God has giving us the everlasting victory over sin and death, we can put our faith in Him to give us victory over everything.  Verse three continues, So the LORD our God delivered into our hands Og also, the king of Bashan, and all his people: and we smote him until none was left to him remaining.   Moses said God gave them a complete victory over Og.  We still serve the same God today, Who will give us victory over all the forces of this world if we remain faithful to Him.  Verse four states, And we took all his cities at that time, there was not a city which we took not from them, threescore cities, all the region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan.  Moses said the people of Israel took all the cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan.  Verse five adds, All these cities were fenced with high walls, gates, and bars; beside unwalled towns a great many.  Moses said these cities had been well fortified.  We will encounter many well fortified enemies of God today, but they will never be able to stand before us as long as we remain faithful to God.  Verse six continues, And we utterly destroyed them, as we did unto Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the men, women, and children, of every city.   Moses said they utterly destroyed them, just as we must destroy anything in our life that stands between God and us.  Still, instead of destroying, we are to reach out to our enemies with the gospel of Christ out of love.  Verse seven continues, But all the cattle, and the spoil of the cities, we took for a prey to ourselves.  Moses said they took all the cattle and the spoils of the cities for themselves.  What we as Christians should never do today is to attempt to follow Christ for material gain.  Verse eight adds, And we took at that time out of the hand of the two kings of the Amorites the land that was on this side Jordan, from the river of Arnon unto mount Hermon;  Moses said at that time the took land from two kings on this side of the Jordan.  They were still really on their way to the Promised Land, though this became a part of the kingdom of Israel.  Versa nine states, (Which Hermon the Sidonians call Sirion; and the Amorites call it Shenir;)   Verse ten adds, All the cities of the plain, and all Gilead, and all Bashan, unto Salchah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan. Verse eleven continues, For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.  Moses said what cities they destroyed and said that Og was the last of the giants, and then gave the dimensions of the size of his bed.  There will never be an enemy that we face who is bigger and more powerful than our God. 

Deuteronomy 2;26

Deuteronomy 2:26 says, And I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth unto Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying,  Verse twenty-seven adds, Let me pass through thy land: I will go along by the high way, I will neither turn unto the right hand nor to the left.  Moses said he sent word to Sihon the king of Hesbon asking for permission to pass through his land.  Matthew Henry said Moses was attempting to not disobey God, Who had told Him to contend with the people there, by contending with him peacefully.  We cannot attempt to compromise God's word because it is more convenient or peaceful to do so.  Verse twenty-eight continues, Thou shalt sell me meat for money, that I may eat; and give me water for money, that I may drink: only I will pass through on my feet;  Mose told Sihon that he would profit by allowing the people of Israel to pass through, and they would do Him no harm.  People today should never face harm by allowing Christians to move about freely in the world, and they will often profit materially from doing so.  Verse twenty-nine concludes, (As the children of Esau which dwell in Seir, and the Moabites which dwell in Ar, did unto me;) until I shall pass over Jordan into the land which the LORD our God giveth us.  Moses even gave Sihon proof of his word by citing how the people of Israel had passed through Edom and Moab without harming them.  People of the world should be able to see examples of how we as followers of Christ have always dealt honestly with other people.  Verse thirty states, But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him: for the LORD thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand, as appeareth this day.  Moses said that Sihon would not listen and let them pass because God hardened his spirit and made him obstinate.  I believe that it was a lack of believing in God that made Sihon this way, just as not believing in Jesus Christ today because someone has hardened their heart against Him leads to their everlasting destruction, but God Himself does not cause them to not believe.  Verse thirty-one adds, And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have begun to give Sihon and his land before thee: begin to possess, that thou mayest inherit his land.  God told Moses that He had already begun to give the land to Israel, so go and possess it.  God has already given us victory over the world today as Christians, and we need to claim the victory and do whatever God tells us to do.  Verse thirty-three continues, Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to fight at Jahaz.  Moses said that Sihon came out to fight against them at Jahaz.  Even if we offer nothing but peace to the people of the world today, they are continually going to attempt to fight against God and us.  Verse thirty-three says, And the LORD our God delivered him before us; and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people.  Moses said God gave them the victory over SIhon and his people, just as He gives us as followers of Christ victory over the world today.  We will never win without God being for us and we will never lose if He is.  Verse thirty-four adds, And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones, of every city, we left none to remain:  Moses said they utterly destroyed Sihon and all of his people while taking possession of all of his cities.  Today, we are not called to destroy the lost people of the world, even if they are at war with God, but to share the gospel of Christ with them instead.   We are simply passing through this world on the way to Heaven, our Promised Land.  Verse thirty-five continues,  Only the cattle we took for a prey unto ourselves, and the spoil of the cities which we took.  Moses said they took the cattle and spoils from the war for themselves.  Verse thirty-six says, From Aroer, which is by the brink of the river of Arnon, and from the city that is by the river, even unto Gilead, there was not one city too strong for us: the LORD our God delivered all unto us:  Verse thirty-seven adds, Only unto the land of the children of Ammon thou camest not, nor unto any place of the river Jabbok, nor unto the cities in the mountains, nor unto whatsoever the LORD our God forbad us . Moses described the size of the land they took, which did not include any land that God had prohibited them from taking.  They could have felt that they were so powerful that they could just take everything they wanted, but obedience to God gave them their power, just as it does to Christians today.

Deuteronomy 2:16

Deuteronomy 2:16 says, So it came to pass, when all the men of war were consumed and dead from among the people,  This would have been all the men who were over twenty when the people of Israel first got to the Promised Land.  Verse seventeen adds, That the LORD spake unto me, saying,  Verse eighteen continues, Thou art to pass over through Ar, the coast of Moab, this day:   Moses said that God told him it was now time once again for the people of Israel to move toward the Promised Land.   After lacking the faith to go in all those years ago, and even attempting to do it on their own after God told them they weren't going to be allowed in and and failing, a new generation was now ready to go into the Promised Land.  We cannot just choose when and where we will come to God, but must come when He calls us, and we must then be ready to follow Him by faith wherever He leads us if we are to be spiritually successful in life.  Verse nineteen states, And when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them: for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon any possession; because I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession.  God told them not to disturb the children of Ammon, because He had given the land that they possessed as a possession to the children of Lot.  God does not change His word to one group of people to help another group.  When God makes a promise, we can be certain that He will fulfill it.  Verse twenty adds, (That also was accounted a land of giants: giants dwelt therein in old time; and the Ammonites call them Zamzummims;  God said that people who counted as giants once lived in the land.  We are going to encounter those people and things that seem to be giants in our spiritual life, but as long as we are faithful to God, they will just be something that once existed in our life.  Verse twenty-one continues,  A people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims; but the LORD destroyed them before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead:  God said that He had defeated giants in the past and He could do so again when the people of Israel went into the Promised Land, and He still can today in our life.  Nothing is big enough to defeat God.  Verse twenty-two says, As he did to the children of Esau, which dwelt in Seir, when he destroyed the Horims from before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead even unto this day:  Moses reminded the people of Israel that God had defeated giants when Esau took possession of the land God given him.  Our giants are no bigger nor more powerful than those that God has defeated in the past.  Verse twenty-three adds, And the Avims which dwelt in Hazerim, even unto Azzah, the Caphtorims, which came forth out of Caphtor, destroyed them, and dwelt in their stead.)  This was just a reminder that giants had been defeated before. We are not the first followers of Christ to face giants, nor will we be the last, but as long as we remain faithful to God, we need to realize that He has already defeated them.  Verse twenty-four states, Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the river Arnon: behold, I have given into thine hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land: begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle.  God told the people of Israel to pass over the river Arnon, where they would battle the king of the Amorites.  God did not tell them that He had already removed the king of the Amorites, but that they must go by faith and battle Him.  God does not remove all the spiritual and even physical giants or just normal sized enemies from our lives today, but He gives us the power to overcome them.  Verse twenty-five adds, This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the nations that are under the whole heaven, who shall hear report of thee, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of thee.  God said He would put the fear of the people of Israel into all who stood against them.  They had done nothing that would have caused others to fear them, except put their faith in God.  As long as we are faithful to God, those who fight against us should do so in fear of the power of God.