GOD'S COVENANT WITH ISRAEL 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: "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, 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: 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: that he may establish thee to-day 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." Deuteronomy 29:1, 10-13. THE WAY OF LIFE AND THE WAY OF DEATH "For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. 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?' 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?' But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. "See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; 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. But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; 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. "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: 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." Deuteronomy 30:11-20. THE WORDS OF MOSES THE AGED And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel. 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.' 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. 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; 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. 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." Deuteronomy 31:1-6. THE CALL OF JOSHUA THE LEADER 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. 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." 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. 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. And the LORD said unto Moses, “Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go 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. 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?' 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." - Deuteronomy 31:7, 8; 14-18. QUESTIONS ON DEUTERONOMY How do the commandments as given in Deuteronomy differ from those given in Exodus 20? What are some of the most frequent words and phrases in the sections from Deuteronomy 6-11? What do these sections say about God's love? What do they say about the reward of serving God? How do the laws of Deuteronomy try to protect and help the poor? What were the laws of kindness? What were the three Hebrew feasts? What was the occasion of each of the feasts? All Deuteronomy teaches two lessons: can you give them? (2) Abandon Jehovah and what will result? The Conquest of Canaan OSES disappeared forever from the sight of the people. There were a new leader, new conditions, new service for the LORD. Joshua, chosen as captain of the LORD'S hosts, was an entirely different type of man from Moses. To him the revelation of the LORD'S commands was not given in the burning bush nor by the still small voice, but as "Captain of the LORD'S Host." His qualities were those of the ideal soldier,—a cheerful courage, a simple, undeviating faith. He was the perfect knight, afraid of no man, trusting in the LORD. He had work to do, a dreadful task, and he did it, without shrinking, to the end. It must be remembered that the conquest was by no means complete even after Joshua's great victories. |