Deuteronomy 4:1-2 Listen and Don’t Add

 1“Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and [a]possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers is giving you. 2You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.

Listen and don’t add

Moses reminds Israel of their past rebellions and sins because they are getting ready for battle of the promised land and they needed to be obedient to the Lord.

Another warning about adding to the word of God also appears in the book of Revelation.

Revelation 22: 18[i]For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, [j]God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; 19and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God[k] shall take away his part from the [l]Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Man has a nasty habit of adding or taking away from the word of God.

Have you ever added to the word about requirements for salvation?

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 3:28-29 Encourage Him

28But command[f] 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 you will see.’

29“So we stayed in the valley opposite Beth Peor.

Encourage Him

“It was probably easy for Moses to have a bad attitude here - “well, if I’m not going into the Promised Land, I’m sure not going to knock myself out training my replacement.” But that was not the heart of Moses - he would do everything he could to love the people, prepare them to go in, and to make Joshua a success. A man of God would not do it any other way.” (Guzik)

“In fact, Moses’ death is not recorded until chapter 34, so that the whole book of Deuteronomy is framed between the announcement of Moses’ impending death and the announcement of his actual death. The book is thus, in a sense, the spiritual testament of Moses, Israel’s great Lawgiver.” (Thompson)

It’s easy to become discouraged when in a ministry especially when the numbers are down. But remember, when two or more are gathered in His name…..

Like Moses we need to encourage him or her that’s leading or taking over a ministry, a man or woman of God would not do it any other way.

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 3:26-27 Enough of That

 26“But the Lord was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me. So the Lord said to me: ‘Enough of that! Speak no more to Me of this matter. 27Go up to the top of Pisgah, and lift your eyes toward the west, the north, the south, and the east; behold it with your eyes, for you shall not cross over this Jordan.

Enough of That

“This may seem an excessively harsh punishment for Moses. It seemed that after only one slip-up, he then had to die short of the Promised Land. But Moses was being judged by a stricter standard because of his leadership position with the nation, and because he had a uniquely close relationship with God.” (Guzik)

There are times as parents we have to discipline a child and not let them participate in an event due to behavior issues. It’s how they learn and mature but the child will try to hound you into changing your mind and like the Lord we have to be stern and say enough of that!

Have one of your parents ever said that to you?

Blessings 

In the Blink of an Eye James 4:14

 Life changes in an instant. You step out the door in the morning and never return home. Maybe you just go out to mow the lawn, take care of the livestock or go to a doctors appointment. Maybe it’s just a short bike ride that ends in the blink of an eye. 

My husband recently lost a long time good friend. One afternoon he stepped out of the house for a bike ride. After a bit his wife became worried because he hadn’t returned home so she called a friend to go look for him. The friend came upon a sheriff sitting at the side of the road about a mile from his home. He recognized the bike laying in a heap. The friend had been transported to the hospital unconscious from the accident. 

He never again woke up. He never again got to tell his wife he loved her. He never again got to hold his great grandkids or enjoy a beautiful sunset or hear the big band music he so loved. He never got to say goodbye. 

I’ve heard people say Christmas is a bad time of the year to lose someone. I say there’s never a good time to lose someone. We are never prepared. 

So hold your loved ones a little tighter, kiss your spouse more often and say “I love you” because life changes in an instant. 

James 4:14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 

Deuteronomy 3:23-25 I Pray

 23“Then I pleaded with the Lord at that time, saying: 24‘O Lord God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your [e]mighty hand, for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do anything like Your works and Your mighty deeds? 25I pray, let me cross over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, those pleasant mountains, and Lebanon.’

I Pray 

“Moses knew God was rich in mercy and forgiveness. He knew there was no harm in asking God to relent from His previous judgment that Moses would not see the Promised Land.” (Guzik)

Father knows best, just because we pray doesn’t mean He will answer or fulfill our wishes. But that also doesn’t mean we should stop praying 🙏. 

He answers according to His will for our lives.

Blessings 

https://www.gotquestions.org/does-God-answer-prayers.html

Deuteronomy 3:21-22 Future Victory

 21“And I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, ‘Your eyes have seen all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings; so will the Lord do to all the kingdoms through which you pass. 22You must not fear them, for the Lord your God Himself fights for you.’

Future Victory 

“Joshua had a huge job to do - to bring a whole nation into a land where they would not be welcome, and where they would have to fight to possess what God had rightfully given to them.”

“With this huge challenge in front of him, Joshua is encouraged to remember all that the LORD your God has done to these two kings (Sihon and Og). Remembering God’s past faithfulness is key to present and future victory.” (Guzik)

Remember “we” fight from victory as Jesus said, It Is Finished”!

Whatever your facing today remember Jesus has won victory over death and He is the key to present and future victory! God will fight for you!

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 3:18-20 Step Out in Faith

18“Then I commanded you at that time, saying: ‘The Lord your God has given you this land to possess. All you men of valor shall cross over armed before your brethren, the children of Israel. 19But your wives, your little ones, and your livestock (I know that you have much livestock) shall stay in your cities which I have given you, 20until the Lord has given rest to your brethren as to you, and they also possess the land which the Lord your God is giving them beyond the Jordan. Then each of you may return to his possession which I have given you.’

Step out in faith 

Notice the faith required of the men of valor! They needed to arm themselves, cross over the Jordan and leave their wives, children and livestock behind. 

They were to instructed to go and possess this land!

As Christians we are required to step out in faith and do whatever the Holy Spirit requires of us!

What has He required of you?

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 3:12-17 And this land

 12“And this land, which we possessed at that time, from Aroer, which is by the River Arnon, and half the mountains of Gilead and its cities, I gave to the Reubenites and the Gadites. 13The rest of Gilead, and all Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to half the tribe of Manasseh. (All the region of Argob, with all Bashan, was called the land of the [c]giants. 14Jair the son of Manasseh took all the region of Argob, as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maachathites, and called Bashan after his own name, [d]Havoth Jair, to this day.) 

15“Also I gave Gilead to Machir. 16And to the Reubenites and the Gadites I gave from Gilead as far as the River Arnon, the middle of the river as the border, as far as the River Jabbok, the border of the people of Ammon; 17the plain also, with the Jordan as the border, from Chinnereth as far as the east side of the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea), below the slopes of Pisgah.

And this land

“These two-and-one-half tribes decided that this land on the east side of the Jordan River was good enough for them, and the LORD allowed it - if they would fulfill the obligations mentioned in the following verses.” (Guzik)

Remember the song?

And, this land is your land.

Blessings 

https://youtu.be/0pQulAlP0Ak

Deuteronomy 3:8-11 Og

 8At that time we took from the two kings of the Amorites the land across the Jordan, from the Arnon Valley as far as Mount Hermon— 9which the Sidonians call Sirion but the Amorites call Senir— 10all the cities of the plateau, all of Gilead, and all of Bashan as far as the cities of Salecah and Edrei in the kingdom of Og.

11(For only Og king of Bashan had remained of the remnant of the Rephaim. His bed of iron, nine cubits long and four cubits wide, is still in Rabbah of the Ammonites.)

Og 

“Og’s bedstead was 14 feet by 6 feet in modern measurement (4 meters by 2 meters). Some commentators believe this actually describes his burial sarcophagus.” (Guzik)

The Israelites were a force to be reckoned with, all the surrounding nations must have been trembling because the Lord was with them!

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 3:4-6 Destruction

 4At that time we captured all sixty of his cities. There was not a single city we failed to take—the entire region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan. 5All these cities were fortified with high walls and gates and bars, and there were many more unwalled villages. 6We devoted them to destruction, as we had done to Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the men, women, and children of every city.

7But all the livestock and plunder of the cities we carried off for ourselves.

Destruction 

“This brought Israel even more territory to occupy on the east side of the Jordan River, and it showed them that they could, through the power of God, overcome the mighty enemies they would confront on the west side of the Jordan River.” (Guzik)

The world is on the path to destruction and what man can stop it? One day the Lord is going to say enough! If you say, my God is the God of love and He would never do that, then I say you haven’t studied the Bible. 

Why did the Lord have and allow the Israelites to wage war, destroy these cities, men, women and children?

Deuteronomy 3:2But the LORD said to me, “Do not fear him, for I have delivered him into your hand, along with all his people and his land.

 

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 3:1-3 Do Not Fear Him

 1Then we turned and went up the road to Bashan, and Og king of Bashan and his whole army came out to meet us in battle at Edrei. 2But the LORD said to me, “Do not fear him, for I have delivered him into your hand, along with all his people and his land. Do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon.”

3So the LORD our God also delivered Og king of Bashan and his whole army into our hands. We struck them down until no survivor was left.

Do Not Fear Him

“As Israel continued closer to the Promised Land, moving westward towards the Jordan River, they passed through the land of Og, king of Bashan.” (Guzik)

Don’t let those four words slip by, do not fear him!

If only we weren’t like the dead generation that didn’t step into the promised land!

How far could we have gone if we just believed those four words?

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 2:36-37 Gave Us All

 36From Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along with the city in the valley, even as far as Gilead, not one city had walls too high for us. The LORD our God gave us all of them. 37But you did not go near the land of the Ammonites, or the land along the banks of the Jabbok River, or the cities of the hill country, or any place that the LORD our God had forbidden.

Gave Us All

“The high walls of the Canaanite cities had intimidated Israel 38 years before (see Deuteronomy 1:28). But walking in faith, they were now nothing before the LORD.” (Guzik)

The Lord gave us all too through grace with His Son Jesus. 

2 Corinthians 5: 15And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again.

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 2:26-35 Hardened

 26So from the Wilderness of Kedemoth I sent messengers with an offer of peace to Sihon king of Heshbon, saying, 27“Let us pass through your land; we will stay on the main road. We will not turn to the right or to the left. 28You can sell us food to eat and water to drink in exchange for silver. Only let us pass through on foot, 29just as the descendants of Esau who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did for us, until we cross the Jordan into the land that the LORD our God is giving us.”

30But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass through, for the LORD your God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate, that He might deliver him into your hand, as is the case this day.

31Then the LORD said to me, “See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his land over to you. Now begin to conquer and possess his land.”

32So Sihon and his whole army came out for battle against us at Jahaz. 33And the LORD our God delivered him over to us, and we defeated him and his sons and his whole army.

34At that time we captured all his cities and devoted to destruction the people of every city, including women and children. We left no survivors. 35We carried off for ourselves only the livestock and the plunder from the cities we captured.

Hardened 

“It was right for God to do this because the Creator has the right to do whatever He pleases with His creatures. But it was also right because of the way God did it. God did not persuade a reluctant Sihon to act out against Israel; God simply let Sihon’s heart take the evil way it wanted to take. God did not change Sihon’s heart from good to bad but hardened it in its malice towards Israel.” (Guzik)

“the LORD your God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate”. 

Hardened his heart ❤️, just as He did to the pharaoh!

We need to be careful this doesn’t happen to us!

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 2:24-25 Arise

 24“Arise, set out, and cross the Arnon Valley. See, I have delivered into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to take possession of it and engage him in battle. 25This very day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon all the nations under heaven. They will hear the reports of you and tremble in anguish because of you.”

Arise

Ever have one of those mornings? Before arising I was dreaming of a past life in another city. 

We will soon study the king of Heshbon will soon arise and wish he was dreaming too.

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 2:16-23 The Lord Destroyed Them

 16Now when all the fighting men among the people had died, 17the LORD said to me, 18“Today you are going to cross the border of Moab at Ar. 19But when you get close to the Ammonites, do not harass them or provoke them, for I will not give you any of the land of the Ammonites. I have given it to the descendants of Lot as their possession.”

20(That too was regarded as the land of the Rephaim, who used to live there, though the Ammonites called them Zamzummites. 21They were a people great and many, as tall as the Anakites. But the LORD destroyed them from before the Ammonites, who drove them out and settled in their place, 22just as He had done for the descendants of Esau who lived in Seir, when He destroyed the Horites from before them. They drove them out and have lived in their place to this day. 23And the Avvim, who lived in villages as far as Gaza, were destroyed by the Caphtorites, who came out of Caphtorband settled in their place.)

“the LORD destroyed them”

Don’t let those four words slip by, let them sink in! Why would the Lord destroy people, a race? Because they didn’t know Him or removed themselves from Him.

He even did it to the Israelites when they brought other gods into their land. The Bible is full of history and we should learn from it!

“As with the Edomites and the Moabites, the land of the Ammonites was also not for the people of Israel.” (Guzik)

Will the Lord do the same to our country?

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 2:13-15 Waiting to Die

 13“Now arise and cross over the Brook of Zered.”

So we crossed over the Brook of Zered.

14The time we spent traveling from Kadesh-barnea until we crossed over the Brook of Zered was thirty-eight years, until that entire generation of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the LORD had sworn to them. 15Indeed, the LORD’s hand was against them, to eliminate them from the camp, until they had all perished.

Waiting to Die

“In these brief verses, Moses covered thirty-eight years of Israel’s wandering in the wilderness. This was a period when they just took up time, waiting for the generation of unbelief to die so that the generation of faith could take the Promised Land.” (Guzik)

The generation of unbelief knew their destiny as did the generation of faith!

As the life and death cycle continues have you considered your destiny?

My destiny as a born again Christian is to go home to the promised room in a mansion that Jesus prepares for His followers.

John 14:2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

So you see, you have a choice, unbelief or faith?

Which do you choose?

Blessings 

Deuteronomy 2:10-12 Emites, Anakites, Rephaim and Horites

 10(The Emites used to live there, a people great and many, as tall as the Anakites. 11Like the Anakites, they were also regarded as Rephaim, though the Moabites called them Emites. 12The Horites used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out. They destroyed the Horites from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel did in the land that the LORD gave them as their possession.)

Emites, Anakites, Rephaim and Horites

“The Moabites were of note because they defeated a Canaanite people known as the Emim, who were a large, fearsome race as were the Anakim.”

“The term translated giants here is actually the Hebrew word rephaim. The term rephaim is often translated “giants,” but it actually means “fearsome ones.” (Guzik)

“The Horites were an ancient people group who had some dealings with Abraham’s family and the Edomites.” 

Blessings

https://www.gotquestions.org/Horites.html

Deuteronomy 2:8-9 Moabites

 8So we passed by our brothers, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. We turned away from the Arabah road, which comes up from Elath and Ezion-geber, and traveled along the road of the Wilderness of Moab. 9Then the LORD said to me, “Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, because I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as their possession.”

Moabites

“The Moabites were also distant relatives to Israel; they descended from Lot, who was the nephew of Abraham. And as with Edom, God did not want Israel to harass Moab, nor contend with them in battle - their land was not the land God intended to give Israel.” (Guzik)

“One of the more famous Moabites in the Bible was Ruth. She was a Moabite woman who married an Israelite man and became grandmother to King David and one of the ancestors of the Messiah.” (Guzik)

Have you ever read the Book of Ruth? The Lord blessed her because of her loyalty to Naomi and because she put her trust in the Lord.

Ruth 1: 16But Ruth replied:

“Do not urge me to leave you

or to turn from following you.

For wherever you go, I will go,

and wherever you live, I will live;

your people will be my people,

and your God will be my God.

17Where you die, I will die,

and there I will be buried.

May the LORD punish me,

and ever so severely,

if anything but death

separates you and me.”

Do you put your trust in the Lord?

Blessings