The Journey Brought Forth "Deuteronomy"
This blog series is focused on God’s word bringing people through their journeys in His intentional way that He has set in front of them thereby bringing them through to His completion.
Exodus through Malachi is the section of scripture that most Christians find themselves living in its revolving pattern of realization, but once they receive its revelation, the Third Stage of Life is what their lives are built upon instead of attempting to achieve. Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Bible, and it is the retelling of the Law and certain experiences the Israelite had in their wilderness journey just before they entered into the Promised Land.
Moses begins the recap from the time of appointing judges to assist him in leading the people and warned them to be careful to not judge improperly by respecting people. People need to be told this because of their human nature to judge improperly due to other’s financial means and social status, but this is able to be overcome with their relationship with God.
The next thing is Moses leading them to a place close to the Promised Land and instructing them to go and possess what God has given to them. Their reply was to ask Moses to send spies to search the land and see what it was like. He sent a leader from each tribe, and they came back telling how wonderful the land was, but according to ten of the twelve spies, they were not going to be able to take possession of it because the inhabitants were too strong. God had done great and mighty works for and through them, but only two of them had received the revelation of the works not being in or of their own ability and thereby relying on God to deliver the gift He told them He had given to them. The Promised Land is still available for all of His people who are able to receive it today, but it is not necessarily seen and definitely not received with the outward experiences or perception of man’s understanding. God is Spirit and must be looked upon and understood by the Spirit which He has placed in each of His children in His timing.
Since the Israelites did not believe in God’s ability to deliver what He promised, Joshua and Caleb were the only two people who were above twenty years of age when the exodus had begun that were given the right to enter the land, and their entering was delayed by thirty-eight years because of this incident. The people rebelled against God telling them they could not enter after they did not believe in His ability and tried to enter by their own ability after He told them He would not help them because of their lack of faith, and a lot of people died. God is the leader, and His will will be done.
During the next thirty-eight years, God took the Israelites by the lands of their relatives and tells them how they had overcome the inhabitants of the lands they now possessed even though the former inhabitants were giants like the ones who possessed the Israelites Promised Land. The same thing is happening today by people who say, “I knew I should have…,” but it does not have to be this way. God wants to lead His humbled people into their rightful possession of Complete Peace that He has purchased for them and set in their future.
God did lead the Israelites through the wilderness in a victorious way wherever He led them and destroyed all of their enemies through them to prove to the ones who were going to eventually enter their land who He was and what He was able to do. People who don’t completely enter the land He has given still get to see amazing works and live a life that is above the lives of their enemies, but miss getting to enter the perfect place He has for them. Two and a half tribes decided to never enter the Promised Land by desiring a land that seemed good to them for their purpose outside of it and agreeing to assist the other nine and a half tribes to dispossess the inhabitants of the land with them. This may seem ridiculous, but it is still the way of today. Many people are looking for their way and missing God’s way by observing with their natural senses before realizing God’s gifts of fulfillment.
God then showed Moses the Promised Land, and He reminded him he could not enter it, but was to instruct and encourage Joshua how to lead the people, and Moses was to remind the people of the statutes and judgments that was their wisdom and understanding that would be shown to the other peoples around them. God does this through His people who have received His Life Stage of Power and live standing on the Law instead of being under it or disregarding it, and thereby they receive a life that is not attainable by or through any other means; because, they love the LORD their God with all their hearts, and with all their souls, and with all their might. God then reminds them of their rebellion and its consequences; so, they might keep focused on Him and live in the way He has set in front of them.
God not only told them how to love Him in their own lives, but instructed them how to not allow the ones of the land to distract them by telling them, “Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree…” The things of the land His people possess are to be pure and righteous, so they are not drawn away by them. This is speaking of things in people’s homes today. I am not speaking of anything in particular; because God’s leading will cleanse His people’s lives from everything that is not allowed in them because of the great love they have for Him, themselves, and others around them. He does warn about people in the congregation living outside of His way and to not be tolerant of their sin in the land; so we must live lives beyond sin and help others to do the same in their lives in His loving way.
God then tells them of the tithe and how to take care of the people around them, and to keep the feasts which are simply explained as not being puffed up with pride, receiving the Law, and being completely connected to Him by being separated from people and things of this world that distract from Him.
Moses call the congregation together and tells them, ”And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land; The great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles: Yet the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day….The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.” These hidden things are being revealed as God brings His people closer to Him, and they receive the gift of complete sight fully once they have gone through all of the Stages of Life.
God then tells the people, “And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.” Thereby telling them what will happen and what He would do. There are no surprises to God, He knows what will happen and has already made a way back to Him when there seems not to be any way possible. The only thing He wants for His people is for them to love Him and realize He is the only way to happiness.
Moses gathered the people and proclaimed Joshua as their new leader. It is said, “Every leader on this planet must at some time appoint a successor to their cause or their cause dies with them,” but be assures that God does not allow that to occur. Even though a great leader goes to be with God and there’s not an immediate replacement, God will send someone upon His perfect timing to continue His purpose as it should be.
At the end of the book of Deuteronomy, Moses goes up on a mountain and sees the Promised Land, dies, and God buries him. Joshua at this point begins his leadership position of the Israelites being full of the spirit of wisdom because Moses had given it to him by laying his hands upon him.
The Book of Deuteronomy retells the Israelites journey and increases their understanding of what had occurred because they had lived it. People say, hind sight is 20/20,” and this is accurate when people see it through God’s understanding. The thing is, God had told them what would happen before it did and they did not listen. He also tells His people what will happen today, and most of the time they don’t listen, but it does not have to be this way. God speaks with purpose and those whom diligently seek Him are allowed to hear.