A Pathway into The Bible

Walking Through the Old Testament
JOSHUA - ESTHER (1 of 35)

..or listen on video...

https://youtu.be/5-33m0m5v_Q

We begin with a general introduction to the Bible's HISTORY BOOKS...

GOD WALKING WITH NATIONS

THE HISTORY BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles,
Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther

Beware! The History Books of the Old Testament come with a very serious health warning.

They tell it like it is, they conceal nothing, they expose everything, they pull no punches. They ruthlessly catalogue man’s inhumanity to man, not sparing our blushes. They are a long, hard look at reality, not a handbook of how we ought to behave. They don’t paint a rosy picture of the world because we have not made the world a rosy place. If you want to ‘restore your faith in humanity’ don’t start here! God knows ‘what a state the world is in’ and He knows that it hasn’t changed since before the flood!

“The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.”
(Genesis 6.5)
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And yet, despite all this, the History Books of the Old Testament show God still Walking with People and even Walking with Nations. They show God still standing between all the ‘rocks and hard places’ that human beings create. They show God still ‘up to His armpits’ in the blood that human beings spill. They show God still taking nations ‘by the scruff of the neck’ for both protection and punishment. And they show how God is ‘hidden in plain sight’ and can be found by those who look for Him. This promise of the never-failing presence of God no matter what, begins in Genesis, ends in Revelation and figures prominently in the History Books of the Old Testament.

“Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood… The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you… the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go… May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our ancestors; may he never leave us nor forsake us… The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you… Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me… I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them… surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age… Look! God’s dwelling-place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.”
(Genesis 9.11; Deuteronomy 31.8; Joshua 1.9; 1 Kings 8.57; 2 Chronicles 15.2; Psalm 27.10; Isaiah 41.17; Matthew 28.20; Revelation 21.3)

The History Books of the Old Testament assure us that God never gives up - even on those who insist on erecting the barriers of their sinfulness against Him, generation after generation!

“The Old Testament is a book in which is written the law of God and the deeds of those who fulfill it, and, also, of those who do not.”

A Pathway Into the Holy Scripture
William Tyndale
(c.1530)
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Joshua:
OCCUPYING A LAND
Judges:
CATALOGUING A DECLINE
Ruth:
HIGHLIGHTING AN EXCEPTION
First Samuel:
ESTABLISHING A MONARCHY
Second Samuel:
INITIATING A DYNASTY
First Kings:
ENDURING A DIVISION
Second Kings:
FACING A CATASTROPHE
First & Second Chronicles:
PREACHING A SERMON
Ezra & Nehemiah:
REMAKING A COMMUNITY
Esther:
CELEBRATING A MIRACLE
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6. THE BOOK OF JOSHUA
OCCUPYING A LAND

Although the Five Books of Moses (The Pentateuch) are a very definite ‘unit’ in the Old Testament, the story of God’s people simply moves on into the book of Joshua without a break…

“After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant: ‘Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the River Jordan into the land I am about to give to them - to the Israelites.’”
(1.1-2)
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You can divide the book of Joshua into three main sections:

1). Entering the Promised Land
Chapters 1 - 12
2). Settling Down
Chapters 13 - 22
3). Renewing the Covenant
Chapters 23 - 24
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1). Entering the Promised Land
Chapters 1 - 12

Chapters 1 - 12 tell us the story of how the promised land of Canaan was conquered by the Israelites under the leadership of Joshua. It is a story that many find shocking. However, it opens with God's commission to Joshua and His promise that He will be with him in all that he does - the commission is well worth reading in full (1. 1-9). But here’s a taster to give you the flavour…

“Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (1.6-9).
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Joshua immediately gives orders to the people to prepare to cross the Jordan and occupy the land. They in turn pledge their allegiance to Joshua as God’s chosen man for the job. (1.10-18)

After sending spies into the town of Jericho, who are helped by a pr******te called Rahab (chapter 2), Joshua leads the people across the river. It miraculously stops flowing as the Covenant Box is carried into it - just like the Red Sea a generation before (chapter 3). As a memorial of this remarkable event, twelve stones are taken from the riverbed and set up as a marker at the place where they camped. And before the river starts flowing again twelve more stones are set up on the riverbed itself. Word of this miracle no doubt fills the local people with fear! (chapter 4)

COMMANDER OF THE LORD’S ARMY

As a further reminder of the importance of this moment, in chapter 5 God orders Joshua to circumcise all the men, and Joshua himself has a vision…

“Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, ‘Are you for us or for our enemies?’ ‘Neither,’ he replied, ‘but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.’” (5.13)

Although this is a very great encouragement to Joshua, it’s also a reminder to him (and to us as we read of the violent invasion of these lands) that although these are His chosen people, God isn’t just showing favouritism - He is simply ‘at work’ on earth!

The first town to be seized by the Israelites is Jericho, and the famous description of how it was taken is in chapter 6. The Israelites marched around the town on seven consecutive days, and on the seventh day the walls collapsed at the sound of their trumpets and their shouts! God’s orders - very shockingly - were to destroy everything and everybody in the town except the pr******te Rahab who had helped the Israelite spies.

“They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it - men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.” (6.21)

But in chapter 7 we read of just one man who kept something for himself…

“…the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi… took some of them. So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel.” (7.1)

Because of this disobedience, the Israelites fail to take the next town of Ai, and God - again very shockingly - orders the killing of Achan and his entire family after identifying him by a process of elimination (7.16 - 26). Once the evil of disobedience is rooted out, Ai falls to the Israelites by an ingenious ploy that made brilliant use of their first abortive attack and - very shockingly - all its inhabitants are killed!

At this point Joshua builds an altar of uncut stone on nearby Mount Ebal, they make sacrifices to God on it, and…

“There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua wrote on stones a copy of the law of Moses… All the Israelites, both the foreigners living among them and the native-born... were there. Afterwards, Joshua read all the words of the law - the blessings and the curses - just as it is written in the Book of the Law.” (8.32-35)

Not surprisingly, all this causes six local kings to join forces to attack the Israelites. But partly through a treaty with another nation, Gibeon (chapter 9), the Israelites conquer many local kings in the west, the north and the south, and take their land - beginning with a campaign to rescue their Gibeonite partners (chapters 10 - 11). This section ends with a summary of all the territory taken by Joshua, and all the kings defeated by Moses and Joshua both on the East and West banks of the Jordan, the famous summary being “…the lands of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.” (chapter 12)

Now….

..what about when God commands to kill?

Stuart Kimber

[NEXT TIME: God's command to kill, His patience and His justice]
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(Photo: Brett Jordan and Hasan Almasi on Unsplash)

Buy a copy of 'A Pathway into the Bible - Walking with God Then and Now' here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Path.../dp/1797038753/ref=sr_1_1...

Walking Through the Old Testament
GENESIS - DEUTERONOMY (23 of 23)

We conclude The Five Books of Moses with a 'walking meditation' on The Book of Deuteronomy...

..or listen on video...

https://youtu.be/xpIDsxSRK8M-

WALKING IN THE LIFE OF GOD

Thank you, Lord, that you have never stopped
Walking in the garden with Adam.

Thank you, Lord, that we have glimpsed you through the trees
And we have met with you once again.

Thank you, Lord, that in walking with you, we share a history with all your people,
Rejoicing in the whole journey and remembering it with gratitude.

Thank you, Lord, for your mighty acts on our behalf - at the Exodus, at Sinai, in the desert,
In the Promised Land, through the Incarnation, on the Cross, and at the Empty Tomb.

Thank you, Lord, that since Creation, nothing as great as this has ever happened:
That you have taken a nation out of another nation, a Church out of all nations on earth.

Thank you, Lord, that we take your Laws to our hearts, impress them on our children,
Talk about them always - and love you with all our heart and soul and strength.

Thank you, Lord, that it is not because of our numbers or strength or righteousness,
But because of Evil itself that you have driven out Evil ahead of us.

Thank you, Lord, for Laws that offer Justice, righteous Kings, the Word of God,
Abundant life in the land - and that speak of Eternal Life in your Kingdom.

Thank you, Lord, for the countless generations you have invited to “Choose Life!”
And have chosen it!

Thank you, Lord, for Moses’ Book of the Law, for Moses’ Prophetic Ministry,
For Moses who knew you face to face!

Thank you, Lord, that Messiah has come, “not to abolish the Law and the Prophets,
But to fulfil them - and so that everything might be accomplished!”

And thank you, Lord, that “you know our affliction and our poverty - yet we are rich!”
And “you have placed before us an open door that no-one can shut!”
And “He who has an ear can hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”
And that our Promised Land is the Meeting Place around your throne in heaven.

Thank you, Lord, that “your word is a lamp to our feet”
And we can journey on to become “a great multitude standing before the throne
And before the Lamb.”

Thank you, Lord, that as we walk in your written word,
We are the Covenant People of God,
And we walk hand in hand even now.

Stuart Kimber
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[NEXT TIME: We begin The History Books of the Old Testament - God Walking with Nations]
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(Photo: Corey Young and Ashim d-Silva on Unsplash)

Buy a copy of 'A Pathway into the Bible - Walking with God Then and Now' here:

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**WALKING THE NEW TESTAMENT**
WEEK 3: A 5-Day Guided Tour of LUKE'S Gospel (1 of 5)
DAY 1: 'Jesus' Birth and Infancy' and 'His Ministry in Galilee'
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For the whole 5-Day Tour follow the links at the bottom of each post.
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..or listen on video...

https://youtu.be/8EludfxTpWk
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LUKE'S GOSPEL
"GOOD NEWS FOR EVERYONE"
DAY 1
(with Tour Guide's notes in the EXTRA COLUMN)

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE is long-believed to have been written by the man Paul describes as “Our dear friend Luke, the doctor…” (Colossians 4.14) It’s also clear that the same person wrote the Book of Acts, and from that book we can see that Luke accompanied Paul on some of his missionary travels (Acts chapters 16, 20 and 21) and then on his journey to Rome (Acts chapters 27 and 28).

The most famous thing about Jesus’ method of teaching is that He told stories or PARABLES - and Luke’s Gospel is full of them. Parables are often mistakenly believed to be His way of making things crystal clear, and that’s what makes Him such a brilliant teacher. But that’s not really how they work. His disciples once asked Jesus why He used Parables and this is what He said…

“The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that ‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’”
(Luke 8.10)

So what’s that about?!

Well, at first hearing many Parables leave you not understanding what Jesus means, or seem to say something very unexpected. Only when you realise they highlight a wrong understanding or attitude in yourself does the penny drop and the challenge hit you. Then the teaching explodes like a depth charge. Only when it’s sunk down to the target does it go off! This is why the Parables dramatically rearranged many people’s lives and understanding for the better - but could also make His critics mad with rage! That’s what makes Jesus a brilliant teacher.

***THE EXTRA COLUMN…
…looks at Jesus’ Parables, because although they come in all the Gospels, Luke contains a record 27 of them, 17 of which don’t appear in Matthew, Mark or John. Let them explode in your life and rearrange your thinking!***
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The Gospel of Luke can be divided into six sections:

1). Preface
Chapter 1.1-4

2). The Birth and Infancy of John and Jesus
Chapter 1.5 - 2.52

3). Jesus’ Ministry in Galilee
Chapter 3.1 - 9.27

4). On the Way to Jerusalem
Chapter 9.28 - 19.27

5). Final Week, Crucifixion and the Empty Tomb
Chapter 19.28 - 24.12

6). Resurrection Appearances
Chapter 24.13-53
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1). Preface
Chapter 1.1-4

Chapter 1.1-4. This Gospel begins, unlike any of the others, with the writer himself explaining his purpose and methods. He tells us he’s been very business-like in sifting and examining the facts, including looking at other people’s accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry, and taking into consideration the evidence of eye-witnesses. Compare this with Acts 1.1-2 and it's clear that the Acts of the Apostles is Luke’s continuation of the story after Jesus’ Resurrection and Ascension. This makes Luke responsible for as much of the New Testament as Paul.

So Luke is often called ‘Luke the Historian’, but he’s also very much ‘Luke the Evangelist.’ The Gospel is addressed to ‘Theophilus’ (lover of God), and it’s been written…

“…so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.”
(1.4)

2). The Birth and Infancy of John and Jesus
Chapter 1.5 - 2.52

Chapter 1.5 - 2.52. He may be a serious and careful historian, but Luke begins his account in two very ordinary homes with two sets of parents-to-be - those of John the Baptist and Jesus. What an incredibly down-to-earth way of starting to tell such momentous Good News! A young couple only just committed to one another, and an older husband and wife who are childless but who are praying that that might change.

He tells how angels told them beforehand about the births of their sons (1.5-38), how the mothers - the older Elizabeth and the young Mary - became very close during their pregnancies (1.39-56), how Zechariah prophesied over his new-born son, John (1.57-80), how Jesus’ birth took place in Bethlehem (2.1-20), and what prophets said about Jesus when He was presented at the Temple in Jerusalem for consecration to God (2.21-40). Luke even includes the only incident we know from Jesus’ later childhood (2.41-52).

Taken together, Luke chapters 1 and 2 and Matthew chapters 1 and 2 tell the story of the birth and infancy of Jesus. But try reading them through and seeing how they compare with school Nativity Plays and Christmas cards! You’ll be surprised. Where Matthew seems to have Joseph’s side of the story, Luke is very much from Mary’s viewpoint, with a lot about the pregnancies, right from conception.

ORDINARY BUT ALSO EXTRAORDINARY

Regardless of how domestic and ‘homey’ all this is, the story is full of facts, descriptions, titles and names for Jesus that leave no doubt about who He really is.

A descendant of David, a virgin birth, the Son of the Most High, taking the throne of His father David, to reign over the house of Jacob forever, whose kingdom will never end, conceived by the Holy Spirit, and Son of God (1.26-35). The redemption and salvation of God’s people, foretold by the prophets, and the bringer of forgiveness (1.67-79). A Saviour who is Christ the Lord (2.11), a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for the glory of God’s people Israel (2.29-32). It’s all here, just as in the introductions to the other three Gospels.

And then there’s the incident when Jesus was twelve years old and the family were visiting Jerusalem and He got left behind. His parents found Him talking with the teachers in the Temple. This is not only a neat link to His adult life, but it also gives us His ‘first words’…

“’Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?’

“But they did not understand what he was saying to them. Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.”
(2.49-52)


3). Jesus’ Ministry in Galilee
Chapter 3.1 - 9.27

Chapter 3.1 - 9.27 covers Jesus’ work in Galilee up to that vital moment when Peter recognises who Jesus is and declares Him to be the Christ. As in Matthew and Mark, this section shows us Jesus’ three-fold ministry of teaching, healing and training disciples.

His ministry begins when He’s baptised by John the Baptist. We’re told by John that Jesus “will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire”(3.16), and finally we hear God’s voice from heaven declaring “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”(3.1-22) Before moving on to tell us about Jesus’ heart-searching and temptation in the desert (4.1-13), Luke gives us His ancestral line, probably on His mother’s side. It goes back through David and Abraham, but then all the way back, very significantly, to end with “the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.” (3.23-37)

This really is Good News for all human beings, not just the Jews!

Jesus starts His teaching ministry in the synagogue in Nazareth where He was brought up (4.14-30), and His first ‘sermon’ is based on some words from the prophet Isaiah that He very carefully chooses. They are from a passage that some see as the last of Isaiah’s famous Servant Songs (Isaiah 61.1-2) that pointed forward to an unexpected kind of Messiah…

“The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’ Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’”
(4.17-21)

In the rest of this section, as Jesus teaches, calls followers, heals and trains disciples (4.22 - 9.17), Luke gives us two ‘blocks’ of His ministry that stand out…

WHAT DISCIPLESHIP LOOKS LIKE

The first ‘block’ is when He chooses the twelve apostles and starts teaching them about discipleship (6.12-49). The teaching here is sometimes called The Sermon on the Plain (see 6.17) and it reminds us of parts of The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapters 5 - 7. It even begins with some ‘Beatitudes’, but here they’re accompanied by some ‘Woes’ as well (6.20-26). Jesus also teaches about love for enemies as well as friends, and about not judging other people (6.27-42).

***THE EXTRA COLUMN
Jesus’ first use of parables is in this Sermon on the Plain. He tells of the blind leading the blind and of a man taking a speck of sawdust out of another man’s eye when he’s got a plank in his own!
>So… are you a blind hypocrite as well?

He also tells how good trees don’t produce bad fruit, and how houses built on sand don’t survive the first bit of bad weather.
>So… what fruit are you producing?
>And are you building your life firmly on Jesus and His words?

When a sinful woman lovingly anoints His feet, Jesus tells a story about two men in debt to a money-lender who suddenly cancels their debts - and the one who owed the most was the most grateful!
>So… who do you think is going to love Jesus the most?
>And how much do you think you need to be forgiven?***
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WHAT MESSIAHSHIP LOOKS LIKE

The second ‘block’ of ministry reminds us of Mark’s Gospel. The Parable of the Sower sums up how the Gospel is usually received (8.1-15), and that’s followed by a demonstration of Jesus’ power and authority as He deals with four extreme and dramatic situations (8.22-56). It’s only after this training, by word and demonstration, that Jesus sends the twelve apostles out to do the same (9.1-6). When they return, they’re unable to respond to His challenge to feed five thousand. So He does it Himself! (9.10-17)

***THE EXTRA COLUMN
Most of the parables in Luke come in chapters 10 - 20, but the one in 8.1-15 is the key to all the Parables and tells how the Gospel message itself works. It’s so important, Jesus explains its meaning - and explains why He teaches in Parables at all.

It isn’t the Parable of the Sower or even of the Seed, but really the Parable of the ‘Earths’! The Gospel only takes root in the lives of people who receive it properly, so Jesus doesn’t teach to give ‘head knowledge’ but to change lives. And He quotes from Isaiah, who had the same experience of speaking God’s word and having it rejected.
>So… is your heart fertile ground for God’s word or not?

The parable of the Lamp on a Stand simply tells us that the Gospel message must nevertheless be preached, whatever the response.
>So… will you let the light shine through you or will you hold back?***
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PETER’S CONFESSION OF FAITH

The moment when Peter makes his confession of faith (9.18-27) is so important that it’s the turning point of the story in all of the first three Gospels. When He asks the disciples who they think He is, Peter’s reply is very simple and very correct - but Jesus reacts to it by speaking of caution, the cost of Messiahship and the cost of discipleship…

“Peter answered, ‘God’s Messiah.’
Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone.
And he said, ‘The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders,
chief priests and teachers of the law,
and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.’
Then he said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it… Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory
and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.’”
(9.20-26)

Now they know that Jesus is the Messiah, they have to move on to what that is going to mean. And on the way to Jerusalem, Jesus’ teaching gets much tougher and much more challenging.

Stuart Kimber

NEXT TIME - DAY 2: 'On the Way to Jerusalem - Part I' Click here:



'A Pathway into the Bible - Walking with God Then and Now' is available on Amazon

(Photos: Alabaster Co, Ashim d'Silva, Jon Tyson and Alexandra Fuller on Unsplash)

Walking Through the Old Testament
GENESIS - DEUTERONOMY (22 of 23)

..or listen on video...

https://youtu.be/DgnDrZCB5kM

We continue in The Book of Deuteronomy with...

3). Moses’ Third Sermon - Choose Life!
Chapters 29 - 30

Chapters 29 - 30 make up Moses’ Third Sermon, which is an exhortation to accept the Covenant (29.1-15), with further warnings against disobedience (29.16-29). And finally, a chapter on repentance and forgiveness for the benefit of all those who fail to obey in the future, but who want to be restored into Covenant relationship with the Lord (chapter 30). A vital chapter indeed!

One of the most famous Old Testament verses ends this section of the book…

“I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” (30.19)
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4). The Last Acts of Moses
Chapters 31 - 34

Chapters 31 - 34 bring a whole era of God’s dealings with His people to an end.

FIRSTLY, Moses appoints Joshua as his successor, and the one who will lead the people into Canaan. Anticipating the words of God and the people to him at the start of the Book of Joshua, Moses says to him: “Be strong and courageous.” (31.1-8)

SECONDLY, he commands the priests to read the Law of God at the Festival of Shelters every seven years (31.9-13). But Israel’s future rebellion is also predicted (31.14-29).

“After Moses finished writing in a book the words of this law from beginning to end, he gave this command to the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord: ‘Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God. There it will remain as a witness against you. For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. …For I know that after my death you are sure to become utterly corrupt and to turn from the way I have commanded you. In days to come, disaster will fall upon you because you will do evil in the sight of the Lord and provoke him to anger by what your hands have made.”(31.24-29)

THIRDLY, as part of God's final instructions to Moses he is told to write a song and teach it to the people - the song is in chapter 32. And this is followed by Moses’ own final instructions…

“Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you - they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.” (32.46-47)

FOURTHLY, we have Moses’ long prayer of blessing on all the tribes of Israel, pronounced just before his death (chapter 33).

FIFTHLY AND FINALLY, we have an account of Moses’ death on Mount Nebo within sight of the Promised Land (chapter 34).
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The editor of these final chapters includes some sobering and very moving words of God after Moses had delivered his final instructions to the people…

“On that same day the Lord told Moses, ‘Go up into the Abiram Range to Mount Nebo in Moab, across from Jericho, and view Canaan, the land I am giving the Israelites as their own possession. There on the mountain that you have climbed you will die and be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people. This is because both of you broke faith with me in the presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Desert of Zin and because you did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites. Therefore, you will see the land only from a distance; you will not enter the land I am giving to the people of Israel.’”(32.48-52)

But the editor finishes the book with this wonderful tribute to Moses, who has dominated the pages of Scripture from Exodus to Deuteronomy…

“No prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, who did all these signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do in Egypt - to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.’
(34.10-12)
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THE STORY SO FAR...

The first five books of the Bible are collectively known as the Pentateuch, and all are traditionally believed to have been written by Moses. The Book of Deuteronomy is a masterly summing-up of what can only be described as the Old Testament Gospel.

God’s great acts of Creation, His Call of Abraham, His faithfulness to Abraham, and the whole message of THE BOOK OF GENESIS, is crowned by God's great act of deliverance described in THE BOOK OF EXODUS. Throughout Moses’ life, and largely by his leadership, God enters a Covenant with His people, inviting them to accept this wonderful relationship with their Creator God.

In THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY, Moses preaches the challenge of this Gospel: “Choose life!” That challenge means obedience to God’s Law and wholehearted allegiance to the One True God alone.

The whole of the subsequent history of God’s People is lived out, as it were ‘under the watchful eye’ of this Gospel. God has revealed Himself in the history recorded in the Pentateuch, and His People are now expected to ‘walk with Him.’

Now read on!

(And you'll be able to 'read on' when we start walking through The History Books of the Old Testament next.)

Stuart Kimber

But first...

[NEXT TIME: A 'walking meditation' on The Book of Deuteronomy - Walking in the Life of God]
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(Photo: Brett Jordan and on Unsplash)

Buy a copy of 'A Pathway into the Bible - Walking with God Then and Now' here:

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