Tanak Foundations-Concepts in Deuteronomy-Chapter 1

Deut 1.1-46 begins the last words and testimony of a man who is about to die. It is the farewell address of Moses. He reflects on the last 40 years.  The Hebrew name for the book is ‘Devarim” meaning ‘Words.”  The word “Deuteronomy” is Greek and it means “Second Law (Torah)” and immediately you can see the Greek word for “law” in this word (“nomos”). Anomos means “no law” or “against the law” and it is translated in English as “lawless” many times in the Gospels and Epistles. It means people who think they are free from the Law (Torah) and it doesn’t apply to them. You do not want the Lord to call you “anomos” or “lawless” in the judgment because that means you are against the Torah, as many so-called believers are today. The False Messiah is called “lawless” in 2 Thes 2.8 because he is against the Torah, and so are some people who think they are believers (Matt 7.21-23). They believed the Torah didn’t apply to them anymore and they were “free from the Law” and the Lord says “I never knew you.”

This book takes the form of other ancient covenants, but it is unique in that this is God’s law with no separation of sacred and secular, no separation of “church and sate”.  Life itself had a kedusha

As we learned at the end of the book of Numbers, Israel is at the border of the promised land and Moses recounts the events of the previous 40 years. He warns the nation of all the impending temptations awaiting them in Canaan. He warns them of God’s judgment if they disobey, and the blessings if they observe the Torah. He goes over the principle laws (Ch 12-26) which were to be observed in the land. He gives a farewell song in Deut 32.

The word “Devarim” (“words”) in verse 1 is a unique word. Devar means “word” and it can also carry the meaning of “speak” or “things.” Where this has meaning for us is at creation where the Lord “spoke” and there were “things.” The word for “wilderness” is “midbar” and it has the same root as “devar” (dalet, bet, resh). The Holy of Holies is called the “Devir” (speaking place) in 1 kings 6.5 (and other places) and that is because that is where the Lord “spoke.” All of these words have the same root.

In English, this book is called Deuteronomy and it comes from the Greek meaning “Repetition of the Law” but that isn’t exactly accurate. It repeats the Torah, meaning “teaching or instruction.” It repeats the teaching but it is the “words” of God (Devarim). This book is quoted many times in the Gospels and Epistles, and the book talks about “transitions.” We all know about that. The Lord has multiplied the people from a small group to as many as “the stars of heaven” (verse 10). Here is a concept to understand. When the phrase “stars of heaven” is used the Lord is alluding to “heavenly/spiritual children. When He uses “dust of the earth” he alludes to earthly/physical children.

You will notice as Moses begins to recount history he mentions the fact that he needed help with the people in Deut 1.9-15. He says in verse 13 he was to choose “wise and discerning (perceptive, discreet, intelligent, observant, prudent) and experienced men” to help him. But in v 15 he says that he took “wise and experienced” people and appointed them as leaders. You will notice that “discerning” was left out. Did Moses have a hard time finding such men? Are people any different today?

Deut 1.19-40 is a very interesting passage and it gives the words said the day Israel did not get into the promised land. Why didn’t the Lord let them go in? They did not have confidence (faith) in God and they were not willing to go in. What did they do? They sent in scouts to look at the land, which was not God’s idea, and these scouts were not really needed. The Lord brought them out of Egypt with a mighty hand for the purpose of going into the land, and he didn’t need scouts to determine whether or not that was possible or not. They were looking for excuses not to go in because they didn’t believe. They refused to follow the “pillar.”

They were not willing to “go up” (v 26) and they rebelled. They grumbled and complained saying “God hates us.” They say he brought them out of Egypt so that they could be delivered into the hands of the Amorites and be destroyed (v 27). He saved them, gave them covenants (his “devar”) and that makes their belief look illogical. But we feel like that sometimes and we think God hates us because of the troubles we have had. We need to look at the big picture and keep our eyes on the pillar.

Now, some say “But my present situation” but that is all part of the plan. We need to remember we have covenants going all the way back to Adam. Moses clearly tells them in this book that God was testing them to see what was in their hearts. God knew what was there, but the people didn’t. They stood at Sinai and said “Whatsoever the Lord tells us, we will do it” (Exo 19.8). What was in their hearts? They really weren’t willing to do what the Lord says, and the tests will prove it. The key for us is to get what comes out of our mouth to match what is in our hearts. When we say something, believe it. Don’t honor God with our mouth and not in our hearts. When did Israel “test” the Lord? When they said, “Is God among us?” This angered the Lord.

In Deut 1.19 it talks about “that great and terrible wilderness” and it was.  This area is called Wadi Rum today and it is just as terrible now. Water evaporates immediately and there were fiery serpents, scorpions and death all around them. Believing isn’t what you did in the past, we must do it everyday. In John 11.21 Martha had faith in the past, and in John 11.22 she had faith in the present, and in John 11.24 she had faith in the future. Her problem was she wasn’t so sure what Yeshua would do “now.” Martha had some conflicts because she thought Yeshua was upset with her because he let her brother die. Have we ever thought like that?

Yeshua wept in John 11.35 because nobody believed him, even after all they had seen, but that is not the whole story. In John 11.33 it says he was deeply “moved (Greek ’embrimaomai’ …#1690 in Strong’s meaning ‘to snort with anger’) in spirit” and was “troubled” (Greek ‘tarasso’..#5015 in Strong’s meaning ‘agitated’). He was angry about this and was agitated (v 33-38). It was the same thing in the wilderness, they didn’t believe God either and it led to rebellion, and the Lord was angry about it and the people were judged. People today don’t think they will be judged for unbelief in God’s word in the Torah because “grace” covers it all. However, Jude warns us otherwise (Jude 5). In what religion has a whole nation heard the voice of God? They all knew what to do (Torah-Deut 4.32-40). That is a unique religion, and in spite of all this, they didn’t believe.

In Deut 1.31 we have the imagery of a man and his son. This imagery is alluded to in Exo 19.4 where it says, “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles wings and brought you to myself. The idiom “eagles wings” means “protection from heaven (eagle).” God covered them from heaven. Some people think being borne on “eagles wings” means they never had any trouble, but we know that they did. This imagery is talking about protection from heaven (Rev 12.14) and Matt 6.9 talks about “our Father” and Yeshua is reminding them that this is the same Father who provided for their fathers in the wilderness (Deut 1.31). That is who to believe in.  So in his first written exchange, Moses begins to review their journey from Sinai (mountain of the moon; also called Horeb or mountain of the sun) to Kadesh Barnea (holy desert of wandering; the Lord is giving us instruction even in these names), exhorting them to obey.

Changes were coming in this book.  They were going to be less dependant on a few leaders because they were not going to be living so close to them, but living throughout the land.  They were going to travel to worship, and have contact with the paganism around them.  Moses is doing it before his death because he is following Jacob’s example in Gen 49.1-27.

v 1…These are the words (“Devarim” and in Hebrew this word is related to the word for the wilderness, “Midbar”, and “Devir”, a word for the Holy of Holies) which Moses spoke to all Israel across the Jordan in the wilderness (“midbar”) in the Arabah opposite Suph (short for Yam Suph or the Red Sea), between Paran and Tophel (possibly southeast of the Dead Sea) and Laban and Hazeroth  and Dizahab (these are boundary places in the plains of Moab).

v 2…It is eleven days from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh Barnea (he chastises the people for what “might have been”; he is going to “prove” his point rather than a straight rebuke because these were not the same people, but he wanted them to learn from history; Kadesh Barnea means Holy Desert of Wandering-Wadi Rum today).

v 3…And it came about in the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month (Shevat 1), that Moses spoke to the children of Israel, according to all that the Lord had commanded him to give to them,

v 4…after he had defeated Sihon the king of the Amorites who lived in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan who lived in Ashtaroth, at Edrei (where Og was slain-Num 21.35).

v 5…Across the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses undertook to expound this law (Torah), saying,

v 6…”The Lord our God spoke to us at Horeb (mountain of the sun), saying, ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain.

v 7…Turn and set your journey, and go to the hill country (central mountain range of the land) of the Amorites, and to all their neighbors (near the mountains) in the Arabah (of the Jordan Valley ending at the Dead Sea), in the hill country and in the lowland (Shephelah Valley) and in the Negev (south of Judah) and by the seacoast (of the Mediterranean), in the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon (the range of mountains north of Canaan), as far as the great river, the river Euphrates (fruitful).

v 8…See, I have placed the land before you, go in and possess the land which the Lord swore to give to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to them and their descendants after them.’

v 9…And I spoke to you at this time, saying, ‘I am not able to bear the burden of you alone (Num 11.14).

v 10…The Lord your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are this day as the stars of heaven (speaks of spiritual children; the dust of the earth is physical children) for multitude.

v 11…May the Lord, the God (power) of your fathers, increase you a thousand-fold more than you are, and bless you, just as he promised you!

v 12…How can I alone bear the load and the burden of you and your strife (governing them had grown beyond his abilities)?

v 13…Choose wise and discerning (perceptive, discreet, observant, prudent) and experienced men from your tribes, and I will appoint them as your heads (Exo 18.21;1 Tim 3.1; Titus 1.6-8).’

v 14…And you answered me and said, ‘The thing which you have said to do is good.’

v 15…So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and experienced men (notice “discerning” is left out; the teaching is Moses could not find men who possessed all three of the attributes in v 13 and appointed them heads of you, leaders (captains) of thousands, and hundreds, of fifties and of tens, and officers (officials) for your tribes (to maintain civil order).

v 16…Then I charged your judges at that time, saying, ‘Hear the case between your fellow-countrymen and judge righteously (according to the Torah) between man and his fellow-countryman, and the alien (in matters of equity) who is with them.

v 17…You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small (insignificant person) and the great (important person) aloke.  You shall not fear man (and their grumblings, frowns and threats), for the judgment is God’s (as God’s representative, with the Torah as their guide-2 Chr 19.6).  And the case that is too hard for you (if they were ignorant of the law at that time), you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’

v 18…And I commanded you at that time all the things that you shall do (Torah law).

v 19…Then we set out from Horeb and went through all that great and terrible wilderness (and it was; there was water issues, scorpions, serpents and death;  Believing isn’t what you do in the past, we must do it everyday; in John 11.21 Martha had faith in the past, and in 11.22 she had faith in the present, and in 11.24 she had faith in the future; her problem was she wasn’t so sure about what he would do now; Martha had some conflicts and she thought Yeshua was upset with her because he let her brother die; Yeshua wept because nobody believed him, even after all they had seen; he was “agitated” over this-John 11.33-38; it was the same way in the wilderness, they didn’t believe either and that led to rebellion; people today think they will not be judged for unbelief in God’s word because “grace covers all” but Jude 5 warns us otherwise; in what religion has a whole nation heard the voice of God?  They all knew what to do-Torah- Deut 4.32-40) which you saw on the way to the hill country of the Amorites (central mountain range), just as the Lord our God had commanded us; and we came to Kadesh Barnea (Wadi Rum).

v 20…And I said to you, ‘You have come to the hill country of the Amorites which the Lord our God is about to give us.

v 21…See, the Lord your God has placed the land before you, go and take possession, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has spoken to you.  Do not fear or be dismayed (Israel is in the same situation now).’

v 22…Then all of you approached me and said, ‘Let us send men before us, that they may search out the land for us, and bring back to us word of the way by which we should go and the cities by which we shall ente.’

v 23…And the thing pleased me (but it did not please the Lord; in Num 13.2 it literally says, “Send for thyself men” because God disassociated himself from their plans) and I took twelve of your men, one from each tribe.

v 24…And they turned and went up into the hill country, and came to the valley of Eshcol; and spied (scouted) it out.

v 25…Then they took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us; and they brought us back a report and said, ‘It is a good land which the Lord our God is about to give us.’

v 26…Yet you were not willing to go up, but rebelled against the command of the Lord your God,

v 27…and you grumbled in your tents and said, ‘Because the Lord hates us (they were driven to this extreme by the words of a few men, in spite of what God had done so far).  He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us.

v 28…Where can we go up (what unknown dangers lie ahead)?  Our brethren have made our hearts melt, saying, “The people are bigger and taller than we; the cities are large and fortified to heaven (high walls).  And besides, we saw the sons of Anak there (Nephilim or fallen ones from the truth-Num 13.22).”

v 29…Then I said to you, ‘Do not be shocked, nor fear them (Moses believed-v 29-31 gives us the account of what they said after Moses and Aaron “fell on their faces” in Num 14.5).

v 30…The Lord your God who goes before you will himself fight on your behalf, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes,

v 31…and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God  carried you, just as a man carries his son, in all the way which you have walked, until you came to this place.’

v 32…But for all this, you did not trust (“aminam” related to “emunah” meaning faith and confidence in action) the Lord your God,

v 33…who goes before you on your way, to seek out a place for you to encamp, in fire by night and cloud by day, to show you the way in which you should go.

v 34…Then the Lord heard the sound of your words, and he was angry and took an oath (God is not bound by man’s oaths, but by his will-2 Sam 21.1-9), saying,

v 35…’Not one of these men, this evil generation, shall see the good land which I swore to give your fathers,

v 36…except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, he shall see it, and to him and his sons I will give the land on which he has set foot (the part he searched out himself, which was Hebron-Num 13.22), because he has followed the Lord fully.’

v 37…The Lord was angry with me also on your account (on account of you), saying, ‘Not even you shall enter there.’

v 38…Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter there; encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it (Moses is a type of the law, and Joshua is a type of the Messiah; The law cannot save us and bring us into the Olam Haba, only Yeshua can cause us to inherit the land).

39…Moreover, your little ones (they are the ones he is talking to now) who you said would become a prey, and your sons, who this day have no knowledge of good or evil (who are not of age to be held responsible for what the community does), shall enter there, and I will give it to them and they shall possess it.

v 40…But as for you, turn around and set out for the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea (between the Gulf of Aqaba and Mount Seir).’

v 41…Then you answered and said to me, ‘We have sinned against the Lord, we will indeed go up and fight, just as the Lord our God commanded us (but too much damage had been done by this time).’  And every man of you girded on his weapons of war, and regarded it as easy to go up into the hill country.

v 42…And the Lord said to me, ‘Say to them, “Do not go up, nor fight, for I am not among you; lest you be defeated  before your enemies.” ‘

v 43…So I spoke to you, but you would not listen.  Instead you rebelled against the command of the Lord, and acted presumptuously and went up into the hill country.

v 44…And the Amorites, who lived in the hill country, came out against you, and chased you as bees (in great numbers) do and crushed you from Seir to Hormath.

v 45…Then you returned and wept before the Lord, but the Lord did not listen to your voice, nor give ear to you.

v 46…So you remained in Kadesh many days (38 years when you count all the various other places they were-Deut 2.14), the days that you spent there.

Posted in All Teachings, Articles, Idioms, Phrases and Concepts, Prophecy/Eschatology, The Festivals of the Lord, The Tanak, Tying into the New Testament

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