Judges 10-12: The Prostitutes Son

Not all great men, or not so great men, of God come from the finest stock.  Jephthah was the son of Gilead and a prostitute who was shunned by his brothers, and driven away where he gathered a band of men, probably from other circumstances of ill-repute; a band of adventurers and a leader who was zealous for God and his people.

They must have had a reputation, because the elders of Gilead persuaded Jephthah and his men to go after the Amorites who were pestering them.  Jephthah and the Amorites have an ongoing discussion as to who is entitled to possess the land, with Jephthah's argument being the most convincing."Now since the LORD, the God of Israel, has driven the Amorites out before his people Israel, what right have you to take it over? Will you not take what your god Chemosh gives you? Likewise, whatever the LORD our God has given us, we will possess. -  Judges 11: 23-24 NIV

It didn't matter to the Amorites, they went to war, and because God was on their side, Jephthah was successful.  That is where the story gets interesting.  As a thanks offering, Jephthah promises to sacrifice the first thing he sees upon his return and it turns out to be his only child, his beautiful, vibrant, young daughter.  What a dilemma, but Jephthah had made a vow to God, and he kept it.  What is this story all about?  What is the price we must pay when, those of us born out of sinful circumstances choose God?  Will anything but our most precious possession be enough to sacrifice?

Judges 8-9: Fire in the Thornbush

The struggle for power at any cost is not new.  During the time between when the Israelites entered the promised land and when they finally had a king, they were involved in constant wars among themselves when they were not being attacked by their enemies.  One of the most flagrant struggles for power took place between Gideon's sons after his death.  His son Abimelech conspired with the town of Shechem to become their leader.  The people from Shechem gave him money which he used to hire 'reckless adventurers' who killed all but one of the remaining seventy sons of Gideon. 

Jotham, the one son who escaped, climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim and shouted this to the citizens of Shechem.
 "One day the trees went out to anoint a king for themselves. They said to the olive tree, 'Be our king.'
"But the olive tree answered, 'Should I give up my oil, by which both gods and men are honored, to hold sway over the trees?'
 "Next, the trees said to the fig tree, 'Come and be our king.'
"But the fig tree replied, 'Should I give up my fruit, so good and sweet, to hold sway over the trees?'
"Then the trees said to the vine, 'Come and be our king.'
"But the vine answered, 'Should I give up my wine, which cheers both gods and men, to hold sway over the trees?'
"Finally all the trees said to the thornbush, 'Come and be our king.'
"The thornbush said to the trees, 'If you really want to anoint me king over you, come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, then let fire come out of the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!' - Judges 9:8-15 NIV

The people of Shechem got what they wanted, an evil king, and what they deserved.  They were eventually destroyed by that very same king and he met his own disastrous end when a woman dropped a millstone on his head and cracked his skull.

In Isaiah 5, God says that he will take away his vineyard and thornbushes will grow up in their place because when he looked for justice all he saw was bloodshed. But God also says in Isaiah 55,  that we will 'go out with joy and be led forth in peace....and instead of the thornbush the pine tree will grow'. If in the end, evil always meets its own end, why are we so quick to follow after the thornbushes when it is clear that power is all they want and at any cost?

Judges 6-7: The Lord is Peace

It might seem strange that Gideon was threshing grain in a wine press, but that was what the Israelites daily reality had become.  Their enemies, the Midianites, were trashing the place and making their lives miserable.  So miserable, that the Israelites were hiding in caves and mountain clefs.  So Gideon was threshing wheat in a place where the Midianites could not see him.
 
But God could see him, and in Gideon he saw someone he could use, someone who would listen and more than just listen, someone who would obey.  So God sends an angel.  When Gideon looks up from the wine press and sees him sitting under an oak tree the following conversation takes place.
'When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, "The LORD is with you, mighty warrior."
"But sir," Gideon replied, "if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, 'Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?'  But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian."
The LORD turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?"
"But Lord,  "Gideon asked, "how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family."
The LORD answered, "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together." ' - Judges 6: 12-15 NIV

So Gideon makes an offering of a young goat and unleavened bread that is miraculously consumed by fire and Gideon realizes who he has been talking to:
'"Ah, Sovereign LORD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!"
But the LORD said to him, "Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die."
So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD is Peace."' - Judges 6:22-24 NIV

The Lord is Peace.  That is all Gideon needed to know as he tears down the altars to Baal and issues a trumpet call for troops to muster.  The Lord is Peace.  That is all he needs to know when God has him whittle the twenty-three thousand troops down to three hundred men.  The Lord is Peace.  That's all he needs to know when he sneaks into the enemy camp and sees  'The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore.' - Judges 7:12 NIV

The Lord is Peace.  That's all he needs to know as he blows his trumpet for the 300 men to attack and watches as God delivers the enemy into his hands.  God did not abide Israel's enemies constantly harassing and attacking His people.  The Lord is Peace.

Judges 4-5: The Women's Turn

There are many times in Israel's history when God used the weak, or those who were presumed to be weak, to confound the wise.  Such is the case of Deborah.  Deborah was a prophetess.  You don't have to be strong to be a prophet, you just have to be able to see God and his works.  Deborah had that ability where Barak did not.  When she told him to go up against the deadly Sisera because God would make him successful, he refuses to go unless she goes with him.  He knew he needed someone who could see what God was doing if he could not. Deborah says she will go with him, but the honor will not be his because he has relegated his role to a woman.  So she sings:
"Village life in Israel ceased,
ceased until I, Deborah, arose,
arose a mother in Israel," - Judges 5:7 NIV

As if to emphasize that it was the women who deserve the honor, when the Canaanites are routed and Sisera escapes, it is another woman, Jael, that has the guts to drive a tent peg through his temple.  Deborah's song recognizes Jael as well. 
"Most blessed of women be Jael,
the wife of Heber the Kenite,
most blessed of tent-dwelling women.
He asked for water, and she gave him milk;
in a bowl fit for nobles she brought him curdled milk.
Her hand reached for the tent peg,
her right hand for the workman's hammer.
She struck Sisera, she crushed his head,
she shattered and pierced his temple.
At her feet he sank,
he fell; there he lay.
At her feet he sank, he fell;
where he sank, there he fell-dead." - Judges 5:24-27 NIV

Deborah's song ends with an acknowledgement:
"So may all your enemies perish, O LORD!
But may they who love you be like the sun
when it rises in its strength."
Then the land had peace forty years. - Judges 5:31 NIV

In Deborah's song, she recognizes that it wasn't that the women were strong, they were just willing vessels who loved the Lord God. 

Judges 1-3: You've Got To Serve Somebody

By God's design, the Israelites did not conquer all of the inhabitants of the land. They were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the LORD's commands, which he had given their forefathers through Moses.  - Judges 3:4 NIV

As long as Joshua and the generation that had seen God bring them into the promised land were alive, the Israelites followed after God. But once, that generation was gone, they looked around and saw the inhabitants that had not been driven out.  They saw their gods.  They saw their affluence.  They saw their beautiful daughters.  First their eyes, then their hearts followed after what remained in the land.  They took their daughters in marriage and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods. - Joshua 3:6 NIV

The result was temporary prosperity then defeat at the hands of their enemies.  After they cried for help, a godly judge would come along and their hearts would turn to the Lord.  They would experience peace and prosperity while that judge was alive.  Once the judge was dead, they would follow whoever and whatever captured their fancy until their hearts and fortunes became bankrupt once more. 

It may be the devil,

It may be the Lord,

But you gotta serve somebody - Bob Dylan

Joshua 20-24: As For Me and My House

Joshua chooses to end his life by reminding Israel of all of God's promises and how they have always been fulfilled.  "Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed. "- Joshua 23:14 NIV

Through Joshua, God reminds them of their heritage, when their ancestors before Abraham lived beyond the River and worshipped other gods.  And then he traces their journey and all the promises:  the promise to Abraham of a great nation, the promise to bring them out of Egypt, the promise to give them their own land.  Each step demonstrated God's faithfulness to these people and his abundant blessings.  God reminds them that  "I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.' - Joshua 24:13 NIV

The contrast is always there between those who followed other gods and relied on their own abilities and those who followed the one true God and relied solely on him.  So Joshua issues one last impassioned plea. "Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.  But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." - Joshua 24:14-15 NIV

As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

Joshua 13-19: Dividing the Land

Map produced and copyrighted by Zondervan Corporation.

"You are very old," God tells Joshua in Joshua 13.  How would you like to hear those words, especially when they are followed by "and there are still very large areas of land to be taken over." The region of Philistines, the Canaanites, as well as Lebanon and several other occupants still needed to be conquered.  God says that he will drive out the Sidonians, but Israel will have to deal with the rest.

So the land is divided up and the remaining tribes who had not taken land on the east side of the Jordan, receive their allotment, with the exception of the Levites whose inheritance was the Lord God of Israel.  Unfortunately, some of the allotted land included inhabitants who could not be dislodged.  Judah's territory included the Jebusites, while Ephraim's included the Canaanites.

Some of the tribes knew exactly what land they wanted, and others had lots drawn to determine what the boundaries of their allotment would be.  Then a final allotment was made for Caleb as promised when he was faithful after spying out the land and another allotment was made for Joshua, who has been God's faithful servant. 

It would be nice to think that the issue was settled for once and for all, but that land, the promised land, has been fought over for generations up to this present day.  We could ask again, 'What's up with that God?,' but the answer would be the same as well.  It goes all the way back to Adam and Eve and man's freedom to choose.  We seldom choose life.

Joshua 9-12: Rest from War

The drama of battle continues for the Israelites.  They may think that the worst was over with the defeat of Jericho and Ai, but now the word of their reputation has spread and it puts fear in the hearts of all the kings in the territory that has been promised to them by the Lord God.  But just like when they left Egypt, if he has to harden the hearts of the people in charge, he will do so in order for his glory to be made manifest.

Of all the tribes in the land, only the Gibeonites saw the futility of going up against the chosen people of the Lord God.  Instead of presenting a powerful force, they approach the Israelites poverty stricken and so get a promise of immunity.

 Not so for the other tribes.  The five kings on the western side of the Jordan band together thinking they can defeat Gibeon, the weak link in Israel's side, but they are all killed, their towns destroyed and no survivors are left.  What a battle, as Israel pursues them, God sends giant hailstorms on the enemy and causes the sun to stand still so the carnage can continue. "The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a man. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel!'  - Joshua 10:13-14 NIV

When the Northern Kings hear of this, they band together in a dramatic show of force.  But it's to no avail.  They are destroyed by the same power that destroyed the other kings, "For it was the LORD himself who hardened their hearts to wage war against Israel, so that he might destroy them totally, exterminating them without mercy, as the LORD had commanded Moses."  - Joshua 11:20 NIV

When it is all over, Joshua has defeated thirty-one kings. God's purpose will not be thwarted, and if he has to harden hearts to accomplish his plan, he will do so.  Now finally, the Israelites have reached the end of their journey from captivity.  They have reached their destiny.  "So Joshua took the entire land, just as the LORD had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions.  Then the land had rest from war." - Joshua 11:23 NIV

Joshua 6-8: The Valley of Trouble

The poor Israelites.  One minute they 're up, the next minute they're down.  After six days of marching silently around the walls of Jericho, on the seventh day, the walls miraculously fall down, and they are able to capture it and all of the spoils which were to be devoted to the Lord.  Although there is no mention of any celebration after Jericho's defeat, it was a marvelous demonstration of God's power, something that Jericho's neighbors took note of for sure, and something that made Israel somewhat cocky.

So, they set their eyes on another city, the small city of Ai, and after spies are sent out, determine that it will be an easy target because there are only a few men in the city.  Boy are they wrong.  The three thousand men they send are quickly routed and thirty-six of the Israelites are killed.  Now they're tearing their clothes and ready for sackcloth and ashes.  What happened?

It's simple.  Sin had entered their midst.  Achan, from the tribe of Judah, was unable to resist the temptation to take part of the plunder from Jericho for himself.  "When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels,  I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath." - Joshua 7:21 NIV

In order to purge the sin from their midst, Achan, all of his family, and all of their possessions are taken to the Valley of Achor where they are stoned and covered with a huge pile of rocks.  The Valley of Achor which means troubles is mentioned two more times in the Old Testament.  Most notably in Hosea when the prophet who was married to the adulterous woman, prophesies that the Valley of Achor will become a door of hope.

This valley of troubles, is also a valley of redemption.  Once the Israelites have purged the sin out of their midst by getting rid of Achan, they were able to defeat the city of Ai.  Then they renewed their covenant with the Lord God and Joshua read once more the law with all of the blessings and curses.  It's the same story over and over again with these Israelites.  They go from high to low and back again to high. From the 'valley of trouble' to the 'door of hope'.   It all depends on their obedience. 



Footnotes:  

Joshua 1-5: Be Strong and Courageous

"Moses is dead." God tells Joshua, "but I will give you everything I promised Moses.  Now get the people ready, because the time has come to claim your land. I will always be with you, so be strong and courageous."  And so, he sets into motion everything that will transpire in the coming weeks.
 
The first thing to be done is to spy out the land.  What better place than from the house of a prostitute? 

Then they have to cross the Jordan while it is at flood stage.  What better way to do that than to have the priests carrying the precious Ark of the Covenant step into the waters of the Jordan and then stand in the middle of the river to keep the waters at bay.
 
Then they must cross over.  What better way than to have the men of the tribes that have settled on the eastern side of the Jordan cross over first, leaving their wives and possessions behind.   

Then they must build an altar to commemorate God's faithfulness.  What better way than to choose a man from each tribe to retrieve a rock from the middle of the river before the river closes on them. 

Before they can breath a sigh of relief that all of the people have crossed over safely, they all must be circumcised.  When their parents were circumcised shortly after leaving Egypt, this generation of Israelites was too young.  Now, with the Jordan closed behind them, and Jericho looming in front of them, they have to let their guard down in order to be circumcised.

Their final act is to celebrate the Passover, and suddenly, there is no more manna, the food they have depended on for forty years.

After all this is it any wonder that, when Joshua looked up and saw a man coming towards them, he ask if he was friend or foe?  The stranger's answer causes Joshua to fall face down.  "Neither," he replied, "but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come...."Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy." -  Joshua 5:14-15

Did Joshua look back over the recent events and wonder 'how did we get through all of that?'  Or did he assume the posture of one who was strong and courageous because the hand of God had been with them all along?

Deuteronomy 31-34: From Moses to Joshua

Joshua has been with Moses for a long time.  He has been his assistant since he was young, the one he could call on to lead the Israelites into battle, the one who went with him to the top of Mount Sinai to get the Ten Commandments, and the one who would stay behind even after Moses left the temple after communing with God and one of the twelve sent to explore the land.  The one thing you do not see in Joshua is a desire to usurp Moses' authority or position.  You see instead a person who is more interested in Moses relationship to God than anything else.  At the end of Moses' life, it is no surprise that God tells Moses to bring Joshua to the Tent of Meeting so that he can commission Joshua as Moses' successor. 
Joshua is there while God speaks to Moses one more time and reveals what he has known all along, that this chosen people will soon choose other gods to follow after.  Moses' impassioned plea to 'choose life' will fall on deaf ears.  Joshua is there when God gives Moses a song to give to the people.  One to pass down from generation to generation.  One to sing to remind them of God's promises and their rebellion.  Joshua is there when Moses gives the song to the people.  Joshua is there when God tells Moses that he is to go up to Mount Nebo to view the land he will not be allowed to enter.  Joshua is there when Moses bestows a blessing on all of the tribes.
But Joshua was not there when Moses makes his trek up the mountain to where God shows Moses the entire land. 'from Gilead to Dan, all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, the Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar.' - Deut. 34:1-3 NIV
Moses has to end his journey with God alone and Joshua must begin his with God alone as well.

Deuteronomy 29-30: Choose Life

Moses sees what the children of Israel have not been able to see.  He knows that God reveals his ways to those he is in covenant with for a purpose. "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law." - Deut. 29:29 NIV

Moses knows this people, and he knows that someday, their hearts will leave that of the Lord God in search of better gods.  He knows what their destruction will be, but he also knows the heart of Jehovah and how he loves this wayward people.  "Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the LORD your God will gather you and bring you back.  He will bring you to the land that belonged to your fathers, and you will take possession of it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers.  The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live." - Deut. 30: 4-6 NIV

Moses, who has lead this cantankerous and rebellious people for over forty years, in a voice that has become eloquent over time, now pleads with them to choose the right thing.  "Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.  It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, "Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?"  Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, "Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?"  No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction....This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life." - Deut. 30:11-19  NIV

It has been revealed to you, he says.  It is not a difficult thing. You have seen God's blessing and His curse.  Choose life.....choose Life!

Deuteronomy 26-28: Shout it from the Mountain Top

Moses directs the Israelites that when they cross the Jordan, they are to separate into two groups.  The tribes of tribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin are to ascend Mount Gerizim to pronounce blessing and Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan and Napthali are to ascend Mount Ebal to pronounce curses.  Blessings for obeying the Lord, their God completely, and following his commands, and curses for not obeying God and following his commands.

It's difficult to read these chapters without thinking of our country, or any other country for that matter, which once labored under the blessing of our God, and which is now experiencing what happens to the fortunes of those countries when the people turn to other gods. There's no doubt we have chosen other gods. We worship celebrity, technology, the media, our political system and even our own intellect. These are the things we rely on to save us, just as the ancients relied on their baals and asheroth poles.

Past generations have experienced the blessings, "You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to..."Deuteronomy 28:3-8 NIV

And the same curses will befall us as befell the Israelites if we continue our wayward ways. "The LORD will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking him...A people that you do not know will eat what your land and labor produce, and you will have nothing but cruel oppression all your days...You will sow much seed in the field but you will harvest little, because locusts will devour it...The alien who lives among you will rise above you higher and higher, but you will sink lower and lower...You who were as numerous as the stars in the sky will be left but few in number, because you did not obey the LORD your God. Just as it pleased the LORD to make you prosper and increase in number, so it will please him to ruin and destroy you. Deut. 28:20-62 NIV

The choice was shouted from the mountain tops. They can be blessed with abundance or cursed with total devastation.  The choice will be their's and and the choice of generations to come.

Deuteronomy 21-25: A Matter of the Heart

What kind of heart did these Israelites have.  God knew, and his servant Moses knew.  He had to keep laying out in plainer and plainer terms how they were to behave towards others.  The Ten Commandments were not enough:  Honor your father and mother, don't kill, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't lie, don't covet.  When God looks at their hearts, he sees it is not just the sins of commission, but the sins of omission as well that they have to be reminded of.  They have to be told that they can't favor the son of the favorite wife at the expense of the true first born son.  They have to be told to take a lost ox or sheep back to the one it belongs to, to give refuge to runaway a slave, to leave grain, olives or grapes that are missed in harvesting for the alien, the fatherless and the widow.
 
These were not mortal sins in the sense that they would have to die for them, but sins that would have an effect on their blessing from God.  These sins were of the same caliber as taking advantage of a poor hired hand, or carrying around two different weights.  God's people were to be above board in all of their dealings.  God's promise to bless them had to be engraved on their hearts so that they didn't have worry about taking care of themselves.  It was a given that they were cared for, they were loved, they were blessed.  In return they had the same responsibility towards their fellow man.  Moreover, a Holy God required a holy people and they had to be holy with every fiber of their being, especially with their heart.

Deuteronomy 18-20: Who said anything about safe?

After Moses addresses the people about being just and merciful and walking with their God, he goes further to address the treatment of the priests who represented the people before the Lord, and the Levites who ministered  before God.  He talks about the prophet who would be the voice of God for the people.  He talks about the Avenger of Blood who would punish anyone guilty of bloodshed. He talks about judges who would make sure that the people are honest. 

He tells the Israelites of all the people they have in their midst that will make them just and merciful, then he talks about going to war.  Not just going to war to defend themselves, but going to war to wipe out completely the people who live in the land. "However, in the cities of the nations the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has commanded you.  Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods, and you will sin against the LORD your God." - Deut. 20:16-18 NIV

Completely destroy your enemies.  What kind of God is this?

"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver."Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."— C.S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia)

Deuteronomy 14-17: Live Generously

Moses next gives instructions for how God's holy people are to live among their neighbors and it is without fault.  Not just without fault in the sight of God, although sacrifices, tithes and observance of the holy feasts are required; but they are to live without fault in the sight of those around them...their neighbors and even their enemies.  If they remember that God is their provider, there will be no lording it over anyone else.  Moses tells them that they must cancel any debt owed by their brother,  "However, there should be no poor among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you,  if only you fully obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today.  For the LORD your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you." -  Deut. 15:4-6 NIV

Moses tells them they have a responsibility to the poor,  "There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land." - Deut. 15:11 NIV, and to their servants.  "...in the seventh year you must let him go free.  And when you release him, do not send him away empty-handed." - Deut 15:12-13 NIV

No one is exempt from this responsibility.  The judges must judge fairly and not show partiality.  The King must not accumulate wealth or consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law. They're entering a new land, they have a fresh slate upon which they can write their history
. 
God's requirements for blessing will never change.  The prophet Micah repeated this command to the Israelites centuries later as they faced God's judgement for not following His commands. "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? " -  Micah 6:8 King James Version

Deuteronomy 9-13: Blessing or Curse

Moses continues pleading with the children of Israel that they follow the Lord God with all of their hearts.  He lays before them the choice of either a blessing or a curse.  "See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse-the blessing if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today;  the curse if you disobey the commands of the LORD your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known." Deut. 11:26-28 NIV

It's not that God's requirements are so strict, just difficult to follow:  fear God, love him, walk in his ways, and serve him with all your heart and soul.  It sounds like that would be easy to do but God's people, and even Moses at times, have difficulty doing something that should be so simple.  Moses knows the people's hearts, because he knows his own heart.  He knows how he is prone to fits of anger, how he has run away from difficulties, how he has not always trusted God to do what he promised. 

Moses can see the promises of God, rain in spring and autumn, abundant harvest, new wine and oil.  Their territory will be expanded and no other nation will be able to conquer them.  He also sees how easily this people can be lead astray, by false prophets or dreamers, or even by the ones they are closest to.  So he pleads with them.  Love the Lord your God, love him with all your heart and soul, and mind and strength. The message has not changed throughout history, and it still brings a blessing or a curse.

Deuteronomy 5-8: Hear O' Israel

What a heart Moses must have had for his God.  He knows his life is drawing to a close, yet he pleads with the Israelites that they be faithful to the God he has seen, heard, and known.

"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." - Deut. 6:4-9 NIV

You can almost hear the pleading in his voice.  Don't forget, don't let your children forget.  Don't forget God's laws.  Don't forget His faithfulness.  Don't forget His might and power.  Don't forget His promises. Don't forget His love.  Don't forget His covenant.   "The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands."  - Deut. 7:7-9 NIV

Don't forget the Lord our God is one God, an all encompassing One God.

Deuteronomy l-4: What More?

'These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the desert east of the Jordan'—Deut. 1:1 NIV 
With these words, the book of Deuteronomy begins.  What follows is a recounting of all the Israelites have been through and a challenge to the younger generation, who will possess the promised land.  Moses, who once told God that he couldn't speak, delivers words more eloquent than any politician today. 

'Don't forget.' Moses tells them.  "Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.—You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain while it blazed with fire to the very heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness.  Then the LORD spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form; there was only a voice. Deut. 4:9-12 NIV
 
You saw no form, Moses says, so don't make a form of anything to worship.  Don't even worship God's creation.  "And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars—all the heavenly array—do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven." -  Deut. 4:19 NIV
Moses, who has seen both the fire and works of God, wants that memory burned on the hearts of this new nation. "Ask now about the former days, long before your time, from the day God created man on the earth; ask from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything so great as this ever happened, or has anything like it ever been heard of?  Has any other people heard the voice of God speaking out of fire, as you have, and lived?  Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by miraculous signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all the things the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes? You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD is God; besides him there is no other. - Deut 4:32-35

And finally, Moses reminds them that the success of their life in the promised land will be governed by their relationship with God.  "Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other.  Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the LORD your God gives you for all time.." - Deut. 4:39-40 NIV

What more needs to be said?

Numbers 31-36: Wrapping up Loose Ends

The Israelites have not come very far, but they have been a long time in coming to this point.  They have camped and decamped  at least forty times since they left Egypt.  Now they are on the threshold of  crossing into the promised land.  Their leader all these years will not be able to go with them, but the Lord still has a few things for Moses to complete before he dies.  'The LORD said to Moses, "Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites. After that, you will be gathered to your people." '- Numbers 31:1-2 NIV  The Israelites had already paid for cavorting with the Moabite women when the Midianite woman was put to death.  Balaam was mixed up in this as well, so they all had to die.  God goes with them into battle and they are successful, although it took a while for them to sort out the issue of the spoils. 

They also have to clear up the issue of the boundaries and division of land.  God gives Moses instructions for what the boundaries of the promised land will be.  The tribes of Gad, Reuben and the half tribe of Manasseh are given permission to settle on the east side of the Jordan River, but God makes it known that his eye will be on them to make sure they help the other tribes conquer the enemies of the land.  God issues instructions for cities of refuge where people who innocently kill another Israelites can live without retribution.  He also makes it clear that no inheritance can pass from tribe to tribe.  There is no detail that He is not concerned with.  The eye of God oversees it all.

Numbers 25-30: Another Generation, Another Census

All of the old generation, the ones who fled out of Egypt have died except for Moses, Caleb and Joshua.  Even Miriam and Aaron are gone.  And now, the time is approaching that the Israelites will enter in and take possession of the land promised to their forefathers.  So God instructs Moses to take another census.  This time to measure the members of the tribes in order to allot the land among them.  These are not the people counted in the desert of Sinai a year after they left Egypt.  These people have never been numbered before.  They are the new generation that has grown up to replace the ones who got cold feet about entering the promised land and so had to live out their lives in the desert. 

Moses will not be going with them.  His sin in striking the rock has precluded that.  But God has provided another leader in the form of Joshua, son of Nun.  Joshua has been with Moses throughout the Exodus.  Early in their journey, on the way to Mt. Sinai,  he lead the Israelites in fighting the Amalekites. He went with Moses to the mountain of the Lord when Moses was given the Ten Commandments.  He was zealous for God, staying behind in the tabernacle after Moses left to bask in the Lord's glory. "The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent. - Exodus 33:11 NIV  So Moses commissioned Joshua in front of the entire assembly of Israelites.

Going with them in addition to Joshua will be the law and of course their God.  God tells Moses to relay to this new generation everything that was told to their parents.  Once more Moses elaborates the daily and monthly offerings they are to present to the Lord and the feasts they are to celebrate. And finally, Moses instructs the heads of the tribes on vows, a subtle reminder of God's covenant. "When a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said. Numbers 30:2 - NIV
 
A new generation stands on the edge of the promised land.  Will they go in and take the land as their parents did not?  Will they be faithful to their God as their parents were not?  All that remains of the people that left Egypt is their history.  A history of complaining and unfaithfulness, but that history includes mighty displays of God's power.  They have all they need to be triumphant.

Numbers 22-24: It's All in What You See

All of a sudden the story shifts from the children of Israel to a previously unknown character, Balaam of Pethor. The Israelites have defeated Sihon and Og and their reputation is spreading.  The Moabites complained to Balak their king that they were going to be swallowed up by the vast 'horde' of Israelites  so he summons Balaam, the seer.

God spoke to Balaam.  Sometimes he heard him and sometimes he didn't.  Sometimes he saw him and sometimes he didn't.  Baalam's donkey wasn't as dumb. as they are commonly thought to be.  He saw the angel of the Lord and refused to move.  It took a dumb donkey to tell Balaam that he shouldn't be going forward. 

Finally, after the angel of the Lord extracts a promise from Balaam that he will only speak what God tells him to speak, Balaam meets with Balak.  The people living in the land were known for building altars to their gods on high places, so Balak takes Balaam up to Bamoth Baal where they build an altar to make a sacrifice.  Balaam leaves Balak beside the offering and goes to see what God will say.  The first oracle isn't what Balak wants to hear or what Balaam wants to proclaim.  Neither is the second or the third.  Balaam tells Balak that God doesn't lie or change his mind.   "No misfortune is seen in Jacob, no misery observed in Israel. The LORD their God is with them; the shout of the King is among them." - Numbers 23:21 NIV

Then Balaam looks out over the Israelites and sees what God sees:
"How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel!
 "Like valleys they spread out, like gardens beside a river,
like aloes planted by the LORD, like cedars beside the waters.
Water will flow from their buckets; their seed will have abundant water.
Numbers 24:5-7 NIV

Finally, both Balak and Balaam decide it is useless.  Balaam can only repeat what God says and that isn't what Balak wants to hear.  With a parting shot Balaam goes back home:
 "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near.
A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel." - Numbers 24:17 NIV

On his way home, Balaam cannot help but utter his final oracle as he passes the Amalekites and the Kenites.  Woe to any of those living in the land that oppose God's people.  And the Israelites, what do they see?  Do they see that God's hand is on them, do they see the star that will come out of Jacob, the scepter that will rise out of Israel?  Do they see that God's hand is on them, that he will not let go?   Or are they too busy looking at the pretty Moabite women?

Numbers 18-21: A Generation Passes

These are not the same people that left Egypt, that fled from slavery under Pharaoh.  They are people who have lived in the desert most of their lives.  People who were only children in Egypt where their parents had to slave all day making bricks.  Instead of slavery, all they have known is wandering, and provision, of course.  They have made it through forty years in the desert, they still have their cattle and livestock, and they have become a multitude to be reckoned with.
 
They camp in the Desert of Zin at Kadesh, and it is time for the younger generation to rise up and take the place of their elders.  The older generation is dying off.  They bury Miriam and Eleazar is prepared to become the High Priest in place of his father, Aaron.  But the new generation is still grumbling.  They make Moses so mad with their complaining about no water, that he strikes the rock twice and loses his chance to accompany them into the land.

Moses must be getting so tired.  The Edomites refuse to let them pass through their land, so they have to find another way around.  In the meantime, he accompanies his older brother, Aaron to the top of Mount Hor where he removes Aaron's priestly garments and places them on Eleazar and then watches Aaron die.   Moses has spent the last forty years of his life leading a rebellious people on a journey of less than a hundred miles.

Even after they witness the defeat of the Canaanite King of Arad, they're still complaining and Moses has to make a bronze snake on a pole to save them from the venomous snakes. Nothing has been easy.  And now, the people who live on the border of the land promised to Abraham and his descendants, refuse to  let them pass through.  What an ignominious end to Moses' life.  Does he still sing the Song of Miriam?  There are still battles to be fought and kings to be conquered, but because God still goes with them, they will be victorious.

Numbers 13-17: We are Lost

The vast crowd of Israelites was moving along fairly well. They had been around the mountain where God lived and received His commandments. They were feasting on manna and when they complained, they feasted on quail. Now they are going to move out into the land that was promised to their ancestor Abraham.  But not so fast, the land is not what they imagined. It is flowing with milk and honey but there are others in the land. Others that are bigger than they are. What god do these people worship that makes them so big and fearful?

Thus begins an ongoing period of rebellion and once again, Moses has to intervene on their behalf before God wipes them off the map. As it was, the family of Korath is swallowed alive, the two hundred and fifty 'well-known community leaders' who complained about Moses' leadership were destroyed by fire, and a plague destroyed 14,700 more the next day, when the entire community complained. Only Moses' and Aaron's intervention prevented the entire population from being destroyed.

Then finally, as a last effort to demonstrate who God has chosen to lead this rebellious people, they were directed to put a staff inscribed with the name of the leader of each tribe in front of the Lord. The next day when Moses brought out the twelve staffs from the Lord's presence, only Aaron's staff had budded. 'The LORD said to Moses, "Put back Aaron's staff in front of the Testimony, to be kept as a sign to the rebellious. This will put an end to their grumbling against me, so that they will not die." Moses did just as the LORD commanded him. The Israelites said to Moses, "We will die! We are lost, we are all lost! Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the LORD will die. Are we all going to die?"
Numbers 17:10-13 NIV

Perhaps now, after much loss of time and life, they finally get it.  They are lost without God.

Numbers 9-12: Move 'em Out

How exciting it must have been to travel with the Israelites during their first years after leaving Egypt.  They were part of an enormous group and something was always going on.  They saw the cloud cover the Tent  of the Testimony on the day it was set up and watched it turn into a covering of fire at night.  There was probably much excitement and anticipation every time the cloud lifted and they rushed around packing everything, and getting lined up with their division of the camp so they could move out, waiting for the sound of the trumpet blast and the words from Moses.

Whenever the ark set out, Moses said,

"Rise up, O LORD! May your enemies be scattered; may your foes flee before you."

 Whenever it came to rest, he said,

"Return, O LORD, to the countless thousands of Israel."

Numbers 10:35-36 NIV

The cloud of the LORD was over them by day when they set out from the camp, guiding them to their next destination where they might stay for a day, a month, or even as long as a year. 

Not only were they moving, but there was always some activity in the camp.  Usually complaining on the part of one or more of the Israelites, and a demonstration of God's power in response.  They complained about their hardships, and fire from the Lord burned up some of those on the outskirts of the camp.  They complained about the manna.  It was sweet and nourishing, but they were bored with it.  They wanted meat.  So the Lord gave them meat, but extracted a price for it.  Miriam and Aaron complained about Moses, after all, he was married to a foreign wife.  Why should he be the one in charge?  Didn't they hear from the Lord as well?  Miriam must have complained the most, because she turned into a leper and only Moses' pleading caused God to relent.  All this excitement, then they packed up their tents and moved on.

Numbers 5-8: Dedication

The Israelites were beginning to see that God required perfection.  Uncleanness, impurity, unfaithfulness to God in any way would not be tolerated.  Those who wanted to be Nazarites, separated to the Lord, had strict rules they had to follow.  And now that the Tabernacle was to be dedicated, there were strict requirements for the offering from each tribe.  Each tribe was assigned a day on which their leader would bring the offering from the tribe to be dedicated, with the tribe of Judah going first.  Imagine what it must have been throughout the camp as each tribe prepared for their day of offering.  Did each tribe look for the choice young bull, the best ram and the most spotless male lamb as they approached their assigned day? Was it a matter of one-up-manship, tribe over tribe, or were they looking for the most perfect sacrifice for the most Holy God?  How excited were the people, on their assigned day, as they accompanied the representative from their tribe to the tabernacle, carrying the silver plates and bowls and all of the livestock that was to be presented?  Did Aaron bless each tribe with the blessing God had told him to say:

' "The LORD bless you and keep you;

the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;

the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace." '

Numbers 6:24-26 NKJV

Or did the people go about their daily task, as if nothing special was going on?  Did they rely on the Levites, who had been set apart and dedicated as priests, to bridge the gap between them and their God.  Were they busy sifting their grain, tending their sheep, making beds and playing ball when Moses entered the Tent of Meeting to hear the voice of the Lord, speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the atonement cover on the ark of the Testimony?

Numbers 1-4: In Order to Move

It is now a month after the temple has been assembled in the Desert of Sinai and God tells Moses to number the people.  The tribes were numerous, but they were not numbered so their strength could be verified.  They were numbered so they could be spread out surrounding the tabernacle as they moved forward from the desert to the promised land.  Each family would camp under their family banner in their assigned location in relation to the tabernacle of God, the place where God's presence would dwell as they made their journey.  God would go with them as Moses had requested.

"Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.”
And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.  For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth.”
 So the LORD said to Moses, “I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.” Exodus 33:13-17 NKJV

But this God who went with them was a Holy God and the ones who served him had to be holy and set apart.  That is why the Levites were not numbered with the rest of the tribes.  The Levites, which included Moses and Aaron, were numbered and assigned duties by clan.  The descendants of Kohath were to carry those things in the Tent of Meeting, The Gershonites were to carry the Curtains and coverings of the Tent,, and the  Mearites were to carry the frames of the Tent.  Not only were the clans assigned specific tasks, but they were assigned specific locations in regards to the tabernacle.  The three clans of the Levites were each assigned a different side of the tabernacle were they should camp, and Moses and Aaron and their sons were assigned to the fourth side.  Thus the temple of God was surrounded first by the Levites who had been consecrated to him and then by the people as they set out.  They were surrounding God's place, protecting it from the enemies, and in return, God was surrounding them.

Leviticus 25-27: Sabbath rest and Jubilee

God gives instructions to Moses on Mount Sinai for observance of the Sabbath and the Year of Jubilee once they have entered the promised land.  What did this mean to the Children of Israel?  The ones who have been wandering homeless in the desert for forty years are told that when they enter the land they can build their houses, accumulate land, servants, build up fortunes, and at the end of fifty years, it all goes back as it was.  Would they be grateful for what God had given them, Would they recognize that He was the giver of all.  Would they acknowledge him as the giver of harvests and rain, peace and safety, fruitfulness and increase, the one who broke the bars of their imprisonment in Egypt?  Or would they begin to think that it was their own efforts that brought about their prosperity. 

God lays out for his people a road map of what it will look like if they are obedient, and what it will look like if they hostile.  It's interesting that God goes into much greater detail of what the punishment will be for disobedience.  Prosperity for the Israelites will be open-ended.  There is no limit to the blessing they could experience as God's people.  Punishment is cut and dried.  There is a limitation to God's patience, but not his covenant.  " 'Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or abhor them so as to destroy them completely, breaking my covenant with them. I am the LORD their God.  But for their sake I will remember the covenant with their ancestors whom I brought out of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God. I am the LORD.' "  Leviticus 26:44-45 NIV

Whether or not the Children of Israel would be able to keep their part of the covenant remains to be seen.  Can they accept the fact that they are custodians of God's grace or will the Ancient of Days be relegated to someone they call on only in an emergency?