This book is generally accepted as one of the most important books in the OT.
“In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses spoke to the people of Israel according to all that the Lord had given him in commandment to them… The Lord our God said to us in Horeb, ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain. See, I have set the land before you. Go in and take possession of the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their offspring after them.’ And I commanded you at that time all the things that you should do. Yet you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the Lord your God. And the Lord heard your words and was angered, and he swore, ‘Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land that I swore to give to your fathers, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh… because he has wholly followed the Lord!’ Even with me the Lord was angry on your account and said, ‘You also shall not go in there. Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.” (v3,6,8,18,26,34-38 abr)
Israel has come full circle – they are basically back in the same location where they defied God’s word and refused to enter the promised land based on 10 misleading testimonies (this was nearly 41 years ago). The main difference now is the previous generation has died off, and only three of the original Israelites remain (Caleb, Joshua, and Moses).
Moses begins reminding the nation of Israel of what brought them to this point – he starts an epic monologue recounting their history of disobedience and God’s faithfulness. You could look at Deuteronomy as Moses’ last will and testament – his heart for Israel and for God spills out in an attempt to help Israel follow God. God told Moses his time is at hand, and Moses takes the opportunity to address the people one last time. Knowing his remaining time was short, Moses communicates that which is most important to him: love and obedience for God.
One might wonder why Moses mentions several instances of disobedience. I’m thinking it’s because if we don’t know our past actions were mistakes, we are much more likely to repeat them. The people’s parents died in the desert for their rebellion, so Moses is likely reminding them of their parents’ sin, hoping that this generation won’t repeat those sins.
I realize the timing of this is fitting, being New Year’s Eve, so my challenge is this: let’s look back on the past year of our walk with God. How did it go for us? Have we grown closer to God, even a little bit, or have we taken a step backward from loving and obeying God? Let’s spend some time prayerfully reflecting on what God wants to change in our lives. Maybe He suggests we spend more time in is word, or share the love of Christ with someone in our life. Let’s also remember to celebrate the good things God has done in 2019, and prayerfully submit those growth points to God for 2020. Personally, I don’t make the stereotypical “New Year’s Resolutions” because I’m weak on follow-through (and those gym memberships are hard to cancel once they have your banking info). What I am suggesting is we approach God with renewed resolve to tackle at least one growth goal in 2020 – if our growth goal is one set by God, and we obey Him in that, our chances of success will be 100% (that’s a better success rate than any worldly New Year’s resolution we could make).
Father God, Almighty Lord, we praise Your holy name. We humbly ask that You please show us what we can celebrate from this last year, and where You would like us to grow this next year. Spirit please guide us, for we don’t always know what is best for us. Please open our eyes to at least one way we can have a closer relationship with You, and at least one way we can share that relationship with others. Jesus please guide our paths with Your examples, and please redeem us from past sin. Lord, please hold us accountable to You for any commitments we make, though we ask You to please remind us gently when we stray, knowing that our heart’s intentions are to honor and glorify You. In the holy and redemptive name of Jesus we ask this, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training