Deuteronomy One…(1-46)
The people of Israel had finally reached the River Jordan and Moses gives them their last instructions before he was to die.. Just as we have seen how the travels of Israel parallel our own experiences of the Christian life and walk in the wilderness of the world, now we will see similar parallels between the new land for Israel and the new life in Christ……..
1. Verses 1-46
a. What was Moses known for? (verse 3)
Moses always only spoke what God told him to tell the people.
b. What was the one time Moses did contrary to what God told him to do? What was his punishment? (Numbers 20:8-12)
Moses hit the rock with the rod rather than just speak to it which was God had told him to do….because of this he was not allowed to go into the new land….he was able to see it in the distance but not to set foot in it.
c. What does Moses tell the people about in the next verses? (verses 5-8)
He reminds them that it was God’s leading thus far, and now the land of promise was before them and it was up to them to go forward and to take it.
d. How can we do this in our Christian life? (2 Corinthians 6:14-18; 7:1; Colossians 3:1)
Just as Israel had vanquished the Moabites towards the end of their travels and were now ready to proceed, so we are to leave all the worldly things behind us and move on in the things of God. We should now set our mind on things above and rejoice is what lies ahead in our heavenly home.
e. What causes believers to NOT do this?
By being slack in their ways and associating too much with non-believers, getting too busy to go to church or have Bible reading each day….there are many ways we can allow other things to creep in.
f. What does Moses go on to talk about? (verses 9-18)
He reminded them how he was finding the job too great, and appointed others to do the day to day judging
g. What was the next event he spoke about? (verses 19-46)
He went on to tell them why they didn’t go in to the land when they first came to it forty years earlier….how they had been too afraid to go forward then and how displeased God was because of their disbelief, and said they would then have to wait until everyone of that generation had died and it would be their children who would take the land….now this was the time.
h. What proof did they have of God’s ability to protect them? (verses 31-33)
They all knew how God gave them the strength and protection with the pillars of cloud and fire, and how He had provided water and food for them where nothing grew…surely this proved it!
i. What happened to Israel when they changed their minds and said they would go in? (verses 41-44)
They suffered a great defeat because God was not fighting for them.
j. What happens when we deliberately go against what God tells us? (John 15:4-6)
Our Christian testimony is nil and we suffer defeat in our Christian life…we can’t bear fruit for the Lord and people laugh at us for calling ourselves Christian.
k. What sad statement do we read here? What are we told in the Samuel reference? (verse 45; 1 Samuel 15:22)
God would not hear their prayers….God looks for obedience to His word, not doing things OUR way!
l. What is one prayer that God ALWAYS hears? (Psalm 51:17; 1 John 1:9)
The prayer of a broken and contrite heart….God cannot turn away from a prayer of confession.
Deuteronomy Two…(1-37)
1. Verses 1-37
a. What was Moses continuing to tell them? (verses 1-3)
He was continuing to recap the saga of their jouneys.
b. What did God tell Moses to bypass? Why? (verses 2-5; Genesis 36:8-9)
The people were not to harass the people of Esau in Mt. Seir because as a son of Isaac, God had given them this land for their inheritance.
c. Why did God tell the people of Israel to harass the people of Moab? (verses 9-12)
They were the descendants of Lot, and as such had been given this territory by God
d. What do we see next? (verses 13-16)
They had reached the area of Kadesh Barnea where they settled until all the men of war which had refused to enter the land 38 years earlier had died as God said they would. Then the people were given the will to get up and be ready to go into the land.
e. What do we see in the next verse ? Why? (verse 19; Genesis ???)
The people were not to harass the people of Ammon because they too, were the descendants of Lot.
f. What did Moses remind the people about now? (verses 24-27)
He reminded them how God told them to get up and go forward and take Sihon’s land as it was part of what God was going to give them.
g. Which tribes do we see settled in this area? (Numbers 32: 1-5)
Reuben and Gad wanted to stay there as the land was good for cattle and they had a lot.
Deuteronomy Three…(1-29)
1. Verses 1-29
a. Who did Israel conquer next? (verses 1-3)
Og King of Bashan and his people were destroyed utterly and God gave this land to the people also.
b. What do we see about Og himself? (verse 11)
Og was one of the last of the giants….his bedstead was made of iron and was nine cubits long ( 13 foot 6 inches) and four cubits (6 feet) wide!
c. Which people of Israel settled in his territory? (verse 13)
Half the tribe of Manasseh settled there.
d. What was the criteria for those tribes settling where they were while the rest of the people had to go across the river and do battle to take their land? ( verses 18-20; Numbers 32: 16-33)
The men would settle their families where they were and then the men of war would go armed with the rest of the people until they were all settled in their areas.
e. What was Moses’ greatest desire at this time? (verses 23-25)
He badly wanted to go over the river and see the land for himself.
f. What did God tell him? (verses 26-28)
He told him NO, but to go up to the top of the mountain where he could see it all laid out before him.
g. This was the result of Moses’ disobedience in the matter of striking the rock instead of speaking to it….what sometimes happens to us in the wake of our disobedience to God?
We have to bear the consequences of our actions, and we have no one to blame but ourselves.
h. What did the apostle Paul find when he made his request three times? (2 Corinthians 12:7-9)
That God did not remove it from him but told him to carry on in His strength….he would be able to prove God’s grace was enough for him.
i. What did Paul suggest was the reason for his trial? (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
So that the strength of Christ might be shown in his (Paul’s) weakness.
j. What is the lesson in this for us?
That sometimes God allows disabilities and weaknesses for a specific purpose for His ultimate glory.
Deuteronomy Four…(1-49)
1. Verses 1-24
a. What was Moses telling the people to do now? (verses 1-2)
They were to go into the new land and make sure that they kept God’s Word in its entirety once they were settled.
b. What does Moses remind them of? (verses 3-4)
He reminded them of what happened through their disobedience previously, but now they have the opportunity to make a fresh start
c. What was the main thing for them to remember? (verses 5-6a)
To remember and keep the words of the Lord which he had taught them.
d. What would this result in? ( verses 6b-8)
It would be a testimony to the surrounding nations of what God could do with and for, an obedient people, and would ultimately bring glory to God.
e. What is God’s purpose for mankind? (Isaiah 43:7)
He not only created man for His glory but to give Him glory as well.
f. What warning did Moses give the people at this time? (verse 9)
They were to not get slack in the things of God but were to remember His laws and obey them; not only that but they were to teach their children the way of the Lord continually.
g. How can we apply these things to ourselves today? (1 Timothy 6:6-12)
We are to seek to live a godly life, not chasing the things of this world, but to fight the good fight of faith and follow the way of right living with patience and meekness; not only that but we are to teach our children to do the same things.
h. What else did Moses remind the people of and warn them against? (verses 10-19)
How that though they heard God’s voice speaking to them from the mountain top, they did not see any visible sign of His form….they were not to make anything to resemble God at all, nor to worship anything they could see on earth or in the skies.
i. What does God want from each human being? (Isaiah 42:8; Matthew 22:37-38)
God will not share His glory with any other thing, but He wants the full attention of everyone’s heart (being), mind (intellect) and soul (love).
j. What was the purpose of God’s dealings with the people of Israel? ( verse 20)
To be a people for Himself, ones He could trust to follow, love and obey Him.
k. What is God’s purpose for today? (Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 2:9 )
That He would have a special people for Himself who would love and serve Him with all their hearts.
l. What was Moses’ greatest fear? (verse 23)
His greatest fear was that the people would wander away from the Lord and take up the idolatry that was rife around them because he knew that God would not allow them to get away with this.
m. How did Moses describe God here? (verse 24)
As a jealous God and as a consuming fire who would burn away all the dross and evil at great pain for the people.
n. In what sense is God a “jealous God”? (Exodus 20:5; 34:14)
God desires man’s ALL and He is jealous of anything else that comes between them….much as a wife would be jealous of another woman who came between her and her husband…it is “jealous” in a good sense.
2. Verses 25-49
a. What warning was Moses giving the people for the future? (verses 25-28)
He was telling the people that if, in the future, they left worshipping God and started worshipping idols that they would be scattered among the nations of the world.
b. What could they remember for a time like that? (verses 29-40)
That if they turned back to the Lord, He would remember His covenant with Abraham and would deliver them….no other nation in the world has a God like the Lord….He is the God of heaven with unlimited power and might in comparison with a dead image.
c. What had Israel experienced that no other nation on earth ever had? (verses 33-36)
They had seen God lead and guide them, protect and provide for them as they travelled in a mass exodus from one country to another, and they had heard His voice with their ears.
d. Why did God bother with them? What were they a picture of? ( verse 37)
It was because He loved them….they were a picture of His gathered ones out of the world that would ultimately be His in eternity.
e. What was their responsibility to God in the light of this? what is ours? (verses 39-40; Revelation 2: 4-5,7)
They were to remember the only living God and to serve Him continually. We are to beware of leaving our first love for the Lord and of getting slack in His things.
f. What was Moses’ final effort for Israel before his death? (verses 44-45)
To go through the law again with them and to make sure they knew it.
Deuteronomy Five…(1-33)
1. Verses 1-33
a. What was Moses reminding the people of here? (verses 1-3)
How that God had made a covenant with them personally, not just with their ancestors, and these were the things they were to do to keep their side of it.
b. What else does Moses remind them of? (verses 4-5; Exodus 19:9)
How God came down to the mountain and spoke to them out of the fire of His glory, and how he had stood between them and God and made sure they knew what God was telling them.
c. What does Moses go on to tell them in this section? (verses 6-21)
He goes through the ten commandments again with them.
d. Are these commands relevant for today? What would happen if every person kept these commands as they are meant to be kept?
Yes, they are very relevant….if these commands were kept today there would be no need for police or law courts; families would remain together, and there would be peace in our land. The newspapers would have very little to report….there would be no murders, stealing, child abuse or court cases. No war, or quarrels among people.
e. What did Jesus Christ say the two most important commands were? Why? (Matthew 22:37-40)
He said that if people loved God with all their heart, soul and mind, and their neighbours as themselves, everything else would fall into place.
f. What else did Moses remind them of? (verses 22-27)
How they had stood around the mountain waiting until he came down again with these commands written on two stone tablets, and how they had said they would obey what God had said.
g. What was God’s reply to that promise? Did He know what was going to happen to the people in the future? (verses 28-29; Isaiah 48:17-18)
God knew exactly how weak and frail the people were and He said if only they would do as they said! He would be able to bless them and give them peace.
h. What did Moses add to these sentiments that God expressed? (verses 32-33)
If you do as God tells you, it will be well with you and you will live long in this new land.
i. What did Jesus Christ say about the people many years later? (Matthew 23:37)
Oh, that the people of Jerusalem would only take heed to Him, but they refused and would not.
j. How can we apply all this to ourselves today? ( 1 Timothy 4:12-16; 6:11-12)
We are to be good examples to others in our Christian life being faithful to God’s Word and living a life of righteousness, patience, meekness etc. We are to meditate on God’s word continually, and to always be on guard against being slack in any way.
Deuteronomy Six…(1-25)
1. Verses 1-25
a. What did Moses remind the people of first? What is the most important thing in a person’s life? (verses 1-2; Psalm 1:2)
The first thing a person should do is to fear displeasing the Lord and obey His Word….for Israel it was to keep the commandments; for us it is to read and obey the Word of God, the Bible, and to meditate (think) about it continually.
b. What did God promise His people if they did that? What are we promised when we do this? (verse 3; Romans 12:1-2)
He promised that they would increase mightily and that things would go well for them. We are promised that we will be transformed in our minds and know the will of God.
c. What is the first and greatest command? (verses 4-5; Matthew 22:35-40)
The greatest command is to love the Lord with all our heart, mind and soul and others as ourselves….everything else hangs on these and will fall into its right place.
d. Is this still relevant for today? What would we see in relationships if this was kept by everyone? (1 John 4:7-12; 5:1-3)
This is still very relevant, indeed we are told to love each other because when we know God we will. We cannot love God and despise other people. If we all obeyed this command as we should, there would be no more break down of relationships in friendship, families or marriages. As we look at society today, we can see how far short we fall in this.
e. What was /is the second most important thing for people to do after putting their own life in order with God? (verses 6-7)
To teach their children the same things, by both word and example…to walk the talk, to live the Word.
f. What do you think it means when it says to bind God’s Words on their hands and foreheads? (verses 8-9)
It means we are to think and act upon God’s Word at all times, at home and at work.
g. What is the great danger in having things good all the time? (verses 10-12)
That we will forget what God has done for us; that we will become too materialistic and complacent.
h. What is the warning to the people here? How can we apply that to ourselves? (verses 13-16)
They were to follow the Lord all their lives and not allow the temptation of other forms of worship to creep into their thinking…..we have to guard against allowing material things to take God’s place in our lives and crowd Him out
i. What did Moses reiterate here? What did they have to get rid of? (verses 17-19)
To follow the Lord and obey His Word, especially in the matter of getting rid of all the original inhabitants with their idolatrous ways.
j. What does Moses tell the men to do? How does this apply to us today? ( 2 Timothy 1:5)
Fathers were to teach their sons about the Lord and remind them what they had been saved from in coming out of Egypt; we are also to teach our children the way of the Lord, in Timothy’s case it was his grandmother and mother who taught him the Scriptures.
Deuteronomy Seven…(1-26)
1. Verses 1-8
a. What were the people to do with the local idolatrous inhabitants of the land when they got there? (verses 1-2)
They were to totally destroy them and cleanse the land of them.
b. In what way is this a picture of the Christian life? (Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 5:17)
Because we are new creatures in Christ, our desires and way of thinking will be changed….we won’t even WANT to keep on doing the same things!
c. What was Israel specifically told NOT to do? Why? (verses 3-4)
They were not to marry and integrate with the heathen people around them because this would cause them to fall away from following the Lord.
d. Is this still relevant for today? For what reason? (2 Corinthians 6:14-16)
This is still very relevant, and for the same reasons….the unbelieving partner will always drag down the believing one….God wants His people to be wholly (and holy!) for Him, and a family cannot be united in the things of Himself if one of them doesn’t know Him. God says not to do it, and that should be sufficient reason!
e. How does God view ALL His people down through the ages? (verse 6; 2 Corinthians 6:16-18; 1 Peter 2:9)
As being a separated people, special to Him, whose heart and mind are set on Him.
f. What common thing is an analogy of this? (Ephesians 5:24-31 )
Marriage is a picture of the relationship between a husband and wife….a third person must never come between them, they are special to each other.
g. Why did these people merit destruction? (Genesis 6:5-6; 15:16-21)
Because they were a wicked people, full of idolatry, iniquity and sin. God can only take so much from people before He will bring destruction upon them.
h. Why did God choose the people of Israel for Himself like this? (verses 7-8; Genesis 12:1-3; Hebrews 11:8-10)
It was because He loved them, and He had chosen them to be His special people. It was also because of Abraham’s obedience and faith and the promises that God gave him of becoming a great nation which would inherit this promised land…God worked with these people through Moses and in spite of all their shortfalls, He loved them.
i. Where and how do we come into the picture? (John 3:16)
It is because God loved the world so much that He sent His only Son (part of Himself) to pay the penalty for sin, so that everyone has the opportunity to believe in Him and receive everlasting life. Unfortunately, not everyone chooses to do this, and they will come under God’s great. anger against the sin they are hanging onto.
2. Verses 9-26
a. What is Moses reminding the people of here that God had given them? (verses 9-12)
He is reminding them that God had made a covenant with them and given them the commandments to keep.
b. What were the benefits of all this? ( verses 13-16)
God would keep his side of the bargain if they would keep theirs….He would love and bless them immeasurably, they would be the top nation in the world, as well as the most prosperous and fittest people.
c. What was Israel’s side of the bargain? (verses 16-18)
They were to utterly destroy all the wicked inhabitants of the land, and not be afraid to do it.
d. People might say God was being unfair, but what do we see when someone from one of those nations turned to the Lord? (Joshua 6:16-17, 22-25; Matthew 1:5)
Rahab feared and believed God, and as she obeyed the bargain she made with the spies, she and her relatives were kept safe and were assimilated into the people of Israel….so much so that she married one of the Israelis and is included in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. God is never unfair and will never refuse anyone who turns to Him with a genuine and sincere heart.
e. What did God say to the people as an encouragement? (verses 18-21)
They were not to be afraid, but to remember how God fought for them as they left Egypt. Just as God destroyed the Egyptians, so He would destroy their enemies as they went into the land.
f. How can we be encouraged by this? (Hebrews 13:5b-6 )
We are to remember that God has said He will never leave us nor forsake us, and that He is our helper at all times.
g. How was God going to do this? (verses 22-24)
He said He would do it in stages, so that they would have time to get settled and not allow the wild animals to over-run the place.
h. What was the warning He gave them as they did this? (verses 25-26)
They were to utterly destroy all the artifacts and icons of idol worship as this was totally detestable to God, and to NOT take even one small thing of it into their homes.
i. How does this apply to us in our daily living? (Psalm 101:2-3; Ephesians 4:17-32)
It is at home that we relax and let our guard down, and we cannot afford to do this in the things of the Lord…. we must guard what our eyes watch and read, and what we fill our minds with. We must put away the things that the world does and renew our minds with the things of God .
Deuteronomy Eight…(1-20)
1. Verses 1-20
a. What was Moses asking the people to remember? (verses 1-2a)
All the hardships they had endured for forty years between leaving Egypt and the present time.
b. What was the reason for these hardships? How had the people reacted to them? (verses 2b-4;Psalm 106:13-14, 21-25)
God was testing the people to see whether they would obey Him or not, but they kept forgetting all His benefits and complained over and over again
c. What were the blessings that God had given them as they travelled over all these years? (verse 4)
He had given them food for the journey and kept their clothes and shoes from wearing out.
d. What did they not even consider as they went through these trials? (verse 5)
That God was training them up…chastening and teaching them as they went through them.
e. How can we relate this to ourselves today? (Hebrews 12:5-11)
We can view our trials as a training ground where we can learn more of God’s dealings and faithfulness to us as He answers our prayers (both yes and no are answers!). Trials do not mean that God has ceased to love us, but that in fact He wants to teach us more things.
f. What do we see in these next few verses? (verses 6-10 )
The results of walking in the ways of the Lord and the blessings of the new land He would give them….then they would bless the Lord for all His benefits to them.
g. What is the general principle that we see here?
Privileges bring responsibility; receiving blessings or gifts should stimulate thanks.
h. What is the warning to the people here? (verses 11-17)
To not forget that God is the giver of all good things, and to give Him thanks for all His blessings; the danger is that they would think they had done it on their own and leave God out of their lives.
i. Do we face this same danger? (Ephesians 2:4-9; James 1:17)
God has given us so much…the gift of salvation, His grace and the faith to believe; we have to be careful to always remember that is all from Him and nothing to do with us, and to give Him the praise and glory for it.
j. What would (and did) happen to Israel if they turned away from God and started worshipping idols? (verses 19-20 )
They would perish in the same manner that the nations they were displacing had perished.
k. What happens when we turn away from following the Lord and backslide into the ways of the world? (John 15:5-6 )
We lose our testimony before others and it is burned up, while our spiritual life is withered and shrivelled.
Deuteronomy Nine…(1-29)
1. Verses 1-29
a. What does Moses go on to impress on the people as they faced the prospect of going into the land? (verses 1-3)
These people that you are going to take over are strong and tall and think they are indestructible, but you are to remember that it is God Who is going before you and Who will bring them down.
b. What was the real reason that God was giving this land to Israel? (verses 4-5; Genesis 15:16)
It was not because they deserved it for being good, but because the people of the land were a wicked idolatrous people that God could not tolerate any longer….He knew this day would come when He was speaking to Abraham all those years earlier.
c. What was the character of the people of Israel on the whole? (verses 6-8, 13; Psalm 106: 13-14)
They were a complaining, unbelieving and doubting lot; stubborn and rebellious!
d. What did Moses remind them of here? (verses 9-18; Exodus 32:1-8)
How they had made and worshipped a golden calf saying that it was their god!
e. How did God view this act? (verse 14; Exodus 32:10)
He was extremely angry with them and said He would destroy them all and make a nation from Moses.
f. What do we see in these next few verses? (verses 19-29 )
How Moses prayed for forty days (nearly six weeks) for the people that God’s anger would not destroy them, and he also prayed for Aaron who had allowed the people to do this dreadful thing.
g. Which of the commandments had the people broken in this act? (Exodus 20:2-5)
They had broken the first two, the most important ones of the lot….you will not make any images or idols and worship them.
h. What do we have to remember? (Ephesians 2:1-22)
We are to remember what God has delivered us from, a life of darkness and evil, and what He has given us in its place and live up to it….a thankful people will be a praising people!
Deuteronomy Ten…(1-22)
1. Verses 1-22
a. What does Moses remind the people of next? (verses 1-5, 10-11)
How he went to the top of Mt Sinai a second time for forty days with a second set of stone tablets for God to write the commands on again, and how he interceded with the Lord to give Israel another chance.
b. Where were these two stone tablets put? (verse 5; Hebrews 9:4)
They were put into the Ark of the Covenant, along with the pot of manna and Aaron’s rod with the buds on it….this was in the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle.
c. What do we see about the tribe of Levi here? (verses 8-9)
They were separated from the rest of the people to serve the Lord in the service of the tabernacle; for this reason they were not given land as an inheritance….they were to think of the Lord as their inheritance.
d. What did Moses encourage them to do now? (verse 11)
They were to pack up and go forward to possess the land.
e. What “land” (inheritance) are we as believers to possess here on earth? (Ephesians 1:3-23)
Knowing and understanding the spiritual values that are at our disposal, and we can only find these in God’s Word, the Bible….God has given us all the spiritual blessings to be at our disposal if we will only, like Israel, go forward , get into the Scriptures, and take them up.
f. What does Moses impress on the people yet again that we too, should do? What are God’s requirements for His people of all ages? (verses 12-13; Micah 6:8; Matthew 22:37-38)
To put Him first in their (our) lives, to love and obey Him with all their (our) energy….to be honest, fair and kind; to continually walk with the Lord every minute of every day.
g. What else did Moses remind them of? (verses 14-15)
That everything in the universe and in heaven belongs to God, and of all the people around, the Lord loved and chose them to be His own.
h. We know that God gave Abraham the rite of physical circumcision, but what was it a picture of? (verse 16; Romans 2:28-29)
It is a picture of cutting away that which is unnecessary in one’s life, and to follow the Lord wholeheartedly…to not be stubborn and rebellious in our attitudes.
i. What is Moses telling the people to circumcise here? (verse 16)
Their hearts, minds and attitudes…they were to cut off their stubbornness and rebellion against the Lord’s commands.
j. What are believers today to circumcise specifically ? (Philippians 3:3, 7, 13-14; Colossians 2:11 )
It is a spiritual circumcision where we put away the old worldly way of life, and reach forwards to serving the Lord….the values and attitudes of our lives have to conform to the Lord’s standards.
k. How is God described here? (verses 17-18)
He is the Great God, mighty and awesome, supreme over all other gods and kings, who stoops to know what is happening to the weakest and neediest person on earth.
l. What does Moses remind them of in the light of this? (verses 19-22)
That they were to be kind to strangers who came into their midst because they too, were once strangers in the land of Egypt, arriving there as a group of seventy persons, and now grown to a mighty number. They were to remember to serve the Lord and to cleave to Him for all the wonderful things He had done for them.
m. What should our attitude be in the light of all this? (Ephesians 2:11-20)
To remember that we too, were once strangers to God and His promises, having no hope, but have now been brought near to God and made part of His household….how much we have to be thankful for!
Deuteronomy Eleven…(1-32)
1. Verses 1-32
a. Read the whole chapter through in one sitting…what does Moses remind the people of first? (verses 1-7)
He reminded them how they KNEW all that God had done for them since leaving Egypt, how the Egyptians were destroyed in the Red Sea, how God had provided for them on their travels and how He dealt with those who disobeyed and complained.
b. In the light of all that, what was the responsibility of Israel now? (verse 8)
Their responsibility was to remain strong in the Lord and to go forward into the land and possess it.
c. What was God’s responsibility if they did this? (verses 13-15)
He would undertake to give them regular rainfall to grow the grass for animals and crops for man.
d. What was the contrast between the land of Egypt and this new land? (verses 9-12)
Egypt had no regular rain, and the crops had to be watered by irrigation from the river whereas God cared for and provided rain for the new land.
e. What was the warning for them as they listened to these words? (verses 16-17)
The blessings were all dependent on Israel’s continued obedience in following the Lord for all their generations….if they turned away from Him and began worshipping idols, disaster would strike.
f. How were these people to keep themselves from falling away? (verses 18-21)
By keeping God’s words foremost in their minds every day, and by teaching their children of them, not just by words but by example as well.
g. What did God undertake to do for them as they obeyed His Word? (verses 22-25)
He would drive the existing people out from before them….they would retreat in fear of Israel.
h. How can we relate all of this to the Christian life? (Ephesians 6:10-18)
We are to be strong in the Lord, and this can only happen as we learn His Word, gather with His people and pray continually. We can gather with His people and even pray regularly, but unless we steep ourselves in the Word of God we will not grow as we should or be as strong as we could be.
i. What was the ultimatum (choice) that Moses gave the people? (verses 26-28)
They could either obey and be blessed or disobey and be cursed.
j. What ultimatum do people have today from God ? (John 3:36)
Either believe on Jesus Christ or ignore Him and remain under God’s great eternal anger and destruction….it’s as simple as that, one or the other with no excuses.
k. Mt Gerizim and Mt. Ebal were right in the middle of the new land….what were the people to label them as? What would this do for them? (verses 29-32)
Mt. Gerizim was to be labelled with a blessing and Mt. Ebal with a curse….this was to remind the people continually of the two options they had.
l. What are we to remember as we go through life? (Ephesians 2:1-22)
That we were once a disobedient people under God’s curse, but have now been blessed through believing in Jesus Christ …we are to remember all these spiritual blessings that God has given us and to never neglect them or turn away from walking with the Lord.
Deuteronomy Twelve…(1-32)
1. Verses 1-32
a. What did God instruct the people to do when they got into the new land? (verses 1-3)
They were to completely get rid of all things to do with idol worship and leave nothing at all.
b. How does this parallel for us in our Christian walk? (2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 3:5-10)
We are to put to death (put off|) all the old ways and attitudes we had before we became Christians and to live a new way of life….indeed, we will find we are a new creation in Christ, with new desires and attitudes.
c. After cleansing the land from idolatry, what was the next thing they were to do? (verses 4-14)
They were to find the place that God chose, build an alter there to sacrifice on and worship Him.
d. What else was it to be besides a place of fellowship? (verses 7, 12)
It would be a place of fellowship and feasting with each other.
e. What do we see about the human soul and make up? (Luke 11:24-26)
We have to have fellowship and something to worship….if we don’t fill our lives with the good things of God and the Holy Spirit and the fellowship of other believers, we will find that the old friends, thoughts and attitudes will come creeping back and we will be worse off than ever.
f. What were the people of Israel prone to do? What do we have to be careful of? (verse 8; Ephesians 6:10-18)
They always fell into the way of doing their own thing and thinking their way was good enough and therefore right. We too have to be careful to line up our thoughts and actions with the Word of God and stand fast for Him.
g. What were God’s requirements for the people when eating meat? Does this rule still hold good today? Why? (verses 15-16; Acts 15:28-29; Hebrews 9:20-22; 1 Peter 1:18-19)
They were on no account to eat the blood of an animal. This rule still applies to Christians today because life is in the blood of creatures and people, and we are cleansed by the precious blood of Christ, therefore eating it is an absolute no-no.
h. Where were the people to eat their offerings to the Lord? What does this suggest? (verses17-18; Hebrews 10:23-25)
They were NOT to eat their offerings at home, but to eat them at the place of worship….this suggests a sharing and fellowship with others as well as with God….we think we can worship just as well on our own, but this is not God’s way.
i. What is the final warning to the people in this chapter? (verses 29-32)
Whatever they did, they were NOT to assimilate any of the heathen ways of the local people, but to follow the Lord wholly.
Deuteronomy Thirteen…(1-18)
1. Verses 1-18
a. What did Moses warn the people about here? (verses 1-3a)
He warned them to be very careful when someone came to them claiming to be a prophet from the Lord, and even proving (?) it by performing miracles, and who then told them he had another spirit to follow.
b. Why does God allow such people to carry on and cause such an upset among His people? (verse 3b)
God allows these people to continue as a test to His people to see if they will follow His Word before all else….if a person’s preaching does not measure up against the Bible, we are not to listen to it no matter how charismatic and nice the preacher may be.
c. What was the people’s (and ours) first responsibility to do? (verses 4-5)
They (and we) were to follow the Lord with all their heart and obey Him before all else and in Israel’s case they were to put that preacher to death and get rid of him completely before the people were persuaded by him. For us today, when someone’s teaching doesn’t line up with the Scriptures, we are to refuse to listen and have nothing more to do with them….they are to be treated as being dead to us!
d. What were they to do with one of their own family or friend if they tried to entice them away from following the Lord ? (verses 6-11; Jude 1:1-25)
In Israel’s case they were report him and see that he was stoned to death; in our case we are to keep away from them completely….Jude describes what they are like and what their end will be.
e. What were the people to do with anyone who sought to take others into idol worship? (verses 12-17)
They were to destroy everything connected with idol worship and keep the land clean for the Lord.
f. What are we as believers, to remember? (Ephesians 2:1-5)
That we now have a new life in Christ and we are to leave all these things of the old life behind us for ever
g. What sort of things are we to get rid of in our lives and homes?
Anything connected with spirit worship, ornaments from heathen countries that might be infected with this, the occult, evil music….CDs or DVDs.
h How can we keep ourselves free from all these things? (Ephesians 6:10-13)
By remembering that we are involved in a spiritual warfare, and we need to have and use the armour of God in our lives.
Deuteronomy Fourteen…(1-29)
1. Verses 1-29
a. What is the first statement in verse 1?
Moses says that the people of Israel are the children of God.
b. What confidence have believers today? (Romans 8:16; 1 John 3:1-3)
That we too are the children of God….we are part of His family and as such we strive to be pure and different before God.
c. What did Moses go on to tell the people? (verse 1b)
That they were not to cut themselves or mark their bodies.
d. In what way are believers tempted to do this today? How are we to regard our bodies? (Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
It is a prevalent fashion today to tattoo oneself in all sorts of places on one’s body..,..this is not glorifying to God because our bodies are the temple of God and we are to look after it, not following the fashions of the world. Instead, we are to present our bodies to the Lord and not conform to worldly ideas.
e. What does God want His people to be like? Why? (verse 2; Titus 2:12-14; 1 Peter 2:9)
God’s people are a special people for Himself and they are to live holy lives because He is a holy God and they are to demonstrate this before others.
f. What does Moses go on to tell the people? What does this show us? (verses 3-21; 1 Timothy 4:1-5)
He gives them the rules for eating meat and what sort is OK to eat…….this shows us that it is quite OK to eat meat because God has provided this for people to eat as long as it is prepared properly and is given thanks for.
g. What does the last part of this chapter deal with? (verses 22-26)
How they were tithe their produce and what they were to do with it.
h What do the last verses deal with and show us? Who is God always concerned with? (verses 27-30; Deuteronomy 24:17-22)
God wants people to remember those who are disadvantaged and provide for them (not necessarily those who waste their money and then have nothing, but those who are truly poor). He has always been concerned for those who have lost the provider in the family, and wants His people to be the same.
Various Instructions Concerning…..
1. Chapter 15: 1-11….Giving to each other:-
a. What rule did God make for Israel concerning borrowing and lending that no other nation has ever done? (verses 1-3)
If they had loaned money to anyone, they were to call it quits every seven years and cancel the debt….but if they had made the loan to a foreigner, they could roll it over and continue with the debt.
b. What promise did God make for the people? (verses 4-5)
that if they followed Him as they should, there would be no poor people among them anyway.
c. What have we seen among the Jews down through the ages come to pass that God promises here? (verse 6)
Individual Jews have become some of the wealthiest people in the world and have managed banks and finance companies that lend to others.
d. What were they not to do when asked for a loan? (verses 7-10)
They were not to refuse because the year of release was near….they were to give it as a gift and not expect to get it back….God would bless them for it.
e. What profound statement do we see here that still exists today? (verse 11)
There will always be poor people in the world….some people just can’t seem to handle money!
2. Chapter 15: 12-18….The Matter of having Servants:-
a. What were they to do with their servants? Why? (verses 12-15)
They were to set them free at the end of seven years, and send them off with enough equity to start again themselves. They were to remember how they had been slaves in Egypt themselves once.
b. What if the servant didn’t want to leave? (verses 16-17)
If he didn’t want to leave, the master was to earmark him at the door, and he could remain there forever then.
3. Chapter 15: 19-23;….Making Offerings to the Lord:-
a. What were they to do with the firstborn out of their flocks and herds? (verses 19-20)
They were to be kept as an offering to the Lord, and slaughtered and eaten in the place where God’s altar was.
b. What were they to do with any blemished animal? (verses 21-22; Chap 17:1)
These animals were not to be given to the Lord as a sacrifice, but were to be used as meat at home…..they were not on any account to offer them to the Lord.
4. Chapter 16: 1-15;….Sundry Regulations:-
a. What is this section all about? (verses 1-15)
These are the rules for celebrating the Passover.
b. How long did this Feast last for? (verses 4, 8)
It was to last a week.
c. What was the purpose of these feasts and celebrations? (verse 12)
To remind them how they had once been slaves in Egypt and had now been released.
d. The Lord knows how forgetful we are prone to be….what does He ask His people to do today to remember Him? (Luke 22:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
He asks us to celebrate the feast of remembrance by taking bread and wine which are symbols of His death on the cross ….the bread symbolises His broken body on the cross (bread consists of flour which was beaten from the wheat and then went through the fire to be baked) and the wine which symbolises His blood poured out for our sins…(wine has to be crushed from the grapes).
e. What danger did God tell the people to keep away from here (remembering that heathen worship included having groves of trees to keep their images in)? (verses 21-22)
They were not to plant trees in a grove anywhere near their altars to God. In other words, they were not to copy heathen ways in case they were tempted to make an image to God and thus get sucked into following heathen ways.
f. How can we see this happening in the church today?
We see the way people have brought dancing and coloured lights into church services until it is like a worldly concert; church bands copy worldly bands in sound and manner of conducting them….even church songs are similar in sound and rhythm to worldly songs. These things creep in, in such a subtle manner.
5. Chapter 17: 14-20….Concerning having a King:-
a. The people of Israel did not have a king like other nations….why was this? (1 Samuel 8:7b)
Because God was their King, and they recognised this.
b. God knew that they would become dissatisfied with this in the future, so He laid down ground rules for a king that they might choose….what were they? (verses 14-20)
They were to ask God’s leading in the matter and were only to choose a king from among themselves; he was not to take the people back to Egypt nor to gather together an army of horsemen; he was not to have a lot of wives and was to learn God’s law and read it every day.
c. What was the main reason that the people demanded a king in the first place? (verse 14c; 1 Samuel 8:5, 19-20)
They wanted to be like the nations around them!
d. What are believers prone to do today in this regard? What does God say about this attitude? (Romans 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 6:17a)
People say today that they have to be like the world to attract others into the church; they do not want to be seen to be different. God tells His people to come out of these these ways and be separate from them.
e. What was the most important thing for the king to do? For us to do too? (verses 18-20)
He was to be humble before God and the people, and he was to continually read the book of God’s laws and walk in His ways.
f. Where did king Solomon fail in these respects? (1 Kings 4:26; 11:1-10)
He had a large number of horses for battle, and he married many heathen women, both for love and for political alliances.
6. Chapter 18: 9-14….Concerning Heathen Practices:-
a. What was Moses warning the people against doing here? Why? (verses 9-12)
He was warning them against following heathen practices such as sacrificing their babies to heathen gods or following the occult in any way at all as these things were detestable to the God of heaven.
b. What are modern day equivalents to these things?
Abortion, horoscopes, mediums, tarot cards, ouija boards and fortune telling.
c. How do you think God feels about these things today? What did He tell Israel to do about them? How can we deal with them? (Leviticus 20:26-27; 2 Corinthians 6:16-17)
God still detests these things….just as He told Israel to stone people who did these things, so He tells us today to have nothing to do with them at all….believers are to come away from them, destroy all artifacts to do with them and be a different sort of people.
7. Chapter 18: 15-22….Concerning Prophets:-
a. What did God reveal to Moses? Who was He referring to? (verses 15, 18; Acts 3: 20, 22)
That He would send a Prophet and Leader from Himself who would speak His Words and they were to listen to Him. He was referring to our Lord Jesus Christ.
b. What did God say would happen if they didn’t listen to Him? How does this apply to Jesus Christ? (verse 19; John 3:36; Acts 3:23)
God will require to know the reason why and they will pay for it; we know that those who refuse to accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour will perish in their sins.
c. How can people (both then and today) know if a man who calls himself a prophet is speaking the truth? (verses 20-22)
If a person preaches or foretells anything that is not in the Bible, they are not speaking the words of the Lord…whatever is preached must line up with Scripture. If they try to foretell the future and it doesn’t happen, then that isn’t from the Lord either.
8. Chapter 25:13-19…..How the People were to Behave:-
a. What is God telling the people here? (verse 14)
That they were not to use different weights and measures for different purposes
b. How were they to act in all their dealings with other people? (verse 15)
They were to be fair and honest in all their dealings.
c. Why was this? (verse 16)
Because God is a just and holy God and dishonest dealings are abhorrent to Him.
d. How are believers to behave with regard to this? (Romans 12:17; Philippians 4:8; 1 Peter 2:12)
Believers are to be totally honest in all their dealings, and especially in their own spiritual evaluation of themselves before God….it is so easy to fool ourselves! What we fill our minds with is what we become and if we are always scheming how to beat the next person we become like that.
e. What did Moses remind the people of here? (verses 17-18)
How the people of Amalek attacked them from behind.
f. In the Scriptures, the people of Amalek and the other “ites” are all a picture of the flesh that attacks believers…when does our fleshly nature attack us? (Romans 7:14-25; 1 Corinthians 3:1-4)
When we give in to squabbles and arguings, then things go from bad to worse.
g. What were the people of Israel to do with the Amalekites? what are we to do with our fleshly nature ? (verse 19; Romans 8:5-14)
They were blot out Amalek from among them and we are to get rid of our fleshly instincts such as lust, temper, gossip and slander, and not give in to them….we are to put them to death.
h What did Jesus Christ call this? (Matthew 16:24-26)
He called it taking up one’s cross to follow Him….it is not easy and takes conscious effort to do.
9. Chapter 26:17-19…..The Two-Way Covenant:-
a. What was the people’s responsibility towards God? (verse 17)
They had promised to follow the Lord, to obey Him and to walk in His ways always.
b. What was God’s side of this covenant? (verses 18-19; Exodus 19:5-6)
They would be His special people and He would make them high above all the other nations around
c. How does God regard His people today? (1 Peter 2:9-10)
God regards ALL His people as His special treasure….we were once far away from Him but are now made near by the blood of Christ.
d. What are we to remember? (Ephesians 2:10-22)
That we were once far away from God and from His promises without hope and in darkness, but we are now made near and have become part of God’s family…..what a wonderful position to be in!!
e. What are we to do as our side of the covenant? (1Peter 2:11-15)
We are to live as good honest citizens, keeping all the rules of man and God.
f. What is God’s whole purpose for mankind? (Psalm 107: 8; Isaiah 43:7, 21)
That people will give and bring glory to God…to praise and thank Him for His goodness to the children of men!
10. Chapters 27-29….Tell of the blessings if the people follow the Lord and the curses if they don’t.
11. Chapter 30….Return and Repentance of the People:-
a. Israel will not always remain away from God, but will one day return to Him….in what sense do we see this happening today? (verses 2-3; Galatians 3: 6-9, 26-29)
Israel as a nation has not yet come to this acknowledgement, but all who come to Christ in faith are part of Abraham’s “seed”….this is made quite clear in the Galatians verses and in this sense Israel is returning to God.
b. How do we see verses 4-5 being fulfilled today?
Ever since Israel was acknowledged as a nation in 1948, Jews have been returning to their land in droves from all nations around the globe.
c. How does God want ALL His people to be and feel about Him? (verse 6; Mark 12: 29-31; Romans 2:28-29 )
God wants ALL His people to love Him with all their heart, soul and mind….He wants their minds to be circumcised (all worldly desires to be cut off and done away with).
d. How did Moses describe the commands of the Lord to the people? (verses 11-14)
As not being far away, but as being in their heart….their inner being knew what was right and what was wrong.
e. What was central for the people then? (verse 14)
It was obedience to God’s Words…..they had to DO what they already knew they should.
f. How does this same thing apply to people today? (Romans 10:4-13)
Everything centres around the Lord Jesus Christ ….when we are convicted of our sin, we are to believe on Him in our heart and confess this to others, and then we are saved….it is very simple and yet very profound at the same time . This is God’s way, not man’s way.
g. What choices did Moses give Israel then ? (verses 15- 20)
The choice of life or death, choosing to love God and walk in His ways and live, or choosing to do nothing which would result in death.
h What choices do people have today? (Acts 4:10-12)
The choice really is….what are we going to do with Jesus Christ? Are we going to believe in Him or not?
12. Chapter 31….Moses’ Final Message to Israel:-
a. How old was Moses at this time? How had his life been divided up? (31:2; Acts 7:22-36)
Moses was now 120 years old….his life was divided into three forty year periods …forty years in the palace; forty years as a shepherd and forty years leading the people of Israel.
b. What was Moses telling the people here? ( 31: 2b-5)
I am not going to be taking you into the new land….Joshua will lead you and God will go before you to fight your battles and give you the land.
c. What confidence did Moses have here? (31: 6 )
Be strong and don’t be afraid….God will go with you and will never fail you or leave you.
d. What confidence do we have in this respect? (2 Corinthians 12:9; Hebrews 13:5b-6)
God’s grace is sufficient for our needs, and He will never leave us nor forsake us when we trust in Him.
e. Seven is God’s perfect number….what seven things do we see in verse 6?
1. Be strong 2. Be courageous 3. Don’t be fearful 4. Don’t be afraid of the enemy 5. God is with you 6. God will not let you down 7. God will never leave you
f. In what ways can we apply this to ourselves for today? (1 Corinthians 16:13; Ephesians 6:11-13)
God never changes and what He said to the people of Israel, He says to us today….these things specially apply to our spiritual lives; we are to be strong and courageous in the Lord’s things; we are not to be fearful to stand for our faith….God is always with us and will never leave us!
g. What did Moses do next? (verses7-8)
He called Joshua to him publicly and told him that he was the one who would take the people through into the promised land….he reminded him that God would be with him and go ahead of him, and to not be afraid of this great task.
h. Who did Moses pass the written law over to….what did he tell them to do with it? (verses 9-13)
He gave it to the priests and elders and told them they were to make sure the people knew what was written in it….every seven years there was to be a feast to the Lord where the law was to be read out to all the people and especially to the children of the next generation.
i. What did God tell Moses to do next? (verse 14)
To call the people together to the Tabernacle to listen to God’s commands, to have Joshua presented as the next leader and to teach them a song he was to write.
j. How did God back up Moses’ authority? (verse 15)
The pillar of cloud that had followed them and led them for so many years stood over the Tabernacle and God came down in it.
k. What was God’s personal message to Moses? (verses 16-18)
It is time for you to die, and these people will not follow My ways after your death.
l. What was the purpose of this song that Moses wrote? (verses 19-22)
Moses was to write a song and teach it to the people so it would remind them of Who God is and what He had done for them.
m. What did Moses do about the law God had given the people? (verses 24-26; Hebrews 9:2-4)
He had written it all down and given it to the priests to keep in the ark of the covenant in the temple.
n. What does it pay us to remember after reading this chapter? (Revelation 2:19 )
God knew exactly what the people were going to do in the future, and God knows exactly where each one of us are at in our spiritual journey. God wants us to keep a tab on ourselves and to make sure we are walking in His ways to the best of our ability.
13. Chapter 32….The Song of Moses:-
a. Read this chapter right through in one sitting….what is it all about? (verses 1-43)
It is about the contrasts between what God provides for people and what the world offers.
b. How is God described? ( verse 4)
There are four characteristics here…God as the Rock…strong and unmoving, the unchangeable God.
God, whose work is perfect…everything He does is complete and cannot be improved on. He is the God of perfect judgment, a God of truth, there is no unholiness in Him; He is the God of absolute justice and fairness
c. We have another mention of the song of Moses… what thoughts does this bring out? (Revelation 15:3)
It exalts the Lord God Almighty, and presents His justice and truth as well as being the King of His people.
d. What pictures are seen here of God’s protection over the people? (verses 10-14)
God kept the people safe and protected them as the eyelid keeps the pupil of the eye safe and clean; He looked after them in the same way a mother bird protects her chickens with her feathers. He provided for them even in the harshest of environments.
e. How did the people react to this? (verses 15-18)
When things went well for them, they forsook the Lord, and hankered after what they had left in Egypt; they took up with the heathen gods and idols and sacrificed to them.
f. Point to ponder…..why is the heart of man so evil and insincere and full of wants? (Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3:23; 5:12, 19)
When Adam sinned in disobeying God, this seed of sin was implanted into the human psyche and is inherent in every person. A baby doesn’t have to be taught to be disobedient!
g. What was God’s reaction to the sin and rebellion of the people? (verses 19-28)
He abhorred what they were doing and became very angry with them, and punished them by scattering them among all the nations.
h. What is the picture in this section? (verses 29-38)
It is a picture of a nation that is forsaken by all its gods, both idol and the One True God they turned their back on.
i. What is the contrast between God and the heathen gods around them? (verses 39-43; Jeremiah 2:11-13)
God is all powerful and is in control of all things and people, while the idols were but empty drums holding no satisfaction and being full of fear.
j. How can we apply this to ourselves today? (Colossians 3: 5-17)
We are to leave the attitudes of the flesh behind us and follow the things of God instead which satisfy the soul, forgiving and loving one another.
k. What was Moses’ advice to the people after they had heard this song? (verses 44-47)
Make up your minds to take heed to the words of this song, because it is to your advantage to do so.
l. What did God tell Moses now? What does this show us? (verses 48-52)
He told Moses to get up to the top of the nearby mountain and have a good look at the land the people would be going to….He also reminded Moses why he would not be going into the land himself. This shows us that even for a godly person, there are consequences to our disobedient actions
14. Chapter 33….Moses’ Blessings on Israel:-
a. What did Moses proceed to do now? (verses 1-25)
He blessed each of the tribes of Israel.
b. What did he end up reminding them of? ( verses 26-29)
God is over all and supreme in the heavens…He is eternal, He holds His people in His arms….no other nation had a God like the Lord who would be their shield and help against their enemies.
15. Chapter 33…The End of an Era:-
a. What are we told about Moses’ death and burial? (verses 1-6)
It seems he went up to the top of the mountain alone, and God showed him all the land spread before him….then he died and God buried him in an unknown spot.
b. What are we told about Moses’ physical condition at the time of his death? ( verse 7)
At 120 years of age he was still like a virile man in his prime.
c. What do we see in verses 8-9?
The people mourned for Moses for a month, and Joshua took up the reins of leadership….he was God’s man for the beginning of the next era.
d. What is the testimony of Moses’ life? (verses 10-12)
Moses was an outstanding leader…he was God’s man for the job, called and fitted by God for the great task he undertook.
e. How should each one of us be in our spiritual life? (2 Timothy 2:3-4, 15, 22-25)
We should be firm in our resolve to follow the Lord and train ourselves in His things; we should study the Word of God and be righteous, faithful, loving and peaceful, teaching others and being patient with them.