Journey Through Deuteronomy
In our journey through the Word of God, we have come to the last stop that Moses is allowed to make with us. While his name appears at other places in Scripture as we read of his life and the choices he made, this is the final book that Moses wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It was written just before he went to be with God. Deuteronomy is the last book of the Pentateuch. It is a vital capstone on everything we have studied in the previous four books. Let us journey through Deuteronomy and learn from God’s Word.
Listen: Journeying through Deuteronomy
Overview of Deuteronomy
Genesis through Numbers gives you this human story of what is going on with mankind and with the children of Israel. It is Deuteronomy that gives divine significance to that message. There are some lasting principles laid out, both for the children of Israel and also for us.
This Book of Deuteronomy is both a conclusion and a transition. You will remember that God is not a God of endings. He’s a God of new beginnings. Well, Deuteronomy is not just the end of the Pentateuch, but it is a movement in Scripture into the rest of the story. It is in many ways the conclusion of the old generation and a transition to a new generation. It is a conclusion of their pilgrimage through the wilderness, and it is a transition to the possession of Canaan. It is the conclusion of tents and manna and a transition to houses and milk and honey. We are coming there soon in the Book of Joshua. This book brings the Pentateuch to a close and bridges the gap to the rest of the historical books of the Old Testament.
The Love of God
One interesting feature of the Book of Deuteronomy, though God is love — He has always been love — is that Deuteronomy is the first place in the Bible where we get a glimpse of the love of God. While His love is demonstrated from the very first page, Deuteronomy 4:37 gives the first mention of it. The Bible says, “And because he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in his sight with his mighty power out of Egypt.”
Every good thing in your life — every blessing — is because God loves you. Everything you know through salvation is because God loves you. Everything you have to look forward to in the future is because God loves you. You see, it is the love of God that brings history into a real spiritual perspective.
Three Messages of Deuteronomy
Moses is 120 years old. He has come to the end of his journey, but he knows the next generation has to go on. That is true in every generation.
Deuteronomy 1-4: His Retrospective Message
Moses delivers three messages in the Book of Deuteronomy. The first message looks back. It is a retrospective message. You find it in chapters one through four. It focuses really on Israel’s past.
Deuteronomy 5-26: His Introspective Message
Then, in chapters five through 26, he gives an introspective message. He says, “Now let us look within.” It’s the longest of the three messages because it is where they were living. It is their present. It is interesting, but we can all look back at the past. We can rejoice in victories; we can have regrets over defeats. But my friend, the past is gone.
The future is bleak if the present is not right. God is a present-tense God. He is working where you are today and right where you are. He wants you to look at yourself, to look at your own heart, to examine yourself. You cannot move forward if you are not right with God today.
Deuteronomy 27-34: His Prospective Message
At the end of this message, Moses moves to a third message, which is a prospective message. He details the grand prospects of the future. He moved from the past to the present to the future. This future message is in chapters 27 through 34. Moses gets them ready for the promised land. He reminds them of what they must remember as they take the next step on this journey.
The Past, Present, and Future
This paints a beautiful picture of what the Lord is doing in all of our lives. Pause and look at your past. Thank God for His grace and His goodness. But where you are today, you must get your own heart thoroughly right with God, because then and only then can you be ready for all that God has for you.
The book of Deuteronomy is God’s message. It was God’s message to Israel, of course, but there is a message in it for us. Deuteronomy 1:3 says, “And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the Lord had given him in commandment unto them.” Remember, they had wandered for 40 years.
It was not Moses’ message; it was God’s message. God is the One who says, “Look at your past,” He is the one who says, “Look at the present,” and He is the one who says, “Look to the future.” God wants to work in my life and in your life today on this journey.
Key Passage of Deuteronomy
The key passage in the book of Deuteronomy, if I had to narrow it down to one, is found in Deuteronomy 6. I want to encourage you to read it for yourself. Then, go a step further. Read it with your family, set your children down, or your grandchildren. Read it together because it covers the past, the present, and the future.
Deuteronomy 6:4-6 says, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:”
By the way, the Lord Jesus quoted this very passage of Scripture (Matthew 22:36 and Mark 12:29-30). It might interest you to know that of all of the Old Testament Scriptures that Jesus quoted, He quoted more from Deuteronomy than any other. He quoted from Deuteronomy amid every one of His temptations. Now, stop and ponder that just a moment. It seems that this Book of Deuteronomy was important to the Lord Jesus; it ought to be very important to us.
Pass it On
Significantly, Deuteronomy is quoted more than 80 times in the New Testament. We must give attention to it! One of the first things we ought to give attention to is this: Do I truly love the Lord? Do I love Him today with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my might? Once we have that right, notice Deuteronomy 6:7: “and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”
What is he doing? He is saying, “Pass it on.” It is not just about your past; it is not even about where you are today. It is about the future. God has something special for you. God has something for your children, for your grandchildren. This has always been God’s way. That truth would be passed on from generation to generation. (Click HERE for Scott’s series “Family Time”)
Do Not Forget the Lord
Then Moses warns them. He says, once you have come into the land of Canaan, once you have inherited the promise, “then beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. 14 Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you.” (Deuteronomy 6:12-14).
What is he doing? He is saying the great danger in the midst of blessing is to forget the blesser. When was the last time you stopped and just said, “Thank you, Lord?” When was the last time you looked to your Heavenly Father and thanked Him for every good blessing that He has given?
“Beware lest thou forget the Lord.” The great message of the book of Deuteronomy is a message of remembrance. You see, the old generation had forgotten what God had done. They had forgotten the Lord. Now Moses is warning a new generation, another generation, do not commit the same sin. Remember your unfaithfulness and God’s faithfulness. Remember the consequences of sin. Remember that God’s way is always best. Remember that God has so much for you. Do not forget the Lord. Do not forget where you came from. You know, the first step to disobedience is forgetfulness. And if that is true, then the first step to real obedience — the obedient Christian life — is remembrance.
The Importance of Repetition
Deuteronomy literally means “second law.” Did you ever get tired of your parents saying something over and over and over again? Until you became a parent and found yourself repeating yourself. Why is that? Because children do not always get it the first time, do they? And even if they have heard it before, they need to hear it again. Well, our Heavenly Father gives us this repetition, this reminder. Why? Because He wants us to remember Him. Repetition is important.
As we come to the end of the Pentateuch, know this: seasons come and go, but we are not just ending one season; we are about to begin a new one. God has so much for you. “Beware, lest thou forget the Lord.”
