Deut. 5-- That it may be well with you

Scripture: Deuteronomy 5 (especially verses 28-33)

Moses is still transitioning from retelling Israel's history in the wilderness to reissuing God's Law to them to prepare them to enter the promised land. In the first half of the chapter, he goes over "the Ten Commandments," and in the second he recounts their initial response to the Ten and God's response to their response. (There are a lot of responses happening. If I didn't sense that my readership for this blog is of an older generation, I'd make a joke here about response-ception.)

Deut. 4-- Take It to Your Heart

Scripture: Deuteronomy 4

In the first three chapters of Deuteronomy, Moses recounted the events of Israel's sojourn through the wilderness. As we saw, this was important for Israel to hear; it's easy to lose faith and hope, and remembering can be healing for the soul. 

Chapter 4 starts a transition. Because the purpose of this monologue is to prepare Israel to enter the promised land, it will soon feature a second giving of God's law for His people. Moses starts heading in that direction here in the fourth chapter with a barrage of admonitions against idolatry.

Deut. 3-- Do Not Be Afraid of Them

Scripture: Deuteronomy 3 (especially verses 21-22)

In an interesting twist in Moses' story arc, he's not allowed to enter the Promised Land after decades of leading Israel toward it. It's a punishment for public insubordination and disrespect toward God (the story of which is here in Numbers 20 and, for a more thorough explanation, this article is what I found on Google). 

Deuteronomy 2-- The Land the Lord Gave Them

Scripture: Deuteronomy 2 (especially verses 24-31)

The question I think about when I read this chapter is, "Why do things happen?" For some things, it's because people choose to do them. For others, the fixed natural laws that govern our world just bring about their natural consequences. For people of faith, another answer can be that God willed and brought about a certain result.

Deuteronomy 1-- The Lord Hates Us

Scripture: Deuteronomy 1 (especially verses 22-33)

Last summer, I took a seminary class on the Old Testament. I recommend doing this if you get a chance, as it opened my eyes to many fascinating and enriching facts about God and the Bible. And while I mean that encouragement, there's one specific reason I'm sharing this fact. My teacher (Dr. Mark Futato of RTS, who wrote the excellent study material for the book of Jonah in the ESV Study Bible!) said something that stuck with me:

"If you learn only one book of the Old Testament, make it Deuteronomy. It was Jesus' favorite book."