“Be careful to follow these statutes and ordinances in the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given you to possess all the days you live on the earth. 2 Destroy completely all the places where the nations that you are driving out worship their gods—on the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree. 3 Tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, burn their Asherah poles, cut down the carved images of their gods, and wipe out their names from every place. 4 Don’t worship the Lord your God this way. 5 Instead, turn to the place the Lord your God chooses from all your tribes to put his name for his dwelling and go there. 6 You are to bring there your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tenths and personal contributions, your vow offerings and freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. 7 You will eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice with your household in everything you do, because the Lord your God has blessed you. (Deuteronomy 12:1-3) Moses continued his second message with a focus on proper worship. The next four weeks will be about having no other God before him. Possess the Land (1): Once again, Moses exhorted the Israelites to carefully follow the Lord’s statutes and ordinances upon entering the land. They were the framework or bookends for his messages. Statutes and ordinances encompass the entire law. Moses urged the people to write them on their hearts. Moses continued to refer to the Land as having been given to them – past tense. The land was theirs even though they did not possess it. Action was required for them to take ownership. They had to move in. It was a promise fulfilled but not realized. John 3:16 states that God offered or promised salvation to everyone through Jesus. In other words, salvation or eternal life is there, available, in front of us. But before one can possess eternal life, we need to take a step of faith. Action is required to see the promises of God, fulfilled. Destroy all forms of Canaanite worship (2-3): In the first verse the focus shifts from the promised land to worship. The God of Israel was radically different from the gods of Canaan and therefore required a radically different form of worship. The Canaanites worship was an attempt to pacify their gods. For Israel, worship was to be a celebration, giving thanks, and confession. Because their worship was different, God commanded them to destroy the Canaanite idols and worship sites wherever they were found. The Hebrew conveys, “Do not leave any evidence of Canaanite worship practices.” Pagan worship takes place at prominent land features – mountains, rocks, and trees where the raise Asherah poles or set up altars. Psalm 121 opens with: I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?” David is asking if he received help from Ashura or Baal. The answer was no. He got help from the Lord. Asherah was the Canaanite god of fertility and consort to Baal their chief god. Peaceful coexistence was (is) not an option. Challenge: What are your idols? Are you investing time and resources in things that will be burned up in the end-times? (2 Peter 3:10)? Are focusing on things made by human hands or the products of human thinking. “What is an idol? It is anything more important to you than God, and anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give… An idol is whatever you look at and say in your heart of hearts: ‘If I have that, then I’ll feel my life has meaning, then I’ll know I have value, then I’ll feel significant and secure.’ There are many ways to describe that kind of relationship to something, but perhaps the best one is worship.” ~ Tim Keller

20 “When your son asks you in the future, ‘What is the meaning of the decrees, statutes, and ordinances that the Lord our God has commanded you?’ 21 tell him, ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand. 22 Before our eyes the Lord inflicted great and devastating signs and wonders on Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on all his household, 23 but he brought us from there in order to lead us in and give us the land that he swore to our ancestors. 24 The Lord commanded us to follow all these statutes and to fear the Lord our God for our prosperity always and for our preservation, as it is today. 25 Righteousness will be ours if we are careful to follow every one of these commands before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us.’ (Deuteronomy 6:23-25) Raising Questions (v20): “When your son asks you . . . ” The father was to pass his faith on to his sons. Knowing that, You (singular) need to be prepared to use the questions as teaching points indicating a one-to-one conversation. However, the content of the message indicates that the parents should be able to explain why they believed as they did and living as a living example of the decrees, statutes, and ordinances – that he had given the Israelites.  When one’s lifestyle is different, it will raise questions. The Lord said that when the Israelites followed his directions for living, it would raise questions. We are to be a continual reminder of the Lord, what he has done for us (history), and his commands. The daily challenges of life can lead to forgetting our history and his commands. Therefore, we are to be a constant reminder to others and constantly remind the next generation. Tell Our Story (v21-23): The Lord explained that their testimony was to be done in a story form, that is, recounting the history of Israel and their relationship with the Lord. It starts with them being slaves in Egypt, indicating that the story was about them as a nation. A such, it was to be more about the Lord’s promises and what God had done (signs and wonders). (1) He brought them out of Egypt and persecution; (2) he led them into a land promised their forefathers (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), and (3) he led them from bondage to blessing There is no mention of Mt. Sinai in these verses. One commentator believed that the emphasis is on bringing out and leading in and does not need a reference to Sinai and the covenant. The reference to the decrees, statutes, and ordinances was sufficient as the core of the teaching. Expectations (24-25): Finally, they were to tell their children what God expected of them. Being given the promised land meant they had responsibilities. Further, their obedience would reflect a wisdom not available to the occupants of the land and surrounding cultures. Their children were to revere the Lord, follow his commandments, and obey his laws. To fear the Lord is to obey. To obey is to fear. Moses states that Isreal had been obedient and feared the Lord in the past and up to that day. Moses told them that the Lord would bless them with prosperity and protection through their obedience. Moreover, he compared the benefits of obedience in the past to the benefits they were experiencing. Moses concluded this section by connecting faith (obedience) with righteousness – the same word the Lord used in Genesis 15:6 in connecting Abrahams’s faith with righteousness. Challenge: Does your lifestyle raise questions? What is your story? (Testimony)? Do you include your failures in your story? What does the Lord expect from you? “God’s plan for enlarging his kingdom is so simple — one person telling another about the Savior. Yet we’re busy and full of excuses. Just remember, someone’s eternal destiny is at stake. The joy you’ll have when you meet that person in heaven will far exceed any discomfort you felt in sharing the gospel.” — Charles Stanley,

4 “Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. , 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. 7 Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. , 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)  One God (v4): Moses commanded the people to listen. The Hebrew word for listen is Shema. The Lord is one – in contrast to multiple gods of the Canaanites and other cultures. Isreal was to have one God: the creator, redeemer, and Spirit. The idea of “the Lord our God is one,” stresses his uniqueness or exclusiveness. Knowing this demands love which in turn leads to obedience. In this case, love is more than an emotion. It is an active response to God’s commands. The Shema (v5): is the Shema – the center piece of Orthodox Jewish prayers in morning and evening. It is a command for Israel to be totally committed to the Lord. The heart, or intellect, meant it was to be the foundation of one’s thinking, they were to reflect on it. The Soul meant it was to be the center of one’s being. Strength – that into which one invested time and energy. The idea that to hear God without doing what he commanded was not to hear him at all. The command was given to the nation, the people collectively and the Shema was to be the glue that brought them together as a community (unity). Memorize them (v6): The command was to make these words the center of their lives. They are to take root in their hearts as individuals and as a nation. The imagery carries with the idea of memorizing them. Routine (v7): The words were to be a part of their routine, they were to teach it, talk about it wherever we are, and make them an integral part of their lives and existence. They are to be engraved or established permanently. Repeated constantly; be preoccupied with it. Sitting and walking means repeat them when you are resting and when you are active. Night and morning stresses time – throughout the day. Make Them Obvious (8): They were to bind them on your hands (their actions reflecting their belief) and as a symbol on your foreheads (a part of their mental, processes). In other words, they are to be obvious by words and actions to everyone. (Orthodox Jews place the Shema in a small box that strapped to the forehead called a phylactery.) Going and Coming (v9): They were to place them on their door posts as a reminder as they entered in and went out that the Lord was the center of their lives. They were to place them on their city gates as a reminder to them and travelers that they lived by God’s commands – and that their transactions were according to God’s decrees. Consider: What is at the center of your thinking, being, and actions? Is it obvious you have a covenant relationship with the Lord? Does your house reflect your commitment to the Lord? Is your life a testimony to your relationship with the Lord? “ Loving God more than anyone or anything else is the very foundation of being a disciple. If you want to live your Christian life to its fullest, then love Jesus more than anyone or anything else. ” Greg Laurie

This is the command—the statutes and ordinances—the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you, so that you may follow them in the land you are about to enter and possess. 2 Do this so that you may fear the Lord your God all the days of your life by keeping all his statutes and commands I am giving you, your son, and your grandson, and so that you may have a long life. 3 Listen, Israel, and be careful to follow them, so that you may prosper and multiply greatly, because the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you a land flowing with milk and honey. (Deuteronomy 6:1-3)  Deuteronomy, or the second law, is the record of Moses teaching the law to the generation of Israelites who were not present at Mt Sinai when the law was first was given. He was preparing the people to enter the promised land. In Chapters 1-4 Moses provided an historical background. In Chapter 5 he went over the ten commandments. Chapter 6 addresses the “greatest commandment,” the one Jesus quoted in Matthew 22:34-36. Commanded to Teach You (v1): you is plural stressing the need for the people (the nation) to obey the command (singular). By using statutes and ordinances he defined command to encompass all of God’s instructions. The reference to “The Lord your God” – stressed their covenant relationship with him. Some commentators believe that command being in the singular, referred to the command in verse 5:” Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength.” They were to do, follow, obey, or live your life based on the commands. Fear the Lord (v2): Moses then addressed the nation. They were to fear the Lord or revere him and by keeping his commandments the Lord made it clear that in fearing him, keeping his commandments, they would have a long life. They were to fear him “All the days of your life.” The people were to have a deep and lasting commitment to the Lord and pass that understanding on to their children and grandchildren. Each generation needed to take the covenant personally. Their parents faith was not sufficient for them. They needed to have their own relationship with the Lord. The Promise (v3): They were to heed or obey his commands. The Lord promised to bless and bring prosperity to those who followed him. Further, they would multiply greatly – a repetition of his promise to Abraham in Genesis 15:1 and 26:4 and that the promised land would be theirs. Milk and Honey (3): Milk is a product of human labor or agriculture, and honey is a product of nature. One is provided through human effort, and the other is a provided by God. Challenge: Have you made Jesus the Lord of your life? What blessings has God poured out on your life? Do you stop to consider them and give thanks for them? “To be commanded to love God at all, let alone in the wilderness, is like being commanded to be well when we are sick, to sing for joy when we are dying of thirst, to run when our legs are broken. But this is the first and great commandment, nonetheless. Even in the wilderness - especially in the wilderness - you shall love him.” ― Frederick Buechner

13 So Moses commanded the Israelites, “This is the land you are to receive by lot as an inheritance, which the Lord commanded to be given to the nine and a half tribes. 14 For the tribe of Reuben’s descendants and the tribe of Gad’s descendants have received their inheritance according to their ancestral families, and half the tribe of Manasseh has received its inheritance. 15 The two and a half tribes have received their inheritance across the Jordan east of Jericho, toward the sunrise.” (Numbers 34: 13-15)  Inheritance (13): As mentioned earlier, the Lord had set the borders of the land in the first 12 verses of chapter 34. and that the land was to be divided among nine- and one-half tribes based on the size of each tribe. The Remaining two and a Half Tribes (14-15): Moses then described the allocation of the land to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh east of the Jordan River. This was land subdued when the Israelites defeated Sihon and Og (Numbers 21:21-35). These tribes asked for this land separate from the other tribes and, in return, they would support the other tribes in the conquest of Canaan and would not return to their homes until the land west of the Jordan was subdued. Manasseh and Ephrim were Joseph’s sons but adopted by Jacob for purposes of inheritance. Because the tribe of Manasseh was so large, it was given land on both sides of the Jordan. God makes promises to motivate faithfulness. Consider the following promises: 1. God promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob a land of their own and that motivated them to be faithful for more than 600 years. 2. God promised to restore his people to the land after 70 years and they remained faithful during the Babylonian captivity. 3. God promised Israel (and us) a Messiah, and he fulfilled that promise. Challenge: What promises has God’s made to you? Are you seeing those promises fulfilled? Are his promises motivating your faithfulness? ‘True faith is never found alone; it is always accompanied by expectation. The man who believes the promises of God expects to see them fulfilled. Where there is no expectation, there is no faith.’ ― A.W. Tozer

54 You shall inherit the land by lot according to your clans. To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance. Wherever the lot falls for anyone, that shall be his. According to the tribes of your fathers you shall inherit. 55 But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell. 56 And I will do to you as I thought to do to them.”(Numbers 33:54-56) Inheritance (54): “You shall inherit . . . “ Shall – future tense, a strong assertion or intention. Stronger than “will.” Inherit- appears four times in this verse. It means receiving assets from a deceased person. God owned the land. Who died? Dietrick Bonhoeffer in his book The Cost of Discipleship, (1937) wrote "When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die." The Lord gave them the land on condition of obedience. Meaning doing things his way and not their way. The old life had to die.  The Lord directed that the land was to be divided by lot. Casting lots was an objective means of deciding how the land was distributed by tribe. The size of the allotment was determined by the size of the tribe. By casting lots, they were putting their trust on the Lord as to which tribe was to receive which area. Warning (55-56): The Lord warned Israel that if they did not follow his commands to drive out the Canaanites, get rid it of their craven images, and their pagan worship sites, he would do to them as he planned to the Canaanites. The Canaanites who remained would become barbs – to their eyes (inflict damage, potential for infection, obvious discomfort) and thorns to their sides (bring pain and discomfort or infections). If they did not get rid of the Canaanites, the Lord would get rid of them. Joshua gave a similar warning to the Israelites in his farewell address (Joshua 23:11-13) The book of Judges is about the battles they faced because they failed to keep the first commandment. They experienced periods of rest under Godly leadership and periods of war because they failed to keep God’s commands. Later, the Assyrian and Babylonian empires overtook and occupied the land because they failed to keep God’s commands Challenge: Can you be a disciple without dying? Who is in control of your life? Have you Committed, surrendered, and submitted to the Lord today? Every genuine expression of love grows out of a consistent and total surrender to God. Martin Luther King, Jr.

50 The Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, 51 “Tell the Israelites: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52 you must drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you, destroy all their stone images and cast images, and demolish all their high places. 53 You are to take possession of the land and settle in it because I have given you the land to possess. (Numbers 33:50-53) The previous chapter of Numbers lists all the stops the Israelites made after leaving Egypt. The first 12 verses of chapter 34 outline the borders of the land they were to possess. Recall Israel was divided into !2 Tribes – descendants of Jacob’s 12 sons. Each tribe was divided into clans, and each clan was made up of families related by marriage or blood. The head of each family was led by an elder.  Instructions (50-52): The Lord gave Moses three commands to give to the people: 1. Drive out the inhabitants; In Exodus 34:11 the Lord said “I’m going to drive out the inhabitants.”. The Book of Joshua clearly indicates that the Lord orchestrated the removal of the inhabitants, but through his people. 2. They were to destroy the Canaanite carved idols and molten images. 3. They were to demolish the high places, places of pagan worship on mountain tops. If the Isrsaelites failed to drive out the Canaanites they would be a distraction from obedience to the statutes and ordinances, lead to pagan practices, and intermarriage. History reveals that they failed to completely remove the Canaanites and suffered down through the ages for it. Have Given (53): The Lord said, “I have given you the land to possess.” Past tense – it was already theirs. They were to move forward believing it was theirs. Challenge: Our idols today include material possessions, position, power, hobbies and so on. What do you worship in terms time and resources that will be burned up in the end-times (2 Perter 3:10)? “Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God, your functional savior.” Martin Luther

32 The angel of the Lord asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? Look, I came out to oppose you, because I consider what you are doing to be evil. 33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away from me, I would have killed you by now and let her live.” 34 Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned, for I did not know that you were standing in the path to confront me. And now, if it is evil in your sight, I will go back.” 35 Then the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but you are to say only what I tell you.” So Balaam went with Balak’s officials. (Numbers 22:32-35)  The Challenge (32-33): The angel challenged Balaam by asking the same question the donkey asked: why have you beaten your donkey? Further, the angel said he was there to oppose Balaam as one opposes an adversary. He was there to ensure Balaam could not proceed with his evil plans. Moreover, had Balaam proceeded, the angel would have killed him. Interestingly, it was the donkey, by its obstinance, that saved Balaam. The Confession (34-35): Balaam’s excuse for beating the donkey was that he did not see the angel. He makes the conditional statement: “Now if it is evil in your sight” In other words, his actions were evil only if the angel said they were. Obviously, Balaam did not realize his intentions were evil. The angel repeated what the Lord said earlier; go with the men but say only what I tell you to say. The angel gave Balaam strict orders, and he understood the consequence if he did not follow them. Challenge: Do you ask the Lord to show you your sins? Do you confess your sins in general terms, or do you know your sins? It does not spoil your happiness to confess your sin. The unhappiness is in not making the confession. Charles Spurgeon

28 Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and she asked Balaam, “What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?” 29 Balaam answered the donkey, “You made me look like a fool. If I had a sword in my hand, I’d kill you now!” 30 But the donkey said, “Am I not the donkey you’ve ridden all your life until today? Have I ever treated you this way before?” “No,” he replied. 31 Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the path with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam knelt low and bowed in worship on his face. (numbers 22:28-31) Balaam’s conversation with his donkey (28-30): Balaam was a medium or diviner – one who sees things others cannot see, particularly the future, or the correct path to take, a decision. He was smarter than his donkey Here we have a donkey that could see what Balaam could not see, the angel. And then God opened the donkey’s mouth so it could speak. Balaam was so angry he had no idea what was really going on. We get insight into Balaam’s state of mind and his spiritual condition. He was out of control. What would the accompanying dignitaries report to Balak on their return. Clearly, the donkey that Balaak had ridden all his life understood what Balaam wanted and, for a third time, disrespected his owners direction. Balaam was controlled by his emotions and the donkey communicated with logic. (31) At this point the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes. God was there. And Balaam saw the angel with the sword. And Balaam knew he was standing before the Lord and fell face down in worship.  Challenge: Have you ever let your emotions control your actions? When that happens, who is in control? It is not because the truth is too difficult to see that we make mistakes... we make mistakes because the easiest and most comfortable course for us is to seek insight where it accords with our emotions - especially selfish ones. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn