The perfection of God Almighty

 Christ in all the scriptures

The perfection of God   Deuteronomy 32v4

The primary purpose in studying God's word is to increase our knowledge of Him.  This verse proclaims the integrity of the God who has saved us.  Moses opens the song with a reminder of His perfect attributes.  Present day songs like "Rock of ages", and "The Solid rock! immortalise the metaphor.

"His work is perfect".  Perfect (tamim) is "complete". comprehensive, all-sided so as to cover all aspects.  Everything He does is crafted to perfection, taking into account the purpose of its creation.  Genesis 2v2, "On the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made".   Again in Psalm 8v3/4 David ponders the wonder of creation, "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man that thou art mindful of him, or the son of man that thou visitest him?"  From the precision of the natural world, we move to the realm of the spiritual world.  There we see the perfection of the new creation, as Isaiah pens it, "And the work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever"-Isaiah 32v17.  What about the work of God in transforming individual lives, as Paul writes in Philippians 1v6, "He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ".   Jesus defined the work of God today as the saving faith of believers, mas in John 6v29 "This is the work of God, that ye believe in Him whom He hath sent".  The great work of world evangelisation will go on to perfection when believers are glorified in His presence.  His work in turning rogue regimes around to begin to worship Him and befriend His people is also stated in scripture: Isaiah 19v24-25, "Whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance".  The point of the song is this; why would you seek any lesser gods, when your God's work is perfect?

"All His ways are judgment".   Not only are the deeds of His work perfect, but the manner in which He performs everything is perfect.  His ways are not our ways, because they are higher than our ways.  Judgment is mishpat in Hebrew and refers to decisions, verdicts pronounced in given situations.  Every act and decision made by God is fair to man and just in accordance with His infallible knowledge.  He does not show favouritism, and treats all individuals equitably.  He judges people according to their works (a repeated phrase in the bible-Psalm 62v12; Proverbs 24v12; Matthew 16v27; Romans 2v6; 1st Corinthians 3v8; 2nd Corinthians 5v10; Colossians 3v25; 1st Peter 1v17; Revelation 20v12-13).  For good or bad, we will all be rewarded according to our works.  The believer can rely on God's guidance to lead them through life's complexities on their pathway to glory.  The onus is on us to honour His ways.

"A God of truth and without iniquity".   His words are truth, unmixed with error or any form of deceit.  He never utters half-truths, He speaks the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth (as we humans are to declare in a court of law).  There is no double meaning in His words, there is no hidden agenda.  He never utters idle words, all that He says will come to pass.  In a world full of untruths, and deceit, marked by malicious slander, it is refreshing to know there is One whose word is absolute and trust worthy, and whose intentions toward us are good.  He does not use prevarication, when He speaks, nor change His words with time, as is rife in our present world.  "Forever O Lord thy word is settled in heaven"-Psalm 119v89 is the biblical description of God's truth, which, like Himself, never changes.  The Bible Hub translates this as "Your word , O Lord is everlasting, it is firmly fixed in the heavens".  Complex, at times, it is, but it is never devious, and we can rely on it as truth that will never alter.

"Just and right is He".   In a shifting world, morally and culturally speaking, is there a standard we can all depend upon?  We hear the constant cry that "he or she is always right", in a derogatory sense, to minimise personal embarrassment.  God sets the standard for right and wrong, and He spells out the consequences for both.  The course of time proves, without exception, that God is right all the time, and if we follow His way we will be blessed.  The essence of this is to be found in the real meaning of the biblical word "righteousness".  This is a word of massive proportions, and is the state of moral perfection to which the universe is heading.  Righteousness means that God will make everything right that is wrong in His sight.  He will compensate for loss in this life, that was suffered through human prejudice and malice.  He will judge infidels according to their works  Peter sums it up in 2nd Peter 3v10-13, which says that the day of God is coming when everything on earth and heaven will pass away, and the new heavens and new earth will be characterised by permanent righteousness, the exact opposite of the unrighteousness that prevails today.  Scriptures have their say:

"For the word of the Lord is right; and all His works are done in truth.  He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord"-Psalm 33v4.

"And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; salvation and glory and honour, and power unto the Lord our God: for true and righteous are His judgments..."-Revelation 19v1-2.

He is right, for everything is measured according to His own perfect standard.  He is just, for we will all receive what is fair, what we deserve. 

His work, His ways, His words, His wisdom...all perfection; and this will be universally accepted, this will be our eternal song.  He will make everything right, let the wonder of this inspire us all.  I recall an exchange with a work colleague, who was the grandmaster in a local Masonic order.  We had our differences, but we engaged in regular discussions about God.  One day he said to me, "George, why do you believe in God?"  I replied, "Because I believe in justice, and only God can make that a reality".  Is my friend a believer?  I don't know, as we have lost contact, but now he knows the truth.  Will I meet him in glory?  I hope so, as I hope to meet all of you reading these words.

Christ the Rock

                                               Christ in all the scriptures

He is the Rock         Deuteronomy 32.

This significant title of Deity is repeated 5 times in the song (v4, v15, v18, v30-31).  In total it appears more than 30 times throughout scripture, and compels us to understand its meaning. What a rock is in contrast to the shifting sands of the desert, God is to His people.  It promotes thoughts of His majesty, His stability, His dependability, His surety, His consistency, His integrity  It says more, for the picture is of a spiritual rock that followed them throughout their wilderness journey.  He sent them refreshing life-giving water from the rock as well as sweet honey, and it became a refuge from the storms and from their enemies.  We can do no better than quote the many scriptures illustrating the intriguing study of God our Rock.

Deuteronomy 32v4  He is the God of integrity. and moral perfection; "He is the Rock, His work is perfect: for all His ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He".  Each one of those attributes deserves separate study.

Deuteronomy 32v15 "He is the Rock of our salvation" and, although Israel departed from Him and lightly esteemed Him, yet He is the Rock of ages upon whom we can all depend . The Church of Christ, in the present day, is built upon the Rock which is Christ.  The sum total of the might of Satan and evil will not prevail against it- Matthew 16v18.

Deuteronomy 32v18  He is Creator of all "Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee".  We are all the creatures of His hand and do well to remember that.

Deuteronomy 32v30-31  He is "Our Rock", enabling His people to achieve remarkable victories.  However when they forsake Him, He actively allows them to fail.  He is the indispensable basis for a victorious life.  All other so-called rocks are as nothing in comparison to Him.

2nd Samuel 22v2-3  He is our refuge in the midst of enemies,  "The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; the God of my rock; in whom I will trust: He is my shield, and the horn (the power) of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour..."

Refer also 2nd Samuel 22v32 and v47; 23v3.  Psalm 18v2 and v31 and v46;  Psalm 19v14 (translated strength); Psalm 28v1; 31v2-3; Psalm 61v2; Psalm 62v2 and v7; Psalm 71v3; Psalm 78v35; Psalm 89v26; Psalm 92v15; Psalm 94v22; Psalm 144v1-2; Isaiah 17v10; Isaiah 26v4 (everlasting strength); Isaiah 30v29 (translated mighty-"the mighty one of Israel).

We turn over to the New Testament, and in 1st Corinthians 10v4 we read, "And did all drink the same spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them.....

..AND THAT ROCK WAS CHRIST!"

Powerful, stable, majestic, dependable, generous, loyal, merciful, holy.  This is our God.

Publish the name of the Lord

 Christ in all the scriptures

Ascribe ye greatness unto our God       Deuteronomy 32v3

"Because I will publish the name of the Lord: ascribe ye greatness unto our God.  Our God He is the Rock, His work is perfect: for all His ways are judgment, a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He"-Deuteronomy 32v3/4.

It has been well said, that the community which loses the sense of the greatness of God, is a community on the slide.  Scripture abounds with the unparalleled, unrivalled, supremacy of the Lord.  The regular call is to magnify Him, not that we can make Him any greater, but we can magnify Him in our hearts and lives, and in the community where we are.  This is why Moses is so careful to communicate these sacred things in a positive way.  His mission is to "publish the name of the Lord", to accurately, and winsomely declare the name of God.  His name is His character and His reputation, and what follows is an exposition of that.  In present exaltation He has a name that is above every name, and in that name every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that He is Lord, to the glory of God the Father; all this on earth, and in heaven, and under the earth-Philippians 2v9-11.  

Moses says, "I will publish the name of the Lord..."

Then he says "Ascribe ye the greatness unto our God".  His ministry was all about publishing the Lord's name, he says, you do the same!  The chapter is replete with Divine titles proclaiming the wonders of His name.  These titles are repeated throughout scripture, and have been enshrined in this song:

32v3 Lord=Jehovah (Heb. Yahweh, YHWH for short). Occurs 6519 times in scripture.  He is the eternal self-existing God who spans all time (translated in N/T "Who is, who was, and who is to come"-Revelation 1v4; 1v8; 4v8; 11v17; 16v5).  There is no time period when He is not Lord, and He is blessed for ever (Romans 1v25; 9v5), untarnished by the folly and failure of man.  This title is repeated in the song in 32v6, v9, v12, v19, v27v30, v36, as well as many thousands of times throughout scripture. 

32v3 God=Elohim (plural of Eloah) the supreme object of worship; later defined in N/T as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  God the three in one in absolute unity in essence, and harmony in action.  Occurs 2606 times.  First appears in Genesis 1v1, in which chapter the plurality is established, "Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness"-Genesis 1v26.  Confirmed in Genesis 11v7, "Let us go down..." and Isaiah 6v8, "...Who will go for us...?".  Diversity in unity is illustrated in the first verse of scripture, "In the beginning God (Elohim-plural) created (a singular act) the heaven and the earth".  We begin to understand the greatness of God, who made the heavens for the planets, the air for the birds, the seas for the fish, and the land for animals and a habitation for man and woman.  This He has sustained for thousands of years, and we are compelled to worship Him who has created, and who sustains such wonders.

32v4 The Rock=Tsur.  It is possible this gave rise to our word sure, which aptly describes the function of a rock...steady, stable, strong, dependable.  It is a title given to God over 30 times in the O/T and applied to Christ several times in the N/T (Matthew 16v18 and 21v42;  Acts 4v11; Romans 9v33; 1st Corinthians 10v4; 1st Peter 2v4, 6, and 7).  A modern expression is "He/she is my rock", and we all know what it means; in a treacherous world there are those on whom we can depend.  We can all depend on the Lord, in the words of Psalm 18v2, "The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower".

32v8 The Most High=Elyon.  Occurs 53 times in O/T. and refers to God's superior rank over everyone and every thing, and that for ever.  The first occurrence in Genesis 14v19 and 22, refers to Him as "the Possessor of heaven and earth".   Even Satan acknowledges Him as the Most High; in his arrogance, when he exalted himself above everything, including the earth, the stars, the clouds, the mount of the congregation, yet when he came to God, he said, "I will be like the Most High"-Isaiah 14v13-4.  There is no one higher than God.

God=Eloah, singular form of Elohim.  Occurs 52 times and twice in the chapter (v15 and 17).  While Elohim represents the majestic intensity and diversity in the Godhead, Eloah speaks of the unity and individuality of each member.  The emphasis is on monotheism and views the Godhead acting as one.  It is found mostly in the wisdom books of scripture, namely Job, Psalms, and Proverbs, and personalises God in times of suffering.  Elohim is concerned more with majesty and power.

God=El The diminutive form of Elohim and Eloah.  Occurs 245 times, and refers to the concentrated might and power of God.  The modern translations, including the KJV miss the riches of the Hebrew original of the titles of God.  Notable hybrids are EL Shaddai (Almighty God) and Immanuel (God with us).  This occurs 32v4, v12, v18, and v21.  Best translated as "the Strong One", in each context it appears.  There are no half measures with God.

The song bristles with the beautiful titles of God, and many more are revealed in scripture.  In song, in sermon, in worship, we publish the sacred name.  In His infinite greatness, He speaks of His people as being His portion, in a godless world.  In the desert, which is this world, He found them and He led them.  What the rocks are to the desert amid the shifting sands, He is to His people.  They are the apple of His eye, and He stirs them up as an eagle does her young (32v8-12).  Above everything else the greatness of our God should be our song for life, no matter the struggles of the way.  The study of the Bible is the study of God, and must be no less than that.  The apostle Paul said he "suffered the loss of all things for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord"-Philippians 3v8.  It is when we see this world as a spiritual desert that we learn His greatness and ascribe it to Him.

No doubt it was this chapter which inspired the hymn by the late John Nelson Darby, which aptly describes the thoughts of the song of Moses.  There are nine verses, (it begins with "Rise my soul thy God directs thee") we can quote one to illustrate:

"In the desert God will teach thee what the God that thou hast found.  Patient gracious, powerful, holy, all His grace shall there abound".

 

 

Moses the servant of the Lord

 Christ in all the scriptures

The rain and the dew  Deuteronomy 32v2

"My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as showers upon the grass".

The call to universal attention, makes this chapter of utmost importance in the revelation of God.  Constructed in the form of a song, there are four stanzas, each one proclaiming the character of God, the major topic of the Bible:

The greatness of God  32v3/4   The unrivalled majesty of His person

The goodness of God  32v5-14  His faithfulness to Israel, despite their unfaithfulness

The government of God  32v15-25  Judgment must begin at the house of God.  He chastises His people but mingles it with mercy

The glory of God  32v26-43  Ultimately He will suppress all enemies.

With such dignified subject matter in mind, Moses was concerned with the manner of his presentation.  Just as our lives should "adorn the doctrine", to use Paul's phrase, so thought should be given to the manner in which preachers and teachers present Divine truth.  This aspect is developed in scripture, as we are entrusted with sacred things that require reverential publication.  As always, our Lord Jesus was the supreme example.  Never had the people heard such ministry as came from His lips:

"They wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth"-Luke 4v22.

"They were astonished at His doctrine: for His word was with power"-Luke 4v32.

"Never man spake like this man"-John 7v46.

He spoke the truth of God with grace, as Psalm 45v2 says, "...grace is poured into thy lips". God is not in the business of alienating or repelling people, rather He is drawing all men to Himself (John 6v44 with John 12v32).

Those of us who are divine communicators today should follow His example:

"And moreover because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge: yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.  The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth"-Ecc. 12v9/10.  Paul wrote the following:

"The servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth..."-2nd Timothy 2v24/25.

The manner of preaching is important if we are to enhance the understanding of the hearers.

Moses likens the doctrine to the raindrops on the plants and grass, and as the distillation of the dew to refresh the earth.  A close inspection of these reveal a very apt description of the action of the word of God.

Firstly we think of the dew distilling in the early morning light.  The process is of water vapour condensation as the warm air contacts the cold surfaces of earth.  The purpose is to heat up the cold surface and hydrate it for moisturisation.  This benign process of distillation falls silently upon the ground and aids the nourishment of plant life.  There is no sound, just gentle therapeutic provision.  How like the word of God!  It comes in silence, almost undetected until it begins to revive us from sleep.  I recall my late uncle William Neilly say, "The word of God does not burst upon us, it dawns upon us".  For those who have an ear for God's word it is a very real experience.  There is no need for loud mouth preaching, just gentle, powerful, transforming words.

Then he likens it to the raindrops.  God's word is similar to the rainfall upon earth.  Isaiah, in chapter 55v10/11, says, "For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it".

The rains that fall are sent for production for the earth to deliver necessary food.  We, often have a negative attitude toward it, and, at times, it can be really uncomfortable and inconvenient.  However it produces necessary food, without which we would die.  Also, after a sustained period of rainfall, the earth is cleansed and the atmosphere is noticeably refreshed.  Like Moses, we are to see the word of God as vital to spiritual life, as the rain and the dew is to natural life.  That is how he viewed his doctrine, and so must we.

Yes, God's word can be challenging, but it is benign, and gentle, and productive, if we receive its wisdom, and adapt to its ways.  The doctrine is not for self glorification, but for the glory of God; it is not for self vindication but for the benefit of God's people

The song of Moses

 Christ in all the scriptures

A universal call to listen   Deuteronomy 32v1

"Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth the words of my mouth."

Moses has called the elders and officers of Israel to hear the words of God.  It would be their duty to pass the words to all the people including the children.  Beyond that, successive generations were to be instructed.  This is because the eternal God does not speak lightly, He never changes, He remains the same wonderful God throughout all ages.  His words have meaning.

The call was for Israel to hear, and to obey His words.  It is also  the call to the whole world, as He addresses heaven and earth as witnesses.  This is a perpetual theme in scripture, that God's chosen people were to be witnesses to all nations.

Deuteronomy 4v26  "I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day...".

Deuteronomy 30v19  "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live."

Deuteronomy 32v1  "Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth".

Psalm 50v6-7  "And the heavens shall declare His righteousness: for God is judge Himself. Selah (ponder that).  Hear, O my people, and I will speak, and I will testify against thee: I am God, even thy God".

Isaiah 1v2  "Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord hath spoken...".

Jeremiah 2v12  "Be astonished, O ye heavens at this...".

Jeremiah 6v19  "Hear, O earth: behold I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of my thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it."

Jeremiah 22v29  "O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord".

When God is speaking, it is not only to servants like Moses, or to His chosen people Israel only; He is speaking to the whole world and all heaven and earth are witnesses!

This is reminiscent of Jesus, who, on seven separate occasions, proclaimed, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear" (refer Matthew 11v15; 13v9; 13v43; Mark 4v23; 7v16; Luke 8v8; 14v35).  On one occasion in Luke 9v44 He said "Let these sayings sink down into your ears!".

Seven times also He said the same to the churches, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches" (Revelation 2v7; 2v11; 2v17; 2v29; 3v6;3v13; 3v22). God is speaking, He is speaking to His servants, He is speaking to the churches, He is speaking to the world.  He speaks collectively, but we are responsible individually to hear Him and respond.  It is of paramount importance to hear Him in the sense of heeding Him, for what He says will come to fruition.  God never speaks idle words, what He says will come to pass, and He will call heaven and earth as witnesses.  Scripture records:

"For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it"-Isaiah 55v10-11.

He spoke the universe into being, He speaks life into every believing soul.  He also speaks in judgment and reproof.  There will be things we don't want to hear. but because of who is speaking we must take heed for our good.  The One who created us knows us best. 

When Moses spoke his last words, they were the words of the Lord.  He was speaking to his people Israel, but he was also speaking to the whole world.  The call is to give ear to what He is saying.  Jesus said it to Israel, He said it to the apostles, He said it to the churches; He is saying it to the world.  His words are eternal life as well as earthly blessing.  The Lord is speaking to every one of us today.  Our response will decide our ultimate destiny.  Jesus said, "Verily, verily I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life"-John 5v24. 

The eternal God, who spans all time, who inhabits all space, who created all matter has, at His command, countless spirit beings who are greater in power and wisdom than man.  When He speaks they do His bidding, immediately, and without question.  He is apart and higher and greater than all creation, yet He deigns to woo us with love and mercy.  Such an one deserves our utmost attention.  He is seeking our wellbeing, He is speaking in the still small voice of the Holy Spirit, in the innermost recesses of our being.  Next we shall consider the manner of His speaking.

The swansong of Moses Deuteronomy 32

 Christ in all the scriptures

The power of song   Deuteronomy 32

Deuteronomy chapters 14-31 are a reiteration and practical application of the Mosaic covenant to Israel, as they settled in the promised land.  Believers, today are under the New covenant, and many of the ritualistic and ceremonial and cultural demands are not relevant to the Church.  Indeed, the New Testament is notable for its lack of specific ordinances and ceremonies, emphasising more the inward spiritual faith common to all believers.  However, there are abiding principles that apply; we are told not to conform to the world around us. Rather we are to exercise dignified pursuits and practices as the children of God.  

Chapter 32 brings us to the closing hours of Moses life on earth.  These are his final words after 40 years of faithful service.  His words are described as a song (31v30 and 32v44), that is they could be set to music.  God used songs to communicate His word, for often they are memorised more readily than sermons.  Songs can become powerful in spiritual life, as they readily come to mind at all times.  I recall walking alone, at a time of spiritual depression, that the Holy Spirit arrested me with the song written by Graham Kendrick...."the Servant King".  I didn't even know the words, but I hummed the tune, then, miraculously, sang the words.  I fell to my knees, and vowed before the Lord to serve Him with humility.  That was a turning point for me.  I hope these words do the same for you, I will never forget them:

"From heaven you came, helpless babe; entered our world, your glory veiled:                        Not to be served but to serve; and give your life that we might live!

This is our God, the servant King; He calls us now to follow Him                                          To bring our lives as a daily offering; of worship to the servant King." 

Scripture reveals that songs can be powerful sermons, "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs..."; also great aids to worship. "...singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord"-Ephesians 5v19.

Moses is associated with three songs:  Exodus 15v1/2 and 15v21  A song of rejoicing.  The song extols the wonder of the Redeemer in v11, "Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods?  Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?"

In Deuteronomy 32v1-43, it is  A song of reproof  in which Moses is contrasting the faithfulness of God, in His utter dependability, with the fickleness of the people of Israel, in their forgetful and rebellious ways.  The message of the song is the publishing of the name of the Lord to ascribe greatness to Him-32v3.  Witness the powerful testimony of song today: the song "Amazing grace" is the third most known entity in the world, behind O.K. and Coca Cola.  At large sports events the hymn "Abide with me" is sung passionately.  The group, The Proclaimers, popularised the conversion song "Sunshine on Leith".  Who doesn't know "The Lord's my shepherd..."?  Through songs, the name of the Lord is known throughout the world.  The strains of their message continues every hour and in all places.

In Revelation 15v3-4, it is A song of retribution as the wrath of God is filled up against the godless nations of the earth; "And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.  Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name?  for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest".

As servants of God, the songs should reflect all the attributes of God, whether for blessing or cursing, that He might be glorified.  Moses is associated with every aspect of God's truth.  He was called the servant of the Lord at the point of his death (Deut. 34v5).  Like Paul after him, he "declared the whole counsel of God".  The greatest accolade is given to him in scripture, when alongside Christ Jesus he was "faithful in all God's house".  Also, in Revelation chapter 15 the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb are sung together by the vast congregation of the redeemed in heaven.  The message of the song was powerful, the messenger was equally powerful.  No one was closer to God than Moses, no one so declared God like Moses.  The testimony of the Holy Spirit of the man Moses is, "...there arose not a prophet since in Israel, like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face".   That is until the "prophet like unto Moses" came in the person of Christ Himself.  The two are again linked together in John 1v17, "The law was given by Moses, grace and truth came by Jesus Christ".

We will attempt to scale the heights and depths of this song, as we continue.  

Behold the severity of God

 Christ in all the scriptures

Test of loyalty    Deuteronomy 13

"The Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul"-Deuteronomy 13v3 (refer also Deuteronomy 8v2).

The Lord puts to the test all who are of faith.  This is a major biblical truth.  The apostle James wrote, "...the trying of your faith worketh patience (endurance)"-James 1v3.  The apostle Peter said the same, "Salvation...wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations (trials): that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth..."-1st Peter 1v6/7.  Paul adds, "...we glory in tribulations also knowing that tribulation worketh patience (endurance).."-Romans 5v3.  One of the pictures used for this inevitable divine process with His people is of the testing of metals, the refining of gold and silver to remove impurities and enhance the value of the product.  The testing in this chapter is particularly severe, and the Lord brings three situations that will call for utmost loyalty from His redeemed people.

Deuteronomy 13v1-5  The emergence in their midst of false prophets and visionaries.

Deuteronomy 13v6-11  Ungodly influence from close family members.

Deuteronomy 13v12-18  Morally corrupt men, in the wider community, enticing many to separate in order to follow them.

In each case, the intention is to cause them to follow other gods.  Note the repetition of this in the chapter: v2 "let us go after other gods"; v6 "let us go and serve other gods"; v13 "let us go and serve other gods".  This was an enticement from three groups to compromise their devotion to God to follow other gods, in direct opposition to the first and second commandments.  The "harmless" suggestion to relax a little, risked bringing the wrath of God upon them.  God opposes all sin, but particularly the sin of idolatry.  Every form of idolatry is abomination in the sight of God.  As we have said before, idolatry is the practise of replacing God with things or people lesser than God.

In each case, the judgment is severe, so severe it would bring loud protests from our modern generations.  Yet the severity is to demonstrate how serious God considers idolatry.  The condemnation of God in this is stated as follows:

"That prophet, or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the Lord your God"-13v5.

"Thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is like thine own soul, entice thee secretly saying let us go and serve other gods...thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him, neither shalt thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him; but thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people..."-13v6-10.

"Thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein, and the cattle thereof with the edge of the sword.  And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shall burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit, for the Lord thy God: and it shall be an heap for ever; it shall not be built again"-13v15/16.

The people of God were to effect this severe judgment themselves, so that they understood the Divine attitude to it.  This has been preserved in God's word that we might know the feelings of God in the matter.  We learn in Romans 1v18 that "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold (suppress-hold down) the truth in unrighteousness".

The world is still full of idolatry, and the constant enticement is for believers to succumb to it.  However, there is no mandate to kill idolaters today.  That was given to the state of Israel so that men would know the severity of God's estimate of it, but there is no call for Christians today to do the same.  At worst the discipline is temporary excommunication from the church community as per 1st Corinthians 5.  What has happened, has God's attitude changed?  Not a bit of it, He still views idolatry as abomination.  What has changed is that Christ has come, and taken all the wrath of God against sin, and has satisfied the demands of God.  He has ushered in a "dispensation of grace" so that all who come to Him in Jesus are forgiven, and reconciled.  God is dealing with the world in grace, not by law, which has been fully met in Christ.

All of us, alive today, were born into the greatest age (the age of grace), when God is dealing with the world according to grace and not according to law.  This is because Christ fulfilled the law.  Were it otherwise, few of us would be still alive.  We should be thrilled that we were born in this privileged day, a day which has lasted almost 2000 years.  However this day will end soon, and the throne of grace (Hebrews 4v16), now operating in grace, will become the throne of wrath (Revelation 4v2-6), when God vents His anger on a rebellious world, and begins the process of exterminating all sin and idolatry.

We will never be called upon to display the loyalty demanded of Israel.  This is because Jesus gave His all for us to God.  Perhaps in light of that, we may decide to love Him more in practical reality.  There is no doubt, in the words of the song,..."Bye and bye, when I look on His face, beautiful face, thorn-shadowed face; bye and bye when I look on His face, I'll wish I had given Him more!.  More so much more....and so on.

Cleansing the land Deuteronomy 12

 Christ in all the scriptures

Cleansing the land   Deuteronomy 12v1-4 and 29-32

The land which Israel were about to occupy was steeped in idolatry, with its carved images, its depraved practices, and its brutal sacrifices.  The extent of their wickedness is stated in v31, "for every abomination to the Lord which He hateth. have they done unto their gods, for even their sons and their daughters they have burned in the fire to their gods"  (refer Deuteronomy 18v9-12).  Israel were to eradicate every vestige of idolatrous practice within the boundaries of the promised land.  The instructions are clear and extensive:

"And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of their place (see also Numbers 33v52-53).

The call was to destroy the memory of a false religion which God hated, in order to cleanse the land for the true worship of His people.  God's attitude to idolatry is severe, and it is the same in the New Testament:

1st Corinthians 5v11  A church member who is an idolator is to be excommunicated.

1st Corinthians 6v10-11 No idolator shall inherit the kingdom of God.

1st Corinthians 10v14  True believers are to flee from idolatry.

1st Corinthians 10v19-20  The idol is nothing, but reveals the state of the heart, it is the worship of devils.

Ephesians 5v6  The wrath of God is upon the idolater for their willing disobedience.

Colossians 3v5  Covetousness is idolatry.  It is one of the members of our past life to be mortified.  Craving more than what the Lord has given us is to demean Him.  Give thanks for what you have.

1st John 5v21 The apostle John warns the people of God to keep themselves from idols.

Revelation 22v15  All idolaters will be banished to eternal loss of wellbeing.

Idolatry is the state of the heart alienated from God, leading to unrestrained abominations.  All idolaters will be banished from the presence of God, and all good withdrawn forever.

Idolatry is a serious sin for which God reserves singular judgment.  Whenever we read of "abomination" in scripture it usually has idolatry at its heart.  This is how God views this particular evil.

We normally think of it as devotion to, or worship of, graven images set up in public.  However, God spoke of "idols in the heart" in Ezekiel 14v3.  This can take many subtle forms and the warnings in scripture to flee from any vestige of it should be heeded.  This is because we are surrounded by it in many guises.  We live in a world steeped in idolatry, just as confronted Israel as they entered the land.   

Paul was stirred in spirit as he saw the city of Athens "wholly given to idolatry"-Acts 17v16. How many cities today are just like Athens?  For them it was the worship of philosophy, novel imaginations, devotions to different religions, anything, really, apart from the true God.  

Idolatry is the worship of anyone or anything lesser than God.

God is greater than all, He is supreme in all heaven and earth, and He will not share His glory with another (Isaiah 42v8).  Paul says as much to the Corinthian church: in chapter 8v4-6 he writes, "...we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.  For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth (as there are gods many, and lords many), but to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things and we by Him...".  The supreme majesty of heaven is greater, higher, and more powerful than all, and He seeks our devotion.  We are "complete in Him, who is the head of every principality and power" (Colossians 2v10).  In Him, we have everything, He knows our needs and He supplies them (Matthew 6v32/33).  From the throne He sends His angels to minister to us, the heirs of salvation (Hebrews 1v14).  There is no need to seek anything or anyone else; if we are in Him we have everything!

So hear the word from the man who died for us, and is taking us to glory: don't give your devotion to lesser things than Himself.  Understand that we live in a world occupied with less noble heart devotions than God.  He says, "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth.....covetousness which is idolatry"-Colossians 3v5.  "Henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind"-Ephesians 4v17.

Materialism, wealth, possessions, status, can all be forms of idolatry.  Why worship another human being, when you can worship the God who made all human beings?  The great artists of the world, the singers the sports people, the craftsmen, the artisans, all owe their talents to the God who gives them all. 

When John the apostle was filled with the visions of heaven, so awesome was the sight of the angel he wanted to pay homage to him.  What did the angel say?  "See thou do it not...worship God!"-Revelation 22v9.  The angel who lived in the presence of God knew there is none higher, in whose majestic presence he was as nothing.  Even Satan knows there is no one higher than God, when he uttered his ultimate impossible ambition..."I will be like the Most High"-Isaiah 14v14.  Instead he was brought down to hell as will all idolaters.

Paul the apostle, who suffered the loss of all things for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ his Lord, wrote, "I have coveted no man's silver or gold, or apparel"-Acts 20v33

  

Obedience

 Christ in all the scriptures

 Simple obedience   Deuteronomy 10-11

It was simple disobedience that brought down the human race in alienation to God.  It is simple obedience that brings restoration.  We are dependent on the obedience of Christ on our behalf for fellowship with God. as it says in Romans 5v19, "For as by one man's disobedience many were made (constituted) sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made (constituted) righteous".  For our well being we are required to follow Him in simple obedience, and this is the message of these two chapters.  Romans 8v1-4 emphasises that our deliverance in Christ was to change both our standing and our state before God.  We are saved that "the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit".   

Note the continuous repetition: 

"Serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of the Lord, and His statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good"-Deut 10v12-13

"Therefore thou shalt love the Lord thy God, and keep His charge, and His statutes, and His judgments, and His commandments, always"-Deut. 11v1

"Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that ye may be strong, and go on and possess the land, whither ye go to possess it"-Deut. 11v8

"And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments, which I command you this day...that I will give you..."-Deut. 11v13

"For if ye will diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them..."-Deut. 11v22

"Behold I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; a blessing if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day: and a curse if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known"-Deut.  11v26-28

"And ye shall observe to do all the statutes and judgments which I set before you this day"-Deut. 11v32

Israel are commanded to obey the Lord in all things.  The Church of Christ is to obey the Lord in all things-this is the burden of these chapters.  The clarion call is to obey Him!

The great commission: "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you"-Matthew 28v20

Our personal lives  "As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance"-1st Peter 1v14

In our thinking  "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ"-2nd Corinthians 10v5

In our church practices  "If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord"-1st Corinthians 14v37

As proof of our devotion  "If ye love me keep my commandments"-John 14v15.

Our faith itself is obedience (Romans 1v5 and 16v26).  That is how we begin the Christian pathway, and that is how we should continue,  The prevalent notion, in some places, that we are no longer obligated to Divine law is totally false and God requires and expects our obedience. 

The supreme example, as always is Christ, of Him it is written: "Though He were a Son, yet learned obedience by the things which He suffered"-Hebrews 5v8.  The extent of this suffering is revealed in Philippians 2v8 "...became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross".

To obey Him, according to Deuteronomy 10v12 is to fear Him, to walk in all His ways, to love and serve Him with all our heart and soul, and to keep His statutes and judgments.

The chapters develop along this theme: 

Obey Him because of who He is   Deuteronomy 10v12-22

He is Creator of heavens and earth and all within them (10v14).  He is Supreme, God of gods, Lord of lords (10v17).  He is worthy of praise, who has done great things for us (10v21).

Obey Him because of what He has done   Deuteronomy 11v1-7

Five times over the verses record "what He did"-11v3 (brought the plagues upon Egypt, and negated the power of the Pharoah), v4 (caused the might of Egypt's army to perish), v5 (fed and clothed the nation in a wilderness for 40 years), v6 (crushed the rebellion of Dathan and Abiram, co-conspirators with Korah by opening the ground to swallow them and their households and possessions), v7 (All the people were witness to all these great acts).  

Obey Him for the bounty of His rewards  Deuteronomy 11v8-21

The section is all about the land God has provided for them.  He refers to "the land" multiple times-v8, v9, v10, v11, v12, v14, v17, v21, v25.  It is a good land; a land flowing with milk and honey; a land of hills and valleys and watered from heaven; a fruitful land; a land where you will be safe from enemies.  God's bountiful supply is greater than all the world can give.

As the prophet Samuel said, "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams"-1st Samuel 15v22.  This is what God wants, this is what we must learn.

What doth the Lord thy God require of thee?

 Christ in all the scriptures

And now O Israel...   Deuteronomy 10v12-13

"And now O Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of the Lord, and His statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?"

The narrative turns: until now the dominant theme has been what the Lord has done for them.  Now the challenge is for what Israel will do for the Lord.  "What does the Lord thy God require of thee....? is the question that may apply to all those of faith in every generation.

Consider what He has done for them:  

He prospered a family of seventy souls, and formed them into formidable nation, as the last verse of the chapter says, "The Lord thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude"-Deut. 10v22.  This despite the fact they were subjected to slavery in Egypt for over 400 years!

He redeemed them through the Paschal lamb (symbolic of Christ), and delivered them from the thraldom of Egypt, the most powerful dynasty in existence at that time.

He fed them and tended them in a wilderness for 40 years, even in the face of their rebellious ways.

He empowered them to overcome enemies who stood in their way.

He brought them to the border of the promised land the most fruitful and blessed land of all.

This is what God has done for them, and now they are asked to give a little in return.  We might ask ourselves today to "count our blessings, name them one by one" as the little chorus says: were we to do that no doubt it would take up more space than is available here.  There is an old English word (cad) to describe an individual who takes all the benefits people give them, but never give anything back!  We don't want to become spiritual cads, do we??

He answers the question with five short, sharp, commands, in sequential order:

Fear Him...Walk in all His ways...Love Him...Serve Him with all your heart and soul...Keep His commandments.  We can look at each one, but first to see the sequence.  To fear Him is to walk in all His ways.  We walk in His ways to show we love Him (He is our life model).  We serve (worship) Him because we love Him.  We keep His commandments for we are His servants and He is our master.

It's all about Him; about how we revere Him, copy His ways, do it gladly because we love Him, subject ourselves as His servants, stay loyal by keeping His commandments.  This would be a fitting response to the Lord who has given us His all.  Before we look at these individually, we focus on the phrase at the end of verse 13..."FOR THY GOOD".  Apart from the obvious obligation to return devotion to such an one, observing these five commands will be for our good.  We all love and cherish ourselves, don't we? then if we really do love ourselves we will keep His commandments for which He will grant us special blessing.  The word "good" in the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament is an interesting word in scripture usage.  It is variously interpreted as "noble", "excellent", "prosperous|", "well", "pleasant", "agreeable", "merry", "fair", "beautiful", "becoming".  Who would not want their life described as such? This is what simple obedience and reverence to God brings.  Let scripture speak for itself....

Deuteronomy 6v18, "And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the Lord: that it may be well with thee...".

Deuteronomy 6v24, "And the Lord our God commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always...".

Deuteronomy 12v2, "Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and thy children after thee for ever...".  If you love your children, walk before the Lord in their sight

Deuteronomy 19v13 "Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood in Israel, that it may go well with thee."  Even in the matter of severe discipline to honour Him by putting away sin from our midst.

The Lord is intent on the good of us all, and He has set out the terms of the way to this.  He will compensate for any earthly loss as a result.  The way forward is made plain...

"Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith....them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed"-1st Samuel 2v30.

He is thy praise and He is thy God

 Christ in all the scriptures

        "God of gods and Lord of lords"      Deuteronomy 10v17

A title similar to this is accorded to Christ in Revelation 19v16, "...a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS."  Our God is to be revered above everyone that is called god or king or lord.  He is the first and the last, the alpha and omega of all, and He is to be that in our lives.  Our great God is returning to earth to set up His everlasting kingdom, and He will be universally honoured from that day.  He is all in all-1st Corinthians 15v28; ("...above all, and through all, and in you all"-Eph.4v6; "...of Him, and through Him, and to Him. are all things: to whom be glory for ever.  Amen"-Romans 11v36.  The expression means that God is utterly supreme in all things, everywhere, and at all times.  It is as such we are to honour Him.

The verse in Deuteronomy 10v17 ends like this: "A GREAT GOD, A MIGHTY, AND A TERRIBLE (awesome) which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward".  The extent of His majesty is stated in v14, "Behold the heaven of heavens is the Lord's thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is!" I recall the mockery of the late M. P. Anthony Wedgewood Benn, who, when told that God had given the land to Israel, said, "I was not aware that God is an estate agent".   Now he knows that He is creator and sustainer of all lands.

The chapter continues the grand theme of remembrance in the book (refer the ninefold command to remember: Deuteronomy 5v15; 7v18; 8v2; 9v7; 15v15; 16v3; 24v9; 25v17; 32v7.  The apostle Peter mirrors the book in his 2nd epistle, calling the saints to remember chapter 1v12, 13, 14 and 3v1-2.

Remember the wonder of the unbroken law preserved in the ark   Deut. 10v1-5

Two tablets of stone, written by the finger of God, the first of them broken because of the rebellion of the people.  God calls Moses to prepare an ark, return to the mount, where a second pair of tablets were written, and preserved unbroken within the ark.  These tablets of stone, were engraved by God to declare His terms for human reconciliation to Himself.  The ten commandments (by consultation with the whole law were headings, listing an enormous number of commands for life with God in their midst).  This represented God's minimum requirement for fellowship to be restored to human kind.  In the event the law was broken, and successive years yielded the same failure.  This resulted in the universal condemnation of all mankind, as detailed in Romans 3v10-12, "None righteous, no not one..." etc.  Only God has the answer...

"Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first, and come up unto me into the mount, and make thee an ark of wood.  And I will write on the tables the words that were in the first tables which thou brakest, and thou shalt put them in the ark"-Deut. 10v1-2.

The ark of God symbolises Christ and only in Him is the law fulfilled and the divine demands met, giving all of us the offer of salvation and restoration to God.  The unbroken law, set in stone by divine miracle, was preserved in Christ.  On that ark was the mercy seat, upon which God sat with the cherubim (minus their flaming swords) looking down in satisfaction at a perfect work.  This is no less than awesome, and compels us to wonder and give thanks with everything we have.  How could we ever forget??

This requires more attention:  one man, one man only, kept the law of God in all its detail.  Whether we think of the moral law, or the ceremonial law, or the civil law, He fulfilled it to the letter.  He said, "Think not (for this was what they were thinking) that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy but to fulfil"-Matthew 5v17.  He continues, "For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled"-Matthew 5v18.

Consider the meaning of this.  The jot is the Hebrew yod, or the Greek iota, the smallest letter in the alphabet.  The tittle is the inflection mark added for emphasis, such as the dot above i or j; or the circumflex or other marks above letters in foreign languages.  In both, we have the tiniest part of any writing.  What He is saying, is that the divine law of God is fulfilled in Him in the tiniest detail!  Not just the words but the fine detail.  This law which is the divine standard for all mankind was fully met in Him for all mankind.  Thus we can be reconciled to God, but only through Christ.  Not only so, but this wonderful reality transcends the existence of heaven and earth, and precludes the possibility of any change, indicated in the term "in no wise".  Nothing will alter it for time or eternity.

The hymn by Charitie Lees Bancroft of the late 1800's catches the theme; one stanza says

"Because the sinless Saviour died. my sinful soul is counted free                                              For God the just is satisfied to look on Him and pardon me!"

Thus God can be, and is, in the language of Romans 3v26-28, "...just and the justifier  of him which believeth in Jesus...Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without (apart from) the works of the law".

He foresaw the failure of every man to keep His law, and supplied the remedy in Christ.  Well may we take upon us the words of v21, "He is thy praise, and He is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible (awesome) things, which thine eyes have seen".

Go in and possess the land

 Christ in all the scriptures

Go in and possess the land   Deuteronomy 9

As we continue our studies in Deuteronomy, I am reminded of the comments of Dr Henrietta Mears in her book "What the bible is all about".  She wrote:

"You will come to appreciate the full force and magnetic beauty of Deuteronomy only as you read its pages....Nothing in literature matches the majesty of its eloquence.  Nothing in the O/T has any more powerful appeal for the spiritual life.  No book in all the word of God pictures better the life that is lived according to God's will, and the blessings showered upon the soul who comes into the richness and fulness of spiritual living along the rugged pathway of simple obedience...If you want a taste of heaven on earth, become familiar with Deuteronomy".

It was from Deuteronomy Jesus cited three times to ward off the temptation of the devil.  In the extremity of His weakness, He triumphed, and dismissed the tempter, who had brought down the entire race,   He went by the Spirit into the wilderness, and He returned unscathed in the power of the Spirit to destroy the works of the devil.  His victory can be our victory as we resist the devil in our day.  It is from Deuteronomy there are more quotations in the N/T than from any other book (60 references and 44 direct quotations).  The importance of this book cannot be over emphasised.

"Hear, O Israel: Thou art to pass over Jordan this day, to go in to possess nations greater and mightier than thyself, cities great and fenced up to heaven"-Deut. 9v1

The day had come; Israel must occupy the good land the Lord had given them.  Faith in God is not for the fainthearted.  They faced an enemy much stronger and more powerful than themselves.

"...a people great and tall, the children of the Anakims (giants)  whom thou knowest, and of whom thou hast heard say, Who can stand before the children of Anak!"

All this finds its counterpart in Paul's letter to Ephesians.  We could consider chapters1-3 as "the land is before you"; chapters 4-6, "go in and possess it".  In chapter 6v12 the enemy, far greater than us, is declared, "against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high (heavenly) places".  We cannot of ourselves overcome, only in the strength of the Lord.  In chapter 1v21 of the same epistle we find that Christ is ascended to the highest place in the heavens, "far above all principality, and power, and might, and every name that is named, not only in this world but in that which is to come!"  It is in His strength alone we overcome, and so Paul writes, "Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might"-Ephesians 6v10.  Believers are facing many enemies in their journey of faith in this world.  Israel's enemies were human and visible, our enemies are spiritual and invisible.

Consider the language of the chapter:

"The Lord thy God...He shall bring them down before thy face...Deut. 9v3

"Not for thy righteousness or for the uprightness of thine heart...the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee..." Deut. 9v5

"Remember and forget not...ye have been rebellious against the Lord..." Deut. 9v7

"I prayed therefore unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God destroy not thy people and thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed through thy greatness, which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand"-Deut. 9v26

The message is clear:  Only in the Lord shall we progress and prevail: we will overcome not for any good in us, but for the grace of our God: we must ever remember our frailty and tendency to succumb to our fallen nature, and develop humility before our God (triumphalism, which is a perversion of true faith, and is ever present today, is not of God): we are dependent on One interceding for us on high just as Moses did for Israel.

Crossing Jordan does not symbolise death, as hymnology would often suggest; it is death to self, self-interest, and self reliance.  The land is not heaven, for in it there are conflicts, (there are none in heaven).  Rather the land speaks of heaven upon earth, the believer entering into the many blessings God has provided for spiritual life in the here and now.

Sooner, rather than later in our Christian life, we shall encounter conflicts which we never knew in natural life.  There is the enemy within, the old nature conflicting with the things of God (Galatians 5); there is the delusive world system, all around us, calling us to succumb to ungodly ways (1st John 2); there is the vast demonic spirit world above us, attempting to rob us of spiritual blessings (Ephesians 6 and 1st Peter 5v8).  These are very real and powerful forces against us.  Of ourselves we are incapable of resisting them.  They are the formidable enemies of the faithful.  In Christ alone we overcome, in spiritual terms we "possess the land".  We do this by humbly submitting to God, and allowing Him to strengthen us.   As the apostle James put it, "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.  Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you"-James 4v6/7. 

Israel wandered 40 years outside of the blessings of the land.  How long have we been wandering rather than possessing and overcoming?  It is a very pertinent question for spiritual life today.

It is written

 Christ in all the scriptures

"Not by bread alone"  Deuteronomy 8v3

This chapter searches our innermost souls regarding our attitude to God and His word.  Jesus cited 8v3 in His own extremity of soul, during the temptation in the wilderness-Matthew 4v4; Luke 4v4.  

"It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God"-Matthew 4v4.

Confronting the arch enemy of humanity, it was after 40 days of fasting, when His body was crying out for food, that He cited this principle, that He would not even satisfy His hunger if there was no word from God to do so.  Even Satan admitted He could have turned the stones of the desert into life-preserving bread, but He refused for it was the temptation of the devil.  His devotion to the word of the Lord was more important than His necessary food.  Like Job of old, who, when faced with life extremities, declared this to his critics, "I have esteemed His word more than my necessary food"-Job23v12.  In John 4v31-34, the disciples were worried Jesus hadn't eaten because He was so involved in the preaching.  His reply was, "I have meat to eat that ye know not of...my meat is to do the will of Him that sent me and to finish His work".  God's work was more important than His bodily food.  

This is not to minimise our need for food, and a healthy body requires regular feeding.  Think about it, we eat on average three meals a day; we work to earn money to buy it; we spend time and effort to prepare it; we sit down to eat it; we wash up afterwards, all this more than once every day!  So this is a major part of life, and we are here comparing that to our daily devotion to God and His word.  I think that brings it into focus.

The chapter begins with, "All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do...".  At the very least we should say that God's word is to become a major part of our lives, not only to know it, but to put it into practice.  When we do, we find that it is most satisfying to the soul, and develops character within us.  Remember what is written?  "Man shall live...by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God".  He says "all the commandments"..."every word of the Lord"; not just the ones that suit us, but also the ones that make character building demands.  

The word and the words of the Lord are revelations of Himself.  Our attitude to His word is our attitude to Him.  By the word of the Lord the entire creation exists ("...by the word of the Lord the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water"-2nd Peter 3v5).  By the word of the Lord the universe subsists, (holds together)"...upholding all things by the word of His power"-Hebrews 1v3).   By His word the universe will pass away ("...heaven and earth will pass away, but my words shall not pass away"-Matthew 24v35).  His word is powerful, His word is eternal, His word is dependable: why would we not give heed to all of it for our good.  This text goes to the very foundation of our beings, our true devotion to God, and Christ is the supreme example.  What He means to us can be measured by our loyalty to His word.  

Devotion is one thing, but the bible also declares the desirability of the word of God.  Devotion is a duty, but desire kindled enriches lives.

"Thy word is a light unto my feet, and a lamp unto my path"-Psalm 119v105.

"More to be desired are they than gold, yea than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb"-Psalm 19v10.  What is more valuable than silver or gold; what is sweeter than honey??

"The word of God is quick (living), and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart"-Hebrews 4v12.  His word has the ability, like nothing else, the power to transform lives from within, the power to change even me!

"Is not my word like as a fire, saith the Lord, and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces"-Jeremiah 23v29.  His word can reach the hardest heart.

"To this man will I look, saith the Lord, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word"-Isaiah 66v2.

"The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple"-Psalm 19v7.

There is a balance to be found between our nourishment for the body, and feeding of the soul.  Material considerations are for the few years of life; soul transformation is for eternity Jesus put it beautifully in the sermon on the mount (Matthew 6v33) "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things (material things) shall be added unto you".  Our priority must be for the things of God, rather than the things of self.  If we put Him and His word at the forefront of our lives, He will make sure that all material needs are supplied.  Our Lord Jesus Christ is the supreme example, He said in John 10v17-18, He described His life as a sacrifice of obedience to the Father, "Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life that I might take it again.  No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself.  I have power (authority) to lay it down, and I have power (authority) to take it again.  This commandment have I received of my Father".   Jesus was commanded by the Father to lay down His life, to yield to men who could have no power against Him.  He made the ultimate sacrifice in obedience to the Father; will we obey His word even if it means temporary loss?

Visiting iniquity and shewing mercy

 Christ in all the scriptures

Unmitigated wrath and unconditional love  Deuteronomy 7

There can be no greater contrast in the revelation of God, in one chapter, than the subject matter of Deuteronomy 7.  We have His condemnation of human sin, with its terminal judgment, and we have His boundless love toward the people of His possession.  This is the God of the bible, not the one created by human imagination, but the true God who exists, who will judge sin, but who will also forgive repentant sinners.  He created us, not the other way round, as many would seem to wish.  He stated His way in Exodus 20 to the nation He raised up to reveal Himself to the world..."visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children of them that hate me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments" (20v5-6).  Idolatry is an abomination to God, and the seven nations occupying the land given to Israel were steeped in idolatrous practices.  Centuries before, the God who knows the end from the beginning, decreed the judgment of the trespassing nations in His covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15v18-21.  Following many years of sinful practice, during which God had suffered their ways, the time of retribution has arrived, and God will purge the promised land from rank evil.

We must pause here, a moment to reflect.  We live in a modern world which rejects or ignores the concept of Divine retribution, yet it is a reality.  The history of the world has proved it.  God will judge the world in righteousness; He brought the global flood on the world of the ungodly; He destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, leaving no one untouched in its borders; He brought down a world power in Egypt by a mighty arm.  Divine retribution on evil is a reality, and the present world will know it in this generation or the next.  God is slow to wrath, but His judgment is certain, and rather than mock portions of the bible like this we should heed the warning.

The judgment was severe; they were to destroy the seven nations without mercy, 7v2 "thou shalt utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them".  This is repeated in 7v16 and 7v24.  There was to be no communication with them, nor communion.  They were not to join in marriage to them, which would ultimately result in idolatry.  They were to deface all their idols, and remove all traces of idolatry ("destroy their altars, break down their images, cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire"(7v5).  These altars, on which they sacrificed their children to their imaginary gods, were an abomination to the Lord and all trace of them must be removed.   As far back as the grandson of Noah in Genesis 9, God had declared a curse on Canaan, and their immoral and idolatrous practices had not altered with the passage of time.  

In contrast, God set His love on Israel (7v6-11), just as He promised the fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

"For thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God;  the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto Himself above all people that are on the face of the earth".

He does this, because, as He says in v5, "for all the earth is mine".  In God's earth, God does as He pleases (refer Psalm 115v3 and Psalm 135v5-6).  It is utterly futile to oppose Him! 

Israel are an holy people, set apart for God, to walk in His ways.  A chosen people to be His special possession.  An exalted people above all other nations upon the face of the earth.  This promise that was repeated to the founding fathers, was applied to the nation in Exodus 19v4/5, "Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles wings, and brought you unto myself.  Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, than ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people".  It is because of their disobedience, they are not seen as such now, but all that will change when Christ returns and Israel will be the head of nations.  Nothing, and no one will prevent it, and all who oppose this, in any way, whether it be in protest, or in hostile action, are out of touch with what will be the eternal reality.

The chapter goes on to explain divine favour to this one nation, and this reveals to us the nature of God.  As much as He is belligerent against rebellion, He is benign towards the repentant, and enshrouds them in His love.  His love for any of us is inexplicable, and the reason for it is only found in Himself.

"The Lord did not set His love on you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people ; for ye were the fewest of all people: but because the Lord loved you, and because He would keep the oath which He had sworn unto your fathers..."-7v7-8.

There was nothing about them that caused Him to chose them; the answer is found only in His beneficent self.  He loved them because He loved them, and this is always the truth.  This amazing fact is discussed by John the apostle in 1st John chapter 4.

God's love is an integral part of His essential being, twice over he declares that "God is love"-4v8, v16.

God is the source of all love-4v7, "...love is of God".  Any reciprocal love we have for Him is "because He first loved us"-4v19.

God's love was manifested in sending His only begotten into the world that we might live through Him"-4v9.  He demonstrated His love at infinite cost to Himself.

"I have loved you because I have loved you" resonates through the ages of time and reaches beyond Israel to the repentant people of all nations.  There is nothing loveable about us, He loves us because of who He is, a gracious, loving and merciful God.  The reality of this is awesome.  He is at all times the sin hating God who will banish rebels forever without mercy: at all times He is the loving, and merciful God, as the chapter before us records,

 "Know therefore that the Lord thy God, He is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love Him, and keep His commandments to a thousand generations; and repayeth them that hate Him to their face, to destroy them: He will not slack to him that hateth Him, He will repay him to his face"-Deut.7v9-10.

Before this awesome God, terrible in His judgment, but beautiful in His love, we must bow for our well being, and that of our children.  This is the God of Israel, this is the true God, the only God, to whom be glory forever!