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Good morning friends, today I invite you to read Deuteronomy 30 with me.
Notice please how the Bible book of Deuteronomy begins… “In the 40th year, on the first day, of the 11th month, Moses proclaimed to the Israelites all that the LORD had commanded him concerning them…East of the Jordan, in the territory of Moab. Moses began to expound this law saying…”
The entire book of Deuteronomy is Moses saying goodbye to the people. He knows he will not be entering the Promised land with them, because of what took place in Numbers 20, at the water spewing rock called Meribah. Moses is about 120 years old now, and all the people standing before him, are those who were under age 20 when they fled Egypt that Passover night, 40 years ago. All the adults older than them, have finally died and been buried under the sands of the desert, where they’ve been wandering these 4 decades.
As you see, their wanderings have brought them near to the east side of the Jordan river… they can see the Promised land on the other side. It won’t be long now…
Moses feels a strong obligation to this new generation and their children, who have been born in these past 40 years in the desert. His obligation is to make sure they understand what he, and those of his generation had learned, about and from God. Isn’t that our obligation too my friends? Have we taken seriously the teaching, the mentoring of our children and grandchildren, especially spiritually? As we look at their lifestyles, their choices… do we see the evidence that they are following the path we tried to model for them and teach them? Have you learned we have the privilege to continue mentoring them all the way to our death, and even then, after we are gone, our legacy, their memories of us, will continue to teach them?
In the early part of Deuteronomy 30, Moses speaks like a true prophet of God, both foretelling the future, and forth-telling God’s truths. Notice how Moses refers to a time, when the Hebrews will be scattered among the nations by God Himself, and then will be restored in relationship with Him, and brought back to their land. “…when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey Him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today…Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the LORD your God will bring you back. He will bring you to the land that belonged to your fathers, and you will take possession of it.” (Deut. 30:1-5)
This scene was taking place about 1406bc, shortly before Moses’ death. As we’ll see in days to come, Joshua then took over leadership and led this new generation of Hebrews into the Promised Land, and they slowly conquered and inhabited it, calling it Israel. 460 years later, in 930bc as the reign of King Solomon came to an end, civil war ensued, and Israel divided into two kingdoms. The northern 10 tribes retained the name Israel, but quickly became an idolatrous people turning away from God. In 722bc, that Northern Kingdom of Israel was conquered by King Sennacherib, and the empire of Assyria, and thousands of Hebrews were dragged away to Nineveh, its capital city.
The Southern Kingdom of Israel was only two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, and their region was the area including Jerusalem and surrounding territory. They, generally speaking, remained more faithful to God, however, idolatry often became prevalent under different kings. Finally in 586bc, the Southern Kingdom of Judah, including Jerusalem, was conquered by the empire of Babylon and King Nebuchadnezzar. Huge numbers of Hebrews were taken off as prisoners of war, slaves, to Babylon. 70 years later, God miraculously brought many of them back to Jerusalem and they began to rebuild their city and Temple.
Again in the first century, the Roman army destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple, in 70ad, and the Hebrews were again run out of their homeland, and scattered all over the world. As you may know it wasn’t until 1948 that the nation of Israel was once again formally established, this time by an act of the United Nations, and Jews were welcome to come ‘home’ to their ancient homeland, including Jerusalem. Of course if you understand recent history, you know, modern Israel is surrounded by nations who are opposed to it, and in some cases committed to Israel’s destruction. So, you and I are living today, in the partial fulfillment of this word of Moses, 3400 years ago… in Deuteronomy 30!
Please notice this very important promise from Moses in vs 6… “The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love Him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.“ There’s a fundamental spiritual principle here friends. The ABILITY and DESIRE to know God, love God, honor God with our lives, follow God obediently etc. are ALL possible only with the work of God in our lives. It is NOT natural in our sinful nature. Do you remember Jesus said “No one can come to ME unless the Father who sent Me draws them.” (John 6:44)
And do you remember we looked at what Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians… “We are not like Moses who would put a veil over his face…while the radiance was fading away. But their minds [the Hebrews] were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord Jesus, the veil is taken away… The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 3:13-16 & 4:4)
Do you see the link, my friends, between what Moses said to the people in Deuteronomy 30, about the work of God in their hearts and minds, giving them the desire and the ability to love, honor, and follow the LORD God; and the words of Jesus, that it is only with the work of God the Father that any person seeks Jesus; and the words of Paul that is Jesus who removes the blinding veil of our sinful nature, so we can understand God’s truths! It’s very important my friends, that as we read the Old Testament, we do so with an ear to hear, and mind to understand, how it links with New Testament truth.
Let’s put ourselves in the crowd of this next generation of Hebrews ,who are listening to old Moses, the only leader they have known, as he challenges them to learn from the past, while they anticipate an exciting future in the new land. All this generation has known is the hardship of desert travels and growing up under the influence of complaining, grumbling, hard-hearted parents, who over and over again, have expressed their desire to chose a new leader, and go back to Egyptian slavery.
But among them have been Caleb, Joshua, Moses and we can be sure, many others, who have great faith in God, and wonderful memories of God’s powerful miracles of the past. These people kept calling this new generation to be different from their parents. To see the possibilities of the future, God desired for them, and to watch the condition of their hearts carefully.
Moses was building toward a conclusion, a challenge to action. You’ll see in Deut. 30:11-14 he calls them to consider that they don’t need to wait for someone from a far off place to come and tell them about Jehovah God and His love for them, or His commands which could guide their lives… they already have God’s Presence among them…, worship of Almighty God taking place every day at their “Tent of Meeting”, and God’s commands on their hearts! They just need to prioritize living for God’s honor, in obedience to Him.
Then Moses said this… “See I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to posses.” (Deut. 30:15,16) Any confusion here friends? This sure is a clear promise of God’s blessing IF His people will live as His people, under His guidance!
But then, because of the history of their parents, Moses had to add this… “But if your heart turns away and if you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed.“ WOW, that’s equally clear isn’t it my friends? And for those to whom Moses spoke… a Hebrew nation now even larger than 40 years before, they of course had lived in the consequences of their parents and grandparents,, having turned away from God, and suffered and died in the desert.
Then Moses brought this powerful speech to conclusion with this. . .“This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. NOW choose life, so that you and your children may live, and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him. For the LORD is your life!”(Deut. 30:19,20)
That, my friends, is a great verse to memorize, to emblazzen on a plaque and hang in your home somewhere for you, your kids and your grandkids, and every visitor, to see regularly, am I right? In fact you who are on this journey with me up in Fargo, and you in Wisconsin, will remember that verse was one of our theme verses for a whole year!
Look closely at the words my friends…do you see it’s a call to wise life choices, made by adults, who recognize their children will live with the results of those choices. Do you see the specific things that are available to us if we choose God… our hearts can deeply love God; our minds can listen to God with understanding, and with all our strength we can hold on to Him, for HE is our life!!
Oh what a different America we would be living in today, if that was the standard of every family, all across our land, over the past 100 years, and especially in the present!
So…what are going to do, my friends, with Moses’ challenge? Hear it, own it, let it guide us in right living… or ignore it, reject it, postpone till sometime later, any serious consideration of it? “Now choose life…”
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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