Day 84 – The Story of The Wandering

Today we properly start in Deuteronomy. It’s the final book of the Pentateuch and was, as all the others were, likely written by Moses (well, perhaps except for the paragraphs about his death!). Deuteronomy is pretty much one long sermon, combining a history lesson with teaching about God, and was given over a month at the very end of the forty years in the wilderness. It goes back over all the main stages of the time spent in the wilderness, so you may find that lots of today’s verses remind you of stories we have already read.

There are lots of verses today, which is another reason why doing these studies each day is better than catching up lots at a time! It’s not a difficult reading though; it’s actually quite helpful and enjoyable to read summaries of stories we have already read about!

• I enjoy looking thinking back on times in my past. Well, the happy moments at least! One thing I like looking at are old photos. Do you have photo albums from when you were a child that you look at from time to time? In the Eureka room, I’m trying to put up lots of photos to remind you all of happy times in the past. Sometimes it’s worthwhile thinking over hard times in the past too. We can see how we handled situations, and have grown or changed since. Over today’s passages we’ll look back at a potted history of the wilderness years with Moses as our storyteller. I almost think of Moses sitting people down to tell them the story, like a grandfather would do with his grandchildren!
• Deuteronomy literally means “second giving of the law”. Why did Moses need to do a second retelling of the law, reminding the people of the events of the past forty years and the laws God gave them? There are several good reasons. Try and think of at least one reason and incorporate it into your notes.
• Don’t forget that the people Moses was talking to were not the same people he had rescued out of Egypt. All the original people (except three – bonus points if you can name them!) who came out of Egypt are dead, and it’s their children who are stood before Moses. All the current Israelites were born in the desert. Think for a bit about what that must have been like for them.
• What does God tell the people it is now time to do?
• There are lots and lots of place names in today’s readings. You’ll recognise some, and others you don’t need to worry about for now. One that is helpful though is “Horeb”. It’s another name for Mount Sinai.
• Deuteronomy 1:19 onwards describes the refusal to enter the Promised Land 38 years or so earlier, and the rebellion of the people shortly afterwards. What do you think Moses had on his mind when telling the people the mistakes made by their parents during this time? Think back to the days when we read about the spies coming back with their report of the land.
• Deuteronomy 2 talks about more recent events as the Israelites passed through land belonging to three other nations. You may remember some of the names from Numbers 20 and 21. As the people heard about how God had guided them safely through these areas, what should they have been reminded of?
• Deuteronomy 4:1-14 marks a shift in focus. The first three chapters of Deuteronomy were telling stories of the past, but chapter 4 shows Moses giving advice and encouragement for the current situation the people faced as they prepared to enter the Promised Land. What was the main thing Moses called for? You can see a good summary in the first verse. How did he link this in with the Ten Commandments?
• Moses was a very old man by now, and will soon die. Don’t forget that he will never get to the Promised Land himself. Can you remember the reasons why, from one of our readings over the last week or so?

If you have ten minutes – and I’m sure you can find this if you try! – spend a bit of time watching the video below to get an overview of this book as we start it. These introduction videos really are helpful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGaCptGNOpM&fbclid=IwAR3NAwe71cLeNT4ORfA2le7v-QC6yBt-RyQM20tQeEc5wAH5HbCH4b9Ya0s