Chapter One
Catching Up on the Past
(Deuteronomy 1ā3)
Our journalism instructor taught us that the first paragraph of every news article had to inform the reader of the āwho, what, where, when, and whyā of the event being reported. Deuteronomy 1:1ā5 isnāt a news article, but it does just that. The people of Israel are at Kadesh-barnea in the fortieth year after their deliverance from Egypt, and their leader Moses is about to expound Godās law and prepare the new generation to enter Canaan. Although Moses himself wouldnāt enter the land, he would explain to the people what they had to do to conquer the enemy, claim their promised inheritance, and live successfully in their new home to the glory of God.
God was giving His people a second chance, and Moses didnāt want the new generation to fail as their fathers had failed before them. Israel should have entered Canaan thirty-eight years before (2:14), but in their unbelief they rebelled against God. The Lord condemned them to wander in the wilderness until the older generation had died, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb (Num. 13ā14). Philosopher George Santayana wrote, āThose who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,ā1 so the first thing Moses did in his farewell discourse was to review Israelās past and remind the new generation who they were and how they got where they were (Deut. 1ā5). Knowing their past, the new generation in Israel could avoid repeating the sins of their fathers.
ISRAEL MARCHING (1:6ā18)
A grasp of history is important to every generation because it gives a sense of identity. If you know who you are and where you came from, you will have an easier time discovering what you should be doing. A generation without identity is like a person without a birth certificate, a name, an address, or a family. If we donāt know our historic roots, we may become like tumbleweeds that are blown here and there and never arriving at our destination.
A father took his young son to the local museum to help him better understand what life was like before he was born. After looking rather glumly at some of the exhibits, the boy finally said, āDad, letās go someplace where the people are real.ā
Like that bored little boy, many people have the idea that the past is unreal and unimportant and has no bearing on life today; and like that little boy, they are wrong. The cynic claims that all we learn from history is that we donāt learn from history, but the mature Christian believer knows that A. T. Pierson was right when he said, āHistory is His story.ā The Bible isnāt a boring museum where everythingās dead. Itās a living drama that teaches us about God and encourages us to obey Him and enjoy His blessings (Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:1ā12). No book is more contemporary than the Bible, and each new generation has to learn this important lesson.
Israel at Sinai (vv. 6ā8; see Num. 1:1ā10:10).2 After the nation left Egypt, they marched to Mount Sinai, arriving on the fifteenth day of the third month (Ex. 19:1), and there the Lord revealed Himself in power and great glory. He delivered the law to Moses, who declared it to the people, and they accepted the terms of the covenant. The Jews left Sinai on the twentieth day of the second month of the second year after the exodus (Num. 10:11), which means they were at Sinai not quite a year. While the nation was camped at Sinai, the tabernacle was constructed and the priests and Levites were set apart to serve the Lord.
Why did the Lord have the Jews tarry so long at Sinai? He wanted to give them His law and teach them how to worship. The Lord didnāt give Israel His law to save them from their sins, because āby the works of the law shall no flesh be justifiedā (Gal. 2:16). Under the old covenant, people were saved by faith just as sinners are today (Rom. 4:1ā12; Gal. 3:22; Heb. 11). The law reveals the sinfulness of man and the holy character of God. It explained what God required of His people if they were to please Him and enjoy His blessing. The civil law allowed Israel to have an orderly and just society, and the religious laws enabled them to live as the people of God, set apart from the other nations to glorify His name. The law also prepared the way for the coming of Israelās Messiah (Gal. 4:1ā7), and the various tabernacle furnishings and ceremonies pointed to Jesus.
Knowing that wars and dangers lay before them, many of the people might have been satisfied to stay at Mount Sinai, but the Lord ordered them to move. Not only did the Lord command them but He also encouraged them: āSee, I have given you this landā (Deut. 1:8 NIV). He promised to keep the covenant He had made with the patriarchs to whom He had graciously promised the land of Canaan (Gen. 13:14ā18; 15:7ā21; 17:8; 28:12ā15; Ex. 3:8). All the army of Israel had to do was follow Godās orders, and the Lord would give them victory over their enemies in Canaan.
Israel on the way to Kadesh-barnea (vv. 9ā18; Num. 10:11ā12:16). It wasnāt easy for Moses to lead this great nation because he frequently had to solve new problems and listen to new complaints. Accustomed to the comfort of their camp at Sinai, the people resented the hardships of their journey to the Promised Land. They forgot the distress of their years of slavery in Egypt and even wanted to turn around and go back! They got accustomed to the manna that God sent them from heaven each morning and soon took it for granted, and they longed for the savory meat and vegetables they had enjoyed eating in Egypt. No wonder Moses got discouraged and cried out to the Lord!3 He wanted to quit and he even asked God to take his life (Num. 11:15)!
Godās answer to Mosesā prayer was to give him seventy elders to assist him in managing the affairs of the camp. Moses was a great leader and a spiritual giant, but even he could do only so much. He and the elders organized the nation by thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, with competent leaders in charge of each division. This created a chain of command between Moses and the people so that he didnāt have to get involved in every minor dispute. He could devote himself to talking with the Lord and helping to settle the most important problems in the camp.
The charge Moses gave to the newly appointed leaders is one that ought to be heeded by everybody who serves in a place of authority, whether religious or civil (Deut. 1:16ā18). The emphasis is on character and justice and the realization that God is the judge and the final authority. If all officials made their decisions on the basis of nationality, race, social position, or wealth, they would sin against God and pervert justice. Throughout the law of Moses, thereās an emphasis on justice and showing kindness and fairness to the poor, especially widows, orphans, and aliens in the land (Ex. 22:21ā24; Lev. 19:9ā10; Deut. 14:28ā29; 16:9ā12; 24:17ā21). Frequently, the prophets thundered against the wealthy landowners because they were abusing the poor and the helpless in the land (Isa. 1:23ā25; 10:1ā3; Jer. 7:1ā6; 22:3; Amos 2:6ā7; 5:11). āHe who oppresses the poor reproaches his Makerā (Prov. 14:31 NKJV).
ISRAEL REBELLING (1:19ā46; NUM. 13ā14)
Kadesh-barnea was the gateway into the Promised Land, but Israel failed to enter the land because of fear and unbelief. They walked by sight and not by faith in Godās promises. āSee, the LORD your God has given you the land,ā Moses told them. āGo up and take possession of it. ā¦ Do not be afraid; do not be discouragedā (Deut. 1:21 NIV). It has well been said that faith is not believing in spite of evidenceāthatās superstitionābut obeying in spite of circumstances and consequences. How much more evidence did the people need that their God was able to defeat the enemy and give them their land? Hadnāt He defeated and disgraced all the false gods of Egypt, protected Israel, and provided for them on their pilgrim journey? Godās commandment is always Godās enablement, and to win the victory, His people need only trust and obey.
Searching out the land (vv. 22ā25; Num. 13). The first indication that the nation was wavering in faith was their request that Moses appoint a committee to search out the land. Israel would then know the state of the land and be better able to prepare their plan of attack. This is the approach any army would useāitās called āreconnaissanceāābut Israel wasnāt just āany army.ā They were Godās army and the Lord had already done the āreconnaissanceā for them. From the very beginning, God had told Moses that Canaan was a good land flowing with milk and honey, and He even gave the names of the nations living in the land (Ex. 3:7ā8; see Gen. 15:18ā21). Surely the people knew that the will of God would not lead them where the grace and power of God could not keep them.
When Moses spoke to God about the peopleās suggestion, the Lord graciously gave him permission to grant their request (Num. 13:1ā2). God knows how weak we are, so He sometimes accommodates Himself to our condition (Ps. 103:13ā14; Judg. 6:36ā40). However, doing Godās permissive will isnāt quite the same as obeying His āgood, acceptable, and perfect willā (Rom. 12:2). When God lets us have our own way, itās a concession on His part that should make us walk in fear and humility. Why? Because thereās always the danger that weāll become proud and self-confident and start telling God what to do! Doing Godās express will is the safest course because God never makes a mistake. Sometimes our desires and Godās concessions combine to produce painful disciplines.4
The twelve men explored the land for forty days and returned to the camp with the enthusiastic, unanimous report that everything God had said about the land was true. The report shouldnāt have surprised anybody because Godās Word can always be trusted.
Rejecting the land (vv. 26ā40). But then ten of the spies gave their opinion that Israel wasnāt able to conquer the land because the cities were protected by high walls and there were giants in the land. The minority (Joshua and Caleb) boldly affirmed that the Lord was able to give His people victory because He was greater than any enemy. Unfortunately, the nation sided with the majority and became discouraged and even more afraid. Twice Moses told them not to be afraid (Deut. 1:21, 29), but his words fell on deaf ears. Instead of the leaders singing their victory song and marching forward by faith (Num. 10:35), they and the people sat in their tents complaining, weeping, and plotting to return to Egypt. With the exception of four menāMoses, Aaron, Joshua, and Caleb (14:5ā6)āthe entire nation rebelled against the Lord and failed to claim the land He had promised them. The Lord could bring them out of Egypt, but He couldnāt take them into Canaan!
What was the cause of Israelās failure at Kadesh-barnea? āThey forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them. ā¦ They did not remember his powerā (Ps. 78:11, 42 NIV). God had demonstrated His great power by sending the plagues on Egypt and by opening the Red Sea so Israel could escape, and yet none of these wonders had really registered in the minds and hearts of His people. Even the miraculous provision of bread, meat, and water didnāt increase their faith. They gladly received the gifts but failed to take to heart the goodness and grace of the Giver. Instead, they hardened their hearts against the Lord and developed āan evil heart of unbeliefā (Heb. 3:7ā19). If Godās blessings donāt humble our hearts and make us trust Him more, then they will harden our hearts and weaken our faith. Unless we receive His Word in our hearts and give thanks to God for His blessings, we become proud and selfish and begin to take the Lordās blessings for granted.
Thereās a difference between unbelief and doubt. Unbelief is a matter of the will; it causes people to rebel against God and say, āNo matter what the Lord says or does, I will not believe and obey!ā Doubt, however, is a matter of the heart and the emotions; itās what people experience when they waver between fear and faith (Matt. 14:31; James 1:5ā8). The doubter says, āLord, I believe; help my unbelief!ā God seeks to encou...