Bible Ot Bible As History Deuteronomy

The Bible as History Deuteronomy The Final Message of Moses As the people camped on the plains of Moab the elders and princes assembled to listen to the final message of Moses so that they in turn could go and tell the people what the great leader of the Lord had said. Soon Moses was going to die. He was not going to be allowed to go in the Land of Promise. And so the people gazed upon Moses with great intensity to preserve whatever memory they could in their minds. From generation to generation the great moments of his life would be retold. Children would hear afresh how his mother Jochebed placed him with loving but trembling hands in the ark of the bulrushes during the dark days of living in Egypt. The story would be retold how he killed an Egyptian when he came of age in order to protect his people. Then there would be the narrative of his flight from the face of the Pharaoh and forty years later his return to tell the ruler of the land, "Let my people go!" He who had been chosen by God to form the nation of Israel and led it through the wilderness had seen the face of God. He had been found a faithful leader and now he was about to die. So the people gathered to listen to his last message, a message about God. Summary of a Long Sermon At great length Moses told the people how they were to live. He provided for them a Social Law of Conduct, a Ceremonial Law of religious worship, and a Moral Law to guide their relationship to God. Moses reminded the people of all that God had commanded in detail and all that God had done for the nation according to His providential care. He pointed the people to the Great Prophet [i.e., the Messiah] that was to arise among them. Deut 18:15 "The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken." The people were to listen to the Prophet and all the lesser prophets as well. They were to keep the law of God or face fearful consequences. Those who listened to God and kept His commandments would know great blessings. Deut 11:26-28 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; 27 A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day: 28 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. The Last Look When his farewell address was ended Moses moved to take a last look upon the Land of Promise. On the E side of the Dead Sea is a range of mountains that form a dark wall that rises at some point to three thousand feet. From somewhere on Mount Pisgah Moses stood and looked to where the Israelites were to live. As he looked out eastward he would see the hills and plains of Judah in which area lay Hebron, the cave of Machpelah, and the stronghold of Jerusalem. Turning his eyes northward Moses would have seen the Jordan, winding like a serpent through the tropical plain. In the extreme northern border which the tribe of Naphtali would inhabit are the snow clad peaks of Hermon and Lebanon. In the area between are the fertile plains and sheltered ravines. As Moses looked the covenant promise given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would be upon his mind. Closing his eyes in death angels came to escort his soul to heaven while unseen hands laid his body in an unknown tomb.

On the Verge of a Great Inheritance Because they had been wandering in the desert the Israelites could not have been a highly developed people in the arts of building, weaving, pottery, painting, or poetry. The life of a nomad in the dessert is difficult. With some exceptions such as the construction of the tabernacle and its furniture by such men as Aholiab and Bezaleel and the making of robes for the priests and sacred garments the highest skills of craftsmanship were not needed. In some respect this was good for the cultural influence of the Egyptians was diminished. The day would come when time and attention could be given to art and literature and culture especially during the days of David and Solomon. A Written Law During the days of dwelling in the wilderness there was one great change that took place in that the Word of God was committed to writing. An oral tradition gave way to a written tradition. Furthermore, the family of Aaron was set apart for the priesthood. Best of all, in types and symbols the Lord Jesus Christ was set forth in the minds and hearts of the people. To what extend the Hebrews understood the shadows of the Savior is hard to determine but the New Testament reveals that every event in the history of the nation spoke of Christ. A few illustrations can be noted. •

The manna or bread, which the Israelites enjoyed, was a type of Christ the true Bread from heaven. John 6:47-51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. 48 I am that bread of life. 49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

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The rock that Moses struck to get water was a type of Christ. 1 Cor 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

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The high priest and all the various bloody sacrifices were types of Christ. Heb 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

In many visual ways God the Father prepared the people to receive His Son and the Saviour of the world. But spiritual darkness descended over the people so that it would be said when the Messiah appeared "The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. 17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt 4:16-17). The Character of the Second Generation It is not often that a succeeding generation is more righteous than the one that preceded it but there are exceptions. Pride, impatience, unbelief, and constant rebellion characterized the Exodus Generation, which was also prone to idolatry. Stephen says "they took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of their god Remphan" (Acts 7:43). As a result the people were severely disciplined. The punishment was effective for despite the idolatry of surrounding nations the Second Generation was not given to idolatry. The bones of their fathers served to remind them that the way of the transgressor is hard. And now the journey of a lifetime was about to begin. God was going to keep His covenant promises.