Four books down and 59 to go!!!
When you have a moment, please drop a line to the blog letting us know how your reading experience is going- is the plan going well or are you having a hard time keeping up? Are you understanding the material or so you have a pressing question? Once again, the purpose of this blog is to allow us to read the Bible together, so please feel free to join in the discussion at any point- there are no bad posts!
So, we are beginning Deuteronomy this week- this is a very important book in the Bible as this is Moses' last message to the Israelites before they enter the Promised Land. As you may remember, Moses will not be allowed to enter the land due to his failure to follow instructions at Meribah (Numbers 20: 2-13). But rather than be embittered, Moses takes this opportunity to reiterate to Israel the laws that God has designed for the Hebrew nation to follow. Also, Moses is passing the torch to Israel's new leaders as they begin the task of moving the people into the Promised Land.
The reading plan for this week is this:
* Weekend: Deuteronomy 1-4
* Monday: Deuteronomy 5-7
* Tuesday: Deuteronomy 8-11
* Wednesday: Deuteronomy 12-16
* Thursday: Deuteronomy 17-20
* Friday: Deuteronomy 21-25
The Ten Commandments are restated in Chapter 5 and in Chapter 6, verses 4-9, Moses tells the Hebrew nation (and us!) why we follow His commands. This passage is called the "Shema" in traditional Jewish worship, and it a very important part of Jewish prayer life.
If it seems like a lot of this material is familiar, it is because we have already read much of this in the previous three books. But please do not skim. There is some great material here and may help fill in some gaps of understanding or maybe this material will spark some new questions.
Have a great week reading and we look forward to hearing from you!
Mike
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This book of Deuteronomy starts off with good instruction that pertains to us as well as the Israelites. (No surprise.) The first thing I noticed is that Moses "pulls an Adam" when he blames the people for his own sin that kept him from the promised land. It is so easy and common to try and find some reason other than a hard look at my own life for the struggles I have.
ReplyDeleteSecond, Moses' admonitions to the people of Israel to stay true to God, to keep his commands, and to completely and utterly destroy the enemy, reminds me of the importance of these things in my life. This is why I am reading every day. This is why I go to church every week. This is why I associate with other christians on a deeper level. This reading has made me aware of places that I have not paid attention to in my life. While I will not name them in this public forum, suffice it to say, God is putting his finger on some areas of my life that need attention. I would just go on my merry way without church, other believers and scripture.
PS What is "the hornet" mentioned in Deut 7:20?