Deuteronomy 3:23-4:31

Deuteronomy 3:23-4:21

It seems as if Moses leaves out the reason as to why he could not enter the Promised Land in his retelling of the story, for it appears as if in the next section of Deuteronomy 3 that act of disobedience had already happened. Moses, seeing all that God was doing for Israel in his final days became anxious to actually enter into the Promised Land, but he knew that he could not. He pleaded with God one last time, but God did not change His mind. Moses had to pay the consequences, and God could not hold Moses to a different standard. This shows that even those who appear to be the greatest spiritual leaders in our lives can stumble. It is sometimes easy to think that those men and women never do anything wrong, but we must remember that they are human, just like us. No matter our status here on earth, we are all equal in God’s eyes. But even in this sad reality, facing some tough consequences, Moses continued to follow God’s commands, preparing Joshua to take over as the Israelites entered the Promised Land.

After recapping the story up to this point, Moses gives a charge to Israel to follow God. This new generation had not yet faltered like their ancestors, and Moses warned against it. He reminded them of God’s great miracles of the past, but He also showed them what God had done for them as they themselves had traveled to the eastern side of the Jordan. He encouraged them to never forget how they had seen God at work. For this reason, Moses commanded the Israelites to remain obedient to God, knowing that He would never leave them. We hear a lot about the danger of not knowing our history, for if we do not know how people have messed up before us, we may make the same mistakes. Israel found themselves in one of those moments in Deuteronomy. It was a new generation with a new beginning, but they were in great danger. By not having anyone from the previous generation left (except for Joshua and Caleb), it could have been easy for them to have forgotten how God had led their nation out of Egypt and across the Red Sea. They needed the reminder so that they would not fall into the same trap that their ancestors had. Likewise, we too must learn from mistakes we make in like as well as holding on to the times that we see God at work around us. Like Israel, we can trust God no matter what, and we must never forget that.

Moses goes on to talk about the danger of idols. After describing who God is and what He had done for Israel, Moses wanted to make sure that Israel did not turn away from Him and worship some false god that they had created. Knowing what their ancestors had done with the golden calf, Moses strictly charged Israel to refrain from making any such statue or image. But Moses did offer good news in the end. Although he did not try to condone the making of idols (false gods), he was sure to mention how God also offered forgiveness. It was obvious to the Israelites that God was a God of wrath (as He still is today), but Moses wanted them to also understand that God was a God of mercy (as He still is today). We all mess up. We all sin. God, however, does offer forgiveness for that sin. He has made a way through Jesus to atone for that sin, and through Jesus and Jesus only, we can come to God. This part of the story had not yet been realized as Israel stood on the eastern side of the Jordan, but God already had it mind. He showed Israel His love and mercy on many occasions, drawing them to Himself, building for Himself a people.

Matt