The Heart of God: Exodus through Joshua (6)

And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. Luke 24.27

Read and meditate on Deuteronomy 4-7, 18, and 28.
Here, after forty years, Israel is poised a second time to enter the land of promise. A new generation is being renewed in God’s covenant, and the process involves history, teaching, vision-casting, admonition, and worship.

For reflection
1.  What does it tell us about the grace of God, and the certainty of His covenant, that we even have the book of Deuteronomy?

2.  How can you see that the revelation given to this new generation of Israelites is squarely based in and grounded on previous revelation to the people of God? Can you see how careful God was to confirm and reassert the continuity of the covenant between this generation and all those generations which had gone before? Is there instruction here for us?

3.  How would you describe God’s purpose for His people, as you see it being declared in Deuteronomy? How does God plan to keep up His revelation to Israel after Moses is no longer with them? Can you see how chapter 18 points forward to a further stage of God’s covenant, and beyond that, to Jesus? Explain.

4.  Meditate on Deuteronomy 28.1-14. How extensive are the promises of God? How much of life does the covenant embrace? How do these promises compare, for example, with Paul’s instruction to live in all things to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10.31)?

5.  The rest of chapter 28 is a litany of threats or sanctions, warning us to walk carefully according to the promises and mandates of God’s covenant. Why was this necessary? Is it because God doesn’t love His people that He threatens them so severely? How do promises and sanctions work to help keep us living within the framework of God’s covenant?

Summary
Deuteronomy is a testimony to the unfailing grace of God. He saved a new generation for Himself in order to give them the promises He had been holding out to Israel from the days of Abraham. And yet, Deuteronomy is a book of Law. Do grace and Law go together? Are they part of the same saving work of God?

Closing Prayer
My days are like a shadow that lengthens,
And I wither away like grass.
But You, O LORD, shall endure forever,
And the remembrance of Your name to all generations.
You will arise and have mercy on Zion;
For the time to favor her,
Yes, the set time, has come.
For Your servants take pleasure in her stones,
And show favor to her dust.
So the nations shall fear the name of the LORD,
And all the kings of the earth Your glory.
For the LORD shall build up Zion;
He shall appear in His glory.
He shall regard the prayer of the destitute,
And shall not despise their prayer.
This will be written for the generation to come,
That a people yet to be created may praise the LORD.
For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary;
From heaven the LORD viewed the earth,
To hear the groaning of the prisoner,
To release those appointed to death,
To declare the name of the LORD in Zion,
And His praise in Jerusalem,
When the peoples are gathered together,
And the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.

Psalm 102.11-22

T. M. Moore

Two books can help you gain a fuller understanding of the terrain we will be covering in this series. Kingdom Documentsprovides a concise overview of the primary teaching of the Old and New Testaments, and shows, through early Church creeds, how our forebears understand the primary teachings of God’s Word. (click here to order). I Will Be Your God develops more fully the idea of God’s covenant and leads us to consider the practical implications of our covenant relationship with God (click here).

Visit The Ailbe Seminary, where our course, Introduction to Biblical Theology, offers a parallel study of our theme in this series, using brief video presentations and the workbook God’s Covenant: An Introduction. All courses at The Ailbe Seminary are available without charge.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.