Day 70: Deuteronomy 1-2

Welcome to five -minute Bible your daily guide for your daily reading today's March the 11th

And we're gonna be looking at Deuteronomy 1 through 2 Now today we begin the book of Deuteronomy which is the last book in the

Torah and if you'll remember Israel is camped on the plains of Moab Which is just across the

Jordan River across from the promised land and the wilderness years are finally over in a new

Generation has filled the camp and the land that God has promised to Abraham lies directly ahead of the people but before they cross the

Jordan Moses is going to gather the people together and he's going to give them a final sermon as Israel's great leader and in these speeches

Moses is going to retell the nation's history and he's gonna explain the Covenant He's gonna prepare the next generation to enter the land faithfully

And in that way Deuteronomy 1 through 2 begins the first of those speeches where Moses is gonna look back at Israel's journey

And he's gonna remind the new generation of how the previous generation came into the promise that God is giving them now

Deuteronomy 1 begins by recounting events from nearly 40 years earlier where Israel first arrived at the border of Canaan and God told them to enter the land as he

Promised and the inheritance was set before them ready for the taking and yet instead of stepping forward in faith the people

Asked to send spies into the land first now There's nothing wrong with sending spies if they were doing it in faith, but the spies returned with a mixed report

They confirmed that the land was rich and fruitful just as God had said but they also described the strength of the inhabitants and the size of their cities and their armies and Fear began to spread quickly through the camp instead of trusting

God who had already delivered them from Egypt The people complained rebelled and refused to enter which shows motivation on why they sent the spies in the first place

They were sending them because they doubted they were not sending them because they had faith Now because of all of this

God declared that an entire generation Would wander in the wilderness until they perished and the promise would still be unfulfilled

But it would be inherited and passed down to their children instead Now Deuteronomy then continues the story by describing the long wilderness journey that followed where Israel Traveled along the territories of Edom and Moab and Ammon without attacking them because those lands had been assigned to other nations

Not them eventually However, the journey brings Israel into conflict with Sihon king of the

Amorites God gives Israel victory over him Marking the beginning of the conquest that's gonna lead them towards the promised land

Now as you read today, I want you to ask the following question What happens when fear replaces faith at the very moment that God calls us to trust him?

Well Deuteronomy 1 through 2 reminds us that unbelief doesn't cancel God's promises but it can delay their fulfillment and even sometimes for a very long time ie an entire generation and The central pattern in these chapters is memory serves as a kind of warning

Moses is not simply reviewing history for the sake of information He's not just gathering them around a campfire to tell them small tales

He's reminding the new generation of what happens when fear governs your heart and causes you to disobey

God Their parents stood at the very edge of the promised land The land was in front of them.

God's Word had been spoken. His power was available for them and yet instead of trusting him

They allowed fear to redefine their reality and the result was death

Now the lesson is direct and avoidable because God's promises always require trust and yet When fear controls our decisions it can redirect the entire course of our life

What began as a moment of hesitation in Israel eventually became decades of wandering and the pattern intersects with our real life today because Most of us might realize that many spiritual failures don't begin with open rebellion

But they do begin with a kind of quiet doubt that whispers that God's promises might not actually be trustworthy after all and in that way

Deuteronomy 1 through 2 points unmistakably to Jesus Christ because Israel failed to enter the land why because they trusted their fear more than the promises of God and that Really leads to humanity's deepest problem, which is left to ourselves

We repeatedly choose fear and doubt and unbelief and yet in the right time

Christ came as the faithful son who trusted the father perfectly where Israel faltered in the wilderness

Jesus stood firm when he faced his temptations in the wilderness faithfully where Israel doubted

God's Word Christ completely obeyed it and through his obedience Jesus secures the

Inheritance that human faithfulness could never earn the very rest that Israel struggled to enter into Ultimately finds its fulfillment in Jesus in Christ God's promises are not delayed by our human failure, but they are secured by divine

Faithfulness now as you read Deuteronomy 1 through 2 today I want you to listen carefully to Moses's warning the previous generation stood on the edge of promise and yet they turned back in fear and The question now for the people of Israel is whether the new generation will learn from that history or will they repeat it?

and tomorrow we're gonna see how Moses continues recounting the journey as Israel moves one step closer to the moment where they finally step into the promised land by faith and with that Read your

Bible carefully Devotionally and joyfully and may the Lord use his word to sanctify you completely and we will continue our journey tomorrow.