With the added light of the New Testament, the exclusion of Moses from the Promised Land doesn’t seem like much of a punishment, after all. Instead of an earthly Canaan and later an earthly Jerusalem (which for all its known history has been a place of war, conquest, and suffering), “the heavenly Jerusalem” (Hebrews 12:22) is, even … Continue reading –>
“So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth Peor; but no one knows his grave to this day” (Deuteronomy 34:5-6, NKJV). Thus, with these few verses, Moses — so … Continue reading –>
Poor Moses! Having come so far, having gone through so much, only to be left out of the fulfillment of the promise made to Abram many centuries earlier: “To your descendants I will give this land” (Genesis 12:7, NKJV). Read Deuteronomy 34:1-12. What happened to Moses, and what did the Lord say about him that showed what … Continue reading –>
Read again Numbers 20:12-13. What specific reason did the Lord give to Moses for why he couldn’t go over because of what he did? See also Deuteronomy 31:2 and Deuteronomy 34:4. According to this text, there was more to Moses’ sin than just his own attempt to take the place of God, which was bad enough. He also showed a … Continue reading –>
Time and again, even amid their apostasy and wilderness wanderings, God miraculously provided for the children of Israel. That is, however undeserving they were (and often remained that way) God’s grace flowed out to them. We, too, today, are recipients of His grace, however much we are undeserving of it, as well. After all, it … Continue reading –>
Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: Numbers 20:1-13, Deuteronomy 31:2, Deuteronomy 34:4, Deuteronomy 34:1-12, Jude 9, 1 Corinthians 15:13-22. Memory Text: “Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!’” (Jude 9, NKJV). As we have seen all quarter, … Continue reading –>
Unforgettable Birthday By Oh Dongjun Nine-year-old Ji-yul is a popular boy at his school in rural South Korea. The teacher also likes him because he helps clean up the classroom. But Ji-yul had a problem. His friends did not want to come to his house to play after school. Ji-yul often went to their homes … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: Just as the Old Testament quotes itself (that is, some of the prophets would quote or refer to, for example, texts from the five books of Moses), the New Testament is filled with direct quotes, references, and allusions to the Old. Psalms, Isaiah, and Deuteronomy were among the most quoted. Often, too, the … Continue reading –>
The book of Hebrews, in all its depth and sublimity, was, in many ways, just one long exhortation to Jewish believers in Jesus. And what it exhorted them to do is: Stay faithful to the Lord! This faithfulness, of course, should stem from our love of God, of who He is and of His character and … Continue reading –>
Over and over, the Lord had warned Israel not to follow after the practices of the nations around them. On the contrary, they were to be witnesses to those nations (Deuteronomy 4:6-8). In Deuteronomy 18:9-14, Moses again warns them about their specific practices, which were an “abomination to the LORD” ( Deuteronomy 18.12-13). Read Deuteronomy 18:15-19. What is Moses … Continue reading –>
