God’s Chosen People
4: 32-40

God’s chosen people DIG: Isra’el the chosen people. If YHVH is known by His attributes and actions, what did the Israelites know about Him? Why does ADONAI choose Isra’el (verses 35 and 37)? In what ways do His actions fit His motive? Do you think God provided enough evidence to demonstrate His great love? Why or why not? What responses and results are expected (verses 39-40)? What suggestions does Moses give to parents to influence their children in a godly direction? Which of these, if any, do you most need to work on?

REFLECT: What events in your life do you see as God’s choosing of you? What Egypt has He taken you out of? What Mount Sinai has He spoken to you from? If God is known by His actions, what have you come to know about Him? What further evidence (of His love or your election) are you looking for? What do you believe the LORD wants from you? Why would He choose you? How are you demonstrating God’s greatness to the surrounding unbelievers in your life? What can you do this day to embrace God’s choice of you?

Moses returns to the need of Isra’el to obey ADONAI’s commandments wholeheartedly, and the motivation behind that obedience: who YHVH is and what He has done for them. He recalls for Isra’el the distinctiveness of their God, and reminds them why they were His chosen people.

In order to challenge Isra’el’s appreciation for and understanding of her God, Moses asks four rhetorical questions concerning ADONAI’s activity on her behalf.

First, indeed, ask now about the former days that were before you, from the day that God created man on the earth, and ask from one end of the sky to the other. Has there ever been such a great thing as this, or has anything like it been heard (4:32)? The invitation is thus to explore the whole panorama of human history to see if anything similar to Isra’el’s experience of God had been known before. Notice that Moses is not just saying that nothing greater has happened before, but that nothing like this at all has happened before!

Second, have people ever heard the voice of God speaking from the midst of the fire, as you have heard – and lived (4:33)? Moses was not asking, “Has anyone heard the voice of God and lived to tell about it?” Rather, he was emphasizing that no other nation had ever received direct revelation from its god (Psalm 147:19-20).

Third, for what great nation is there that has gods so near to them, as ADONAI our God is whenever we call on Him (4:7)? The only possible answer could be “No.”

And fourth, or has any god ever tried to come to take for himself a nation from within a nation – by trials like the ten plagues, by signs and wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great terrors – like all that ADONAI your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes (4:34)? What YHVH did in and through the events of the Exodus and the revelation of His Torah on Mount Sinai were unprecedented and unparalleled. Was this all done so that later YHVH would reject and replace her? Heaven forbid!

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You for being such a Mighty, Awesome and loving Father! When we think of Your wisdom in creating all land creatures on the sixth day (Genesis 1:24-26) by Your Word: the huge dinosaur and the tiny bunny rabbit, the swift cheetah and the slow turtle, and man with all his intricate internal systems! Praise Your Great power over fire by speaking out of a fiery bush that you kept from burning up! How Awesome Your Mighty power to take Your people out of the greatest power on earth at that time by judgment on their gods in the 10 Plagues (Exodus 12:12)! Praise You for always being near Your people (Hebrews 13:5). There is no god like you and we bow in reverent worship. In Your Holy Son’s name and power of the resurrection. Amen

Paul brings out the same argument in his letter to the church at Rome: Who are the Israelites? To them belong the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the Torah, and the Temple service, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs – and from them, according to the flesh, the Messiah, who is over all, God, blessed forever. Amen (Romans 9:4-5). Has Isra’el’s position changed? Not at all. Paul uses the present tense here, who are the Israelites. Not who were the Isrealites. These promises still belong to the Israelites today. Thus, the Hebrew Roots movement (see the commentary on Galatians, to see link click Ak – The Hebrew Roots Movement: A Different Gospel), and Replacement Theology are heretical.

It is interesting that Paul was already confronted with this heresy during his day. And his argument was especially strong in Galatians where he makes a distinction between the election of Isra’el that is eternal in the Abrahamic Covenant, and the Mosaic Covenant, which was temporary. What I am saying is this: Torah, which came 430 years later after God’s promise to Abraham was confirmed to Jacob, was an addition and does not cancel the covenant previously confirmed by God, so as to make the promise ineffective. For if the inheritance is based on the legal part of the Torah, which is the halakhah, or the rules governing Jewish life (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ei – The Oral Law), it is no longer based on a promise; therefore, it no longer comes from a promise. But God gave [the covenant] to Abraham by means of a promise (Galatians 3:17-18 CJB). Paul makes a great distinction here. Just because Isra’el is in the diaspora does not mean that God has rejected her. This was Moshe’s argument in Deuteronomy and Paul’s argument in his letters. These were two Jews who prayed earnestly, and were concerned with the welfare of their people.¹³³

The powerful point here is not simply that YHVH is one, or a belief in monotheism (as important as that might be). Rather, Moses proclaims that ADONAI , the God of Isra’el, is the exclusive, one-and-only true God. You were shown, so that you might know that ADONAI is God – there is no other besides Him (4:35). Moshe then circles back to remind God’s chosen people of their God’s greatness and what He has done for them.¹³⁴

The two features of ADONAI’s love for, and election of, Isra’el are stressed here. They are God’s chosen people. From the heavens He made you hear His voice to instruct you, and on earth He caused you to see His great fire – you heard His words from the midst of the fire. Because He loved your fathers, He chose their descendants after them. Then He brought you out from Egypt with His presence, by His great power – to drive out from before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in to give you their land for an inheritance, as it is this day (4:36-38). This land refers to the land of Sihon and Og which were already in Isra’el’s possession (see At – Isra’el’s Conquest of the Transjordan).

Based on all the wonderful things the LORD had done for them already. God’s chosen people are urged to acknowledge His utter uniqueness and obey His statutes (Hebrew: hachukkim, meaning to write into law permanently) and ordinances (Hebrew: hammishpatim, meaning a judgment of the court), with the result that this current generation, and all future generations, would experience YHVH’s abundant blessings. Thus, Moshe pleads on behalf of Isra’el, and he does it in the very same way that Paul does in Romans 9, 10 and 11.

When Moses gave the Torah to their parents at Mount Sinai, the emphasis was on the fear of Ha’Shem (Exodus 19:10-25), but his application of the Torah to this new generation magnified God’s love for Isra’el and the importance of the Israelites obeying God’s statutes and ordinances out of love for Him.¹³⁵ So, you will know today and take to heart that ADONAI, He is God, in the heavens above and on the earth below – there is no other. The word heart is mentioned more than forty times in Moshe’s speech, and the Sh’ma (see Bw – The Sh’ma) also emphasizes love for ADONAI. You must keep His statutes and His ordinances, which I am commanding you today, so that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and so that you may prolong your days in the land that ADONAI your God is giving you for all time (4:39-40).

As seen in 4:1, Moshe is not simply holding before Isra’el the hope of a permanent home in the Promised Land as a bribe or incentive. Granted, Isra’el’s obedience or disobedience to the covenant, and God’s expectations of them, did affect whether they would remain in the Land of Promise. Nevertheless, YHVH intended that Canaan would serve as a platform for His chosen people to demonstrate His greatness to the surrounding pagan nations for the undetermined future.¹³⁶

Discipline and Torah
4: 25-31

Torah and discipline DIG: What were ADONAI’s expectations of the covenant He cut with Isra’el? What does it mean to cut a covenant? What is God’s main concern here? What is significant about God calling heaven and earth as witnesses? Which generation is Moses addressing here? What were the implications of breaking the covenant? How can Ha’Shem’s discipline still be seen today for the Jews? What is Ha’Shem promise to Isra’el in the far eschatological future? What is the only way to find YHVH?

REFLECT: A life of ease has ruined many people. Have you become too complacent with God? If so, what are your next steps to rekindle your relationship? Without discipline can there be any love? Can a parent really love their children if they refuse to discipline them? What is the result when a child grows up with no blessing? With no discipline? Why do you need both? How has God blessed your life? In the long run, how has God’s discipline benefited you? A life of ease has ruined many people. Have you become too complacent with God? What does it mean for your daily life to seek God with all your heart and soul?

After the strong warning against idolatry, Moses now spells out the consequences of neglecting that warning. He passionately warns the Israelites against complacency.

ADONAI made a covenant with His people and He expected them to keep it. The word covenant is used at least twenty-seven times in Deuteronomy and comes from the Hebrew word berith, which can be translated to eat bread. The action involved in covenant making uses the phrase cut a covenant (see the commentary on Genesis, to see link click Eg – I am the LORD, Who Brought You Out of Ur of the Chaldeans to Give You This Land). In the Near East, when people formed a covenant or treaty that they would help and protect each other (Genesis 26:26-35), they broke bread together. When YHVH established His covenant with the generation of the Exodus, Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Isra’el broke bread before Ha’Shem on Mount Sinai (see the commentary on Exodus En – The Covenant Meal with the God of Isra’el). The terms of the covenant were simple: If Isra’el obeyed God’s statutes (Hebrew: hachukkim, meaning to write into law permanently) and ordinances (Hebrew: hammishpatim, meaning a judgment of the court), He would bless them; however, if they disobeyed, He would discipline them. Even so, He would show His love for them in both the blessing and the discipline (see the commentary on Hebrews Cz – God Disciplines His Children).¹²⁷

The discipline of Isra’el (4:25-28): Moshe would elaborate on the details of the warnings of the covenant later (see Fa – The Warnings of the Covenant), but here he warned this second generation if they did not obey the Torah, they would face godly discipline. They would be punished, scattered, and destroyed as a nation if they didn’t take their covenant responsibilities seriously. When (Hebrew: ki) you father children and children’s children and have been in the Promised Land a long time, and you become prosperous and complacent, and you act corruptly and make a graven image in the form of anything and do evil in the sight of ADONAI your God, provoking Him to anger (4:25). It is noteworthy that the text, here, opens with the word when (ki) and not if (Hebrew im). This led the rabbis to assert that, in addition to warning, this verse also contains a prediction that after 852 years (the numerical value of venovshantem, meaning and have remained long) the Israelites would be exiled. Actually, the destruction of the Temple (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Mt – The Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple on Tisha B’Av in 70 AD), and subsequent exile, took place after 850 years. But the sages taught that ADONAI, in His mercy, brought upon them the predicted retribution two years earlier to prevent the complete fulfillment of the prophecy, for you will certainly be destroyed.

When the families were settled, Moshe was concerned that they would become complacent about their relationship with ADONAI. He realized that the battles on the other side of the Jordan would result in honor and victory. But he feared that a complacent attitude would set in when things were going well. It was then that the Israelites were prone to forget God.¹²⁸

Dear Heavenly Father, You are such a wonderful and loving Father! May we never forget how much pain Your sacrifice of love for us cost you when You gave your Son as the sacrifice for our sin (John 1:29, Second Corinthians 5:21). May our hearts never become complacent but instead grow in joy and praise over how wonderful You are- all wise, all powerful, full of mercy and love! We love You! In Your holy Son’s name and power of resurrection. Amen

Then YHVH declared: I call heaven and earth to witness against you today (4:26a). Isaiah began his prophecy by calling the same two witnesses: Listen! Heavens, and hear, earth, for ADONAI has spoken (Isaiah 1:2a). And from there followed with one of the strongest indictments against the Jews and what they had done with what God had given them. But by the time of Isaiah it was already too late. How hard it must have been for Moshe to know in advance that the nation that he had led for forty years would fail.

These witnesses were permanent and unchanging, in contrast to the fickleness of mankind. When that happened Moses warned that you will certainly be carried off quickly from the Land you are crossing over the Jordan to possess. You will not prolong your days on it, for you will certainly be destroyed (4:26b). Moshe wanted Isra’el to understand that if covenantal faithfulness was missing, Isra’el had no claim to the Land. There was no divinely granted right to the Land they were entering without faithfulness to the covenant. If they violated their relationship with YHVH, their relationship with, or enjoyment of, the Land would be interrupted as well.¹²⁹

The implications of breaking the covenant are now given: ADONAI will scatter you among the peoples, and three-thousand-five-hundred years later the Jews are still living his prophecy. In 4:16-19, Moshe shows how idolatry reverses the divine order of creation. In a similar fashion, the godly discipline promised for rebellion represents a reversal of the Abrahamic covenant. YHVH promised to provide a great Land and a great people. However, the LORD also promised that He would drive His people out from the Land and drastically reduce their population if they practiced idolatry in rebellion against Him. And you will be left few in number among the nations where ADONAI will drive you (4:27). The Holy Land occupies a special position in the relationship between YHVH and His people. Since this relationship cannot exist anywhere else in the world, the mere presence of Israelites in the diaspora is equal to serving strange gods. The rabbis declared, “Whoever dwells outside the Holy Land is regarded as if he worships idols” (Ketub. 11ob).

And once in the diaspora, there you will serve man-made gods of wood and stone, which do not see or hear or eat or smell (4:28). There, the Israelites would once again choose to serve pagan gods. But they would discover the impotence of those gods (see the commentary on Jeremiah Ao – I Planted You Like a Choice Vine, from the Very Best Seed). If those gods could not perform the equivalent of even basic human functions, what hope was there of any saving power from them? The mightiest gods of Babylon, far from being any assistance to their worshipers in their hour of need, couldn’t even rescue their own fallen idols (see the commentary on Isaiah Ig – Bel Bows Down, Nebo Stoops Low and They Go Off Together to Captivity). Consequently, if Isra’el, knowing a God who had carried them on eagle’s wings (Exodus 19:4), wanted to go after gods they would have to carry themselves, then they had a hard lesson ahead.¹³⁰

However, there were two positive side-effects to the warning. First, if the people were disciplined through disobedience, the consequences of their actions would drive them back to God. Secondly, even in the midst of the warning, there is an element of hope. Though the people might be unfaithful, ADONAI would remain faithful.¹³¹

The election of Isra’el (4:29-31): This came right after Moses spoke of their failures and dispersion as if he knew of those who would come and falsely claim ownership of the covenants of God. Here, Moshe’s pleading for his people is timeless. No place would be too far and no time too distant for Isra’el to come back to YHVH. But from there you will seek ADONAI your God and you will find Him, when you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul (4:29). Even in the midst of disciplining His chosen people, ADONAI will not forget them.

In the far eschatological future, during the last three days of the Great Tribulation (Hosea 6:1-3), Isra’el come back to ADONAI . . . and ADONAI will come back to Isra’el (see the commentary on Revelation Ev – The Basis of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ) and set up His thousand-year Messianic Kingdom (see the commentary on Revelation Fh – The Dispensation of the Messianic Kingdom). YHVH declared: When you are in distress and all these things have come on you, in the latter days you will return (Hebrew: shub, meaning to repent, return, or to turn back to something or someone good) to ADONAI your God and listen to His voice (4:30). This verse is a serious blow to the heretical Hebrew Roots Movement (see the commentary on Galatians Ak – The Hebrew Roots Movement: A Different Gospel) and Replacement Theology which believes that all the promises to Isra’el have been transferred to the Church.

For ADONAI your God is a merciful (Hebrew: rahum, refers to the tender compassion of a mother toward her helpless infant) God. So even if Isra’el forgets her God, He will not abandon her or destroy her, or forget the covenant with her fathers that He swore to them (4:31). One feature of God’s covenant with Isra’el that differed from the usual political treaties of that day was the provision that a rebel could repent, return, and be forgiven. The prospect of beginning a new obedience and blessing was promised to these chosen people (see Bf – God’s Chosen People). In ancient political treaties, rebellion was seldom treated with mercy, even if the offending party repented. But God’s nature is vastly different from that of human rulers. His mercy is equal to His might.¹³²

Watch Yourselves Carefully
4: 15-24

Watch yourselves carefully DIG: Ancient peoples often used animal figurines to represent their gods, or characteristics of their gods. In what ways is this an attempt to control or limit these gods? Why would this be of such concern to Ha’Shem? What is the importance of god acting, yet remaining without form, at Horeb (Mount Sinai)? In what ways are the Israelites the image of the unseen God in verse 20? In what way is Moses’ inability to cross the Jordan a redemptive suffering for Isra’el (verses 21-24)? How could Moshe’s death strengthen their covenant relationship with ADONAI?

REFLECT: In what ways do we attempt to limit or control the LORD? How is this like the function of idols in the ancient world? Whatever is the most important thing in your life can become an idol. Modern-day idols can be sports, family, career, and even the worship of self. Even things that God has given us, and are good, like our family, spouse, children, or career, can become an idol if we are not careful. We need to watch ourselves carefully. Is ADONAI number one in your life, or has He slipped down to number two . . . or three . . . or?

ADONAI made mankind in His image, but idolaters make gods in their own images and thereby cheapen themselves, and insult God.

Watch yourselves carefully since [your parents] saw no form on the day that ADONAI spoke to [them] in Horeb (which is the name used for Mount Sinai in Deuteronomy) out of the midst of the fire (4:15). Since God did not represent Himself in physical form, Isra’el was not to represent Him in physical form. To disobey Ha’Shem’s commandment in this matter was to be in danger of divine judgment. So, this passage is a detailed commentary on the second commandment (to see link click Bm – Do Not Make Idols).¹²²

Moses reminded this second generation from the Exodus not replace YHVH with any human creation. Their parents had worshiped idols during the wilderness wanderings (Exodus 32:1-35; Numbers 25:1-3; Amos 5:25-27; Acts 7:39-43). Some possible objects that pagans might use in idolatrous worship are now given. Examples of most, if not all, of these could be found in the religion of the Canaanites, the Egyptians and the Hittites whose gods found their way into Israel.¹²³ So, this new generation needed to watch themselves carefully, so that they did not act corruptly and make for themselves an idol in the likeness of any figure – the form of a male or female, the form of any animal that is on the earth, the form of any winged bird that flies in the sky, the form of anything that creeps on the ground, the form of any fish that is in the water under the earth (4:16-18).

The warning and prohibition then move from the animal world to the cosmic sphere. The heavenly bodies were among the most powerful of the deities of the ancient Near East. Hence, the temptation to be enticed by them. Therefore, Moses reminded them, “Watch yourselves carefully, so that you do not lift up your eyes toward the heavens and see the sun and the moon and the stars – all the heavenly host – and are drawn away and bow down and worship them” (see the commentary on Genesis Lw – The Witness of the Stars). ADONAI had allotted them to all the peoples under all the heavens for their benefit, not that they were proper objects of worship (4:19). The list of “shapes” that idols might take is followed by mention of all the heavenly hosts. However, this order precisely reverses the order in the Genesis account, where the heavenly hosts were created first, then afterwards, the animals, fish and birds. The point, being made deliberately through this literary device, is that idolatry not only corrupts and diminishes God’s redemptive achievement for His people, but perverts and turns upside-down the whole created order.¹²⁴

Then Isra’el’s special status is described. While the other pagan nations worshiped the sun, moon and stars, ADONAI had taken Isra’el, and He brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt to be a people for His own inheritance, as you are this day (4:20). YHVH chose Abraham and his descendents to bring His blessings to the whole world (see the commentary on Genesis Dt – I Will Bless Those Who Bless You and Whoever Curses You I Will Curse), and in order to accomplish that important task, Isra’el had to be a separated people. As Isra’el’s Redeemer, YHVH had every right to demand absolute allegiance from her, and Isra’el had every obligation to give absolute allegiance to Him.

Each year when they celebrated Pesach, the Israelites would be reminded that they had been slaves in Egypt and the LORD had delivered them by His great power. They were His people. It was when Isra’el began to imitate surrounding pagan nations and worship their detestable gods that she ceased to be a nation wholly devoted to YHVH. Because she forgot her distinctive privileges, she lost her distinctive blessings. Today, we can learn a lesson from this. We are called to be a separated people who are not conformed to this world (Romans 12:1-2; Second Corinthians 6:14-7:1). Unless we are a separated people, wholly devoted to God, we can never follow Messiah’s example.¹²⁵

Then the passage takes an unexpected turn to God’s denial of Moshe’s entry into the Land (1:37-38, 3:23-28). The link is the theme of inheritance. The Israelites, who had a special status, belonged in a Land of their own, which was their inheritance. And it was into this inheritance that Moses could not go.¹²⁶ Furthermore, ADONAI was angry with me because of your words, and He swore that I would not cross over the Jordan or enter the good land that ADONAI your God is giving you for an inheritance (4:21). For I must die in this land of Mo’av; I am not crossing over the Jordan. But you will cross over and take possession of that good land (4:22). Not only would the previous generation disobey and die outside the Land; Moses, himself, would also die outside, as a witness to the consequences of disobedience.

Dear Heavenly Father, We love You! You are a wonderful Father! May we remember that our obtaining an inheritance is not Your responsibility- but ours. You are so ready to bless Your children but as a wise and loving Father You must discipline us when we do not follow You, “My son, do not take lightly the discipline of ADONAI or lose heart when you are corrected by Him, because ADONAI disciplines the one He loves and punishes every son He accepts.” (Hebrews 12:5-6). Even in trials may we keep our eyes fixed on the joy of pleasing You in all we do and think, just as Yeshua did. Focusing on Yeshua, the initiator and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame; and He has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2). In Your Holy Son’s name and power of resurrection. Amen

Therefore, watch yourselves carefully so that you do not forget the covenant of ADONAI your God, which He cut with you (see the commentary on Genesis Eg – I am the LORD, Who Brought You Out of Ur of the Chaldeans to Give You This Land), and make for yourselves a graven image in the form of anything that ADONAI your God has forbidden you. For ADONAI your God, is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29). He would purify what is precious (just as fire purifies precious metals) and destroy what is worthless (4:23).

For ADONAI is a jealous God (4:24). The reason that idols are not to be worshiped is that ADONAI is a jealous or zealous God. Idolatry practiced by the Israelites was looked upon as spiritual adultery, and constituted “forgetting” the covenant. The Hebrew term qanna’ combines the two concepts of jealousy and zeal (not envy or suspicion). So, zeal, or zealousness, meaning a passionate devotion to, would be a better term to use than jealous, which has negative, even petty connotations. Because God and Isra’el are viewed as married, Isra’el is viewed as the wife of ADONAI (Deuteronomy 5:1-3, 6:10-15, 7:6-11; Isaiah 54:1-8, 62:4-5; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezeki’el 16:8; Hosea 2:14-23), and idolatry would cause God’s zeal to burn like a husband’s zealousness would burn against an unfaithful wife (Hosea 2:2-5). For that very reason, the Israelites should not have worshiped other gods. God has a right to be zealous over what is rightfully His. As a result, this was not a petty jealousy, but a righteous zealousness.

Do Not Forget
4: 9-14

Do not forget DIG: When Moshe said, “Do not forget the things your eyes have seen,” what is the relationship between this directive and obedience to the Torah? What does this connection between God’s actions and His Torah tell you about how He works? What suggestions does Moses give to parents to influence their children in a godly direction? Which of these, if any, do you most need to work on?

REFLECT: When is it hardest for you to give God’s Word its due place in your life? What needs to happen this week to make sure that will happen? Can you recall a specific time when God’s Word brought clarity and guidance to your life? What happened? How did Scripture fill you with ache for God? When life gets busy, are you prone to forget God and His commandments? If not, how can you help others to remember.

Moses warns this second generation to be careful not to forget God’s expectations of them. He reminds them that God’s intangible appearance at Horeb to their parents was intended to instill in them the fear of Ha’Shem, and this generation should be no less fearful.

Only be watchful and watch over your soul closely, so you do not forget the things (Hebrew: ha-d’varim, meaning words, matters, things, commandments, events or reasons) your eyes have seen and they slip from your heart all the days of your life. They had never literally seen their God, but they had seen what their God had done. That is, in the Exodus from Egypt, and in the travels in the wilderness that had brought them to the plains of Mo’ab. This “forgetting” does not simply mean loss of memory, but actually failing to live in the light of ADONAI’s repeated intervention on their behalf. In other words, living as though those great and awesome events never took place.¹¹⁶ Isra’el was prone to forget YHVH and His commandments, and therefore needed to be reminded not to forget.

Dear Father God, You are Awesome! May we never forget Your love for us at the cross, taking on Yourself our punishment (Second Corinthians 5:19). When we see Your outstretched arms of love, may we also see the painful nail prints in Your hands and feet and bow in worship at how much Your love cost you to redeem us. May our own suffering for bearing Your name make us grateful for Your great pain that You paid to rescue us, and may we always keep our eyes on the joy of pleasing You (Second Corinthians 4:16-17).

The great events at Horeb so long ago were to be guarded carefully so they would not be forgotten. You are to make them known to your children and your children’s children (4:9). The educational thrust of Deuteronomy as a whole is reinforced by frequent instructions for parents to take their own teaching role within the family network of the nation very seriously (6:7 and 20ff, 11:19, 31:13, 32:46).¹¹⁷

After encouraging the people to observe God’s commandments, Moses continued to impress upon them that they should never forget the awesome event at Mount Sinai, where in the middle of the thunder and lightning they received those commandments. They needed to remember the fact that God revealed directly, and not through a mediator, His will to Isra’el, and no seer or dreamer could ever diminish the authority of the Torah.

Moshe reminded the people of the nation’s awesome experience at Horeb when Ha’Shem made His covenant with their parents. The day that [the nation] stood before ADONAI your God in Horeb (which is the name used for Mount Sinai in Deuteronomy), ADONAI said to me, “Gather the people to Me and I will make them hear My [Ten] words (to see link click Bk – The Ten Words), so that they learn to fear Me all the days that they live on the earth, and so that they teach their children” (4:10).

The fear of Ha’Shem is one of the dominating thoughts in the TaNaKh. It is a God-given response which enables a person to reverence YHVH, obey His commandments, and to hate evil (Proverbs 8:13; Jeremiah 32:40; Hebrews 5:7-8). It is the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10), it is the secret of godly living, and applies to all mankind (Ecclesiastes 12:13). The fear of ADONAI is given as one of the characteristics of the Messiah (Isaiah 11:2-3). God’s people in every age are urged to cultivate and walk in the fear of the LORD (Psalm 34:11; Jeremiah 2:19; Acts 9:31 and 10:2; Ephesians 5:21; Philippians 2:12).¹¹⁸

The details of the experience of Ha’Shem at Horeb/Sinai are vividly recalled for this second generation. Human words are quite inadequate to describe the Sh’khinah glory (see the commentary on Isaiah Ju – The Glory of the LORD Rises Upon You) and the awful majesty of God. The best Moses could do was to make symbolic expressions. He said, “Your parents came near and stood at the bottom of the mountain while the mountain was blazing with fire up to the heart of the heavens – darkness, cloud, and fog. ADONAI spoke to them from the midst of the fire. The sound of words they heard, but a form they did not see – only a voice was audible” (4:11-12). It has been observed that the Jewish culture never developed a visual religious culture, unlike the Greeks. Part of that reason lies in the imageless nature of Isra’el’s worship: the form they did not see. YHVH was to be heard, and through hearing, obeyed.¹¹⁹

But this was not a stern, one-way proposition. It was a relationship. Deuteronomy preserves the balance between obedience to God’s statues (Hebrew: hachukkim, meaning to write into law permanently) and ordinances (Hebrew: ham mishpatim, meaning a judgment of the court), and a relationship with Him through the constant emphasis on the extraordinary grace of ADONAI at the Exodus and in the wilderness. The response to these acts of God is love. Our primary relationship to God should be love. If we possess this kind of love, we will be completely obedient and loyal to Him. The Ten Words need to be written on our hearts, or the gospel will be lost and seen merely as a set of rules (see the commentary on Jeremiah Eo – The Days are Coming, declares the LORD, When I Will Make a New Covenant with the People of Isra’el).¹²⁰

God declared to you His covenant, which He commanded you to do – the Ten Words (Hebrew: ha-d’varim) – and He wrote them on two tablets of stone which were visible for all the people to see (4:13). There is a partial identification here of the covenant and the Ten Words. The covenant has, however, much more to it than the general stipulations (see Bj – The First Address: The General Stipulations of the Covenant); there are also specific stipulations (see Cr – The Second Address: The Specific Stipulations of the Covenant). And part of the evidence that Isra’el had accepted the conditions of the covenant was that she lived by YHVH’s statutes and ordinances. In a later day, James would say it like this: Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith by my works (James 2:18).¹²¹

Then Moses added: ADONAI commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and ordinances so that you might do them in the Land you are crossing over to possess (4:14). Apart from the Ten Words, all the other commandments were proclaimed by YHVH to Isra’el through Moses, who, by that time, was accepted as the faithful prophet of God.

Hear and Obey
4: 1-8

Hear and obey DIG: What two reasons does God give for the necessity of His Torah to the new nation? What do these reasons reveal about God’s expectations for His people? Read Deuteronomy 23-28, 31:18-21, and Jeremiah 7:1-34. Remember that the First Temple was destroyed because of the practice of idolatry and breaking our side of the covenant. Does our covenant with YHVH end when we break it? What is the secret to Jewish success?

REFLECT: What motivates you to godly obedience? First John 5:3 says that God’s “commandments are not burdensome.” How do you experience God’s commandments? What is wisdom? How is wisdom different from human intelligence? What is the source of wisdom? What are some benefits of knowing and obeying God’s wisdom? Would an unbeliever’s commentary on your life resemble what the nations say about Isra’el? Why or why not? How does this make you feel?

Moses commands Isra’el to hear and obey God’s statutes and ordinances so that they will enjoy ADONAI’s blessings, and the surrounding pagan nations would recognize the wisdom and greatness of Isra’el’s Torah, and of Isra’el’s God.

The Israelites were standing at the door of the Promised Land. A Land said to be flowing with milk and honey. By this time, they understood that this Land was not going to be given to them on a silver platter. They had to fight their way in and they had to fight hard to keep it. However, ADONAI never promised them, and He doesn’t promise us that life will be without struggles. But for the believers of every age, God is always with us.

Having concluded his words of rebuke and pointing out that their fathers, as well as himself, had forfeited their right of entering the Promised Land on account of their sins, Moses now turned to the people with the assurance that they were destined to take possession of the Land, on the condition that they remained faithful to God and His Torah.

Chapter 4 is in essence a miniature sermon on the covenant and the Torah, in which the “sermon” prepares the way for the presentation of the Ten Words (to see link click Bk – The Ten Words), and the other statutes (Hebrew: hachukkim, meaning to write into law permanently) and ordinances (Hebrew: hammishpatim, meaning a judgment of the court) that will begin in Chapter 5.¹⁰⁷ This chapter can also be considered a version of the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-17) in the TaNaKh. Moshe begins with the belt of truth, which represents the Word of God

And now (Hebrew: veatah), refers back to the previous narration (see Bc – Do Not Forget). It is preparatory to the appeal to obey here. It was as if Moshe was saying, “And now, in the light of ADONAI’s acts of deliverance, you should obey His commandments” (Exodus 19:5; Deuteronomy 10:12; Joshua 24:14).¹⁰⁸

O Isra’el, hear (Hebrew: shema, occurs almost one hundred times in Deuteronomy) to the statutes and ordinances, representing the Word of God, that I am teaching you to do, so that you may live. Hearing and obeying the Word of God was Isra’el’s very life. When YHVH speaks, He sets before us life and death (30:15-20). Not only was Isra’el’s life dependent on obedience to the Torah, but so was her victory over the enemy. Her obedience would enable her to go in and possess the Land that ADONAI the God of your fathers was giving her (4:1). God gave the Torah to Isra’el through Moses to provide parameters for Isra’el’s conduct, not to function as a museum piece.¹⁰⁹ How could the LORD go before His people and give them victory if they weren’t following Him obediently (1:30)?

Dear Heavenly Father, How Awesome You are! You are such a wonderful and loving Father! Forgive us for focusing on Your love and forgiveness and forgetting the very painful price You paid for our redemption and rescue from sin’s punishment. (Second Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 7:27, 9:11-15). We need to remember that just like for Isra’el, You go before us and give victory we need to be obedient. We worship You and rejoice in loving and following You. In Your holy Son’s name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Believers today must find their victory in life from God’s Word. Unless we know what ADONAI commands, we can’t obey Him. But if we know His commandments, believe them, and obey them, then His power goes to work in our lives. And His commandments are not burdensome (First John 5:3). Obeying the LORD becomes a joyful privilege when you realize that His commandments are expressions of His love, assurances of His strength, invitations to His blessing, opportunities to grow and bring Him glory, and occasions to enjoy His love and fellowship as we seek to please Him. God’s Word is an open door into the treasury of His grace.¹¹⁰

Although the actual pronouncement of the Torah does not begin until the following chapters, the nature and purpose of the Torah are explained here, so that the obedience that is called for will not be blind obedience, but an obedience based on understanding. The emphasis is on teaching the Torah because the Torah is the basis of the covenant.¹¹¹

Here Moshe links Isra’el’s welfare and enjoyment of the Promised Land to her obedience to the Word of God. The duty of obedience and the gift of the Land were interdependent. Later in this same chapter, he elaborates on the same idea: You must keep His statutes and His ordinances, which I am commanding you today, so that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and so that you may prolong your days in the Land that ADONAI your God is giving you for all time (4:40). The idea that righteousness lengthens life and sin shortens it, is common in the TaNaKh (Proverbs 3:1-2 and 16, 10:27).

How would the Israelites guard the Word of God? The Ruach ha-Kodesh had Moshe write: You must not add to the word that I am commanding you or take away from it – in order to keep the statutes and ordinances of ADONAI your God that I am commanding you for it diminishes its divine purpose (4:2). Tragically, the Israelites eventually elevated the Oral Law (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ei – The Oral Law) to a place equal, or even superior to, the Torah, even though Moshe had warned against that here. Almost every heresy and sect has originated in a supposed revelation or a new experience on the part of its founder, something outside the teachings of the Bible. It is the elevation of experience over the authority of Scripture that grieves the Ruach ha-Kodesh most of all.

The changes and modification made to the Word of God have resulted in tragedy in the history of Isra’el and also in the history of the Church. A vivid illustration of the fact that disobedience to the commandments of YHVH brings destruction and death is now given. It all began in the Garden of Eden, where Adam and Eve fell because they added and took away from the Word of God. The Serpent began by putting a doubt in the mind of Eve when he said to the woman, “Did God really say: You must not eat from any tree in the garden? You will not surely die (3:1b and 4), when ADONAI had clearly declared: You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die (3:3). This paved the way for the fall of all mankind, and the same mistake is at the root of Isra’el’s suffering over the ages.

This was the same complaint of the prophets, who, like Moshe, linked Isra’el’s ultimate punishment of being banished from the Land as a result of her disregard and modification of the Word of God. Isaiah said: Therefore, My people are in captivity for lack of knowledge (Isaiah 5:13), and Hosea said it this way: My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6).

When Yeshua came to the earth, He also assessed the reason for Isra’el’s afflicted state when He said: You are making void the Word of God with your tradition that you’ve handed down (Mark 7:13). How many times did Messiah warn Jewish religious leaders not to add or take away from the Scriptures? Have you never read the Scriptures (Matthew 21:42)? Haven’t you read what was spoken to you by God (Matthew 22:31)? Isn’t this the reason you’ve gone astray because you don’t understand the Scriptures (Mark 12:24)? And today these words still apply. Isra’el needs to understand that their individual and national salvation is found in God and His Word. This tragedy extends to the Church as well. We see similar warnings in every epistle about keeping the Word of God and avoiding false teachers. This is why the B’rit Chadashah ends with John’s stern warning: I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book. If anyone adds to them, God shall add to him the plagues that are written in the book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his share in the Tree of Life and the Holy City, which are written in this book (Revelation 22:18-19).

The cults add to the words of the Bible and the liberals take them away. The form of the warning comes from Deuteronomy 4:2, where God admonishes Isra’el, “Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of ADONAI your God that I give you.” The Israelites were to worship their God in total and complete obedience. His Word is sufficient and complete. In Deuteronomy 12:32 Moshe added: See (Hebrew: r’eh) that you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away from it. Proverbs 30:5-6 warns: Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words, or He will rebuke you and prove you a liar. Therefore, the prohibition against altering the words of Revelation by implication extends to the entire Bible (see the commentary on Revelation Gd – If Anyone Adds to the Words of this Book, God Will Add to Them the Plagues Described).¹¹²

Using an emotional illustration from their own history, Moshe refers to the incident at Peor when their very lives depended on total obedience to God’s Word. Your eyes have seen what ADONAI did at Peor, for ADONAI your God has destroyed from among you everyone who followed the false god Ba’al of Peor (4:3). If Isra’el’s rebellion at Kadesh Barnea represented the lowest point in her relationship with YHVH, their rebellion at Ba’al Peor was the freshest in their memory (Numbers 25:1-9; Psalm 106:28; Hosea 9:10). Moses recalled the fact that all who followed the false god Ba’al at Peor had perished, and they who remained faithful to God were still alive. This testified to Moshe’s teaching that obedience to God’s commandments meant life.

Balaam tried to put a curse on the Jews, but it didn’t work (Numbers 23 and 24). So, he tried a different tactic. He found a weakness in the men of Isra’el. At his direction, the women of Mo’ab and Midian were sent out to entice the Jewish men, and they did not come alone. They brought their gods with them. Eventually Balaam prevailed and his plot worked. The men of Isra’el fell and the whole nation was cursed. This was an example of what happens when the Word of God is neglected. Idolatry infiltrated Isra’el and 24,000 died because of the plague that ADONAI had sent against them.

The problem of idolatry has affected the Church as well. Yeshua addressed this when He said to the church in Pergamum: Nevertheless, I have a few things against you. You have some people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality (2:14). Like many today, they had failed to heed to biblical warnings against worldliness. Consequently, it was flirting and in danger of falling in love with the world. This was a fitting warning because it was addressed to the church in Pergamum which represented the Church during the Age of Constantine (see the commentary on Revelation Bb – The Church at Pergamum). Pergamum literally means thoroughly married, and as the body of Messiah became thoroughly married to the Roman Empire. The wheat, in effect, married the weeds (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ev – The Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds). As the idol worship gained acceptance in the Church, it declined in spiritual blessing and power. In reality, like the Jews at Ba’al Peor, the church at Pergamum began to commit spiritual adultery.¹¹³

At Peor, the Jewish men who refused the invitation to idolatry and remained true to the LORD were still alive. But you who held tight to ADONAI your God are alive today – all of you (4:4). It is the same for us today. The Word of God is our lifeline, and obeying God’s Word keeps us in fellowship with Him (Second Corinthians 6:14-7:1). God’s people must be careful not to become too friendly with the world (James 4:4), because this leads to loving the world (First John 2:15-17), and being conformed to the world (Romans 12:2). This kind of lifestyle invites the discipline of YHVH (see the commentary on Hebrews Ci – If We Deliberately Keep On Sinning, No Sacrifice For Sins is Left).

More and more people are asking in the world, “What is the secret of the Jews? Why and how do they succeed?” We try to analyze all the reasons for our knowledge, such as our education, languages, mathematics, money management, music, and a thousand different studies that try to put our finger on the best-kept secret as Jews. The Torah cracks open this secret and reveals it to everyone: See, just as ADONAI my God commanded me, I have taught (Hebrew: limmadti, a perfect verb indicating past actions that are seen as now completed) you statutes and ordinances to do in the Land that you are about to enter to possess. You must keep and do them, for it is your wisdom and understanding in the eyes of the peoples, who will hear all these statutes and say: Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people (4:5-6).

The secret of wisdom is in the Word of God. How blessed are those who reject the advice of the wicked, don’t stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers! Their delight is on ADONAI’s Torah; on His Torah they meditate night and day. They are like trees planted by streams of water, they bear fruit in season, their leaves never wither, everything they do succeeds (Psalm 1:1-3). The secred of wisdom is God’s Word. In knowing God’s word, the people of Isra’el would not only succeed in their mission but they would also be witnesses to the other pagan nations around them, who placed great value on wisdom. And we need to know and obey His wisdom if our lives are to please and glorify Him. For the world’s wisdom is foolishness in the sight of God (First Corinthians 3:19), and those who follow it will be disappointed. In the TaNaKh, the word wisdom has to do with character rather than human intelligence and describes the ethical use of knowledge.¹¹⁴

Finally, the distinctiveness in Isra’el’s relationship with ADONAI is made clear. The covenant would distinguish Isra’el from her neighbors. Unlike their distant relationship with remote and inaccessible gods, Isra’el’s loving relationship with YHVH would amaze the Gentile nations. Isra’el would be respected by the peoples of the world if they would obey and practice the Torah, with a full understanding. For what great nation is there that has gods so near to them, as ADONAI our God is whenever we call on Him? What great nation is there that has statutes and ordinances that are righteous – like all of this Torah that I am setting before you today (4:7-8)? Ha’Shem’s Torah would exceed everything that the goyim had ever heard. And as those nations were amazed at Isra’el’s greatness, they would also be amazed at Isra’el’s God.¹¹⁵

Moshe Exhorts God’s People
to Obey the Torah
4: 1-40

The Israelites were encamped on the edge of the Promised Land for about three months. It had probably been over seven months since they began their final approach to the Land. The events that occurred during that seven month time may have proceeded as follows: the peaceful passing through Edom, Moab, and Ammon; the conquest of Sihon and Og; the beginning of settling into the inheritance by the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half-tribe of Manassah, while the rest of the tribes set up camp across the Jordan River from Jericho; Moses’ completion of the book of Deuteronomy and presentation of it to the people; Moshe’s death; the mourning of God’s people for him; and the preparation of God’s people for entrance into Canaan.¹⁰⁶

The first three chapters of Deuteronomy were a history lesson about the failure of the generation of the Exodus and conquests of the new generation. Having traced the highlights of their experience over the past forty years, Moses now draws conclusions from that experience and urges a course of action that will affect both the present and the future. He pleads with them to follow God and live in covenant faithfulness – trusting in the promises of the covenant and obeying the obligations of the covenant. Chapter 4 is, therefore, in essence, a miniature sermon on the covenant and the Torah. It prepares the way for the presentation of the Ten Words, and God’s expectations of His servant-nation in the General Stipulations of the Covenant in Chapters 5:1 to 11:32.

The Eternal Torah
Matthew 5: 17-20

B’rit Chadashah believers should also love the Torah because it is the Word of God, and it is eternal. At Shavu’ot about three thousand were saved (see the commentary on Acts An – Peter Speaks to the Shavu’ot Crowd). But around thirty years later, tens of thousands of believers were still zealous for the Torah (Acts 21:20). Therefore, the Torah is not merely for the righteous of the TaNaKh. Even Rabbi Sha’ul said: The Torah is holy (Romans 7:12), and gives freedom (James 1:25).

Messiah is the model disciple, the perfect Son who fulfilled all righteousness by completely obeying the Father’s will (Matthew 4:4 and 10). As humanly possible, that same obedience should characterize believers today. Obedience to God was to be a priority in the disciple’s life (Matthew 6:33), and complete devotion to God the Father was the goal (Matthew 5:48). Thus, this same righteousness and faithfulness to God the Father and His commandments that is seen in the words of Messiah here (Matthew 5:17-20), not only speaks to the true nature of the Torah, but also its relationship to Messiah.

Do not think I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish, but to complete (Matthew 5:17 CJB). Messiah completed the Torah in that He accomplished all that the Torah or the Prophets had said of Him and His coming. Therefore, Messiah provided us with the fullest meaning of the Torah as demonstrated in His life and teachings.

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You for Your holiness and that You never change. Praise You for Your Torah that You used to guide the children of Isra’el in how to live holy lives – for You, God, are holy; so unlike the gods of Egypt where Isra’el had just left behind. Praise You for how You use the Torah now as our guardian to lead us to realize that no one can follow perfectly all of 613 commandments written therein (Galatians 3:24); for we are saved not by works but by our faith in Yeshua as our perfect High Priest who always lives. Therefore, He is also able to save completely those who draw near to God through Him, always living to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25). Praise You for making a way for us to be purified by Your Son’s fulfilling all of the Torah and giving those who love and follow Him, His perfect righteousness (First Corinthians 5:7, Second Corinthians 5:21). In Your Holy Son’s name and power of resurrection. Amen

Yes indeed! I tell you that until heaven and earth pass away, not so much as a yud or a stroke will pass from the Torah – not until everything that must happen has happened (Matthew 5:18 CJB). The yud is the smallest letter in the Hebrew Alef-Bet, and the stroke refers to the tiny artistic marks on the tops of Hebrew letters. By saying this, Yeshua reminded his listeners that neither the smallest letter nor even the tiniest part of a letter of the Torah would ever be done away with.

The rabbis teach that when ADONAI gave the Torah to Isra’el, He inserted both positive and negative commandments and gave commands, saying: The king must not acquire a great number of horses for himself . . . neither shall he take many wives or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold (Deuteronomy 17:16-17). But Solomon arose and studied the reason for God’s decree, and said, “Why did ADONAI command this? Well, I will acquire a great number of horses, take many wives, and still my heart will not be led astray. Because God granted him a wise and discerning heart (First Kings 3:12), Solomon thought that he could marry as many wives as he wanted.

At that time the yud, the first letter of the Hebrew phrase yarbeh (that means the king must not take many wives), went up on high and prostrated itself before ADONAI and said, “Master of the Universe! Have you not said that no letter shall ever be abolished from the Torah? Behold, Solomon has now arisen and abolished one. Who knows? Today one, tomorrow another, until the whole Torah will be nullified.” And God responded by saying, “Solomon and a thousand like him will pass away, but the smallest letter will not be cancelled from you.”

Therefore, it is interesting to see that Messiah agreed with this teaching, and as believers, we should strive to obey God and all of His commands. For as Messiah said: If you love Me, you will obey what I command (John 14:15).

So, whoever disobeys the least of the commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But whoever obeys them and so teaches others to do so will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5:19 CJB). Actions speak louder than words. The teacher must apply the doctrine personally before being able to teach it to others. The scribes and the Pharisees did not practice what they preached (Matthew 23:2-4). Messiah demands from us a much higher form of righteousness than the hypocrisy of false teachers.

For I tell you that unless your righteousness is far greater than that of the Torah-teachers and Pharisees, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5:20 CJB). Here the term far greater can best be translated as far exceeds. Like a river overflowing its banks, it is something that far exceeds the norm. In this context, Yeshua is teaching us that the righteousness that He requires is one of genuine holiness, which far exceeds the hypocritical standards of the world.

In fact, not only does ADONAI require genuine holiness, He requires perfect righteousness. To be qualified for God’s kingdom we must be as holy as the King Himself. But of course, this is a standard we can never obtain by our own efforts. We are spiritually dead in our sinfulness. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). It is only through the grace of God, for while we were still sinners, Messiah died for us (Romans 5:8). When we trust/have faith/believe in Him, all His righteousness is transferred to our spiritual bank account. That is the greatest transaction in history, our sin for His righteousness! We are then justified and considered perfect in His sight. What Messiah is saying here in this passage, is that the Torah is not abolished in this process – but completed. The true path of the true believer is demonstrated through obedience to ADONAI and His Torah.

During the Torah procession in messianic synagogues today, believers in Messiah kiss their bibles and then touch the Torah as it passes by. They believe that the Torah points us to Yeshua, and represents the holiness and purity of God. This custom is taken from the Psalms, where the Ruach ha-Kodesh instructs us to kiss the Son (Psalm 2:12).

Therefore, Messiah, as the perfect expression of obedience to God the Father, did not come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets, but instead He completes our understanding of the Torah by calling us to live lives in obedience to His commandments. Not for salvation, but as a blueprint for living. Solomon referred to the Torah when he wrote: She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed (Proverbs 3:18).

Lord, bind our hearts to Your Torah.

Moshe and the Torah
20: 1-26

One of the great events in the history of Isra’el, and also in the history of mankind, was God giving the Torah to the children of Isra’el through Moshe. It was not given so that the Israelites, by keeping it, could attain righteousness (see the commentary on Galatians Bj – The Righteous Shall Live by Faith). A righteous standing before God has always been by faith in God alone (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3 and 22, 5:1; Galatians 2:16, 3:6 and 21). The Torah functioned, and continues to function, to teach the Israelites about both righteousness and their sinfulness (Romans 3:19-20b). Rabbinic tradition teaches that there are two main sections of the Torah: 248 positive commandment and 365 negative commands, which together comprise the 613 mitzvot of the Torah. 248 is said to be the number of bones in the human body and 365 represents every day of the solar year. Hence, Jews are called on to perform the mitzvot every day of their lives with all their being (Tractate Makkot 23b).

We do not worship the Torah. But when we give reverence to it, we practice the reverence that we will give to the Messiah when He comes again. In fact, the Torah means the teacher and the rabbis believe that the Torah is the light of the world.

The Torah was given by means of angels. There are many Jewish traditions that are passed down but are ignored in the B’rit Chadashah and therefore carry no validity. However, there are other traditions contained in Jewish writings that apparently do have weight because the B’rit Chadashah validates them. Nowhere in the TaNaKh are we told that when Moshe received the Torah he received it from angels. Nevertheless, the fact that God gave the Torah by means of angels is validated three times in the B’rit Chadashah (Acts 7:53; Galatians 3:19; Hebrews 2:2).

What was the purpose of the Torah? Well, one thing we know for sure, it was never intended to be a means of salvation. Because if that were true, it would mean that salvation was by works. The clear teaching of Scripture is that salvation is always by grace through faith, plus nothing. However, the content of faith changed from dispensation to dispensation. And what the content of faith was in different dispensations was determined by the amount of revelation that ADONAI had given up to that time. Progressive revelation teaches: God did not choose to give all of the Scriptures at one time, but they were recorded for over sixteen hundred years by about forty different authors. The more Scripture that was given, the more revelation was given and man had greater knowledge of what it meant to be saved.

Therefore, if the Torah was not meant to save anyone, what was its purpose?
There were seven basic purposes.

First, it revealed the holiness of God. It revealed the standard of righteousness that God demanded. One would not have to read many of the six hundred and thirteen commandments to realize that he or she had broken quite a few of them. One would conclude that it was hopeless to be saved by works.

Dear Heavenly Father, We worship You! Please forgive us for so often we have not given You due reverence as the perfect and holy King of all kings (Revelation 19:16). We need to remember that You are both our Father and the Holy King of kings. Praise You that You have taken as Your children all who love and follow Yeshua as Lord (John 1:12, First John 3:1, 3). Praise You that You live in Your children (Romans 8:9, 11; First Corinthians 6:19; Second Timothy 1:14) and have given us Your power to conquer temptation (First Corinthians 10:13) so that we can follow You in purity (First John 3:3).We love You our wonderful and Holy Father. In the name of Your Holy Son and the power of His resurrection. Amen

Second, it was to provide a blueprint for living for the righteous of the TaNaKh (Romans 3:20 and 28). The way they demonstrated their faith was by striving, although never succeeding, to keep the Torah.

Third, it was to serve as a barrier, or a dividing wall of hostility separating Jews and Gentiles (Ephesians 2:14). As long as the Torah was in effect, Gentiles could not enjoy the spiritual blessings of the Jewish covenants. The only way they could was: to become converts to Judaism, put themselves under total subjection to the Torah, submit to it by means of circumcision and in all practical purposes, live as any Jew would live. So only Gentiles as converts to Judaism, but not Gentiles as Gentiles, could enjoy those Jewish spiritual blessings.

Fourth, the Torah was to reveal sin (Romans 3:19-20, 5:20, 7:7). After reading the Torah no one could claim to be without sin. The Torah was like a mirror being held up to each Israelite to reveal his or her own sin.

Fifth, interestingly enough, was to make people sin more (Romans 4:15, 7:8-13). Our sin nature actually uses the Torah as a basis of operation because where there is no commandment there is no transgression of it. For example, as soon as the Torah said: You shall not, the sin nature says, “Oh, yes I will.” Or if the Torah said you will do this or that, the sin nature says, “Oh, no I won’t.” Suddenly, the sin nature had a base of operation, the Torah. Paul goes on to state that the problem was not with the Torah because it was holy, righteous and ordained by God. The problem was our sin nature. The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Torah (First Corinthians 15:56). Plus, those who felt they were keeping the commandments of the Torah judged others that they felt were not keeping the commandments.

Sixth, it was to teach the way of righteousness. The Hebrew word Torah is derived from the Hebrew root yarah, which means to shoot an arrow or to teach. Torah means teaching or instruction that is true and straight as if the words of Torah are shot in a direct path like an arrow, with power and force for living life to the fullest.

Seventh, and most important purpose of the Torah, was to lead Jews to faith in the Messiah. Rabbi Sha’ul stated that the Torah was our guardian to lead us to the Messiah that we might be justified by faith (see the commentary on Galatians Bm – The Torah Became our Guardian to Lead Us to Messiah). If we really learned the lesson of the fourth purpose, that no one could claim to be without sin; and the lesson of the fifth purpose, that our sin nature causes us to sin more, that will lead to the sixth purpose, that is to lead us to faith in the Messiah because we would understand that it would be impossible to fulfill His perfect, righteous standard.

Moshe Pleads
3: 23-29

Moshe pleads DIG: What does Moses’ prayer reveal about his relationship with YHVH? Who do you think was responsible for Moshe’s rebellion at Meribah? The Israelites who provoked him? Or Moshe himself? Why? How did Moses accept the sovereignty of ADONAI? Was his request appropriate? What do you think it was like for Moshe to look at the Promised Land and know he wasn’t going to be able to enter in after all he had done to get the people there? What do you think it was like for Moshe to commission Joshua?

REFLECT: When have you, like Moses, been prevented from experiencing a much-awaited event? How did you feel? What did you do? At what stage of your walk with the LORD are you in: (a) On the outside looking in? (b) Waiting to cross over? (c) Newly arrived on the other side? (d) Taking possession of God’s gift? What are you doing to prepare yourself to move on to the next stage? Who in your congregation is ADONAI encouraging you to assist along the way? What barriers will you have to overcome together? When have you paid a very high price when you failed to accept the “NO!” that God gave you?

Parashah 45: va’Et’chanan (I pleaded) 3:23-7:11
(to see link click Af – Parashah)

The Key Person is Moshe, continuing to speak to all Isra’el.

The Scene is the wilderness east of the Promised Land. The Israelites were in the land of Mo’av, just east of the Jordan River, waiting to enter the Promised Land.

The Main Events include Moses’ pleading to enter the Land with his people. But ADONAI said, “No!” Other events were God warning against idolatry and intermarriage, establishing cities of refuge, repeating the Ten Words for the next generation, introducing the first and greatest mitzvah to love God, known as the Sh’ma, and reminding the people that YHVH would be faithful to keep His covenant with those who obey.⁹⁷

Moses fervently requested ADONAI’s permission to enter the Land of Promise, but would only be allowed a panoramic view from the top of Mount Pisgah. YHVH commanded Moshe to invest his final energies in preparing Joshua for his leadership of the nation of Isra’el.

I pleaded (Hebrew va’etchannan, the verb is pluperfect, meaning I had previously prayed) with ADONAI for His grace at that time. Respectfully, he interlaced praise with a plea, saying: O Lord ADONAI, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your strong hand – for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do deeds and mighty acts like Yours? Please! Let me cross over and see the good land across the Jordan – that good hill country and Lebanon (3:23-25). Here we see the tragedy of Moses’ position. He had begun to see the marvelous works of the LORD, from the Exodus to the conquest of the Transjordan. But now, just when the climax was drawing near, he would be unable to see YHVH’s fulfillment of the ancient promise. It was a promise to which he had devoted his whole life, and the thought that he would not see its fulfillment was too much for him to accept without question.⁹⁸ Joshua, who foreshadowed Yeshua Messiah, would be the one to bring the people into the Promised Land.

God did not show any favoritism to Moses. The Great Moses, the deliverer of Isra’el from Egyptian slavery, the giver of the Torah, pleaded with Ha’Shem to allow him one small favor, and just let him cross the Jordan river and step into the Promised Land that was promised to Abraham and his descendants forever. But Moshe’s tearful plea for mercy fell short (Hebrews 12:17).

Moshe then declared to the people, “ADONAI was angry with me because of you, so He would not listen to me.” Once again (1:37), Moses pointed out to the Israelites that because of them YHVH was angry with him and would not allow him to enter the Promised Land. Moshe was not insisting that he was blameless and punished despite his innocence; rather, Isra’el’s rebellious conduct at Meribah (Numbers 20) may have prompted Moses’ sin, but their behavior did not excuse his rebellion from God’s clear instructions not to strike the rock. Although Moshe was affected by Isra’el’s rebellious heart, he, himself, had sinned against the LORD (Numbers 20:12; Deuteronomy 32:51). Whether Isra’el provoked him or not, God held Moses accountable for his own sin.⁹⁹

ADONAI said to me, “(Hebrew: rav-lach) Enough (implying he had been making a persistent request)! Do not speak to Me anymore about this matter” (3:26). How ironic that YHVH’s (Hebrew: rav-lachem) to the younger generation commanded entry (1:6), whereas God’s rav-lach to Moshe barred entry into the very same Land. This conversation reveals the deep relationship between God and a man that is rarely seen in all the Bible except perhaps between Jeremiah and Ha’Shem. It also heightens the feeling of tragedy in the life of a man who devoted his life to fulfilling God’s promise for Isra’el, but knew he would never see its completion.¹⁰⁰ The depth of the pain and disappointment that the divine refusal caused Moses can be seen in the number of times he refers to it (1:37, 3:26, 4:21, 31:2, 32:48-52, 34:4). So, even if he stopped talking to YHVH about it, he didn’t stop reminding the Israelites about it.¹⁰¹

It’s hard for us to accept the answer “no,” especially today. We live in a generation in which we think we deserve everything. No matter what, if we make an effort and work hard enough, we can receive all of our heart’s desires. This is a tremendous lesson for all of us. We should be prepared to accept the answer “no” from ADONAI. For instance, no to healing, no to success, no to our various requests and pleas. It is not pleasant, but in our prayer, there must be a willingness to accept the refusal of YHVH. We can, and should, continue to plead for the members of our community, our family, and our health, but in the end, our prayer should be: Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). We continue to serve ADONAI in sickness and in health. We are vessels in the hands of God. We are faithful servants, instruments of blessing, vessels of honor in the hands of Ha’Shem. If God wants us to continue to serve Him in sickness, so be it. We will serve Him to the best of our ability.¹⁰²

Moses’ generation did not see the Land before dying (1:35-36), but Moses got the chance to see it from afar (see Gj – The Death of Moses). Go up to the top of Mount Pisgah, look around to the west and the north and the south and the east, and see with your eyes – for you will not cross over this Jordan” (3:27). In fact, Moses’ death is not recorded until Chapter 34, so that the whole book of Deuteronomy, like book-ends, is framed between the announcement of Moshe’s impending death and the announcement of his actual death.¹⁰³

Also, and almost incredibly, the LORD will redeem His words to Moses. Following his death, Moshe, with his glorified body, will awaken inside the Land of Promise, next to Elijah and Messiah, in full view of Yeshua’s closest apostles (see the commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Gb – Jesus took Peter, James and John Up a High Mountain where He was Transfigured).¹⁰⁴

With all possibility of Moshe crossing the Jordan removed, the words of the LORD returned to Joshua. But commission Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, a task for which Moses himself would require great strength and graciousness, for it was not easy to pass on the office of command to a younger and less experienced man. For he will cross over before this people, and he will enable them to inherit the land that you will see. So, we stayed in the valley opposite Beth-peor, and from there they proceeded to the plains of Mo’ab (3:28-29).

At the end of this historical overview, everything was in place for the conquest of Canaan. Moshe had commissioned Joshua, the people were located at Beth Peor (about a day’s journey from the Promised Land), and Moses had stirred up the people’s remembrance of their failures, and God’s rich blessing on them. Now, Isra’el needed to look ahead, taking to heart ADONAI’s surpassing character and abundant intervention on her behalf.¹⁰⁵

Dear Great and Awesome Father, You are so merciful and forgiving – yet also just when You discipline Your children. We are humbled that Your discipline is always fair, never harsh. Because ADONAI disciplines the one He loves and punishes every son He accepts” (Hebrews 12:6). Praise You that You use discipline in a positive way for our good, to train us to be purer. Now all discipline seems painful at the moment – not joyful. But later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it (Hebrews 12:11). We love You and want to learn by Your discipline so that we please You more. Your love for us is Awesome! In Your holy Son’s name and power of resurrection. Amen.

Moshe Remembered the Distribution of the Conquered Land
3: 12-22

Moshe remembered the distribution of the conquered land DIG: Why did the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manassah want to live apart from the other tribes? What would allow them to settle east of the Jordan (see Numbers 32:1-5)? Why? How would all parties involved benefit from these instructions? The Jordan Valley was a natural geographical barrier to their communication. What problems between the tribes might this create? Why do you think ADONAI allowed them to remain in separate camps? What was Joshua told and why?

REFLECT: How are you and your relatives interwoven and interdependent? What communication problems have you had to overcome? When has someone shared the battles of life with you? In what ways? How did their presence make a difference in the outcome?

Moses once again recalls the allotment of the newly conquered land in the Transjordan to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, as well as his challenge to those specific tribes to participate in the conquest of the land of Canaan, their responsibilities were not finished until the Holy War was complete.

The sons of Reuben and Gad had very large herds and flocks, and they especially wanted this land because they saw that the territory of Jazer and Gilead were ideal for livestock. So, the sons of Reuben and Gad came and said to Moses, Eleazar the cohen, and the princes of the community saying:  Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo and Beon – the territory ADONAI conquered before the community of Isra’el – are suitable for livestock, and your servants have livestock. Then they said: If we have found favor in your eyes, let this territory be given to your servants as a possession. Don’t make us cross the Jordan (Numbers 32:1-5).

This land we took in possession at that time – from Aroer by the Wadi Arnon and half the hill country of the Gilead and its cities – I gave to the Reubenites and Gadites and half the tribe of Manasseh (3:12). In general, the tribes of Reuben and Gad shared the southern half, while the half-tribe of Manassah received the northern part of Gilead and Bashan.

Another parenthetical note: Though it is impossible to determine precisely when verses 13-22 were inserted, 2:12b indicates that it was after the initial conquest of the Land. Editorial notes in the Pentateuch do no harm to the doctrine of biblical inspiration. Inspiration refers to the final product rather to the manner of writings. The original texts of Scripture are God-breathed (Second Timothy 3:16), and therefore contain no errors, for God cannot lie (Titus 1:2). The Ruach Ha-Kodesh superintended the work of editors just as He did the historical research of Luke (Luke 1:1-4) so that the final words of the text, though obtained by different methods, are the words intended by ADONAI. It was this final text (including editorial insertions) that Yeshua Messiah pronounced to be perfect (Matthew 5:18; John 10:35).⁹¹

The rest of northern Gilead and all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og, which is otherwise called the region of the Argob, I gave to the half-tribe of Manasseh. All the Bashan is called the land of Rephaim. Jair son of Manasseh took all the region of Argob, as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maachathites. He called them – the Bashan – after his own name, Havvoth-jair’s Villages, as it is the case to this day. To Machir, another sub-tribe of Manassah, I gave the Gilead (3:13-15).

The Reubenites’ and Gadites’ territory is now described in more detail. To the Reubenites and Gadites I gave from the Gilead as far as the Wadi Arnon in the south – the middle of the wadi as the border – and as far as Jabbok River (where it makes a sharp turn to the north), the wadi that is the border of the sons of Ammon, and the Arabah, with the Jordan River as the border from Kinneret (or the Sea of Galilee) as far as the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea (which is now called the Dead Sea), under the slopes of Pisgah eastward (3:16-17). The Dead Sea and the Jordan River formed the tribes’ western border.

These next verses emphasize the unity of God’s people. It would have been easy for the Transjordan tribes to settle down in their land and let the other tribes get on with their conquests. So, Moshe reminded them that ADONAI your God has given you this land to possess it, but there was to be no selfish enjoyment of it until the whole nation had rest. In all respects, the nation had to act as one army, under the leadership of YHVH. They were to get ready for battle, because they were to cross over ahead of your brothers Bnei-Yisrael – all the men of valor. Only your wives and your little ones and your livestock (I know that you have much livestock) may stay in your cities (to see link click At – Isra’el’s Conquest of the Transjordan) that I have given you, until ADONAI gives rest to your brothers as He has for you, and they also possess the land that ADONAI your God is giving them across the Jordan. Then they could return to their families, each man to his possession that I have given you (3:18-20). The now deceased rebellious generation of the Exodus had used their children as an excuse for their disobedience (1:39); however, the new generation had obeyed God and their obedience meant that now they could leave their families in the security of their newly acquired towns.⁹²

Israelites had been encamped on the edge of the Promised Land for about three months. It had probably been over seven months since they began their final approach to the Land. The events that occurred during that seven month time may have proceeded as follows: the peaceful passing through Edom, Mo’ab, and Ammon; the conquest of Sihon and Og; the beginning of settling into the inheritance by the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half-tribe of Manassah, while the rest of the tribes set up camp across the Jordan River from Jericho; Moses’ completion of the book of Deuteronomy and presentation of it to the people; Moshe’s death; the mourning of God’s people for him; and the preparation of God’s people for entrance into Canaan.⁹³

In a Holy War, ADONAI Elohei-Tzva’ot: the LORD God of heaven’s angelic armies, leads and fights for His people. He is a tender-Warrior (see the commentary on Genesis, to see link click Ec – When Abram Heard Lot Had Been Taken Captive, He Went in Pursuit as far as Dan). No one should doubt His help at this time after witnessing the total destruction of Sihon (see Au – The Defeat of Sihon), and Og (see Av – The Defeat of Og).

Moses then looked to the future as entrusted into the hands of his successor, Joshua. He commanded Joshua at that time saying: Your eyes have seen all that ADONAI your God has done to these two kings. ADONAI will do the same to all the kingdoms you are about to cross into. You must not fear them, for it is ADONAI your God who fights for you (3:22-22). Without the LORD’s help, Isra’el’s victory would be impossible. God’s power, not Isra’el’s unaided strength, would achieve the victory. Moshe bolstered Isra’el’s resolve and faith by giving this assurance (see 1:20, 2:31, and 20:4).⁹⁴ These words, placed here, are picked up again later (see Fs – Moses Went), when Moses actually commissions Joshua. They therefore reinforce the nature of Deuteronomy as the “last testament” of Moshe, and give the book a forward look toward life in the Land of Promise. This is confirmed again when the book of Joshua opens with a repetition of Moses’ encouragement to his successor, but this time placed in the mouth of the LORD.⁹⁵

Moses found great encouragement in YHVH’s call to action. God allowed him to conquer and distribute the lands east of the Jordan River. As a result, Moshe began to hope that Ha’Shem would show grace and allow him to enter the Land of Promise. But even his repentance with tears will not change the mind of ADONAI, as we shall see next.⁹⁶

Therefore, just as the Ruach Ha’Kodesh says: Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness. There your fathers put Me to the test, though they saw My works for forty years. Therefore, I was provoked by this generation, and I said, “They always go astray in their heart, and they have not known My ways.” As I swore in my wrath, “They shall not enter My rest” . . . saying through David after so long a time, just as it has been said before, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on.  So, there remains a Shabbat rest for the people of God. (Hebrews 3:7-11; 4:7b-9).

Haftarah D’varim: Yesha’yahu (Isaiah) 1:1-27
(to see link click Af – Parashah)

A brood of evildoers with deprived children hardened by sin (Isaiah 1:4), Isra’el in Isaiah’s day became like Sodom and Gomorrah (Isaiah 1:10; Deuteronomy 32:32). Judges took bribes, and justice could not be found for the orphan or the widow (Isaiah 1:23). Ha’Shem needed to purify that sinful nation and restore just judges. Wicked judges who defer to the rich must be purged, even if chaos and destruction would shake their society. God vowed to cleanse Isra’el’s impurities as one uses lye to purify metals (Isaiah 1:25). This Haftrarh, third on the theme of affliction, culminates in judgment on Isra’el. This portion is always read on the Sabbath that precedes Tisha B’Av (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Mt – The Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple on Tisha B’Av in 70 AD), since the the vision of Isaiah concerns the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. It is a fast day examining the destruction of both Temples and the suffering that follows from national exile. The sins of idolatry and baseless hatred must be uprooted to reverse the causes of exile and loss of nationhood.

B’rit Chadashah suggested readings for Parashah D’varim:
Yochanan (John) 15:1-11; Messianic Jews (Hebrews) 3:7-19

Hardening from the effects of sin across generations led to Stephen’s charge: Stiffnecked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You continually oppose the Ruach Ha’Kodesh! You do the same things your fathers did (Acts 7:52)! Rabbi Sha’ul witnessed Stephen’s martyrdom and looked on approvingly (Acts 8:1). Even Stephen’s last words: Lord! Don’t hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:60), fail to change Sha’ul’s mind. In fact, Sha’ul began persecuting the entire Messianic Community after that, imprisoning men and women alike (Acts 8:3). The scattering of Hellenistic Jews, however, led to the most significant step forward in spreading the Good News, much to the dismay and rage of those who saw Messianic Judaism as an idolatry that had to be destroyed.

Moshe Remembers the Conquest of Og
3: 1-11

Moshe Remembers the conquest of Og DIG: What happens en route to Bashan that is like and unlike what happened with King Sihon of Heshbon (2:24-35)? How does the conquest of Bashan begin to fulfill God’s promise in 2:25? What makes the defeat of Og such a powerful victory? Where was Og’s territory located? What do these two conquests reveal about how God prepared the Israelites for the conquest of the Promised Land? What is the cherem judgment of ADONAI?

REFLECT: Knowing God’s Word and obeying God’s Word are two different things. Paul said it this way, “For what I do not want, this I practice; but what I hate, this I do” (Romans 7:15b). How are you doing with this life-long struggle? Where do you see God at work right now in your life? What might “the Promised Land” look like in that context? What about your relationship with ADONAI continues to amaze you? How can it affect your sleep tonight?

Isra’el’s conquest of the kingdoms that controlled the territory of the Transjordan continued with their victory over Og of Bashan.

The account of the victory over Sihon’s kingdom is followed by a description of the next military success of the Israelites, this time over Og, king of Bashan. Next we turned and went up the way to the Bashan (Deuteronomy 3:1a; Numbers 21:33a). Bashan was the area north and north-east of Galilee, and according to the prophet Amos, it was famous for its abundance and rich pastureland (Amos 4:1).

King Og of the Bashan came out against us – he and all his people – for battle at Edrei. But ADONAI said to me: Do not fear him, for I have handed him over and all his people and his land. You will do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon (Deuteronomy 3:1b-2; Numbers 33b-34). As an Amorite king, Og and his people were subject to the same fate as Sihon and the Amorites under his control . . . total destruction (to see link click Ag – The Problem of Holy War in the TaNaKh). As with Sihon, YHVH determined the outcome of the battle but required that Isra’el trust His promises and conquer the Bashanites.⁸⁴

In the concise nature of the account, the entire battle is virtually reduced to this one verse: So, ADONAI our God also handed over King Og of the Bashan and all his people. We struck him and his sons down with his entire army until no survivor was left because Ha’Shem had declared them cherem, or devoted to destruction (Deuteronomy 3:3; Numbers 21:35). The conquest took the Israelites slightly off their route, in that Bashan lay considerably north of the point at which they would cross the Jordan River for the occupation of western Palestine. From a military point of view, however, the conquest of Bashan was wise, for it meant that the right flank of the Israelites would be protected when they prepared to cross the Jordan for the main assault.₈₅

The cherem judgment in Deuteronomy and elsewhere in the TaNaKh (Numbers 31:15-17; Deuteronomy 3:6-7, 7:2, 20:17, 26:16-17; Joshua 10:11 and 11:12; Judges 21:11; First Samuel 15:3 and 27:9-11; Jeremiah 25:9), were seen as wars waged as part of a Holy War at the command of ADONAI Elohei-Tzva’ot: the LORD God of heaven’s angelic armies. However, a careful reading of the conquests of Joshua suggests that it was not completely carried out, since the Canaanites remained alongside Isra’el in the Land (Joshua 15:63 and 16:10). Isra’el’s failure to fulfill the cherem judgment on the Canaanites during the conquest of the Promised Land does not reflect YHVH’s inability . . . but human unwillingness. Later in Deuteronomy, the command to strike them down and utterly destroy them (7:22a), is followed by commands not to make treaties or intermarry with them (7:22b-3).⁸⁶ It was as if the LORD knew the weakness of His people and, in His grace, tried to give them further direction to keep them from sinning. But alas, His wisdom fell on deaf ears, and the Isrealites did eventually intermarry with them and, surprise-surprise, fell into sin.

Currently, however, the cherem judgment was fully executed (pun intended) as no survivors were left, and by defeating Og, Isra’el controlled the entire Transjordan from Mo’ab to the heights of Bashan in the vicinity of Mount Hermon. The victories over Sihon and Og eventually became the subject of a song (Psalm 135:11, 136:19-20) and is now a regular part of the commemoration of the works of the LORD in the celebration of Pesach (see the commentary on Leviticus Dy – Pesach).⁸⁷

We captured all his cities at that time – there was not a town that we did not take from them – sixty cities, the whole region of Argob (another name for Bashan), the kingdom of Og in the Bashan. All these were cities fortified with high walls, gates and bars, in addition to a great many unwalled towns. We utterly destroyed them, just as we did to Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying every city – men, women and children. But all the livestock and the spoils of the cities we took as plunder for ourselves (3:4-7). It was as if Moses was saying to the next generation, “The cities in the Transjordan were walled high with gates and bars. But look, Ha’Shem gave us the victory here, and He will give us the victory over those types of cities in Canaan once we cross the Jordan.

A parenthetical note: So, at that time we took from the hand of the two kings of the Amorites the land across the Jordan, from the Wadi Arnon to Mount Hermon. This verse summarizes the conquest of the territory controlled by Sihon and Og, two Transjordan Amorite kings. The repetitive statements have to be seen in the context of the address of Moshe, where the emphasis and repetition serve to hammer home to the listeners the truth of the faithfulness of ADONAI. The Sidonians, descendants of Zidon, Canaan’s firstborn son, the original owners of the mountain called Hermon (from cherem, meaning devoted to destruction, or banned, was given to the mountain because of its 9,200-foot altitude and its bleak, unapproachable character) Sirion, while the Amorites, who were then in possession of it called it Senir, meaning snow in their language. Mount Hermon was a natural physical barrier to the north of Bashan. We took all the cities of the plain and all the Gilead and all the Bashan, as far as Salcah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in the Bashan (3:8-10).

Though it is impossible to determine precisely when verses 8-11 were inserted, 2:12b indicates that it was after the initial conquest of the Land. Editorial notes in the Pentateuch do no harm to the doctrine of biblical inspiration. Inspiration refers to the final product rather than to the manner of writings. The original texts of Scripture are God-breathed (Second Timothy 3:16), and therefore contain no errors, for God cannot lie (Titus 1:2). The Ruach Ha-Kodesh superintended the work of editors just as He did the historical research of Luke (Luke 1:1-4) so that the final words of the text, though obtained by different methods, are the words intended by ADONAI. It was this final text (including editorial insertions) that Yeshua Messiah pronounced to be perfect (Matthew 5:18; John 10:35).⁸⁸

Another parenthetical note: An interesting detail is seen here about Og. For only King Og of the Bashan survived from the remnant of the Rephaim. All the Bashan is called the land of Rephaim (3:13). Although Og reigned over the Amorites and was called the king of the Amorites, he himself belonged to the giant-like people Rephaim, as was Goliath, and was their last survivor. In fact, his coffin (literally resting place, referencing the deceased) was made of iron – is it not in Rabbah of the Ammonites? Nine cubits was its length and four cubits its width (thirteen-and-a-half feet long and six feet wide), according to the cubit of a man. (3:11). The cubit is derived directly from the Latin cubitus, meaning the lower arm. The Hebrew word is ammah, meaning the mother of the arm, that is, the forearm. It is evidently a measure taken from the human body; as were other measurements of length among the Hebrews and other nations. There seemed to be two kinds of cubits. Here we read of the cubit of a man. In Ezeki’el 40:5 we read of a normal cubit and a handbreadth. Both are difficult to determine the exact length. Various estimates of the Mosaic cubit have been given, varying from twelve to twenty-two inches. The Jews did not use the cubit of twenty-one inches, which was the Babylonian cubit, until after the captivity (see the commentary on Jeremiah Gu – Seventy Years of Imperial Babylonian Rule).⁸⁹ Ironically, the monument to the hero king’s memory became an eloquent witness to the power of Ha’Shem over all such giants.

The children of Isra’el were finally becoming victorious in battle. These are some important lessons we can learn concerning successful warfare from Deuteronomy 2:16-3:11.

1.  Our spiritual battles are to be a cooperative effort with God. The formula is simple: ADONAI our God gave [Sihon] over to us . . . and we struck him down along with his sons and all his people (2:33). So, ADONAI our God also handed over Og of the Bashan and all his people . . . and we struck him down until no survivor was left (3:3). For example, Paul encourages us in our spiritual battle with temptation by saying: No temptation has taken hold of you except what is common to mankind. But God is faithful – He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can handle. But with the temptation, He will also provide a way of escape, so you will be able to endure it (First Corinthians 10:13).

2.  God’s initial action should be followed with prompt obedience. ADONAI said to me, “See, I have begun to give Sihon and his land over to you – begin to take possession in order to take hold of his land (2:31). When we know that God has given us marching orders, He expects us to follow them immediately. Remember, delayed obedience is disobedience.

3.  ADONAI chooses the weak to accomplish great things. Now when all the men of war had finished dying from among the people, that the Israelites engaged in war. In order to demonstrate His supreme power, Ha’Shem had to eliminate anything that could give His people a false sense of security. Therefore, the temptation to trust the generation of the Exodus and their military ideas needed to be removed first. Paul also teaches us this same concept from the B’rit Chadashah. For you see your calling, brothers and sisters, that not many are wise according to human standards, not many are powerful, and not many are born well. Yet God chose the foolish things of the world so He might put to shame the wise; and God chose the weak things of the world so He might put to shame the strong; and God chose the lowly and despised things of the world, the things that are as nothing, so He might bring to nothing the things that are – so that no human might boast before God. But because of Him you are in Messiah Yeshua, who became to us wisdom from God and righteousness and holiness and redemption – so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in ADONAI.” When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come with excellence of speech or wisdom, proclaiming to you the mystery of God. For I decided not to know about anything among you except Yeshua the Messiah – and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. ⁴ My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power – so that your faith would not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God (First Corinthians 1:26-2:5).

4.  One success encourages another. Regarding the fate of Og, YHVH said: You will do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon (3:2). And we utterly destroyed them, just as we did to Sihon king of Heshbon (3:6). God was creating a winning atmosphere to prepare His people for their most important battle, the crossing of the Jordan. Another example of this is David’s confidence when explaining to King Sha’ul why he was willing to face Goliath. David said to Sha’ul, “Let no one’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” Then Sha’ul said to David, “You can’t go fight this Philistine – for you’re just a youth, and he’s been a warrior since his youth.” But David said to Sha’ul, “Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it, struck it down, and rescued the lamb out of its mouth. If it rose up against me, I grabbed him by its fur, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear, so this uncircumcised Philistine will become like one of them – since he has defied the ranks of the living God.” Then David said, “ADONAI, who has delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” “Go!” said Saul to David, “and may ADONAI be with you” (First Samuel 1:26-2:5).

5.  The art of war is not as important as the art of faith. The experience of the generation of the Exodus had not produced victory, but only fear. The inexperience in warfare of a new generation that had faith in YHVH produced victory! All human efforts become worthless if they are not grounded upon faith in the LORD.⁹⁰

Dear Great Father, We worship You! We praise You that the outcome of battles is not in our strength or ability- but in Your mighty, omnipotent hands! How awesome that no power, no matter how mighty it is, can stand up against You. For at the end of the 7 years of Tribulation Satan in anger gathers the nations against You. Also, I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the One who sat on the horse and against His army. (Revelation 19:19).

No battle is needed, for You strike them down with the sword from Your mouth. From His mouth comes a sharp sword – so that with it He may strike down the nations – and He shall rule them with an iron rod, and He treads the winepress of the furious wrath of Elohei-Tzva’ot. (Revelation 19:15).

Trusting You brings peace, even in the midst of awful times of pandemics. You are in control! We lovingly bow in worship of You, our great, mighty and wonderful Daddy. In the holy name of Your Son and the power of His resurrection. Amen

Moshe Remembers the Conquest of Sihon
2: 26-37

Moshe Remembers the conquest of Sihon DIG: Verse 30 informs us that ADONAI stiffened the spirit of King Sihon, and hardened his heart. What does this reveal about YHVH? Recall Ha’Shem’s dealings with Pharaoh (Exodus 9:12, 10:20 and 27, 11:10, and 14:4). Explain why Isra’el would once again experience this hardening by an opposition leader before entering the Promised Land. How do you think the Israelites felt as they prepared to confront Sihon? How complete was the destruction of King Sihon and his people? Why were the women and children killed? What do these Scriptures reveal about how the LORD works to prepare his people to carry out His plan?

REFLECT: What part of your life seems directionless? How do you go about seeking God’s will in that area? If YHVH solves life’s problems in different ways, what advice would you give to someone approaching God with a problem? Why is it sometimes difficult for us to discern His guidance? In what ways can you guard against hardening your heart to the direction of ADONAI?

Moses sent messengers to Sihon, king of Heshbon, requesting safe and unhindered passage through his territory, but was firmly refused (because YHVH had hardened Sihon’s heart). In the battle between Isra’el and Sihon, the Israelites completely destroyed all of his people and took his territory (but not the territory of the Ammonites).

After a peaceful journey through the previous lands, Isra’el came to the point of conflict. Sihon’s land was to be possessed (2:24) and would become part of the Promised Land. They were not to provoke battle or take aggressive military action; in the plan and promise of ADONAI, the means of victory would become clear.⁷⁵

The Israelites could only reach the Promised Land by traveling through King Sihon’s territory. As he did with the Edomites, Moabites, and Ammonites, Moshe first made Sihon an offer of goodwill, promising to pass through his land peacefully and pay for whatever food and water the people consumed. The request was certainly reasonable. So, I sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon with words of shalom saying: Let me pass through your land – I will go only by way of the road. I will not turn to the right or to the left. You will sell me food for money so that I may eat and give me water for money so that I may drink. Just let me pass through on foot – as the sons of Esau dwelling in Seir and the Moabites in Ar did for me – until I cross over the Jordan River into the land that ADONAI our God is giving to us (2:26-29).

However, YHVH wanted Isra’el to defeat Sihon and seize all of his land, so ADONAI Elohei-Tzva’ot: the LORD God of heaven’s angelic armies, hardened the king’s heart as He had hardened the heart of Pharaoh in Egypt, which is the classic case study. Why did Isra’el take the land of Sihon? At one level, it was because Sihon chose to reject the peaceful request of Isra’el to travel through his land – a decision for which he was fully responsible. But on another level, it was because Ha’Shem had already given Sihon’s land into the hand of the Israelites. Neither decision outweighs the other. It is characteristic of Deuteronomy and the Hebrew Scriptures generally to affirm with equal strength the divine will and purpose with the human responsible choice.⁷⁶

But, Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him, because ADONAI your God stiffened his spirit and hardened his heart like He hardened the heart of Pharaoh in Egypt (see the commentary on Exodus, to see link click Bb – God and the Struggle with Pharaoh) , in order to hand him over to you this very day (2:30). If we compare Sihon’s case with that of Pharaoh in Exodus there are many parallels. In either case the hardening of the man’s heart was quite as much by his own act as by the decree of God, for both Pharaoh and Sihon were unaffected by the demands of YHVH which came through His servants. Neither would bend his will to the will of the LORD and each refusal produced a further hardening of the heart. Therefore, the demands of Ha’Shem, once rejected, became a hardening influence on Sihon’s heart, so that he was unable to respond favorably to Isra’el’s request.⁷⁷ The point of the parallel with the Exodus is to show that the conquest of the Land of Promise continues the history of the deliverance that began there. No human power can stand against God’s will to save His people. This is still an important reminder for us today.

ADONAI said to me: See, I have begun to give Sihon and his land over to you – begin to take possession in order to take hold of his land (2:31). Ha’Shem’s order here summarizes the pattern that Isra’el would follow in their conquest of Canaan. The point of the parallel with the Exodus is to show that the conquest of the Land of Promise continues the history of the deliverance that began there. YHVH would tell Joshua which city or people to attack; He would assure the Israelites of victory; and He would go with them to help them win the battle. Isra’el’s defeat of Sihon and Og was especially important because it would send a message ahead to the nations in Canaan, and bring fear to their hearts (11:25). By the time Joshua was ready to enter the Land, the news of Isra’el’s invincible march had already gone before them (Joshua 2:8-11).⁷⁸

See (Hebrew: ra’ah), I have begun to give Sihon and his land over to you, a change from plural to singular, signaling a change in the organizational structure of Moses’ historical prologue (see Aj – The Historical Prologue). No longer will sons bear the sins of their fathers, walking in circles and waiting for the old to die. Each person must now assume the burden of his or her own disbelief and face the giants when Ha’Shem orders warfare.⁷⁹

Then Sihon came out against us – he and all his people – to battle at Jahaz (2:32). It was when Sihon abandoned the protection of the high walls of Heshbon, and advanced out into the open country, that Isra’el defeated him in battle. Driven on by a strange stubbornness, Sihon threw away his one chance of survival.⁸⁰

Exactly what Ha’Shem promised would happen, in fact, came to pass! ADONAI our God gave him over to us, and we struck him down along with his sons and all his people. The people of God did not sit back and observe the acts of God; they entered the battle and experienced the presence of the LORD in their active obedience and commitment.⁸¹ We captured all his cities at that time, and utterly put under a cherem ban of judgment every city – men, women and children. The Amorites were destroyed completely this time, and Moshe recounts: We didn’t leave a single survivor. We took only the livestock as plunder for ourselves, as the spoils of the cities we captured (2:33-35).

There are several examples of the cherem judgment in the TaNaKh (Numbers 31:15-17; Deuteronomy 3:6-7, 7:2, 20:17, 26:16-17; Joshua 10:11 and 11:12; Judges 21:11; First Samuel 15:3 and 27:9-11; Jeremiah 25:9). Probably the best-known example is that of Achan. The entire city of Jericho was declared cherem, or devoted to destruction by the LORD Himself. That meant everything in Jericho wasn’t to be touched. But when Achan kept a beautiful robe, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, the Israelites were unexpectedly defeated in their next battle of Ai because of his disobedience. Because Achan had touched that which was cherem, he became devoted to destruction. As a result, Joshua, together with all Isra’el, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the gold wedge, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor and stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them (Joshua 6:18 to 7:28). The same fate awaited anyone who sacrificed to foreign gods.

Liberal critics of the Bible are horrified that Isra’el destroyed entire nations, killing “innocent people,” and confiscating their cities and their lands. But how “innocent” were those people? These critics of Scripture (and the LORD) ignore the fact that the nations Isra’el encountered east of the Jordan River, and in Canaan itself, were incredibly wicked. They were immoral people who sacrificed their own children to the false gods they worshiped. Male and female prostitutes served in their temples and fornication was an important part of the Canaanite religion. And like an aggressive cancer, Ha’Shem knew that radical surgery was needed. Little Amorites would grow up to be big Amorites (see Ag – The Problem of Holy War in the TaNaKh).

These people were not left without a witness from YHVH in creation (see the commentary on Romans Al – The Evidence Against the Gentile Pagan), as well as through the lives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who had lived in Canaan. Furthermore, the news of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (see the commentary on Genesis Fa – It Rained Down Sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah), the plagues of Egypt (see the commentary on Exodus Bj – The Ten Plagues of Egypt), and Isra’el’s deliverance through the Sea of Reeds (Joshua 2:8-11), came to the ears of these people and bore witness that Ha’Shem alone is the one true God. The LORD had been long-suffering with these wicked nations even in Abraham’s day, but now their time had run out and their judgment had come (Genesis 15:16). If these evil civilizations had not been exterminated, Isra’el would have been in constant danger of being tempted by pagan idolatry. In fact, that’s exactly what happened during the period of the Judges, and Ha’Shem had to discipline His people to bring them back to Him. Isra’el had important work to do on the earth in producing the written TaNaKh, and bringing the Messiah into the world, and imitating the pagan nations would have polluted Isra’el and threatened ADONAI’s great plan of salvation for mankind.⁸²

The land won is now described in a manner that reminds us of the account in Joshua 10:40-43. The battle and accompanying destruction extended far beyond the battlefield of Aroer. From Aroer (the southern limit of the victory) which is on the edge of the Wadi Arnon and the city by the wadi, all the way up to the Gilead (the northern limit), there was not a town too high for us. The fact that the cities had high walls, or that Og was a giant (2:11), didn’t seem to create any problems that the generation of the Exodus had feared (Numbers 13:28). In obedience to YHVH’s command, Isra’el did not encroach on the land of the Ammonites, avoiding even the banks of the Wadi Jabbok. Only you did not come near the land of the sons of Ammon – all along the Wadi Jabbok and the cities of the hill country. and wherever ADONAI our God had commanded. Whereas the failure at Kadesh-barnea (see Al – Events at Kadesh-barnea) had served as a severe warning in Moshe’s address, the victory over Sihon is employed as a source of strength and encouragement.⁸³ ADONAI our God gave everything over to us (2:36-37).

Dear Wonderful Father, We love and worship You! How wonderful that Your love opened the gates of Heaven to all who chose to love and worship You, no matter if they are: male or female, rich, or poor, brown, black, white, any skin color, any age etc.

How wonderful that both Your divine will and human responsibility are true. You want everyone saved, yet You patiently wait for each one to turn from their pride and choose to love and follow your son as Lord. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some consider slowness. Rather, He is being patient toward you – not wanting anyone to perish, but for all to come to repentance (Second Peter 3:9).

Your Awesome grace offered Yeshua’s blood as our sacrifice, He made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (Second Corinthians 5:21). The key to Heaven’s door is Messiah’s blood and our faith turns the key to open the door. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not from yourselves – it is the gift of God. It is not based on deeds, so that no one may boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).  We love You, worship You and praise You for opening the door to salvation to all who choose to love You. In Your holy Son’s name and power of resurrection. Amen

Moshe Remembers Isra’el’s Conquest of the Transjordan
2:26 to 3:22

For thirty-eight years the Israelites wandered in the wilderness until entire Exodus generation, twenty years of age and older, had died. According to the midrash Eichah Rabbah, every year until fortieth year, on the eve of the Ninth of Av (see the commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Mt – The Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple on Tisha B’Av in 70 AD), Moses would command the people, “Go out and dig,” and the people would leave the camp, dig graves and sleep in them overnight. The following morning a messenger would proclaim, “Let the living separate from the dead!” And fifteen thousand would die that night, but the survivors would return to the camp for another year.

This occured year after year, but in the thirty-eighth year no one died. Since they thought they might have miscalculated the days, they slept in their graves an additional night. This went on for five nights until the fifteenth of Av, when they saw the full moon, realized that their calculations were correct, and rejoiced that no more of the Exodus generation would die. They subsequently declared Tu B’Av (the fifteenth of Av) as a day of celebration. The “desert generation” had died off and the new generation was finally ready to enter the Promised Land. Then ADONAI instructed Moshe to go to war with the kings of the Transjordan.

Moses remembers the beginning of Isra’el’s conquest of the Land of Promise that had already taken place (see the commentary on Numbers). Jacob had acquired the land of Canaan by purchase and inheritance. Now Moses recalled how his descendents claimed their ancestral homeland. Sihon and Og, two kings of two kingdoms of the Transjordan, figure prominently because Sihon and Og (and their peoples) represented the firstfruits of the dispossession of the inhabitants of the entire region around Canaan. The victories over Sihon and Og served as a paradigm of Holy War in which God’s covenantal nation would utterly destroy His enemies (see Ag – The Problem of Holy War in the TaNaKh).⁷⁴

After those victories, the Transjordan was regarded as Israelite territory. As a result, ADONAI gave the newly won territory to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh as their tribal inheritance. However, the entire Transjordan area, from the Wadi Arnon in the south to Mount Hermon in the north (Deuteronomy 4:48-49; Joshua 12:1), served as the base of operation for the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half-tribe of Manassah, settling their wives, children and cattle there. The rest of the tribes set up camp across the Jordan River from Jericho. No matter where they settled, all of the tribes were preparing to cleanse the Land of idolatry in Ha’Shem’s Holy War.

Moshe Remembered the Events in Ammon
2: 16-25

Moshe remembered the events in Ammon DIG: We have seen that prior to the allotment of territory respectively to Edom (2:1-8), Mo’ab (2:9), and Ammon (2:18-19), the land was already occupied by inhabitants who were tall and ominous. Those threatening enemy peoples went by many names – Emim, Anakim, Rephaim, Horim, and Zamzummim. Why did the Holy Spirit include them in the text? What is the point He is making? How different are the instructions concerning Heshbon in verse 24 from those in verses 5, 9 and 19? Why the difference? What were the Israelites to do? What was God going to do?

REFLECT: Do you think that the world fears believers in Messiah, or the Word of God, at all today? On the topic of not believing in abortion, for example, what is their fear? What about prayer in school? What is their fear? What about believing in a set of absolutes in the universe? What is their fear? What about needing to be saved from their sinful lifestyle? What is their fear? What has God given you “possession” of that you have always longed for? What have you “inherited” that was denied to your parents?

The death of the generation of the Exodus, who had trembled at the report of the twelve spies and refused to enter the Land of Promise, now makes possible the resumption of the journey and fulfillment of God’s promise. As with Edom and Mo’ab, ADONAI commanded the Israelites to pass through Ammon without provoking its inhabitants to war since He gave this territory to the Ammonites.

Moshe remembered that ADONAI had told Isra’el not to harass Esau’s descendents (2:4-5), or the Moabites (2:9); now He said the same about the Ammonites because they were descendents of Lot (see the commentary on Genesis Fb – Let’s Get Our Father to Drink Wine, and then Lie With Him to Preserve Our Family Line). Now, when all the men of war had finished dying from among the people, ADONAI spoke to me saying: Today you are about to cross the border of Mo’ab at Ar. When you come opposite the sons of Ammon, do not harass or provoke them – for I will not give you any of the land of the sons of Ammon for a possession, because I have given it to the sons of Lot for a possession (2:16-19).

Another parenthetical note: The area of Ammon, like Mo’ab (2:10-12), had formerly been occupied by a tall people like the Anakim, known to the Ammonites as the Zamzummim (meaning murmur and meditate, which implies demon worship and communication with evil spirits). Therefore, ADONAI destroyed them (2:21). Once again, we learn that YHVH, the LORD of the nations (Acts 17:26), dispossessed this people and gave the land to Ammon because they were descendents of the second incestuous son of Lot (see the commentary on Genesis Fb – Let’s Get Our Father to Drink Wine, and then Lie With Him to Preserve Our Family Line).⁷⁰ That also is considered a land of Rephaim. The Rephaim used to live there, but the Ammonites call them Zamzummim (Genesis 14:5) – a great and numerous people, as tall as the Anakim. But ADONAI destroyed the Zamzummim from before them, and the Ammonites dispossessed them and settled in their place. It was just as ADONAI did for the sons of Esau, who dwell in Seir, when He destroyed the Horites before them. They drove them out and settled in their place even to this day (2:20-22).

As with the Edomites, Moabites, and Ammonites, the Caphtorim had gained territory by dispossessing peoples who had earlier inhabited this region. As for the Avvim who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorim who came from Crete (are better known in the Bible as the Philistines) destroyed them and settled in their place (2:23). The Avvim, Rephaim and Horim are all identical with the Hivite mentioned by Moses as one of the seven peoples promised to Isra’el (7:1). After giving an account of some of the Hivite territory which was forbidden to Isra’el – the lands possessed by Mo’ab, Esau and Ammon – Scripture states that the country of the Caphtorim was permitted to be taken by Isra’el. The Caphtorim were an Egyptian people, and in no way related to Abraham, and therefore had no claim to Canaanite territory.

Though it is impossible to determine precisely when verses 20-23 were inserted, 2:12b indicates that it was after the initial conquest of the Land. Editorial notes in the Pentateuch do no harm to the doctrine of biblical inspiration. Inspiration refers to the final product rather than to the manner of writings. The original texts of Scripture are God-breathed (Second Timothy 3:16), and therefore contain no errors, for God cannot lie (Titus 1:2). The Ruach Ha-Kodesh superintended the work of editors just as He did the historical research of Luke (Luke 1:1-4) so that the final words of the text, though obtained by different methods, are the words intended by ADONAI. It was this final text (including editorial insertions) that Yeshua Messiah pronounced to be perfect (Matthew 5:18; John 10:35).⁷¹

After several interruptions the narrative proceeds to the defeat of Sihon: After being encamped at Horeb (Mount Sinai) for almost a year, Moshe remembered that the LORD commanded Isra’el to “Rise up, journey on, and cross over the Wadi Arnon. See, I have handed over Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land to you.”  Once the Israelites crossed over the Wadi Arnon, they entered the region controlled by the Amorites (not to be confused with the Ammonites). Sihon’s kingdom at the time extended north from the Wadi Arnon which ran into the Dead Sea and the Jordan River on the west, and the kingdom of the Ammonites on the east. The Israelites could advance with confidence in the word of ADONAI to them, “Begin to possess it! Engage him in battle” (see the commentary on Numbers Do – The Defeat of Sihon and Heshbon)! The previous rebellious generation of the Exodus had said in their stubbornness that Ha’Shem was going to hand us over to the Amorites, to destroy us (1:27), but to the new and obedient generation, the Amorites were to be delivered into their hands. Moshe remebered that at last the Israelites were to begin to taste the promise of the Land promised to them, for not only would the LORD deliver the Amorites to Isra’el, but their land would also be given to them (2:24).⁷²

Moshe remembered that Ha’Shem commanded the Israelites to engage in their first significant military battle, and promised that the outcome of that conflict had already been determined – by YHVH Himself. The LORD employed a tool against the Amorites that had been at work in their midst since Isra’el’s crossing of the Sea of Reeds. News of God’s powerful intervention in Isra’el’s behalf had preceded their arrival in this area by almost four decades (Exodus 15:14-18).⁷³ This very day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the peoples everywhere under heaven. When they hear the report about you, they will tremble and twist in anguish because of you (2:25).

Dear Father God, What a treasure You are! We praise You our Mighty Powerful Father! You are always ready to help Your child and You are greater than any enemy that may try to come against Your child. We worship You and ask You to help us to take our eyes off our momentary trials and to fix our eyes on the eternal Joy of life in Heaven with You.

Praise You that though our love will prompt us to do many acts of love for You, our works are not what save us, but it is our heart love for You that counts. For with the heart it is believed for righteousness, and with the mouth it is confessed for salvation (Romans 10:10). Our heart’s love enables us to wear the righteousness of Your Son and so enter heaven. We beg you on behalf of Messiah, be reconciled to God.  He made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (Second Corinthians 5:20b-21). In the loving and mighty name of Yeshua and by His powerful resurrection. Amen