Preparation for a New Life

An EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on the Book of Deuteronomy

www.easyenglish.bible

Ian Mackervoy

This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

Words in boxes are from the Bible.

A word list at the end explains words with a *star by them.

 

About this book

1. The name of the book

This fifth book of Moses has the name Deuteronomy. This name comes from a phrase in Deuteronomy 17:18, in the Greek language translation. There, Deuteronomy means ‘the 2nd law’. This name might cause us to think of the book as another law. But that would be a mistake. This book does not contain a second or distinct law. But it does repeat much of the law that is in the earlier books. The original Hebrew language of the phrase means ‘a copy of this law’.

It was the custom to refer to a book by the words of the first line. Therefore, in the Hebrew Bible the name of the book is ‘These are the words’. The major part of the book consists of the words of Moses to *Israel. That was immediately before they crossed the River Jordan. It was before they went into *Canaan. *Canaan was the country that God had promised to give to *Israel’s *ancestors.

Deuteronomy is not really a book of law or a book of history. It includes law and history. But it is a record of what Moses said to the *Israelites at that time. He spoke to prepare them for their future in *Canaan.

2. Author and date

The book tells us in several places that Moses was the author (1:5; 31:9, 22, 24). And all through the book, the speaker was Moses. Another person wrote the beginning of the book (Deuteronomy 1:1-5) and the report of Moses’ death (Deuteronomy chapter 34). Moses was the author of the first 5 books of the Bible. Both in the *Old-Testament and in the *New-Testament, many places show that Moses was the author of those books. By his use of Deuteronomy, Jesus agreed that Moses was the author. (See Matthew 19:7-8; Mark 10:3-5 and John 5:46-47.) The writers of the *New-Testament referred to Deuteronomy almost 100 times.

We can estimate the date when Moses wrote this book from this passage in 1 Kings 6:1. ‘Solomon began to build the *temple of the *LORD. That was 480 years after the *Israelites had come out of Egypt. He began to build during the fourth year of his rule over *Israel. He started during the second month, the month called Ziv.’ The fourth year of Solomon’s rule was about 966 *BC. Therefore, Moses was born in about 1526 *BC. He was 80 years old when he led the *Israelites out of Egypt. That was during 1446 *BC. Moses wrote Deuteronomy at the end of the 40 years in the *desert. Therefore, the date that he wrote this book was about 1406 *BC. He started to speak these things on the first day of the 11th month during the 40th year. (See Deuteronomy 1:3.) Soon after that, Moses died at the age of 120 years (Deuteronomy 34:6-7).

3. The occasion & purpose

Moses was preparing the *Israelites for life in the country that God had promised to their *ancestors. He reminded them about the way that God had led them in the past. God brought the *Israelites out of Egypt almost 40 years before. Now Moses and the *Israelites were in the plains of Moab. They were in the area where the River Jordan flowed into the Dead Sea (Deuteronomy 1:5). The time had come for them to go over the river. Soon they would start to occupy *Canaan, the country west of the river.

*Canaan was not a single state. It was a region that contained a large number of small city-states. All those states had the same culture and most of them had the same false religions.

Moses knew that he would die soon. He knew that he would not go over the River Jordan. His purpose was to prepare the people for their future in *Canaan. Again, he told them God’s commands that they must obey.

Moses had given God’s law to the people when they were at Mount Horeb (Mount Sinai). But all the men who were alive then, except Caleb and Joshua, had since died. The *Israelites that Moses was now speaking to may have been children then. Or they may have been born in the *desert. Therefore, it was necessary to teach them the law that Moses had given to their parents at Horeb (Sinai).

Moses taught them about the *covenant that God had given to them. God would give to them the country that he had promised to their *ancestors. However, they must do what they had agreed to do at Horeb (Sinai). They must be afraid to make God angry. They must love God. They must obey God. Moses repeated the 10 commands. And he explained what they meant. If they did not obey them, God would punish them.

Moses taught them about God. The *LORD is the great king who gave a *covenant to *Israel. Therefore, he became their God and they became his people. The *LORD loves his people and he expects them to love him. The *LORD has given his rules to them. And he expects them to obey him.

The *LORD is more than *Israel’s God. He is the *Lord. ‘The heavens and the highest heavens belong to the *LORD your God. The earth and everything on it belong to him.’ (See Deuteronomy 10:14.) ‘The *LORD your God is much greater than every false god. And he is the very powerful ruler over all rulers.’ (See Deuteronomy 10:17.) There is only one real God.

Moses himself would not go into *Canaan. He prepared Joshua to become the new leader of the *Israelites. Joshua would lead the people across the River Jordan.

4. The parts of the book

This study of Deuteronomy is in 5 main parts.

Part 1: Moses reminds the *Israelites about what God has done for them    1:1–4:43

Part 2: Moses reminds the *Israelites about the *Covenant that God had given to them                     
at Sinai    4:44–11:32

Part 3: Moses tells the *Israelites how God wants them to behave    12:1–26:19

Part 4: Moses speaks about the *blessings if the *Israelites obeyed God. And he speaks about the *curses if they did not obey God.    27:1–28:69

Part 5: Moses tells the *Israelites how they should store a record of this *covenant.                           
He also gives final instructions and he hands on his job to Joshua.    29:1–34:12

Part 1: Moses reminds the *Israelites about what God has done for them    1:1 –4:43

The command to leave Horeb    1:1-8

The selection of leaders     1:9-18

The *Israelites refused to enter the country    1:19-33

The punishment because the *Israelites did not go in    1:34-46

In the *desert for 38 years     2:1-23

Defeat of Sihon, king of Heshbon    2:24-37

Defeat of Og, king of Bashan    3:1-11

Moses gave land to the east of the River Jordan to two and a half *tribes    3:12-22

God shows *Canaan to Moses from the mountain called Pisgah    3:23-29

Moses orders the people to obey God     4:1-14

Moses warns the *Israelites about other gods    4:15-40

Towns of protection east of the River Jordan     4:41-43

Part 2: Moses reminds the *Israelites about the *Covenant that God had given to them                     
at Sinai    4:44–26:19

Moses again gives the law to the *Israelites     4:44-49

God’s 10 commands     5:1-21

Moses as agent on behalf of the people to bring the law to them    5:22-33

The great command to love the *LORD the God of *Israel    6:1-9

Remember and serve the *LORD     6:10-25

God chose *Israel to be a separate people    7:1-26

Moses warns the people not to forget the *LORD     8:1-20

The reason for God’s actions and for the failure of *Israel    9:1-29

The second pair of stone blocks     10:1-11

Be afraid to make the *LORD your God angry    10:12-22

Love and obey the *LORD     11:1-32

Part 3: Moses tells the *Israelites how God wants them to behave    12:1–26:19

The one place for *worship        12:1-32

The *worship of other gods    13:1-18

Rules about food and *tithes     14:1-29

The year of freedom    15:1-18

The first born of animals    15:19-23

The most important *festivals    16:1-17

Judges and officers     16:18-20

The wrong way to *worship God     16:21–17:7

Legal judgements by priests and judges     17:8-13

Rules for a future king     17:14-20

Benefits for priests and *Levites     18:1-8

The terrible actions of the nations     18:9-14

A new *prophet like Moses     18:15-22

Laws about the cities of safety    19:1-13

Property boundaries     19:14

Laws about witnesses     19:15-21

Rules about war     20:1-20

What to do after a murder by unknown persons     21:1-9

A man may marry a female prisoner    21:10-14

The right of the first born     21:15-17

Various laws     21 18–25:19

First fruits and *tithes     26:1-15

You must obey these laws     26:16-19

Part 4: Moses speaks about the *blessings if the *Israelites obeyed God.                                            
And he speaks about the *curses if they did not obey God.    27:1–28:69

The *altar on *Mount Ebal     27:1-10

*Curses on *Mount Ebal     27:11-26

If you obey, God will *bless you     28:1-14

If you do not obey the commands, God will punish you    28:15-68

Part 5: Moses tells the *Israelites how they should store a record of this *covenant.                           
He also gives final instructions and he hands on his job to Joshua.    29:1–34:12

The *covenant in Moab     29:1-29

If you *repent, God will forgive you    30:1-10

God’s offer to the *Israelites: To live or to die    30:11-20

Joshua will replace Moses     31:1-8

Read the law every seventh year     31:9-13

The *LORD spoke to Moses and to Joshua     31:14-30

The song of Moses     32:1-47

Moses saw *Canaan before his death    32:48-52

Moses’ final *blessing on *Israel     33:1-29

Moses died. And God buried him in the country called Moab     34:1-12

Moses reminds the *Israelites about what God has done for them

1:1–4:43

Chapter 1

The command to leave Horeb                        1:1-8

v1 These are the words that Moses spoke to all the *Israelites. They were in the *desert on the east side of the River Jordan. They were in the Jordan valley near Suph. They were between Paran and the towns called Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Dizahab. v2 It takes 11 days to travel from *Mount Sinai to Kadesh-Barnea by the route past *Mount Seir.

v3 It was the first day of the 11th month of the 40th year. Moses told the *Israelites everything that the *LORD had ordered him to tell them. v4 That was after the *LORD had defeated Sihon, the king of the *Amorites. Sihon lived in the town called Heshbon. The *LORD had also defeated Og, the king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth and Edrei.

v5 Moses began to explain God’s law. He did that while the *Israelites were in Moab, on the east side of the River Jordan.

v6 ‘The *LORD our God said this to us when we were at *Mount Sinai: “You have stayed long enough at this mountain. v7 Now leave. Go into the hills where the *Amorites live. Go to the people who live in the Jordan valley. They are in both the hills and the plains. Go to the people who are in the south country and along the coast. Go to the *Canaanites’ country and go to Lebanon. Go to the great River Euphrates. v8 God has given this country to you. Go and possess it.” The *LORD promised this to your *ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He said that he would give the country to them and to their *descendants.’

Verse 1: The book of Deuteronomy consists of the words that Moses spoke to all the *Israelites. Moses repeated to them the *covenant that God had given to them at *Mount Horeb (*Mount Sinai). Also, he explained the laws that they must obey in various situations.

In Deuteronomy, Moses talks about *Mount Horeb. *Mount Horeb is another name for *Mount Sinai.

At this time, they were east of the River Jordan. Probably their camp was near to the place where the River Jordan flows into the Dead Sea. They were in the plain opposite Suph. We do not know where Suph was. It was between Paran and the towns called Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Dizahab. Paran and Hazeroth were on the other side of the Dead Sea. We do not know where Tophel, Laban, and Dizahab were.

We read elsewhere about Paran and Hazeroth. Hazeroth was south of the *desert called Paran (Numbers 12:16). That *desert was to the north and west of *Mount Horeb (*Mount Sinai). Kadesh was in the *desert called Paran. Moses sent 12 men to see *Canaan. Those men came back to Moses in Kadesh (Numbers 13:26).

In the book of Numbers, we read that the camp was in the plains of Moab across from Jericho. (See Numbers 33:48, 50; 35:1; 36:13.)

Verse 2: The journey from Horeb to Kadesh-Barnea would take 11 days. That was by the road that went by *Mount Seir. *Mount Seir was in the country called Edom. That was to the south and east of the Dead Sea. The *LORD told the *Israelites to go north from Kadesh into *Canaan. However, the *Israelites did not obey the *LORD. So, the *LORD sent them back into the *desert for another 38 years. So the *Israelites would have gone into *Canaan 38 years earlier if they had obeyed God.

That does not mean that the *Israelites did this journey in 11 days. They travelled for 3 days from *Mount Sinai and then they camped (Numbers 10:33). After several stops, they camped at Hazeroth. Then they moved again. And they camped at Kadesh in the *desert called Paran. With the events that happened in each place, they probably took more than 11 days. (See Numbers 10:12; 11:35; 12:16; 13:26.)

Verse 3: This was the 40th year since *Israel came out of Egypt. Moses started on this day to speak to all the *Israelites. He told them everything that the *LORD had ordered him to say.

It was the first day of the 11th month. In the *Jewish calendar, that month is Shebat. Shebat is a date in January to a date in February.

Because they did not obey God in Kadesh, they had to wait until now. After 40 years, they would enter the country called *Canaan. They should have entered *Canaan from the south 38 years before this time. Now they would enter *Canaan from the east across the River Jordan.

Verse 4: On the way to the plains of Moab, the *Israelites had defeated two *Amorite kings. They had asked King Sihon to allow them to pass through his territory. But King Sihon would not let them pass. Instead, he came with his army against the *Israelites. The *Israelites defeated King Sihon and they got power over all the towns in that territory (Numbers 21:21-31).

King Sihon’s capital was Heshbon. Heshbon was about 24 kilometres (15 miles) east of the north end of the Dead Sea.

To the north of King Sihon’s territory was Bashan. King Og of Bashan came out. And he fought with the *Israelites at a place called Edrei. Edrei was on the south border of Bashan about 48 kilometres (30 miles) east of the Sea of Galilee. The *Israelites killed King Og and all his people. And they got power over that territory as well (Numbers 21:33-35).

King Og lived in the town called Ashtaroth. We do not know where Ashtaroth was.

After some time, some *Israelites lived in those territories. They were the *tribes of Reuben and Gad and half the *tribe of Manasseh.

The *Amorites were an ancient nation. There is a record of them in this area as early as 1900 *BC. The *Amorites spread to all the area that includes *Canaan. So, the hilly country where the *Amorites lived was in the territory of *Canaan. (See Deuteronomy 1:7, 19-20, 27, 44.) And some of the *Amorites lived in *Canaan (Deuteronomy 7:1; 20:17).

Verses 5-6: In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses reminded them about the promise (*covenant) that God had given to the people. (See Exodus chapter 24.) God gave it to all the *Israelites at Mount Horeb (Sinai). The words ‘The *LORD our God’ emphasise that the *Israelites were special to God as his people. And the *LORD was special to them as their God. So they should do everything that the *LORD ordered them to do. If they obeyed the *LORD then he would cause them to succeed. If they did not obey, the *LORD would punish them.

Then Moses reminded them about what God had done for the people. He started with the time that God had brought them out of Egypt.

Moses reminded them that the *LORD told their fathers to leave Horeb. He told them to go into *Canaan. They did leave Horeb and they went as far as Kadesh. Then they did not obey the *LORD. They did not go in to possess *Canaan. So, the *LORD led the people in the *desert until all those men had died.

Verse 7: The area that *Israel would possess was very large. It was larger than any area that they have ever possessed yet. Even during the time of David and Solomon, *Israel did not possess all this territory. The territory included all the area from the ‘river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates’. That was the promise that the *LORD gave to Abraham (Genesis 15:18).

After some time, the hilly country where the *Amorites lived became the central part of Judah and *Mount Ephraim. The Jordan valley was called the Arabah. That area extended south from the Sea of Galilee. It went past the Dead Sea to the *Gulf of Aqaba. The hills and the plain were the area to the west of the hilly country where the *Amorites lived. That area included the low hills called the Shephelah and the plain to the Mediterranean coast. The south country was called the Negeb or the Negev. That is a dry region to the south of the hilly country. The coast here was the coast to the south of the Shephelah and plains. That whole area was the *Canaanites’ country.

To the north of the *Canaanites’ country, the *Israelites would possess Lebanon. To the north and east, the territory went as far as the River Euphrates.

Verse 8: God had chosen this territory for the *Israelites. The *LORD had promised to their *ancestors that he would give this territory to their *descendants. He wanted to give all this territory to the *Israelites at that time. However, they had to go in and possess it. And they must obey the laws of the *covenant. They failed to possess the whole territory because they did not obey the *LORD.

The selection of leaders                             1:9-18

v9 ‘At that time, I told you, “I cannot look after you by myself. You have become like a load that is too heavy for me to carry. v10 The *LORD your God has increased your numbers. Today there seem to be as many of you as there are stars in the sky. v11 I pray that the *LORD, the God of your *ancestors, will increase you a thousand times more. I pray that he will *bless you. He has promised to do that! v12 I cannot deal with your problems, your troubles and your quarrels by myself. They are like loads. They are too heavy for me to carry by myself. v13 Choose some wise men who understand. They must have experience. Choose them from each of your *tribes. I will make them the leaders of your *tribes.”

v14 You answered, “That is a good thing to do.”

v15 So I took the leaders of your *tribes who had wisdom and experience. I gave to them authority over you. They were leaders of groups of 1000, 100, 50 or 10 people. They were also officials over the *tribes. v16 I gave this order to your judges. “Listen to the arguments that your people are having. You must make fair judgements about arguments that two *Israelites are having. You must also make fair judgements about arguments that *Israelites and foreigners are having. v17 Do not respect one person most when you make judgements. Listen to important people. But also listen to people who are not important. Do not be afraid of anyone because you are doing this job on behalf of God. If any argument is too difficult for you, I will listen to it.” v18 At the same time, I told you everything that you should do.’

Verse 9: Before the *Israelites had left Horeb, Moses was the only judge among the people. But there were too many problems for Moses to deal with. That meant that from morning to evening Moses had to listen to their problems. His wife’s father, Jethro, saw that. He told Moses that this was too much for him. And he advised Moses to appoint other men to take the work from him (Exodus 18:13-26). Moses followed Jethro’s advice.

Moses said that the *LORD had increased the number of *Israelites. There were as many as the stars in the sky. The *LORD had told Abraham to look up and to see the stars. He promised to Abraham that his *descendants would be as many as the stars (Genesis 15:5-6). Probably, this just means that there would be a vast number of them. Someone has calculated that the human eye can see something over 3000 stars. There were many times more *Israelites than that. And Moses prayed that God would increase his people much more.

Then Moses declared the situation to the people. He told them that he could not deal with all their problems. He could not deal with all their troubles and their quarrels. There was too much for one man to do. He told them to select suitable men from each *tribe to be their judges. Moses said that he would make these men leaders in their *tribes.

Verse 14: The people agreed with what Moses proposed.

Verse 15: It seems that the people suggested names to Moses. With the agreement of the people, Moses appointed leaders (Exodus 18:25). Those capable men had experience and wisdom.

The first group of leaders may have had a military function. They must lead groups of various sizes. These officers would direct the men in battle. There was not yet a regular army. They would expect all men over 20 years of age to be willing to fight.

Verse 16: Also, Moses appointed judges. These must perform a legal function. They must settle what was right in arguments. They must be fair in all their judgements whether they were about *Israelites or about foreigners.

Verse 17: The judges must not have a prejudice against any person. Judges should not respect a rich person more than they respected a poor person. A famous person has no more rights than any other person. The judges must not act because of fear or because of a payment.

In God’s law, all persons are equal. And judges act on God’s behalf. They are responsible to God.

If the judge could not settle an argument, he must refer the problem to Moses.

Verse 18: At the same time, Moses spoke to the people. He told them what they should do. They must obey the whole law.

The *Israelites refused to enter the country                         1:19-33

v19 ‘We did what the *LORD our God ordered us to do. We left *Mount Sinai. Then we went through that vast *desert that frightened us. We went to the hills where the *Amorites live. So, we reached Kadesh-Barnea. v20 Then I spoke to you. “You have reached the hills where the *Amorites live. The *LORD our God is giving these hills to us. v21 Look, the *LORD your God has given the country to you. Go and possess it. The *LORD, the God of your *ancestors, has told you to do that. Do not be afraid and do not be anxious.”

v22 After that, all you people came and you said to me, “Let us send men ahead of us. They can discover what kind of country it is. They can tell us the best route to go. And they can tell us what kind of towns there are.”

v23 I agreed with that plan. So I chose 12 men, one man from each *tribe. v24 They went into the hills. And they explored the valley called Eshcol. v25 They brought back some fruit that they had picked there. They reported to us. “The country that the *LORD our God is giving to us is very good.”

v26 But you refused to obey what the *LORD your God ordered. You would not enter the country. v27 In your tents, you complained. You said, “The *LORD hates us. He brought us out of Egypt. Now he will give us to the *Amorites so that they can kill us. v28 We have no idea where we can go! The men whom we sent have made us afraid. They say, ‘The people are stronger and taller than we are. The cities are large. Their walls are so high that they seem to reach the sky. We even saw giant men there!’ ”

v29 Then I said, “Do not let those people frighten you. Do not be afraid of them. v30 The *LORD your God is going in front of you. He will fight for you. He will do that in the same way that you saw him act in Egypt v31 and in the *desert. You saw how the *LORD your God looked after you. He carried you like a father carries his son. He did that all the way until you reached this place.”

v32 But although the *LORD did that, you did not trust the *LORD your God. v33 He went ahead of you. He was in a cloud of fire during the night. And he was in a white cloud during the day. He provided places for you to camp. And he showed to you the way that you should go.’

Verse 19: The *LORD told the *Israelites to leave Horeb and to go to Kadesh-Barnea. They did what the *LORD told them to do. From Horeb to Kadesh-Barnea was a journey of more than 160 kilometres (100 miles). It was a hard journey across a terrible *desert. The direct route would take 11 days. Beyond Kadesh was the hilly country where the *Amorites lived.

Verses 20-21: When the *Israelites arrived in Kadesh, Moses spoke to them. They had reached the hilly country where the *Amorites lived. They were at the southern boundary of the country that God had promised to give to them. God would give that country to them now. However, they must go in and they must possess it.

‘Go and possess the country’ means that the *Israelites must fight the inhabitants. The *Israelites had never fought before. They did not have a powerful army. They did not know what the enemy was like. Moses told them not to be anxious or afraid. The *LORD would give the country to them. They must trust the *LORD and they must go.

Verse 22: The people did not want to go without some knowledge of the situation. Maybe they were anxious and afraid. Therefore, they came to Moses and they had a proposal. They suggested that some men should go into the country. These men could provide the information that they needed. Then with that knowledge they could choose how to approach.

Verse 23: This proposal seemed reasonable to Moses. Moses asked the *LORD about it. The *LORD told him to send men into the country called *Canaan. He told Moses to send a leader from each of the 12 *tribes. So, Moses chose the 12 men (Numbers 13:1-2). The book of Numbers records the names of those men (Numbers 13:4-16).

Verses 24-25: The 12 men went up into the hilly country and they came to the Eshcol valley. The Eshcol valley was in the region called Hebron. Hebron is still a city in *Israel about 35 kilometres (22 miles) south of Jerusalem. The men were away for 40 days. They came back to report what they had found. They brought back some fruit from Eshcol. They told the people that God had promised to give a good country to them.

Verse 26: The *Israelites refused to obey the *LORD. They would not go into *Canaan. They were the parents of those people that Moses was now talking to. Now 38 years afterwards, the *Israelites would obey the *LORD.

Verses 27-28: The report from the men that Moses sent into *Canaan made the people afraid. *Canaan was a very good country. But the people there were taller than the *Israelites. They were stronger than the *Israelites. The towns were large and they had high walls. The *Anakites were there. The *Anakites were the *descendants of Anak, who was very large and powerful.

The *Israelites cried and they wept that night. And they complained against Moses and Aaron. ‘We wish that we had died in Egypt, or even in this *desert! It would be better to return to Egypt’, they said. (See Numbers 14:2-3.)

The *Israelites believed that they could not defeat the enemy. They thought that those powerful people would kill them. They complained in their tents. They said, ‘The *LORD hates us.’ However, the truth was that God loved them. The *LORD had brought them out of Egypt. They thought that the *LORD wanted the *Amorites to kill them. But the opposite was true. The *LORD intended that the *Israelites should defeat the people in *Canaan. God’s plan was that the *Israelites should possess the country. The *LORD would go with them. He would give complete success to them. He would give that whole country to them to live there.

Moses reminded them that they were responsible for their failure. It was their idea to send the men. They followed the advice of 10 of the men. Two of the 12 men, Caleb and Joshua, did not have those negative ideas. The people chose to follow the advice of men rather than to trust the *LORD.

Verses 29-31: Again, Moses urged the people not to be afraid. Also, Caleb and Joshua spoke to the people. They told them not to be afraid of their enemies. The *LORD was with the *Israelites and therefore the enemy could not win.

The *Israelites had seen how the *LORD had brought them out of Egypt. They saw how the *LORD had defeated the *Egyptian army at the Red Sea. They sang about the *LORD as someone who fights wars (Exodus 15:3-5). Then they believed in the *LORD and they believed Moses (Exodus 14:31). The *LORD their God would go ahead of them. He would fight on behalf of them as he had in Egypt.

They knew how the *LORD had looked after them in the *desert. The *LORD was like a father to them. A father loves his children. The *LORD loves his people as his children. The *LORD their God had carried them as a father carries his children. And after 40 years the *LORD had brought them safely to this place.

Verses 32-33: The *LORD went in front of them as a cloud by day and as a fire by night. He led them to suitable places for them to camp. He showed them where to go. And he provided everything that they needed. But, after all those things, the *Israelites did not trust the *LORD.

The punishment because the *Israelites did not go in                1:34-46

v34 ‘The *LORD heard what you said. He was very angry and he spoke this serious statement: v35 “None of you wicked people will see the good country that I promised to give to your *ancestors. v36 Only Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, will see it. He has remained loyal to me, the *LORD. I will give to him and to his family the land where he walked.”

v37 The *LORD became angry with me because of you. He said to me, “Neither will you enter the country, Moses. v38 Your helper, Joshua, the son of Nun, will enter it. Encourage him. He will lead the *Israelites as they possess the country. v39 Your little children, who still do not know right things from wrong things, will enter the country. You said that your enemies would seize those children. But I will give the country to those children. They will possess it. v40 But you must now turn round. Go back into the *desert and follow the route to the Red Sea.”

v41 You replied: “We have *sinned against the *LORD. But now we will go into the country. We will fight even as the *LORD our God ordered us to do.” Then each of you took your military arms in order to fight. You thought that it would be easy to go into the hills.

v42 But the *LORD said to me, “Tell them not to attack. I will not be with them. Their enemies will defeat them.”

v43 I told you what the *LORD had said. But you did not listen. You did not obey what the *LORD ordered you to do. Because you were proud, you went up into the hills. v44 Then the *Amorites, who lived there, came out to fight you. They chased you like a large group of *bees. The *Amorites chased you from *Mount Seir to Hormah. And they defeated you there. v45 So you returned and you cried to the *LORD. He would not listen to you and he would not give any attention to you. v46 You stayed in Kadesh for a long time.’

Verses 34-35: The people complained in their tents but the *LORD heard them. The *LORD even hears our thoughts. We cannot hide anything from him. What he heard made him very angry.

The *LORD was angry with the people at Kadesh-Barnea. They should have gone up and possessed the country at once. The *LORD would have fought on their behalf. He would have defeated their enemies. The writer of Hebrews wrote about this in his book. ‘Who made God angry for 40 years? It was the people who had turned away from him. All those people died in the *desert. To whom did God declare that they would never enter his rest? It was the people who did not obey him. So we see that they were not able to enter. They could not enter because they did not trust God.’ (See Hebrews 3:17-19.)

The *LORD declared to Moses that he would cause the *Israelites to die. He would send diseases that would kill them. He said that he would make a new nation from Moses. However, Moses persuaded the *LORD not to do that (Numbers 14:12-23). Instead, the *LORD said that he would not allow any of those evil people to go into the country.

Verse 36: None of the adult *Israelites over 20 years of age who left Egypt would enter the country. All those people died in the *desert during the next 38 years. Only Joshua and Caleb went in, because they obeyed God completely.

The *LORD promised that Caleb would go into the country. Caleb would receive the area that he had gone to. When the *Israelites went into the country, Joshua gave the hilly country to Caleb. He also gave to him the town called Hebron. (See Joshua 14:6-15.)

Verse 37: Moses told the people that the *LORD was angry with him because of them. As their leader, he would suffer the same punishment.

Several years later on the journey God told Moses that he would not go into the country. Moses did not get in because he did not obey God about another matter. God told Moses to speak to a rock and then the rock would provide water. Moses did not trust God enough just to speak to the rock. Moses was angry and he hit the rock twice (Numbers 20:7-12; Psalm 106:32-33). Moses was the leader but he did not obey God. So God said that Moses would not lead the *Israelites into the country.

Verse 38: Another man must lead the *Israelites into *Canaan. The *LORD appointed Moses’ assistant Joshua for this task. He would replace Moses. Moses must encourage him and he must prepare him for that task. Probably the *LORD appointed Joshua after Moses had hit the rock.

Verse 39: Those people’s children would go into the country with Joshua and Caleb. The *LORD would give the country to them. Then they would be between the ages of 38 and 58 years. They and their own children would go in and they would possess the country.

Verse 40: The *LORD told the *Israelites to turn round. They must go back and they must return by the road towards the Red Sea.

Verse 41: The *Israelites did not want to go back into that vast and terrible *desert. They realised that they had *sinned against the *LORD. The *LORD had told them to go up. He had told them to fight. So now, they decided to do it. They took their military arms and they prepared to go. They expected that the *LORD would go with them. Therefore, the task would be easy. However, they were too late. Their confidence was false. The last order from the *LORD was to go back into the *desert. Again, they had refused to obey. They acted without the agreement of the *LORD.

Verses 42-43: Moses told them what the *LORD said. The *Israelites could have success when the *LORD was with them. However, the *LORD would not go with them this time. Without the *LORD, they were weak. He told them not to go. If they did go, they would not succeed. The enemy would strike them down and they would kill many of them. However, they were too proud to listen. They would not obey what the *LORD had said. They marched up to battle against the *Amorites.

Verse 44: When the *Israelites met the *Amorites, the *Amorites overcame them. The *Israelites ran away from them. The *Amorites chased them as far as Hormah. Hormah was a town about 88 kilometres (55 miles) to the north and east of Kadesh-Barnea. There the *Amorites defeated the *Israelites.

In fact, it was the *Amalekites and the *Canaanites who fought the *Israelites. (We read that in Numbers 14:43.) Here, it says that the *Amorites chased the *Israelites. The *Amorites were the most powerful nation in *Canaan. Because they were the most powerful, the *Amorites would include some of those other nations. There were 7 such nations. ‘The *LORD your God will bring you into the country that you will possess. He will send out 7 nations that are larger and more powerful than you. Those nations are called the Hittites, the Girgashites, the *Amorites, the *Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites’ (Deuteronomy 7:1). In addition to the 7 nations, there were the people called the Amalekites. Those people were a *tribe that also lived in the area.

Verse 45: The men that remained alive among the *Israelites returned to the camp at Kadesh. There they wept in front of the tent where the *LORD met with Moses. There they cried to the *LORD. Probably they wept because of the loss of so many men. Maybe they wept because they had *sinned against the *LORD. They cried out and they prayed to the *LORD. But the *LORD would not listen to them.

Verse 46: The *Israelites stayed in Kadesh. We do not know how long they stayed there. It may have been many years.

Chapter 2

In the *desert for 38 years                                 2:1-23

v1 ‘Then we turned back and we went towards the *desert. We travelled along the way to the Red Sea as the *LORD had told us to do. We travelled round the hills in Seir (Edom) for a long time.

v2 Then the *LORD said to me, v3 “You have gone round this mountain for long enough. Now turn to the north. v4 Tell the *Israelites, ‘You are ready now to go through the country that belongs to your relatives, the *descendants of Esau. They live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, but be careful. v5 Do not start a war against them because I will not give any of their country to you. I will not even give to you enough land to put a foot on. I have given the hills in Seir to Esau’s family. That region is their possession. v6 You must pay them with money for your food and your water.’ ”

v7 The *LORD your God has *blessed you in everything that you have done. He has looked after you as you have travelled through this vast *desert. The *LORD your God has been with you for 40 years. You have had everything that you needed.

v8 So we went past the land that belonged to the family of Esau. They are our relatives, who live in Seir. We travelled along the route to the towns called Elath and Ezion-Geber. Then we turned and we travelled along the route through the *desert to Moab.

v9 Then the *LORD said to me, “Do not attack the *Moabites. Do not start a war against them. I will not give any of their land to you as your possession. I have given the city called Ar to the family of Lot. It is their possession.” ’ v10 (A strong and large group of people called the ‘Emites’ used to live in Ar. They were as tall as the people called *Anakites. v11 Many people called the *Anakites ‘*Rephaites’. And they also called the people who lived in Ar ‘Rephaites’. But the *Moabites called them the ‘Emites’. v12 The people who were called Horites used to live in Seir. But the family of Esau got power over their land. The family of Esau killed them and Esau’s family lived there instead of the *Horites. Also the *Israelites did a similar thing in the country that the *LORD gave to them for their possession.)

v13 ‘Then the *LORD said, “Go across the Zered Valley.” So we did that.

v14 We crossed the Zered Valley 38 years after we had left Kadesh-Barnea. By then, all the men who were old enough to fight had died. The *LORD had declared that this would happen. v15 The *LORD continued to oppose them until all those men died. At last, none of them remained alive in the camp.

v16 After all those men had died, v17 the *LORD said to me, v18 “Today you must cross the border of Moab. It will be at the place called Ar. v19 When you get near to the *Ammonites, do not attack them. Do not start a war against them. I will not give any of their land to you to possess. I have given it to the family of Lot. It is their possession.” ’

v20 (People call that place ‘the country of the *Rephaites’. The *Rephaite people used to live there. The *Ammonites called them the ‘Zamzummin’. v21 They were a strong and large group of people. And they were as tall as the *Anakites. The *LORD *destroyed the Zamzummin people. So, the *Ammonites got power over their country and they lived there. v22 The *LORD did a similar thing for the family of Esau, who lived in Seir. He *destroyed the people called the Horites. So, the people from the country called Edom got power over their country. And the people from Edom still live there today. v23 The people called Avvites lived there too. But the people from Crete *destroyed them. The people from Crete got power over the land right up to the city called Gaza.)

Verse 1: After a long time in Kadesh-Barnea, the *Israelites set out again. They travelled along the route in the direction of the Red Sea as the *LORD had told them. They went in a south and east direction towards the *Gulf of Aqaba. Then they spent many days round the area of *Mount Seir. *Mount Seir was the mountain range in the country called Edom. It was south of the Dead Sea and east of the southern Jordan valley.

It is possible that the *Israelites had returned to Kadesh. They were there when they went to attack the *Amorites. After that, they had been in the *desert (Numbers 14:25). It seems that they left Kadesh a second time after a long stay there (Numbers 20:22).

Verses 2-3: The *LORD told the *Israelites to turn to the north from the area near *Mount Seir. Their route would be to the east of the Jordan valley. This route passed through the countries called Edom and Moab and into Ammon. After some time, they would cross the River Jordan into *Canaan from Ammon.

Verses 4-6: Seir and Edom are two names for the same country. The *Edomites lived there. They were Esau’s *descendants. Esau was the brother of Jacob and Edom was another name for Esau. Jacob was the *ancestor of the *Israelites. So there was a family relationship between them.

The *Israelites would pass through the territory of that country. The *Edomites would be afraid of the *Israelites. But there must not be any quarrel between them. There must not be any war against Esau’s *descendants. The *LORD had given that whole territory to Esau’s family. Esau had gone there to separate from his brother Jacob (Genesis 36:1-8). That country was not part of the territory that the *LORD promised to give to the *Israelites.

The *Israelites would pass by Edom. And they must buy what they needed from Edom’s people. The *Israelites would pay for their food and water with silver.

Verse 7: It was almost 40 years since the *Israelites left Egypt. During all that time the *LORD had provided everything that they needed. The *LORD had looked after them even although they had refused to obey him many times.

Until now, the *Israelites had not needed to buy food. The *LORD had supplied *manna and water, as they needed them. Now they would buy food and water as they moved through the territory of the *Edomites. However, the supply of *manna did not stop completely until much later. It stopped the day after the first *Passover meal at the town called Gilgal in *Canaan (Joshua 5:10-12). Perhaps the *LORD reduced the supply of *manna as other food became available.

Verse 8: The *Israelites went on the road from the towns called Elath and Ezion-Geber. Elath and Ezion-Geber were two places that were very close together. Both towns were on the *Gulf of Aqaba. Probably Elath was where Eilat is now. Ezion-Geber was a small port a little to the south of Elath. Those towns were in the *Edomites’ territory.

They went past the region called Edom. Then they turned from that road onto the road through the *desert to Moab. The *Moabites’ country was north of Edom and to the east of the Dead Sea. It was on the south side, and partly to the north of the River Arnon.

Verses 9-10: Moab was not part of the territory that the *LORD promised to the *Israelites. Therefore, he told them not to attack the *Moabites. Their capital town was Ar. The *LORD had given that territory to Lot’s family. The *Israelites must respect the *Moabites as they had done for Edom’s people. Lot was a nephew of Abraham (Genesis 12:5). Moab was the son of Lot by his first daughter (Genesis 19:37).

The original inhabitants in Ar were called Emites. They were very large people. They were tall and powerful. They were like the *Anakites.

Verse 11: The people called Emites, the *Anakites, and the *Rephaites were probably the same people. In different areas, the local *tribes called them by these different names.

Verse 12: Esau and his *descendants had obtained their country when they defeated the original residents of Seir. They were called Horites. We do not know anything certain about them except that they lived in Seir (Genesis 14:6).

Verse 13: The *LORD told the *Israelites to cross over the stream called Zered. That stream was sometimes dry. When it had water, it flowed from the east into the southern end of the Dead Sea. It was the southern border of the country called Moab.

Verses 14-16: The *Israelites obeyed the *LORD’s order. They went across the stream called Zered.

It was 38 years since they had left Kadesh-Barnea. The *LORD had told the *Israelites to go and to possess *Canaan. But the men who were old enough to fight refused to enter the country. Then the *LORD declared that none of them would ever go into the country. Those were men 20 years of age and older when they left Egypt. Now, 38 years later, all those men had died. There were only two exceptions. They were Caleb and Joshua.

Verses 17-18: Then the *LORD told Moses to pass over the north and east border of the country called Moab. They must cross that border through a place called Ar. Ar was the capital of Moab. It was about 40 kilometres (25 miles) south of the River Arnon. The actual border with Ammon was at the River Arnon.

The country called Moab had extended to the north of the River Arnon. The territory of Ammon started at the River Arnon and it was to the east of Moab. However the *Amorite King Sihon had got control over all the Moab territory north of the River Arnon (Numbers 21:26).

Verse 19: The route that the *Israelites went was along the boundary of the territory of Ammon. That was to the east of the territory that the *Amorite King Sihon possessed. The *Israelites must not attack the *Ammonites. The country that God promised to give to *Israel did not include the territory of Ammon. The *Israelites must turn north and west into the country of Sihon. The *Amorites were one out of the 7 nations that the *LORD promised to give to *Israel (Deuteronomy 7:1).

The *Ammonites were the *descendants of Lot. The *LORD had given that country to Lot and to his *descendants. Lot had a son by his younger daughter. His name was Ben-Ammi and he was the *ancestor of the *Ammonites (Genesis 19:38).

Verse 20: The *Rephaites lived in this country before the *Ammonites came. The *Ammonites called the *Rephaites the ‘Zamzummin’. The Zamzummin were strong and they were tall people like the *Anakites. The *Anakites were the *descendants of Anak, who was very large. The *LORD gave their country to the *Ammonites. In the same way, the people called Horites lived in Edom. The *LORD gave Edom to Esau’s family. The people called Horites were an ancient nation (Genesis 14:6; 36:20-30).

In *Canaan as far south as Gaza the people called Avvites lived. They were an ancient nation in that area. People from Crete came and they killed the Avvites. Those people became the people called Philistines (Genesis 10:14).

Defeat of Sihon, king of Heshbon                        2:24-37

v24 ‘ “Go across the River Arnon. I will hand over to you Sihon, who is the *Amorite king of Heshbon, and his territory. Begin to possess his territory and to attack him. v25 From today I will make people everywhere afraid of you. They will hear reports about you. They will tremble and they will be very afraid of you.”

v26 From the Kedemoth *desert, I sent people with a message that offered peace. They took this message to Sihon, king of Heshbon. v27 “Let us go through your country. We will stay on the main road and we will not leave it. v28 We will pay for our food and water. We just want to walk through your country. v29 We will do that until we go across the River Jordan. Then we will reach the country that the *LORD our God is giving to us. The family of Esau in Seir and the *Moabites in Ar allowed us to do that.” v30 But King Sihon of Heshbon would not let us go through his country. He refused and he would not change his decision. The *LORD your God made that happen. The *LORD did that because he wanted you to defeat him. Now it has happened.

v31 The *LORD said to me, “Look, I have begun to give to you King Sihon and his country. Now start to get power over his territory and start to possess it.”

v32 Sihon came with all his army to fight us at the town called Jahaz. v33 The *LORD our God helped us to *capture him. We killed him and his sons and we killed all his army. v34 Also we got power over all his towns and we *destroyed them. We killed everyone. We killed the men, the women and the children. Nobody remained alive. v35 But we took the animals and we took the people’s possessions from the towns. v36 The *LORD our God gave to us all the towns from Aroer to Gilead. Aroer is on the edge of the valley called Arnon. We also got power over the town in the valley. No town was too strong for us to get power over. v37 You obeyed what the *LORD our God had ordered. You did not go near to the country of the *Ammonites. You did not go near to the land by the River Jabbok. And you did not go near to the towns in the hills.’

Verse 24: The *LORD would not allow the *Israelites to attack the *Edomites, *Moabites, or *Ammonites. However, he told them to attack the *Amorites. The territory of the *Amorites was part of the country that God promised to the *Israelites. The *Amorites were on both sides of the River Jordan. King Sihon was an *Amorite. The *LORD told the *Israelites that he had handed over King Sihon and his *kingdom to them. The *Israelites had to obey. They had to attack. The defeat of the *Amorites was certain. Then they would possess all King Sihon’s territory.

The *Israelites had to cross the River Arnon. Then they must attack the *Amorite army.

Heshbon was King Sihon’s capital. It was about 24 kilometres (15 miles) east of where the River Jordan flows into the Dead Sea.

Verse 25: News of the success of the *Israelites would spread to the nations. And the *LORD God would cause all the nations to be afraid of the *Israelites. That fear would spread through all the city-states in *Canaan.

Verses 26-27: The *LORD had said that he had handed over the *Amorite king, Sihon to the *Israelites. However, Moses sent some men to King Sihon to offer peace with the *Israelites. They asked King Sihon to allow them to pass through his territory. They promised that the *Israelites would stay on the main road.

The *Israelites were in the *desert called Kedemoth. Kedemoth means ‘east parts’. Probably Kedemoth was a few miles inside King Sihon’s territory. It was north of the River Arnon and it was near to the east border of the *Amorite state.

King Sihon’s territory was from the River Arnon in the south to the River Jabbok in the north. The River Jabbok flowed into the River Jordan. It was about half way between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. The River Jordan and the Dead Sea were his west boundary. The *Ammonite territory was the east boundary. Some of King Sihon’s territory had been part of the *Moabites’ territory (Numbers 21:27-30).

Verses 28-29: The *Israelites offered to pay for their food and water. They only proposed to pass through Sihon’s territory on their journey to the country called *Canaan. Then they would cross over the River Jordan into *Canaan. *Canaan was the country that the *LORD would give to them. The *Edomites and the *Moabites had allowed them to pass through their countries. The *Israelites had done what they promised. King Sihon could see that they had done that.

Verses 30-31: However, King Sihon refused the request. And he would not change his decision. But that was how the *LORD wanted it to be. That may be the reason for Moses’ initial offer of peace to King Sihon. He was sure that somehow the *LORD would give success to him in battle with the *Amorites’ king. Then the *LORD told Moses that he had begun to give that country to them. Therefore, God told the *Israelites to begin to possess that territory.

Verse 32: King Sihon came south from Heshbon. He brought all his army with him to Jahaz. There they fought against the *Israelites. We do not know exactly where Jahaz was. But it was a few miles north of Kedemoth, where the *Israelites camped.

Verses 33-34: The *LORD was with his people. He told them to attack King Sihon (Deuteronomy 2:24). Therefore, there was no doubt that the *Israelites would succeed. In the battle at Jahaz, they killed King Sihon. They killed King Sihon’s sons and all his army. Then the *Israelites got power over all the towns in King Sihon’s territory. And they killed all the people.

Verse 35: The *Israelites kept for themselves the animals and the other valuable objects.

Verse 36: Aroer was on the north side of the River Arnon in the south of King Sihon’s territory. It was high above the river. The valley of the River Arnon was 615 metres (2000 feet) deep at this place. Gilead was the region beyond the River Jabbok, which was the north border of King Sihon’s territory.

The town in the valley (or down by the river) may have been a suburb of Aroer. However, this town may have been further east as the south and east border of King Sihon’s territory.

Verse 37: The *Israelites obeyed God. They did not do more than God had told them. They did not go into the territory of Ammon. The River Jabbok turns to the south beyond Gilead. From that bend, it is the border with Ammon. The *Israelites did not attack any towns beyond the River Jabbok.

When the people obey the *LORD, they will have success. When they do not obey the *LORD, they will fail.

Chapter 3

Defeat of Og, king of Bashan                            3:1-11

v1 ‘After that, we turned and we went along the route towards Bashan. Og, king of Bashan, came out with his whole army to fight us. He wanted to fight us at the town called Edrei. v2 But the *LORD said to me, “Do not be afraid of him. I will give him, his whole army and his country to you. Remember Sihon, king of the *Amorites who ruled in Heshbon. Fight against Og in the same way as you fought against Sihon.”

v3 So the *LORD our God handed over to us Og, king of Bashan, and all his army. We killed all those men. We left none of them alive. v4 At the same time, we got power over all Og’s towns. We got power over all his 60 towns. We got power over the whole region called Argob. It was Og’s *kingdom in Bashan. v5 All those towns had high walls with gates and bars to protect them. There were also many villages without walls. v6 We *destroyed them completely as we had done with Sihon, king of Heshbon. We destroyed all the towns. We killed the men, the women and the children. v7 But we took for ourselves all the animals and the people’s possessions from the towns.

v8 So at that time, we got power over the territory on the east of the River Jordan. We got power over it from those two kings of the *Amorites. That territory was from the River Arnon to *Mount Hermon. v9 (The people from the country called Sidon called *Mount Hermon ‘Sirion’. The *Amorites call it ‘Senir’.) v10 We got power over all the towns on the plain. We got power over the regions called Gilead and Bashan up to Salecah and Edrei. Those were the towns in Og’s *kingdom in Bashan. v11 Og, king of Bashan, was the last *Rephaite. His bed was iron. It was more than 4 metres long and 2 metres wide (13 feet long and 6 feet wide). It is still in Rabbah, the town where the *Ammonites live.’

Verse 1: The *Israelites turned north towards Bashan. The name Bashan means ‘full of fruit’ or ‘flat’. Bashan was the territory to the north of Gilead. (See verse 10.) Sometimes ‘Gilead’ means the territory north of the River Arnon up to the River Yarmuk. However, here ‘Gilead’ is the area north of the River Jabbok. King Sihon ruled the part south of the River Jabbok. King Og of Bashan ruled the part from the River Jabbok to the River Yarmuk. Gilead’s north border was the River Yarmuk. This river flowed from the east into the River Jordan a few miles south of the Sea of Galilee.

The Sea of Galilee has more than one name. It is the Sea of Chinnereth or Chinneroth and, in the *New-Testament, it has the names Gennesaret and Tiberias.

Bashan was from the River Yarmuk to *Mount Hermon in the north. The Arabah (Jordan Valley) was the west boundary. Also, the small territory called Geshur was on the west boundary. Geshur was to the east of the Sea of Galilee. On the boundary at the east was the town called Salecah.

Og king of Bashan marched out with his whole army to meet the *Israelites. The two armies met at Edrei. Edrei was a town on the River Yarmuk near the south and east border of Bashan. It was about 46 kilometres (29 miles) east of the Sea of Galilee.

Verses 2-3: The *LORD told the *Israelites not to be afraid of King Og and his army. The *LORD’s plan was to give King Og’s whole territory to the *Israelites. Therefore, the *LORD told the *Israelites to fight against King Og as they did against King Sihon. They obeyed and the *LORD gave success to them in the battle. They killed King Og and all his soldiers.

Verses 4-6: The region called Argob contained a lot of good agricultural land. That land was good for crops.

In Bashan, there were many towns, including 60 towns with high walls. Those towns had double gates and bars for protection. In addition, there were many villages without high walls. The *Israelites got power over all those towns and villages and they killed all the inhabitants.

The *Israelites got power over the whole region called Argob. The name Argob means ‘stone-heap’ or ‘the rough country’. We are not certain of the extent of Argob. Probably it was an area in the north part of Bashan. However, here it may mean the whole of Bashan.

Verse 7: As they did in Sihon’s country, the *Israelites kept the animals and valuable things for themselves.

Verse 8: The *Israelites got power over all the *Amorites’ territories east of the River Jordan. They were the territories of Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan. The whole territory was from the River Arnon to *Mount Hermon.

Verse 9: *Mount Hermon also had the names Sirion and Senir. The name Sirion is in Psalm 29:6. The *Amorite name Senir is in three other passages in the *Old-Testament. (See 1 Chronicles 5:23; Song of Songs 4:8; Ezekiel 27:5.) *Mount Hermon is a mountain range, which was the north boundary of Bashan. Its highest part rises to over 2800 metres (9200 feet).

Verse 10: The area that the *Israelites got power over from the two *Amorite kings was in three parts. There were the plains, which were between Gilead and the *Moabites’ territory. There was Gilead itself. Here, Gilead means the region from the River Arnon to the River Yarmuk. And then there was Bashan, which was from the River Yarmuk to *Mount Hermon. Salecah and Edrei were towns on the east border of Bashan.

Verse 11: King Og was an *Amorite king but he was a *descendant of the *Rephaites. He was the last *Rephaite in the regions east of the River Jordan. The *Rephaites were very tall and powerful. King Og was a very large man. His bed was more than 4 metres long and 2 metres wide (13 feet long and 6 feet wide). That was a very large bed. So we know that he was very large. However, we cannot calculate his height from the size of the bed. At that time, the bed was in the town called Rabbah. Rabbah was the ancient capital of Ammon. It was where Amman is now. Amman is the capital of the country called Jordan. The word ‘bed’ probably meant the box that they buried a dead person in. And the word ‘iron’ may have meant the local rock, which had a lot of iron in it. If that is true, they may have buried King Og in Rabbah. Those people who dig for ancient remains have found several such funeral boxes.

Moses gave land to the east of the River Jordan to two and a half *tribes                3:12-22

v12 ‘I divided the country that we got power over at that time. I gave to the *tribes of Reuben and Gad the territory to the north of Aroer near the River Arnon. That included half of the hills in the region called Gilead together with its towns. v13 I gave the rest of Gilead and the whole region called Bashan to half the *tribe of Manasseh. That was where Og ruled.’ (People used to call the whole region called Argob in Bashan by a different name. They called it ‘the land that belongs to the *Rephaites’. v14 Jair, a *descendant of Manasseh, got power over the whole region called Argob. That region included all the land to the border of Geshur and Maachah. He named the region by his own name. Today people still call Bashan ‘the villages that belong to Jair’.) v15 ‘I gave Gilead to Machir. v16 I gave the territory from Gilead to the River Arnon to the *tribes of Reuben and Gad. Their boundary was the middle of the river. And their boundary was the River Jabbok. That was the boundary with the *Ammonites. v17 Their western border was the River Jordan in the Arabah valley. That was all the land from Galilee to the Dead Sea. It is below the slopes of *Mount Pisgah.

v18 I gave this command to you at that time: “The *LORD your God has given to you this country to possess it. But all your brave fighters with their military arms, must go ahead of the other *Israelites. They are your relatives. v19 However, your wives, your children and your animals can stay. I know that you have many animals. They can stay in the towns that I have given to you. v20 That will be until the *LORD shall give peace to your relatives. He will give peace to them as he has given peace to you. Then they too will possess the country that the *LORD your God is giving to them. Their country is across the River Jordan from your country. Then you can return to the country that I have given to you as your possession.”

v21 Then I gave this command to Joshua. “You have seen all the things that the *LORD your God did to those two kings. The *LORD will do the same to all the *kingdoms where you will go. v22 Do not be afraid of the people there. The *LORD your God will fight on your behalf.” ’

Verse 12: Moses gave the *Amorite territory east of the River Jordan to two and a half *tribes of *Israel. One area was from the River Arnon to not very far south of the River Jabbok. Moses gave that area to the *tribes of Reuben and Gad. That included the plains between Gilead and Moab and the south part of Gilead. That had been the territory of King Sihon. The *tribes of Reuben and Gad had asked for that territory. They had many animals and that was a good place to keep them (Numbers 32:1-5).

Verse 13: Moses gave the rest of Gilead and the whole of Bashan to half the *tribe of Manasseh. That had been the territory of King Og. The rest of Gilead was the area from the River Jabbok to the River Yarmuk.

Moses gave the north part of Gilead to Machir. Machir had defeated the *Amorites and he had taken possession of that part of Gilead (Numbers 32:39). That was the territory from the River Jabbok to the River Yarmuk. Machir was from one half of the *tribe of Manasseh.

Verses 14-15: Jair, a *descendant of Manasseh, got power over the region called Argob. It seems that here Argob meant a part of Bashan. Probably it was an area 48 kilometres (30 miles) by 32 kilometres (20 miles). Rocks and rough ground covered this area. In that territory, there were about 60 towns with walls. The boundary went as far as the territories of Geshur and Maachah. Maachah was a small territory to the south of *Mount Hermon. Probably it was from the River Jordan in the west to Salecah in the east.

Geshur and Maachah were not *Amorite states.

Jair named the region by his own name. He gave the name Havvoth-Jair to it. (See Judges 10:4.) Probably Havvoth meant ‘tent-villages’.

Verses 16-17: The south border of the *tribes called Reuben and Gad was the River Arnon. Their east border was the territory of Ammon and that part of the River Jabbok that flowed north. The river bent to the west as it went 40-48 kilometres (25-30 miles) to the River Jordan. That part of the river was the north boundary for the *tribes called Reuben and Gad. Their west border was the River Jordan in the Arabah. (The Arabah is a name for the Jordan valley.)

The River Jabbok flowed into the River Jordan slightly south of the Sea of Galilee. The territory of those two *tribes was south from the Sea of Galilee. The River Arnon flowed into the Dead Sea about half way down. The territory of those two *tribes went as far south as the River Arnon. The River Arnon flowed into the east side of the Dead Sea.

Verse 18: The two and a half *tribes had received their possessions. The *LORD had given to them the territories to the east of the River Jordan. However, Moses reminded them about their responsibility. All their men who could fight must go over the River Jordan with the other *Israelites. The other *tribes had not yet received their territories. About 40 000 men from these two and a half *tribes crossed over the River Jordan (Joshua 4:13). Their duty was to help their relatives to gain their territories in *Canaan.

Verse 19: These men could leave their families and animals. They had many animals. So they were wealthy. They had built new towns and they had repaired many of the old towns. Their families could live in those towns.

Protection of those families and animals would be by those people under the age of 20 years old. They would be too young to go as soldiers. Also, there would be those people who were over the age for the army. And there were those people who were not strong enough to go. Most importantly, they could trust the *LORD to protect their families while they were away.

Verse 20: Soldiers from the two and a half *tribes must go to fight on behalf of the other *tribes. That would continue until the *LORD had given peace to those other *tribes. Those other *tribes would possess the country that the *LORD had promised to give to them. That country was to the west of the River Jordan.

Verses 21-22: Moses knew that the *LORD would not allow him to go across the River Jordan. Therefore, he told Joshua that he must not be afraid of the people there. He reminded Joshua about how the *LORD defeated King Sihon and King Og. The *LORD would do the same to all the kings that they would fight. There were many kings in *Canaan. But the *LORD would help the *Israelites to defeat all those kings. Joshua must not doubt. He must believe that the *LORD would do it.

God shows *Canaan to Moses from the mountain called Pisgah                3:23-29

v23 ‘Then I prayed to the *LORD very strongly. v24 “*LORD our *Lord, you have begun to show to your servant how great and powerful you are. No god in the heavens or on the earth can do the great things that you do. v25 Let me cross over the River Jordan and see the good country. I want to see the pleasant hills and Lebanon.”

v26 But because of you, the *LORD was angry with me. He would not listen to me. Instead, he said, “That is enough! Do not speak to me about that again. v27 Go up to the top of *Mount Pisgah. Look to the north, south, east and west. You can look at the country, but you will not go across the River Jordan. v28 But appoint Joshua for his work. Encourage him and give strength to him. He will lead the *Israelites across. And they will possess the country that you will see.” v29 So we remained in the valley near Beth-Peor.’

Verses 23-24: Moses prayed to the *LORD. At the start of his prayer he said that God is very great. Moses had seen what God had done on behalf of his people. He had seen the great power of God in Egypt. He was there when the *LORD saved his people at the Red Sea. The *LORD had led the *Israelites in the *desert for these last 40 years. Now, the *LORD had caused the defeat of the two *Amorite kings east of the River Jordan.

The nations believed that there were other gods in heaven and in the earth. They believed that those false gods were powerful. However there is no God like the *Israelites’ God. He is the only real God. No god was able to do works like those that the *LORD had done.

Verse 25: Moses had suffered very many things. He had led the people all the way from Egypt to the plains of Moab. He really wanted to complete the task. He wanted to lead the people into *Canaan. It was natural for him to want to see them safely in that country. He wanted to see all the territory that the *LORD had promised to give to the *Israelites. So, he asked the *LORD to let him go across the River Jordan.

Verse 26: At one time, when they were in the *desert they could not find any water. The *Israelites complained to Moses. They blamed him for the lack of water. Moses told the *LORD about the problem. The *LORD told Moses to get his special stick. He did not tell Moses to hit the rock with the stick. He said that Moses must speak to the rock. Then the rock would provide the water that the people needed.

It seems that Moses was tired. So perhaps he was angry with the people. The *LORD had told him to speak to the rock. But Moses did not obey the *LORD. Instead, Moses hit the rock twice with his stick. Therefore, the *LORD said that he would punish Moses. Moses would not lead the *Israelites into the country that he had promised to them (Numbers 20:2-13).

The *LORD had made his decision and he would not change his mind. Moses had prayed about this matter before. Therefore, the *LORD told Moses not to speak about it again.

Verse 27: The *LORD refused Moses’ request. But he told Moses to go up to the top of Pisgah. Pisgah was a high mountain range. And its highest part was *Mount Nebo. It was slightly north and east of the Dead Sea. It was across the River Jordan from Jericho town.

From the top of *Mount Nebo, there is a good view across the River Jordan. Moses would see *Canaan to the west, to the north and to the south. To the east, he would see the territories of the two and a half *tribes. Later in the book, there is a record of what Moses saw (Deuteronomy 34:1-4).

Moses would see the country that the *LORD would give to the *Israelites. But the *LORD would not allow him to cross the River Jordan.

Verse 28: The *LORD told Moses to appoint Joshua to lead the people. Moses must give the authority that he had to Joshua. And Moses must prepare Joshua to lead the *Israelites into *Canaan. That would be an enormous task and Moses must encourage him. Joshua would need to be strong and brave. Moses would encourage Joshua to trust the *LORD and to obey him. That would cause Joshua to be strong and to succeed.

Verse 29: Beth-Peor was a town near to *Mount Pisgah. It was in a valley east of the River Jordan in the plains of Moab. Probably it was opposite to Jericho.

Beth-Peor means the house of Peor. Baal-Peor was the name of a *Moabite god. Probably the town got its name from the *temple of Peor that was there.

Chapter 4

Moses says that the people must obey God                 4:1-14

v1 ‘Therefore, everyone in *Israel, listen to the rules and the laws that I will teach to you. Obey them so that you can live. Then you will go into the country and you will possess it. The *LORD, the God of your *ancestors, is giving it to you. v2 Do not add anything to the *commandments that I am giving to you. Do not take anything away from them. *Keep the *commandments of the *LORD your God that I ordered you to *keep.

v3 You saw what the *LORD did at Baal-Peor. The *LORD your God *destroyed everyone who gave honour to *Baal. v4 Those people who remained loyal to the *LORD are still alive today.

v5 I have taught to you all the rules and the laws as the *LORD my God ordered me to do. Now you should obey those rules and laws in the country that you will enter. You will enter it to possess it. v6 Obey them carefully. That will show to the people in other nations how wise you are. When they hear about all those rules, they will say, “This great nation has wisdom and knowledge.” v7 The *LORD our God is near to us whenever we pray to him. No other nation has a god who is so near to them. No other nation is so great. v8 No other nation has such fair rules and laws as the laws that I am teaching to you today. No other nation is so great.

v9 Be careful and watch yourselves. Do not forget the things that you have seen. Remember them as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to your grandchildren. v10 Remember the day when you stood in front of the *LORD your God at *Mount Horeb. He said this to me. “Tell the people to come together in front of me. They must listen to what I will say. And so, they will learn to respect me as long as they live on the earth. Also, they will teach their children.” v11 You came near and you stood at the edge of the mountain. It burned with flames that reached up to the sky. There were black clouds and great darkness. v12 Then the *LORD spoke to you from the fire. You heard him speak. But you did not see any shape. You only heard a voice. v13 He told you about his *covenant, the 10 *Commandments. He wrote them on two blocks of stone and he told you to obey them. v14 At that time, the *LORD told me to teach all the rules and the laws to you. You must obey them in the country that is over the river. You will cross over the river to possess it.’

Verse 1: Moses taught God’s rules and laws to the *Israelites. Rules and laws mean the whole law. He did not just teach the law but he taught the principles of the law. He taught them how to use the law in every day life. The rules and the laws are God’s commands. Therefore, the people must obey those commands.

If they obeyed those laws, they would go into the country. They would enjoy their lives there. The *LORD promised to their *ancestors that he would give that country to *Israel. However, he would only do it if they obeyed his commands.

Verse 2: Moses warned the *Israelites not to add to the commands that he was giving to them. Also, he warned them not to take anything away from the commands. The commands that he gave to them were the *LORD’s commands. Already he had ordered them to obey all the *LORD’s commands.

They did not need to add any more rules. And all the rules that Moses gave to them were necessary. They must not change the law that God had given to them.

Verses 3-4: If they did not obey these rules the *LORD would punish them. Moses reminded them what the *LORD did because of *Baal-Peor. The *Israelites were at a place called Shittim. Some of their men started to have sex with *Moabite women. Then they joined in the *Moabites’ *worship of their god *Baal-Peor. Because of that, the *LORD sent a disease on the *Israelites. The disease killed 24 000 of them (Numbers chapter 25; Psalm 106:28-29). However, those people who were loyal to the *LORD did not die.

Shittim was in the Jordan valley in the plains opposite Jericho. *Baal-Peor was the name of a false god. Also, it may be another name for the place called Beth-Peor (Deuteronomy 3:29).

Verse 5: Moses had done what the *LORD had told him to do. He had taught all the *LORD’s rules and laws to the people. Now the people had to obey. If they obeyed, they would possess the country.

Verse 6: The only way to enjoy their lives in this new country was to be loyal to the *LORD. The *Israelites would be wise to obey God’s law. As they obeyed God’s law, the nations would see the wisdom in the law. The nations would say that it had made *Israel into a great nation. They would see what wisdom this nation has. And they would say how much this great nation understands.

Verse 7: The *Israelites could pray to the *LORD at any time. Always the *LORD was with his people. In other nations, their gods were distant. Those gods were false and not real. Therefore, they could not hear and they could not answer prayer. But *Israel’s God showed that he was with them. There was the special tent in the centre of the camp. God met with Moses there and he spoke with Moses. All through their journey in the *desert, the *LORD led them. There was a cloud by day and a fire at night to show that the *LORD was with them. When they moved, the cloud and the fire went ahead of them. It went ahead to guide them.

Verse 8: No other nation had such advantages as the *Israelites had. They could really contact their God. Their God was with them. Also, they had the benefit of very clear and wise laws. Those laws showed the *Israelites how they must live. They were the rules that showed them how to please God.

Verse 9: Moses told them to be careful to obey all God’s laws. He told them to teach God’s law to their children and to their grandchildren. That was necessary for them to live in *Canaan. And they must not forget what they had seen. They had seen how the *LORD brought the *Israelites out of Egypt. They had seen how he had met with them at Horeb (Sinai). They had seen how he had led them all the way during 40 years to the plains of Moab.

They must remember those things and they must teach them. If they did not do that, they would lose their trust in God. The result would be their failure to possess *Canaan and to control that country.

Verse 10: Moses told the *Israelites to remember the *LORD at Horeb (Sinai). There the *LORD gave his law to them in the 10 commands. At that time, these *Israelites were young. The men were under 20 years old. Many more of the *Israelites were born later but they would have heard about that time at Horeb. Their parents had taught them about the *LORD’s *covenant and about his promises to their *ancestors.

At Horeb, the *LORD told the people to come in front of him. He spoke to them so that they would respect him all the days of their life. The word here for respect includes another idea. It also means to be afraid to make somone angry. The *LORD is so great that we should be afraid to offend him. His people must obey him.

Verses 11-12: At *Mount Horeb, there were loud noises in the sky and lightning. There were thick clouds and darkness on the mountain. Those things scared the people. Then the *LORD came down upon the mountain with fire. The flames that reached the sky seemed to burn the mountain. There the *LORD spoke to them out of the fire. They could not see God. But they knew that he was there. They heard the *LORD speaking to them. They heard his voice and they were afraid. They were so afraid that they asked the *LORD not to speak to them (Hebrews 12:19). Even Moses trembled at the sound of God’s voice. The people agreed to obey whatever the *LORD said to Moses.

Verse 13: The *LORD declared to them his *covenant with them. The *covenant was about the 10 commands (Deuteronomy 5:6-21; Exodus 20:1-17). The *LORD wrote those commands on two blocks of stone. And he told them to obey the commands. And they promised to obey them.

Verse 14: While the *Israelites were at Horeb (Sinai), the *LORD told Moses to come up the mountain. There the *LORD ordered Moses to teach these rules and laws to the people. Moses taught the people before they went over the River Jordan. They went over the river to possess *Canaan. In order to possess the country they must obey God’s law.

Moses warns the *Israelites about other gods                    4:15-40

v15 ‘When the *LORD spoke to you at *Mount Sinai from the fire, you did not see any shape. Be very careful. v16 And do not act in a wicked manner. Do not make an *idol for yourself in any shape. Do not make an *idol like a man or like a woman. v17 Do not make an *idol like an animal or like a bird. v18 Do not make an *idol in the shape of an animal that moves along the ground. Do not make an *idol in the shape of a fish in the water. v19 And be careful when you look up to the sky. Do not give honour to the sun, the moon, the stars or to anything that you see in the sky. The *LORD your God has given those things to all nations to share. v20 But you are the people whom the *LORD rescued from Egypt. Egypt was like a very hot fire that melts metal. The *LORD rescued you in order to make you his own people. That is what you are today.

v21 The *LORD was angry with me because of you. He spoke a serious statement. He said that I would not go across the River Jordan. I would not enter the good country that the *LORD your God is giving to you as a possession. v22 I will die in this country. I will not go across the River Jordan. You will go across and you will possess that good country. v23 Be sure that you do not forget the *covenant. The *LORD your God gave it to you. Do not make an *idol in the shape of anything. The *LORD your God has ordered you not to do it. v24 The *LORD your God is like a fire that burns everything. He is a jealous God.

v25 When you have lived in the country for a long time, you will have children and grandchildren. But do not behave in a wicked manner. Do not make an *idol in any shape. If you do such an evil thing, it will make God very angry. v26 Heaven and earth are my witnesses against you today. You will soon disappear from the country across the River Jordan that you want to possess. You will not live there for a long time. God will *destroy you. v27 The *LORD will scatter you among the other nations. Only a few of you will remain alive among the nations where the *LORD will send you. v28 There you will serve false gods that people have made from wood and stone. Those false gods cannot see or hear. They cannot eat or smell. v29 But even there, if you look for the *LORD your God, you will find him. That will happen if you really look for him with your entire mind and with your entire strength. v30 All those things will happen to you and you will have trouble. Then you will turn back to the *LORD your God and you will obey him. v31 God is *merciful. He will not neglect you. And he will not kill you. He will not forget the *covenant that he gave to your *ancestors. That was the *LORD’s serious promise.

v32 Now ask about the past, from the day when God created people on the earth. Ask about the period before you were born. Look from one end of the earth to the other end. Nothing like this has ever happened before. Nobody has ever heard about anything as great as this. v33 No other nation has ever heard the voice of God speak out of fire. But you have, and you are still alive. v34 No false god has tried to take people from another nation and to make them his own special people. God did that for you in Egypt. You saw him use his great power and strength. He used tests, *signs, *wonders and war. He made terrible things happen.

v35 The *LORD has shown those things to you. He has proved that he is the only God. There is no other God. v36 From heaven, he made you hear his voice. In that way, he taught you. On earth, he let you see his great fire. You heard his words from out of the fire. v37 He brought you out of Egypt by his great power. He came with you himself. He did that because he loved your *ancestors. So he chose their *descendants. v38 He sent out nations who were greater and stronger than you. He brought you into their country. And he gave it to you to possess. It belongs to you today.

v39 So realise this today and remember it. The *LORD is God in heaven above and he is God on the earth below. There is no other God. v40 So *keep his rules and his *commandments that I am telling you today. If you do that, good things will happen to you and to your *descendants. You will live in the country that the *LORD your God is giving to you for always.’

Verses 15-18: At Horeb, the people heard the voice of the *LORD. They knew that God was there. They saw his power. They were afraid as he spoke to them from the fire. However, they could not see him. He did not show himself to them in any shape or definite image. And he ordered them not to make any image of him. The *LORD did not want his people to *worship any images.

The people who lived in Egypt and in *Canaan made images of their gods. They made the images to be like models of men or of women. In both countries, there were many gods that were in the shape of animals. Several gods in Egypt were birds. There were gods that were in the shape of snakes or fishes. They made images of all those gods from wood or from stone. And they *worshipped those false gods. The *Israelites must never *worship such gods or any images.

Verse 19: It was common among the nations to *worship the sun, moon and stars. Those people who had no knowledge of the real God often considered the sun, moon, and stars as gods.

When God’s people see the sun, moon and stars they must not think of them as gods. They must not *worship them.

The sun, moon and stars are for the benefit of all people. They are not there for people to *worship them. Of course we cannot *worship them. The real God created them, so they cannot be gods themselves.

Verse 20: The *LORD had dealt with *Israel as his special people. He brought them out of Egypt. His purpose was to make them his own people. And that was what they had become.

Egypt was like a very hot fire that melts metal. A heater of this kind was round. It might be up to 9 metres (30 feet) deep. It would need extreme heat to melt metal. Moses described in that way what the *Israelites suffered as slaves in Egypt.

Verses 21-22: Moses said that the *LORD was angry with him. This was the third time that he had said that. Each time he says that it was because of them (Deuteronomy 1:37; 3:26-27). Therefore, the *LORD would not allow Moses to go across the River Jordan. He would die where they were, on the east side of the river.

Moses thought that they were to blame for that. He had acted in anger because they had made him angry. He hit the rock when the *LORD told him to talk to the rock (Numbers 20:7-12). However, Moses was very disappointed that he would not go into *Canaan. But they would go across the River Jordan and they would possess that good country.

Verse 23: So, Moses reminded them to be very careful not to forget the *LORD’s *covenant with them. The *LORD God made this agreement with the *Israelites at Horeb (Sinai). Part of that agreement was that they must *worship God alone. They must not make any images and they must not have any false gods. The *LORD was their God and they were his people. He would not allow them to have any other god. He would not allow them to *worship anyone or anything other than himself.

Verse 24: The *LORD loves his people. He will not share them with anyone or with anything else. He is a jealous God. He is not jealous of any other person. But he is the only God of his people and they belong to him.

God spoke to Moses from a fire in a bush. God spoke to the *Israelites from the fire at Horeb. In neither event did he burn anything. However, some men opposed Moses and the *LORD punished them. The earth opened up and it swallowed their leaders. But the *LORD burned up with fire the 250 men who were with them (Numbers 16). The *LORD will punish those people who do evil deeds. He will be like a fire that burns everything. That is to warn God’s people to remain loyal to him and to the *covenant.

Verse 25: Moses thought about the future. In time, the *Israelites would have children and grandchildren in *Canaan. Moses means *descendants rather than only children and grandchildren. He saw that they might turn away from the *LORD. There may come a time when they might forget the *covenant. They might make images of false gods and they might *worship them. If they did turn away from God, it would make him very angry.

Moses warns them that they must continue to obey the *LORD their God. The *covenant promised many good things if they obeyed it. But it included very severe punishments if they did not obey it.

Verses 26-27: Moses called for heaven and earth to be his witnesses against the *Israelites. Heaven and earth are part of what God created. And they were permanent things. There were no other witnesses to the *covenant.

If the *Israelites did not obey God’s law, they would receive the punishment. They would not remain in possession of that country. God would not protect them from their enemies. God would use other nations to *destroy them.

Most of the *Israelites would die. But the *LORD would send those people that remained among the nations.

Verse 28: Moses seemed sure that such a situation would happen. He tells them how, in those foreign countries, the *Israelites would have to *worship false gods. The false gods have no senses. They cannot see. They cannot hear. They cannot eat. They cannot smell. They cannot speak. They are just images that a man has made from wood or stone.

These verses seem to be a *prophecy about the future of the *Israelites. The things that Moses spoke about happened several times in the history of *Israel.

Verse 29: They might be in a foreign country but there they can look for the *LORD. And they can find him. They must be sincere and they must search with all their mind and strength. Then the *LORD will forgive them and he will let them know him as their God.

Verses 30-31: The nation may refuse to obey the *covenant. The people may forget the *LORD. In the foreign countries, they would have many enemies. They would suffer many insults and much cruelty. However, when they turn back to the *LORD in *faith he will be kind to them. He will forgive them and he will accept them as his people. He will never forget the *covenant that he gave to their *ancestors.

The *LORD would not leave his people in a strange country. He would bring them back to the country that he promised to give to them.

Verse 32: Moses reminded the *Israelites of the greatness of the experience at Horeb. There the *LORD gave the *covenant to them. The *LORD showed himself to them at Horeb. In the beginning, God created men and women. Since then until that time, there had never been such a great event anywhere in the world.

One end of the earth to the other end means the whole world.

Verse 33: God spoke to his people out of the fire. They heard his voice speaking with them. They saw the fire. It showed to them that God was there. They met with God but they did not die.

Verse 34: Moses described what the *LORD had done on their behalf in Egypt. That was a very extraordinary thing. He brought all the *Israelites - men women and children out of Egypt. He took them out of a very powerful nation to be his special people. The *Egyptian king would not let them go. However, the *LORD did very wonderful and powerful deeds to persuade him. They were extraordinary displays of his power. They showed that the *LORD was stronger than all the gods of Egypt. What he did was very terrible. It was so terrible that the *Egyptians sent the *Israelites away.

Verse 35: The *LORD did all those terrible deeds on their behalf. The *Israelites saw what the *LORD did. Those deeds proved to them that the *LORD was the only real God. There was no other God.

Verse 36: They heard the voice of God from the middle of the fire on *Mount Horeb (Sinai). The *LORD wanted to teach and to discipline them. That is why he gave the 10 commands to them. The word ‘taught’ here includes both instruction and discipline.

Verse 37: Moses mentions the *LORD’s love for his people for the first time. The *LORD loved their *ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Therefore, he chose their *descendants as his own people. For that reason he brought them out of Egypt. And he went with them to lead them through the *desert.

Verse 38: The *LORD had helped them to defeat the nations on the east of the River Jordan. The armies of King Sihon and King Og were stronger than the *Israelites. However, the *LORD gave the territories of both kings to the *Israelites. Already two and a half *tribes of *Israel possessed those countries.

The *Israelites would soon go over the River Jordan. Then the *LORD would help them to defeat the 7 nations in *Canaan. But they must obey the *covenant. That is what the *LORD had promised to Abraham (Genesis 17:7-8).

Verses 39-40: They know that the *LORD is God in heaven and on the earth. There is no other god. They must remember that and they must never forget it. Because of that, they must obey the rules and commands that Moses told to them.

If they obeyed the rules and commands, things would go well for them and for their *descendants. They would possess *Canaan and they would continue to live there. However, if they did not obey the commands, they would not continue to live in that country.

Towns of protection east of the River Jordan                     4:41-43

v41 Then Moses chose three towns to the east of the River Jordan. v42 Suppose that a man had killed a person by accident. But he did not kill that person because he hated him. Those towns were there for the man to run to. Nobody would kill him there. v43 For the *tribe called Reuben, the town was Bezer. It was in the *desert. For the *tribe called Gad, the town was called Ramoth. It was in the region called Gilead. For the *tribe called Manasseh, the town was called Golan. It was in the region called Bashan.

Moses made these three towns east of the River Jordan towns of protection. After some time, the *Israelites made towns of protection to the west of the River Jordan. Anyone who killed a neighbour could run to a town of protection to be safe.

If a person killed another person, the family of the dead person should kill him. However, if he did not intend that death he should not suffer death because of it. In the town of protection, he would be safe. There they would settle whether he was innocent or guilty. If he were innocent, he would stay in the town of protection. If he were guilty, the leaders would send him from that town. And he should die because he had murdered a neighbour. See chapter 19, verses 1-13 for more details about those things.

There was a town in each territory of the two and a half *tribes.

Moses reminds the *Israelites about the *Covenant that God had made with them at Sinai        4:44–26:19

Moses again gives the law to the *Israelites                     4:44-49

v44 This is the law that Moses gave to the *Israelites. v45 He gave these orders, rules and laws to the *Israelites after they had come out from Egypt. v46 They were in the valley near Beth-Peor. It was on the east of the River Jordan. They were in the territory that had belonged to Sihon, king of the *Amorites. Sihon had ruled in Heshbon, but Moses and the *Israelites defeated him. That was when they came out from Egypt. v47 They possessed the land that belonged to Sihon. Also they possessed the land that belonged to Og, king of Bashan. Those were the two *Amorite kings to the east of the River Jordan. v48 That land was the area from Aroer to *Mount Sirion (Hermon). Aroer was on the edge of the River Arnon. v49 It also included the entire valley to the east of the River Jordan. It was the area right up to the Dead Sea below the slopes of *Mount Pisgah.

Verses 44-45: This law refers to all the law that Moses would speak about in the next 22 chapters. That law was the same law that the *LORD gave to them at Horeb (Sinai). They came to Horeb soon after they had come out of Egypt. The *covenant that we read about in this book was not a new *covenant. But Moses repeated the same *covenant for the benefit of the *Israelites 40 years later. Many of these *Israelites were either young at Horeb or not yet born. So verses 44-49 prepare us for another record of the law that God gave to the *Israelites. So the following chapters repeat many things that we have already read in this book. Also, Moses showed how they should use the laws in different situations.

Verses 46-47: The *Israelites were in the valley near the town called Beth-Peor. The valley was east of the River Jordan in the plains of Moab. That was in the territory that King Sihon had ruled. But the *Israelites had defeated King Sihon. Also, the *Israelites had defeated King Og. The territories of those two *Amorite kings were from the River Arnon to *Mount Hermon (*Mount Sirion). The *Israelites got power over all those territories. (See Deuteronomy 2:32-36; 3:1-10.)

Verse 49: The area included the Arabah (the Jordan valley) as far as the Dead Sea. This valley east of the River Jordan was below the mountain range that included *Mount Pisgah.

Chapter 5

God’s 10 commands                                 5:1-21

v1 Then Moses called together all the *Israelites and he said to them, ‘People in *Israel, hear the rules and the laws that I am telling to you today. Learn them and be sure to *keep them. v2 The *LORD our God gave a *covenant to us at *Mount Sinai. v3 The *LORD did not give that *covenant to our *ancestors. He gave it to us who are alive today. v4 The *LORD spoke to you directly from the fire on the mountain. v5 At that time I stood between you and the *LORD. I told you what he said. You were afraid because of the fire. So you did not go up on the mountain. This is what the *LORD said:

v6 “I am the *LORD your God who rescued you from Egypt. You were slaves there.

v7 You must never give honour to any false gods. I am your only God.

v8 Do not make an *idol in the shape of anything that is in the sky or on the earth. Do not make it in the shape of anything that is in the water or under the earth. v9 Do not kneel down in front of any *idols, and do not give honour to them. I am the *LORD your God and I am a jealous God. I will punish the people who hate me. I will punish them and their *descendants until the third and fourth *generation. v10 But I show constant love to thousands of *generations of the people who love me. And I show constant love to the people who obey me.

v11 Do not use the name of the *LORD your God for wrong purposes. The *LORD will not excuse anyone who does that.

v12 You must *celebrate the *Sabbath day and you must keep it *holy. The *LORD your God has ordered this. v13 You can do all your work for 6 days. v14 The seventh day is the *Sabbath day. During that day, you must not do any work. Neither you nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female slaves must work. Neither your *ox, your *donkey nor any of your *cattle must work. The foreigners who live in your country must not work. Your slaves must rest as you do. v15 Remember that you people were slaves in Egypt. The *LORD your God brought you out of Egypt with great power. That is why the *LORD your God has ordered you to *celebrate the *Sabbath.

v16 Give honour to your father and to your mother because the *LORD your God has ordered that. If you do, you will live for a long time. Everything will be good in the country that the *LORD your God is giving to you.

v17 You must not murder anyone.

v18 You must not have sex with another person’s wife or husband.

v19 You must not steal.

v20 You must not tell lies about other people.

v21 You must not desire your neighbour’s wife. Do not desire his house, his land, his slaves, his *ox or his *donkey. Do not desire anything that he owns.” ’

Verses 1-2: Moses urged the people to learn these rules and laws. They must be careful to obey all the rules. They had received this *covenant from the *LORD at Horeb (Sinai). The people that he was talking to now were less than 20 years of age at that earlier time. However, they were there as part of the nation called *Israel.

Whether these people had been at Horeb was not important. The nation agreed there to obey the *covenant. And the *covenant was for them and for all their *descendants.

Verse 3: The *LORD did not give this *covenant only to their *ancestors. He gave it to the whole nation. That included those people who were alive and their *descendants after them.

Verses 4-5: The *LORD spoke out of the fire that burned on the mountain. And the people heard his voice. The *LORD told the 10 commands to them. They saw the strange fire and the other *wonders. The whole situation frightened them (Exodus 20:18-20). They said to Moses, ‘You speak to us. We will listen to you. But do not let God speak to us. If he speaks to us, we will die.’ Therefore, they did not approach the mountain. Moses went up into the mountain on their behalf. He received the commands and the rules from the *LORD. And Moses told the people everything that the *LORD had told to him.

Verses 6-7: The *Israelites must learn these commands and they must obey them. They are the *LORD’s commands. They came directly from the *LORD. He brought the *Israelites out of Egypt. They were slaves there but the *LORD rescued them. He had given a *covenant to their *ancestors. Because of that, they belonged to the *LORD as his people.

God was their *Lord. He had authority over them. They were his because he had chosen them. They were his because of the *covenant that he had with them. These 10 commands were the heart of that *covenant. It was not just a set of rules. It was a contract of love that God had for them. And it demanded from them love for God.

They had been slaves to the *Egyptians. God freed them from that situation. He had bought them for his own possession. Now they belonged to the *LORD. However, their new master bought them because he loved them.

Because the *LORD was their God, they must not have any other gods. The God who brought them out of Egypt would not allow them to have another god. God is the only real God and all other gods are false. In the *covenant, they were responsible to the *LORD. They must be loyal to him and to him alone.

Verses 8-10: The command in this verse means that the *Israelites must not have images of false gods. And that means that they must not try to make an image of God. There cannot be a physical image to show the nature of God. Nobody has seen God. All things in the sky, on the earth or under the earth are what he has made. God is much greater than anything that he has made. None of them can show what he is like.

There could be no excuse or reason for an image. Any such image is a false god. They must not make such an image. And they must not *worship in front of an image.

The *LORD their God was a jealous God. He was the only God of his people and they belonged to him. Their duty was to love their God. He did not want them to *worship any other god.

God would punish those families that *worshipped any other god. The third and fourth *generations would be the whole family that were alive at that time.

Verse 10: God would show his love by kind deeds to those people who loved him. Those people who obeyed the *covenant showed their love for him. The thousands of *generations mean in effect for all time. While people love God, he will be kind to them. God does not stop loving people even if they do not obey the commands of the *covenant. However, he must punish those people who do not obey this command. Parents may love their children very much but they may need to punish them sometimes. Any good parent knows about that. And God is the best father that there is!

Verse 11: This is the third command. This command is about the name of God. We must respect God’s name because we respect him. It would be wrong to use the name of the *LORD as a bad word. It would be wrong to use the name of the *LORD in a careless manner. The *LORD would punish anyone who used his name in a wrong manner.

Verses 12-15: In the fourth command, the *LORD told the *Israelites to remember the *Sabbath day. It was the seventh day of the week. It was from sunset (or about 6 in the evening) on Friday to Saturday evening. It should be a *holy day, different from the other days. All the *Israelites must rest on that day.

There were 6 days that the people should work in. Nobody should work on the *Sabbath day. The master of the house, his children and his servants must not work on the *Sabbath. The animals that they used for work must not work on the *Sabbath. Any foreigner that was with them must not work on that day. The list does not include the wives. We suppose that the rules included them as well.

The *Israelites were slaves in Egypt. There they would not have had a day of rest. But now they must allow their servants to rest on that one day in each week.

They must remember the *Sabbath because the *LORD brought them out of Egypt.

The word *Sabbath means to stop or to rest.

Verse 16: In this fifth command, the *LORD tells children to give honour to their parents. Children should respect their parents. Parents were responsible to teach their children about the *covenant. The children should receive what the parents taught them. They ought to obey their parents. When it became necessary, the children should look after their parents.

If children obey the *LORD in this way then they will have long lives. And they will do well in the country that they are going to.

Verse 17: You must not murder is the sixth command. The punishment for murder was death (Genesis 9:6; Exodus 21:12; Numbers 35:16; Deuteronomy 19:12). Murder is to kill another person other than by accident. But if the death happened by accident that is not murder. A person who has killed someone in that way could escape from the punishment. He could go to a town of protection and he would be safe there.

Verse 18: This seventh command is about sex with a married person. Chapters 22-25 of this book deal with other kinds of wrong sex. Sex as a married person is a gift from God. This command is against sex with another person’s wife or husband. A husband or wife in this command would include engaged persons who are not yet married.

Verse 19: It is a basic right that people may own property. To rob someone of that property would be to steal. To obtain anything by ways other than the law allows would be to steal. However, this eighth command includes more than that. It is about the person as well as his possessions. It would be wrong to take a person by force in order to sell him or her. It would be wrong to take a person in order to demand a payment for his or her freedom.

Verse 20: This ninth command is about witnesses in a court. It is essential that witnesses tell the truth. Judges must make their judgements based on the truth. However, this command is not only about courts. To tell lies about a neighbour is a crime. God is the God of truth. His words are true and he hates lies.

Verse 21: The last of the 10 commands is about what people desire. They must not want to take anything that belongs to another person. Such desires show a wrong attitude to the neighbour. Even if the desire does not cause an action, the desire in itself is wrong.

Moses as agent on behalf of the people to bring the law to them        5:22-33

v22 ‘The *LORD spoke these *commandments on the mountain to all you people. He spoke them in a loud voice. He spoke them from out of the fire, the cloud and the great darkness. He did not add anything else to them. Then he wrote them on two blocks of stone and he gave them to me.

v23 You heard the voice that came out from the darkness. Then all the leaders of your *tribes and the older men came to me. The whole mountain was on fire. v24 You said, “Look. The *LORD our God has shown us that he is magnificent and great. We have heard his voice out of the fire. Today we have seen this: A person can live, even if God speaks to him. v25 But we do not want to die. The fire will burn us completely. We will die if we continue to hear the voice of the *LORD our God. v26 We have heard the voice of the living God. It came from the fire. Nobody else has lived after he has heard God’s voice like that. v27 Go near. Listen to everything that the *LORD our God says. Then tell to us what the *LORD our God tells to you. We will listen and we will obey.”

v28 The *LORD heard you when you spoke to me. The *LORD said, “I have heard what the people said to you. Everything that they said was good. v29 I wish that they would always think like that. I wish that they would always give honour to me. I wish that they would *keep my *commandments. Then good things would happen to them and to their children for always.

v30 Go and tell the *Israelites to return to their tents. v31 But you stay here with me. Then I can give to you all the *commandments, rules and laws that you must teach to them. They must obey them in the country that I am giving to them as a possession.”

v32 You must be careful to do what the *LORD your God has ordered you to do. Do not refuse to *keep his *commandments. v33 Obey all those *commandments. Then you will live and good things will happen to you. You will live for a long time in the country that you will possess.’

Verse 22: Almost 40 years before this time, at *Mount Horeb (Sinai) the *LORD spoke to the *Israelites. He spoke to them from the mountain. He spoke out of the fire, the cloud, and the great darkness. In a loud voice, he gave these 10 commands to them. He did not add anything to these 10 commands. The *LORD gave the rest of the laws and rules to Moses. And Moses gave them to the *Israelites.

The *LORD wrote these 10 commands on two blocks of stone. Moses was on the mountain with the *LORD for 40 days and 40 nights (Deuteronomy 9:12). Then Moses brought these blocks of stone down to the people.

Verses 23-27: In the darkness and the fire, they had seen something of how great and magnificent God was. They heard the voice of God but they remained alive. However, they were afraid that next time it might cause their death. They were afraid that the fire would come down on them. And they were afraid that the fire would burn them completely.

The leaders of the *tribes came to Moses. They asked him to be their agent. They asked him to go up the mountain and to speak with God on their behalf. They promised to hear from Moses everything that God said. And they promised to obey everything that God said. Moses went up the mountain to meet with God.

Verses 28-29: Moses reminded them that the *LORD had agreed to this arrangement. What the leaders had said was good. Moses had been their agent ever since he had returned to lead them out of Egypt. However, at Horeb, Moses became their agent with the *LORD for the purposes of the *covenant. There, the people agreed to obey the *covenant with all its laws and rules.

The attitude of the people was that they respected God. And they did not want to make him angry. They realised that the *LORD is very great. And they gave honour to him as their God. The *LORD loved his people and he wanted to *bless them. It would be good if they always had this same attitude. Then they would obey the *LORD’s commands. They would receive all the good things that the *LORD wanted to give to them. If that attitude continued, the good things would pass to their *descendants.

Verses 30-31: The *Israelites were still at the base of the mountain. God told Moses to tell the *Israelites to go to their tents. However, he told Moses to stay with him on the mountain. Moses received more commands, rules, and laws. The *LORD told Moses to teach all those commands to the people. The people must obey all those commands when they went into *Canaan. However, the 10 commands are the general principles of the law. The other laws give details.

Verses 32-33: The *Israelites were now on the plains of Moab. Moses reminded the people about the time when God gave the law to them at Horeb. That law was for the people and for their *descendants for all time. As long as the people were loyal to the *LORD and to the *covenant, the nation would do well. They would live for a long time in the country that they would soon possess.

Moses urged the people to do what the *LORD had ordered. They must obey all the *LORD’s laws. Then they would receive all the things that the *LORD had promised to them in the *covenant. They would enjoy their lives in that country.

Chapter 6

The great command to love the *LORD, the God of *Israel            6:1-9

v1 ‘These are all the commands, rules and laws that the *LORD your God ordered me to teach to you. Obey them in the country across the River Jordan that you will possess. v2 Then you, your children and their children must be afraid to make the *LORD your God angry. You must think like that for as long as you live. You must obey all his rules and commands that I order you. Then, you will have long life. v3 *Israelites, listen and be careful to obey. Then your life will be good. And you will grow and you will become a nation with many people. You will live in a rich and *fertile country. The *LORD, the God of your *ancestors, has promised that to you. v4 *Israelites, listen to this: “The *LORD is our God. The *LORD is one God. v5 You must love the *LORD your God with all your heart and *soul. And you must love the *LORD your God with all your strength.” v6 Obey these commands that I am giving to you today in your hearts. v7 Carefully teach them to your children. Talk about the commands when you are at home. Talk about them when you walk along the road. Think about them when you lie down. Think about them when you rise up. v8 Tie them on your hands and wear them on the front of your heads. v9 Write them on the sides of your doors and on your gates.’

Verse 1: The *LORD ordered Moses to teach his commands, rules and laws to the people. That was not just to repeat the 10 commands. Moses began to teach them what the *LORD wanted them to do. These were the rules that the people must live by. The *Israelites must obey all these laws and rules when they enter the country across the River Jordan.

Verse 2: This instruction taught the people that they must be afraid to make the *LORD their God angry. And their *descendants should continue to think like that. That is part of what this verse means. But it also includes the fact that people should give much honour to God. And they should respect him very much. It means that we realise something of the power and person of God.

Moses ordered the people to obey all God’s commands, laws and rules.

Verse 3: The *Israelites must obey the *LORD. Their lives in *Canaan depended on it. If they obeyed, their lives would be good. The nation would grow in numbers. They would live in a rich and *fertile country. The words that we have translated as ‘a rich and *fertile country’ mean ‘a country that flows with milk and honey’. This description of the country comes 18 times in the *Old-Testament. It means land that is very good for agriculture. It will produce very good crops. It will be very good for their animals as well. The *LORD promised this country to their *ancestors. (See Exodus 3:8; 13:5.)

Verse 4: There is only one real God. There is only one *LORD and he alone is God. He is *Israel’s God, and they have agreed to a *covenant with him. *Israel must never believe in any other god. All other gods are false gods.

Verse 5: Jesus taught that this was the first command and the most important one. (See Matthew 22:37-38; Mark 12:29-30; Luke 10:27.) The heart, *soul and strength together are the whole of a person.

There is only one God, and that God is *Israel’s God. Therefore, the *Israelites must love God with everything that they are. They must love the *LORD their God completely.

The love of God for his people was the heart of the *covenant. And it demanded their love for the *LORD in return. They must obey the *LORD because they love him.

Verses 6-7: The *LORD’s commands must affect every part of the lives of his people. It must be as if the commands had become part of them. The commands must be in their hearts and minds. And they must teach their children so that they too will love the *LORD.

The *LORD’s commands are so important. The *Israelites should talk about them at home. And they should talk about them as they travelled. Even through the night, the commands should be in their minds. They should begin and end the day with the *LORD.

Verses 8-9: Probably this did not mean that they had to attach the commands in this way. The reference to their hands might mean that the commands should affect their activities. And the reference to their head might mean that they should keep them in the mind at all times. The reference to the doors and gates might mean that the commands should be central to life at home. However, they did actually do those things some time after this. (See Matthew 23:5.) Then, the *Jews tied the commands on their hands. They tied the commands on the front of their heads. They put the commands on the doors and the gates of their houses. They wrote words from the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy on small pieces of paper. They put those pieces of paper in little leather boxes. And they tied a box like that on the left arm. They wore a box like that on the front of the head. And they called those little boxes ‘phylacteries’. Also, they put wood or metal boxes high on the right side of their doors and gates.

The words on these pieces of paper were often from Exodus 13:1-10, 11-16; Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:31-21.

Remember and serve the *LORD                         6:10-25

v10 ‘The *LORD your God promised to give a country to your *ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It will have large cities that you did not build. They will be rich and successful. v11 That country will have houses. They will be full of good things that you did not put in them. There will be wells that you did not dig. There will be *grape-plants and *olive-trees that you did not plant. God will bring you into the country. Then you will have everything that you want to eat. v12 So be careful that you do not forget the *LORD. He brought you out of Egypt; out of the country where you were slaves.

v13 Be afraid to make the *LORD your God angry and serve only him. Speak only his name when you promise to do things. v14 The people who are round you *worship false gods. But you must not *worship those false gods. v15 The *LORD your God is present with you. He is a jealous God. If you *worship false gods, the *LORD your God will become very angry with you. He will remove you from the earth. v16 Do not try to prove that the *LORD your God can help you. You did that at Massah. v17 Be sure to *keep all the *commandments, orders and rules that the *LORD your God has ordered you. v18 Do what the *LORD says. Do right things and do good things. Then your life will be good. You will be able to go in. And you will be able to possess the good country. The *LORD promised to give this country to your *ancestors. v19 You will also send out all your enemies, as the *LORD promised to you.

v20 In the future, your children will ask you this. “The *LORD our God ordered us to obey all these orders, rules and laws. What do they mean?” v21 Tell them, “We were slaves of the king of Egypt. The *LORD brought us out of Egypt by his great power. v22 We ourselves saw the *LORD do great *signs and *wonders. He did terrible things to the *Egyptians, to their king called Pharaoh and to all his family. v23 But the *LORD brought us out from Egypt to bring us here. He gave to us this country that he had promised to our *ancestors. v24 The *LORD ordered us to obey all these rules. And he ordered us to be afraid to make the *LORD our God angry. We must obey these rules. Then, we will do well and we will remain alive. v25 We must be careful to obey all the laws that the *LORD our God has ordered us to obey. When we do that, we shall become good people. And we shall please God.” ’

Verses 10-12: The *LORD promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that he would give a country to their *descendants. The *LORD would perform that promise when the *Israelites went over the River Jordan. But the *Israelites must obey the *covenant and they must love the *LORD their God.

In that country, there would be much wealth. There would be large towns. And there would be houses that were full of good things. There would be good farms with *grape-plants and *olive-trees. There would be wells ready for their use. All those things would be there for them to possess. They would not need to build the houses. They would not need to dig the wells. Already the people who lived in *Canaan had cultivated *grapes and *olives. The *Israelites would have everything that they needed. All those things were a gift of God’s love for them.

They would eat and they would be satisfied. There would be a danger that they might forget the *LORD. Therefore, they must be careful that this does not happen. They must remember that the *LORD brought them out of Egypt. In Egypt, they had been slaves.

Verse 13: Moses warns the *Israelites to have the right attitude towards God. They must be afraid to make him angry him because of who he is. They must obey him because of what he would do. They must serve only him because he is the *LORD their God.

When people promise to do things, sometimes they use the name of their god. People might not do the thing that they had promised to do. But they are asking the god to punish them if they do not do it. If *Israelites promised something in that way, they must not use the name of other gods. And they must not use the name of the *LORD carelessly because he is the highest authority. However, it would be better not to promise things in that way (Matthew 5:34). If they did promise something in that way, they must do it. If they did not do it, the *LORD would be their judge. Maybe Moses had in mind a court of law. Then such a promise to tell the truth is a legal necessity.

Verses 14-15: Every nation round them had its own gods. All the gods that they *worshipped were false gods. There is only one real God. The *Israelites must not go after those false gods. They must not *worship any of those gods. They could not *worship false gods and the *LORD God. The *LORD would not be happy with such a situation.

If they *worshipped another god as well as the *LORD, he would be very angry. And then he would punish them. That punishment would be to remove them from the country. He would scatter them among the nations.

Verse 16: The *Israelites had camped at a place called Rephidim. And there was no water there. They quarrelled with Moses. They complained to him as if it was his fault. They demanded that he should give water to them. They asked him why he had brought them out of Egypt. Moses called out to the *LORD.

Their attitude was in effect an insult to the *LORD. They were testing the patience of the *LORD. However, the *LORD told Moses to go with the leaders to a certain rock at Horeb. The *LORD would be there at that rock. Then the *LORD told Moses to hit that rock. And the *LORD caused water to come from that rock.

Moses called that place Massah. Massah means ‘test’ or ‘tempt’. Also, he called that place Meribah. Meribah means ‘quarrel’. (See Exodus 17:1-7.)

Moses warned the *Israelites not to test the *LORD again as they did at Massah.

Verses 17-19: The people must obey the *LORD God so that everything would go well for them. They must be afraid to make him angry. They must *worship him alone. They must serve him. And they must do what he says. Then they would be able to force all their enemies to leave the good country. And they would possess that good country.

That is what the *LORD had promised to their *ancestors. However, the *Israelites had to be loyal to the *LORD.

Verse 20: Moses had ordered parents among the *Israelites to teach God’s commands, laws and rules to their children. The children will ask what all these rules mean. They will want their parents to explain the commands of the *LORD their God. They will want to know why they must obey all these laws and rules. That may partly be the reason why the family is so important in the *Jewish religion even today.

Verses 21-22: The answers to the children should include the experience of their *ancestors. The start of the answer will describe the situation in Egypt. The *Israelites were slaves to the king. No doubt, they would tell how awful it was to be slaves in Egypt.

Then the *LORD brought them out of Egypt, and he made them free. The *LORD did many powerful deeds to persuade the king to free the *Israelites. He did many terrible things to the *Egyptians. The final act was to kill the oldest sons in all the *Egyptian families. (See Exodus chapters 7-11.)

Verses 23-24: The *LORD gave his *covenant to the *Israelites. He gave the commands, laws and rules to them. And the *LORD led them for 40 years in the *desert. God had brought them out of Egypt in order to bring them into *Canaan. He had promised before to their *ancestors that he would do that.

The *LORD ordered them to obey all his commands, laws and rules. They must be afraid to make the *LORD angry. If they did those things, they would do well. They would continue to live in that good country.

Some of those rules were to help them to remember the past. There were the *festivals that included the *Passover. That *festival was to remember how the *LORD had brought them out of Egypt.

Verse 25: The first command was that they must love God. If they loved God, they would want to obey him in everything. If they obeyed all the laws and rules, that would please God. It would show that they had a right attitude towards God.

Chapter 7

God chose *Israel to be a separate people                7:1-26

v1 ‘The *LORD your God will bring you into the country that you will possess. He will send out of that country 7 nations that are larger and more powerful than you. Those nations are called the Hittites, the Girgashites, the *Amorites, the *Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites. v2 The *LORD your God will hand over those nations to you. You will defeat them and you must *destroy them completely. Do not make an agreement with them. Do not be *merciful to them. v3 Do not marry them. Do not let your daughters marry their sons. Do not let your sons marry their daughters. v4 If you do that, they will persuade your sons to leave the *LORD. Then your sons will serve false gods. The *LORD will be angry with you and he will quickly *destroy you. v5 This is what you must do. Ruin their *altars and break their special *pillars. Cut down the columns of their female false god called Asherah. Burn their *idols.

v6 You are *holy people who belong to the *LORD your God. The *LORD your God has chosen you from everyone on earth to be his special nation. v7 The *LORD loved you and he chose you. He did not do that because you were bigger than other nations. In fact, you were the smallest nation on the earth. v8 But the *LORD loved you. He did what he had promised to your *ancestors. He brought you out from Egypt with his great power. He rescued you when you were slaves of the king of Egypt. v9 Remember that the *LORD your God is the only God. He is the *faithful God. He will perform his *covenant of love to those people who love him. He will continue with it to 1000 *generations of those people who obey him. v10 But he will *destroy those people who hate him. He will not hesitate to punish the people who hate him. v11 Therefore *keep the *commandments, the rules and the laws that I have ordered you today.

v12 Listen to these *commandments and *keep them carefully. Then the *LORD your God will *keep his *covenant with you. He will show his constant love to you. He promised that to your *ancestors. v13 He will love you and he will *bless you. He will increase your numbers so that you will have many children. He will *bless your fields so that you will have corn, wine and oil from *olives. You will have many *cattle and sheep. He promised to your *ancestors that he would give this country to you. v14 God will *bless you more than God will *bless any other nation. You will all have children. All your *cattle will have young animals. v15 The *LORD will protect you from all illnesses. He will not cause you to have any of the illnesses that you knew in Egypt. He will cause them to happen to all the people who hate you. v16 You must *destroy all the nations that the *LORD your God hands over to you. Do not be *merciful to them. Do not serve their false gods because that will cause you to *sin.

v17 You might say, “These nations are stronger than we are. We cannot send them out.” v18 Do not be afraid of them. Remember what the *LORD your God did to *Pharaoh and to all Egypt. v19 You yourselves saw the great tests, the *signs and the *wonders. You saw the power and strength that the *LORD your God freed you with. The *LORD your God will do the same to all the nations that you are afraid of now. v20 Also, the *LORD your God will send *hornets among those nations. The people will run away and they will hide from you. But God will *destroy even the people who are hiding. v21 Do not be afraid of those people. The *LORD your God is with you. He is a great God and people should be afraid to make him angry. v22 The *LORD your God will send out those nations slowly as you advance. He will not allow you to *destroy them all at once. If you did that, the wild animals would increase in the country round you. v23 But the *LORD your God will hand over your enemies to you. He will confuse them until no enemies remain. v24 He will hand over their kings to you. You will kill them and people will forget them. Nobody will be able to stop you. You will *destroy them. v25 You must burn their *idols. Do not desire the silver or the gold that is on the *idols. Do not take it to own it. If you do that, it might cause you to *sin. The *LORD your God hates *idols. v26 Do not bring any of those *idols into your house. If you do that, God will *destroy you. God has *cursed those *idols completely. So you must hate them. And you must think that they are terrible.’

Verse 1: The *LORD would send out 7 nations. Those nations were larger and stronger than the *Israelites. However, the *LORD would help the *Israelites to defeat all those nations. Those nations were called the Hittites, the Girgashites, the *Amorites, the *Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites. All those nations except the Perizzites are *descendants of a man called *Canaan (Genesis 10:15-17). We do not have any record of the origin of the Perizzites.

It is not certain where those 7 nations were. However, they were in the whole area that the *LORD promised to give to the *Israelites.

Probably these Hittites were what remained of the great Hittite *kingdom. That *kingdom began in about 1800 *BC and it continued until 1200 *BC. There were small Hittite states before the period when there was a *kingdom. And there were small Hittite states after that period. During Moses’ time, the Hittites lived in the mountain region and in the town called Hebron.

We do not know much about the people called Girgashites. They may have been a *tribe that lived in the north of *Canaan.

There is a record of the *Amorites in this area as early as 1900 *BC. The *Amorites spread to all the area that includes *Canaan. They occupied large areas west of the Dead Sea, in the mountains.

*Canaan was the name that people had given to the whole country. That country included those 7 nations. The *Canaanites were just one nation that lived in *Canaan. Probably their areas were in many parts of the country.

The people called Perizzites lived in a southern area. That area would one day belong to the *tribes of Judah and Simeon (Judges 1:4-5). Also, they lived in the central part of the country. That was in the region that the *tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh got power over (Joshua 17:15).

During this time, the people called Hivites were in Gibeon (Joshua 11:19). Gibeon was a large town north and west of Jerusalem. It was in the area that became the home of the *tribe of Benjamin. Also, the Hivites had territories to the north of the country. There may have been Hivites in other areas as well.

The people called Jebusites lived in and round Jerusalem. Joshua gave that territory to the *tribe of Benjamin. However, the *tribe of Benjamin did not send out the people called Jebusites (Judges 1:21).

Sometimes all these groups are included as *Canaanites or as *Canaanites and *Amorites. These names often mean the people in *Canaan before the *Israelites came.

Verse 2: The *LORD would send the 7 nations out of *Canaan. He would hand the nations over to the *Israelites. But the *Israelites must fight the battles. If they obeyed the *LORD, they would defeat their enemies. The *Israelites must kill all the inhabitants whom they had not sent out of the country. They must not have a *covenant with them. They must not have a *covenant with them because of the *covenant that they had with the *LORD. If they had a *covenant with them, they would not be loyal to the *LORD. That would in effect be to recognise their gods. The *covenant would include the names of their gods.

The *Israelites must not be *merciful to them. The reason for those things was that the people in those nations *worshipped false gods. If the *Israelites let them stay alive, they might encourage the *Israelites to *worship their false gods.

Verses 3-4: Moses did not expect the *Israelites to kill all the people at once. The *Israelites would get control slowly over a long period. During that period, *Israelites must not marry those people. Otherwise, it would cause the *Israelites to turn from the *LORD. Then they would serve false gods. The *LORD would be angry with them. And he would cause the death of those *Israelites.

There were exceptions to this rule. Rahab was a woman who trusted in the *LORD God of *Israel (Joshua 2:11). She married Salmon. Their son was Boaz. Boaz married Ruth who was a *Moabite. Ruth trusted in the *LORD God (Ruth 1:16). ‘Salmon was the father of Boaz. Boaz’s mother was Rahab. Boaz was the father of Obed. Obed’s mother was Ruth. Obed was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of King David’ (Matthew 1:5-6).

Where the *Israelites had defeated the enemy, an *Israelite man could *capture a woman as his prisoner. And he could marry her (Deuteronomy 21:10-14). That must be after they had killed the rest of the people in that area.

Verse 5: The *Israelites must remove all the things about the religions of those nations. They must break down the *altars of earth and stone. They must break in pieces the special *pillars for *worship. They must cut down the wooden *Asherah poles. And they must destroy with fire the *idols of the false gods.

The *altars were for *sacrifices to the gods. The special *pillars were to give honour to the gods. The *Asherah poles were either trees or wooden columns. Asherah was the name of a *Canaanite female god of births and harvest. Probably people had cut images of this female god into these poles. The poles were to give honour to the god called Asherah.

Verse 6: The *LORD chose the *Israelites from all other people in the world. He chose them to be a *holy nation. They must be different from all other nations. They belonged to God in a special way. They were his special possession. And he must be their *Lord and their God.

Verses 7-8: Moses wanted the *Israelites to understand that they were not a great people. They were not the largest nation. They were not the best in any way. They were very small. They did not deserve anything from the *LORD. However, God chose them because he loved them. There was no other reason but the love of God. The *LORD loved them because of who he is. There was no cause for them to be proud but rather they should be humble.

The *LORD had given a promise to their *ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This is what the *LORD said to Abraham. ‘Your *descendants will be strangers in a foreign country. They will be slaves there. The people that own the country will be cruel to them. That will continue for 400 years. But I will punish the nation that makes them slaves. Afterwards, your *descendants will come out from that country’ (Genesis 15:13-14).

The *LORD did what he had promised. The *Israelites were in Egypt for 400 years. They became slaves there. The rulers were cruel to them. They made the *Israelites work hard. But then the *LORD did many powerful acts. And he punished the *Egyptians. He forced the *Egyptians to let the *Israelites go from their country. The *LORD brought the *Israelites out from that country. And he had led them all the way, to where they were in the plains of Moab.

Verses 9-11: The *LORD their God was the only God. They could trust his character. He would do everything that was in the *covenant. The *Israelites must love him and they must obey him. If they do those things then he will continue with the *covenant for 1000 *generations. But probably, we should not understand the phrase ‘1000 *generations’ as an exact period of time. Anyway, we can learn from Romans chapters 9-11, that God is still continuing with the *covenant today.

However, the *LORD will *destroy those people who hate him. Those people do not obey the *covenant and they do not love the *LORD. They have turned away from the *LORD. The *LORD will punish them and he will not delay.

Therefore, Moses tried to persuade the *Israelites to obey all the commands, rules and laws. The *covenant included the commands, rules and laws. The most important command was to love the *LORD their God.

Verses 12-15: The wealth, health and success of the *Israelites depended on something. They had to obey the *covenant. They must be careful to obey what God said. Then they would continue to know his love and his kindness. Moses warned them that all the good things in the *covenant depended on something. They had to obey God. If they did not obey God then they would not have those things. God will always do what he has said. That included the good things and the bad things.

Everything depended on the attitude of the *Israelites, whether it be love for God or hate. The heart of the *covenant is God’s love for his people and their love for him. They must love the *LORD and they must obey him. Then he would do all the things that he promised to their *ancestors. Their numbers would increase. And they would become a great nation. That was what the *LORD had promised to Abraham. Their agriculture would be a success. Their animals would increase. And the *LORD would keep them in good health. None of the diseases that they had known in Egypt would affect them. The *LORD would cause their enemies to suffer those diseases.

Verse 16: The *Israelites must replace the nations in *Canaan. They could not live with them. If they did live with them, that would cause them to turn from the *LORD. As the *LORD hands a nation over to them, they must *destroy it. They must kill all the men, women and children.

The gods of the nations might seem to be attractive. But to serve them would cause the *Israelites to *sin against the *LORD. They must serve the *LORD their God and only him.

Verse 17: *Israel was not a large nation. It consisted of the 12 *tribes of *Israelites. The nations in *Canaan were larger and stronger than *Israel. In their own strength, the *Israelites could not defeat those nations. Now they knew that they must attack those nations. Perhaps that thought frightened them. They must trust in the *LORD.

Moses tells them not to be afraid. They must not think that it was impossible for them to send out the *Canaanites. They must not doubt that the *LORD would make them able to defeat the enemy. They must not worry about the strength of the enemy. Rather they must know the strength of their *LORD.

Verses 18-19: The remedy for any fear would be to remember what the *LORD had done in Egypt. Some of them had seen the powerful deeds that the *LORD did there. They were young at the time because they were under 20 years old. However, all the *Israelites knew about those events as if they had been there.

Egypt was a much larger nation than those nations in *Canaan. The nations in *Canaan may have been strong but Egypt was a much stronger nation. The *LORD did very wonderful things by his power. And those things forced the *Egyptians to let the *Israelites go. Therefore, the *LORD could hand over the *Canaanites to them. The *LORD could give possession of the whole country to the *Israelites.

Verse 20: The *LORD would do to the *Canaanites what he had done to other enemies. Also, he would send large insects called hornets among them. Those people that escaped from the battles would try to hide. However, those insects would sting them and those people would die. God can use even insects to *destroy nations.

There is some doubt whether the text meant actual *hornets. If they were not actual *hornets, they were some other means to kill the *Canaanites.

Verse 21: Moses reminded the people that the great and powerful God was with them. Therefore, they must not be afraid of the enemy. Rather they should be afraid to make the *LORD angry and they should trust him. The *LORD would cause terror in the minds of their enemies.

Verse 22: The *LORD would force all those nations to leave. But he would not allow the *Israelites to force all those people to leave at once. He would do it slowly over a longer period. There were not yet enough *Israelites to possess the whole country. Therefore, if they were too quick, the wild animals would increase. Those wild animals would become a danger to the *Israelites and to their own animals.

Verse 23: The defeat of the *Canaanites would not be immediate over the whole country. But in time the *LORD would hand over all the *Canaanites to the *Israelites. In the meantime, the *LORD would make the *Canaanites afraid and uneasy. And he would cause them to be in much confusion.

Verse 24: In *Canaan, there were 7 nations. However, in those 7 nations there were 31 kings (Joshua 12:9-24). The *LORD would help the *Israelites to defeat all those kings. They would kill the kings and everyone would forget them.

Nobody would be able to stand against the *Israelites.

Verse 25: The *Israelites must *destroy all the *Canaanites’ *idols. They must burn them. Many *idols had silver or gold on them. But the *Israelites must *destroy even the silver and the gold. They must not take anything from the *idols. Nothing of the *idols must remain. The *LORD hates *idols and the *Israelites must hate them too.

Verse 26: *Israelites must not bring *idols or anything that belongs to a false god into their houses. God has *cursed all such things. And if the *Israelites bring any of those things into their houses God will *curse them. God hates those things. And his people must hate them as much he does.

Chapter 8

Moses warns the people not to forget the *LORD             8:1-20

v1 ‘Be careful to *keep all the *commandments that I ordered you today. Then you will live and you will increase in numbers. You will be able to enter the country. And you will be able to possess it. The *LORD promised this country to your *ancestors. v2 Remember how the *LORD your God led you in the *desert for 40 years. He did that to take away your pride. And he wanted to examine you. Then he would discover what you intended to do. He would see whether you would *keep his *commandments. But maybe you would not *keep them. v3 He took away your pride. He allowed you to be hungry. Then he gave to you *manna to eat. You and your *ancestors had never known that food before. He did that for this reason: He was teaching you that people do not live only on bread. They also need every word that the *LORD speaks. v4 During those 40 years, your clothes did not wear out. And your feet did not become unnaturally large because you had to walk too much. v5 Remember that the *LORD your God trains you. And he punishes you. He does that in the same way that a father trains his children. He teaches them what they should do.

v6 So then, *keep the *commandments of the *LORD your God. Behave in the way that he has told you. And be afraid to make him angry. v7 Be afraid to make him angry because the *LORD your God will bring you into a good country. It has rivers, fountains and water that comes up from the ground. Water flows in the valleys and in the hills. v8 The land produces wheat and *barley. It produces *grapes and *figs. And it produces *pomegranates and *olives and honey. v9 There will always be enough bread. You will not have a lack of anything. Its rocks have iron in them. And you can dig *copper out of the hills.

v10 You will eat and you will feel full. Then you must thank the *LORD your God because he has given such a good country to you.

v11 Be careful not to forget the *LORD your God. Do not forget to obey his *commandments and his rules that I order you today. v12 You will have everything that you want to eat. You will build good houses and you will live in them. v13 You will have a lot of *cattle and sheep, silver and gold and many possessions. v14 Be sure that you do not become proud. Do not forget the *LORD your God. He brought you out of the country called Egypt. And you had been slaves there. v15 He led you through the large, terrible *desert where there were poisonous snakes. And there were *scorpions that could sting you. There was no water in the *desert. But he made water flow out of the rock for you. v16 In the *desert, he gave to you *manna to eat. That was something that your *ancestors had never seen. He did that to make you humble. He wanted to see what you would do. Then, in the end, good things would happen to you. v17 You must never think that your power and your strength made you rich. v18 You must always remember the *LORD your God. He gives to you the power to produce wealth. That is because he is still *faithful to his *covenant today. He promised that to your *ancestors.

v19 Never forget the *LORD your God. Do not follow false gods. Do not *worship them or serve them. I warn you about this. If you do forget the *LORD your God, he will *destroy you. v20 The *LORD is *destroying the nations in front of you. If you do not obey the *LORD your God, he will *destroy you too.’

Verse 1: The *Israelites should remember the discipline of the past 40 years. Moses first reminded them of the necessity to obey all the *LORD’s commands. If they obeyed the commands, they would enter *Canaan. And they would possess the country that the *LORD had promised to their *ancestors. They were too few to live in the whole country. However, they would increase in numbers. Therefore, they could possess the whole country in the future.

Verse 2: They must remember how the *LORD led them in the *desert. The 40 years in the *desert were hard for them. The *LORD kept them so that they would not be proud. They must appreciate how good the *LORD was to them. He led them through many difficult situations. He had done many great deeds on their behalf. All the things that the *LORD had done should make them humble. They had not achieved anything by themselves.

The *LORD used that time to test the *Israelites. He wanted to be sure that they would obey his commands in *Canaan. And he wanted to see whether they had the right attitude towards him. However, there was some doubt that they would continue to obey the commands. When everything was easier for them, they might forget the *LORD.

Verse 3: The *LORD stopped them being proud. To do that, he caused them to depend on him. He let them be hungry. Then all the people complained to Moses. They said that in Egypt they had enough bread to eat. But here in the *desert they were hungry. Then God gave to them *manna to eat. He gave to them each day sufficient for that day. They had to depend on God for their daily food.

*Manna was a new type of food. They did not know what it was. Therefore, they called it *manna. The word *manna means ‘what is it?’ (See Exodus 16:15.)

In that way, the *LORD taught them that people do not live by bread alone. They live by everything that the *LORD says. When Jesus was hungry, the devil told him to make bread out of the stones. Jesus gave this answer to him. ‘A person does not live just because he eats bread. But he lives by every word that God speaks’ (Matthew 4:4).

Bread is an important food. It keeps our bodies alive. But life is more than physical food. What God says keeps our *spirits alive. God’s words are essential for that. We need to hear and to obey God’s words. That is really important. It is even more necessary for us than food for our bodies.

Verse 4: No doubt, the *Israelites brought with them from Egypt more than one set of clothes. They had received plenty from the *Egyptians (Exodus 12:35). Over the next 40 years, none of their clothes wore out. If they had needed them, they could have made some new clothes. Maybe they could have purchased clothes from the *Moabites or other *tribes. However, the *LORD stopped their original clothes wearing out. So they did not need to replace their clothes.

The journey was often over very rough ground. And it was often very hot weather. But none of their feet suffered in any way. Their shoes did not wear out. If their shoes had worn out they could easily have made new ones. However, they did not need to do so. That too was because of the *LORD’s kindness.

As people died, their children could take their clothes. They have made new clothes for the children or they have bought them. It is unlikely that they carried a sufficient supply from Egypt. However, Moses was reminding them that the *LORD had looked after them. He had provided everything that they needed.

Verse 5: A father who loves his children will teach them. He will train them. Sometimes it is necessary to punish them. He tries by all those methods to train his children for their benefit. In that way, his children will learn how they ought to live. And the *LORD loved the *Israelites like a father. They were like children to him. And his discipline was for their benefit. It involved lessons for them to learn. As they did wrong things, the *LORD trained them. Sometimes he punished them. And at times, he was very severe with them. But he did all those things because he loved his people.

Verse 6: Moses urged the *Israelites to obey the *LORD. And he urged them to be afraid to make him angry. Because the *LORD their God had been like a father to them, they must obey his commands. In their society, the father was the absolute boss to his children. They would be afraid to go against his orders. Even more so, with the *LORD, they must obey him.

Verse 7: They must be afraid to make the *LORD angry because he will bring them into *Canaan. They must depend on the *LORD to do it. They had been in the *desert for 40 years. Across the river, there was the good country that the *LORD promised to give to them.

In that Middle-East region, water was very important. This country had a good supply of plentiful water. There were rivers and fountains. Also, water came up from the ground and it flowed in the valleys and on the hills. That was so different from what they had known in the *desert and in Egypt.

Verses 8-9: Because of the water and the excellent soil, the land was good for agriculture. There were plentiful crops of wheat and barley. Barley is another grain-plant. There were *grapes, figs and pomegranates. Figs and pomegranates are fruits. There were *olives and honey.

There were several harvest times each year. The harvest of *barley began after the *Passover (March/April). The wheat harvest began at *Pentecost (50 days after *Passover). The *Israelites picked *grapes and *olives in the seventh month. If there was enough rain in the winter months, they would always have enough food to eat.

In addition to the food, there was iron and *copper in the rocks and in the hills. Most of the *copper and iron was in the Jordan Valley from the Dead Sea to the *Gulf of Aqaba. Probably there was iron to the west of the River Jordan as well. They could dig out those metals. Then they could use the metals or they could sell them.

There were famous *copper-works at Ezion-Geber during the time of King Solomon. Ezion-Geber was a town on the *Gulf of Aqaba.

Verse 10: In that good country, they will have plenty to eat. They will have as much as they want. The *LORD intends his people to enjoy all the benefits. But when they are full, they must thank the *LORD. They must praise the *LORD for what he has done on their behalf. He gave that country and all the good things in it to them.

Verse 11: As soon as they possessed the country, peoples’ lives would become more normal. Their journey through the *desert would have finished. In the *desert, they had to depend on God for everything that they needed. In their new country, they would be able to provide for themselves. Their better experiences would satisfy them. It would seem to be less urgent to depend on God. Then it would be very easy to forget the *LORD their God. However, it would be as important to obey the *LORD’s commands as it was before.

Verses 12-13: In *Canaan, the *Israelites would have everything that they would need. They had lived in tents in the *desert for 40 years. But now they would have good houses to live in. They would be able to develop farms with many animals. They could become wealthy and they could have many possessions. All those things were in the *LORD’s plan for his people. He would give their new country to them. And he wanted them to enjoy its benefits.

Verses 14-16: They had lived through the hard days in that *desert as God led them. However, their future happiness might easily cause them to forget their *LORD. Perhaps they would become too busy. They would not feel the necessity to depend so much on the *LORD. They might think that they are able to control their own lives. They had fought hard to achieve possession of the country. They might think that all the success was by their effort. They might become proud and they might forget God.

Therefore, Moses reminds them about what God had done on their behalf. He had brought them out of Egypt. They had been slaves but the *LORD had made them free. But they had received the *covenant from the *LORD their God. They could not be free from him. They must still obey that *covenant. He had led them through the terrible *desert. He had given to them everything that they needed for 40 years. It took 40 years to humble them. Then the *LORD could take them into the country that he had promised to their *ancestors. He provided water for them to drink. He provided *manna and other food for them to eat. He protected them from snakes and *scorpions.

Verses 17-18: They might think that the power and strength of their hands produced their wealth. Moses warned them not to think like that. They must remember that the *LORD had made them able to become wealthy. Those good things came to them because of the *covenant that the *LORD had given to them. He first gave that *covenant to their *ancestors. Then they received the *covenant at Horeb (Sinai). And Moses was reminding them of that *covenant on the plains of Moab. And they must continue to obey that *covenant. They must love the *LORD their God and they must never forget him.

Verses 19-20: Again, Moses warned them against the *worship of false gods. That would be against the first command. ‘You must love the *LORD your God with all your heart and *soul. And you must love the *LORD your God with all your strength’ (Deuteronomy 6:5). If the *Israelites turned from the *LORD to false gods, he would punish them. The *LORD would *destroy the nations in *Canaan because they were so wicked. *Israel must obey God and they must serve him alone. If *Israel turned to other gods, he would *destroy them too. He would send *Israel out of the country that he had given to them.

Chapter 9

The reason for God’s actions and for the failure of *Israel        9:1-29

v1 ‘Listen to this, *Israelites. Now you will go across the River Jordan. You will go into the country and you will possess it. It belongs to nations that are greater and stronger than you. Their cities are large. They have walls round them that reach the sky. v2 The people are tall and strong. They are the *Anakites. They are giant people. People have said that nobody can fight against them. v3 But you can be sure that the *LORD your God will go ahead of you. He is like a fierce fire. He will *destroy the *Anakites as you advance. You will send them out and you will kill them quickly. The *LORD has promised that.

v4 After the *LORD your God has sent them out ahead of you, do not think, “We are very good. And for that reason, the *LORD has brought us here to possess this country.” No. The *LORD will send out those people because they are wicked. v5 The reason is not that you are so good. The reason is not that you behave in the right way. That is not why the *LORD your God is allowing you to get power over their country. He will send out those nations ahead of you because they are wicked. He wants to do what he promised to your *ancestors, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. v6 The *LORD your God is giving this good country to you as your possession. But you can be sure about this. He is not giving it to you because you are good. In fact you do not like to obey God.

v7 Remember this. Do not forget how you made the *LORD your God angry in the *desert. You refused to obey the *LORD from the day that you left Egypt. You did that until you arrived here. v8 Also, at *Mount Sinai, you made the *LORD so angry that he wanted to kill you all. v9 I went up the mountain to receive the blocks of stone. The *LORD had written on them the *covenant that he had given to you. I stayed on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights. I did not eat or drink anything. v10 Then the *LORD gave the two blocks of stone to me. God himself had written all the *LORD’s *commandments on them. He had announced them to you from the fire. That happened on the day when you gathered on the mountain.

v11 I was there for 40 days and 40 nights. After that, the *LORD gave to me the two blocks of stone that he had written the *covenant on. v12 Then the *LORD said to me, “Get up and go down the mountain at once. Your people whom you brought out from Egypt are ruining themselves. Already they have not obeyed what I ordered them to do. They have made an *idol out of metal for themselves.”

v13 Also the *LORD said to me, “I know that these people do not like to obey me. v14 I will *destroy them so that nobody will remember them. Do not try to stop me. I will make you into a nation. It will be stronger and more powerful than the *Israelites.”

v15 So I turned and I went down the mountain. It was on fire. I carried the two stones of the *covenant in my hands. v16 I saw that you had *sinned against the *LORD your God. You had made an *idol out of metal in the shape of a young *bull. Almost immediately you did not obey the *commandments that the *LORD had ordered you to obey. v17 So I took the two stones and I threw them down. They broke into pieces in front of you.

v18 Then again I lay with my face on the ground. I lay in front of the *LORD for 40 days and 40 nights. I did not eat or drink anything. You had *sinned against the *LORD and so you had made him angry. That is why I did it. v19 I was afraid of the *LORD’s fierce anger. He was angry enough with you to *destroy you. But again, the *LORD listened to me. v20 He was so angry that he wanted to kill Aaron. But I prayed for Aaron too. v21 I took the result of your *sin, the young *bull that you had made from metal. I burned it in the fire. Then I broke it into pieces and I made it into dust. I threw that dust into the stream that flowed down the mountain.

v22 Also, you made the *LORD angry at Taberah, at Massah, and at Kibroth-Hattaavah.

v23 The *LORD said this when he sent you out from Kadesh-Barnea. “Go out and possess the country. I have given it to you.” The *LORD your God had given a command to you. But, you did not obey him. You did not trust him or obey him. v24 You have refused to obey the *LORD ever since I have known you.

v25 I lay with my face on the ground. I lay in front of the *LORD for 40 days and 40 nights. The *LORD had said that he would *destroy you. v26 So I prayed to the *LORD. I said, “*LORD you are our *Lord. Do not *destroy your own people. They belong to you. You brought them out from Egypt by your great strength and power. v27 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Do not look at the bad thoughts, the wicked acts and the *sin of these people. v28 If you *destroy them, the *Egyptians will say, ‘The *LORD was unable to take them into the country that he had promised to them. He hated them, so he took them into the *desert. That was in order to kill them.’ v29 But *LORD, they are your people. You chose them and they belong to you. You brought them out from Egypt by your great power and strength.” ’

Verses 1-2: Again the *Israelites had reached the border of the country that the *LORD had promised to them. This was 38 years since the last time. Then it was to the south of the country. This time it was to the east of the country. They were ready to cross over the River Jordan. Moses spoke during the 11th month of the 40th year since they came from Egypt. They would cross the River Jordan on the 10th day of the first month of the next year. Before that time, Moses would die.

The *Israelites would possess the country. There were 7 nations in the country. And each nation was stronger than the *Israelites (Joshua 3:10). And the *Israelites would have to overcome the people there. Those people who lived there included the *Anakites. The *Anakites were very large and they were powerful people. (See Deuteronomy 1:28.)

Their cities and towns were large. Inside the boundaries of a city, there were often fields and gardens. And the people had surrounded the cities with strong walls of bricks. The walls were about 12 metres (40 feet) high. With the equipment that armies had then, it was very difficult to break down those walls.

Verse 3: The *LORD would go across the River Jordan ahead of the *Israelites. He would lead them into the country that he had promised to them. He would *destroy the 7 nations there and he would defeat them. However, the *Israelites must advance against those nations. The *Israelites must send them out. The *Israelites must kill them. The *LORD would give the power to them but they must use it.

Moses urged the people to trust in God. God would be like a fire. And he would *destroy the *Anakites and he would protect his own people.

Verses 4-6: When they have defeated the enemy, the *Israelites must not be proud. The *LORD would send the enemy out ahead of the *Israelites. He would not do it because the *Israelites deserved anything. They had not done anything that deserved a reward. Often they went away from the *LORD and they did not obey him. They did not deserve the kindness of the *LORD. The *LORD would not give the country to them because they were good people. Their future in the country would depend on their actions. They must continue to obey the *covenant and all God’s commands.

God was not only the God of *Israel. He was and is the God over all the people. And as God, he would *destroy the people in *Canaan because they were very wicked. They were doing very many wrong things. The *LORD would punish them because of their evil ways. It would be an act of punishment by a fair God.

He would do it for his own purposes. And he would do it because of the promise that he had given to the *Israelites’ *ancestors. In that promise, God told Abraham that the *sins of the *Amorites were not yet complete. The *Amorites meant all the people in the country. When those *sins were complete, then Abraham’s *descendants would possess the country (Genesis 15:16).

Verse 7: Moses tried to warn the people that they must obey the *LORD in future. As they began to possess the country, they must not offend the *LORD. They must not forget how they had *sinned in the past. While they were in the *desert, they had made the *LORD their God very angry. From the start even until this time, they had not obeyed the *covenant. Moses was reminding them that they did not deserve anything from the *LORD.

Verse 8: Soon after they came out of Egypt, Moses was with *LORD in *Mount Horeb. Because of their actions while Moses was there, God was very angry with them. Then the *LORD said to Moses that he would kill all the *Israelites. Of the many times that they *sinned, that was perhaps the most serious. They had heard the voice of God. He spoke to them and he gave the 10 commands to them. And they had promised to obey the commands (Deuteronomy 5:27). There could be no excuse for their actions.

Verses 9-11: Moses had gone up on the mountain to receive the blocks of stone. The *LORD had written the 10 commands on those blocks. They were the commands that the *LORD had spoken to the *Israelites. He spoke out of the fire that burned on the mountain. And the people heard his voice.

Moses was on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights. While he was on the mountain, Moses did not eat any bread. And he did not drink any water. At the end of the 40 days, the *LORD gave the two blocks of stone to Moses.

The people did not know what had happened to Moses. That may have been the reason why they turned away from the *LORD (Exodus 32:1).

Verse 12: After 40 days and 40 nights, the *LORD told Moses to go down immediately to the people. The *LORD had brought the *Israelites out of Egypt. It seems that now the *LORD did not accept the people as his. They were Moses’ people. Moses had brought them out of Egypt. Moses’ people were *worshipping the *idol that they had made. Moses was responsible for those people.

When Moses had not returned, the people came to Aaron. They asked him to make an *idol for them. Aaron told them to give the gold rings that they had to him. They did as Aaron had said. They gave a lot of gold to him. He took the gold and he made an animal from it. They said, ‘This is the God who brought us out of Egypt.’ Aaron made an *altar for the *idol. The next day, the people gave *sacrifices to the *idol. And they *celebrated (Exodus 32:1-6).

Verses 13-14: The *LORD told Moses that the *Israelites were hard to control. They would not do what the *LORD told them. Therefore, he would kill them all. Nobody would remember them in the future. *Israel would not become a nation. But God would start again. He would make a nation from Moses. The *LORD could achieve his purposes by Moses and by his *descendants. That nation would be greater and more powerful than the *Israelites would have been.

Verses 15-16: The mountain was still on fire as it had been for the past 6 weeks. Moses came down from the mountain as the *LORD had told him. He had the two blocks of stone in his hands. The *LORD had said to him that the people had *sinned. He got near to the people. Then he saw the *idol that they had made. He saw the people when they were dancing in front of the *idol (Exodus 32:19).

Just 6 weeks before this, they had received the *LORD’s commands. They had agreed to obey them. But after that short period of 40 days, they were not obeying the commands. They had *sinned against the *LORD their God. They had made other gods for themselves. They had made an *idol in the shape of a young *bull. And they were *worshipping those other gods.

Verse 17: Moses was very angry. Because of his anger and disgust, he threw the two blocks of stone to the ground. He broke them as the people watched him. Moses broke the record of the *covenant because the people had not obeyed the *covenant.

Verses 18-19: Moses told the people how terrible their *sin had been. He warned them that the *LORD was very angry with them. However, he would go up to the *LORD on their behalf. Perhaps he could persuade the *LORD to forgive their *sins (Exodus 32:30).

Moses went back up the mountain for another period of 40 days and 40 nights. During this second period, he ate no bread and he drank no water. He lay with his face to the ground as he prayed to the *LORD.

The *LORD was very angry with the people. He had said that he would kill all the *Israelites. Moses was afraid of the *LORD. He saw how angry the *LORD was. Moses went without food. He prayed to God on behalf of the people. He asked the *LORD to forgive the people. But Moses asked the *LORD to remove his name from the book if he would not forgive the people. He was speaking about the book that the *LORD had. In that book, there were the names of God’s own people (Exodus 32:32). Again, the *LORD listened to Moses’ prayers. And the *LORD agreed that he would not kill people. However, he did send a punishment on them because they had made the young *bull (Exodus 32:35).

Verse 20: Aaron, the chief priest, ought to have known better. He should have stopped the people from this wicked deed. Instead, he did as they asked him. He made the young *bull with the gold that they had given to him.

He had been with Moses during all the events in Egypt. He had seen all the powerful deeds of the *LORD. The *LORD had made him the chief priest for the people. If anything, his *sin was even greater than that of the people.

The *LORD was very angry with Aaron. The *LORD would have killed him. Moses prayed especially for Aaron. And the *LORD did not kill Aaron. He allowed Aaron to continue as the chief priest for the *Israelites.

Verse 21: Before Moses went up the mountain again, he *destroyed the young *bull. He burned it in the fire. The fire removed the image of the young *bull. It became just a lump of gold. He broke the lump into tiny pieces until it was just dust. He threw the dust into a stream that flowed from the mountain. Then he forced the people to drink from that stream (Exodus 32:20).

Of all the gold that the people had given to Aaron nothing remained.

Verse 22: It was not only at Horeb (Sinai) that the people made God angry. They made him angry at places called Taberah, Massah and Kibroth-Hattaavah.

The *Israelites complained so much that God was angry with them. He sent a fire to punish them. The fire burned some of the outer parts of the camp. Then the people cried out to Moses. Moses prayed to the *LORD on their behalf. The *LORD caused the fire to stop. They called that place Taberah. Taberah means to burn (Numbers 11:1-3).

Before that, the *Israelites camped at a place called Rephidim. However, there was no water to drink there. They quarrelled with Moses as if it was his fault. They complained that Moses had brought them out of Egypt to kill them. They said that they, their children and their animals would die without water. And they said that Moses was to blame. Moses cried out to the *LORD. Then the *LORD told him to take the leaders to a certain rock. There, Moses struck the rock and water flowed from it. They called that place Massah and Meribah. Massah means ‘test’ and Meribah means ‘quarrel’ (Exodus 17:1-7).

Again, some of the *Israelites complained. In Egypt, they had fish and meat to eat. They had more variety in their food. Here in the *desert they had *manna. But they wanted meat. The *LORD gave birds to them each morning for meat. He gave so much meat to them that they became sick of meat. At first, the people gathered up as much meat as they could. The *LORD was so angry that he sent a terrible illness among them. They called that place Kibroth-Hattaavah because they buried many people there (Numbers 11:32-34).

Verse 23: At Kadesh-Barnea, the *Israelites did not obey the *LORD. He told them to go in. And he told them to possess the country. He told them that he had given the country to them. But they did not trust the *LORD and they would not go in. Afterwards, the *LORD told them not to go in. This time too they did not obey him. They went in. The *LORD was not with them. Therefore, the enemy defeated them.

Verse 24: Moses knew these people when they were in Egypt, many years before this time. Ever since that time and during the 40 years in the *desert, they often did not obey the *LORD. They had promised to obey everything that the *LORD told them (Deuteronomy 5:27). They promised to obey the *covenant. However, they had not done what the *covenant said. They did not believe God’s promises and they did not obey his commands.

Verses 25-26: Again, Moses mentioned how he had prayed on behalf of *Israel. He had spent 40 days and 40 nights in prayer in front of the *LORD. His purpose was to turn aside God’s anger. And his request was to remove the fair punishment against the *Israelites.

Moses called the *LORD ‘our *Lord’. *LORD translates God’s special name. *Lord means that he was God. He was *Israel’s God. The *Israelites were his people. The *LORD had chosen them for himself. By means of many powerful deeds, he had rescued them from Egypt. They belonged to the *LORD. Moses prayed to the *LORD that he would not *destroy his own people. Moses’ first reason for his request was that they were the *LORD’s people.

Verse 27: Moses’ second reason was the promises that God had given to their *ancestors. The *LORD promised certain things in his *covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Therefore, Moses asked God not to *destroy his people. They had done evil things and they had *sinned. They had not obeyed the commands that were in the *covenant. Moses did not deny those things. He knew that the people were guilty. However, he asked the *LORD not to *destroy them because of those things.

Verse 28: Moses’ third reason was the reaction of the *Egyptians. They would say, ‘The *LORD is weak. The *LORD is not able to take his people into *Canaan. The *LORD hates the *Israelites. He has taken them into the *desert in order to kill them.’ So, the honour of the *LORD was at risk.

Verse 29: Moses says again to the *LORD that they are his people. He insists that they belong to him. The *LORD had brought them out of Egypt by his powerful deeds. The *LORD should not now kill them.

The *LORD heard Moses and he agreed with Moses. He did not kill them.

Chapter 10

The second pair of stone blocks                         10:1-11

v1 ‘Then the *LORD said to me, “Cut two blocks from stone like the first ones. Also, make a wooden box. Then come up to me on the mountain. v2 I will write the same words on the new blocks as the words on the blocks that you broke. Then you must put the blocks in the box.”

v3 So I made a box from the wood of *acacia trees. I cut two blocks from stone like the first ones and I took them up the mountain. v4 The *LORD wrote on the blocks the words that he had written before. He wrote those 10 *Commandments to you. He spoke them on the mountain. He spoke from the fire on the day when you gathered on the mountain. Then the *LORD gave the blocks to me. v5 Then I turned and I came back down the mountain. I put the blocks in the box that I had made. The *LORD had ordered that. The blocks are there now.’

v6 (The *Israelites travelled from Beeroth-Bene-Jaakan to Moserah. Aaron died there and they buried him. And Eleazar, his son, became the priest instead of him. v7 From that place, they travelled to Gudgodah and on to Jotbathah. That was land with streams of water. v8 Then the *LORD appointed the *tribe of Levi to carry the box of the *covenant of the *LORD. The *tribe of Levi would serve the *LORD as priests. And they would declare *blessings as they spoke his name. They still do that today. v9 Because of that, the *tribe of Levi did not receive any land like the other *tribes did. Instead, they received the *LORD himself as their gift. That happened as the *LORD your God had told them.)

v10 ‘Now I had stayed on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights, as I did the first time. The *LORD listened to me at this time also. He did not want to *destroy you. v11 “Go”, the *LORD said to me. “Lead the people on their way. Then they can enter and they can possess the country. I promised to give this country to their *ancestors.” ’

Verses 1-3: Moses cut two more blocks of stone, as the *LORD had said. He cut them to be the same as the two that he broke. It may be that Moses ordered other men to cut the blocks. There would have been men who were skilled for that task. Early the next morning Moses took the blocks with him up the mountain (Exodus 34:1-4). God said that he would write on the blocks. He would write the commands that had been on the first blocks.

It is not clear when that was. Probably it was during the time when Moses prayed for the people (Deuteronomy 9:26-29). That was the second time that Moses went up the mountain. It seems that the *LORD had granted Moses’ prayer. Perhaps Moses went down during that 40-day period to bring up these blocks. But it might be a third time. In Exodus, Moses received more rules from the *LORD. And he was on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights (Exodus 34:28). The records in Exodus and in Deuteronomy may not be in time order.

The *LORD told Moses to make a special box. That would be the box of the *covenant. Moses did not make the box himself. He asked a man called Bezalel to make it. Bezalel was a clever man who made things from wood. He made this box from the wood of *acacia trees. And he covered the box inside and outside with gold (Exodus 37:1).

Acacia wood was a hard wood, orange-brown in colour. The acacia tree was common in *deserts.

Verses 4-5: The *LORD wrote on the two blocks. Tradition says that there were 4 commands on one block and 6 commands on the second one. Josephus, a *Jewish history writer, says that there were 5 commands on each block. These 10 commands were the same that the *LORD spoke to the *Israelites.

The *LORD gave the blocks to Moses and Moses carried them down the mountain. He put the blocks in the special box. The *Levites carried that special box with them as they travelled in the *desert. After 38 years, the blocks were still in that special box.

The *LORD had answered Moses’ prayer. He would not *destroy the *Israelites. Because he was *merciful, he forgave them. Now he had repeated the *covenant that they had with him.

Verse 6: It seems that the *Israelites left Kadesh. They went towards Edom. After some time, they returned to Kadesh. Then they started the last part of their journey. From Kadesh they went round the territory of Edom and they travelled up to the plains of Moab. On this journey, they went from a place called Beeroth-Bene-Jaakan. That name means the wells of the *descendants of Jaakan. They came to Moserah. Moserah may have been a town or, more likely, an area.

In the Moserah area, there was a mountain called *Mount Hor. The *LORD told Aaron the priest to go up that mountain. Aaron did as the *LORD had told him. Moses and Aaron’s son Eleazar went up with him. Moses took the special clothes from Aaron and he gave them to Eleazar. Aaron had been the chief priest. Eleazar his son replaced Aaron as the chief priest (Numbers 20:22-29).

Then Aaron died on that mountain. It was the first day of the 5th month of the 40th year since they came out of Egypt. Aaron was an old man. He was 123 years old when he died (Numbers 33:38-39).

Verse 7: The *Israelites continued their journey and they went to Gudgodah and Jotbathah. We do not know where either place was. They were probably in the region of the plains of Moab. Probably they went to those places because of the streams of water.

Verses 8-9: At Horeb (Sinai), the *LORD appointed the *tribe of Levi to carry the box of the *covenant. Always God’s 10 commands on the two blocks were inside the box. Also, he appointed the *descendants of Aaron, from the *tribe of Levi, to be his priests. They were his agents on behalf of the people. They were responsible to lead the people in *worship. And they were responsible for the *sacrifices that the people must give. From that time, they did those things and they were still priests in the plains of Moab. They would continue in that function as priests with Eleazar as chief priest as they were with Aaron.

Because of their special tasks, the *Levites would not have any land in *Canaan. The *LORD himself would be their part in a special way. The other *Israelites would live from their land. But the *Levites would live by the gifts that the people gave to the *LORD.

Verse 10: Moses asked the *LORD not to *destroy the *Israelites. And the *LORD answered his prayer. The *LORD would not *destroy them. God forgave the *Israelites because of his own nature. There was no cause in them that God should save them.

Verse 11: However, he did not allow them to enter *Canaan at that time. He told Moses to lead them to possess the country. They could possess the country that the *LORD had promised to their *ancestors. However, it was another 38 years before they were ready to go in.

Be afraid to make the *LORD your God angry               10:12-22

v12 ‘Now *Israelites, listen to what the *LORD your God wants you to do. He wants you to be afraid to make him angry. Obey all his commands during your lives. Love him. He wants you to serve the *LORD your God. Do all these things completely. v13 *Keep all the *commandments and all the rules of the *LORD that I am giving to you today. I am ordering you to *keep them for your benefit.

v14 The heavens and the highest heavens belong to the *LORD your God. The earth and everything on it belongs to him. v15 But the *LORD was very happy to choose your *ancestors and he loved them. He chose you, their *descendants, out of all other nations. He still loves you today. v16 Make your minds morally pure. Do not still refuse to obey him. v17 The *LORD your God is much greater than every false god. And he is the very powerful ruler over all rulers. He is the great God. He is powerful and you should be afraid to make him angry. He does not have favourite people. He will not do something because you give money to him. v18 God defends widows and children who do not have a living father. He loves the foreign people who live among us. He gives food and clothes to them. v19 So love those foreigners. You used to be foreigners in Egypt. v20 Be afraid to make the *LORD your God angry. And serve him. Be loyal to him. When you promise things, speak his name only. v21 Praise him. He is your God. You saw the great and wonderful things that he did for you. v22 When your *ancestors went to Egypt, there were only 70 of them. And now the *LORD your God has increased you. You have as many people as there are stars in the sky.’

Verses 12-13: The *LORD demanded 5 things from his people. He is the *LORD their God. So they must be afraid to make him angry. They must do what he told them. They must love him. They must serve him. And they must obey his commands and his rules. To do those things would be for the benefit of the *Israelites.

Verse 14: The *LORD their God owns the heavens, even the highest heavens. And he owns the earth. They belong to him because he created them. And everything in the heavens and on the earth belongs to him. Such is the greatness of their God. He is above every thing and he has absolute power over all things.

Verse 15: But he loved their *ancestors in a special way. And he chose them to be his own people. The *LORD gave a *covenant to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In that *covenant, he gave promises to them about their *descendants. Therefore, the *LORD loved the *Israelites. They had *sinned so often, but the *LORD still loved them. He chose them to be his people out of all the nations.

Verse 16: Because of God’s nature, the *Israelites must be morally pure. In their hearts and minds, they must have a right attitude towards God. They must obey the commands. And the first command is to love the *LORD their God. In the past, they had refused to obey the *LORD. As they were going into *Canaan, they must obey him.

Verse 17: The *LORD God is much greater than any god or ruler. That does not mean that there are other gods and rulers. He is the only real God and there is no other god. People may believe that other gods exist. But that is not true. There are no *lords or rulers to compare with the *LORD. The *LORD God is superior to all rulers or persons with authority or power. He made everything and he is superior to everything. He is the only real God and he is the absolute *Lord.

Because of who he is, every person should be afraid to make him angry. The *LORD is fair and to him all persons are equal. He does not give special regard to any person. He will be the judge of all people. And his judgement will be fair. Nobody can give anything to him to gain a benefit. What God requires of people is a proper attitude of heart and mind. That includes both fear and love.

Verses 18-19: God helps the poor and weak people. Those people include the widows, who have nobody to help them. It includes the children who have no parents or family to support them. The *LORD wants the *Israelites to look after those people properly. He loved the foreigner who had come to live with the *Israelites. He provided for their food and clothing as he had done for the *Israelites.

Moses tells the *Israelites that they should love those foreigners. Their own parents were foreigners in Egypt. Near the end of their time in Egypt, their parents did not receive love and honour. The *Israelites should have sympathy with these foreigners. Therefore, they should be sure that they look after the foreigners in a proper manner.

Verse 20: The *Israelites must be afraid to make the *LORD angry because he is God. They must serve him and only him. They must be loyal to him. You can translate this sentence, as ‘they must keep close to him.’ The *LORD God is near to his people and they must stay close to him. To keep close to him is to love him.

Verse 21: The *LORD is the powerful God who did great deeds on their behalf. He did wonderful things both in Egypt and during their time in the *desert. They had all seen what the *LORD had done on their behalf. They should be grateful for all the benefits and promises that they had received. Therefore, they must praise him and they must *worship him.

Verse 22: Jacob and his sons went to live in Egypt. Then there were only 70 persons in the family (Genesis 46:27). Now, 400 years later, they were as many as the stars in the sky. The phrase ‘stars in the sky’ just means a very large number. That one family had become a nation.

Chapter 11

Love and obey the *LORD                             11:1-32

v1 ‘Therefore, love the *LORD your God. Always *keep his instructions, his rules and his *commandments. v2 Remember today the *LORD’s discipline. Your children did not see or have an experience of it. They did not see how great the *LORD is. They did not see his power v3 and his wonderful acts in Egypt. They did not see what he did to *Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and to his whole country. v4 They did not see how God completely defeated the *Egyptian army with its horses and its carts for war. They were chasing you. But the *LORD drowned them in the Red Sea. v5 Your children did not see what he did for you all the way through the *desert. v6 They did not see what he did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, from the *tribe of Reuben. The earth opened up and it swallowed them. It swallowed their families, their tents and every living thing that belonged to them. All the *Israelites who were there saw it. v7 But you have seen all the great things that the *LORD did.

v8 Therefore you must *keep all the *commandments that I order you today. Then you will be strong. You will go in and you will possess the country. You will go across the River Jordan in order to possess the country. v9 Then you will live there for a long time. The *LORD promised to your *ancestors that he would give it to them and to their *descendants. It would be a rich and *fertile country.

v10 The country that you will possess is not like Egypt. When you lived in Egypt, you sowed seeds in the fields. Then you had to dig channels to water them. v11 The country where you will go has mountains and valleys. It gets water from rain that comes from the sky. v12 The *LORD your God looks after it. The *LORD your God constantly watches it during the whole year.

v13 So obey the *commandments that I order you today. Love the *LORD your God. Serve him completely. v14 If you do that, he will send rain on your country in the autumn and in the spring. So, you will have grain, wine and oil. v15 There will be grass in your fields for your *cattle. You will have enough to eat and you will be full.

v16 Do not let anything or anybody persuade you to leave the *LORD. You might serve and give honour to false gods. v17 Then, the *LORD will be angry. He will stop the rain and the crops will not grow. Then you will die very soon in the good country that the *LORD has given to you.

v18 Always think about these words and remember them. Tie them on your arms. Wear them on the front of your heads to remind you. v19 Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you sit at home. Talk about them when you walk along the road. Talk about them when you lie down. And talk about them when you rise up. v20 Write them on the sides of the doors of your houses. Write them on your gates. v21 Then you and your children will live for a long time in the country. You will live there as long as there is a sky above the earth. The *LORD promised to give that country to your *ancestors.

v22 Carefully *keep all the *commandments that I have ordered you to *keep. Love the *LORD your God. Obey all his rules. Be loyal to him. v23 If you do those things, then the *LORD will send out all those nations ahead of you. You will send out nations that are greater and more powerful than you. v24 You will own all the ground that you walk on. Your territory will be from the *desert to the country called Lebanon. It will be from the River Euphrates to the western sea. v25 Nobody will be able to stop you. Wherever you go, the *LORD your God will make the people very afraid of you. He has promised that.

v26 Today I am giving to you the choice between a *blessing and a *curse. v27 Obey the commands of the *LORD your God that I ordered you today. Then you will have a *blessing. v28 Perhaps you will not obey the commands of the *LORD your God. Perhaps you will *worship false gods whom you have not *worshipped before. If you do that, you will have a *curse. v29 The *LORD your God will bring you into the country that you will possess. When he does that, you must announce the *blessing from *Mount Gerizim. Then you must announce the *curse from *Mount Ebal. v30 Those mountains are across the River Jordan. They are on the west of the road near the big trees of Moreh. That is in the territory of the *Canaanites who live in the Jordan valley near Gilgal. v31 You will soon go across the River Jordan. And you will enter the country and you will possess it. The *LORD your God is giving it to you. You will get power over it and you will live there. v32 Be sure that you obey me. You must obey all the rules and all the laws that I am giving to you today.’

Verse 1: The *LORD had done very many powerful deeds on behalf of the *Israelites. Therefore, they ought to love him who was the *LORD their God. If they loved him, they would want to obey all his commands and rules. Love would be the best way for them to obey their *Lord. However, they must always obey the *covenant and the rules that they have received from the *LORD.

Verse 2: For many years, the *LORD had trained them and he had taught them by discipline. They should remember all the way that the *LORD had led them. Their children had not seen what the *LORD had done. Those *Israelites who were over 40 years of age would remember the rescue from Egypt. And together with the rest of the adults, they would remember the events in the *desert. They would remember the *LORD’s acts of kindness and punishment. But their children would not remember all those things.

Verse 3: The children were not there when the *LORD did wonderful deeds in Egypt. The king of Egypt would not let the *Israelites leave Egypt. By many wonderful deeds the *LORD forced the king to let them go.

Verse 4: As soon as the *Israelites had gone, the king of Egypt sent his army after them. The *LORD defeated that army. He caused the water of the Red Sea to part. And he caused it to stop flowing. The *Israelites then walked through to the other side of the sea. However, the *LORD caused the waters to flow again and they drowned the *Egyptian army. Those *Israelites who were now over 40 years of age could remember that.

Verses 5-7: Their children did not see all the things that the *LORD did in the *desert. However, the adults did see what happened with Dathan and Abiram. They were Eliab’s sons and they belonged to the *tribe of Reuben. They came to Moses and Aaron with a *Levite called Korah and 250 leaders of the *Israelites. They said to Moses and Aaron, ‘All the people here belong to the *LORD. But you think that you are so much better than any other person. The *LORD is with all the people. But you think that you are more important. You have made yourselves our leaders!’ (See Numbers 16:3.)

Moses did not argue with them. Instead, he prayed to God. Moses knew that God had chosen him to lead the *Israelites. God would prove it to them. The next morning, God would show to them that he had chosen Moses. But at that time, Dathan and Abiram were not there. Therefore, Moses asked them to come to him but they would not come. Instead, they sent a message to him. In effect, that message was an insult to the *LORD and to Moses. The next morning the *LORD did show that he had chosen Moses and Aaron.

The *LORD punished Dathan and Abiram. He caused the ground to open up. The ground swallowed Dathan and Abiram. They went down into the ground with their families and everything that belonged to them. Also, Korah went down with them. And the earth closed over them all. However, Korah’s family did not go down with him. (See Numbers 16:1-35.)

The *Israelites saw that. And they saw all the other great things that the *LORD did.

Verses 8-9: The *LORD had shown his great power to them. He had led them through the *desert for the past 40 years. He had shown to them what he expected from them. He had punished those people that had not obeyed him. All the people who had refused to go into the country at Kadesh had died. He had punished other people such as Dathan and Abiram. The *Israelites must obey all God’s commands that Moses reminded them about on that day.

If they obeyed God’s commands, he would make them strong. The *LORD would go with them over the River Jordan. He would help them to defeat the people in that country. With his help, the *Israelites would possess all that territory.

If they continued to obey the commands, they would live in that country for a long time. The *LORD promised that to their *ancestors. However, if the *Israelites did not obey the commands, the *LORD would remove them from that country.

Verse 10: The country that the *Israelites were going to was very different from Egypt. In Egypt, they did not have much rain. It was hard work to cultivate the fields. They had to use the water from the River Nile to water the seeds. To do that, they had to dig out a series of channels. They had to lift water from the River Nile into the system of channels. With their feet, they cleared a channel to direct the water to the plants. When those plants had enough water, they would close that channel with their feet. They would do that until all the plants in their fields had water.

Verse 11: The new country had mountains and valleys. It had two seasons of rain. Also, the water flowed from the mountains to the valleys. There was no need for them to dig out channels. It had very good land and it was much easier to cultivate.

Verses 12-13: The *LORD looked after that country. The *LORD would provide the rain in its season. If the *LORD did not supply the rain, the crops would not grow. Therefore, to cultivate the land they must depend on the *LORD.

Verses 13-14: The people must obey God’s commands. They must love the *LORD. They must serve him and only him. If the *Israelites did that then the *LORD would send the rain.

The early rain would fall during the autumn. Their autumn was during the months of September and October. They would sow the seed at that time of year. The second period of rain would be during the spring. Their spring was during the months of March and April. Soon after that period of rain, the crops would be ready for harvest. There was a little rain between those periods.

Verse 15: Because of the rain and the good soil, grass grew well in the fields. That was good for their *cattle and sheep to eat. With the animals and the crops that they farmed, they would have plenty of food.

Verses 16-17: Again, Moses warned them not to turn away from the *LORD. They must not *worship other gods. They must not give honour to other gods. All other gods are false. They must not serve them. The *covenant said that they must serve only the *LORD their God.

The *Canaanites *worshipped many gods. Among those gods was a god called *Baal-Hadad. They believed that he controlled the rain. However, Moses told the *Israelites that the *LORD controlled the rain. The *LORD God is the ruler over all the forces of the earth. He created the heavens and the earth and he has control over them. If the *Israelites *worshipped any other god, the *LORD would be angry. When the *LORD’s people go after false gods, it makes him very angry. If they did that, the *LORD would stop the rain. Without rain, the crops would fail to grow. There would be no food. Then the people who remained in that country would die. *Israel would not be able to continue in the country that the *LORD had given to them.

Verses 18-20: Moses repeats what he had said earlier (Deuteronomy 6:7-9). God’s people should cause their hearts and minds to remember his laws. So much so, that they became a central part in all their thoughts. They become a way of life for them. They should learn to love God’s law.

The people should tie the rules of the law to their hands. That would help them to remember the law. They should wear them on the front of their heads. The *Israelites wrote words from Deuteronomy on small pieces of paper. They put those in little leather boxes. They tied the leather boxes on their left arms and on the front of their heads. Also, they put metal or wood boxes on the sides of their gates and doors.

The *Israelites should take every opportunity to talk about God’s laws. And it was very important that their children should learn them.

Verse 21: They and their *descendants must obey the *covenant with its commands and rules. As long as they did that, they would live in the country. The *LORD had promised to give the country to them. As they obeyed the *LORD, they would possess the country.

Verse 22: The *Israelites must obey all the commands that the *LORD had given to them. The most important command was that they love the *LORD. All the rest of the commands follow from that one. If they loved the *LORD, they would obey all his commands. In addition to the commands, they must do what the *LORD asked from them. He would continue to speak to them and he would lead them. They must not follow any other god or the people in the country. They must be loyal to the *LORD God alone.

Verse 23: If they did that, the *LORD would give the country to them. And then they would be able to possess it. That would not be all at once. Bit by bit as they were able to possess it, the *LORD would send out the people there. He would send out the 7 nations who lived in the country. Those nations were larger and more powerful than the *Israelites (Deuteronomy 7:1). The *Israelites were not strong enough to defeat those nations. However, the *LORD would give the territory to the *Israelites. They could never say that they achieved it by their own strength.

Verse 24: Anywhere in *Canaan that the *Israelites went would become their property. Here are the boundaries of the country that the *LORD promised to them.

The south boundary would be the *desert. We cannot identify the exact boundary. It probably included Kadesh-Barnea and the *desert called Paran. The promise to Abraham gave the boundary as the river of Egypt (Genesis 15:18). Almost certainly, this river was not the River Nile. Probably it was a small river that flowed from the Sinai area to the Mediterranean Sea.

The north boundary was the border with Lebanon. To the east, the territory would extend as far as the River Euphrates. And the west boundary would be the Mediterranean Sea.

The *Israelites have never possessed all that territory as part of their own country. However, King Solomon did rule over that whole area. ‘He ruled over all the kings from the River Euphrates to the country of the *Philistines. His rule reached as far as the border of the country called Egypt.’ (See 2 Chronicles 9:26.)

Verse 25: The *Israelites must love the *LORD and they must obey him. Then none of the nations would be able to stop them. The people in those nations would have heard about the *LORD. They heard how he had led the *Israelites out of Egypt. They heard about the powerful deeds that he had done. They heard how the *Israelites had defeated King Sihon and King Og. The *LORD would make those people afraid of the *Israelites.

Verses 26-28: The commands were not just a list of rules. They were the way of life that God ordered for the *Israelites. The attitude of the people to the *LORD’s *covenant was very important. The people could choose to serve the *LORD or they could choose to serve other gods. They could choose to live by the commands or they could refuse to obey the commands. If they obeyed the commands, then the *LORD would give great *blessings to them. If they chose not to obey the commands then the *LORD would give terrible *curses to them. The details of these *blessings and *curses are in chapters 27 and 28.

Verse 29: The *LORD would bring them into the country. Then they must announce the *blessings and the *curses. They would do that on *Mount Gerizim and on *Mount Ebal. They would announce the *blessings from *Mount Gerizim. They would announce the *curses from *Mount Ebal. The *blessings would be theirs if they obeyed the *covenant. The *curses would be theirs if they did not obey the *covenant.

The most important thing about the *covenant is that they must love the *LORD as their God. The basic error would be to follow other gods.

Six of the 12 *tribes would stand on *Mount Gerizim. Those *tribes would be Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin. The other 6 *tribes would stand on *Mount Ebal. Those *tribes would be Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali. The *Levites would declare to all the *Israelites the *curses first and then the *blessings (Deuteronomy 27:11-12).

Verse 30: *Mount Gerizim and *Mount Ebal were close to each other. *Mount Gerizim was to the south of *Mount Ebal. They were both about 1000 metres (3300 feet) above sea level. *Mount Ebal was about 70 metres (230 feet) higher than *Mount Gerizim. These mountains were to the west of the main north to south road. That road ran from Damascus through Jerusalem and on to Egypt. They called that road the way of the west. The trees of Moreh were a bit south in the valley between the two mountains. That was in the area of the Jordan valley and the town called Gilgal.

Verses 31-32: The *Israelites were in the plains of Moab. They were ready to cross the River Jordan. They would cross the river to the country that the *LORD would give to them as their possession. But they must obey all the rules that Moses taught to them that day.

Chapter 12

The one place to *worship                                12:1-32

v1 ‘You must be careful to *keep these rules and laws for as long as you live in the country. The *LORD, the God of your *ancestors, has given this country to you to possess it. v2 You will get power over the land of the people who live there. Destroy completely all the places where those people served their false gods. Those places are on the high mountains, on the hills and under green trees. v3 Pull down their *altars and break their *holy stones. Burn in the fire the poles where they *worshipped *Asherah. Cut down their *idols so that people will not give honour to them again in those places.

v4 Do not give honour to the *LORD your God as these people give honour to their false gods. v5 But look for the place that the *LORD your God will choose. He will choose one place from the territory of all the *tribes. God will be there in a special way. You must go to that place. v6 There you must bring your *burnt-offerings and your *sacrifices. Bring your *tithes and the special gifts that you have promised to give. Bring your *freewill-offerings. Bring all your *cattle and sheep that are born first. v7 There, in front of the *LORD your God, you and your families shall eat. The *LORD your God has *blessed you. Therefore, you will enjoy everything that you have worked for.

v8 In your new country, you must not do what we do today. Today, everyone does what he believes to be right. v9 You have not yet reached the country where you can live in peace. The *LORD your God is giving it to you. v10 But you will go across the River Jordan and you will live in the country. The *LORD your God is giving it to you as a possession. He will give peace to you from all your enemies round you. And you will live in safety. v11 Then go to the place that the *LORD your God will choose. God will be there in a special way. You will give honour to him there. Also you must bring to that place everything that I have told you. You must bring your *burnt-offerings and *sacrifices, your *tithes and your *offerings. You must bring also the special gifts that you have promised to give to the *LORD. v12 There you and your families and your male and female slaves will be happy. They will be happy in front of the *LORD your God. The *Levites from your towns, who do not possess any land, will be happy also. v13 Do not *sacrifice your *burnt-offerings anywhere that seems right to you. v14 Give them only at the place that the *LORD will choose in the land of one *tribe. There you must do everything that I have ordered you to do.

v15 But you can kill your animals for food in any of your towns. You can eat as much of the meat as you want. You can all eat it, whether you are *clean or not *clean. The *LORD your God gives it to you as a *blessing. You can eat it as if it were the *deer or the *antelope. v16 But you must not use the blood as food. You must pour out the blood on the ground like water. v17 You must not eat any of your *offerings in your own towns. You must not eat the *tithes of your corn, your wine or your oil there. You must not eat there the young animals that are born first to your sheep or to your *cattle. In your towns, you must not eat what you have promised to give to the *LORD. Nor must you eat the *offerings that you choose to give. And you must not eat the special gifts in your towns. v18 Instead, you must eat them in front of the *LORD your God. That will be in the place that the *LORD your God will choose. You will eat there. Your sons and your daughters will eat there. Your male and your female slaves and the *Levites from your towns will eat there also. You will be happy there in front of the *LORD your God because of everything that you have done. v19 Do not neglect the *Levites as long as you live in the country.

v20 The *LORD your God will give to you more territory, as he promised. Then you might think, “I would like some meat.” You can eat as much as you want. v21 Perhaps the place that the *LORD your God has chosen is too far from you. Then you can kill any of the *cattle or sheep that the *LORD has given to you. You can eat as many as you wish in your own towns. I have ordered you to do that. v22 Anyone, whether that person is *clean or not *clean, can eat the meat. They can eat it, as they would eat a *deer or an *antelope. v23 But be sure that you do not eat the blood. The blood causes the animal to live. You must not eat the blood with the meat. v24 Do not use the blood as your food. You must pour the blood out on the ground like water. v25 Do not eat it. Then good things will happen to you and to your *descendants. You will do what the *LORD considers to be right.

v26 But take the *holy things and the gifts that you have promised to the *LORD. Go to the place that the *LORD will choose. v27 Give the *burnt-offerings, the blood and the meat, there on the *altar of the *LORD your God. Pour out the blood of your *sacrifices on the *altar. You can eat the meat. v28 Make sure that you obey all my commands. Then good things will happen to you and to your *descendants for always. You will do what the *LORD your God considers to be good and right.

v29 The *LORD your God will *destroy the nations as you go into their country. You will send them out and you will live in their country. v30 But do not ask how they serve their false gods. Do not try to serve those gods in the same way. If you do, then that will cause trouble for you. v31 Do not give honour to the *LORD your God in their way. When they give honour to their false gods, they do all kinds of terrible things. The *LORD hates those things. They even burn their sons and their daughters as *sacrifices to their false gods.

v32 Be careful to obey all my commands. Do not add anything to them and do not leave anything out.’

Verse 1: Moses started to explain how the *covenant would affect their lives. These were not new laws. They were an explanation of the *covenant’s laws for the new situation. Until now, the *Israelites had been in the *desert. Soon they would go into *Canaan. The *LORD God of their *ancestors had promised to give this country to them. There they would live in towns and villages. They would no longer be travellers in the *desert.

God’s people must obey his rules and laws all their lives. These rules and laws were about their whole lives. They were the laws that should govern their new society. They were the rules that they must obey in their religion. They told how the people should manage their domestic affairs. And the *covenant showed the attitudes and behaviour that the *LORD expected from each of his people.

Verses 2-3: The people must not *worship the gods of the *Canaanites. They must *destroy all the places where the *Canaanites *worshipped those gods. The high mountains, the hills, and under every green tree were where the *Canaanites *worshipped.

If anything of the *worship of false gods remained it might tempt the *Israelites. Therefore, they must *destroy everything about the *worship of these false gods. There were the *altars where the *Canaanites gave *sacrifices to their gods. There were the *holy stones where they gave honour to their gods. And there were the *Asherah poles for their female god. The *Israelites must cut down every *idol. There must be nothing left of any of those things. Then nobody would remember the names of those gods in those places.

Verses 4-5: The *Israelites must not *worship the *LORD as the *Canaanites *worshipped their gods. They must not *worship the *LORD on the high mountains and hills. They must not *worship him under every green tree. While the *Israelites were in the *desert, in the centre of the camp was the special tent. That was the place where they *worshipped the *LORD. When they come into *Canaan, the *LORD will appoint a place for his *worship. They should go to that place to *worship the *LORD.

That place would be where the special tent went in the country. In the special tent, there would be the *covenant box. That was the place where the *LORD would meet with his people. After some time, a *temple would replace the special tent. During the time when David was king, the *LORD chose Jerusalem. And Solomon built the *temple there.

In fact, the *Israelites did not seem to have one special place for *worship when they first came into *Canaan. They did not seem to do that until many years afterwards. But the danger was that people might *worship other gods in their other places for *worship.

Here Moses was talking about public acts of *worship. Those acts should be at the special place that the *LORD would choose. But the *LORD was with his people wherever they were. So people should be able to pray privately anywhere.

Verses 6-7: The people must bring their *offerings and *sacrifices to the place that the *LORD would choose. There were several *offerings and *sacrifices that the *Israelites gave to the *LORD. There are a lot of instructions about these *offerings and *sacrifices in Leviticus chapters 1 to 7.

There were the *burnt-offerings. These were *sacrifices of a *bull, a goat or a male sheep. For poorer people it could be the *sacrifice of a dove. A dove is a bird. The priests must burn the whole *sacrifice on the *altar. The whole *sacrifice was for the *LORD. This *sacrifice might be because of the *sins that they did not intend. However, it might be just as an act of *worship (Leviticus 6:8-13).

There were the grain *offerings. These consisted of grain, oil and other things (Leviticus 6:14-23). Often they would make a grain *offering with one of the other *offerings. The grain *offering was to *worship God because of his kindness.

The *peace-offering was of an animal and a variety of breads. It would be to give thanks to the *LORD. The priests would burn parts of the *offerings as the *LORD’s part. The rest of the *offerings would be for the priests and for the people to eat. The people must eat this meal at the special place (Leviticus 7:11-18).

In addition to these *offerings there would be the *offering for *sin. There would be similar animals as in the *burnt-offering but the priests would eat the meat. This was a *sacrifice because of *sin. It was to ask the *LORD to forgive the *sin (Leviticus 6:24-30).

Also, there was an *offering for a guilty person. This was of a male sheep or goat. The purpose of this *offering was to ask the *LORD to forgive. The guilty person must pay for the wrong deeds that he had done. In addition, he must pay a fifth more (Leviticus 7:1-6).

The *Israelites must bring a *tithe of their income as a gift to the *LORD. That would include the increase of their agriculture and animals. And if they had promised to give anything to the *LORD, they must bring it to the *LORD. These *tithes and gifts would be for the costs of the special place and to provide for the priests.

The first to be born of their animals they must bring to that place (Exodus 13:11-16).

Verse 7: The people and their families may eat the *offerings and *sacrifices. They must eat these things in front of the *LORD at that place. There were parts of the *offerings and *sacrifices that only the priest may eat. But the people could eat all the rest.

The *LORD would *bless them in all their work. Therefore, these meals in front of the *LORD should be times of great joy.

Verse 8: While the *Israelites were in the *desert, they lived in camps. They lived free lives. They did what seemed right to them. They did not obey the rules of religion as strictly as they must in the future. This may have been because they often had to move camp. They did not have much agriculture in the *desert. And some of the *sacrifices would have been difficult. But the past must not be the pattern for the future. They could not be as free in *Canaan as they had been in the *desert.

Verses 9-10: They had not yet gone over the River Jordan. They had not entered the country that the *LORD would give to them. They were still in the plains of Moab. However, they would soon cross over the River Jordan. They would live in the country that the *LORD would give to them. If they obeyed the *LORD, he would give to them peace from all the nations round them. They would live in peace in that country.

Verses 11-12: When the *Israelites lived in the country, they must go to God’s special place. The *LORD would show them where that place would be. They should take their *offerings and *sacrifices to that place. They must take their special gifts there. And they must do all the things that they promised to the *LORD.

The people should come to the *LORD with their families and their slaves. They must want to come to the *LORD’s place. They should all enjoy the time they were there. They should bring with them the *Levites who live in their towns. The *Levites would not possess a territory of their own. They should come and enjoy the occasion with the rest of the people.

There were certain times when the people should come to that place. They were the times of the *festivals. The men must go to that place at least for three major *festivals. There was the *Festival of Bread without *Yeast. This *festival lasted 7 days. It was from the 15th to the 22nd in the month called Abib (about March to April). And there was the *Festival of Harvest or the *Festival of Weeks. It was 7 weeks after the *Festival of Bread without *Yeast. The third of these *festivals was when they gathered in the crops at the end of the agricultural year. They would *celebrate it from the 15th to the 22nd of the month called Tishri (September to October). During this *festival, the people lived out of doors. They would make structures that were like tents. The purpose was to remember how they had lived in the *desert (Exodus 23:14-19).

Verses 13-14: They must not give *burnt-offerings anywhere else but the place that the *LORD chooses. He would choose a place in the territory of one of the *tribes. They must burn these *offerings on the *altar in that place.

Probably this instruction was the same for the other *offerings. They should be at that place as well.

Verses 15-16: In the *Old-Testament, strict rules described what the *Israelites might eat. Also, those rules told them what they must not eat. They could eat any of the animals that God permitted in those rules. They could kill those animals in their own towns. They did not need to go to the *LORD’s special place to kill them.

They never had to *sacrifice the *deer or the *antelope to the *LORD. They were always available as food. They did *sacrifice *bulls, sheep and goats. However, except for those that they *sacrificed, they could eat those animals too. They were available as food like the *deer and the *antelope.

They could eat as much meat as they wanted. The rules may not allow some people to eat of the *sacrifices. But everybody could eat this meat. However, they must not eat the blood. They must pour out the blood on the ground. Then they must cover the blood with earth (Leviticus 17:13). The *LORD told them that they must not eat the blood. That was because the *life of the animal was in the blood. And when they poured out the blood, they were offering the *life back to God.

Verses 17-19: This cannot mean the *tithes and *offerings that the *Levites received. It cannot mean what the priests received. Only the *Levites and the priests could eat of those gifts. But the people must not eat anything that they gave to the *LORD away from the special place.

The first to be born of the sheep and *cattle belonged to the *LORD. Therefore, the people must not eat them in their towns. They must not eat anything in their towns that they give to the *LORD. All the *sacrifices and *offerings that they could eat they must eat at that special place. They must eat with their families and slaves. There is no mention of the wives. However, there can be no doubt that the wives would be there. Also, the *Levites from their towns should join with them. All those people should come and they should enjoy their time with the *LORD.

The people would be responsible for the *Levites who lived with them. The *Levites had no personal territory in the country.

Verses 20-22: Moses repeated the instructions that he had just given to them. The *LORD would not give all the territory to them at once. However, in time they would spread over the whole country. Then many of them would be a long way from the one special place. Perhaps they would not be able to go to that place very often. But they must go there for the major *festivals.

They could eat as much meat as they wanted. They could do that, wherever they were. The *LORD would *bless them with many animals. They could kill any of the sheep or the *cattle except those that are for the *LORD. They could kill for food where they lived. Those animals that were for *offerings and *sacrifices they must take to the special place.

They would not kill a *deer or an *antelope as an *offering or a *sacrifice. Therefore, they could kill those for food. In the same way, they can kill sheep, goats and *cattle for food. However, they must obey the rules for those animals that were for the *offerings and *sacrifices.

Some people could not eat of the *offerings and *sacrifices. There were rules about things that would make a person not *clean for that purpose. However, at home, even those who were not *clean by those rules could eat.

Verses 23-25: The people must not eat blood (Leviticus 7:26-27). The *life of an animal or a bird is in its blood. The blood is precious to God, because it represents the *life of the animal. And the blood of a *sacrifice represented the *life of the person who offered it. The *LORD accepted the blood of the *offerings and *sacrifices instead of their own blood. When they killed any animal, they must drain off the blood. And they must cover the blood with earth (Leviticus 17:11-14).

They must obey the *LORD. They must not eat blood. If they did obey these commands, they and their *descendants would do well.

Verses 26-27: The *Israelites must take their *offerings, *sacrifices and gifts to the place that the *LORD would choose. There they must *sacrifice the animals and gifts on the *altar. They must pour the blood of the animals on the *altar. The fire on the *altar would completely burn up the *burnt-offering. However, the priests and the people could eat the meat of the other *offerings. They must eat the meat only in the place that the *LORD would choose. The priest would take certain parts of the *sacrifices as in the rules (Deuteronomy 18:3-5).

Verse 28: The *LORD has promised good things if the people obey all his commands. Those commands include the rules about *offerings and *sacrifices. As long as they obeyed, the *LORD would give good things to them and to their *descendants.

Verses 29-31: The *LORD would *destroy the nations but the *Israelites must send them out. They must obey the *LORD’s commands. Then they would possess the country and they would live there.

The nations had their gods, which they *worshipped. The *Israelites must not ask about those gods or about how the people *worshipped them. Otherwise, it might tempt them to do the same. Then they might *worship the false gods. And if they did so, the *LORD would turn away from them. There were and there still are many dangers in people’s religions.

As they *worshipped, the nations did terrible things. They even burned their sons and daughters as *sacrifices to the gods. The *LORD hated everything that they did. Their evil ways were the reason why the *LORD would *destroy those nations. The *Israelites must not *worship the *LORD in the same way. They must not *worship the *LORD in the same places.

Verse 32: The *Israelites must do what the *LORD’s commands say. They must obey all the *LORD’s laws and rules. But they must not add anything to those laws and rules.

Chapter 13

The *worship of other gods                            13:1-18

v1 ‘A *prophet or someone who explains the meaning of dreams might promise to you a *sign or a *wonder. v2 Then that *sign or *wonder that he spoke about may happen. And then he says, “Let us go after other gods. You have not known these gods. But let us serve them.” v3 Do not listen to that person. The *LORD your God is testing you. The *LORD wants to discover whether you love him completely. v4 You must *worship the *LORD your God and you must *fear him. *Keep his *commandments and obey him. Serve him and be loyal to him. v5 You must kill that *prophet or that person who has tried to explain the meaning of dreams. He told you that you should refuse to obey the *LORD your God. That is why you must kill him. He has tried to persuade you away from what the *LORD your God has told you to do. The *LORD brought you out of Egypt. He rescued you when you were slaves. That *prophet has tried to change your minds. You must stop that kind of wicked behaviour.

v6 Members of your own family may secretly tempt you. They might be your brother or your son or your daughter. It might even be the wife whom you love or your closest friend. They say, “Let us go to *worship other gods.” Neither you nor your *ancestors have known those gods. v7 They may be the gods of the people round you. Those people may live near to you. Or they may live a long way from you, from one end of the country to the other. v8 You must not do what those people say. Do not listen to them. Do not be *merciful to them. Do not protect them. v9 You must kill them. You must be the first person to throw stones at them. Then let everyone else throw stones at them too. v10 Throw stones at them until you have killed them. They tried to persuade you to leave the *LORD your God. The *LORD rescued you when you were slaves in Egypt. v11 Then all the people in *Israel will hear about it. They will be afraid. Nobody will do such a wicked thing again.

v12 The *LORD your God will give towns to you that you can live in. But you might hear this about one of the towns. v13 “Wicked men from among you have persuaded the people in their town to do wrong things. They have told people to go and to give honour to false gods.” (You have never given honour to those gods before.) v14 You must discover whether that is true. You must ask and you must examine it carefully. If that terrible thing is true, v15 then kill all the people in the town. *Destroy the town and the animals too. v16 Bring together all the people’s possessions into the middle of the town. Then you must burn completely the town and everything in it. Burn it as a *burnt-offering to the *LORD your God. You must ruin the town and you must never build it again. v17 Do not keep any of the things that God has *cursed. Then the *LORD will turn from his fierce anger. He will be *merciful to you. He will love you. And he will increase your numbers as he promised to your *ancestors. v18 Obey the *LORD your God. Obey all his commands that I have given to you today. Do what he wants you to do.’

Verses 1-3: The proof of a *prophet or a person who explains a dream would be by the results. However, someone who was not God’s prophet might pretend to be one. Even a person like that might sometimes *prophesy events that would really happen. They may do that because not all *prophecies and dreams come from God. We must test what they say. They must not tell us that we do not need to obey God’s commands. If they do, we must refuse to believe them.

In this passage such a person says, ‘Let us go after other gods. Let us serve them.’ God had told the *Israelites that they must have no other gods but him. There was only one real God. They must love him and they must serve him. He was the *LORD their God. They must not serve any other god.

The *Israelites had not known these other gods. Unknown things can be very attractive. But the *Israelites must not ask about those gods.

God might want to test how much his people trusted him. So God might permit such false *prophets to come in order to test his people. The *LORD would want to see if the *Israelites really loved him. The command told them to love the *LORD their God with all their heart and *soul. Moses warned them that there might be those kinds of tests.

Verse 4: The *LORD was their God. They must *worship him and only him. They should *fear him. And they should be afraid to offend him. They must obey all his commands and whatever else he may say to them.

Verse 5: Moses told the *Israelites to kill the false *prophet and the man with dreams. The manner of that death would be this: The people would throw stones at the person until he or she died. They had tried to persuade the *Israelites to act against the *LORD’s commands. That is why they must die.

Verses 6-7: False *prophets may try to lead people away from the *LORD. However, a greater test might come from family and friends. They may tempt a person to *worship gods that neither that person nor his *ancestors had known. It was not that they had not heard of those gods. But they had not believed that they were real gods. There could be no god to compare with the *LORD God.

They may be the gods of the people who live in the country. Those people may be near neighbours or they may live further away.

Verses 8-10: The *Israelites must refuse any such idea. They must not go after any false god. Any person that tempts them in that way must die. Even if it was a member of their family or a friend, they must not protect him. The nature of the *covenant was to love God. And that was more important than love for one’s family. Therefore, they must have no pity for that person.

They must report this crime. Then if that person was guilty, they must kill him because of this terrible *sin. The person who reports him must throw the first stone. Then other people must throw stones at the guilty person until he dies.

That person would die because he tried to turn an *Israelite away from the *LORD. That crime might *destroy the *Israelites’ society. The people must be loyal to the *LORD God. Their society depended on that. They had been slaves in Egypt but the *LORD had made them free. In effect, he had bought them for his own possession. They belonged to him. They were his people.

Verse 11: This extreme punishment must be in public. All the people in *Israel would hear about it. And they would be afraid to do the same wicked thing.

Verses 12-16: The *LORD would give to the *Israelites towns to live in. Then they may hear a bad report about a certain town. They may hear that there are some evil men in that town. These *Israelites would turn away from the *LORD their God. And they would persuade the people there to go after false gods.

If that happens, the *Israelites must examine all the evidence. They must be certain that the report is true. When they have proved it, they must act. They must *destroy that town. They must kill all its people and animals. They must bring all the possessions of the people to the central square. They must burn all those possessions and the whole town. It would be like a *burnt-offering to the *LORD. It would be a *sacrifice to the *LORD to remove that *sin from *Israel.

They must never build in that place again. That would show that the *sin of that town was extremely serious to the *LORD. He hates false gods and everything about them. To love other gods instead of the *LORD would be the most terrible *sin. They must not allow such *sin to exist and to spread in *Israel. The punishment of that town would warn other towns not to do the same.

Verse 17: The *Israelites must not take anything from the town that they *destroyed. God would *curse everything in that place. When they have *destroyed all those things, that will be God’s punishment for those people. The *LORD would love his people and he would be *merciful to them. However, if they did take something from that town, God would punish the *Israelites.

While they were loyal to the *LORD, he would increase their number. That is what he had promised to their *ancestors.

Verse 18: Moses repeated his central subject. They must obey the *LORD their God. They must continue to obey all God’s commands. Always they must do what God wants.

Chapter 14

Rules about food and *tithes                             14:1-29

v1 ‘You are the children of the *LORD your God. When someone dies, do not cut yourselves. Do not shave the front of your head. v2 You belong to the *LORD your God. The *LORD has chosen you to be his special nation. He chose you out of all the nations that live on the earth.

v3 Do not eat anything that is not *clean. v4 You can eat *cattle, sheep, goats, v5 *deer, wild sheep, wild goats and *antelopes. v6 Some animals have the hard part of the foot in two parts. And they bring back food from their stomach to eat again. You can eat those animals. v7 You must not eat the camel, the rabbit or the type of rabbit called a coney. Those animals bring back their food but they do not have the hard part of the foot in two parts. For you, those animals are not *clean. v8 The pig is not *clean also. It has the hard part of its foot two parts, but it does not bring back its food. You must not eat any of those animals. You must not touch their dead bodies.

v9 Some fish have hard things on their body that help them to swim. And they have hard material that covers their skin. You can eat any kind of fish like that. v10 But other fish do not have hard things on their body that help them to swim. And they do not have hard material that covers their skin. You must not eat things like that that live in the water. They are not *clean.

v11 You can eat any *clean bird. v12 But you must not eat these birds: eagle, vulture, black vulture, v13 red kite, all types of kite or falcon. v14 And you must not eat any of these birds: any kind of raven, v15 horned-owl, screech-owl, gull or hawk. v16 You must not eat any of these birds: little owl, great owl or white owl. v17 And you must not eat any of these birds: desert owl, osprey, cormorant, v18 stork, heron, hoopoe, or bat.

v19 Some insects crawl and fly too. You cannot eat that kind of insect. v20 But you can eat any *clean insect.

v21 Do not eat anything that is already dead. The foreigners who live in your towns can eat it. You can sell it to foreigners. But you belong to the *LORD your God. You are his special nation.

Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.

v22 Put aside one tenth of everything that your fields produce each year. Make sure that you do that. v23 Go to the place that the *LORD your God has chosen. The *LORD will be there in a special way. There, in front of the *LORD, eat the tenth part of your corn, new wine, and oil. You can also eat the young animals that are born first to your sheep and to your *cattle. Do that so that you will learn to respect the *LORD your God always. v24 The *LORD your God has chosen that place himself. And the *LORD will be there in a special way. But perhaps, when the *LORD your God has blessed you, that place will be too far from your home. Perhaps you cannot carry to that place the *tithe that the *LORD your God has *blessed you with. That will happen if the place is a long way from your home. v25 If so, sell that tenth part of your harvest. Take the money with you to the place that the *LORD your God has chosen. v26 Buy whatever you desire with the money. You can buy *cattle, sheep, or strong alcohol or whatever you desire. Then, in front of the *LORD your God, you and your family can eat. And you can be happy. v27 Do not neglect the *Levites who live in your towns. They do not own any land.

v28 At the end of every three years, bring all the *tithes of that year’s harvest. Store it in your towns. v29 This is for the *Levites. (They do not own any land.) It is also for the foreigners, the widows and the children without parents who live in your towns. They can eat. They can have everything that they need. They can be full. Then the *LORD your God will *bless you in all the work that you do.’

Verses 1-2: The *LORD was like a father to *Israel. And *Israel was like a son to the *LORD. The *LORD carried them through the *desert as a person carries a child (Deuteronomy 1:31). And as a parent gives discipline to a child, so the *LORD gave discipline to them (Deuteronomy 8:5). Therefore, Moses told them that they were children of the *LORD their God.

They were his *holy people and they belonged to him. He chose them to become his special nation. They must be different from any other nation. He was their ruler. And they must do what he said.

Because they belonged to the *LORD, they must not follow the funeral customs of other people. When someone died the people in *Canaan cut themselves in various parts of their bodies. They shaved the front of their heads and between their eyes. Those customs were about their religions and their gods. Therefore, the *LORD’s people must not do them.

Verse 3: There were strict rules about what the *Israelites may eat. And they show the *Israelites what they must not eat. Although they could not know it at that time, there are good medical reasons for these rules. Also, the animals that were not *clean may have some connection with other religions. But the text does not mention any reasons.

Verses 4-5: In these verses, there is a list of the animals that the *Israelites may eat. The meat from these animals was good for food. That meat carried no risks to their health. These animals have several stomachs and they eat their food in a certain way.

*Cattle, sheep and goats were the animals that the *Israelites *sacrificed. But they could choose to eat the meat of those animals as well.

Verses 6-8: The *Israelites could test whether an animal was good for food or not. There were two tests. And they must both be true. The hard part of the foot must be in two parts. The animal must bring back food from their stomach to eat it again.

There were animals that passed one test only. The *Israelites must not eat meat from those animals. They include the camel, the rabbit, and the type of rabbit called a coney. These do not pass the first test. And they include the pig, which does not pass the second test. The *Israelites must not even touch the dead bodies of those animals.

Verses 9-10: The *Israelites could eat some of the things that lived in water. There were tests about those things also. There must be hard things that help the thing to swim. These hard parts are called fins. Also hard things must cover the body. These hard things are called scales. Most fishes would pass this test. The *Israelites could eat those fishes. But they must not eat anything that did not have these fins and scales.

Verses 11-18: In these verses, there is a list of the birds that the *Israelites must not eat. There is no list of the *clean birds.

Verses 19-20: Some insects walk on four feet and they also fly. Most of them were not *clean. However, there are a few exceptions. (See Leviticus 11:21-22.)

Verse 21: The *Israelites must not eat the meat of an animal that has died from age or disease. Probably this was because of the strict rules about how to kill an animal for food. An animal that has died other than by these rules would not be *clean. When they killed an animal, they must drain out the blood. That would not happen with an animal that died in other ways.

Because the *Israelites belonged to the *LORD, they must obey his rules. They were his special nation. Therefore, they must be different from other nations.

They could sell the dead animal to a foreigner who may not obey the rules. The foreigner could eat the meat from such an animal.

For the people who lived in *Canaan, it was a custom to cook the young goat in its mother’s milk. It seems that it was part of their religion. The *Israelites must not follow this custom.

Verses 22-23: The word *tithe means the tenth part. This *tithe was from what they produced in their fields. It included corn, wine and oil. They must take this *tithe to God’s special place. There they would have a family meal. They could eat the meat from the first of their animals as well. The families should include the *Levites who lived in their towns.

In addition to the *tithes, there were *offerings and *sacrifices (Deuteronomy 12:6). With some of the *sacrifices and *offerings, there were family meals as well.

They must be glad and they must eat the meal with joy in the *LORD’s special place. There they would realise that the success of their fields did not depend on their own labour. It all depended on the *LORD their God. Therefore, they would learn to respect the *LORD.

The families with the *Levites would not eat the entire annual *tithe in those few days. Probably the priests and *Levites at the special place would have the excess.

Verses 24-27: Wherever the *LORD chose as his special place, some *Israelites would live a long way from it. It might not be practical for them to carry their *tithe to that place. Therefore, they could sell their *tithe and they could take the money to the special place. There they could buy all the food and drink that they wanted instead of their *tithe. Then the family would have the meal happily in that place.

They must include the *Levites from their town in the family meal.

Verses 28-29: Every three years, the *Israelites must bring the *tithes to the local centre. There they would store it for the benefit of the *Levites, foreigners and the poor people. Those people would then be able to eat from that store. And the *LORD would *bless the *Israelites in all their work.

The *tribe of the *Levites would have no territory in *Israel. They would live in towns in the other *tribes. They would possess 48 towns in *Israel. They would own the land round those towns that they could farm (Numbers 35:1-9). They would receive a part of the *tithes and *offerings of the people. That would be in addition to what they could produce.

Chapter 15

The year of freedom                                15:1-18

v1 ‘At the end of every 7 years, you must cancel debts. v2 This is what you must do. Everyone who has lent money to another *Israelite must cancel the debt. He must not ask for payment. The *LORD has declared that he must cancel the debt. v3 You can demand what a foreigner owes to you. But you must not demand what another *Israelite owes to you. v4 However, there should be no poor people among you because the *LORD your God will *bless you in the country. He is giving this country to you as your own possession. v5 But you must obey the *LORD your God. And you must be careful to obey everything that I have told you today. v6 The *LORD your God will *bless you as he has promised. You will lend money to many nations. But you will not need them to lend money to you. You will rule over many nations, but no nation will rule over you.

v7 Suppose that there is a poor *Israelite. He is in a certain town that the *LORD your God has given to you. Do not be selfish. Do not refuse to help that poor man. v8 Instead, be generous. Lend to him as much as he needs. v9 Do not have this wicked thought. “The seventh year, the year to cancel debts, is near.” So you refuse to lend him anything. He will then cry out to the *LORD against you. You will be guilty of a *sin. v10 Give to him freely and unselfishly. Then the *LORD your God will *bless you in everything that you do. v11 There will always be poor people in the country. Therefore, give in a generous way to other *Israelites. Be generous to everyone who is poor. Be generous to those who have needs.

v12 Suppose that another *Israelite, whether a man or a woman, sells himself to you as a slave. After that person has served you for 6 years, you must free him. v13 When you free him, do not send him away without anything. v14 Be generous. Give to him from your sheep, your corn and your wine. The *LORD your God has been generous to you. So be as generous to your slave. v15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. Remember that the *LORD your God freed you. That is why I am giving this command to you today.

v16 But your slave might not want to leave. He might love you and your family. He might want to stay with you. v17 Then take him to the door of your house. There push a sharp piece of metal through his ear into the door. He will become your slave for as long as he lives. Do the same thing to your female slave.

v18 It must not seem a hard thing to free your slave. He has served you during these 6 years. That has been worth twice as much to you as a servant whom you hire. Do that and the *LORD your God will *bless you and all your work.’

Verses 1-3: At the end of every seventh year, no *Israelite should owe a debt to another *Israelite. They must cancel all such debts. They must not ask for payment. They must consider all *Israelites as members of God’s family. They are all neighbours or relatives. They must cancel the debt because the *LORD has cancelled it.

This was a command from the *LORD. It would be different for foreigners. The *Israelites do not need to cancel any debt that a foreigner owes to them. However, they must not demand from another *Israelite what he owed.

If an *Israelite was able to pay the debt, he should pay it. This rule was to help the poor people who could not pay. After some time, they may be able to pay the debt. But no law said that they must. However, maybe they should think that they should do so.

Verses 4-6: If the *Israelites obeyed all the *LORD’s commands, he would *bless them. He would give to them the country that they were going to. He would cause the land to be good for agriculture. He would increase their animals. As a nation, they would become wealthy. They would look after each other. And there should not be any poor people among the *Israelites. However, they must be careful to obey all the *LORD’s commands.

When the nation became wealthy, they would be able to lend to other nations. They would be a powerful nation and they would rule over other nations.

They have never achieved this happy state. However, David and Solomon did rule over several nations.

Verses 7-8: When they first got power over the country there would not be any poor people among them. Each family would have a part of the land. However, after some time, there would be some poor people and some rich people in *Israel. Then the *Israelites must be generous towards the poor *Israelites. They must not be selfish. And they must not refuse to help the poor *Israelite. They must lend to the poor persons whatever they need. They must have the right attitude towards the poor *Israelites. They must accept them as if they were brothers. And they must help the poor persons gladly.

Verse 9: Every 7 years they must cancel all debts due from *Israelites. That was what Moses had just taught them. Therefore, a loan late in the 7-year period may be lost. It would in effect be a gift. Because of this, they may be unwilling to lend to the poor *Israelite. Moses warned them to be careful not to have such wicked thoughts. Such an attitude would be wicked. They must be willing to lend although they may not receive it back. To do otherwise would be *sin.

An *Israelite may refuse to lend to the poor person. Then the poor person may cry out to the *LORD. The *Israelite that refused to help would be guilty of *sin.

Verses 10-11: They should not give to the poor person just because of the rules. Rather they must give to him because they want to help him. They must do it with a good attitude of heart. They must give freely and they must not be selfish. There will always be poor people in *Israel. That will be because the *Israelites will not obey the *LORD. If they did obey him, there should not be any poor *Israelites. (See verse 4.) But the people who suffer are not always the people who have done the wrong things. Therefore, they should be generous to any poor *Israelites. They should try to help them in what they need.

The generous person will not lose because he gives freely. The *LORD loves the person who gives willingly (2 Corinthians 9:7). The *LORD will *bless him in everything that he does.

Verse 12: When an *Israelite had become very poor, he could sell himself to another *Israelite as a slave. The person that bought him must not consider him as a slave. He must consider him as a hired servant (Leviticus 25:39). He is not a hired servant. However, the life of a hired servant would be better than that of a slave. The *Jewish slave had to serve for 6 years. The owner had to free that man or woman during the seventh year.

The rule that they must cancel debt every seventh year does not include the freedom of these slaves. The slave must serve at least 6 years from the date of sale. However, every 50th year must be special. In that year, they must free all the *Jewish slaves (Leviticus 25:40-41).

But perhaps the *Israelite was single when he became a slave to the master. Then he would go free as a single person. Another *Israelite was married when he came. That man would go free with his wife. However, if the master provided a wife for the slave, the wife and any children would not go with him. They belonged to the master. (See Exodus 21:2-4.) But probably a good master would free them with the male slave.

Verses 13-14: When a master frees such a slave, he must provide for his future. The command is that the master must be generous. The slave could not have saved enough during his time as a slave. There was no rule as to how much a master must give to the slave. The *LORD had been generous to the master. The master should use that to decide how much he should give to the slave.

The master should give to the slave things to help him to provide for his future. The type of things would include animals and grain. Also, they would include bread and wine for his present needs.

The words that we have translated as ‘be generous’ include another idea. They include the idea ‘give honour’. The man or woman would not be a slave but a full member of the society.

Verse 15: The *Israelites were slaves in Egypt. When the *LORD freed them, they left Egypt. But they came out with a lot of wealth. The *Egyptians gave gold, silver and clothes to them. God loved the *Israelites and he had freed them. He had made plentiful provision for them. Because of that, they must give generous gifts to the slaves that they free.

These masters were too young to have been in Egypt. However, they belonged to the nation that had been slaves in Egypt.

Verse 16: The *Jewish slave may not want to leave his master at the end of the 6 years. There might be several good reasons for his decision. He may love his master and his master’s family. He enjoyed it when he was working for them. And he wanted to continue in their employment. Maybe he had married while in his master’s employment. He may choose to remain there because of love for his wife and children (Exodus 21:5). Maybe he would not want to be responsible for his own future. Perhaps he would not believe that he could manage on his own. Perhaps an older slave or one with a physical problem may decide to stay in a safe position.

There would have been occasions when a master did not want to keep a slave. However, in this passage there is no rule to allow him to refuse his slave.

Verse 17: If a slave did not want to leave his master, his master must bring him to God (Exodus 21:6). This might mean to the place for *worship that the *LORD would choose. The master must push a sharp piece of metal through the slave’s ear into the door. This might mean the door of the place for *worship. But probably it meant the door of the master’s house.

Then the slave would be a servant to the master for the rest of his or her life. However, in the special 50th year the master must free the slave. The slave’s family would then receive again their original property in *Israel.

Verse 18: The master of a good slave may not want to free him at the end of the 6 years. However, he must free the slave unless the slave decides to stay. He must be grateful for the past 6 years of labour. He must not think about what he will not have in the future. The *LORD promises to *bless him and all his work when he has freed the slave.

The first born of animals                            15:19-23

v19 ‘Keep all the males that are born first to your *cattle and to your sheep. They are for the *LORD your God. Do not use any of those *cattle for work. Do not cut off the wool from any of those sheep. v20 Each year, you and your family must eat them in front of the *LORD your God. Do that in the place that the *LORD chooses. v21 An animal may have weak legs or it may be blind. If it is not perfect, you must not *sacrifice it to the *LORD your God. v22 Instead, you should eat it in your own town. You can all eat it in the same way that you eat *deer or *antelope. You can eat it whether you are *clean or not *clean. v23 But do not use the blood as your food. Pour out the blood on the ground like water.’

Verse 19: The male animals that are born first belong to the *LORD. The owners of the *cattle and the sheep must not use these for any work. They must not cut the wool from the sheep.

Verse 20: They must take these animals to the place that the *LORD would choose. There the people may eat the meat from these animals. The people would include the family, their servants and the *Levites (Deuteronomy 12:12). They must enjoy this meal as they eat it in the *LORD’s place at the annual *festival. If that place is too far for them to travel, they may sell the animals. They must take the money. And they must use it to buy food and drink for the meal at that special place. (See Deuteronomy 14: 23-26.)

Verses 21-22: If the animal was not perfect, they must not *sacrifice it to the *LORD. They may eat these animals as food in their own town. They could eat an *antelope or a *deer at any time. They never *sacrificed those animals. The animal that was not perfect was no different. Anyone, whether *clean or not *clean, could eat of this meat. But only those people that were *clean could eat of the *LORD’s *sacrifices.

Verse 23: Again, Moses tells them that they must not eat the blood. (See Deuteronomy 12:15-16.) They must pour the blood on the ground like water. They must cover the blood with earth. The blood carried the *life and the blood was the *life of the animal (Leviticus 17:13-14). That was the reason why they must not eat blood.

Chapter 16

The most important *festivals                            16:1-17

v1 ‘You must *celebrate the *Passover to the *LORD your God in the month called Abib. On a night in that month, the *LORD your God brought you out of Egypt. v2 *Sacrifice an animal from your sheep or your *cattle. *Sacrifice it to the *LORD your God as the *Passover. Do that at the place that the *LORD has chosen. The *LORD will be there in a special way. v3 With this meal, do not eat bread that you made with *yeast. For 7 days you must eat bread without *yeast. The name of this bread is the bread of troubles, because you had to leave Egypt in a hurry. So you will remember the time when you left Egypt. You will remember it for as long as you live. v4 For 7 days nobody in your country can have any *yeast in his house. Give the *sacrifice on the evening of the first day. Eat all the meat in the evening. None of the meat must remain until the morning.

v5-6 You must *sacrifice the *Passover only in the place that the *LORD your God has chosen. You must not *sacrifice it in any other town that the *LORD your God gives to you. You must *sacrifice the *Passover at sunset. It was sunset when you left Egypt. v7 Cook the meat. Eat it at the place that the *LORD your God has chosen. Then return to your tents in the morning. v8 You must eat bread without *yeast for 6 days. On the seventh day you must meet to give honour to the *LORD your God. Do not do any work on that day.

v9 Count 7 weeks from the time that you begin to harvest the corn. v10 Then *celebrate the *Festival of Weeks to give honour to the *LORD your God. Bring to him an *offering that you choose to bring. It should be in proportion to the *blessings that the *LORD your God has given to you. v11 Be happy in front of the *LORD your God together with your children, and your male and female slaves. Come together also with the *Levites, foreigners, children without parents and widows who live with you. Do that at the place that God will choose. He will be there in a special way. v12 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. *Keep these rules and obey them.

v13 *Celebrate the *Festival of Shelters for 7 days. Separate the grain from your corn and press your *grapes. Then *celebrate this *festival. v14 Be happy at your *festival together with your children and your male slaves and your female slaves. Include the *Levites, the foreigners, the children without parents and the widows who live in your towns. v15 For 7 days, *celebrate the *festival to the *LORD your God. *Celebrate at the place that the *LORD will choose. You will be completely happy. The *LORD your God will *bless your harvest and all your work.

v16 All your men must give honour to the *LORD your God three times a year. They must go to the place that he will choose. They must go to the *Festival of Bread without *Yeast, the *Festival of Weeks and the *Festival of Shelters. No man must come in front of the *LORD without a gift. v17 Each person must bring a gift in proportion to how the *LORD your God has *blessed him.’

Verse 1: The month called Abib or sometimes Nisan is about our March to April. It was in that month that the *LORD brought the *Israelites out of Egypt. Abib was the name of the month because the corn would be ripe. Abib means the month of the green grain. This month was the time of the harvest of the first ripe fruit. Abib became the first month in the year in the *Jewish religion. But the national New Year starts in the month called Tishri. And that month is about our September to October.

In Egypt the *LORD told the *Israelites to take a young sheep or young goat for each family. The young sheep or young goat must be one year old and it must be a good animal. They must select it on the 10th day of the month called Abib. And they must keep it until the 14th day of the month. Then they must kill it as the stars began to shine. They had to take some of the blood of the animal. They put the blood at the side and above the doors of their houses. Then they ate all the meat. That was the first *Passover. That night the *LORD killed all the oldest sons in each family in Egypt. But he made sure that the sons in the houses with the blood round the doors were safe. That was because the young sheep had died instead. Therefore, all the sons among the *Israelites were safe (Exodus 12:1-13).

That night the *LORD brought them out of Egypt. In other words, on that night the *LORD forced the king of Egypt to let them go (Exodus 12:30). They had to remain in their houses until the morning (Exodus 12:22). Then they started the journey out of Egypt.

Moses told the *Israelites when they should *celebrate the *Passover. It was in the month called Abib. After the *Passover, there was the *Festival of Bread without *Yeast. That *festival was for 7 days.

Verse 2: This passage talked about the whole *Passover *festival. That included both the *Passover and the *Festival of Bread without *Yeast. During these *festivals there were several *sacrifices of animals, both sheep and *cattle (Numbers 28:16-25). The main meal at *Passover was a young sheep.

Verse 3: During the *Passover and the next 7 days, they must eat bread without *yeast. When the *Israelites left Egypt, they left in a hurry. They took the bread that they were making. But they did not have time to put *yeast in the bread (Exodus 12:34). So, the name of this bread without *yeast was the bread of troubles.

Bread without *yeast would remind them that the *Israelites left Egypt in a hurry. They would remember it for the rest of their lives. Some of those people were children when they came out of Egypt. But all those who were born afterwards would also remember it. They would remember it as if they were there.

Verse 4: On the first day of the *Passover, they must remove any *yeast from their houses (Exodus 12:15). The main meals at *Passover must be at the place that the *LORD would choose. That was because they *sacrificed animals to the *LORD.

They must eat all the meat in the evening after each *sacrifice. Perhaps meat that they left until the morning would become bad. Maybe that was the reason.

Verses 5-6: The first *Passover was in their homes in Egypt. When they were in the new country, it would not be in their homes. It must be in the place that the *LORD would choose. The young sheep for the *Passover and the animals for the seven days were *sacrifices to the *LORD. They must give those *sacrifices at that special place.

They would kill the young sheep for the *Passover as the sun went down. That was what they did in Egypt (Exodus 12:6). Then they must eat it that same evening. That was the date and the time that they ate the first *Passover. And they started the journey from Egypt the next morning.

Verse 7: They must cook the meat over the fire. They must not eat it raw and they must not boil the young sheep with water (Exodus 12:8). They must eat the meat in the special place that the *LORD would choose.

After the *Passover meal, the people would remain there until the morning. Then they could return to the places where they were staying. The *Israelites used the word tent to mean where they stayed for the *festival. It did not just mean a tent.

Verse 8: They must eat bread without *yeast during the *Festival of Bread without *Yeast. This *festival was after the *Passover. It was from the 15th to the 21st of the month called Abib (or Nisan). For the first 6 days, they would eat bread without *yeast. The seventh day was a special day and again they would not eat any *yeast on that day.

That seventh day was a *holy day. They would come together to *worship the *LORD. They must not do any ordinary work either on the first day or on the seventh day. However, they could prepare food on those days (Exodus 12:16).

Verse 9: From the time of the grain harvest, they must count 7 weeks. Actually, they fixed this date. They would harvest some grain the day after the *Sabbath of *Passover week (Leviticus 23:15). Therefore, the date was the 6th day of the third month (called Sivan). This month was about our May to June.

Verse 10: And there would be another *festival called the *Festival of Weeks. This *festival has two other names. It was the *Festival of harvest (Exodus 23:16). In the *New-Testament it is called Pentecost. Pentecost means fiftieth. It is called that because it is 50 days from the *Sabbath in *Passover (Easter) week. (See Acts 2:1; 20:16 and 1 Corinthians 16:8.)

The *Festival of Weeks was to give thanks to the *LORD because of the harvest. The people must give to the *LORD an *offering of new grain and two loaves of bread. With the bread, they must bring the animals for *sacrifices to the *LORD. They must bring 7 good young sheep. Each sheep must be a year old. And they must bring a young *bull and two male sheep. They were for *sacrifices by fire. In addition to those, they must bring two more male young sheep and a male goat. The goat was a *sacrifice because of *sin. The young sheep were an *offering for peace (Leviticus 23:15-21).

In addition to the above, they should bring to the *LORD gifts of their choice. There was no fixed amount or rate for those gifts. But they should give as the *LORD had *blessed them.

Verse 11: They should enjoy themselves as they come to the *LORD at his special place. They would eat of the *sacrifices and the *offerings. With the men, there would be their families and their slaves. They should invite the *Levites and the foreigners to eat with them. Also, they should invite the widows and the children without parents to come to their home for the meal.

There would be plenty of food for all these people. And it was necessary to eat all the meat while it was fresh. In that climate, it would soon become bad.

Verse 12: They should remember that they were slaves in Egypt. Therefore, they should be generous. It was right to invite their slaves and the other people to eat with them at the *festival. And they must be careful to obey these rules.

Verse 13: On the 15th day to the 21st day of the seventh month, they must *celebrate the *Festival of Shelters. Sometimes they called it the *Festival of Harvest. The seventh month was called Tishri (or Ethanim). This month was about our September to October. This *festival would be for 7 days and then there would be a special day on the eighth day. The *festival would be after they had processed the grain. And it would be after they had pressed the *grapes.

On the first day, they would use branches from various trees to make shelters. And they would live in these shelters during the *festival (Leviticus 23:40). That would remind the people that they lived in shelters on their journey through the *desert (Leviticus 23:43).

Verses 14-15: The *festival was a time of joy for all the people. That included the children and the slaves. Also, it included the *Levites and the foreigners. They must *celebrate this *festival for 7 days in the place that the *LORD would choose. It was a time to be grateful to the *LORD for all his *blessings. Then the *LORD would *bless their harvests and everything that they do.

There was a tradition that there must be no weddings during the three great *festivals. These *festivals were not for them to *celebrate in private. They were for all the people.

Verses 16-17: Three times a year all the men must come to the place that the *LORD would choose. These three times were the three great *festivals. The first of these was the *Festival of Bread without *Yeast. After that, there were the *Festival of Weeks and the *Festival of Shelters.

Each *Israelite man had to bring gifts to the *LORD. Those gifts must be in proportion to how the *LORD had *blessed them.

Judges and officers                                 16:18-20

v18 ‘Appoint judges and other officials in each of your *tribes. Do that in every town that the *LORD your God is giving to you. The judges must be fair with their judgements for the people. v19 The judges must be fair. They must not have favourites. They must not accept money to make wrong judgements. Such gifts cause wise men to seem blind. Also, gifts cause honest men to change the words of good people. v20 You must follow *justice and only *justice. Then you will possess the country that *LORD your God is giving to you. And you will continue to live in it.’

Verse 18: At first, Moses was the only judge for the people. At Horeb (sometimes called Sinai), the people chose leaders and judges from each of their *tribes. Those leaders helped Moses. They listened to people when they told them about problems. And they made judgements. Some matters were so difficult that they could not settle them. They brought those matters to Moses (Deuteronomy 1:9-18).

Moses would die soon. And the *Israelites would enter *Canaan. They would live in the towns that the *LORD would give to them. They must provide for social order and good government. In every town, they would need judges and officials. Each *tribe must appoint those judges and officials.

Verse 19: They must appoint good judges. Good judges would listen to all the evidence and they would make right judgements. Always they must be fair to all people. They must not make unfair judgements because someone was their friend. They should regard all persons as equal in God’s law. They must not accept anything to cause them to make bad judgements. Gifts might persuade them to give wrong judgements. Always they must be honest.

Verse 20: They must not settle things by their own ideas. The standard of their judgement must be God’s laws and the laws of their country. And the laws of their country should be God’s laws.

If they obey God’s laws, they will continue to live in the country.

The wrong way to *worship God                         16:21-17:7

v21 ‘Build the *altar to the *LORD your God. Do not put next to it a wooden pole to the female false god called Asherah. v22 Do not put up a stone to give honour to *idols. The *LORD your God hates those things.’

Verses 21-22: When the *Israelites had come into *Canaan, they must build the *altar to the *LORD God. Everything about the *worship of other gods they must *destroy. They must not have Asherah-poles. They were poles for the female god that the *Canaanites *worshipped. And they must not have *holy stones for the god *Baal. At those stones, the *Canaanites gave honour to their gods. The *LORD hates those things. The *Israelites must *worship the *LORD their God and no other gods. But the *Israelites must not *worship the *LORD as the *Canaanites *worshipped their gods.

Chapter 17

v1 ‘If any sheep or *cattle are not perfect, do not *sacrifice them to the *LORD your God. The *LORD your God hates such *sacrifices.

v2 Maybe you hear that a man or a woman has *sinned against the *LORD your God. That person lives in a certain town that the *LORD your God has given to you. He has not *kept the laws of the *covenant. v3 He has given honour to false gods or he has served them. Perhaps he has given honour to the sun or to the moon or to the stars. That is against God’s command. v4 If you hear such a report, then you must inquire into it carefully. It might be true that someone has done such an evil thing in *Israel. v5 If so, take the man or the woman who has done that wicked act to your city gate. Then throw stones at that person until he dies. v6 You can do that only if two or three witnesses speak against him. You cannot kill him if there was only one witness. v7 The witnesses must throw the first stones. Then the rest of the people must throw stones at that person. You must remove completely the wicked behaviour that is among you.’

Verses 1-7: This section repeats the rules in part of Chapter 13. That is because those rules are so important.

Verse 1: The *offerings that the *Israelites brought to the *LORD were an important part of their *worship. They must only *sacrifice perfect animals. To bring animals that were not perfect would be an insult to the *LORD. And the *LORD would not accept such *sacrifices. He hated them.

Verses 2-3: It was important that all the *Israelites obeyed the *covenant. In the *covenant, they must love the *LORD their God and they must serve only him. The *LORD God was the only real God. All other gods were false gods. A man or a woman who gave honour to a false god *sinned against the *LORD. They might *worship another god. They might serve another god. That god might be the sun or the moon. Those gods might be the stars. Whatever that god or gods may be, it would be against God’s commands and against the *covenant.

Verses 4-5: An *Israelite may hear about such *sins. Then he must ask about it to be sure of the truth. If it is true, he must take the matter to the leaders of that town. He must take that person to the town gate. That would be where the local leaders and judges would be. There they must prove that the person was guilty of this crime. Then they must take that guilty person outside the town gates. And there they must kill that person in the following way. They must throw stones at him until he died.

Verse 6: There must be more than one witness who can prove the facts. They must not kill the person if there was only one witness.

Verse 7: The witnesses must throw the first stones at him. In that way, the witnesses accepted responsibility for the truth of the judgement.

Such *sins would be a crime against the *LORD. And such *sins would be a crime against the people in that town. So, all the people from that town would throw stones at the guilty person as well. By this action, they would clear out this evil thing from their town.

Legal judgements by priests and judges                     17:8-13

v8 ‘Sometimes the situation might be too difficult for a local judge to make a judgement. It might involve a murder. Or it might be a situation when someone kills another person by accident. It might be an argument about the owner of property. It might be about injuries that somebody did on purpose. In those situations, go to the place that the *LORD your God will choose. v9 Go to the priests who are *Levites. Go to the person who is the judge at that time. Ask them. Let them settle the matter. v10 They will give their judgement to you at the place that the *LORD will choose. You must carefully do whatever they tell you. v11 Obey the law that they teach to you. Follow the judgements that they give to you. Do everything that they tell you to do. v12 The judge or the priest on duty serves the *LORD your God there. So you must kill any proud person who refuses to obey them. In that way, you will remove that evil thing from *Israel. v13 Everyone will hear and everyone will be afraid. They will not refuse to obey again.’

Verses 8-9: The specialists in the law were priests and judges. The judges may have been *Levites. These judges would be at the place that the *LORD would choose. This would be the central court of law. They would be responsible to the *LORD for their judgements. They must settle matters by the laws of the *covenant.

The local judges could settle most of the problems that would come to them. However, there would be problems that were too difficult for them. They must take those problems to the priests and judges at the place that the *LORD would choose.

A difficult problem might be that a person had killed another person. The priests and judges would say whether it was murder or not. There may be problems about property or money. If these were too difficult, the priests and judges would give their judgement. There may be an argument because someone had an injury. The priests and judges would settle whether it was an accident or not.

However the person who had killed someone might be able to get to a town of protection. If they did that, there were special rules. (See 4:41-43.)

Verses 10-11: The judgements of the priests and the judges would be final. In their judgement, they would say the actions that must follow. They would settle whether the persons were guilty or innocent. And they would tell what punishments there must be for the guilty persons.

The local judges must do what the central court tells them to do. They must not refuse to do anything that the priests and judges say.

Verses 12-13: The judge or the priest must act on behalf of the *LORD. Therefore, the local judges must obey their judgement as from the *LORD. They must obey the central court. If they did not do so, they would be refusing to obey the *LORD. The punishment for such an evil thing would be death.

Such severe punishment would warn other people that they should not refuse to obey the court.

Rules for a future king                             17:14-20

v14 ‘You will enter the country that the *LORD your God is giving to you. You will live there and you will possess it. Then you will want to have a king as other nations have. v15 Be careful to appoint the king that the *LORD your God chooses. The king must be a man from your own nation. He must be an *Israelite. Do not make a foreigner your king. v16 The king must not own large numbers of horses. He must not send people to Egypt to buy horses. The *LORD has told you not to go back that way again. v17 The king must not have many wives. That would make him not continue to follow the *LORD. He must not make himself rich with gold and silver.

v18 When he becomes king, he must write a copy of this law. He will copy it from the law that the priests have. The priests come from the family called Levi. v19 The king must keep this book near to him. He must read from it during all his life. Then he will learn how to respect the *LORD his God. And he will learn to *keep all the words of this law and these rules. v20 He will not think that he is better than the other *Israelites. Also, he will not refuse to obey the *commandments. As a result, he and his *descendants will rule over the *kingdom called *Israel for a long time.’

Verse 14: Moses told them that some time in the future the *Israelites would want a king. The *LORD would give their new country to them and they would possess it. The *LORD would be their ruler. There would be no need for a king. However, they would want to be like other nations.

About 350 years later, that happened, as Moses had said. The people came to Samuel and they asked him to give a king to them. Samuel warned them not to have a king. He told them what such a king would do. However, the people refused to listen to Samuel. By this request, the people had refused the *LORD as their ruler (1 Samuel chapter 8).

When the people asked for a king they obeyed the advice of Moses. He told them that the king must be an *Israelite. He must be from their nation, *Israel. He must not be a foreigner. And the choice must be the *LORD’s. The *LORD chose a king for them. He was an *Israelite called Saul from the *tribe of Benjamin.

Verse 16: The king of *Israel must not be like the kings of other nations. Moses speaks about three things that the king of *Israel must not do.

Every king wanted many horses. Many horses would show that he was rich and important. Also, he would want to have a large army. A large army would need many horses. They did not use horses in agriculture or for normal travel. They had horses for war. Egypt was a principal place that the nations got their supplies of horses from.

The king of *Israel must not obtain many horses. He should not need a large army if he trusted in the *LORD God of *Israel. Egypt was the main seller of horses. The *Israelites must not depend on Egypt. They must not go back to Egypt even to buy horses.

Verse 17: The kings of the nations usually had many wives. The king of *Israel must not have many wives. Moses probably had in mind foreign wives. It was normal to have agreements with other nations. As part of the agreements, they would give wives to each other. However, *Israel should have only one agreement. The agreement was the *covenant with the *LORD their God.

Foreign wives would bring their own gods with them. And they would turn their new husbands from the God of *Israel.

The kings of the nations all wanted to be wealthy. They would get as much silver and gold as they could. The king of *Israel must not desire to become wealthy. His task would be to rule the *Israelites. His purpose was not to get rich with silver and gold. The desire for wealth would cause him to depend on his wealth. It would cause him to turn from his trust in the *LORD God.

We can see the wisdom of these three things in *Israel’s history after this time. In particular, Solomon was wrong in all three things. He had 12 000 horses (1 Kings 10:26). He had 700 wives and 300 other women and these led him away from the *LORD (1 Kings 11:3). Also, he became very wealthy.

Verses 18-19: They must put the original copy of the book of the law into the *covenant box (Deuteronomy 31:26). The priests were *Levites and they would be responsible for this book. When a man became king, he must copy that book of the law. He must keep that copy with him and he must read it often.

We are not sure of the contents of that book. We can be sure that it contained at least the laws in the book of Deuteronomy. It may have been the whole of the first 5 books of the Bible. It may have been everything in Deuteronomy. It might have been the book of the *covenant, which Moses read to the people (Exodus 24:7).

The king must obey all the laws contained in that book. And he must rule *Israel by the standard of that book. Although he would be the king, in fact he must rule on behalf of the *LORD. The *LORD must be his master. He must *fear the *LORD his God and he must love the *LORD. He must serve the *LORD and only the *LORD.

The name ‘Deuteronomy’ for this book means ‘second law’. But this book is not a second or distinct law. The book was not always called Deuteronomy. The name comes from the time when people translated the *Old-Testament into the Greek language. That was in about 200 *BC.

Verse 20: As the king respects the *LORD, he would learn to respect his people, *Israel. He must realise that he is no better than his people. He would be there for the benefit of the people. With that attitude, the *LORD would let him and his *descendants rule over *Israel for a long time.

Chapter 18

Benefits for priests and *Levites                         18:1-8

v1 ‘The priests are *Levites. They and all the *tribe called Levi, will not have a share of the land in *Israel. The people burn *offerings in order to give them to the *LORD. But part of those *offerings (that they do not burn) will be food for the *Levites. That is their share. v2 The *Levites will not own any land in the country as the other *tribes do. The *LORD will supply everything that they need. He promised that to them.

v3 This is what the people must do. When the people *sacrifice a *bull or a sheep, they must give the shoulder to the priest. They must also give the two cheeks and the stomach of the animal to the priest. v4 You must give to the priests the first share of your corn, wine, oil and the wool from your sheep. v5 The *LORD your God has chosen the *Levites and their *descendants out of all your *tribes. They must serve him as priests for always.

v6 Any *Levite can come from any town in *Israel. He can come to the place that the *LORD will choose. v7 He can serve the *LORD his God there. He will be like all the other *Levites. They serve there in front of the *LORD already. v8 He might have received money from his family. But all the *Levites will receive the same amount of food.’

Verses 1-2: The name of the *tribe came from their *ancestor Levi. Among Levi’s *descendants was Aaron. The priests were *descendants of Aaron. They and the rest of the *tribe were the *Levites. That *tribe would not own any land in *Canaan. The *LORD was their share. They were special to the *LORD. That meant that he would provide for them. The *LORD promised to supply everything that they needed.

The *Levites did not have a share of the country in the same way as the other *tribes. So, they would live on the *offerings that the other *tribes gave. They would have a part of all the *offerings by fire to the *LORD. The priests must have certain parts of the *sacrifices (Leviticus 7:31-35).

There were several *offerings by fire. When an *Israelite brought an animal to the *LORD the priest would offer it by fire (Leviticus 1:1-9). When anyone brought a grain *offering, the priests would burn part of it. The rest of the grain *offering would be for the priests (Leviticus 2:1-3). There would be *offerings for peace that the priests would burn (Leviticus 3:1-5). And there would be *offerings because of *sin. The priests would burn those offerings for *sin (Leviticus 7:1-6).

The *Levites would have certain towns inside the boundaries of other *tribes. And they could have private property (Numbers 35). The *Levites did have some land round their towns where they could plant some grass for their animals. But the area of their land was not big enough for many animals. That is why they received some of the *offerings.

Verse 3: The priests’ part of animal *sacrifices would be the shoulder, the two cheeks and the stomach.

Verse 4: The first part of the *Israelites’ corn, wine, oil and wool belonged to the *LORD. They must give those things to the priests for their use.

Verse 5: Out of all the *tribes, the *LORD had chosen the *Levites. Out of that *tribe, the *LORD had chosen Aaron and his *descendants to be priests. The other *Levites would help the priests. And they would have other work on behalf of the *LORD.

Verse 6: Any *Levite could come from any town to the place that the *LORD would choose. There he could serve the *LORD with the *Levites already there. He may have received money from the sale of possessions of the family. But he would still receive the same benefits as the other *Levites.

There would be too many *Levites to work at the special place all the time. So, some *Levites came to work for short periods. But there would be *Levites who were always at that place. A *Levite could choose to work there for a longer period. While they were there, they would receive the same benefits as the permanent members.

The terrible actions of the nations                         18:9-14

v9 ‘You will enter the country that the *LORD your God is giving to you. Do not learn the terrible practices of the nations that are there. v10 Do not *sacrifice your children in the fire. Do not try to say by magic what will happen in the future. Do not try to use words that have magic power. Do not try to use objects that have magic powers. Do not be a person who does acts of magic. v11 Do not use secret powers. Do not talk with evil *spirits. Do not try to contact dead people. v12 The *LORD hates people who do those terrible things. That is why the *LORD your God will send the nations out of the country in front of you. v13 Be completely loyal to the *LORD your God.

v14 You will possess the country of those nations. Some people there say what will happen in the future. And the people there listen to those people. They listen to people with magic powers. But the *LORD your God does not allow you to do that.’

Verse 9: The 7 nations that were in the country had many gods. They believed in all kinds of magic and they did terrible practices in their *worship. The *Israelites must not learn to do those things. They must not imitate the people that were in the country.

Verses 10-11: In the *worship of the god called Molech, they made children pass through fire. Some people say that there were two fires. The priests forced children to go through these fires to give them to Molech. In this tradition, the children did not die because of this. However, it is clear from both Isaiah and Jeremiah that the children died as *sacrifices (Isaiah 57:5; Jeremiah 19:5). The people offered their children as *sacrifices by fire to their gods.

The *Israelites must not try to know the future or what the gods wanted by magic. They must not try to know the future from the sky. They cannot know the future from the clouds or the stars. They must not try in any such way to know what would happen to them in the future. (If God wanted them to know something, he could tell them.) They must not try to use magic powers. Some people may say that they can contact evil spirits. The *Israelites must not go to such people. And they must not try to speak to dead people.

Verses 12-13: The *LORD hates all these things. He hates all those people who do them. These evil practices were the reason why the *LORD would send out the *Canaanites. And he would give their country to the *Israelites. The *Israelites would possess that country. But they must be completely loyal to the *LORD. They must obey the *covenant that they had with their God. If they did similar practices to those of the *Canaanites then God would send them from the country.

A new *prophet like Moses                             18:15-22

v15 ‘The *LORD your God will send to you a *prophet who is like me. He will come from among your own nation. You must listen to him. v16 All this is a result of what you wanted from the *LORD your God at *Mount Sinai. When you gathered, you asked God this. “Do not let us hear the voice of the *LORD our God again. Do not let us see this great fire again. Otherwise we will die.”

v17 The *LORD said this to me. “What they say is good. v18 I will send to them a *prophet like you from among their own nation. I will tell him what to say. He will tell the people all the things that I order him. v19 That *prophet will speak a message from me. If someone does not listen to the *prophet, that person is responsible to me. v20 A *prophet might proudly pretend to speak a message from me that I have not given to him. Also a *prophet might speak and use the name of false gods. If that happens, you must kill the *prophet.”

v21 You might ask this. “How will we know that the *LORD has not given a particular message?” v22 The *prophet will say from the *LORD that certain things will happen. If those things do not happen, the *LORD did not give that message. That *prophet has spoken because he was proud. Do not be afraid of him.’

Verses 15-19: When the *LORD spoke to the people at *Mount Horeb (Sinai), they were afraid. They asked that the *LORD would not speak to them again. They were afraid to hear the *LORD’s voice and they were afraid of the fire on the mountain. However, they asked that he would speak to them by Moses. They promised to listen to Moses. And they would obey what the *LORD said by him. What they said pleased the *LORD.

Moses became the *prophet for his people. He told the *Israelites that after his death the *LORD would send another *prophet like him. That *prophet would come from their nation, *Israel. After Moses, there would be many *prophets. They would be *Israelites that God would choose. The *LORD would speak by them to his people. The *LORD would put his words in their mouths. And they must tell the *Israelites what the *LORD ordered them to speak. Anyone who did not obey the message would have to answer to the *LORD.

But the *LORD said that he would send a particular *prophet. This *prophet would be like Moses. After Moses, there were many other *prophets who spoke from God to the people. However, Moses was more than that. The *LORD chose him to rescue his people when they were slaves. The *LORD chose him to lead the people through the next 40 years. Moses was their guide and their judge.

Peter spoke about the *Lord Jesus as the *prophet who was like Moses (Acts 3:21-23). Stephen was the first Christian that the *Jewish leaders killed. He spoke about Moses and the *prophet like him that would come. It was clear that he meant the *Lord Jesus (Acts 7:37). Philip who believed in Jesus went to his friend Nathanael. ‘We have found the person that Moses and the *prophets wrote about. He is Jesus, Joseph’s son, from Nazareth (John 1:45).’

This is what Jesus said (John 5:46). ‘If you believed Moses, you would believe me. He wrote about me.’ Jesus spoke what God gave to him. He said, ‘I teach. However, what I teach is not my own. It is from him who sent me.’ (See John 7:16.) Again, ‘I have not spoken on my own. The Father sent me. And he has told me what I should say. And he has told me what I should speak.’ (See John 12:49.)

Verse 20: A *prophet may speak a message that does not come from God. He may suppose that it is from God. However, God did not give that message to him. He may pretend that it is from God. The message would not be from God. It would be his personal opinion. Then the people may believe a lie. Perhaps the *prophet may speak as from a false god. Moses ordered that any false *prophet should die.

Verses 21-22: A man might say that he has a message from God. But if his message is not really from God, the *Israelites must kill him. It might be difficult to settle whether a *prophecy is from God. The *prophet may say that something will happen. If it does not happen then it was not from God. The *prophecy was false. And that *prophet spoke because he is proud. The people should not *fear or respect that *prophet.

Chapter 19

Laws about the cities of safety                        19:1-13

v1 ‘The *LORD your God will *destroy the nations whose country he is giving to you. You will send them out. You will live in their towns and in their houses. v2 Then choose three cities in the country that the *LORD your God is giving to you as your possession. They must be easy to reach. v3 Build roads to them. Divide into three parts the country that the *LORD your God is giving to you as a possession. Then anyone who kills a person can go to a city of safety.

v4 A man might kill by accident a person who is not his enemy. The man can go to any of those cities to save himself. v5 For example, a man might go into the forest with his neighbour to cut wood. As he is chopping down a tree, the top of his axe might come off. It might hit his neighbour and kill him. That man can go to a city of safety to save himself. v6 A relative of the dead man could get *revenge because of the man’s death. The relative might be very angry. He might run after the man and catch him. Then the relative would kill him. The city was too far for the man to reach. He did not intend to kill his neighbour. So the man did not deserve to die. His neighbour was not his enemy. v7 That is why I order you to choose three cities.

v8 The *LORD your God may increase the size of your territory. He told your *ancestors that he would do that. He may give to you all the country that he promised to your *ancestors. v9 He will do that if you obey all these *commandments. You must love the *LORD your God. And you must behave in the way that he has taught you. Then you must select three more cities. v10 Do that so that innocent people will not die in your new country. The *LORD your God is giving your new country to you as your possession. If you do these things, you will not be guilty of the death of innocent people.

v11 Suppose that a man hates his neighbour. So the man hides and waits. Then he attacks his neighbour and he hits his neighbour. Then the neighbour dies. Then the first man runs away to a city of safety. v12 The rulers of his town must send for the man. They must bring him back to his town. They must give him to the relative who can get *revenge because of the murder. Then the relative will kill the man. v13 Do not be *merciful to him. Make sure that nobody in *Israel is guilty of an innocent man’s death. Then your life will be good.’

Verse 1: The *Israelites must get power over the country that the *LORD would give to them. The *LORD would *destroy those 7 nations because of their *sins. As the *Israelites occupied the country, they would live in their towns and houses.

Verse 2: When the *Israelites had occupied the country, they must divide it into three parts. They would choose a city in each part as a city of safety. Moses had already established Bezer, Ramoth, and Golan as cities of safety east of the River Jordan. That was for the *tribes of Reuben, Gad and half the *tribe of Manasseh (Deuteronomy 4:41-43). The *Israelites with Joshua as their leader, would set apart the three cities west of the River Jordan. The city of safety in the Galilee region was Kedesh. The city of safety in the Ephraim region was Shechem. And the city of safety in the Judah region was Kiriath-Arba (also called Hebron) (Joshua 20:7). These 6 cities were among the 48 cities that the *Israelites must give to the *Levites (Numbers 35:6-7).

A person who kills another person could go to the *LORD’s *altar (Exodus 21:12-14). He would do that when the *Israelites were in the *desert. If it were murder, they would remove that person from the *altar. Then they would kill the person who murdered another person. However, in their new country, the *altar would be at the place that the *LORD would choose. That might be a long way from the incident. The cities of safety would provide a place that would be easier to reach. The person who had killed someone could go there instead.

Verse 3: There must be good roads to each of these 6 cities. The person who killed another person by accident could run to a city of safety.

When a person killed another person, the family of the dead person would kill him. However, if he did not intend that death he could go to a city of safety. There they would settle whether it was an accident or murder. If it were an accident, he would stay in the city of safety. If it were murder, the leaders would send him from that city. And he would die because he had murdered a neighbour.

Verses 4-5: The cities of safety were to protect an innocent person who had killed another person. The family of the dead man could chase him and they could kill him. That was the custom. They could kill the person who murdered another person. However, if the death were an accident it would not be right to kill that person. Verse 5 gives an example of how an accident might kill a person.

Verses 6-7: The cities of safety must be in each of the three regions. They must be easy for the man who kills another man to reach. Otherwise, an angry relative of the dead man might catch him and he might kill him. That might be the death of an innocent man.

Verses 8-9: The *Israelites would soon enter *Canaan. However, the *LORD promised to Abraham a much larger area. It would be from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates (Genesis 15:18). The *Israelites must obey the whole *covenant. This promise depended on that. They must love the *LORD their God and they must obey all his commands. The *Israelites did not achieve this because they did not obey the *covenant.

If the *LORD gave this extra territory to them, they must select three more cities of safety. That would make 9 cities of safety. Even when David and Solomon were kings, that did not happen. Therefore, they never appointed the final three cities of safety.

Verse 10: The purpose of these extra cities of safety would be the same as the purpose of the previous 6 cities. The person who kills another person by accident could go there to be safe. Without these cities, the family of the dead person would kill the innocent person. That would make the whole of their society guilty of the death of an innocent person.

Verse 11: The cities of safety would be for the innocent person who had killed another person by accident. The innocent person did not hate his neighbour. He did not intend to hurt his neighbour. However, a person may hate his neighbour. And he may murder his neighbour. That person should not be safe in a city of safety.

Verse 12: The leaders of the town that he came from would be the judges. They would have the authority to take the person back to their town. They must settle if it were murder or an innocent accident. If it were murder, the person must die. A close relative of the dead person would be responsible to get *revenge for the murder. That relative of the dead person must kill the guilty person.

The leaders of the town would send an innocent person back to the city of safety. He must live there until the chief priest dies. After the death of the chief priest, he could return to his home. If he leaves the city of safety before that time, the relative of the dead person may kill him.

Verse 13: They must not be *merciful to anybody who murders someone. They must kill him. If they did not do that, the people in that town would be guilty of the innocent man’s death. When they kill the person who murdered someone, they will not be guilty.

There is more detail in the book of Numbers (Numbers 35:9-34).

Property boundaries                                 19:14

v14 ‘Do not move the stone that marks your neighbour’s boundary. People put up those stones in the country a long time ago. The *LORD your God has given the country to you. It belongs to you.’

Verse 14: Moses spoke about a future time when *Israel would have been in the country for some time. They would be in their *tribes. And each family would have its property there. The people that would go in with Joshua would settle the boundaries of their property. Then those boundaries must remain for each family. People placed stones to mark the boundaries of their property.

The *LORD had given the country to the people. The property for each family was the *LORD’s provision for that family. The *Israelites must never disturb the stones at the boundary of another family’s property. Such an act would be a *sin against the *LORD.

Laws about witnesses                                 19:15-21

v15 ‘One witness is not enough to give evidence against a person about a crime or a *sin. Two or three witnesses need to prove that a man is guilty.

v16 Suppose that a man wrongly accuses another man about a crime. v17 Both men must stand in front of the *LORD. They must stand in front of the men who are priests and judges at that time. v18 The judges will examine the matter carefully. They may find that the witness has told a lie. He has falsely accused another *Israelite. v19 Then the witness must receive the punishment that he had intended for the other person. You must remove this evil thing from among you. v20 The rest of the people will hear about this and they will be afraid. Nobody will ever do such a wicked thing again. v21 Do not be *merciful. The punishment must be this:

A life in exchange for a life

An eye in exchange for an eye

A tooth in exchange for tooth

A hand in exchange for a hand

And a foot in exchange for a foot.’

Verses 15-17: The rules of evidence required at least two or three witnesses who must agree. And they must answer to the *LORD. They would give their evidence to the priests and the judges. The priests and the judges act on behalf of the *LORD. In effect, the witnesses and the person that they accused stand in front of the *LORD. Therefore, a false witness would be lying to the *LORD.

Verses 18-19: The judges must examine carefully the whole matter that people have brought to them. Then they would be able to give a right judgement. In the process, they may find that a witness has lied. Then they must punish that witness. That punishment must be the same as that which the witness wanted for the other person.

To be a false witness would be a serious crime. And they must not allow that to continue in *Israel.

Verses 20-21: The severe punishment would warn other people not to do the same. They would be afraid to give false evidence.

The *Israelites must not be *merciful to a false witness. The punishment must be what the other person would have suffered if guilty.

Chapter 20

Rules about war                                 20:1-20

v1 ‘Do not be afraid when you go to fight against your enemies. You may see horses and carts that men use in war. You may see an army that is bigger than your army. The *LORD your God, who rescued you from Egypt, is with you. v2 Just before you go into battle, a priest will speak to the army. v3 He will say this. “You men, who are *Israelites, listen. Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not lose courage. Do not be afraid. Do not tremble. Do not feel terror because of your enemies. v4 The *LORD your God is going with you. He will fight for you against your enemies and you will win.”

v5 Then the officers will say this to the army. “Has anyone built a new house but he has not begun to live in it yet? If so, he can go home. Otherwise, if he dies in battle, some other person will live in his house. v6 Has anyone just planted a field of *grapes but he has not begun to enjoy its fruit? Let him go home. He might die in the battle and then other people would enjoy its fruit. v7 Has someone just agreed to marry a woman but not yet married her? If so, he can go home. He might die in the battle and another man will marry the woman.” v8 Then the officers will say this to the *Israelites. “Is anyone afraid? Has anyone lost courage? Let him go home. He might make the rest of the army lose courage also.” v9 When the officers have finished these orders to the army, they must appoint leaders of groups for the soldiers. Those leaders will command sections of the army.

v10 When you go to attack a city, offer peace to the people there. v11 They might give in and they might open the gates of their city. If so, they will become your slaves. You will force them to work for you. v12 Sometimes the people may refuse to give in. They may choose to fight. If they do, then surround the city with your army. v13 When the *LORD your God gives it to you, kill all the men with your swords. v14 Take for yourselves the women, the children, the *cattle and everything else that is in the city. You can use everything that the *LORD your God has given to you from your enemies. v15 You must do that with those cities that are a long way from your country. They do not belong to the nations that are near you.

v16 You will possess cities in the country that the *LORD your God is giving to you. Then you must kill everyone. v17 The *LORD your God has ordered you to *destroy completely all the people there. You must kill the people in the nations called Hittites, *Amorites, *Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. v18 That is for this reason: They will teach you to do terrible things. They do those things to give honour to their false gods. Then you will *sin against the *LORD your God.

v19 When you are trying to possess a city, do not cut down its trees. Do not do that, even if you have to surround the city for a long time. Eat the fruit, but do not cut down the trees. They are not your enemies. v20 However, you can cut down other trees that do not produce fruit. You can make things from them that help you to attack the city. You can do that until you possess the city.’

Verse 1: When the *Israelites crossed the River Jordan, they must fight to gain possession of the country. The armies of the nations there would be superior to the army of the *Israelites. Those armies would be larger and they would have horses and carts ready for war. Those carts were special ones that soldiers could ride in. They could go very fast, too. That would give to them a great advantage over the *Israelites. The *Israelites would not have horses and carts.

Moses told the *Israelites not to be afraid of these superior armies. The *LORD their God rescued them from Egypt. There he had displayed his great power on their behalf. The *Egyptians had horses and carts but the *LORD defeated them. And he would go into war with his people. With his help, they would defeat the enemies. The *LORD God is greater than any power on earth.

This refers to the battles that they would have with the *Canaanites. Those battles were necessary. Without those battles they would not be able to possess the country that the *LORD had promised to them.

Verses 2-4: Before the *Israelites went into battle, a priest would encourage them. He would prepare the army for battle. He would declare to them that the *LORD would be with them. The *LORD would fight with them and he would give success to them.

Therefore, they must have courage and confidence. They must not *fear the enemy. They must not allow the strength of the armies to scare them.

When they went into battle the priest would have a trumpet. At the right time to start fighting, a priest would make a sound with the trumpet. A trumpet is a musical instrument that makes a loud noise. That would remind the *Israelites that the *LORD was with them (Numbers 10:9).

Verse 5: The purpose of the officers was not to get the largest army but the best army. The best possible army would be one that would be completely loyal to God. The soldiers must be confident in the *LORD’s strength for the battle that they would have to fight.

It might be difficult for men with personal situations at home to be completely loyal. Their thoughts might be more on their situations than on the battle. Therefore, the officers would excuse certain men from the army. They would send those men away from the army.

The officers would send home those who had not lived in their new houses. Perhaps they must give a new house to the *LORD for his protection. And they had not done that yet. However, they would live in their houses for a certain period. We do not know what that period was. Maybe, it was for one year. Then they should be ready to return to the army.

Verse 6: Some men may have planted fields of *grapes but they had not enjoyed the fruit. The officers would send those men home until they had had their harvest. Then they should be ready to return to the army.

The owner must not eat any of the *grapes for the first three years. The fruit of the fourth year would be for the *LORD (Leviticus 19:23-25). Therefore, the period at home would be at least three years or maybe 4 years.

Verse 7: The officers would send home a man who had promised to marry a woman. He must go and he must marry her. Then he would have a year before he should join the army again (Deuteronomy 24:5).

Verse 8: The officers would ask if any men were afraid. Some men may have lost their courage for the fight. It would be a mistake to force such men to fight. Fear in an army might spread like a disease. The officers would tell those men to go home. Then those men could not cause the army to lose courage.

Verse 9: The officers would send away those men who were not suitable for the battle. Then they would organise the army ready for the fight. They would appoint leaders to command sections of the army. Those leaders would be responsible for the group that they controlled.

Verse 10: The *Israelites would soon enter *Canaan. Then they must *destroy completely all the people in the 7 nations there (Deuteronomy 7:1-2). After they had been there for many years, they might need to attack a city beyond the borders of *Israel. Then they must offer an agreement for peace to that city.

Verse 11: If the enemies agreed, they would open the gates of the city. The *Israelites would enter the city. They would force the people there to work on their behalf. The city would depend on the *Israelites and they would pay taxes to *Israel.

Verses 12-13: The city may refuse the offer of peace. They would want to fight against the *Israelites. If that happens, the *Israelites must surround the city. The *LORD would cause the *Israelites to defeat that city. Then with their swords, they must kill all the men in the city.

Verse 14: They must not kill the women or the children, either male or female. They would take all those people for themselves. Probably those women and children would become slaves to the *Israelites. Also, the *Israelites could take the *cattle and everything else of value in the city. The *LORD their God would give all those things to them. Therefore, the *Israelites could use whatever they took.

Verse 15: The above rules would be for cities outside the territory that the *LORD would give to *Israel.

The *Israelites must kill all the people in the 7 nations that lived in *Canaan. That would include men, women and children. And they must *destroy everything that was about their gods (Deuteronomy 7:1-6).

Verses 16-17: The *Israelites would go into *Canaan. And they would defeat those that lived there. The *Israelites would possess their cities. Those cities belonged to the 7 nations that were in *Canaan. In these verses Moses names 6 of those nations. He does not mention the nation called the Girgashites (Deuteronomy 7:1).

Moses told the *Israelites to kill all the people in those cities. He told them that this was a command from the *LORD their God. However, many *Canaanites continued in the country even until the days of Solomon. There were people called Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. The *Israelites did not kill them all as God ordered. And the people at the time of Solomon were their *descendants (2 Chronicles 8:7-8).

Verse 18: The reason that the *LORD ordered the death of the people was their wicked ways. They were guilty of such evil things that the *LORD decided to remove them completely. The *Israelites should carry out God’s judgement on those people.

If some of those people remained alive, they might teach the *Israelites about their evil customs. They would tempt the *Israelites to *worship their gods and to give honour to false gods. That would be against the *covenant. And it would be a terrible *sin against the *LORD their God.

Verse 19: When *Israel attacked a city, they might need plenty of wood. But for that purpose, they must not cut down fruit trees with their axes. Those trees were valuable because they supplied food.

Verse 20: However, they may cut down trees that do not produce fruit. They may use the wood from those trees for military purposes.

There might be several reasons why the army would need wood. As they camped outside the city, they needed wood as fuel for fires. They would use fires for warmth and to cook food. As a military method of attack, they probably built a heap against the walls of the city. By means of that heap, they could climb to the top of the walls. They could make ladders from the wood. Some armies at that time made tall structures that they could move towards the walls. Another use of a tree might be to break down the gates of the city.

Chapter 21

What to do after a murder by unknown persons             21:1-9

v1 ‘Suppose that there has been a murder. Then someone finds the dead body in a field. It is in the country that the *LORD your God will give to you. You do not know who killed the person. v2 Your leaders and judges must go out. They must measure the distance from the body to each of the nearest towns. v3 Then the leaders in the town that is nearest to the body must choose a young cow. This cow has never worn a wooden bar that joins two animals together. And it has never worked. v4 They will take this cow to a valley where there is a stream. They must choose a place where nobody has ploughed the land. And it must be a place where nobody has planted anything. There they must break the cow’s neck. v5 The priests who come from the family of Levi must go there. They must make judgements in circumstances of arguments or physical attack. The *LORD your God has chosen them to serve. And they give a *blessing from the *LORD. v6 Then the leaders of the town that is nearest to the body will wash their hands over that cow. v7 They will say this. “We did not murder this man. We do not know who did it. v8 *LORD, forgive your people in *Israel, whom you rescued from Egypt. Do not consider us to be responsible for the murder of an innocent man.” Then they will not continue to be responsible for the man’s death. v9 In that way, you will remove the crime of the innocent man’s murder. You will have done what the *LORD wants you to do.’

Verse 1: Suppose someone finds a dead body. They find it in a field in the country that the *LORD would give to the *Israelites. They do not know who killed that person. In the absence of other evidence, they would think that it was murder.

Murder affected everyone in the area. And the person who killed the other person should die (Numbers 35:33). But they may not know who that was. The people in the area where they found the body must take responsibility. So an animal must die before God could forgive the *sin of murder.

Verse 2: The first action would be to find the responsible area. *Israel’s leaders and judges must measure the distances to the nearest towns. These leaders and judges would probably be from the central place that the *LORD would choose. The nearest town would then be responsible to clear the blame from the land and from their town.

Verses 3-4: The leaders in that town must take a cow to a valley that had a stream in it. Probably, it would be as near as possible to the place where they found the body. The cow must be one that has not worked. And they must not have cultivated that place in the valley. There they must break the neck of the cow by the stream. In effect, the cow would replace the person who had killed the other person.

Verse 5: The priests would need to be there. They had the authority and the responsibility to settle difficult arguments. They would make sure that the leaders did the correct thing. The priests would be there as agents for the *LORD.

Verses 6-8: The leaders of the town would wash their hands over the dead cow. In that way, they would show that they and their people were innocent of the crime. And they would declare that they did not murder the dead person. And they would declare that they could not identify the killer. They would continue to ask the *LORD to forgive *Israel. Unless the *LORD forgave them, *Israel would be guilty. That would be because probably an *Israelite had killed the person.

Until this time the *LORD would consider them as responsible for the crime. But in answer to the prayer, the *LORD would remove that responsibility.

Verse 9: By means of this ceremony, they would have done what the *LORD wanted them to do. And the *LORD would remove the crime of murder from the town and from *Israel.

After some time, they may discover who did the murder. Probably they would punish him for the crime. The relative of the dead man would kill him unless it had been an accident and not murder.

A man may marry a female prisoner                        21:10-14

v10 ‘When the *LORD your God allows you to defeat your enemies in a battle, you can take people as prisoners. v11 You may see among them a beautiful woman that you desire. If so, you can take her as your wife. v12 Take her to your home. She will shave her head. Then she will cut the nails on her fingers. v13 And she will change her clothes. She must stay in your house. She will be sad about the loss of her parents for a month. After that, you can go to her and you can marry her. v14 If she does not please you, let her go free. You must not sell her or deal with her as a slave. That is because you have had sex with her.’

Verse 10: These battles would not be in the territory that the *LORD had promised to the *Israelites. The *Israelites should kill all the people in those towns of the *Canaanites. That would include the women and the children. When the *LORD allowed the *Israelites to defeat enemies outside that area they could take prisoners.

Verse 11: When all the ancient nations fought wars, a female prisoner would be a slave. However, if a man among the *Israelites saw a beautiful woman among the prisoners he could marry her. Then she would not be a slave. She would be a wife. She must not be a woman who already had a husband. But perhaps she might be a widow.

Verses 12-13: The primary purpose of these rules was to protect the female prisoner. The man should take the woman to his home. Then there were actions that she must perform before her marriage. She must shave her head. She must cut the nails on her fingers. She must change out of her clothes and she must put on new clothes. These acts may have shown that she was sad about the death of members of her old family. And they may have shown that she had left her foreign family. Now she had joined a family of *Israel.

She must stay in the house. When a member of a family died, usually the *Israelites would be sad for 30 days. Therefore, they must allow the woman to be sad for a month. She would spend that period to remember the loss of her parents. She would weep for her father and her mother.

Only after that month could the man marry the woman. They must not have sex before the marriage.

If, after the marriage the man is not satisfied, he could divorce the woman. He must let her go from him as a free woman. She can go where she wants to go. He must not sell her and he cannot keep her as a slave. He could not do either of those things because he had sex with her.

The right of the first born                             21:15-17

v15 ‘Perhaps a man has two wives. He loves one wife but he does not love the other wife. Both of his wives give birth to sons. The son of the wife that he does not love is born first. v16 Then the man decides to give his property to his sons. He must not give to the son of his favourite wife the share that belongs to the first son. v17 He must give the double share of what he has to his first son. He must do that even if the first son is not the son of his favourite wife. He was the first son that he had. He must give to this son the share that he should have.’

Verses 15-17: In the beginning, God said that a man and his wife would be as one body. But some men did have more than one wife.

Suppose a man had two wives. He may have had them at the same time or perhaps his first wife had died. However, his first wife was not his favourite wife. But her son was his first son. The father must not change the legal rights of the first son. He must not give those rights to another son.

If the man decides to give his property to his sons, the first son must receive a double share. When the man dies, his first son must receive a double share of his property.

If the man had two sons, he must divide his property into three shares. Two shares must go to the first son and one share to the other son. If the man had three sons, he must divide his property into 4 shares. Two shares must go to the first son. He must divide his property into one more share than he has sons. So, the first son would always have two shares.

Various laws                                     21:18-25:19

v18 ‘Perhaps a man has a son who will not obey his father or his mother. He will not obey any rules and he refuses to change. The son does not listen to his parents even if they punish him. v19 His father and his mother must take him to the leaders at the gate of the town. v20 The parents will say to the leaders, “Our son will not change his mind and he opposes us. He will not do what we tell him. He wastes money and he is a drunk.” v21 Then all the men in the town will throw stones at him to kill him. So you will remove the evil person from among you. Everyone in *Israel will hear and they will be afraid.

v22 Suppose that the people kill a man. They do that because he is guilty of a crime. Then they hang his body on a tree. v23 You must not leave the body there during the night. Bury him the same day. If you hang a person on a tree he receives God’s *curse. You must not ruin the country. The *LORD your God has given the country to you. So it belongs to you.’

Verses 18-19: The fifth command was that sons and daughters must give honour to parents. They must respect them (Deuteronomy 5:16; Exodus 20:12). A son that will not obey his parents would not give honour to his parents. The parents should try to discipline their son. However, if they cannot make him respect them they must take him to the leaders of the town. Both the father and the mother must take the son to the leaders. The leaders of the town would meet near the entrance-gate of the town.

Verse 20: The parents would tell the leaders the problems that they have with their son. They would tell them about his bad behaviour. And they would tell them that he refused to change. Then the leaders of the town would act as judges. They may try to persuade the son to change his ways. But if that fails, the son would be guilty of actions against God’s law. That would be a serious *sin. There would be no hope for such an evil person.

Verse 21: The punishment for a son who was guilty of such *sins would be death. All the men from the town would throw stones at him until he died. They must not be *merciful to him. In that way, they would remove the evil attitude from their town. News of what had happened would spread to all *Israel. This severe punishment would warn other people not to act in the same way. The *Old-Testament does not record any cases of this punishment because of this crime.

Verses 22–23: It was not normal to hang a person as a means of death. They killed a person by other means and then they hung the body on a tree. By that means, they were showing to the public that this man was a criminal. He was guilty of a serious crime against God’s law. And God’s *curse would be on the criminal who deserved to die. However, they must not leave the body on the tree overnight. They must bury the body before the night comes. The dead body was not a pure object in their religion. Therefore, if they left the body on the tree overnight, it would spoil the land in their country.

Chapter 22

v1 ‘You may see that your neighbour’s *ox or his sheep is loose somewhere. If you do, you must not avoid it. Take the animal back to your neighbour. v2 If its owner lives a long way from there, take the animal with you to your home. Also, you must do that if you do not know the animal’s owner. Then the owner may come to look for his animal. Then give it to him. v3 Do the same if you find your neighbour’s *donkey or his coat or any other thing. Do not avoid it.

v4 If your neighbour’s *donkey or *ox has fallen down on the road, do not avoid it. Help your neighbour to get the animal up again.

v5 Women must not wear men’s clothes and men must not wear women’s clothes. The *LORD your God hates anyone who does that.

v6 You may find a bird’s nest along the road with young birds or eggs in it. It may be either in a tree or on the ground. If the mother is sitting on the eggs or on her young birds, do not take the mother. v7 You can take the young birds, but you must let the mother go. Then you will have a long life. And you will be rich and successful.

v8 When you build a new house, put a fence round the edge of the roof. Then you will not be responsible for the death of anyone who falls from the roof.

v9 Do not plant another kind of seed in the place where your *grapes grow. If you do that, you must not use the *grapes or the other crop.

v10 Do not plough with an *ox and a *donkey that you have put together with a wooden bar.

v11 Some people make things from two different materials, wool and a material called linen. But you must not wear clothes that someone made from those two materials together.

v12 Make long pieces of cotton and tie them on the 4 corners of your coat.

v13 A man may marry a girl and have sex with her. Then he decides that he does not like her. v14 He accuses her wrongly and he says this. “She was not a *virgin when I married her.” v15 Then the girl’s parents will prove to the town’s leaders that she was a *virgin. v16 The girl’s father will say to the leaders, “I gave my daughter to this man to be his wife. But he does not like her. v17 Now he is accusing her falsely. He says that she had had sex with another man before the marriage. But here is the proof that she was a *virgin.” Then he will show the evidence on the cloth to the leaders. v18 The leaders of the town will take the husband and they will whip him. v19 They will make him pay 100 silver coins and they will give the money to the girl’s father. That is because he has brought shame on a girl in *Israel. She will continue to be his wife. He cannot divorce her as long as he lives.

v20 But the man may accuse the girl. And what the man says may be true. There may be no proof that the girl was a *virgin. v21 They must take her to the entrance to her father’s house. There the men from the city must throw stones at her to kill her. She has done a terrible thing in *Israel. She had sex before she was married. She was still living in her father’s house. That is how you will remove the evil thing from among you.

v22 If a man has sex with another man’s wife, both the man and the woman shall die. You must remove the evil thing from *Israel.

v23 Suppose that a man in a town has sex with an unmarried girl. She has promised to marry a different man. v24 You will take both of them to the gate of the city. There, you will throw stones at them to kill them. The girl must die for this reason: She was in a town and she did not call for help. The man must die because he had sex with another man’s wife. You must remove the evil thing from among you.

v25 Suppose that a man meets an unmarried girl out in the country. She has promised to marry another man. If he forces her to have sex, only the man must die. v26 You must not do anything to the girl. She has not *sinned. She does not deserve to die. It is the same as when a man murders his neighbour. v27 The man found the unmarried girl in the country. Although she cried for help, there was nobody to help her.

v28 Suppose that a girl had not promised to marry a man. Then a man forces her to have sex with him. If people have caught him, v29 he must pay the girl’s father 50 silver coins. The man must marry the girl because he forced her to have sex with him. He can never divorce her as long as he lives.

v30 No man should have sex with his father’s wife. That would bring shame to his father.’

Verses 1-3: An animal may wander from its owner. The persons who find it must be responsible for it. They must not neglect it. If the animal belongs to a neighbour, they must take it back to him. If they do not know the owner, they must look after the animal. The owner would be responsible to come to look for his animal. When the owner comes, they must give his animal to him. They must do the same for any of their neighbour’s things that they may find.

This rule was not only for neighbours. It included even enemies. If they find an enemy’s animal, they must take it back to the enemy (Exodus 23:4).

Verse 4: An animal may fall on the road. The person who sees it must help the owner. Together they would get the animal on its feet again. The people used these animals to carry heavy loads. The animal may fall down because of the heavy load. The load may have moved and that caused the animal to fall. To raise the animal it would be necessary to remove the load. Then they would put the load back on the animal.

Again, this rule was for both neighbours and enemies (Exodus 23:5).

Verse 5: There are clear differences between male and female. That is how the *LORD created them. Women must not wear men’s clothes in order to seem like men. And men must not wear women’s clothes in order to seem like women. The *LORD God hates people who do that. However, this is more than just about clothes. It includes what they do. Women must not act as if they were men. And men must not act as if they were women. This rule would include wrong sex practices (Leviticus 18:22; Leviticus 20:13). Compare verses 9-11.

Verses 6-7: The most common places for bird’s nests were in trees or on the ground. There were certain birds that the *Israelites must not eat (Leviticus 11:13-18). The *Israelites could eat other birds. In the case of those birds, they could take the eggs or the young birds. However, if the mother-bird was with them in the nest the *Israelites must not take the mother-bird. These birds would not be birds that the *Israelites farmed for food.

If the *Israelites took the eggs or the young birds, the mother could have more young. However, if they took the mother-bird, the eggs or the young birds would not live. Therefore, in time, the number of that kind of bird would decrease. There would not be the same supply of them for food.

Verse 8: Houses in the Middle-East usually had flat roofs. They would use the roof for many purposes. In the summer, the family would sleep up there. They did some of the domestic tasks there. They may entertain guests there. Often people would walk on the roof. If there were no wall or fence round the edge of the roof, someone might fall to the ground. If that person died the owner of the house would be responsible. However, if there were a wall or a fence the owner would not be responsible. When an owner built his house, he must obey this regulation. He must put a wall or a fence round the roof. This is like our rules about health and safety.

Verse 9: Here are three rules about mixed things. (See Leviticus 19:19.) God wanted them to keep different things separate.

The *Israelites must not plant another type of seed in the place where their *grapes grew. However, if they did do it they could not use the harvest.

Verse 10: The *ox and the *donkey were different in size and strength. They could not work well together. Perhaps it might be cruel to the *donkey to join it with the *ox.

The *Israelites could eat an *ox because it was a *clean animal. However, they could not eat a *donkey because it was not a *clean animal (Deuteronomy 14:1-8). Perhaps they should not join a *clean animal with one that was not *clean.

Verse 11: The *Israelites must not make things from different kinds of materials. Here the materials were wool and a material called linen. The *Israelites must not wear clothes that someone had made from these two materials.

Verse 12: Moses told the *Israelites to tie 4 cotton pieces to the bottom edge of their clothes. In each of these cotton pieces, they must put a blue string. When they saw the cotton pieces, they would remember all the *LORD’s commands. These cotton pieces with the blue string would remind them to obey God’s laws. When they obeyed God’s laws, they would be the *LORD’s special people. Then they would not turn away from the *LORD. They would want to do what the *LORD wants (Numbers 15:38-40).

Blue was a special colour. Kings would wear blue. The blue string would remind the *Israelites that they served the *LORD their king. The *LORD God was the king over all kings.

Verses 13-14: A man could marry a widow or a woman who had been married before. Then he would know that she was not a *virgin. However, the rule in this verse would be when a man married a young girl. He believed that she was a *virgin. They would marry and they would have sex. After some time the man does not like his wife. He wants to divorce her. He accuses her wrongly of sex with someone else before she married him. Such action would make the woman seem like a bad person.

Verse 15: When a man accused his wife in this way, her parents could defend her. They would ask the town’s leaders to deal with the matter. The father would declare that at the time of the marriage she was a *virgin. The parents were responsible because they had given their daughter to her husband. And so, in that way they had agreed that their daughter was a *virgin. The parents would take with them to the leaders the proof that their daughter was a *virgin.

Verses 16-17: The father would speak on behalf of his daughter. He would declare that he was her father. He had given his daughter to be married. Then he would say that the husband was wrong. What the husband said was false. The father would show to the leaders the proof that the girl was a *virgin. That proof would be a sheet from the bed after the couple had their first sex. It was the custom to take that sheet and to give it to the mother. If the girl were a *virgin, that sheet would have her blood on it. If she were not a *virgin, there would be no blood on the sheet.

Verses 18-19: The town’s leaders would be the judges. They would settle whether the man was guilty or not. If the man were guilty, they would punish him. They would whip him. And they would make him pay 100 silver coins to the girl’s father. In addition to that, they would insist that the man must not divorce this wife.

Verses 20-21: Maybe there was no real proof that the girl was a *virgin. Then the town’s leaders may say that the husband was right. The woman was guilty of sex before she married the man. Then the woman would die. The people from that town would take her outside her father’s house. While she lived there, she had done this evil thing. In effect she had lied to her future husband and maybe even to her parents. There the people would throw stones at her until she died.

Verse 22: The seventh command was ‘You must not have sex with another person’s wife or husband’ (Deuteronomy 5:18; Exodus 20:14). A husband or wife in this command would include engaged persons who are not yet married. The punishment for those people who did not obey this command was death (Leviticus 20:10).

Verses 23-24: An engaged girl was in law the same as a married woman. Her father would have received the bride price. And the two families would have made all the legal arrangements. If a man had sex with her that would be a crime against the seventh command.

If such a crime was in the town the woman could have protested. She could have shouted for help. If she did not shout, perhaps she had agreed to have sex. The people would take both the man and the girl to the leaders. The leaders met at the town gates. The leaders would be the judges in this matter. They would settle whether the girl had shouted or not. If the girl had not shouted, she would be guilty. Both she and the man must die. The people would throw stones at them both until they were dead.

Verses 25-27: Suppose a man forced a girl to have sex out in the country. But she had agreed to marry another man. Even if she shouted for help, probably nobody would have heard her. The man forced her. Therefore, she had not agreed to have sex with him. She would not be guilty of any crime. They must let her go free.

The man would be guilty. His crime was like that of murder. They must kill him.

Verses 28-29: The rules are completely different when the girl has not promised to marry. She would be a single woman. We suppose that she would be a *virgin. The man forced the girl to have sex with him. When the people have caught the man, he must pay money to the girl’s father. He must pay 50 silver coins and he must marry the girl. In this way, the law protects the woman and any child that she may have because of that sex. Also, the man cannot divorce the woman. They must remain married until he or she dies.

Verse 30: The law would not allow a man to have sex with his father’s wife. Such an act would be a shame to the father (Deuteronomy 27:20). The man who did that and the wife must die. The people must kill them (Leviticus 20:11). Probably the father’s wife would not be the mother of the man. It would be another wife.

A man in his old age may have married a young wife. A son by a former wife may desire to have the younger wife. However, the law does not allow that.

Chapter 23

v1 ‘A person may squeeze hard or cut off the sex parts of a man. The man with the damage to his body cannot go to the *LORD’s house.

v2 A person cannot go to the *LORD’s house if his father and mother are not both *Israelites. Also, his *descendants can never go there, not even after 10 *generations.

v3 No *Ammonite or *Moabite or any of their children can go to the *LORD’s house, not even after 10 *generations. v4 They refused to give bread and water to you on your way out of Egypt. They hired Beor’s son, Balaam from Pethor in Aram-Naharaim, to *curse you. v5 But the *LORD your God would not listen to Balaam. Instead, the *LORD your God turned the *curse into a *blessing for you. The *LORD your God did that because he loves you. v6 Do not ask for their peace or for their friendship for as long as you live.

v7 Do not hate a person from the country called Edom. That is because he is your relative. Do not hate an *Egyptian, because you lived as strangers in his country. v8 The third *generation of their children can go to the *LORD’s house.

v9 When you are in a camp at the time of war, avoid every evil thing. v10 Someone may become not *clean. During the night, a man may produce liquid from his sex part. If so, he must go outside the camp and he must stay there. v11 When the evening comes, he can wash himself. When the sun goes down, he can return to the camp.

v12 Have a place outside the camp where you can go to the toilet. v13 Have a tool to dig with. When you go to the toilet, use the tool to cover up the waste from your body. v14 The *LORD your God is with you in your camp. He will protect you. He will cause you to defeat your enemies. Therefore, you must keep your camp *holy. God may see something that is not clean. If he does, he may not continue to go with you.

v15 A slave may escape from his master and he may come to you. Do not hand him over to his master. v16 The slave shall live wherever he likes among you. He can choose any town that he wants to live in. You must be kind to him.

v17 No man or woman in *Israel can sell his or her body for sex in a *temple. v18 Somebody might have money that they had earned in that way. They must not bring it into the house of the *LORD your God. You must not pay that kind of money because of a promise to God. The *LORD your God hates those acts.

v19 Do not charge extra money when you lend food, money or any other thing to another *Israelite. v20 You can charge a foreigner extra money. But you must not charge another *Israelite extra money. Then the *LORD your God will *bless everything that you do. He will *bless you in the country that you will live in.

v21 If you promise something to the *LORD your God, do not be slow to *keep your promise. Otherwise the *LORD your God will demand that you *keep it. Then you will be guilty of *sin. v22 If you do not promise something, you will not be guilty. v23 You must do everything that you promise to do. You chose to promise it to the *LORD your God.

v24 You can go into your neighbour’s field of *grapes. You can eat all the *grapes that you want. But you must not put any *grapes into a basket. v25 You can go into your neighbour’s field of corn. You can pick with your hands the part of the corn that contains seeds. But you must not cut any corn with a tool.’

Verse 1: The company of the *LORD’s people referred to God’s people. That means the people that God had given the *covenant to. In particular, it referred to times when God’s people met together with the *LORD. Men with damaged sex parts could not be full members among those people. Therefore, they could not join with God’s people when they met together with the *LORD.

Probably this rule did not mean men whose damage was from birth. However, it did mean men who damaged themselves. And it did mean men whom other people had damaged.

In some religions, they damaged some men in that way to make them special to their gods. In the service of great men, sometimes they damaged the sex parts of some servants. And in some foreign governments, some officials had to suffer this damage.

Verse 2: A man or a woman may have married someone who was not an *Israelite. Those people’s children could not join with God’s people. A man among the *Israelites might want to marry a woman who was not an *Israelite. (See Deuteronomy 21:10-14.) The woman should become an *Israelite. However, if she did not become an *Israelite, her children could not join with God’s people.

Also, it may refer to children from sex that was not legal. That might be where there was sex with a close member of the family (Leviticus 18:6-18).

The number 10 was the perfect or complete number. Therefore, the 10 *generations perhaps meant as long as the nation existed.

Verses 3-5: *Ammonites and *Moabites could never join with God’s people. The *Israelites were travelling to the country that the *LORD had promised to give to them. They came to the territory of Ammon. They asked King Sihon to let them pass through his country. The *Israelites asked for food and water. But they would pay for it. However, the *Ammonites refused to help them (Deuteronomy 2:26-30).

Balak, the king of Moab, hired Balaam to *curse the *Israelites. However, God loved the *Israelites and he would not let Balaam *curse them. Instead, God caused Balaam to *bless them (Numbers 22-24).

So Balaam could not *curse the *Israelites. So then he taught Balak how to tempt them. So the *Israelites *sinned. (See Revelation 2:14.) They tempted some *Israelites to have sex with *Moabite women. And they caused *Israelites to *worship their gods (Numbers 25:1-2).

When God had *destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot and his two daughters escaped. Then his daughters had sex with him. Because of this wrong sex, each daughter had a son. The older daughter gave birth to Moab. He was the *ancestor of the *Moabites. The younger daughter gave birth to Ben-Ammi. He was the *ancestor of the *Ammonites (Genesis 19:30-38).

The rule in this verse did not mean that a *Moabite or an *Ammonite could not become an *Israelite. Some years afterwards, Ruth accepted the God of *Israel. She married an *Israelite called Boaz and she became an *ancestor of the *Lord Jesus (Luke 3:32).

Verse 6: *Israel as a nation must never ask for peace or good relations with Moab or Ammon. There could be no political contracts between *Israel and Moab or Ammon.

Verse 7: The *Edomites were *descendants from Esau. Esau was the brother of Jacob. Therefore, the *Edomites and the *Israelites were both *descendants of Abraham and Isaac. Because they were relatives, the *Israelites must not hate them. They must be kind to the *Edomites who lived among them.

Jacob and his family lived in Egypt for about 400 years. At first, the *Egyptians were kind to them. But many years after that time, the *Egyptian kings turned against the *Israelites. Because they lived as strangers in Egypt, the *Israelites must not hate the *Egyptians. They must be kind to the *Egyptians who lived as strangers among them.

Verse 8: An *Edomite or an *Egyptian could accept *Israel’s God. The *Israelites must respect the *Edomites and the *Egyptians that believed in God. And their great-grandchildren could enter the company of the *LORD’s people.

Three *generations in *Israel would show that they did believe in God. And they were genuine in their desire to become full members of God’s family.

Verse 9: When the *Israelites were in a military camp, they must keep the camp *clean. Nothing there should offend the *LORD.

Verses 10-11: Liquid may come out of a man during the night. Then that man would not be *clean. He must go out of the camp for that day. In the evening, he must wash himself and his dirty clothes (Leviticus 15:16-17). The evening would be the beginning of a new day. Then he would be *clean and he could go back into the camp.

Verses 12-13: There must be a definite place outside the camp to be the toilet-area. For that purpose, the men must go to that place. They would need to take a tool with them. When they had finished, they must bury their waste. They must not use any other place as the toilet.

Verse 14: The reason for these rules was that the *LORD would be with them in the camp. The *LORD would move round the camp. Nothing that was not *clean must be there. The *LORD would not remain with them if he found such things. If the camp were *clean, the *LORD would protect the army. He would give success to them over their enemies. Of course, we would say that these rules are necessary for our good health. Jesus spoke about the things that come out of us. But he was not only talking about the things that come out of our bodies. He was talking about wrong thoughts that cause wrong words and wrong actions. (See Mark 7:18-23.)

Verses 15-16: The slave of a master in *Israel would belong to the master. They should send that slave back to his master. However, if the slave had escaped from a foreign master they must not send that slave back. The slave had come for protection in *Israel.

The slave would be free to live anywhere in *Israel. The *Israelites must remember that they were slaves in Egypt. Therefore, they must be as kind to that slave as to any foreigner who comes to live with them.

This rule is different from that of other countries. In those countries, they would send the slave back to the master. There were agreements between countries to that effect. But *Israel would not have such agreements with foreign countries.

Verse 17: In the *temples of some foreign gods, they employed men and women to have sex. The act of sex was part of their *worship in their religions. That happened in the *worship of *Baal by the *Canaanites. Also, it was common in the *worship of the female god called Ashtaroth.

No men or women in *Israel can sell their bodies in that way in any *temple.

Verse 18: To the *LORD, the money from any wrong sex was dirty money. Those persons may have promised to give something to God. However, they must not give that dirty money to him. The *LORD hates wrong sex whether in *worship or in private acts.

Verse 19: When they first set up the nation of *Israel, it was not a commercial society. They did not have banks or similar businesses. Those *Israelites who needed help would ask for a loan from their neighbours. Loans were usually for the relief of the poor people. The needs of a poor *Israelite must not be an opportunity to get money. Moses encouraged them to lend to each other without any hope of gain. An *Israelite must not get a profit from loans to another *Israelite.

Verse 20: They could get a profit from loans to foreigners. No doubt, foreigners would charge a profit on loans that they gave.

The *LORD would *bless the *Israelites who lent to another *Israelite at no extra cost. The *LORD would cause their land to produce more. He would cause their animals to increase. They would have more profit than they would have from charges on the loans.

Verses 21-22: A special promise to the *LORD would be a serious thing. The person must do what he promised to do. And he must do it with no delay. The *LORD demands that the person does it. Not to do so would be *sin. It would be better if the person did not promise anything.

To promise something to God was not wrong. However, a person should be careful not to do that in a hurry. He should be certain that he would be able to do it.

Verses 24-25: Fields of *grapes or corn often had no fences. And often paths would go through such a field. As they passed through those fields, people could eat of the *grapes or of the corn. However, they must not take *grapes or corn away from the fields. That would be to rob the owner. These rules were not to allow people to rob a neighbour’s property. They were for persons who passed through on their journey.

The men with Jesus ate corn as they went through a field of corn. The *Pharisees complained about it because it was a *Sabbath day. It was against their rules but not against these rules. (See Matthew 12:1-2.)

Chapter 24

v1 ‘Suppose that a man marries a woman. After some time, he decides that she does not please him. He finds something about her that he does not like. So, he writes out a note of divorce and he gives it to her. Then he sends her away. v2 After she has left his house, she marries another man. v3 Then her second husband decides that he does not want her. He writes out a note of divorce and he gives it to her. Then he sends her away from his home. Or perhaps he dies. v4 Her first husband, who divorced her, cannot marry her again. She is not *clean. The *LORD would hate that. The *LORD your God is giving the country to you to possess. You must not do such a terrible *sin in that country.

v5 If a man has just married, he must not go to war. He must not do any other public duty. He is free to stay at home for one year. Then he can be happy with his new wife.

v6 Do not take a pair of flat stones that people use to make corn into flour. Do not take even one of them as *security for a debt. That would take away a person’s way to remain alive.

v7 Perhaps you will see that a man is taking an *Israelite as a prisoner. Perhaps he wants to make him a slave. Perhaps he wants to sell him. You must kill the man who does that. Then you will remove that evil thing from among you.

v8 Someone may suffer from a disease on their skin. The priests from the family of Levi will give instructions to you. You must do what they tell you to do. You must do what I ordered them to do. v9 Remember what the *LORD your God did to Miriam. He did it after you came out of Egypt.

v10 Suppose that you lend something to your neighbour. Do not enter his house to take something as *security. v11 Stay outside and let him bring it to you himself. v12 He may be a poor man. So do not sleep in the coat that he has given to you. v13 Give it back to him in the evening so that he can sleep in it. Then he will *bless you. And what you do will please the *LORD your God.

v14 Do not cheat a poor servant that you hire. He may be an *Israelite. Or he may be a foreigner who lives in a town in your country. v15 Pay his wages to him each day before sunset. He is poor and he needs his wages. If you do not pay him, he will cry to the *LORD against you. Then you will be guilty of *sin.

v16 You must not kill parents because their children have *sinned. And you must not kill children because their parents have *sinned. You can kill a person only because of the *sins that he has done.

v17 Do not refuse *justice to foreigners or to children without parents. Do not take a widow’s coat as *security for a loan. v18 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. The *LORD your God freed you from there. That is why I am giving that command to you.

v19 When you harvest your crops, you may forget to bring in some corn. Do not go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigners, the widows and the children without parents. Then the *LORD your God will *bless you in everything that you do. v20 When you have picked the *olives once, do not go back to get more. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the widows and the children without parents. v21 When you have gathered your *grapes once, do not go back a second time. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the widows and the children without parents. v22 Remember that your *ancestors were slaves in Egypt. That is why I have given that command to you.’

Verse 1: The books of Moses refer to divorce as a fact of social life. The reason for a man’s divorce of his wife was that he found something bad in her. Afterwards, *Jewish teachers tried to describe the causes that would allow a man to divorce his wife. It would not then have been that she slept with another man. If that was so, they should kill her because of that *sin. But Jesus said that that was the only good reason for divorce. However, men did divorce their wives for many other reasons.

Moses wrote that the man must give to the woman a letter of divorce on paper. Without the letter of divorce, the woman would be in a much worse position. The letter had to say that she was free to marry. There had to be two witnesses who put their names on the divorce paper. When the man gave the letter to the woman, he must send her away from his house.

The *Pharisees asked Jesus about divorce. In his reply, he told them that from the beginning divorce was never a part of God’s perfect plan. God made the man and the woman to live together for their whole lives. Moses did not approve of divorces. He did not say that divorce was a proper thing to do. But because some men did want to send their wives away, Moses did allow divorce. However, he gave rules to them to control the process of divorce. (See Matthew 19:1-9.)

Verses 2-3: The woman would then be free to marry another man. If her second husband divorces her, he must give a letter of divorce to her. And he must send her away from his home. Then she would be free to marry again.

Verse 4: However, the first or former husbands could not marry her again. They could not marry her again because she had slept with another husband. That would be a terrible *sin against the *LORD. Such *sins should not happen in the country that God would give to *Israel.

Verse 5: A married man would be free from military service for the first year after his marriage. Also, he would not work in any other public job. He could stay at home with his wife. Family life was very important in *Israel. So the couple must have the chance to have children.

Verse 6: The person who gave a loan would probably take something as *security for the debt. Bread was the main food that the people ate. Each family would have had these stones. And they used them to make the grain into flour. To do that, they needed two flat stones. The custom was to make flour each morning and to make bread for the day. Without both stones, the family would have no bread. Therefore, the man who gives the loan must not take those stones as *security.

Verse 7: An *Israelite must not take another *Israelite as a slave. And he must not sell an *Israelite as a slave. If they did so, the punishment for that crime would be death. By that death, they would remove that evil thing from their society (Exodus 21:16).

Verses 8-9: If someone had a serious skin disease, he or she must go to the priests. The priests would be *descendants of Aaron. The priests would examine the skin. They would say what the disease was. And they would tell the patient what to do. The patient must obey the priests. (See Leviticus chapters 13-14.)

Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses at the place called Hazeroth. The *LORD was angry with them both. He made Miriam’s skin white with a serious skin disease. Moses cried out to the *LORD. He asked the *LORD to cure Miriam. Miriam had to live away from the camp for 7 days. The *LORD made her better and after the 7 days, she came back into the camp (Numbers 12:1-15).

Verse 10: When a person lends to another *Israelite, he may ask for something as *security for the debt. However, he must not go into the *Israelite’s house to get it. He must wait outside for him to bring it out. A man’s home is private to his family. The man who gives a loan must not go into that private place. The man can accept the loan without loss of honour. Also, it allows the poor man to decide what he should take out as a *security for the debt.

A poor man may give his coat as the *security. Maybe he had no other thing of value to give. The poor man would sleep with his coat to keep him warm. The person who was lending must give the coat to the poor man each evening. That was so that the poor man could sleep well. The poor man would appreciate that. And such kindness would please the *LORD.

Verses 14-15: When an *Israelite hired a poor person to work for him, he must be reasonable towards him. The poor person may be an *Israelite or a foreigner who lives in *Israel. They must pay wages at the right time. They must not delay. For those workers on a daily contract the master must pay them before sunset. Many poor people depended on that daily income. So, not to pay wages before sunset would be a *sin. (See also James 5:4.)

Verse 16: Sometimes when an *Israelite had done a crime, people had to kill him. But each person must be responsible for what he had done. If a father had done such a crime, they would kill him. But they must not kill any other member of his family. If a son or a daughter did such a crime, they must not kill the parents. Only the person who *sins must die.

However, the crime of a member of a family would affect the family. They may suffer shame and insults because of that crime. Some people may even attack members of that family.

Verses 17-18: It was a duty for the whole society in *Israel to protect the weaker persons. Among those weaker persons were the foreigners who lived in *Israel. Also, there were the children without parents and the widows. It was important that those people had the same rights in law as other people.

The widow’s coat was her only protection from the cold weather. Therefore, they must not take it from her as *security for a loan.

The *LORD freed the *Israelites from Egypt. Therefore, they should be kind to the foreigners and to the poorer people.

Verses 19-22: When the farmer harvested his fields of grain, he may leave some in the fields. The farmer must not go back for it. Also, the farmer must not gather his grain from the edges of his fields. He must leave some grain there (Leviticus 19:9-10; 23:22). The poorer people could collect what he left. Many good farmers did leave grain for the poor people. Many years after Moses said this, Ruth collected grain from the fields of Boaz (Ruth 2:2-3). The *LORD promised to *bless the farmers who obeyed this rule.

There was the same rule for the harvest of *olives and the harvest of *grapes. Everything that remained after the harvest was for the poorer people. They could gather it (Leviticus 19:10).

The *Israelites were slaves in Egypt. Now the *LORD had made them free. That was why the *LORD ordered them to be kind to the poor people.

Chapter 25

v1 ‘Perhaps two men have an argument and they go to court. The judges declare that one man is innocent. Then he declares that the other man is guilty. v2 If the guilty man deserves punishment, the judge will make him lie down. Then someone will whip him in front of the judge. The number of strokes will depend on the crime that he has done. v3 He must not receive more than 40 strokes. If he received more, that would cause him great shame.

v4 Do not cover the mouth of an *ox when it is walking on the corn.

v5 Suppose that two brothers live in the same property. Then one brother dies without a son. His widow must not marry someone who is outside the family. It is the duty of her husband’s brother to marry her. v6 The first son that she has will have the name of the dead brother. So the name of his family will continue in *Israel.

v7 If the man does not want to marry his brother’s wife, she must go to the town’s leaders. She will say to them, “My husband’s brother will not do his duty. He refuses to give to his brother a *descendant among the *Israelites.” v8 Then the town’s leaders will order him to talk to them. If he still refuses to marry her, v9 his brother’s widow will go up to him. In front of the leaders, she will take off his shoe. Then she will cough water into his face and she will say this. “This man refuses to build up his brother’s family. That is what happens to a man like that.” v10 The *Israelites will give this name to his family: “The family of the man whose shoe someone pulled off.”

v11 Suppose that two men are fighting. Then the wife of one man comes to rescue her husband from the other man. If she grasps the other man’s sex parts, v12 cut off her hand. Do not be *merciful to her.

v13 Do not have in your bag unfair objects that you weigh things with. Do not have one heavy object and one light object. v14 Do not have in your house unfair objects to measure things with. Do not have one large object and one small object for measurements. v15 You must weigh and measure things fairly. Then you will live for a long time in the country that the *LORD your God is giving to you. v16 The *LORD your God hates anyone who cheats.

v17 Remember the time when you were coming out of Egypt. You met the people called the Amalekites. Remember what they did to you. v18 They did not *fear God. You were so tired that you could not do anything. Then they attacked you. They killed all those who were going slowly at the back of your people. v19 The *LORD your God will give the country to you to possess. He will give a rest to you from all your enemies. When he has done that, kill all the *Amalekites. Then nobody will continue to remember them. Do not forget!’

Verses 1-2: When two men cannot settle a legal argument, they should take it to the court. The judges would settle who the guilty man was. Also, they would settle what punishment this crime deserved. If the punishment was to whip the guilty man, the judges should make the man lie down. The judges would settle how many strokes of the whip the man must have. With the judges there, they would order an officer of the court to whip the guilty man. So, the judges would see that the guilty man received the correct punishment.

Verse 3: The maximum number of strokes of the whip would be 40. After some time, they reduced the maximum number of strokes to 39. Perhaps that was to be sure that they had not counted wrongly. (See 2 Corinthians 11:24.) More than the maximum number of strokes would be too much of an insult to the man.

Verse 4: After the harvest, the farmer must separate the grain from the rest of the plants. To do that they led an *ox or some other heavy animal over the plants. Often the animals would drag a heavy board behind them. While the animals did this work, they could eat some of the grain. The farmer must not cover their mouths in order to stop them. This rule is not only for the animals. It gives a general principle. Those animals or people that work should be able to benefit from their work (1 Corinthians 9:9-10).

Verses 5-6: When the *Israelites got into *Canaan, Joshua would give parts of the land to each *tribe. In the *tribes, they would give a part of the land to each family. What each person possessed should go to his children. If he had no children, the possessions would go to another person. The name of the dead owner and his possession would not continue in the future.

Suppose two brothers lived in the same place. Then one brother dies but he had no children. Then his widow must not marry outside of the family. The brother who is still alive should take her. He should take her in order to have a child with her. That child would be as the child of the dead man. Therefore, that child would take the possessions and the name of the dead man. The family of the dead man would then continue.

The marriage of the brother with the widow was called a levirate marriage. This comes from the word that means ‘husband’s brother’.

Verses 7-9: The brother had a legal right to refuse to marry the widow. However, it was a duty that he ought to perform. If he did not do it, the widow would take him to the town leaders. They were the court of law for the town that met near the town gates. There she would accuse him to them. She would tell them that the brother would not do his duty. His duty was to have a child with the widow. But he refused to keep the name of his brother alive in that way.

The town leaders would call the brother to come to them. The man would declare that he would not have a child by the widow. They would try to persuade him to do his duty. If he still refused, the widow would take off his shoe. Then she would cough in his face and she would hit him with that shoe. And she would declare to the people that the man would not do his duty. He refused to have a family for his dead brother.

The reason that the man refused to do his duty might have been financial. If their father had not yet died the whole of the father’s property would go the man. Suppose the father had died, and the brother had no children. The brother’s property would all go to the man (Numbers 27:9).

Verses 11-12: Two men may be fighting. The wife of one man tried to help her husband. However, the means that she used was to grasp the other man’s sex parts. This action would not be legal. It would be a crime. The punishment would be to cut off the hand that did the deed.

This crime was very serious because her action might cause permanent damage to the man’s sex parts. And that might cause him to be unable to become a father.

Verses 13-16: The *Israelites must be honest in business. They must not cheat the persons that they buy goods from. They must not cheat the persons that they sell to. They must not cheat when they buy things by measurement or by weight. And they must not cheat when they sell things in that way.

The *Israelites must obey God’s moral standards. Then he would reward them with long life in the country that he would give to them.

Verses 17-18: The Amalekites were *descendants from Esau’s son Eliphaz (Genesis 36:15-16; 1 Chronicles 1:36). The *Israelites were at a place called Rephidim. And the *Amalekites attacked them there. There was a fierce battle that lasted all day. In the end, the *Israelites defeated the *Amalekites. The *LORD told Moses to write about it. And the *LORD told Moses that he would cause all the *Amalekites to die out. In the future, there would be no *Amalekites (Exodus 17:8-16).

Afterwards, the *Israelites tried to go into the country that the *LORD had promised to them. However, the *LORD had told them not to do it. As a result, they failed and the *Amalekites with the *Canaanites chased them. The *Amalekites and the *Canaanites defeated them (Numbers 14:39-45). There may have been other attacks by the *Amalekites that Moses did not record.

Now Moses tells the *Israelites to remember what the *Amalekites did. They did not *fear God when they killed many *Israelites.

Verse 19: The *LORD would give to the *Israelites the country that he had promised to give to them. When they had peace in the country, they must kill all the *Amalekites. The *Israelites must not forget to do what the *LORD had told them.

The *Amalekites disappeared from history after the time of King Hezekiah (1 Chronicles 4:43).

Chapter 26

First fruits and *tithes                                 26:1-15

v1 ‘The *LORD your God is giving this country to you to possess. You will own it and you will live there. v2 Then take some of the first part of each crop that you harvest from the land. That crop comes from the soil in the country that the *LORD your God is giving to you. Put the first part of the crop into a basket. Go to the place that the *LORD your God will choose. v3 Go to the man who is priest at that time. Say this to him. “I declare today to the *LORD your God that I have come to this country. That is what the *LORD promised to our *ancestors. He promised that he would give this country to us.” v4 The priest will take the basket from you. He will place it in front of the *altar of the *LORD your God. v5 Then you will say this to the *LORD your God. “My father came from the country called Aram. And he wandered round the country. He went down into Egypt with a few people. He lived there and he became a large and powerful nation. v6 The *Egyptians were cruel to us. They made us suffer and they made us work very hard. v7 Then we cried to the *LORD who is the God of our *ancestors. The *LORD heard us. He saw that we were very sad. He saw our troubles and our difficulties. v8 So the *LORD used his great power and strength as he brought us out of Egypt. He did *signs and *wonders. He caused terrible things to happen. v9 He brought us to this place. Then he gave this rich and *fertile country to us. v10 Now I bring the first part of the harvest that you, *LORD, have given to me.” Place the basket in front of the *LORD your God. And *worship in front of the *LORD your God. v11 You and the *Levites and the foreigners who are among you will be happy. You will do that because of all the good things that the *LORD your God has given to you.

v12 Every third year, put aside a tenth of all your crops. This is the year of the *tithe. Give it to the *Levite, the foreigner, the children without living parents and the widows. Then they will have everything that they need to eat in your towns. v13 Then say this to the *LORD your God. “I have taken the *holy *tithe out of my house. I have given it to the *Levites, the foreigners, the children without living parents and the widows. You ordered me to do that. I have not neglected or forgotten any of your *commandments. v14 I have not eaten any of the *tithes while I was sad. I have not taken any of it out of my house when I was not *clean. I have not given any of it to dead people. I have obeyed the *LORD my God. I have obeyed all your commands. v15 Look down from your *holy place in heaven. *Bless your nation, *Israel. *Bless also the country that you have given to us. This is the country that you promised to our *ancestors. It is a country that is rich and *fertile.” ’

Verses 1-2: Again, Moses reminded the *Israelites that the *LORD would give their new country to them. They would own it and they would live there. When they lived there, they must carry out this ceremony. The leader of each family must take a basket. In it, he would put some of the first crop from the land. He must take that basket to the place that the *LORD would choose.

The rules did not mention the quantities that they should bring. That depended on how generous the families were. However there was a tradition that they would bring a 60th part of the first crop.

They must carry out this ceremony in the country that God promised to them. It would be after they were in the country. But it would not be until they had taken possession of it. And it would not be until they had their first harvest in the country. This seems to show that it would not be an annual ceremony. In the future, they would bring the first of the crops to two *festivals. These *festivals were the *Festival of the first of the fruits and the *Festival of Weeks (Leviticus 23:9-22).

Verse 3: They must bring their baskets to the priest who was on duty. And they must declare the following things to him. They must say that they have come into the country. The *LORD promised their *ancestors that he would give this country to them. In effect, they must say that they have received their part of that country. They were living in that country. And the *LORD had done what he promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Verse 4: The priest would take the baskets and he would put them in front of the *LORD’s *altar. The men who brought the baskets would place them in front of the *LORD (verse 10). But they would do that by means of the priest.

Verses 5-6: This declaration would be a brief statement about their history. They refer to their *ancestor Jacob as their father. Jacob was born in *Canaan. His father was Isaac who was Abraham’s son. Jacob’s mother was Rebekah. And she came from the country called Aram. Jacob went to Aram to the house of Laban. There he married Laban’s daughters. All his children except Benjamin were born there. After that, Jacob wandered about in *Canaan as he looked after his sheep.

Jacob and his family went to live in Egypt. There were only 70 persons then but they grew to be a large company. They were there for about 400 years.

At first, the *Egyptians were content to have the *Israelites in their country. However, many years after that time, the *Egyptians were very cruel to them. They made the *Israelites work like slaves. And their lives became very hard for them.

Verses 7-8: The *Israelites prayed to the *LORD for help. He was the God of their *ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The *LORD saw all their troubles. And he saw how bad they felt. So the *LORD answered their prayers and he had pity on them.

The *LORD used his great power and strength. He did many powerful *signs and *wonders. And he forced the king of Egypt to let the *Israelites go from Egypt.

Verses 9-10: The *LORD their God led them all the way through the 40 years in the *desert. They would declare that he had brought them into their new country. The *LORD had given this rich and *fertile country to them. The *LORD had done all that on their behalf. They would bring the first part of the harvest to say thanks to the *LORD.

They must declare those things to the *LORD. Then, they must put the baskets in front of him. And they would *worship him as the *LORD their God.

Verse 11: They would enjoy the good things that the *LORD had given to them. They would have a great meal together with the *Levites and the foreigners who were among them.

Verse 12: The third year would be the third and the sixth year in the 7-year period. Every third year the *Israelites must bring the tenth to the local centre. There they would issue the goods for the benefit of the *Levites, foreigners and the poor people. The poor people would include children without living parents and widows (Deuteronomy 14:28-29).

In the other years in the 7-year period, they would put aside the tenth of their crops. They would take that to the central place (Deuteronomy 14:22-24).

Verse 13: When they have given the tenth they must declare it to the *LORD. Probably this meant that they must go to the central place. There they must say that they have removed the tenth from their houses. They must say that they have given the whole tenth for the right purpose. And they must say that they have obeyed all God’s commands.

They must not think of the tenth as a tax or as a gift to the poor people. To them it must be as the part that was due to the *LORD. The tenth would be *holy to the *LORD. It would be part of their *worship to the *LORD.

Verse 14: After a person’s death, the family would have a period that they were sad for. During that period, they would not be *clean in their religion. They must not eat from the tenth while they were not *clean. In addition, they must not take the tenth out of their houses while they were not *clean.

They must not give any of the tenth to dead people. This may mean that they must not put any of it in the grave. That was a custom common to the *Egyptians and the *Canaanites. It may mean that they must not use the tenth to pay funeral costs. However, maybe it refers to the practice among the *Canaanites. They offered gifts to their gods on behalf of the dead person.

The *Israelites must declare that they have not done any of those things. And they would repeat that they have obeyed all the *LORD’s commands.

Verse 15: The final part of the declaration would be a prayer. They would ask the *LORD to look down from heaven. In this way, they recognised that God does not live in any *temple on earth. They would admit that the nation of *Israel belonged to God. Therefore, they would ask the *LORD to *bless his nation. They know that the *LORD has given the country to them. The *LORD had promised this country to their *ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The *LORD had done what he had promised. He had given to them a rich and good country. Therefore, they would ask God to *bless that country.

You must obey these laws                             26:16-19

v16 ‘Today, the *LORD your God orders you to *keep all his rules and all his laws. Obey them completely. v17 Today you have declared these things:

The *LORD is your God.

You will do what he wants you to do.

You will *keep all his rules, his *commandments and his laws.

And you will listen to him.

v18 The *LORD has declared today that you are his special nation. He promised that you would be that. You must *keep all his *commandments. v19 He will make you greater than any other nation that he has created. You will have more honour and fame than any other nation. People will praise you more than any other nation. You will be a *holy nation for the *LORD your God, as he promised.’

Verses 16-17: That day on the plains of Moab, the people had declared that the *LORD was their God. They belonged to the *LORD their God. They had no other gods and they would have no other gods. They promised to do everything that the *LORD had demanded from them. And they said that they would listen to all the *LORD’s words to them. Moses warned them that they must obey all those rules and laws.

Verse 18: The *LORD declared that they were his people. He called them his special nation. That is what he had promised to their *ancestors. However, they must obey all his commands. If they obeyed his commands, they would be more special to him than any other nation.

Verse 19: The *LORD would make them greater than any other nation. While they were loyal to their God, they would be a *holy people. They would have more honour and more fame than any other people. However, that all depended on their actions. They had to be loyal to their God.

Chapter 27

The *altar on *Mount Ebal                             27:1-10

v1 Moses and the leaders of the *Israelites ordered the people, ‘*Keep all the *commandments that I order you today. v2 You must do the following things when you have gone across the River Jordan. There you will find the country that the *LORD your God is giving to you. Put up some large stones. And cover them with material that is like white cement. v3 Write on the stones all the words of this law. Do that when you have entered the country. The *LORD your God is giving a rich and *fertile country to you. The *LORD, the God of your *ancestors, promised to give this country to you. v4 When you have crossed the River Jordan, put up the stones on *Mount Ebal. Do what I order you today. Cover the stones with material that is like white cement. v5 Build an *altar of stone there to the *LORD your God. Do not use any metal tools on the stones. v6 Build the *altar to the *LORD your God with stones that you have not cut. Give *burnt-offerings on the *altar to the *LORD your God. v7 *Sacrifice and eat your *fellowship-offerings there. Be happy in front of the *LORD your God. v8 You shall write very clearly on the stones. Write all the words of this law.’

v9 Then Moses, together with the priests who were *Levites, spoke to all the *Israelites. ‘*Israelites, be quiet and listen. Today you have become the nation that belongs to the *LORD your God. v10 Obey the *LORD your God. *Keep all his *commandments and all his rules that I order you today.’

Verse 1: Not Moses alone, but Moses and the leaders of *Israel ordered the people. Perhaps the leaders were with him here because Moses would not go into *Canaan. Moses knew that he would die soon. Therefore, the leaders must take more responsibility when the *Israelites cross the River Jordan.

They told the people to obey all the commands that Moses had given to them. And across the river, they must obey all the commands that Moses and the leaders had given to them.

The instructions that followed were about three ceremonies. The first ceremony was the preparation of stones that they must write the law on. The second one was about an *altar that they would give *sacrifices to the *LORD on. And the third one was to read out the *blessings and the *curses.

Verses 2-4: They would cross the River Jordan into the country that the *LORD was giving to them. It was a rich and *fertile country. It was what the *LORD had promised to their *ancestors. There they must put up large stones on *Mount Ebal. We do not know how many stones there were. They must cover the stones with material like white cement. And they must write on the stones all the words of the law. The stones would be a witness to the *covenant with the *LORD.

The *Egyptians used to write on stones that they had covered with material like white cement. The light background made it easier to read the words. Moses would have seen this in Egypt. And Moses and the leaders told the *Israelites to do it like that.

It is not clear what ‘all the words of this law’ meant. Probably it was the *blessings and the *curses that Moses told to them that day. It might have been all the laws that Moses had given to them. However, that would have required a large number of stones. It might have included the 10 commands.

*Mount Ebal was a mountain near the town called Shechem. It rose about 940 metres (3100 feet) above sea level and 430 metres (1400 feet) above the Shechem Valley. Slightly to the south of *Mount Ebal was *Mount Gerizim. *Mount Gerizim was not quite as high as *Mount Ebal. These mountains were west of the River Jordan and about 64 kilometres (40 miles) north of Jerusalem.

Verse 5: In addition to the stones on *Mount Ebal to display the law, they must erect an *altar. They must build the *altar there, which seems to mean on *Mount Ebal. The *Jewish writer of history, Josephus wrote that it was not on *Mount Ebal. It was between *Mount Ebal and *Mount Gerizim. However, Joshua did build an *altar on *Mount Ebal exactly as Moses had told them (Joshua 8:30-31).

They must build the *altar with stones. They could move the stones but they must be as the people found them. They must not cut the stones and they must not shape them with iron tools.

This *altar did not replace the *altar in front of the Special Tent. This kind of *altar was for temporary use on special occasions. It was like the *altars that their *ancestors had erected.

Verses 6-7: The *Israelites must give *burnt-offerings on the *altar. In addition, they must give *peace-offerings. They must eat the *peace-offerings there. The people should be very glad as they eat the *peace-offerings in front of the *LORD’s *altar. Part of the *peace-offering belonged to the *LORD and they burned it. A part was for the priests. But the rest of it was for the people to eat.

Verse 8: They must write the words of the law clearly. It must be easy for people to read the words of the law. They would not write the words on the *altar stones. They would write them on the large stones that they would put on *Mount Ebal.

Verses 9-10: The priests stood with Moses as he spoke to the people. The priests were from the *tribe of Levi. These priests were Aaron’s sons Eleazar and Ithamar with their sons.

The *Israelites were God’s people before this time. He had chosen them and he had brought them out from Egypt. He had led them through the *desert for the last 40 years. Now was a new start as the nation that belonged to the *LORD their God.

At this special time, Moses repeats the message. The nation of *Israel must obey all the commands that Moses gave to them that day.

*Curses on *Mount Ebal                             27:11-26

v11 That day, Moses gave this command to the people.

v12 ‘When you have gone across the River Jordan, these *tribes shall stand on *Mount Gerizim. They are Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin. There they will *bless the people. v13 These *tribes shall stand on *Mount Ebal to announce *curses. They are Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali.

v14 The *Levites will speak these words to the *Israelites in a loud voice:

v15 “God *curses anyone who makes an *idol out of stone, wood or metal. The *LORD hates the *idols that men make. And God *curses anyone who *worships them secretly.” Then all the people shall say, “We agree.”

v16 “God *curses anyone who brings shame on his father or on his mother.” Then all the people shall say, “We agree.”

v17 “God *curses anyone who moves the stone at his neighbour’s boundary.” Then all the people shall say, “We agree.”

v18 “God *curses anyone who leads a blind man in the wrong direction.” Then all the people shall say, “We agree.”

v19 “God *curses anyone who is not kind to foreigners, children without living parents and widows.” Then all the people shall say, “We agree.”

v20 “God *curses anyone who has sex with his father’s wife. That brings shame on his father.” Then all the people shall say, “We agree.”

v21 “God *curses anyone who has sex with an animal.” Then all the people shall say, “We agree.”

v22 “God *curses anyone who has sex with his sister, his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter.” Then all the people shall say, “We agree.”

v23 “God *curses anyone who has sex with his wife’s mother.” Then all the people shall say, “We agree.”

v24 “God *curses anyone who kills another person secretly.” Then all the people shall say, “We agree.”

v25 “God *curses anyone who accepts money as a payment to kill an innocent person.” Then all the people shall say, “We agree.”

v26 “God *curses the following people. Anyone who does not agree with all this law in order to obey it.” Then all the people shall say, “We agree.” ’

Verses 11-13: The valley between *Mount Ebal and *Mount Gerizim was very good for sound, like a theatre. When people spoke from the valley the people on the mountains could hear them. Half of the *tribes must stand on the slopes of *Mount Gerizim. Those *tribes were *descendants from Rachel and Leah. They would be there to *bless the people who obeyed the commands. The other 6 *tribes would stand on the slopes of *Mount Ebal. They were Reuben and Zebulun with the *descendants from Zilpah and Bilhah. They would be there to *curse the people who did not obey the commands.

The *tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh were here as the *tribe of Joseph their father. And the *tribe of Levi was included in the 12 *tribes.

The *covenant box and the priests would be in the middle of the valley (Joshua 8:30-35).

Verse 14: The priests in the valley, who were all *Levites, would speak aloud the *blessings and the *curses. Here in this chapter we have only the *curses. Maybe they would know the *blessings because they were the opposite of the *curses. Perhaps the priests did speak the *blessings as well. After this, Joshua read all the words of the law to the people. That included all the *blessings and the *curses (Joshua 8:34-35).

After the priests had spoken each *curse, all the people would say ‘We agree.’ That meant that they understood. And it meant that they agreed with the law. Therefore, they would not have any excuse if they did not obey all the commands.

Verse 15: There were 12 *curses for those people who did not obey the *covenant. The first 11 *curses were about special *sins that were examples. The last one was more general and it included all *sins against God’s law.

Nobody should make an *idol, either with wood or with metal. Such an *idol might be as an image of the *LORD or it might be another god. To make any *idol would make the *LORD very angry. It would be against the first two commands. The first command says that you shall have no other gods. You shall make no image to be like God. The second command says that you shall not make for yourself any *idol (Exodus 20:3-4). The *LORD would *curse anyone who *worshipped other gods. Even if they did it in secret, the *LORD would *curse them.

Verse 16: The second *curse was for anyone who did not respect his parents. That would be anyone who did not obey the fifth command (Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16). Paul wrote that this was the first command with a promise (Ephesians 6:2).

Verse 17: The third *curse was about property. Stones marked the boundaries of a person’s property. They must not move those stones. They must not change their neighbour’s boundaries.

Verse 18: The less able members of society benefited from God’s special care (Leviticus 19:14). The fourth *curse is about the blind persons. It is against the person who leads a blind person in the wrong direction. However, it may include other wrong actions that someone might do to a blind person. A blind person could not see who did the deed. But God sees and he will *curse that person.

Verse 19: The fifth *curse was similar to the fourth *curse. The *Israelites must not offend against those weaker people who lived in their country. Those people were foreigners, children without living parents and widows. Those people had the same rights in law as other people (Exodus 22:21-24; Deuteronomy 24:17).

Verses 20-23: The next 4 *curses were against people who had wrong sex. These acts would be in private and other people may not know about them. However, God sees them. And he will *curse those who do such things. The first thing was sex with a father’s wife (Leviticus 18:8). Probably this would not be with a man’s mother. Maybe the father had more than one wife. Perhaps the mother had died or the parents were divorced. Then the father might have married again.

The seventh *curse was against those who had sex with an animal (Leviticus 20:15-18). In the religion of the people called *Hittites, they had special animals. To have sex with those animals brought them nearer to their gods. Or rather, that is what they thought. Also, among the *Canaanites some people did such acts.

The eighth *curse was against those who had sex with other family members. In particular, this *curse was against a man who had sex with his sister or with his half sister. (See Leviticus 18:9-16.) Even if they did it in secret, God would *curse those persons.

The next *curse was about sex with the mother of a man’s wife.

Verses 24-25: The 10th *curse would happen to those who kill in secret. The 11th *curse would happen to those who kill because of money. Even if nobody else knows about the crimes, God knows. And God would *curse the criminals. The sixth command was ‘You shall not murder’ (Exodus 20:13).

Verse 26: The 12th and final *curse would be for any person who did not obey all God’s laws. However, it would be impossible to obey the whole law. Therefore, all people would suffer God’s *curse (see Galatians 3:10-12). That was why Jesus had to die. He came to receive God’s *curse on behalf of all people. Because he died on behalf of all people, he can free us from the *curse.

Chapter 28

If you obey, God will *bless you                             28:1-14

v1 ‘Listen carefully to the *LORD your God. *Keep and obey all his *commandments. I am ordering that to you today. If you do, the *LORD your God will make you greater than any other nation on earth. v2 If you obey the *LORD your God, you will have all these *blessings:

v3 God will *bless you in your towns and in the country.

v4 He will *bless your children. He will *bless your crops. He will *bless your young sheep and your young *cattle.

v5 He will *bless the grain that you harvest. You will always be able to make bread.

v6 God will *bless you when you come in. And he will *bless you when you go out.

v7 The *LORD will defeat your enemies whenever they attack you. They will attack you from one direction, but they will run away in seven directions.

v8 The *LORD will send a *blessing on your buildings where you store your crops. And he will send a *blessing on all the work that you do. The *LORD your God will *bless you in the country that he is giving to you.

v9 You must *keep the *commandments of the *LORD your God. And you must do what he wants you to do. Then the *LORD will make you his *holy nation as he has promised to you. v10 Then all the nations will see that the *LORD has chosen you as his own nation. They will be afraid of you. v11 The *LORD will give to you many possessions. He will give to you many children, many *cattle and good harvests in your country. That is the country that he promised to your *ancestors to give to you.

v12 The *LORD will open up his stores in heaven. He will send the rain from the sky at the proper time. He will *bless everything that you do. You will lend to many nations. But you will not ask for anything from them. v13 The *LORD will make you the leader. He will not make you the follower. You must obey carefully all the *commandments of the *LORD your God that I have given to you today. Then you will always be at the top and not at the bottom. v14 Do not leave these commands in any way. Do not *worship false gods or serve them.’

Verses 1-2: If *Israel obeyed God’s commands, he would *bless them. He would make *Israel the most important nation on earth. At this time, they did not even have a country. The *Israelites were still in the plains of Moab. Their whole future was in front of them.

If they obeyed the commands, the *LORD would *bless them in many ways. They were the people of God’s *covenant and they had promised to obey God. Their future depended on whether they obeyed God’s commands or not.

Verses 3-6: The *blessings from God would extend to every part of *Israel’s life. They would be in their town life. They would be in their country life. The people would profit from everything that they did. They would have many children. Their agriculture would provide all kinds of good crops of grain and fruits. Their animals would increase in numbers. They would always have enough flour to make their bread. They would never have to be hungry.

The *LORD’s goodness would include everything in the *Israelites’ daily labour. He would *bless them as they go to their daily tasks. And he would *bless them as they returned to their homes.

Verse 7: This was a promise of security from attacks by foreign armies. They may come as a strong force but the *LORD would scatter them in defeat.

Verse 8: The *LORD would *bless the *Israelites in everything that they did. They would be able to fill their stores with the fruit and crops from the land.

Verses 9-10: The key to all these *blessings would be to obey the commands of their *LORD God. They would have these *blessings only if they obeyed all God’s commands. If they did obey them then the *LORD would make them his *holy nation. The other nations would see that they were special to God. *Israel would be a witness to the name of the *LORD their God. They would show the love and power of the *LORD God. And the nations would respect them and they would be afraid of them.

Verse 11: The *LORD would give to them more of everything than they needed. Their families would increase. And the *LORD would *bless their farms with both *cattle and crops. The *LORD had promised this country to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Verse 12: Rain was essential for the soil to produce a good harvest. The *LORD would send the rain at the right time for plants to grow. Without the rain, neither the people nor their animals could continue to live in the country.

In their religion, the *Canaanites believed that *Baal sent the rain from his stores above the sky. He was their god who controlled their agriculture. Moses used the same kind of language. He said that the *LORD, not *Baal, had the stores in heaven. The *LORD, not *Baal, controlled the agriculture.

The *LORD would make *Israel a wealthy country. They would not need any help from other countries. However, they would be able to lend to many countries.

Verse 13: *Israel would become a leader among the nations. But for that to happen they must obey all God’s commands.

Verse 14: Again, Moses warns the *Israelites that they must not refuse to obey the commands. In particular, they must not *worship false gods and they must not serve them.

If you do not obey the commands, God will punish you                    28:15-68

v15 ‘I am giving these *commandments and rules to you today. Suppose that you do not obey the *LORD your God. Suppose that you do not continue to *keep his *commandments carefully. All these *curses will happen to you.

v16 God will *curse your towns and your fields.

v17 God will *curse your crops of grain and the food that you prepare.

v18 You will have only a few children, poor crops and a few *cattle and sheep.

v19 God will *curse you when you go in. And he will *curse you when you go out.

v20 The *LORD will send upon you *curses, *disaster and trouble in everything that you do. You have done evil acts and you have left him. Therefore, he will *destroy you and he will quickly ruin you. v21 The *LORD will send diseases to attack you. He will leave none of you in the country that you will soon enter as your possession. v22 The *LORD will send these particular problems to attack you. He will cause your bodies to be sore and you will be hot because of the diseases. He will send very hot winds and a lack of water. Diseases called blight and mildew will attack your crops. Because of those *disasters you will die. v23 No rain will fall and the ground will be as hard as iron. v24 Instead of rain in your country, the *LORD will send dust and sand. He will do that until he has *destroyed you.

v25 The *LORD will allow your enemies to defeat you. You will attack them from one direction but you will run away in seven directions. All the people in every country will see what happens to you. You will be an awful sight. v26 The birds in the air and the animals on the earth will eat your dead bodies. Nobody will frighten them away. v27 The *LORD will send painful spots under your skin as he did to the *Egyptians. You will have unpleasant things that grow in your body. And you will have diseases on your skin. Your skin will hurt you. Nobody will be able to cure you of those things. v28 You will go mad. The *LORD will make you blind and confused. v29 At midday you will have to feel round, like a blind man. You will not succeed in anything that you do. Day after day, people will be cruel to you and they will rob you. Nobody will come to help you.

v30 You will have plans to marry a woman, but another man will have sex with her. You will build a house, but you will never live in it. You will plant a field of *grapes, but you will never eat its fruit. v31 You will see someone kill your *ox. But you will not eat it. Someone will take your *donkey from you cruelly and you will not get it back. Someone will give your sheep to your enemies and nobody will rescue them. v32 You will see someone give your children as slaves to foreigners. Every day you will look for your children to return, but they will not return. v33 You will work hard to produce your crops but a foreign nation will take them all. You will receive nothing but terrible cruelty. v34 The things that you see will make you go mad. v35 The *LORD will cover your knees and your legs with painful spots under the skin. Nobody will be able to cure them. The painful spots will cover you from your head to your feet.

v36 The *LORD will force you and your king to go to another nation. Neither you nor your *ancestors will have known that nation. There, you will *worship false gods that they make out of wood and out of stone. v37 The *LORD will send you into other countries. The people there will look at you with disgust and shock. The people there will laugh at you.

v38 You will sow plenty of seeds but you will have only a little harvest. Insects called locusts will eat your crops. v39 You will plant fields of *grapes and you will look after them. But you will not pick the *grapes or drink the wine. Tiny animals called worms will eat the *grapes. v40 *Olive trees will grow everywhere in your country. But you will not put the oil on your body because the *olives will drop off the trees. v41 You will have sons and daughters, but you will lose them. The enemy will take them away as prisoners. v42 Insects will eat all your trees and your crops.

v43 The foreigners who live in your country will continue to get more power. Slowly you will lose your power. v44 The foreigners will lend money to you. But you will not have any money to lend to them. In the end, they will be the leaders and you will be the followers.

v45 All these *curses will come upon you. They will come after you and they will catch you. Then people will *destroy you. That is because you did not obey the *LORD your God. You did not *keep all his *commandments and his rules that he gave to you. v46 Those *curses will be a *sign and a *wonder to you and to your *descendants for always.

v47 The *LORD your God *blessed you. But you did not serve him in a joyful and happy way. v48 Because of that, you will serve the enemies that the *LORD will send against you. You will be hungry and you will not have enough to drink. You will be naked. You will need everything. The *LORD will deal with you severely until he has *destroyed you.

v49 The *LORD will bring against you a nation from a distant country. You will not understand their language. That nation will come upon you like a large bird called an eagle. v50 Its people will have very fierce faces. They will not respect old people and they will not pity young people. v51 They will eat your young *cattle and your crops. You will die because you are hungry. They will not leave any corn, wine, oil, young *cattle or young sheep. Then you will die. v52 They will attack all the cities that are in the country. The high, strong walls that you trusted will fall down. Your enemies will surround all the cities in the country that the *LORD your God is giving to you.

v53 They will cause you to suffer so much that you will even eat your children. You will eat the bodies of the sons and daughters that the *LORD your God has given to you. v54 Even the gentlest man will not pity his own brother. Nor will he pity the wife whom he loves. He will not pity the rest of his children. v55 He will not give to them any of the bodies of his own children that he is eating. He will have no other food, because the enemy will cause you to suffer so much in your towns. v56 The gentlest woman, who would not even walk anywhere, will do these things too. She will not give anything to the husband, whom she loves, or to her own children. v57 She will not give to them the material that comes out of her body after the birth of a baby. Nor will she give to them her baby who has just been born. She will eat both of them secretly. That is because of her great trouble when the enemy surrounds the city.

v58 Suppose that you do not obey carefully all the law in this book. Suppose that you do not give honour to the wonderful and powerful name of the *LORD your God. v59 The *LORD will send to you and to your *descendants terrible diseases, awful *disasters and serious illnesses. v60 He will send to you again all the terrible diseases that you had in Egypt. You will never recover. v61 The *LORD will send to you every kind of illness and *disaster. This book of the law does not even record them. Then you will die. v62 Then you, who were as many as the stars in the sky, will become few in number. That will be because you did not obey the *LORD your God. v63 The *LORD was happy to give good things to you. And he was happy to make you increase in numbers. Now he will be happy to ruin you and to *destroy you. God will take you out of the country that you had entered as your possession.

v64 And the *LORD will scatter you among the nations. You will go from one end of the earth to the other end. There you will serve false gods that people make out of wood and stone. Neither you nor your *ancestors have known those false gods. v65 You will not find any peace among those nations. There will be nowhere where you can stay. The *LORD will give to you an anxious mind. Your sight will be weak. You will feel full of despair. v66 You will be in danger. During the day and the night, terror will fill you. You will be in constant fear of death. v67 In the morning, you will wish for the evening. In the evening, you will wish for the morning. That will be because of the fear that fills your minds. The things that you will see will also make you afraid. v68 The *LORD will send you back to Egypt in ships. I had said that you would never have that journey again. There you will try to sell yourselves as male and female slaves to your enemies. But nobody will buy you.’

Verses 15-19: All these *curses would happen to the people that did not obey the commands. In this section, there are 6 *curses. These match the 6 *blessings in verses 3-6. Verse 16 is the opposite of verse 3. Verse 17 is the opposite of verse 5. Verse 18 is the opposite of verse 4. And verse 19 is the opposite of verse 6.

When the *LORD gave the *covenant to them, they promised to obey him. Not to obey the *LORD would be the same as to turn away from him. Then he would not *bless them but he would *curse them.

The *curses from God would extend to every part of *Israel’s life. He would *curse them in their towns and he would *curse them in the country. They would have few children. Their agriculture would not succeed. They would have poor harvests and their animals would not have many young animals.

The *LORD’s *curses would affect all their daily labour. He would *curse them as they went to their daily tasks. And he would *curse them as they returned to their homes.

Verse 20: If they did not obey the *LORD, they would, in effect, have turned away from him. They would have forgotten their God. He would send on them *curses, confusion and anger in everything that they do. A series of *disasters would *destroy them quickly.

Verse 21: The *LORD would send disease after disease on them. Because of the diseases, there would be none of them left in the country.

Verse 22: The *LORD would send diseases upon the people. They would suffer with sores and with the heat of the diseases. He would send hot winds on them. And he would cause them to have no water. In addition, he would send diseases on the plants. The plants would not produce good grain or fruit. Because of all those *disasters the people would die.

Verses 23-24: The sky would shine like metal in the bright light of the sun. It would be very hot and there would not be any rain. And the earth would become hard and dry like iron. The crops would not be able to grow. There would be no grass for the animals to eat. The wind would stir up dust and sand. The dust and the sand would cover everything. The atmosphere would be like a hot oven. The people would not be able to live in those circumstances.

Verses 25-26: If they obeyed the *LORD, they would defeat their enemies. The enemies would run away in 7 directions (verse 7 above). But the opposite would happen if they did not obey the *LORD. The other nations would look at them in surprise. They would see the terrible *curse that the God of *Israel had brought upon his people.

Nobody would bury the bodies of the dead *Israelites. The birds and the animals would eat them. And there would be nobody to chase them away.

Verse 27: The *LORD would cause their skin to rise with painful spots as he had done to the *Egyptians (Exodus 9:9-11). He would make their bodies split open with sores. Their bodies would hurt all over. They would not be able to get comfortable. And nobody could cure them of those things.

Verse 28: The *LORD would cause them to go mad and blind. That may be an effect of the diseases in their bodies. The *LORD would make them confused in their minds. They would suffer in their minds as well as in their bodies.

Verse 29: Even at midday when the light is strongest, they would not be able to find their way. They would be in darkness like blind persons. Probably they would be blind in their minds rather than in their eyes. They would have lost their way. And they would not know which way to go. Whatever they tried to do, they would not succeed. Their enemies would be able to overcome them and they would rob them. *Israel would not have any friends who could rescue them.

Verse 30: In verses 30-34, Moses gave examples of particular troubles. If the *Israelites did not obey the *LORD, they would have those kinds of troubles. They would come into effect after defeat in battle.

There were three reasons for a man not to join the army. They were as follows:

He had agreed to marry a woman but he had not yet married her.

He had built a new house but he had not lived in it.

He had planted a field of *grapes but he had not begun to enjoy the fruit.

(See Deuteronomy 20:5-7.)

However, they would cancel these reasons because the *LORD would not fight on behalf of *Israel. The man would have to fight with the army.

Then the woman would have sex with another man. Another person would live in his house. Another person would take the fruit from his field. Probably these actions would be by the enemy that defeated *Israel. The man may die in battle or the enemy may take him as a prisoner.

Verses 31-32: The man may be alive and in his own country. Then he might see the enemy’s actions. The enemy would get control over the animals. They would kill some of them for meat but the owner would not eat of it. They would take his *donkeys and his sheep as well. The enemy would sell his children to be slaves in another country. The parents would hope for them to return but they would never see their children again.

Verses 33-34: The people would work hard to produce their crops. But they would have no benefit from all their labour. The enemy would take everything. They would leave nothing for the people. And the enemy would be very cruel to them. All these things would cause people to become mad.

Verse 35: Moses repeats the *LORD’s *curse of painful spots that would cause their skin to rise. These would spread all over them from their feet to their heads. There would not be anybody who could cure them.

Verses 36-37: The *Israelites on the plain of Moab knew that their parents had been slaves in Egypt. The *LORD had saved them and he had given his *covenant to them. Soon they would go into their new country. If they did not obey his *covenant, the *LORD would send them out of that country. He would send them and their king to a foreign country. That would not be Egypt but a country that their *ancestors did not know. Their masters would force them to *worship gods of wood or stone.

Wherever the *LORD sent them the people would be against them. They would insult them and they would laugh at them. And most of them would hate the *Jews.

Verses 38-42: These verses explain the *curse in verses 17-18. The *Israelites would work hard in their fields. They would sow many seeds. Insects called locusts would eat their crops. Therefore, there would be few crops to harvest. Also, the locusts would strip the trees of their leaves and fruit. The *Israelites would have fields that their *grapes grew in. Tiny animals called worms would eat the *grapes. Therefore, there would not be enough *grapes to make wine. There were many *olive trees in that country. But the *olives would fall off the trees before they were ripe enough to use.

The three main products of their agriculture would be corn, wine and oil. The *LORD would cause things that would spoil all three.

The *Israelites would have sons and daughters. But the enemy would take them away as prisoners.

Verses 43-44: The *curse from God would affect every part of their lives. If they had obeyed the *LORD, they would have become wealthy. They would have been able to lend to other nations and they would not need any help from them. (See Deuteronomy 28:12-13.) However, if they did not obey the *LORD, the foreigners would become powerful in their new country. The *curse would be the opposite of the *blessing.

Verses 45-46: If the *Israelites did not obey all God’s commands, these *curses would come upon them. The *curses would continue until the *LORD had *destroyed the nation of *Israel. The result of the *curses would be a lesson to those who avoided death. Their *descendants would see what had happened. They would know why it happened. That would warn the *descendants. They must not do as their *ancestors did.

Verses 47-48: If the *Israelites obeyed the *LORD, he would *bless them in everything. Because of the wealth that he would give to them, they would have much joy. They would be happy to serve the *LORD.

They would soon enter the country called *Canaan. There they would know the good things that the *LORD had promised to them. However, if they did not obey the *LORD, he would send enemies against them. The *Israelites would serve those enemies. Then they would not have enough to eat or to drink. They would not have sufficient clothes to wear. They would not have enough of anything.

It would be as if the *LORD had tied a heavy object round their necks. It would feel like the weight of God’s *curses on them. They would not be able to free themselves. And in the end, the *LORD would *destroy them.

Verses 49-50: The *LORD would bring a foreign nation as his agent. He would use that nation to punish *Israel. An eagle is a large bird that is fast and powerful. And the foreign armies would be very powerful and fierce like that. They would quickly overcome *Israel. They would be cruel. They would not have any pity on the old people or on the young people.

Verse 51: The foreigners would eat from the *cattle and the crops. And they would take away all the animals and the crops. There would be nothing left for the *Israelites to eat. Many of them would die because they have no food.

Verse 52: The enemy would defeat all the towns in *Israel. The *Israelites would not trust in the *LORD. Therefore, their high walls would not save them. The enemy would break down the walls. All the towns that the *LORD would give to *Israel they would lose to the enemy. Without the *LORD their God, defeat would be certain.

Verses 53-57: The enemy would camp round the towns. It would not take a long time before there would be no more food in the towns. The situation would be so severe that the people would begin to eat their own children. The people would eat each other to try to stay alive. A mother would even eat her child that had just been born. And she would eat the material that comes from her body after the birth.

These awful experiences would be because of their enemies. Their enemies would stop any help from getting to the towns. However, it would all be part of the *LORD’s *curses because they had not obeyed the *covenant.

Verses 58-59: This last section of the chapter is very different from the *blessings that God had promised in the *covenant. They show the terrible situation that the *curse would cause for *Israel.

God had given a *covenant of love to his people *Israel. They must obey all the commands in that *covenant. They should give honour to his name as their *LORD God. The name of God was very important in what Moses wrote. It was the *LORD who made heaven and earth. And he was the God of their *ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. If they did not obey him, God would change his *blessings into *curses. God is always fair and all his acts are right. They knew about the *curses before they went into the country. They would deserve the *curses if they turned away from the *LORD.

Verses 60-61: Before the *covenant at Horeb (Sinai) God had brought severe diseases on the *Egyptians. He had done that in order to *bless the *Israelites. If the *Israelites obeyed the *LORD, they could be sure of this: God would not cause them to have any of the illnesses that they had known in Egypt (Deuteronomy 7:15). However, the result of God’s *curse would be the opposite. He would bring those same diseases upon *Israel. And they would suffer from more diseases than the *Egyptians had known.

Verses 62-63: God had *blessed their *ancestors. They were few in number when they first went to Egypt. When God brought them out of Egypt, God had multiplied their number. They became a great nation. But by the *curse, God would cause their numbers to decrease. They would become fewer and fewer until at last God would *destroy their nation. He would remove them from the country that he had given to them.

Verse 64: The *LORD would cause the enemies of *Israel to scatter them among the nations. They would go all over the world as strangers and foreigners wherever they went. Without the *blessing of their God, they would serve other gods that their *ancestors had not known. That did happen to the *Jews.

Verses 65-67: With the *blessings, while they remained confident in the *LORD, foreign nations would *fear *Israel. With the *curses, *Israel would be afraid of foreign nations. And they would be in foreign countries.

The *blessing of the *covenant was long life in the country that God was giving to them. However, if they suffered the *curse they would *fear death daily.

Verse 68: God brought the *Israelites out of Egypt. There they had been slaves. Because of the *curse, they would return to Egypt. There, their lives would be very difficult for them. They would even try to sell themselves as slaves but nobody would want to buy them.

Chapter 29

The *covenant in Moab                             29:1-29

v1 These are the words of the *covenant. The *LORD ordered Moses to give it to the *Israelites in the country called Moab. This was in addition to the *covenant that he had given to them at *Mount Sinai.

v2 Moses called all the *Israelites together and he said to them, ‘You saw all the things that the *LORD did in Egypt to the king and to all his officials. And you saw everything that *LORD did to all his country. v3 You saw the great troubles, the *signs and the great *wonders. v4 But the *LORD has not given to you yet a mind that understands. You do not understand what your eyes see. You do not understand what your ears hear. v5 “I led you for 40 years in the *desert. Your clothes and your shoes did not wear out. v6 You did not eat bread or drink wine or strong alcohol. I did those things so that you would know this: I am the *LORD your God.”

v7 You came to this place. Then Sihon, king of Heshbon, and Og, king of Bashan, fought against us. But we defeated them. v8 We got power over their country. We gave it to the *tribe of Reuben, the *tribe of Gad and half the *tribe of Manasseh. Now it belongs to them.

v9 Obey carefully all the words of this *covenant. Then you will succeed in everything that you do.

v10 Today you are standing in front of the *LORD your God. The chiefs of your *tribes, your leaders, your officials, and all the men from *Israel, are here. v11 Your wives and your children are here. The foreigners are also here. They chop your wood and they collect your water. v12 You are here in order to agree this *covenant with the *LORD your God. The *LORD is giving this *covenant to you today with his promise. v13 Today he is establishing this. You are his people and he will be your God. That is what he told you. And that is what he promised to you and to your *ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. v14 I am not giving this *covenant and this promise only to you. v15 You stand here with us in front of the *LORD our God today. But I am also giving this *covenant and this promise to those who are not here today.

v16 You remember how we lived in Egypt. You know how we passed through the countries on the way here. v17 You saw the terrible *idols that they made out of wood, stone, silver and gold. v18 Make sure that no man or woman, no family or *tribe here today, leaves the *LORD our God. Make sure that they do not *worship the false gods of those nations. That would be like a root that grows into a poisonous plant.

v19 A person may hear this serious *covenant and then he may *bless himself. He says, “I shall be safe. So I shall continue to do what pleases me.” That would *destroy you all, good people and evil people alike. v20 The *LORD will not forgive that person. Instead, the *LORD will be angry with the man. All the *curses that are in this book will come upon him. The *LORD will *destroy him and the *LORD will remove his name from the world. v21 The *LORD will separate him out from all the *tribes in *Israel and he will send *disaster to him. That man will suffer all the *curses of the *covenant that are in this book of the law.

v22 Then the next *generation of your children, and people from foreign countries, will see the *disasters that have happened. They will see how the *LORD has sent disease to this country. v23 The land will burn and it will have no use. Salt and a yellow chemical called sulphur will cover the soil. There will be no grass. Nothing will grow there. It will be like the cities called Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim. The *LORD *destroyed those cities because he was very angry. v24 All the nations will ask, “Why did the *LORD do this to the country? Why was he so angry?”

v25 The answer will be this. “It is because these people now do not obey the *covenant. That is the *covenant that they had with the *LORD, the God of their *ancestors. The *LORD gave that *covenant to them when he brought them out of Egypt. v26 But they went away and they served false gods. They *worshipped false gods that they had not known before. They were false gods that the *LORD had not given to them. v27 Therefore the *LORD was very angry with the country. So, he brought upon the country all the *curses that are in this book. v28 The *LORD became very angry. Because he was so very angry, he made the people leave their country. He sent them into another country, where they are today.”

v29 There are some things that the *LORD our God has kept as a secret. But the things that he has shown to us belong to us and to our children for always. So, we must obey his law.’

Verse 1: This verse can be the end of the previous section or the beginning of this section. It seems that the words of the *covenant have come before this verse. However, in the next three chapters Moses spoke about the *covenant again.

The *LORD gave the *covenant to the *Israelites at *Mount Horeb (Sinai). Moses also gave the *covenant to the *Israelites in the country called Moab. But that was not a second *covenant. Moses was explaining the *covenant in more detail. Moses gave to them what the *LORD ordered him to say. There was only one *covenant with the *Israelites from Egypt to Moab. The *LORD ordered Moses to give the *covenant to the *Israelites.

Verses 2-3: Moses spoke to all the *Israelites. He asked them to remember what God had done on their behalf. He reminded them of the troubles, *signs and *wonders that God had brought upon the *Egyptians. Many of those *Israelites were not there in Egypt. The men who were over 20 years old at Kadesh died in the *desert. They were in Kadesh about two years after they left Egypt. However, all the *Israelites knew what had happened in Egypt.

Verse 4: The *Israelites knew what the *LORD had done. However, they did not understand what it all meant. The *LORD had not yet shown it to them.

Verse 5: The *LORD led the people for 40 years in the *desert. In all that time, their clothes and their shoes did not wear out. Probably they would have brought plenty of clothes with them from Egypt. Probably they handed on clothes as children grew. But the clothes remained in a good state. The journey was often over rough ground but their shoes did not wear out.

Verse 6: The *Israelites did not have the means to make bread. However, the *LORD provided them with enough manna for every day in all those years. Manna was a kind of bread that came on the ground each morning. They could not make wine or other drinks of alcohol. But the *LORD provided sufficient water for them to drink. The *LORD provided everything that they needed. He wanted them to know that he was the *LORD their God.

Verses 7-8: In recent times, they had come to the territories of King Sihon and King Og. Those two kings each fought against the *Israelites. With the *LORD’s help, the *Israelites defeated both kings and they got power over their territories. Those territories became the property of the *tribes of Reuben, Gad and half the *tribe of Manasseh.

Verses 9-12: That day the people were all there in front of the *LORD. The chiefs, leaders and officials were with Moses. And all the men, women and children were there, including the foreigners who lived with them. They were there to agree a *covenant with the *LORD. And the *LORD was giving his *covenant to the people. The *LORD had given this *covenant to them at *Mount Horeb. Then their parents had agreed to the *covenant. They had promised to obey all the *LORD’s commands. Now all the people must promise to obey the *covenant and all God’s commands. The new nation of *Israel would be in this *covenant with the *LORD their God.

To ‘agree’ the *covenant meant to agree to both the *blessings and the *curses. If they obeyed all the commands, the *LORD would *bless them. Then they would succeed in everything that they did. However, if they did not obey the commands, the *LORD would *curse them. The *covenant included both the *blessings and the *curses.

Verse 13: The *LORD was making the *Israelites his special people (Exodus 19:5). And he would be their God. That is what the *LORD promised to their *ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Verses 14-15: This *covenant was with all those people there on the plains of Moab. But it was not only with them. It was a *covenant between the *LORD God and the nation of *Israel. The *covenant was for the future of that nation as well. It would be for the *descendants of those who were there that day. The people must obey the *covenant. The future for the nation depended on that. All future *Israelites must obey the *covenant. The *blessings and the *curses were for them as well.

Verse 16: In Egypt and as they travelled over the past 40 years, they had seen other religions. They had seen how other people *worshipped their gods. They had seen the terrible things that those nations did. They had seen the *idols that men made from various materials. When the *Israelites crossed the River Jordan, they would find more such religions in the country called *Canaan. Moses warned them that none of their hearts should turn away from the *LORD God. They must not serve any other god. That would be a terrible *sin against the first command in the *covenant. That command said that you should have no other gods.

If a man or a group *sinned in this way, it would be like a poisonous root. That poison would affect the whole nation. And it would cause all the *curses that were in the *covenant to come upon the nation.

Verse 19: A person may hear the words of this *covenant but he may continue to *sin against it. He may not obey it. But he may think that he was safe. He may be confident because he was part of God’s nation. God’s nation would receive the *blessings of the *covenant. Then he may say that he has peace. He can do what he wants. However, the *covenant was with the nation and with every person in it. Each person was responsible to obey the *covenant. If one person did not obey, that might bring danger of judgement to their whole society.

Verses 20-21: That person’s actions would be so serious that the *LORD would not forgive him. The *LORD would be angry with that person. He would suffer all the *curses that were in the *covenant. And the *LORD would remove that person from his people. That person would suffer all the *disasters that follow the *curses in the *covenant.

Verses 22–23: If the people did not obey the *covenant, the *curses would come upon them. The next *generation of children and foreigners would see what had happened. The people would suffer terrible diseases and the land would become like a *desert. The land would burn with salt and chemicals such as the one called sulphur. That would be like when God *destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim (Genesis 19:24-29). Nothing would be able to grow there.

Verses 24-26: The nations would ask why. The answer would be that the *Israelites did not obey their God’s *covenant. With their God, they agreed to this *covenant for the first time at *Mount Horeb (Sinai). Then they agreed to it a second time while they were in the Plains of Moab. However, they might go away from their *LORD. They might serve strange gods that they and their *ancestors had not known.

Verses 27-28: If they did that, the *LORD would be very angry. The *curses in the *covenant would come upon them. The *LORD would bring upon them all the *curses that were in this book. He would be so angry that he would throw the *Israelites out of their country. He would force them to live in other countries.

Verse 29: The *LORD told the *Israelites everything that they needed to know about himself. He told them everything that he wanted them to do. He gave his law to *Israel. He made them responsible for that law. They knew how important it was for them to obey all this law. The *LORD had not shown every part his purpose to them at that time. He had not shown to them what he would do in the future.

Chapter 30

If you *repent, God will forgive you                            30:1-10

v1 ‘All these *blessings and *curses, that I have told you about, will happen to you. You will live among the nations where the *LORD your God has scattered you. Then remember. v2 Suppose that you and your *descendants return to the *LORD your God. Then you obey completely all the commands that I am giving to you today. v3 Then the *LORD your God will be *merciful to you. You will not continue to be prisoners. He will bring you back from the nations where the *LORD your God has scattered you. v4 Maybe he scattered you to the most distant country in the world. Even then, the *LORD your God will gather you from there and he will bring you back. v5 He will bring you to the country that belonged to your *ancestors. Then you will possess it. The *LORD will make you richer and more successful. You will be more in number than your *ancestors were. v6 The *LORD your God will give to you and to your *descendants, a desire to obey him. So, you will love the *LORD your God completely and you will live. v7 The *LORD your God will send all these *curses to your enemies. They hate you and they attack you. v8 You will obey the *LORD again. You will *keep all his *commandments that I order you today. v9 Then the *LORD your God will make you successful in everything that you do. You will have many children and many *cattle. Your fields will produce many crops. The *LORD was glad to make your *ancestors successful. In the same way, he will be glad to make you successful. v10 You will have to obey the *LORD your God. You will have to *keep all his *commandments and all his rules that are in this book of the law. You will have to return and you will have to *worship the *LORD your God completely.’

Verses 1-2: All the *blessings and the *curses would remain in the *covenant. Which of these happens would depend on the *Israelites’ actions. If they obeyed the *covenant, they would receive the *blessings. If they did not obey the *covenant, they would receive the *curses.

At some future time if they had not obeyed the *covenant, they would live among the nations. The *LORD would have scattered them there. The *covenant would still be the same. They should remember why they were there. It would be because they did not obey the *covenant. When they have realised the reason, they should *repent of their past. They should return to the *LORD their God. And they should return to the *covenant to obey all God’s commands.

Verses 3-5: Then the *LORD would be *merciful to them. He would bring them back to their own country. The *LORD would bring them from all the nations where he had scattered them. The *LORD had promised their *ancestors that he would give that country to their *descendants. History shows us that the *LORD did remove the nation of *Israel from their country. Now there is a nation called *Israel again. Not all the *Jewish people ‘completely obey God’s commands’ (verse 2). Not all the things that God has promised have happened yet. (See Romans chapters 9-11.) We do not yet see that all the *Jews obey the *covenant. However, the *LORD will give a new *covenant to them (Jeremiah 32:40). It will be a *covenant of peace that will last for all time (Ezekiel 37:26).

God will help them to *repent. This is what the *LORD said by Ezekiel:

‘I will take you out of the nations. I will gather you out of all the countries. I will bring you back into your own country. Then I will wash you with clean water. So you will be clean. I will remove all your *sins and I will remove your false gods. I will give a new heart to you and I will put a new spirit in you. I will remove the hearts that seem as hard as stone. I will give to you new hearts that will obey me. I will put my Spirit in you. Then you will want to do what I tell you. You will be eager to obey my rules. You will live in the country that I gave to your *ancestors. You will be my people, and I will be your God.’ (See Ezekiel 36:24-28.)

Verse 6: At that time, the *LORD would change the hearts of his people *Israel. The *LORD would change their whole attitude towards him. Then they would obey the first command to love the *LORD their God completely.

Verse 7: The *LORD would put on their enemies the *curses that *Israel’s people had suffered.

Verses 8-10: The *Israelites would obey the *LORD. They would obey all the commands that Moses brought to them. If they did obey all those commands, the *LORD would be glad to give the *blessings of the *covenant to them. The new *covenant in their hearts would still mean that they must obey the *LORD. They must return to the *LORD their God. And they must *worship only him.

Those *blessings would be in everything that they did. They would have many children. Their *cattle would increase. Their agriculture would produce well. It would be as it was at first. Then the *LORD *blessed their *ancestors.

God offers life or death to the *Israelites                         30:11-20

v11 ‘The *commandment that I am giving to you today is not too difficult for you. It is not too hard for what you are able to do. v12 It is not in heaven. You do not have to ask this. “Who will go up to heaven and bring it down for us? Then we will hear it and we will do it.” v13 It is not on the other side of the sea, so you do not have to ask this question. “Who will go across the sea to get it? Then they can bring it to us. And we can hear it and we can do it.” v14 No, the words are very near to you. They are in your minds and you can speak about them. So, you can obey them too.

v15 Today I am giving a choice to you. You can choose to live and then good things will happen to you. Or you can choose death and then very bad things will happen to you. v16 Today, I order you to love the *LORD your God. You must do what he says. And you must *keep his *commandments, rules and laws. Then you will live and you will increase in numbers. The *LORD your God will *bless you in the country that you will enter as your possession.

v17 But maybe you will not obey and you will refuse to listen. People may persuade you to *worship false gods and to serve them. v18 If so, I tell you that God will *destroy you. You will cross the River Jordan. And you will enter the country to possess it. But you will not stay there for a long time.

v19 I ask heaven and earth to be a witness against you today. I have given the choice to you. You can choose to live or to die. And you can choose between *blessings and *curses. Therefore, choose to live, so that you and your *descendants can live. v20 Love the *LORD your God. Obey what he says. Be *faithful to him. The *LORD makes you alive. He will let you live for many years in the country. He promised to give this country to your *ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’

Verses 11-14: Moses spoke again about that day in the plains of Moab. He told them that to obey the commands was possible. They were not hard to do. They were not too difficult for the people to obey. The commands were not beyond their reach. They did not need an agent to go into heaven to get them. The commands were not such a long way away that someone needed to fetch them. Perhaps this means that they did not need someone to explain the commands to them. They could easily understand the commands.

The commands were practical and they could obey them. They could not say that they did not know the commands. They had no excuse not to obey the *LORD’s commands. They knew the words and they could speak them.

Verses 15-18: Moses made it clear that the people had a choice. They were responsible for what they chose. Either they could choose to live or they could choose death. If they chose to live, they would have good things in their lives. If they chose death, they would suffer the bad things of death. Moses explained what these choices meant.

To choose to live they must love the *LORD their God. They must obey his commands, rules and laws. Then the *LORD would give all the *blessings of the *covenant to them.

They may refuse to obey the *LORD. They may turn from the *LORD to other gods. Then the *LORD would bring all the *curses of the *covenant on them. In the end, he would send them out of the country that he was giving to them.

Verses 19-20: Moses urged the people to choose the right thing. He called on heaven and earth to be witnesses. God had created them and they would be there for each *generation. It was a serious decision that the people had. The choice was between *blessings and *curses. Moses told them that they must choose to live. That choice would consist of love for the *LORD. They would obey all his commands. And they would be loyal to him.

Then they and their *descendants would live. They would continue to live in the country that God promised to their *ancestors.

Chapter 31

Joshua will replace Moses                             31:1-8

v1 Then Moses continued to speak to all the *Israelites. v2 ‘I am now 120 years old. I cannot continue to lead you. The *LORD has said to me, “You shall not go across the River Jordan.” v3 The *LORD your God himself will cross over ahead of you. He will *destroy the nations that are in front of you. Then you will possess their country. Also, the *LORD has told you that Joshua will lead you across the river. v4 Sihon and Og were the kings of the *Amorites. The *LORD will do to those nations what he did to those kings and to their country. He destroyed them. v5 The *LORD will hand over those nations to you. You must do to them everything that I have ordered you to do. v6 Be strong and have courage. You must not be afraid of those nations. The *LORD your God goes with you. He will always help you and he will not leave you.’

v7 Then Moses called Joshua. And Moses spoke to Joshua in front of all the *Israelites. ‘Be strong and have courage. You will go with these people into the country. The *LORD has promised it to their *ancestors. And you must cause them to possess it. They will continue to possess it in the future. v8 The *LORD himself will lead you and he will be with you. He will not leave you and he will always help you. Do not be afraid. Do not lose courage.’

Verses 1-2: Moses was aware that he would soon die. Because of that fact, he again encouraged the people to trust in God. And he wanted to be sure that they would accept Joshua as their next leader.

Moses spoke to all the people. He told them that he was 120 years old. He could not continue to lead them. He was too old but that was not the only reason. The *Israelites would soon cross the River Jordan into the country that God had promised to them. The *LORD had said that he would not allow Moses to go across the river.

Some years before, the *Israelites complained to Moses that there was no water. The *LORD told Moses to take his special stick and to speak to the rock. Moses was so angry that he hit the rock. Because of that, the *LORD said that Moses could not lead the people into the country (Deuteronomy 3:23-29).

Moses was old. But that was not the reason for his death (Deuteronomy 34:7). He would die because the time for *Israel to go into *Canaan had come. And Moses would not enter that country.

Verse 3: Moses would not cross the River Jordan. However, he encouraged the *Israelites by the promise that the *LORD would cross over ahead of them. He would *destroy those 7 nations that lived in the country (Joshua 3:10). The *Israelites would possess their countries, their towns and their properties.

The *LORD had appointed Joshua to be their leader. And he would lead them across the river. He would lead them to get power over the territory (Deuteronomy 1:38).

Verse 4: The *LORD would *destroy the nations over the river as he had *destroyed Sihon and Og. The *LORD had led the *Israelites to defeat those two *Amorite kings. The *Israelites had killed all their people. And the *Israelites now possessed all their territories (Deuteronomy 2:32-34; 3:3-4). This history should give confidence to the *Israelites for the future.

Verse 5: The *LORD would give those nations to *Israel. The *Israelites must kill all their people. The *Israelites must not have any agreements with them. And the *Israelites must *destroy everything that belonged to their religions.

Verse 6: Moses urged the *Israelites to be strong and to have courage. They must not be afraid because the *LORD would go with them. The *LORD would help them and he would never leave them.

Moses would remind them again that they must remain loyal to the *LORD. They had to obey the *covenant and these promises depended on that.

Verses 7-8: Moses repeated to Joshua what he had just said to the people. In front of all the people, he told Joshua to be strong and to have courage. Then Moses told Joshua that he would be their leader. The words that Moses spoke in public would encourage Joshua. The people would know that the *LORD and Moses had appointed Joshua to lead them.

Joshua must take the people into the country that the *LORD had promised to their *ancestors. That would be a great honour for him. Also, it would be a great responsibility. He would lead the *Israelites in many battles. And he would be responsible to divide the country so that each *tribe had some land.

The *LORD would lead Joshua and the *LORD would help him. The *LORD would not leave him. Therefore, Joshua must not be afraid and he must not lose his courage.

Read the law every seventh year                             31:9-13

v9 So Moses wrote down this law. He gave it to the priests, who were the sons of Levi. They carried the box of the *covenant of the *LORD. He also gave the law to the leaders of *Israel. v10-11 Moses gave this command to them. ‘At the end of every 7 years, in the year when you cancel debts, read these laws. Do it at the *Festival of Shelters when all *Israelites come to give honour to the *LORD your God. They must come to the place that he will choose. Then read this law aloud to them, so that they will hear it. v12 Call all the people. Call the men, women, children and foreigners who are living in your towns. Then they will listen. And they will learn to *fear the *LORD your God. They will learn to obey all this law carefully. v13 So their children, who do not know the law, will hear it. And the children will learn to *fear the *LORD your God for as long as you live in the country. You will go across the River Jordan in order to possess this country.’

Verse 9: Moses wrote down this law. We do not know how much of the law this means. It may have been the whole of Deuteronomy, or at least to chapter 30. It may have been the basic laws that he spoke about in this book. In effect, what Moses wrote was the record or contract of the *covenant.

He gave what he had written to the priests and to the leaders of *Israel. The *covenant was an agreement between the *LORD and *Israel. It was normal for each of those in the *covenant to have a copy of the record. In effect, it seems that the priests were the agents for the *LORD. And the leaders were the agents for *Israel. But both priests and leaders were responsible to explain the law to the people.

The priests were those responsible for the *covenant box. In that box, there were the stone blocks that the *LORD had written the 10 commands on.

There is a tradition among the *Jews that Moses made 13 copies of the law. He gave one copy to each of the 12 *tribes and he kept one copy for the *covenant box. However, that is unlikely.

Verses 10-11: Every 7 years, the *Israelites would cancel all debts owed to them by other *Israelites (Deuteronomy 15:1-3). In that year, the leaders and the priests must read aloud the whole record of the *covenant. They must do that at the *Festival of Shelters. All the *Israelites should be there to *worship the *LORD. Therefore, all the *Israelites would hear the law at least each seventh year. It would not have been practical for every *Israelite to be at the special place at the same time. Probably there were *Israelites who were there on behalf other *Israelites. In particular, all the men should be there (Deuteronomy 16:16). However, all the people must hear and they must learn the law at that time.

They had the *Festival of Shelters from the 15th to 21st of the month called Tishri. (Tishri was about September to October.)

Verses 12-13: All the people should hear the law as the priests and the leaders read it to them. All the men, women, children and foreigners who live in the country should hear it. They should all learn to *fear the *LORD God. They must all learn to obey the law. Most of them would already know the law. However, the children may learn it for the first time. They must learn to *fear the *LORD. As each *generation learned to *fear the *LORD, the nation would continue in the country.

The *LORD spoke to Moses and Joshua                 31:14-30

v14 The *LORD said to Moses, ‘You will die soon. Call Joshua. Go with him to the Tent for Meeting. Then I will give his instructions to him.’ Moses and Joshua went to the tent and they showed themselves there.

v15 The *LORD appeared to them there in the shape of a cloud. The cloud was at the entrance to the tent. v16 The *LORD said to Moses, ‘You will die soon. Then the people will serve the foreign false gods in the country that they will enter. The people will not be loyal to me. They will not *keep the *covenant that I gave to them. v17 Then I will be angry with them. I will leave them and I will not help them. I will *destroy them. Many *disasters and troubles will happen to them. When those things happen, they will say, “These *disasters have happened to us because our God is not with us.” v18 I will not help them because they have done evil things. They have served false gods.

v19 Now write down this song. Teach it to the *Israelites and make them sing it. It will be a witness for me against the *Israelites. v20 I will take them into a rich and *fertile country. I promised that to their *ancestors. They will have plenty to eat. They will fill themselves and they will become fat. Then they will start to follow false gods. And they will serve those gods. They will leave me. They will refuse to obey my *covenant. v21 Many *disasters and difficulties will happen to them. This song will remind them about what I said to them. Their *descendants will not forget it. I promised to give the country to them. But I know what they intend to do. They are thinking it, even before I take them into the country.’ v22 Then Moses wrote down the song that day and he taught it to the *Israelites.

v23 Then the *LORD gave this command to Joshua the son of Nun. ‘Be strong and be brave. You will bring the *Israelites into the country that I promised to give to them. I will be with you.’

v24 Moses wrote in a book all the words of God’s laws. v25 Then he gave a command to the *Levites. They carried the box of the *covenant of the *LORD. Moses said, v26 ‘Take this book of the law. Place it next to the box of the *covenant of the *LORD your God. It will remain there as a witness against you. v27 I know this. You refuse to obey and you will not change your behaviour. You have refused to obey the *LORD while I am still alive. You will refuse even more after I die! v28 Gather all the leaders of the *tribes and your officials and come together in front of me. Then I can say these things to them. I will call heaven and earth as my witness against them. v29 I know that after my death you will become completely wicked. You will not continue to do the things that I have ordered you to do. The *LORD will see the evil things that you will do in the future. So you will suffer *disaster. The *idols that you will make will cause the *LORD to be angry.’

v30 While all the *Israelites listened, Moses spoke the words of this song from the beginning to the end:

Verse 14: Because Moses would die soon the *LORD told him to call Joshua. The *LORD told them to go together to the special tent where the *LORD met with them. There the *LORD would give his orders to Joshua.

Verse 15: They went to the tent as the *LORD had told them. There the *LORD came in a cloud at the entrance to the tent.

Verse 16: Then the *LORD spoke out of the cloud to Moses and Joshua about the future of *Israel. After Moses died, the people would cross over the River Jordan. In the new country they would not remain loyal to the *LORD their God. They would not obey the *covenant. They would go after strange gods. And they would serve the gods of the people who were in the country before them.

However, Joshua was a good leader. And those things did not happen until after his death (Joshua 24:31).

Verses 17-18: When the *Israelites turned away from the *LORD, he would turn away from them. The *LORD would be very angry with them. He would leave them. He would hide himself from them and they would not be able to approach him. He would *destroy them. The *curses of the *covenant would come into operation. And they would suffer many *disasters.

The *Israelites would realise the awful truth. The *disasters happened because the *LORD was not with them. They had done evil things and they had served false gods. Therefore, the *LORD would not help them.

Verse 19: The *LORD told Moses and Joshua to write down a song. And he told them to teach it to the *Israelites. When *Israel had turned from their God this song would be a witness against them. With their own mouths, they would sing about the *covenant. Even by this song, they would know the *blessings and the *curses in the *covenant. They would not have any excuse when they did not obey the *LORD.

Many of the people would not have been able to read or to write. To sing this song would be a good way to teach them.

Verse 20: The *LORD had promised to their *ancestors to take the *Israelites into their new country. And the *LORD would take them into it. In that country, the *LORD would *bless them with everything that they needed. Then they would start to turn away from the *LORD. They would not obey the *covenant and they would follow false gods.

Verse 21: The people would turn away from their God. Therefore, the *curses in the *covenant would come upon them. They would suffer many *disasters. God wanted to remind them of what he had said to them. So he gave this song to them. Their *descendants would learn this song. So they would understand what had happened.

The *LORD had promised to give this country to them. However, he knew what would be in the hearts of his people. He knew about it before they thought of it. He knew that they would not continue to obey him. The song would warn them to turn back to the *LORD. But the choice was theirs.

Verse 22: Moses wrote down the song and he taught it to the people. He did it immediately, that same day.

Verse 23: The *LORD spoke to Joshua. He told Joshua to be strong and to have courage. Joshua would replace Moses. And he would lead the *Israelites into the country that the *LORD had promised to give to them.

It was sometimes lonely to be the leader. However, the *LORD promised to be with Joshua. Joshua would never be alone.

Verses 24-26: Moses had completed this book of the law. He had given it to the *Levites for them to read in public on special occasions (Deuteronomy 31:9-13). Now he told them to keep this book with the box of the *covenant. This book would not be in the box of the *covenant. The 10 commands on stone blocks were in the box. The book of the law would show how well the people had obeyed the *covenant. And it would show how they had not obeyed God’s law.

Verses 27-28: The *LORD had said that after Moses’ death the people would not obey the *covenant. Moses knew that they tended not to obey rules. They had been like that many times in the past. Moses was in no doubt that they would be even worse in the future. Therefore, he called all the leaders and officials to come to him. And he warned them about what would happen. Perhaps he spoke the words of the song to those leaders before he spoke them to the people.

Verse 29: Moses told them that *Israel would not continue to obey the *LORD. They would turn away from the *LORD and from his laws. They would do evil things. As a result, many *disasters would happen to *Israel. The *LORD would leave them because he would be so angry with them.

Verse 30: Moses spoke all the words of the song to all the *Israelites. He taught them all the song that the *LORD had given to him.

Chapter 32

The song of Moses                                 32:1-47

v1 ‘Listen, heavens, and I will speak.

        And you, earth, hear the words that I say.

v2 My lessons will come down like the rain.

        My words will form on the earth like the mist in the morning.

    They will be like showers of rain on new grass.

        They will be like much rain on young plants.

v3 I will call aloud the name of the *LORD.

        Oh, tell people that our God is very great!

v4 He is the rock that is strong. What he does is perfect.

        He is a *faithful God. He does not do anything that is wrong.

    He does what is right and fair.

v5 The people have not been *faithful to him.

        They are not like his children. They are *sinful and foolish.

v6 You should not deal with the *LORD in that way.

        You are foolish and stupid people.

    The *LORD is your father. He created you.

        He made you into a nation and he made you firm.

v7 Remember a long time ago. Think about the *generations in the past.

    Ask your father. He will tell you what happened.

Ask your leaders to tell you the story.

v8 God, who is the great God, gave its own land to each nation.

    He settled where the boundaries should be.

He made the boundaries of the *tribes of the *Israelites that depended on their size.

v9 The *LORD’s share was his people.

        He chose Jacob’s *descendants as his special people.

v10 The *LORD found the *Israelites in a *desert.

        It was empty and strong winds blew across it.

    He guarded the *Israelites and he looked after them.

        He protected them as he would protect his own eyes.

v11 He was like an *eagle that teaches its young birds to fly.

        The *eagle spreads its wings to catch its young birds.

        And it carries them on its strong feathers.

v12 The *LORD alone led his people.

        No false god helped them.

v13 God let them rule the mountains.

        He fed them with the harvest that came from the fields.

    He satisfied them with honey that came from the rocks.

        He gave oil to them from the hard rock.

v14 The cows and the goats in *Israel gave plenty of milk.

        *Israel had fat sheep and male sheep from the region called Bashan.

    And *Israel had goats and the finest wheat.

        *Israelites drank wine from the juice of the *grape.

v15 The *LORD’s people became rich and they refused to obey him.

        They ate and they became fat.

    They left the God who had made them.

        God had protected them; God had saved them.

            But they did not honour him.

v16 They made God jealous because they served false gods.

        They made him angry because they *worshipped terrible *idols.

v17 They *sacrificed to devils and they did not *sacrifice to God.

        The *Israelites had not known those false gods in the past.

    Those false gods were new to them.

        The *Israelites’ *ancestors did not *worship them.

v18 You did not follow the God who protected you.

        He made you. You forgot the God who made you alive.

v19 The *LORD saw it with disgust.

        His sons and his daughters made him angry.

v20 “I will not continue to be with them”, he said.

        “I will see what happens to them.

    They refuse to obey me and I cannot trust them.

v21 They made me jealous with their false gods that are not really gods.

        Their *idols have no value, and those *idols made me angry.

    So, I will cause people who are not a nation to make *Israel jealous.

        I will use a foolish nation to make *Israel angry.

v22 My anger will be like a fire

       that will burn down to *Sheol.

    My anger will *destroy the earth and its harvests.

        It will make the base of the mountains burn with fire.

v23 I will send many *disasters upon *Israel.

        I will use up all my *weapons against them.

v24 The *Israelites will become weak because of hunger.

        They will be very hot in their bodies and they will have terrible diseases.

    I will send wild animals to attack them.

        I will send poisonous snakes to bite them.

v25 There will be war in their streets and there will be terror in their homes.

        Young men and young women will die. Babies and old men will all die.

v26 I said that I would scatter the *Israelites.

        Nobody will remember them.

v27 But I was afraid that their enemies would be proud.

        They would not understand.

    Their enemies would say, ‘We have defeated them.

        The *LORD has not done it.’ ”

v28 People in *Israel do not listen to advice.

        They do not have any wisdom.

v29 If they were wise they would understand this.

        Then they would know what would happen to them finally.

v30 One man could not possibly chase 1000 men.

        Two men could not cause 10 000 men to run away.

    That could happen only if God, their strong Rock, would not help them.

        It could happen only if the *LORD had left them.

v31 The false gods of our enemies are not like our God, the strong rock.

        Our enemies know that this is true.

v32 Their enemies are as bad as the people from Sodom and Gomorrah.

        Their enemies are like plants that produce poisonous and bitter *grapes.

v33 Their wine is like the poison of snakes.

v34 “I will remember this.

        I will store it in a safe place.

v35 I will get *revenge. I will punish those people who do wrong things.

        The time will come when they will suffer defeat.

    Their day of *disaster is near.

        Their punishment will happen quickly.”

v36 The *LORD will make a judgement about his people.

        He will be *merciful to his servants.

    He will see that they have lost their strength.

        Nobody remains, slave or free.

v37 Then he will say, “Their gods have not been able to do anything.

        They were sure that their false gods would protect them.

v38 They fed those false gods with their *sacrifices.

        They gave wine to them from their *drink-offerings.

    Let those false gods come. And let them help you!

        Let them protect you!

v39 I am the only God.

        There is no real god apart from me.

    I kill and I make alive.

        I cause injuries and I will cure.

    Nobody can rescue anyone from my hand.

v40 I am the God who lives for always. I raise my hand towards heaven.

        I promise this to you.

v41 I will make my sharp sword to shine.

        I will hold it in my hand to cause fair punishment.

    I will get *revenge on my enemies.

        I will punish those who hate me.

v42 The blood of my enemies will cover my arrows.

        My sword will kill those who oppose me.

    Blood will flow from those who die and from the prisoners.

        My sword will cut off the heads of the leaders of the enemy.”

v43 You nations, be happy with God’s people.

        God will punish those who kill his people.

    God will get *revenge on his enemies.

        God will remove the *sins of his country and of his people.’

v44 Moses and Joshua, son of Nun, spoke the words of this song so that the *Israelites could hear it. v45 Moses finished his speech to all the *Israelites. v46 Then he said this to them. ‘Remember every word that I have said to you today. Order your children to obey carefully all the words that have taught to you. v47 These commands are important words. They cause you to live. You will cross the River Jordan to possess the country. Obey what I have taught to you. Then you will live for a long time in that country.’

Verse 1: As the *Israelites sang this song, they would understand the *covenant. The song told them about the *blessings and the *curses in that *covenant. The song was not just for the present but it was a song for the future as well. It would be a constant witness to the people of the dangers if they did not obey the *covenant.

The language of the song is that of a long poem. It seems to consist of several verses.

The song called on the heavens and the earth to listen. The people would not sing this song to the heavens and the earth but to the *LORD. As they sang it, they were agreeing with the *covenant. The purpose of the song was to teach *Israel how to live. The heavens and the earth would be witnesses to what the people sang.

Verse 2: The lessons and the words refer to the content of the song. The words of the song would be like the effect of water on the land. The water provides what is necessary for growth. As the people obeyed the *covenant, they would grow because of it. They would grow in the knowledge and *fear of the *LORD.

Verse 3: The song included praise to the name of the *LORD. And it said that other people should recognise the greatness of God. He chose Jacob’s *descendants as his special people.

Verse 4: The *LORD was like a rock. He was strong and permanent. He never changed. He was always the same. Everything that he did was perfect. He was always right and fair in his decisions and actions. He was always *faithful to the people and to the *covenant.

The *LORD as the rock comes again in the song in verses 15, 18 and 30-31. And the *LORD as the rock comes several times in other parts of the *Old-Testament.

Verses 5-6: *Israel was not *faithful to the *LORD. The *LORD had brought them out of Egypt. He made them his children. He had created them and he had made them a strong nation. He gave the *covenant to them at *Mount Horeb for their *blessing.

But they did not behave as children should. They were foolish and they *sinned against God. They did not obey the *covenant. The *LORD was their father but they did not respect him as father.

Verse 7: The song calls on them to remember their history. They should ask their father what it meant. They should ask their leaders to tell them everything that happened in the past. Their history would be like a map. It would show to them all the help that the *LORD had given to them. They would understand that the *LORD had chosen them to be his people. The *LORD had loved them and he had *blessed them. They should think about those things. They should consider their ways.

Verses 8-9: God is over all people and nations. He made the boundaries for the nations. But he was especially the God of his people. He was their *LORD God. He gave their country to them. He would divide that country so that each *tribe of *Israel had some land.

The *LORD chose *Israel to be his special people. They were so foolish and *sinful to turn away from their God.

Verse 10: *Israel was desperate in the Sinai *desert. They had come out of Egypt and they had wandered that far. There the *LORD met with them and he gave the *covenant to them. From that time, he led them through the *desert for almost 40 years. He had brought them to the borders of the country that he had promised to them.

The *LORD protected *Israel as his own eye. The eye is very precious. He protected them because they were precious to him. They were the people that he loved.

Verse 11: The large bird called an eagle disturbs its nest. In that way it forces the young birds to fly. At first, they fall but the eagle catches them on its wings. Then it puts the young birds back in the nest. It continues this process until the young birds can fly on their own.

The *LORD took *Israel out of Egypt and into the *desert. However, he did not leave them without his help. He supported them all the time that they were in the *desert.

As the *eagle looks after its young birds, so the *LORD looked after *Israel. The eagle teaches its young birds how to fly. So, the *LORD taught *Israel how to live. The eagle protects its young birds. In the same way, the *LORD protected *Israel.

Verse 12: The *LORD was *Israel’s leader and he alone supported them. He defeated all the gods of Egypt and he brought the *Israelites out of Egypt. He led *Israel through the *desert. He led them to the country that he had promised to give to them. There were many foreign gods of the nations but none of those helped *Israel.

Verse 13: This part of the song was about the future. Here *Israel would enter the country. God would cause them to ride the high places. That meant that they would get power over the country. They would benefit from the harvest of the fields in *Canaan. They would find wild honey in the rocks. In the rougher ground, they would collect *olives for oil.

Verse 14: They would have butter, milk and meat from the cows, sheep and goats. The region called Bashan was famous for the best animals. In *Canaan, they would have animals from Bashan. And they would have the finest wheat and plenty of wine.

Verse 15: Because everything would be so good, they would become wealthy. They would eat the fine foods. They would drink the good wine. They would become fat and they would be satisfied. They would not give thanks to the *LORD. Instead, they would turn from him.

God had brought the *Israelites out of Egypt. He had made them into a great nation. He had given their country to them with all its benefits. He was the *LORD their God. However, they would not respect him as such.

They would think that they did not need to depend on God. They would think that they could manage without him. That would be such a foolish attitude.

Verse 16: *Israel would leave the *LORD God to go after other gods. That would be against the first command in the *covenant. The command was that they should love the *LORD their God. And they should have no other gods as well as him. They were his people and he would not share them with any other god.

The other gods were foreign gods. They were false gods. Those gods were no gods at all. They were just dumb *idols. To *worship them would make God very angry.

Verse 17: Instead of the *sacrifices that God demanded, they would *sacrifice to false gods. The powers behind those false gods were devils. In effect, the *Israelites would *sacrifice to the devils.

The *Israelites and their *ancestors had not known those gods. They were foreign gods.

Verse 18: The *LORD God had made *Israel. He had taken the *Israelites out of Egypt. He had brought the nation *Israel to birth. He was like a parent to them. He gave life to them. But, they would refuse their *LORD. They would forget him and all the benefits that he had given to them.

Verse 19: The *LORD would see what the *Israelites would do. He would think that it was disgusting. He thought about them as his sons and daughters. It was not normal to speak about sons and daughters. Often sons would include both sexes or the word would be children. Perhaps here it showed that both the men and the women were responsible. Because of what both men and women would do, God would be very angry.

Verse 20: The *LORD would not continue to be with them. He would not help them. This situation would make him sad. Even if they prayed to him, he would refuse to help them.

The *LORD knew what would happen to them. He would allow the results of their actions to happen to them. They would suffer because they would not obey the *LORD. The *LORD would not trust them to be loyal to him.

Verse 21: *Israel would make God jealous because they would serve false gods. Those gods were nothing. In fact, they were not gods. Men made the *idols. The *idols were not alive. They were of no use at all. However, because the *Israelites would *worship *idols, the *LORD would be angry.

The *Israelites would be foolish to *worship things that were not gods. So, the *LORD would use people that were not a nation to punish them. The people who were not a nation would make *Israel jealous. The *LORD would use a foolish nation to make *Israel angry.

Verse 22: The *LORD’s anger would be like a burning fire. There would be no limit to its power to *destroy. God’s fire could reach down into the region of dead people, called *Sheol. God’s anger would *destroy the produce of the earth. God’s fire would make the bases of the mountains burn. Such would be the terrible anger of God. No-one would be able to escape from his anger.

Verse 23: The *LORD would punish *Israel. He would send many *disasters on them. The *disasters would be the *curses that were in the *covenant. His *weapons would be all the terrible things that he would send upon them. They would include the enemies that he would bring against them. Those enemies would defeat *Israel in war.

Verse 24: If the people had been loyal to God, they would have had plenty of food. But if they did not obey God, they would not have enough food. The heat might be because the *LORD would stop the rain. The land would be dry and that would spoil the harvests. The people would be hungry and many would die because of hunger. Another cause of hunger would be the effect of enemies. They would cut off all supplies to the *Israelites.

The *Israelites would suffer from various terrible diseases. The animals and snakes would attack them as a punishment from the *LORD.

Verse 25: Enemies would attack *Israel. They would defeat *Israel’s armies and they would fight on the streets in *Israel. The enemy would get into the homes of the *Israelites. Both on the streets and in the homes they would kill all kinds of people. They would kill even the old people and the very young children.

Verses 26-27: The *LORD might have scattered those *Israelites that remained alive. So then the nation of *Israel would not still exist. That would be a punishment because they were not loyal to their God. The *LORD had warned them that he would do that.

But if the *LORD had done that nobody would have remembered his people. However, the *LORD has preserved his people in all the countries that he has sent them to.

The *LORD would not *destroy his people. One thing that would prevent him would be the attitude of their enemies. He would not allow them to say that they had *destroyed *Israel.

Verses 28-29: The song now shows the reason why the *disasters would come. The *Israelites would be foolish because they would not listen to advice. If they were wise, they would understand. They would realise what would happen to them. When it began to happen they would know why. And they would turn again to the *LORD. However, the *Israelites would not be wise enough to understand.

They should have known that in the *covenant there were *blessings and *curses. While they obeyed the *covenant, they would enjoy the *blessings. However, if they did not obey the *covenant they would suffer the *curses.

Moses told them that but perhaps they would not believe him. Perhaps they would not believe that God would send the *curses on them.

Verse 30: In a normal situation, one man could not chase 1000 men. Even less could two men chase 10 000 men. But if the *LORD were with the one or the two men that would be possible. That could happen against *Israel. That would mean that the *LORD was not with them. Their God would have left them.

Verse 31: *Israel’s God was like a strong rock. He was strong and permanent. Those who trust him can depend on him. He is superior to all the gods of the enemies. And the enemies would know that to be true. Their defeat of *Israel would not be by the power of their gods. It could only be because *Israel’s God had allowed it.

Verses 32-33: The people in Sodom and Gomorrah were so wicked that the *LORD *destroyed their cities. All the people in Sodom and Gomorrah died (Genesis 19:24-25). The enemies of *Israel would be as wicked as those people were.

Everything that the enemies produced was like poison. They would be dangerous to *Israel. They would bring death and they would *destroy *Israel.

Verses 34-35: The song now turns to the future of those enemies. God may use foreign nations to punish his people. However, those nations would be responsible for what they do. They would be responsible for all their actions.

The *LORD would keep a record of what they would do to his people. The *LORD would not forget all the evil things that they would do. He would remember everything. At the proper time, he will bring judgement upon them. And he will punish all those nations that would *destroy *Israel. The *LORD will defeat them. *Disaster will happen to them suddenly.

Verses 36-38: Because *Israel would turn from the *LORD, he would punish them. The *curses in the *covenant would come upon them. However, after that, the *LORD would be *merciful to them. By that time, the *Israelites would have no confidence in their false gods.

Those foreign gods had no power. The *Israelites would *worship those gods. They would *sacrifice to them. But they could not save *Israel. Those false gods could not protect them from their enemies. In fact, those gods were the reason why *Israel would suffer so much. Other places in the Bible tell us that the *Jewish people will understand that in the end. Then they will turn again to their God. And God will be *merciful to them. (See Isaiah 2:20-21; Zechariah 13:2; Romans chapters 9-11.)

Verse 39: People should understand that the *LORD is the only real God. All the other gods are false. They are nothing and they do not exist. The *LORD God has the power of life and death. He gives life to people and he takes it away from them. He has power over illness and health. He can cause people to suffer injuries and he can cure them. He controls life and history.

God would control everything that would happen to *Israel. Life, health and success were a result of God’s *blessings. But death, disease and defeat were a result of his *curses.

Nobody could rescue God’s enemies from him. But he would rescue his people from their enemies.

Verse 40: People raised a hand towards heaven when they were promising something. In the language of this poetry, it was as if the *LORD raised his hand towards heaven. The *LORD declared a certain fact. He is the God who lives for always. God is always God. And as God, he is promising something. He will do everything that he says. That is his promise.

Verses 41-42: The *LORD will get *revenge on his enemies. He may have used them to punish his people. However, they were responsible and he will punish them. And he will punish those people who hate him.

These verses mean that God will defeat his people’s enemies in a battle. (Compare Zechariah 14:1-4.)

Verse 43: The song ends with a call to the nations to be happy with *Israel. In that future day, they will praise *Israel. Then they should be happy because the *LORD has punished his enemies. They were his enemies because of what they had done against *Israel.

After the terrible judgements in this song, there would be a new hope for *Israel. The *LORD will take away the *sins of his people. (Compare Zechariah 12:10-13:1.)

Verse 44: Moses and Joshua spoke the words of this song to the *Israelites.

Verses 45-47: Moses finished speaking the song to the *Israelites. Then again, he warned them to remember all his words to them. He told them to make sure that their children knew those things. It was important that they and their children obeyed all the law of God. The song and the law seem to go together. That was what Moses had taught them. It was so important that they should obey this law. They would soon go in to possess the country. If they obeyed his law then they would live for a long time in that country. That was the *covenant that the *LORD had given to *Israel.

Moses saw *Canaan before he died                    32:48-52

v48 The same day, the *LORD said to Moses, v49 ‘Go up to the top of *Mount Nebo in the mountains called Abarim. It is in Moab, opposite Jericho. Look at the country called *Canaan. I am giving that country to the *Israelites for their possession. v50 You will die on the mountain that you climb. Then you will go to where your *ancestors are. In the same way, your brother, Aaron, died on *Mount Hor. And he went to where his *ancestors were. v51 Neither of you were *faithful to me at the waters of Meribah-Kadesh. That was in the *desert of Zin. There, you did not give honour to me in front of the people. v52 So you will see the country from a distance. But you will not enter the country that I am giving to the *Israelites.’

Verses 48-50: Moses had finished all the work that he must do. Only one thing remained for him to do. That was to give the final *blessing to *Israel’s *tribes. That day the *LORD told Moses about his death. The *LORD told Moses to go up *Mount Nebo. *Mount Nebo was a high point in the range of mountains called Abarim. It was on the east side of the River Jordan and east of the north end of the Dead Sea. On the opposite side of the river was the town called Jericho.

From the top of *Mount Nebo, Moses looked across the river. The *LORD showed to him the country that he had promised to *Israel. On a clear day, one can see a large part of the country. Probably the *LORD showed the whole country to Moses.

The *LORD told Moses that he would die on that mountain. The *Old-Testament says that at death God’s people went to be with their *ancestors. Aaron had died some time earlier. On the 5th day of the 40th year, the *LORD told Aaron and his sons to go up *Mount Hor. Aaron was 123 years old when he died on *Mount Hor (Numbers 33:38-39).

Moses and Aaron would not go into the country that the *LORD promised to *Israel. The *LORD would not let them go in because they *sinned at Meribah-Kadesh. There the people had complained to Moses because there was no water. Moses and Aaron took this matter to the *LORD. Then the *LORD told Moses to speak to a certain rock. If he did that, water would come from it. However, Moses did not obey the *LORD. He did not speak to the rock but he hit it twice. Because of that *sin, the *LORD would not allow Moses and Aaron into the country with *Israel (Numbers 20:1-13).

Chapter 33

Moses final *blessing on *Israel                         33:1-29

v1 This is the *blessing that Moses, God’s *prophet, gave to the *Israelites. Moses did this before he died.

v2 ‘The *LORD came from *Mount Sinai.

        He rose like the sun over Seir. He shone from *Mount Paran.

    He came with thousands of *holy *angels.

        There was fire at his right side.

v3 Certainly you love the people. You look after the *holy people.

        They all bend down at your feet. You give instructions to them.

v4 Moses gave to us the law that belongs to the people from Jacob.

v5 The *LORD was king over his people *Israel.

        He was king when the leader and the *tribes of the *Israelites gathered together.

v6 Let Reuben live and do not let him die.

        Do not allow Reuben’s *tribe to become few in number.’

v7 Moses said this about Judah.

    ‘Hear the cry of Judah, *LORD. Unite Judah with the other *tribes.

        Help him against his enemies as he fights to defend himself.’

v8 Moses said this about Levi.

    ‘Your *Urim and *Thummim, *LORD, are for the man whom you chose.’

        ‘You tested him at Massah. You fought with him at the waters of Meribah.

v9 Levi was more loyal to you than he was to his parents, to his brothers or to his children.

        He obeyed your words and he *kept your *covenant.

v10 They will teach your laws to Jacob and your instructions to *Israel.

    They will put a substance with a sweet smell in front of you.

        They will give whole *burnt-offerings on your *altar.

v11 Make them strong, *LORD.

        I pray that his work will please you.

    *Destroy his enemies, so that they will not attack again.’

v12 Moses said this about Benjamin.

‘The *LORD loves this *tribe. I pray that Benjamin will live safely with God.

    God always looks after Benjamin.

Benjamin lives with the protection of the *LORD.

    The *LORD carries Benjamin, his little son whom he loves, on his shoulders.’

v13 Moses said this about Joseph.

    ‘I ask the *LORD to *bless Joseph’s land.

        I ask God to send mist from the sky above and to send up water from below.

v14 Joseph will have the best fruit that the sun has made ripe.

        He will have the best fruit in each month during the year.

v15 Let there be the richest things from the old mountains.

        Let there be the best fruits from the ancient hills.

v16 I ask God to fill his land with the best gifts of the earth.

    God was in the burning bush. I ask him to *bless Joseph.

    I ask that the *tribe of Joseph will receive all these *blessings.

        Joseph was special among his brothers.

v17 Joseph is as strong as a *bull.

        He has *horns like a wild *ox.

    He will use them to push away nations to the ends of the earth.

        His *horns are the 10 000s of Ephraim and the thousands of Manasseh.’

v18 This is what Moses said about Zebulun and Issachar.

    ‘Be happy, Zebulun, when you go out.

        Be happy, Issachar, in your tents.

v19 They will call people to come to their mountain.

        There they will give right *sacrifices.

    They will get their wealth from the sea.

        They will get secret valuable things from the sand.’

v20 This is what Moses said about Gad.

    ‘Give honour to God! He makes Gad’s territory large.

        Gad lives there like a lion that tears at an arm or a head.

v21 Gad chose the best land for himself.

        He got the leader’s part. The leaders of the people gathered.

    Gad did what the *LORD declared to be right.

        They made the right judgements for *Israel.’

v22 This is what Moses said about Dan.

    ‘Dan is like a young lion that jumps out of Bashan.’

v23 Moses said this about Naphtali.

    ‘The *LORD is very pleased with Naphtali.

        They are full of the *LORD’s *blessings.

    Naphtali’s land reaches to the sea in the south.’

v24 This is what Moses said about Asher.

    ‘Asher shall have the *blessing of sons.

        Let Asher’s brothers give honour to him.

    Let him wash his feet in oil from *olives.

v25 Asher’s gates will be strong, with bars of iron and of *bronze.

        His strength will last for as long as he lives.

v26 There is nobody who is like the God of Jeshurun (*Israel).

        God rides on the heavens as he comes to help you.

    He is magnificent as he rides on the clouds.

v27 The God, who lives for always, is your place of safety.

        His arms that last for always will support you.

    He will send out your enemy in front of you.

        He tells you to *destroy your enemy.

v28 The people in *Israel will live in safety.

        Jacob’s supply of water is certain.

    They will have a country that is full of corn and new wine.

        Mist drops down from the sky.

v29 You are happy, *Israel. There is nobody who is like you.

        The *LORD has saved your nation.

    The *LORD will protect you and he will help you. You will use his sword to overcome.

        Your enemies will be afraid of you.

    You will walk all over their *holy places.’

Verse 1: Before he died, Moses spoke out from God these *blessings for the 12 *tribes.

Verse 2: Before the *blessings, these verses praised the *LORD. The *LORD appeared to the people from *Mount Sinai. *Mount Sinai was the same as *Mount Horeb in earlier chapters of Deuteronomy. As he appeared, there was a bright light. That light was like the sun as it rose over Seir. It flooded the area of *desert round Sinai. And it shone as from *Mount Paran. The *glory of the *LORD shone on the people from *Mount Sinai.

*Mount Seir was in the country of Edom. That was to the south and east of the Dead Sea. It was north and east of Sinai. We do not know where *Mount Paran was. The *desert of Paran was to the west of the Dead Sea and north of Sinai. So we know that *Mount Paran was in that direction.

The poem adds that there were thousands of his holy ones with the *LORD.

The last line of this verse is very difficult to translate. The words from the original language seem to be as follows. ‘At (or from) his right hand a law of fire [went] to (or for) them.’ However, that translation is not certain. The word ‘went’ was not in the line. The words ‘from his right hand’ may mean from the south. The last phrase has various possible translations. It may mean that the law came with flashes of lightning or of fire. There were lightning and fire at Sinai when the *LORD came down on the mountain (Exodus 19:16-18).

Verse 3: The *LORD loved the *Israelites. He made them his holy people. At Sinai, they fell down in front of the *LORD. He gave his commands to them because he loved them. He gave them by Moses because the people could not listen to God’s voice. The laws were for their benefit so that they could live with the *LORD. And the people were happy to receive them.

Verse 4: Moses gave the commands to them that the *LORD had given to him for the people. The commands must be the basic rules for *Israel’s people. In this poem, ‘Jacob’ means his *descendants. It was an honour for *Israel to have God’s laws.

Verse 5: The *LORD was king as the absolute ruler over his people *Israel. They had no other king for many years. God chose the leaders of the people.

Verse 6: The *blessings here are not in the same order as the *blessings by Jacob. And they are not in the order of the birth of Jacob’s sons. However, Reuben was the first son of Jacob by his wife Leah. The list continues with Judah and the other sons of Jacob by his wives Leah and Rachel. After them, there were the sons by Bilhah and Zilpah. But there was no *blessing for Simeon. Perhaps that was because of Jacob’s *blessing. He said that God would scatter Simeon among the *tribes (Genesis 49:7).

Reuben lost his first place to Judah because he had *sinned. He had *sinned because he had sex with Bilhah. At first, his *tribe was fairly large but afterwards it became smaller. The *blessing was that the *tribe should not be few in number. There is some doubt that this is the correct translation. Probably the better translation would be ‘his men would be few in number’. The *tribe would not disappear but it would decrease in number. No judge, *prophet or national hero ever came from that *tribe.

Verse 7: The *blessing on Judah was a prayer. Moses asked the *LORD to hear Judah’s prayer. It was a request to help Judah in military matters. When the *Israelites marched, Judah would go first (Numbers 2:9). The prayer was for the *LORD to help Judah’s men in battle. They needed the help of the *LORD as they fought. They needed his help as they defended themselves.

Verse 8: The *LORD chose the *tribe of Levi to be his special *tribe. Moses and Aaron came from that *tribe. All the priests would come from Aaron’s family. The other *Levites helped the priests and they were separate from the rest of *Israel. They would benefit from the *tithes of the other *tribes.

The *LORD chose Aaron as the chief priest. His oldest living son would take up that duty when Aaron died. So, the duty would pass down to his *descendants. The chief priest had the *Urim and *Thummim. *Urim and *Thummim were two flat stones. The word *Urim may come from the word for *curse. And *Thummim comes from the word to be perfect. The chief priest kept them in the pocket of his special clothes. The chief priest used those objects to discover God’s decision about a situation. We do not know how God did that. Maybe if the priest took out a stone this would give to him the answer no or yes. Perhaps the *Urim would mean no and the *Thummim would mean yes.

It is not certain what the quarrel with the *LORD at Massah and Meribah was. The most likely incident was when Moses struck the rock. The *LORD told him to speak to the rock but he hit the rock. Because of that *sin, Moses and Aaron would not cross the River Jordan (Deuteronomy 32:51; Numbers 20:1-13).

Verse 9: Levi’s *tribe was more loyal to Moses and to the *LORD than the other *tribes were. Their duty to the *LORD was more important to them than even their own family.

When the people were at *Mount Horeb (Sinai), Moses was up the mountain for a long time. The people persuaded Aaron to make an *idol out of gold for them to *worship. When Moses came back, he saw it. He called out, ‘Who is on the *LORD’s side?’ The *Levites came to him. Moses told them to kill those who *worshipped the *idol. They killed 3000 people that day. That included members of their own families. Because of that, the *Levites became special servants for the *LORD (Exodus 32:25-29).

The *Levites obeyed the *LORD and they obeyed the *covenant.

Verse 10: The *Levites would be the teachers of God’s laws to the rest of *Israel. The priests with the other *Levites would be responsible for the *sacrifices to the *LORD.

Verse 11: Moses’ prayer was that the *LORD would make them strong. The *Levites would not have a territory of their own like the other *tribes. This prayer was that they would have all necessary resources. Those resources should come from the *tithes and *sacrifices of the people. Then they would be able to serve the *LORD and they would please him.

Moses also prayed that the *LORD would protect them from any enemies.

Verse 12: When Jacob *blessed his sons, he said, ‘Benjamin is like a greedy animal’ (Genesis 49:27). However, Jacob loved Benjamin in a special way because he was born to Rachel (Genesis 44:20). Rachel died when Benjamin was born (Genesis 35:18). Rachel had been Jacob’s favourite wife. The *LORD loved Benjamin. The *blessing was that God would always look after that *tribe. God would protect them. A father carried his young child on his shoulders. That would be how God would look after Benjamin.

Verses 13-16: The first part of Joseph’s *blessing was a prayer for his agriculture. The prayer was that his land would produce the best crops. To get the best crops would need the right preparation of the soil. Therefore, in the poem there is a list of the things that would do that.

There would be water as rain and as mist. There would be water from rivers and wells. There would be the sun to make the fruit ripe. There would be the seasons of the year. People could sow seed and they could harvest the crops in the right seasons. The wealth of the mountains would be the fruit of the trees that grew there. Moses asked God to fill the land with the best fruit and crops by those means.

God was in the burning bush. That refers to the time when God spoke to Moses (Exodus 3:1-12). God told Moses to lead his people out of Egypt. And God brought the *Israelites out of Egypt. From that *blessing, Moses asks God to *bless Joseph with all those things. And some years after that, Joseph’s *tribes became leaders in *Israel.

Verse 17: The *tribe of Joseph became two *tribes. Those *tribes were called Ephraim and Manasseh. Joseph’s *tribes were as strong as a *bull. And it seemed like they had *horns like the *horns of a wild *ox. Both of those things mean that Joseph’s *descendants would be powerful as a military force. Ephraim was Joseph’s younger son but he became the superior one. Jacob had told Joseph that the younger boy, Ephraim would be greater than Manasseh (Genesis 48:19). That *tribe had a larger army than Manasseh’s.

Verse 18: Zebulun and Issachar were the last two sons of Leah. Again, the younger one, Zebulun comes before his older brother Issachar. To go out and to be in the tents means the normal activities of life. They should be content and happy in everything that they do.

Verse 19: One border of the territory of Zebulun was supposed to be the sea (Genesis 49:13). But when Joshua divided the country the *tribe of Asher had the sea as their border. It is not certain whether Zebulun had part of the coast in its territory. Issachar probably had a border at the south end of the Sea of Galilee. Josephus was a *Jewish writer of history soon after the time of Christ. He wrote that Zebulun had land as far as the Sea of Galilee. And their land went as far as *Mount Carmel and the Mediterranean Sea. Perhaps the boundaries between the *tribes changed.

Both Zebulun and Issachar would get their wealth from the sea and from the shore. Between Zebulun and Issachar was *Mount Tabor. *Mount Tabor became a place for *worship. There they would welcome the other *tribes while they were giving *sacrifices to the *LORD.

The valuable things from the sand may have included the materials to make glass. Glass was very expensive in those days. Also, there were shells that they used to make the rare purple colour for cloth.

Verse 20: The *tribe of Gad already had its territory to the east of the River Jordan (Deuteronomy 3:12-16). They had part of the territory that the *Israelites had taken from the *Amorite rulers Sihon and Og.

The men in Gad were fierce soldiers. Like lions, they were bold and they had a lot of courage. And a lion tears what it hunts. In the same way, the men from Gad attacked their enemies.

Verse 21: The *tribe of Gad saw that the territory east of the river was very good. And they chose that good land for themselves. They asked Moses for that territory and he gave it to them (Numbers 32:1-5). But the men from Gad must join with the armies of the other *tribes. They agreed to do that.

They would help the other *tribes with their battles until they had defeated the *Canaanites. They would do what they had to do. They would be at the front as the army attacked the enemy (Joshua 4:12-13). They would be leaders in the battles.

Then they would return to their own territory.

Verse 22: A young lion jumps on the animal that it has hunted.

Jacob had said that Dan was like a snake (Genesis 49:17). A snake hunts too, although not in the same way as a lion.

Bashan was an area on the east of the River Jordan. In Bashan there were lions. A young lion would jump out from Bashan. Moses saw that the *tribe of Dan would jump out on their enemies. They would jump out as a young lion jumps out on an animal.

But Dan’s people realised that their proper area in the south was too small. Therefore, the *tribe moved quickly to occupy territory in the north of the country (Joshua 19:47).

Verse 23: Naphtali would receive the *LORD’s benefits because they would please him. Their territory would be from the north of Galilee to the area west of the Sea of Galilee. The area would include the Lake called Merom (Joshua 11:5). That lake was north of the Sea of Galilee. Their land would be good for agriculture. And there would be many fishes in the Sea of Galilee.

Verse 24: The name Asher means happy or *blessed. Asher would be the happiest among the *tribes of *Israel. They would have many sons and daughters. And the other *tribes would respect Asher.

Asher’s territory would have very many *olive trees. They would become wealthy from the oil that they produced from the *olives.

Verse 25: Strong bars and gates would protect them from their enemies. Bronze is a strong metal. People make it out of tin and another metal called *copper. And the *tribe would be strong while it lasted.

Verse 26: Moses’ final *blessing was for *Israel as a whole. He starts it with praises to the God of Jeshurun. Jeshurun was a name in poetry for *Israel. There is nobody to compare with God. He is great and nobody is equal to him. He has power over the heavens and over the skies. He would use that power to help his people.

Verse 27: The *LORD is the God who will live always. With the *LORD God, his people could live in safety. He would support them. The arms of the *LORD mean his power. That power would support them. He would keep them from *disaster and he would give success to them. The *LORD would fight on their behalf. He would send out the enemy from the country that he would give to *Israel. But *Israel must obey the *LORD and they must *destroy the enemy.

They must obey the *covenant. All these promises depended on that.

The result would be that *Israel would possess the country. And they would be able to live in peace. They would not need the help of other nations. The *LORD would be everything that they would need.

Verse 28: The people in *Israel would live in safety. Jacob’s *descendants would live in a good country. The land would produce all the food and all the drink that they could want. The rain in season would cause the crops to grow.

Verse 29: The *LORD would *bless *Israel. No other nation was ever like *Israel. *Israel was a nation that the *LORD had saved. The *LORD would protect them and he would defend them. The *LORD would fight for them. With his help, *Israel would defeat all their enemies. And their enemies would be afraid of them because of their God.

*Israel would *destroy all the holy places of the false religions.

Chapter 34

Moses died and the *LORD buried him in Moab             34:1-12

v1 Then Moses climbed from the plains of the country called Moab to *Mount Nebo. He went to the top of *Mount Pisgah, which is east of Jericho. There, the *LORD showed the whole country to him. Moses saw Gilead’s land as far north as Dan. v2 He also saw all Naphtali’s land, Ephraim’s land and Manasseh’s land. He saw Judah’s land across to the Mediterranean Sea. v3 He saw the southern area. And he saw the whole area from the valley of Jericho to Zoar. Jericho was the city with trees called palm trees. v4 Then the *LORD said to Moses, ‘This is the country that I promised to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I said that I would give it to their *descendants. I have let you see it. But you will not go into it.’

v5 Then Moses, the *LORD’s servant, died there in the country called Moab. That happened as the *LORD had said. v6 The *LORD buried Moses in a valley in Moab. That was opposite Beth-Peor. Still today, nobody knows where Moses’ grave is. v7 Moses was 120 years old when he died. His sight was still good and he was still strong. v8 The *Israelites wept for 30 days in the plains of Moab, because Moses had died. Then the time ended when they were weeping because of Moses.

v9 Now God made Joshua, the son of Nun, wise. That was because Moses had put his hands on Joshua. So the *Israelites listened to what Joshua said. They did what the *LORD had ordered Moses to do.

v10 Since that time, there has never been a *prophet like Moses in *Israel. The *LORD knew him ‘face to face’. v11 Moses did all those *signs and *wonders. The *LORD sent him to do them in Egypt. Moses did them against *Pharaoh the king, his officials and his whole country. v12 Nobody has ever had such great power as Moses had. Nobody has ever done such great or terrible acts as Moses did. All the *Israelites saw them.

Verses 1-4: Before he died, Moses climbed from the plains of Moab up *Mount Nebo. *Mount Nebo was the highest part of the range called Pisgah. From there, the *LORD showed to Moses the whole country that the *Israelites would go into. It is not normally possible for anyone to see the whole country from there. But the *LORD showed it to him.

He saw the territory that would belong to Dan. That was in the north of the country. The territory that Dan should have taken was further south. However, that territory was too small for Dan. Therefore, the *tribe went to the territory in the north. Also, Moses saw Gilead, which was to the east of the River Jordan across from Dan. That was in the territory of half the *tribe of Manasseh.

South of Dan there would be Naphtali’s land that extended down by the Sea of Galilee. South of Naphtali there would be Issachar’s land then Manasseh’s land. Manasseh’s land was from the River Jordan west to the Mediterranean Sea. Next, there would be Ephraim’s land.

To the west, Moses could see the territories that would be for Benjamin and Judah. One border of Judah’s land would be the Dead Sea and it would go across to the Mediterranean Sea. The southern area would include Simeon’s land. Judah’s land surrounded Simeon’s land. And Judah’s land went further south.

The valley of Jericho was on the other side of the River Jordan from the plains of Moab. Zoar was a city of the Plain. The other cities of the Plain were Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim. God *destroyed the cities of the Plain. However, he did not *destroy Zoar because he allowed Lot to go there for safety (Genesis 19:15-23). Those cities were somewhere near the Dead Sea. Probably they were near the southern end of the Dead Sea.

The *LORD told Moses that he had promised to give this country to *Israel. God had promised their *ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that he would do that. Moses could see the country but he would not go there.

Verses 5-7: Moses died and the *LORD buried him in a valley in Moab. However, nobody knew where the *LORD had buried Moses.

Moses did not die because of old age. He was 120 years old but he was in good health. His eyes were not weak and he was still strong. His work had ended and his time on earth was over.

Verse 8: The *Israelites wept for 30 days there in the plains of Moab. They had wept for 30 days when Aaron died (Numbers 20:29). The 30 days shows what honour these two men had in *Israel.

Verse 9: Moses had trained Joshua to become the leader of *Israel. Before he died, Moses had put his hands on Joshua. In that way, he appointed Joshua to be the new leader. The *LORD was with Joshua as he had been with Moses. The *LORD gave to Joshua the wisdom that he needed for the task.

*Israel accepted Joshua instead of Moses. And they obeyed what the *LORD had ordered them by Moses.

Verses 10-12: We do not know who wrote this last part of Deuteronomy. The *LORD spoke to Moses face to face. That does not mean that Moses saw God’s face. It means that Moses was a special person to the *LORD. God talked to Moses as with his friend. After Moses, there were many other *prophets who spoke from God to the people. But not until the *Lord Jesus Christ came was there anyone greater than Moses. The *Lord Jesus was the *prophet that Moses wrote about (Deuteronomy 18:15; John 5:46).

The *LORD met Moses at the burning bush. The *LORD sent him to do all the *signs and *wonders in Egypt. The *LORD did all those deeds by Moses and Aaron. They did them in front of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt and in front of his officials. The *signs and *wonders forced Pharaoh to let the *Israelites leave Egypt. Then Moses led the *Israelites for 40 years in the *desert until they were ready to enter into *Canaan.

Moses was a great and powerful leader for the *Israelites. The *LORD did great and terrible acts by him. Those great deeds were not only in Egypt. Moses did many great deeds during the 40 years when he was leading the *Israelites to the plains of Moab.

Moses prepared the *Israelites for the new lives that they would have in *Canaan. The *LORD would give that country to them as he had promised to their *ancestors.

Word List

acacia ~ a kind of tree.

altar ~ a table where people give gifts or *sacrifices to God or to a false god.

Amalekite ~ a *descendant of Amalek. Amalek was the grandson of Esau (Genesis 36:12, 16). The Amalekites lived in the country between southern *Israel and Egypt. They were enemies of Israel’s people.

Ammonite ~ someone from the nation called Ammon; anything with a relationship to Ammon. The *Ammonites were relatives of the *Israelites.

Amorite ~ a nation of people who were among the original inhabitants in the country called *Canaan; anything that has a relationship with that nation. There may have been more than one nation that had that name. The *Israelites had to travel through the Amorites’ country as they went to *Canaan.

Anakites ~ an ancient nation that was famous for its very tall people.

ancestors ~ people in your family who lived before you.

angel ~ a servant of God who sometimes brings messages from heaven.

antelope ~ an animal like a *deer that can run very fast.

Asherah ~ a false female god.

Baal ~ the name of a false god of the *Canaanites.

barley ~ a plant; people make bread from the seeds.

BC ~ years before Jesus Christ was born.

bee ~ a small insect that flies; it makes honey; it can sting people.

bless ~ to say or to do something good to a person; to ask God to be good to someone.

blessing ~ a good thing that God does for us; when someone asks God to do good things for a person or for people; when a person speaks good words about someone.

bronze ~ a kind of metal; you mix two metals to make it. It is brown.

bull ~ male farm animal; (the female is called a cow). The *Israelites made a metal image of a bull, which they *worshipped as an *idol.

burnt-offering ~ an animal that the priests killed and burned; that is how they gave it to God.

Canaan ~ the country that God promised to Abraham (Genesis 12:7).

Canaanites ~ the people who lived in *Canaan before the *Israelites came; or, anything that had a relationship with that country.

capture ~ to take something and to keep it; to take people and to make them prisoners.

cattle ~ cows and *bulls.

celebrate ~ to have a very happy time, often because you are remembering something.

clean ~ good in thought and in action. But, in the *Old-Testament, many things could make a person not clean towards God. For example, if they touched a dead body, that would make them not clean. And the *Israelites must not eat animals that God called not clean.

commandments ~ commands from someone who has authority; rules or commands that God gave to the *Jews; the 10 rules that God gave to Moses. That was on the mountain called *Mount Sinai (or Horeb).

copper ~ a red metal.

covenant ~ This meant that the *Israelites were special to God as his people. And the *LORD was special to them as their God. Because of this covenant, the *LORD gave rules to them about how they should live. If they obeyed those rules, he would cause them to succeed. If they did not obey them, the *LORD would punish them. But when two people or groups of people had a covenant, it was just an agreement.

curse ~ the opposite of *bless or *blessing; bad things that God will do to people because they have been wicked; to say that God will do bad things to someone.

deer ~ an animal; it has long legs and it runs quickly; it eats grass and leaves.

descendant ~ a child, grandchild, their grandchild and so on.

desert ~ a wild place where there are small bushes and not much water. It has poor soil and people cannot cause crops to grow there. So, not many people live there.

destroy ~ to damage something so that it does not continue to exist; to kill people or animals.

disaster ~ an event that makes people suffer and causes great damage and perhaps, death.

donkey ~ an animal like a small horse with short legs and long ears.

drink-offering ~ people poured out wine in order to give it to God or to a false god.

eagle ~ a large bird with very big wings.

Edomite ~ a *descendant of Esau.

Egyptian ~ someone from the country called Egypt; anything with a relationship with Egypt. The *Israelites were slaves in Egypt before God freed them.

faith ~ strong belief and trust.

faithful ~ when someone always does what they have promised to do; when someone is loyal at all times.

fear ~ to be afraid; to be afraid to make God angry; to respect someone who is very great.

fellowship-offering ~ an *offering that people shared and ate together.

fertile ~ fertile land can produce many crops.

festival ~ a happy time when people meet together to remember a person or a special event.

fig ~ a kind of sweet fruit that grows on a tree.

freewill-offering ~ a gift that a person wanted to give to God.

generation ~ a period of about 20 to 30 years. During that time, children become adults and they have their own children; or, the *descendants of a person or people during that time.

glory ~ great honour and beauty like the beautiful light round God; splendid beauty.

grape ~ small green or purple soft fruit that people can use to make wine.

gulf ~ a large narrow part of the sea that has land on three sides.

Hittite ~ a member of a group of people who had lived in *Canaan before the *Jews lived there; or anything with a relationship to the Hittites.

holy ~ separate from *sin; we call things or people holy if we have made them special for God’s use only.

Horite ~ someone who lived on or near the mountain called Hor.

hornet ~ a large flying insect with a sting that hurts you very much.

horns ~ hard hollow bones that grow on the heads of *cattle or other animals.

idol ~ an image of a false god that people give honour to; an object of wood, stone or metal that people *worship.

Israel ~ the nation of people from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the name of the country that God gave to that nation.

Israelite ~ a person from the nation called *Israel; or any thing or person that has a relationship with *Israel; Israelites is another name for the *Jews.

Jew ~ a person who belongs to the family of the *Israelites. Jews are *descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Jewish ~ a word that describes a *Jew (an *Israelite) or anything that belongs to the *Jews.

justice ~ when things are completely fair.

keep ~ do whatever you should do because of a promise or a law; respect and give honour to the law.

kingdom ~ a country or a nation that a king or a queen rules; the kingdom of God (or of heaven) means the people whom God rules.

Levite ~ an *Israelite who belonged to the *tribe of Levi. Levi was a son of Jacob. Levites had special duties connected to *worship. All priests among the *Israelites were Levites.

life ~ sometimes we use the word life in a special way; we use it about a person or an animal that is alive; we say that he, she or it has life.

Lord ~ a name for God. It translates the word ‘Adonai’ in the Hebrew language, which means ‘my ruler’. The word ‘lord’ (without a capital letter) means an ordinary ruler.

LORD ~ God gave this special name to himself. It translates the word ‘Yahweh’ in the Hebrew language. It is the name for God by the *Covenant. It links to the words ‘I am’; it means that God has always been here.

manna ~ a food like bread. God provided this food in a special way for the *Israelites to eat in the *desert.

merciful ~ kind to someone who deserves punishment.

Moabite ~ someone from the nation called Moab; anything with a relationship to Moab. The Moabites were relatives of the *Israelites.

Mount ~ mountain. For example, ‘Mount Sinai’ means the mountain called Sinai.

New-Testament ~ the second part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after Jesus lived on earth. It is about the life of Jesus. And it is about what Christians believe.

offerings ~ gifts (also called sacrifices) that a person gives to God, or to a false god; people usually burnt them on a special table.

Old-Testament ~ the first part of the Bible, it tells about the history and the beliefs of the *Israelites.

olive ~ small green or black fruit that comes from a tree. Oil comes from this fruit.

ox ~ a strong farm-animal like a *bull that can pull the plough.

Passover ~ a *festival; *Jewish people *celebrate when God freed the *Israelites from Egypt.

peace-offering ~ an *offering to give thanks to God. People shared it and they ate it as a meal.

Pentecost ~ the time each year when the *Jews thank God for the harvest; for Christians, it is 50 days after Easter.

Pharaoh ~ a word that means the king of Egypt.

Pharisees ~ a group of *Jews who thought that they obeyed all the laws of their religion. Those laws were all the commands that God gave to Moses plus extra laws.

Philistines ~ a nation that fought with the *Israelites.

pillar ~ a tall, thin thing that someone built of stone.

pomegranate ~ a large fruit with many seeds that is good to eat.

prophecy ~ messages that God gave to a person, often about future events. But sometimes someone might pretend to have a message from God.

prophesy ~ to tell about things that will happen in the future; to speak with God’s help (or a false god’s) and on God’s behalf (or on behalf of a false god).

prophet ~ a person who hears God’s words and tells them to other people. But someone who was not God’s prophet might pretend to be one.

repent ~ to change one’s mind and heart. To turn away from *sin and to turn to God. To turn one’s mind and heart away from *sin is to *repent.

Rephaites ~ an ancient nation. It did not still exist when Moses was alive.

revenge ~ to get revenge means to punish someone for what they did to you. God’s revenge is when he gives the punishment that a person deserves.

Sabbath ~ Saturday, the seventh day of the week, when *Israelites did not work. There were also special Sabbaths that were not always on a Saturday.

sacrifice ~ something valuable that people give to God, or to a false god; or, to give such a thing to God. God would forgive *sin only if they gave a certain *sacrifice.

scorpion ~ a dangerous small animal with a sting in its tail.

security ~ something valuable that you give to somebody when they lend things or money to you; they keep it until you give their things or their money back to them.

Sheol ~ a word that the *Israelites used to describe death; people went to that place when they were dead.

sign ~ an unusual event that God uses to teach people something. But sometimes people who were not really God’s *prophets promised signs.

sin ~ when people do something wrong against God or against other people; or, not to obey God.

sinful ~ refers to an action or to a desire that is against God’s law; a wrong or wicked action; a person who does those things is sinful.

soul ~ the part of a person that we cannot see. It is in us during our life. And it lives after we die. It is our inner person (not the body).

spirit ~ spirits are alive, but we cannot see them. There are good spirits that are usually called angels. Bad spirits are also called evil spirits, or demons. The Devil is their leader. A person also has a spirit. Our spirit can speak to God and God can speak to our spirit.

temple ~ the chief place for *worship for the *Jews. King Solomon built the first temple for God in Jerusalem. But the word can refer to a similar building for a false god.

Thummim ~ Urim and Thummim were two objects that the chief priest kept in his special clothes. The chief priest used those objects to discover God’s decision about a situation.

tithe ~ a tenth of something. To tithe means that people give a tenth of their money or of their possessions.

tribe ~ a group of people from the same race, who are all *descendants of one person. The tribes of *Israel were the 12 large families of Jacob’s sons.

Urim ~ Urim and Thummim were two objects that the chief priest kept in his special clothes. The chief priest used those objects to discover God’s decision about a situation.

virgin ~ someone who has not had sex.

weapon ~ a tool that someone fights people with.

wonder ~ an event that astonishes people and it shows God’s power. But other people who did not love God sometimes did them too.

worship ~ when people show honour to God, or to a false god. People may sing or they may pray. Or they may kneel down or they may give a *sacrifice.

yeast ~ a substance that makes bread rise.

Book List

A. D. H. Mayes ~ Deuteronomy ~ The New Century Bible Commentary ~ IVP; Revised edition (29 April 1994)

Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible ~ Baker Publishing Group; Abridged edition (Aug. 1983)

Albert Barnes’s Notes on the Whole Bible

Earl S. Kalland ~ The Expositor’s Bible Commentary

J. A. Thompson ~ Deuteronomy ~ Tyndale Old-Testament Commentaries ~ Inter-Varsity Press

Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary of the Bible ~ Zondervan Classic Reference Series

John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

Peter C. Craigie ~ The Book of Deuteronomy ~ The New International Commentary on the Old-Testament

Bible versions:

Good News Bible

Literal Translation of the Holy Bible

New English Bible

New International Bible

Revised Standard Version of the Bible

 

© 1997-2016, Wycliffe Associates (UK)

This publication is in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words).

February 2016

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