Moses concludes his historical prologue, and introduces the law, and he does so with a very effective sermon on the nature of obedience. “Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which …
Sihon and Og
As we continue through the book of Deuteronomy, it is best not to tire of hearing about giants too quickly. God was giving the land of the giants to the children of God. “Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the river Arnon: behold, I have given into thine hand Sihon the Amorite, …
Giants in the Land
We have now come to the place in the historical prologue where Moses points to the success of Israel’s cousins—Edom, Moab and Ammon—in fighting and displacing giants (2:1-23). This is given as a very kind encouragement. “Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea, as the …
A Fourth Decade of Psalms/Psalm 35
Introduction: We come now to a psalm of imprecation. They do not represent the entire psalter, but they are a significant part of it. Of particular note would Psalms 7, 69, and 109. What are we to do with them? Well, among other things, sing them. Our aversion to the psalms of imprecation has more …
Failure of Faith and Nerve
This portion of Deuteronomy has great importance for the writers of later portions of Scripture. The theme of this passage is a constant—as long as we must exercise faith in God in a world where His adversaries must be attacked. “And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, …
I AM and the Resurrection
Just a few exegetical sketches on a couple of oddities I found. This is how the incident at the burning bush is described. “And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall …
As the Stars for Multitude
An important part of the service of covenant renewal is the recognition of sin, and the confession of it. Moses begins by recalling for the people how they have come to this point. “These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel . . .” (Dt. 1:1-18). First, an outline fragment. As we consider …
A Fourth Decade of Psalms/Psalm 34
Introduction: This psalm is an acrostic—what the Latin Fathers called psalmi abcedarii. There are nine of these psalms total, and it is a pity that we can’t figure out a way to bring this across in translation. The Text: I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. …
The Covenantal Mind and Heart
We got the name Deuteronomy through a happy misnomer. The name is taken from the Greek version of the text below (17:18), where the king was to write out a “second” copy of the law for himself. But at the same time, the occasion of the book of Deuteronomy was a covenant renewal. A covenant …
A Fourth Decade of Psalms/Psalm 33
Introduction: God is greatly to be praised. He is worthy of all honor and praise. Our ability to praise Him falls short of necessity, and yet we are still summoned to it. Unlike the failures of sin, there is a glorious failure in praising God. Who can even begin to do it justice? The Text: …