Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy Chapter 11

• Deuteronomy 11:1 Therefore thou shalt love the LORD thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway. 
• 2 And know ye this day: for I speak not with your children which have not known, and which have not seen the chastisement of the LORD your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his stretched out arm, 
• 3 And his miracles, and his acts, which he did in the midst of Egypt unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and unto all his land; 

The older generation were more accountable because they saw the miracles, the judgments and heard the words of Moses in person. The children born after all these events of course, did not see and hear firsthand. This is why teaching is important. In order for future generations to receive the gospel, we must teach them the word of God that was told to us. The reason our children and grandchildren fall away from the truth is one, because we have failed to instruct them in the way they should go and two because even if we do instruct them, we ourselves fail to live the life of godliness before them. We sometimes teach others what we don't do ourselves. 

Some kids are quick to spot hypocrisy. If we preach the word of God, we must live by the word of God.

• Deuteronomy 11:4 And what he did unto the army of Egypt, unto their horses, and to their chariots; how he made the water of the Red sea to overflow them as they pursued after you, and how the LORD hath destroyed them unto this day; 

If we remember that marvelous story, we will see that the children of Israel were indeed trapped between the Red Sea on one side and the perusing Egyptian army coming after them on the other side. Lest we chide Israel for their unbelief, we must recognize the fact that we too would react the same way they did, it total fear and trembling. Some of them complained against Moses and derided him to bringing them into the wilderness to die. 

Moses though had faith in God's power. He said, "Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord." Sometimes we do not see victory until we are desperate and have only God to save us in the end.

Prayer and fasting helps us to overcome tendency to see only the things of this life. When we push back the plate and begin to set aside a private time to just pray and seek God, our faith is renewed and strengthened. The things of the world began to look dim and the things of God become first. The more time we spend with God, the stronger our faith becomes. That is why Jesus instructed His disciples to watch and pray that they do not enter into temptation. 

• Deuteronomy 11:5 And what he did unto you in the wilderness, until ye came into this place; 

The Lord judged idolatry and rebellion. At the same time no sole of their shoes wore thin and they were fed by manna from heaven. God took care of them. 

• Deuteronomy 11:6 And what he did unto Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben: how the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and their tents, and all the substance that was in their possession, in the midst of all Israel: 

These men were jealous of the authority God gave to Moses. Moses was a meek man of God and really didn't want all the authority given to him but he obeyed the Lord in his calling, being faithful. When these men rebelled against Moses, they were really rebelling against God because God placed Moses in authority. 

Some use these scriptures to lord over the flock of God. Notice the difference. Moses was meek and called of God for a service. He had to take authority for their benefit and to lead them the right way. This is good leadership and we should fear to go against God called leadership. This does not mean however, that we have to follow men who lead us away from God. That is why God gave us the written word and the Holy Spirit so that we can discern the false from the real. We only obey earthly rulers so far as it doesn't conflict with God's word. God's word has to come first in all things. 

A good way to know a godly leader from one who is out for himself is by his fruits. Does he live what he teaches? Does he teach truth? Is he humble? Does he desire to lead people to the Lord or himself? If we have any doubt, we can ask God to show us. We do not have to cause trouble, division and attempt to draw followers after our own particular cause but we also don't have to follow false teachers. 

• Deuteronomy 11:7 But your eyes have seen all the great acts of the LORD which he did. 
• 8 Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go to possess it; 

The Lord's promises are conditional. It takes obedience to inherit promises. Even though through the foreknowledge of God we see that a remnant of Israel will be saved in the end and the whole earth will be ruled by Israel under the authority of Jesus Christ, before we get to that final fulfillment of prophecy, Israel suffers many judgments because of disobedience. That is why they lost their nation up until 1948. 

• 9 And that ye may prolong your days in the land, which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land that floweth with milk and honey. 

As long as they would live in obedience, they would never lose that land. Right now they have not gotten back all their land that was promised to Abraham but they will. 

• Deuteronomy 11:10 For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs: 
• 11 But the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven: 
• 12 A land which the LORD thy God careth for: the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year. 

Why God chose that particular land to bless and why God has set His heart upon that land, we don't always understand but I believe any nation or group of people, as a matter of fact even any individual who begins to seek after God and desire to keep His word will be blessed in the same way. This may or may not affect material prosperity all the time but it is the spiritual riches that we are to seek after. Sometimes God will bless the fruit of the ground for those that believe and so forth but we must not covet the things of the world for His kingdom is not of this world but of a greater kingdom that is coming upon those that believe. This world as we know it will pass away. However, God will bless us in our temporary setting if we are in obedience to His word. Now though since the coming of His Son, Jesus Christ, we go through Him to inherit the promise. 

• Deuteronomy 11:13 And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, 

Once we come to God through genuine faith in Jesus, it is not hard to love God. The more we seek God, the more we will love God. 

• Deuteronomy 11:14 That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. 
• 15 And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full. 

We see this to be true in all places where God is honored and there is no other gods before Him. We must not use these scriptures however to teach the modern theory that God wants us to be rich. Material wealth may not come to believers except when Jesus returns a second time. Until then we must heed the words of Jesus, not to lay up treasures on earth for where our treasure it, that is where our heart will be. 

• Deuteronomy 11:16 Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; 

After all God did for them, it was the biggest insult to turn aside and worship gods that are in reality no gods. In fact Satan is behind any false religion. We can receive wrong spirits that deceive us into thinking we are ok when we are not. We can feel religious. That is why the continual study of God's word is necessary to keep us from false teaching. 

• Deuteronomy 11:17 And then the LORD'S wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you. 
• 18 Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.
• 19 And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 

This is where they failed and where we fail today. We must teach them by word of mouth and by living the example before them. 

• Deuteronomy 11:20 And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: 

Never be ashamed to place scripture on the walls, in the yard, on the house or anyplace. 

• Deuteronomy 11:21 That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth. 

Living by the word will increase longevity except in the case where someone suffers for the cause of the gospel. Jesus only lived to the age of 33 for instance but it was for the cause of the gospel. He died for our sins. In that case our goal is eternal life which is forever and one really never dies. 

• Deuteronomy 11:22 For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him; 
• 23 Then will the LORD drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves. 

God would not allow Israel to drive any nation out that feared the Lord. He only allowed Israel to drive out those that were evil and at the point of no return. They were beyond hope of redemption. 

If Israel though failed to keep the commandments and walk in the ways of God, the nations around them would be a threat and a stumbling block. They had no strength in themselves to defeat anyone. Their help only came from almighty God. 

• Deuteronomy 11:24 Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be. 
• 25 There shall no man be able to stand before you: for the LORD your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as he hath said unto you. 

That would have been true and will be true in the future but we see that there are conditions for that fulfillment. 

• Deuteronomy 11:26 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; 
• 27 A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day: 
• 28 And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.

Only Jesus Christ and faith in Him can cancel this curse. Blessings come with obedience. This is true in a Christian's life too. We are saved by our faith in Christ but sometimes trouble comes because of the way we live. Many times trouble comes because we do not live in obedience to God's word. In other words we cause our own trouble. This is not to assume that those that have trouble are living in sin, because it just may be a trial as in the case of Job. It doesn't hurt however to search our hearts daily to make sure we have not gotten away from close fellowship with the Lord. 

• Deuteronomy 11:29 And it shall come to pass, when the LORD thy God hath brought thee in unto the land whither thou goest to possess it, that thou shalt put the blessing upon mount Gerizim, and the curse upon mount Ebal.
• 30 Are they not on the other side Jordan, by the way where the sun goeth down, in the land of the Canaanites, which dwell in the champaign over against Gilgal, beside the plains of Moreh? 
• 31 For ye shall pass over Jordan to go in to possess the land which the LORD your God giveth you, and ye shall possess it, and dwell therein. 
• 32 And ye shall observe to do all the statutes and judgments which I set before you this day. 

As we study the Old Testament, we see all these words coming to pass. We see judgment if they disobey and blessing if they repent and turn back to God. 

Both Israel and in this day, the church can be restored to a right relationship with God by simply repenting. Changing one's mind to serve the Lord instead of self. Obeying God instead of man. DC

• Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; 
• 20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: 
• 21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. 
• 22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. 
• 23 And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. 

Deuteronomy 12