MOSES SAYS GOODBYE. DEUTERONOMY!

 THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY IS A SERMONIC REVIEW GIVEN BY MOSES JUST PRIOR TO HIS DEATH. THE NAME DEUTERONOMY  COMES FROM TWO GREEK WORDS WHICH WERE TO USED TO FORM THE SEPTUAGINT TITLE; MEANING "SECOND," AND NOMOS, MEANING "LAW" SO, THE WORD REALLY MEANS " SECOND LAW." IN EFFECT, IT WAS THE SECOND GIVING OF THE LAW. AFTER THE ISRAELITES ARRIVED IN THE TRANS-JORDAN, IN THE YEAR 14O6B.C., MOSES RECOUNTED TO THE NEW GENERATION ALL THE PAST EVENTS OF THE PREVIOUS FORTY YEARS. IN DEUTERONOMY 1:1 WE READ:" THESE BE THE WORDS WHICH MOSES SPAKE UNTO ALL ISRAEL ON THIS SIDE JORDAN IN THE WILDERNESS, IN THE PLAIN OVER AGAINST THE RED SEA."  [VERSE 5] GIVES FURTHER CLARIFICATION OF THE LOCALE,
" ON HIS SIDE OR JORDAN, IN THE LAND OF MOAB, BEGAN MOSES TO DECLARE THIS LAW." THIS IS THE SETTING THROUGHOUT THE BOOK. DEUTERONOMY [34:1] SAYS, " MOSES  WENT UP FROM THE PLAINS OF MOAB UNTO THE MOUNTAIN OF NEBO"  IN [34:5 ff]: " MOSES... DIED THERE IN THE LAND OF MOAB...AND MOSES WAS AN HUNDRED AND TWENTY- YEARS OLD. AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WEPT FOR MOSES IN THE PLAINS OF MOAB THIRTY DAYS."  WE LOOK AT PROMISES TO BE KEPT.
 AS THE ENTIRE HOST OF ISRAELITES REMAINED ON THE EAST SIDE OR TRANS- JORDAN AREA, PREPARATIONS WERE BEING MADE FOR A MILITARY MOVE ACROSS THE JORDAN TO OCCUPY CIS-JORDAN. ALMOST SEVEN HUNDRED YEARS BEFORE, THIS ENTIRE AREA HAD BEEN PROMISED TO ABRAHAM AND HIS DESCENDANTS. IN HIS DAY, THE CUP OF "THE INIQUITY OF THE AMORITES IS NOT YET FULL" [GEN15:16]. THE PERIOD OF GRACE HAD COME TO AN END AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WERE READY TO OCCUPY THE LAND. THIS OCCUPATION  WAS NECESSARY IN ORDER TO FULFILL THE PROMISE TO ABRAHAM THAT "I WILL MAKE OF THEE A GREAT NATION.  (GEN12:2). THE PEOPLE WHO LEFT THE LAND OF EGYPT WERE A PEOPLE, BUT THEY WERE NOT YET A NATION. IT TAKES THREE THINGS TO BE A NATION AND  ONE OF THESE THREE IS THAT THERE MUST BE A PEOPLE. THEN THERE MUST BE A CONSTITUTION. ON MOUNT SINAI, WHEN GOD GAVE THE TEN COMMANDMENTS AND THE ORDINANCES  FOR WORSHIP, GOVERNMENT,  AND DAILY LIFE, THE CONSTITUTION YEARS IN THE WILDERNESS THEY WERE A PEOPLE WAS PROVIDED. SO FOR FORTY YEARS IN THE WILDERNESS THEY WERE A PEOPLE WITH A CONSTITUTION. ALL THAT REMAINED FOR NATIONAL IDENTITY WAS THE LAND. JUST AS WHEN THE JEWS OCCUPIED  THE LAND IN 1948, THEY BECAME A NATION. IT SERVED AS GOD'S HOLY WAR AGAINST THE INHABITANTS OF CANAAN. WE READ IN DEUTERONOMY 9:4 ]  SPEAK NOT THOU IN THINE HEART, AFTER THAT THE LORD THY GOD HATH CAST THEM OUT FROM BEFORE THEE, FOR MY RIGHTEOUSNESS THE LORD HATH BROUGHT ME IN TO POSSESS THE LAND:  BUT FOR THE WICKEDNESS OF THESE NATIONS THE LORD DOTH DRIVE THEM OUT BEFORE THEE. IT WAS BECAUSE OF THE CORRUPT SYSTEM THAT GOD WAS OFFENDED TO THE POINT OF COMMANDING TOTAL EXTERMINATION OF THE INHABITANTS OF THE LAND OF CANAAN. COMPLETELY OCCUPIED THE LAND AND NEVER LOST A MAN IN BATTLE.
 BACK IN ["NUMBERS 31:49], FOLLOWING A BATTLE IN WHICH THE  THE MEN OF WAR  WERE COMPLETELY OBEDIENT, THE BIBLE RECORDS THE REPORT GIVEN MOSES, " THY SERVANTS HAVE TAKEN THE SUM OF MEN OF WAR WHICH ARE UNDER OUR CHARGE, AND THERE LACKETH NOT ONE MAN OF US. THIS WAS GOD'S WAR AND HE WAS NOT GOING TO SUFFER THE LOSS OF ANY OF HIS WARRIORS, IF THEY FOUGHT ACCORDING TO HIS ORDINANCES  AND HIS COMMANDMENTS. FINALLY, IN REGARD TO THE RELIGION OF THE LAND, DEUTERONOMY  [11:16-17]  GAVE THE ISRAELITES ADVANCE WARNING OF WHAT WOULD HAPPEN. MOSES SAID: TAKE HEED TO YOURSELVES, THAT YOUR HEART BE NOT DECEIVED, AND  YE TURN ASIDE, AND SERVE OTHER GODS, AND WORSHIP THEM.; AND THEN THE LORD'S WRATH BE KINDLED AGAINST YOU, AND HE SHUT UP THE HEAVEN, THAT THERE BE NO RAIN, AND THE LAND YIELD NOT HER FRUIT; AND LEST YE PERISH QUICKLY FROM OFF THE GOOD LAND WHICH THE LORD GIVETH YOU. CHAPTER [11] REAFFIRMS THE FACT IT IS GOD, THE LORD JEHOVAH, AND NOT BAAL, THE CANAANITES GOD WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR FERTILITY IN ALL OF CREATION.  GOD KNEW THAT ONCE THE PEOPLE BEGAN TO PRACTICE THOSE ABOMINATIONS OF BAALISM  THAT THEIR SONS AND DAUGHTERS, THEIR HUSBAND AND WIVES, WOULD GET INVOLVED IN THE FORMAL WORSHIP SYSTEM OF THE LAND, AND THAT EVEN ISRAELITE MEN AND WOMEN WOULD BECOME PROSTITUTES IN THE HOUSES OF BAAL. (CHAPTER 23:17-18
HAS THIS WARNING " THERE  SHALL BE NO WHORE OF THE DAUGHTERS OF ISRAEL, NOR A SODOMITE OF THE SONS OF ISRAEL. THOU SHALL NOT BRING THE HIRE OF A WHORE, OR THE PRICE OF A DOG[ THAT IS, THE MALE CULT PROSTITUTE] INTO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD THY GOD FOR ANY VOW: FOR EVEN BOTH THESE ARE ABOMINATION UNTO THE LORD THY GOD. YOU WILL REMEMBER, HOW AFTER THE EXODUS, SOME FORTY PRIOR TO DEUT. 25, ISRAEL ENCOUNTERED AMALEK IN BATTLE UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF JOSHUA. AT THE TIME GOD WARNED THEM THAT THERE WOULD BE A BATTLE WITH AMALEK FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION. MOSES REMINDED IN DEUTERONOMY  [25: 17-19] . MOSES REMINDED THE PEOPLE ONCE AGAIN OF WHAT HAPPENED SO THEY WOULD NOT FORGET THEIR INVOLVEMENT  WITH AMALEK FOR WHAT HE DID. FORTY YEARS AFTER THE FIRST ATTACK, THE PROMISE JUDGEMENT AGAINST AMALEK WAS REAFFIRMED. AND CARRIED OUT 350 YEARS LATER.

                                                            "SONG OF MOSES".
ONE THING THAT SEEMS TO BE ROOTED IN OUR SINFUL HUMAN NATURE IS THAT THE YOUNGER GENERATION FORGETS OR IGNORES WHAT THE PREVIOUS GENERATION LEARNED. WE KNOW THAT IT WAS ADAM'S JOB TO PASS ON THE TRUTH TO HIS DESCENDANTS, AND HE FAILED. IT WAS NOAH'S JOB TO PASS ON THE TRUTH TO HIS DESCENDANTS, AND HE FAILED.  IT WAS THE JOB OF ABRAHAM TO PASS ON THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD TO HIS DESCENDANTS, AND HE FAILED. "MOSES LIKEWISED WAS INSTRUCTED VERY PLAINLY TO PASS THESE TRUTHS ON TO THE SONS AND THE SONS' SONS, AND BY THE WORD OF MOUTH METHOD, THE TRUTH OF GOD WAS TO BE TRANSMITTED FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION (DEUT 6:7; 31:12-13). BUT, IMAGINE IF YOU WILL, WHAT THE RESPONSE WAS TO THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE FIVE AND SIX GENERATIONS REMOVED FROM ADAM TRIED TO EXPLAIN TO THEM THAT HE HAD BEEN CREATED AND WALKED IN THE COOL OF THE DAY WITH GOD. I AM SHORE THAT WICKED GENERATION LAUGHED AND THOUGHT HE WAS INSANE. WHEN NOAH TRIED TO EXPLAIN TO HIS DESCENDANTS, SEVERAL GENERATIONS REMOVED, THAT HE HAD EXPERIENCED THE FLOOD; AND WHEN HIS SONS-SHEM, HAM, AND JAPHETH,ATTEMPTED TO EXPLAIN TO THEIR GRANDCHILDREN AND GREAT GRANDCHILDREN THAT AT ONE TIME THE ENTIRE EARTH HAD BEEN COVERED WITH WATER  AND THEY HAD LIVED- IN A PRE FLOOD ERA, I'M AM SURE THEY WERE ALSO THOUGHT TO BE INSANE. WE KNOW HOW AFTER SEVERAL GENERATIONS, THE TRUTH THAT IS ATTEMPTED TO BE PASSED ON IS MOCKED AND SCOFFED AT AND ASSUMED TO BE WORTHLESS., MYTHICAL INFORMATION. BECAUSE OF THIS, OMNISCIENT GOD TOLD MOSES THAT HE KNEW WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. HE DESCRIBED IN 31:16 THAT SOON AFTER THEY WERE SETTLED IN THE LAND, THEY WOULD PLAY THE HARLOT. WITH STRANGE god's
' AND FORSAKE ME, AND BREAK MY COVENANT WHICH I HAVE MADE WITH THEM.
" IN RETURN  VERSE (17); I WILL TURN MY FACE FROM THEM. IN A ATTEMPT TO PREVENT THIS, HE COMMANDED MOSES TO COMPOSE A SONG SO THAT GENERATIONS AND CENTURIES LATER THEY WOULD REMEMBER THAT THEY HAD BEEN WARNED ABOUT THEIR BEHAVIOR. THOUGH MANY THINGS MAY PASS AWAY, A SONG OR AN EPIC POEM WOULD BE LEARNED AND SUNG AND PASSED DOWN FROM ONE GENERATION TO ANOTHER. IT WAS DESIGNED TO MAKE THEM REMEMBER BACK TO A TIME WHEN GOD FIRST GAVE IT AND ITS TITLE  COULD BE "AGAINST FORGETFULNESS." THE PURPOSE OF THIS SONG (EPIC POEM) WAS TO REMIND THE PEOPLE THAT GOD HAD ANTICIPATED THEIR FAILURE, AND THAT THERE WAS STILL HOPE IF THEY WOULD REPENT THE POEM REQUIRES FORTY-THREE VERSES IN CHAPTER 32. IN THIS MARVELOUS PIECE  OF POETRY, GOD REMINDS THEM THAT HE MADE THEM DRINK HONEY FROM THE ROCK AND OIL FROM THE FLINTY ROCK, BUT THEY DECIDED TO SERVE IDOLS AND OTHER DEMONS THAT CLAIMED TO BE GOD'S WARNED THEM IN THE SONG THAT HE WOULD HEAP MISFORTUNE  UPON THEM, AND ASSURED THEM IN THE END OF HIS VENGEANCE  AND THAT BLOOD WOULD BE AVENGED WHICH HAD BEEN SHED BY THE ENEMIES OF HIS SERVANTS. THE REMAINDER OF CHAPTER 32 CONTAINS GOD'S INSTRUCTIONS TO MOSES REGARDING HIS DEATH, AND THE REASON IIT WOULD OCCUR PRIOR TO ENTERING THE LAND BECAUSE HE HAD FAILED IN THE MATER OF STRIKING THE ROCK.  IN CHAPTER 33, MOSES BLESSED THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WHICH IS RECORDED IN CHAPTER 34.
  IN DEUTERONOMY 34:7 RECORDS THAT HE LIVED TO BE 12O YEARS OLD.
 WITH THE DEATH OF MOSES IN 14O6 B.C., AFTER THE DEATH OF MOSES, THE NEW GENERATION OF PEOPLE WAS ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE JORDAN RIVER. THE LEADER THEY KNEWW FOR MANY YEARS WAS DEAD THE BATON OF LEADERSHIP HAD BEEN PASSED TO JOSHUA, AND THE INHABITANTS OF THE LAND OF CANAAN
 WERE ANTICIPATING MILITARY ACTIVITY AS THEY LOOKED EASTWARD ACROSS JORDAN. THE ISRAELITES WERE EAGER ENTER THE LAND.