King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Tuesday, March 11, 2025
Chapters: Deuteronomy 1-2
Message: Deuteronomy: The Wilderness Years
Hello My Friend,
I read this this morning and is fitting as we begin the reading of Deuteronomy, [Beware of light thoughts of sin. At the time of conversion, the conscience is so tender, that we are afraid of the slightest sin. Young converts have a holy timidity, a godly fear lest they should offend against God. But alas!… At first a little sin startles us; but soon we say, “Is it not a little one?”…Take heed lest thou fall by little and little. Sin, a little thing? Is it not a poison?… It girded the Redeemer’s head with thorns, and pierced his heart! It made him suffer anguish, bitterness, and woe. Could you weigh the least sin in the scales of eternity, –Charles Spurgeon]
This is so true, I remember when I fully understood what my salvation was all about and dedicated my life to Christ, I feared sinning against God so much that I ran off the guy I was dating at the time, which was a complete blessing at the time. It is in our nature to sin, more often than not haphazardly, and let me tell you there is no such thing as a little sin because once you think you have gotten away with the little sin it gets a little braver to attempt the more notable sins. This is exactly why Moses told the tribes of Reuben and Gad that they sin would find them out if they did not help the others.
[Numbers 32:20-23 And Moses said unto them, If ye will do this thing, if ye will go armed before the LORD to war, 21 And will go all of you armed over Jordan before the LORD, until he hath driven out his enemies from before him, 22 And the land be subdued before the LORD: then afterward ye shall return, and be guiltless before the LORD, and before Israel; and this land shall be your possession before the LORD. 23 But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.]
As we begin reading the Book of Deuteronomy we learn that God really is in control of all things and He has much to give us but we need two things, faith and to do our part so that He can do His part, [James 2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.]
The Book of Deuteronomy contains thirty-four chapters, the author is Moses and it was written to the Israelite’s, the timeline is about 1451BC. The purpose of the book was to remind Israel of God’s promise, and to reinstate the Law to the new generation that was given forty years ago on Mt. Sinai. What we are to learn from the book is that there is only One Law for all, and it is God’s, [Deuteronomy 10:17-18 For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward: 18 He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment.]
Forty years have passed since the Israelite’s were forbidden by God to cross over the Jordan and into the land that He promised them. They spent one year for each day that ten of the twelve spies gave their evil report and discouraged Israel from possessing it. Their judgment was over, the only ones alive from the first generation was Moses, Caleb, and Joshua. Now God has given the okay that it was now time to go in and possess the land with the reminder that this was also the land that God promised Abraham.
[Deuteronomy 1:3,5-8 And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the LORD had given him in commandment unto them; 5 On this side Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare this law, saying, 6 The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount: 7 Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great river, the river Euphrates. 8 Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.]
Now, if we are just going to stand there and wait for God to make the first move, then we can forget about it because God does not go where He is not invited. And if we do not make the first move because we are afraid, then we can forget about it also because God only moves by faith. And if we do not make the first move because we are over burdened and overwhelmed with life, then we need to ask God for help and He will send it. Moses, recalls how he was overburdened by the trying to attend to the cares of not only the Israelites, but those who traveled among them.
[Deuteronomy 1:9-10,15-17 And I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone: 10 The LORD your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude. 15 So I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over tens, and officers among your tribes. 16 And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him. 17 Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God’s: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it.]
Many hands make light work, and in this case, many hands teach us the ways of Christ and how we can help bear the burdens of one another. This is why we need to not only have like minded spouses, friends, and family to turn to for help but we need to join a local like minded church, even if we are housebound. Since most families get saved one soul at a time, we also need a church home of like minded Christians that we can turn to for help, [Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.]
There is no matter that is too small or great for God, He wants us to come to Him for everything. Do you know why? All it takes is one little sin to escalate it into a multitude. The reason so many faithful Christians fall into sin to begin with is because they are trying to handle everything on their own. If there is one thing that I lacked in my Christian walk it is a true friend, whenever I did start to make a friend someone moved or left the church and we lost touch. Now that I am married I have my husband and that makes it easier to stay in check but we all need one Godly friend we can go to for guidance, encouragement, and even correction. That is called righteous judgment and something that Jesus teaches all of us, and since God is not a respecter of persons we are not to be either, [John 7:24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.]
Moses goes on to describe what took place thirty-eight years ago when he sent the twelve spies over into Canaan and they believed the evil report of the ten spies that were too afraid to cross over and how they rebelled against God.
[Deuteronomy 1:21-23,25-26 Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged. 22 And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come. 23 And the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe: 25 And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us word again, and said, It is a good land which the LORD our God doth give us. 26 Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God:]
God gives us everything we need to go in and get the things that He promises us, but fear is not in His vocabulary unless it is Him that we fear, [Luke 12:4-5 And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.]
Fearing God is not like being afraid to approach Him, it is the opposite, we go to Him with everything, loving and respecting Him in a way that we trust every word and follow Him by faith. If we live in fear and do not make a move to get the things He promises we only have ourselves to blame if we lose them. Moses reminds them that God was with them but they let their fears get the best of them.
[Deuteronomy 1:30,32-36 The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes; 32 Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God, 33 Who went in the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to shew you by what way ye should go, and in a cloud by day. 34 And the LORD heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying, 35 Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers, 36 Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed the LORD.]
God always knows what is going on well before we do and believe it or not takes great care in where He directs our path, even the afflictions we face. He searches everything out well before we even make one move and knows exactly how we are going to react. In fact, the one thing that we may never get over is losing out on something because we did not trust Him. Moses recalls how God would not allow him to go over into the promise land.
[Deuteronomy 1:37-40 Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not go in thither. 38 But Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. 39 Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it. 40 But as for you, turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.]
While we may lose out on some things we who are saved must never forget that we have the best thing waiting for us on the other side, [Philippians 3:7-9 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:]
God had already appointed Joshua to succeed Moses, the people needed to not only respect that, but also encourage him as well. Let me tell you, our biggest obstacle in taking what God is willing to give us is the fear of being all alone, and not having anyone to back us up. It does not matter how strong our faith in God, we need to be encouraged and when we are not, that actually deters us from doing what God calls us to do, [Galatians 5:7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?]
Quite often we do not realize that our own disbelief can hinder us and sometimes we are not sincere in our confession either. Moses, goes on to remind them of how they repented only after they were not allowed to cross over but were still not allowed.
[Deuteronomy 1:41-45 Then ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned against the LORD, we will go up and fight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go up into the hill. 42 And the LORD said unto me, Say unto them, Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies. 43 So I spake unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and went presumptuously up into the hill. 44 And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, even unto Hormah. 45 And ye returned and wept before the LORD; but the LORD would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear unto you.]
I actually get this picture of God with His arms folded, shaking His head, with a stern look on His face, and telling me, “Are you serious!” whenever I say I will not do something yet the next day I do it. If I was sincere in my repentance then God will be serious about my pleas. Likewise, had they actually been sincere in their repentance to God He would have forgiven them and perhaps let them cross over sooner but they would not and therefore they all lost out. While it does take a while to fully remove some sins God knows our heart and efforts, those who are truly sincere in their repentance understand just how fatal their sin is and will confess that they are a sinner and need Jesus every day, [1 Timothy 1:15-16 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. 16 Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.]
Let me tell you, we may do things in our own will at times, and suffer through some affliction as a result, but everything and everyone on this earth is used for God’s purpose, and He will use those who do not believe in Him to reach those who do believe. Moses, goes on to explain this through the examples of their journey and how God had given their enemies land to possess, including their own kin, Esau.
[Deuteronomy 2:1-5,7,12 Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea, as the LORD spake unto me: and we compassed mount Seir many days. 2 And the LORD spake unto me, saying, 3 Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward. 4 And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the coast of your brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir; and they shall be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore: 5 Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession. 7 For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.]
Esau, is Jacob’s brother, also of Isaac and Abraham, even though God did not promise land to them as He did Israel, He did give them land, likewise to Moab and Ammon, who are descendants of Lot.
[Deuteronomy 2:14-19 And the space in which we came from Kadesh-barnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, was thirty and eight years; until all the generation of the men of war were wasted out from among the host, as the LORD sware unto them. 15 For indeed the hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from among the host, until they were consumed. 16 So it came to pass, when all the men of war were consumed and dead from among the people, 17 That the LORD spake unto me, saying, 18 Thou art to pass over through Ar, the coast of Moab, this day: 19 And when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them: for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon any possession; because I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession.]
These were not people or nations that had no clue who God is, and they also knew that God was with the Israelites. In fact, He wanted all these nations to know that they were passing through and to fear them because He was with them.
[Deuteronomy 2:24-25,30-31,33 Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the river Arnon: behold, I have given into thine hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land: begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle. 25 This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the nations that are under the whole heaven, who shall hear report of thee, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of thee. 30 But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him: for the LORD thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand, as appeareth this day. 31 And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have begun to give Sihon and his land before thee: begin to possess, that thou mayest inherit his land. 33 And the LORD our God delivered him before us; and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people.]
This is a message to all saved, born again Christians, we must rise up and take our journey, [Philippians 3:13-14 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.]
Yes, we will cross over some enemy lines but we must not walk in fear only in faith, and when we do our part Jesus will do His, [Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.]
Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [Deuteronomy 1:30-31 The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes; 31 And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.]
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for Your mercies and grace, for loving me, and not giving up on me. You had a path for me from my mothers womb, and while I know I do my own thing from time to time, You are faithful and just to get me back on the path after I spent some time in the wilderness. Now, the path You have given me on may have me sitting on a mountain top, dwelling in a valley, or walking through a windy, crooked road, at times, but I have never lacked as You led where I am supposed to be. I praise You for that, and ask that whatever path You lead me on, remove from me doubt, hindrances, and fear, only have Godly fear, and trust that You alone will see me through every step that I take. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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