Deuteronomy (Program #5) -A Review of the Past (1)

Deuteronomy begins with Moses reviewing 40 years of history to the assembled children of Israel. Kadesh-barnea is at the gate of Canaan in the very place where they had arrived some 38 years before.

Deut 1: 19 And we set out from Horeb, and we went through all that great and awesome wilderness, which you saw, on the way to the hill country of the Amorites, as Jehovah our God commanded us; and we came to Kadesh-barnea.  Verse 21 “See, Jehovah your God has set the land before you; go up, possess it, as Jehovah the God of your fathers has spoken to you. Do not fear, neither be dismayed”…. “Yet you would not go up. Rather you rebelled against the word of Jehovah your God;”

The unbelief and disobedience that the people showed on that day caused their father to falter and not going to possess the land.  As we see Moses now is preparing a new generation to overcome that past and to be strong to enter in and possess the good land.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

Deuteronomy (Program #2) – The Crucial Points (1)

Deuteronomy, the fifth book of the Bible literally means a second speaking or a re-speaking. For the children of Israel it was Moses re-speaking the law to a new generation as they prepare to enter into the good land. But for us, the entire Bible is a continual re-speaking of God’s word, every time we touch it. And this re-speaking is just Christ.

Stay with us as we come again to see Christ realized and experienced from the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

Deuteronomy (Program #1) – An Introductory Word

The first five books of the Bible form a unit. You probably have heard of this group of books written by Moses refer to as the Pentateuch. The last of these five, Deuteronomy is a conclusion not only to the writings of Moses but the law given first to Moses on Mount Sinai back in Exodus and then developed and enlarged with the judgments, statues and ordinances were added in the latter books of Pentateuch namely Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus.

Today we begin this book with an odd sounding name, Deuteronomy.  This book is marvelous and we believe the Lord will show us many wonderful things as we fellowship through this book.  It would be good to start with a quick look, the name of the book, Deuteronomy, an odd sounding name.  Many do not have much understanding what Deuteronomy refers to.  The word itself actually means second law. At the beginning of this book. Moses and children of Israel are standing on the border of the good land. They are no longer at Mt Sinai. But they are at the border of the good land preparing to go in and possess the land. So, here Moses gives the people a Deuteronomy, a second law, which is not another law, but is a re-speaking of the law that had been spoken previously nearly 40 years before at Sinai in the wilderness.

Now, when the opening of the of Deuteronomy, we have a new generation of the children of Israel. The first generation that came out of Egypt with Moses with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, had all died out. And now, we had a new generation, they had either not been present at the first speaking of the law or they were too young to receive that speaking. So here they all were at the border of the good land before they enter into the land God burdened Moses to re- speak the words of the law to these people to prepare them for what they needed to do to enter into the land and to taking possession of it.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

Numbers (Program #30) – Fighting (9)

After 40 years of experiences in the wilderness, God is ready to fulfill His promise to His people Israel to give them the good land.  But there are some requirements that He places upon them because this land has been occupied even polluted by various people apart from Israel; people with other gods and idols.  So before Israel can inherit the land, they must first drive out all these inhabitants, destroy their idols and tear down the high places.  If they don’t, they will be troubled by these things throughout their days.  Once again, the Old Testament provides us with a rich profound illustration of how we must possess our good land, the all-inclusive Christ.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

Numbers (Program #28) – Fighting (7)

One of the great moments in all of the Old Testament history was when the children of Israel finally participated in the distribution of the good land.  In principle, it was to be distributed not according to their choice, but according to God’s direction.   Yet two of the tribes, Reuben and Gad and later joined by the half-tribe of Manasseh.  Because of their own particular situation thought they knew what they needed, so they made request of Moses and the high priest to give them the land just before the Jordan river on the east side.  God agreed and these tribes got what they had chosen and what they had asked for.  But as we will see, our own choice, if we take it before the Lord’s choice most often carries a big price.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

Numbers (Program #27) – Fighting (6)

After 40 years of journeying through the wilderness of Sinai, the children of Israel had finally arrived at the gate of the good land and the end of their long and difficult journey.  By now they had experienced a wide range of things from God’s mercy, many of His miracles and the number of wars fighting against a variety of enemies and a great number of their own failures and setbacks as well.  But through it all, God remained faithful to His promise to bring them into the land that He had given to their father Abraham.  He was also faithful to remind them of His need and He would never let them forget the necessity of offering sacrifices there were satisfying to Him.  We will review some of these marvelous point on today’s program and we will see some new things facing God’s people.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

Numbers (Program #26) – Fighting (5)

Forty years of wandering, of fighting against enemies and of learning to live by depending on God are near an end.  God’s people Israel are about to enter the land that He has promised to their fathers.  By this time Jehovah God had prepared the people and everything they would need to go in and possess this land.  But it is here, at this critical juncture that He comes to them to remind them not of their need but of His need.  From His people, God requires something that He will not provide for Himself – food.   Hard to imagine isn’t it?  God needs to be fed.  He can only be fed by His people.  Quite a story we have before us.

Numbers (Program #25) – Fighting (5)

For more than forty years the children of Israel follow one clear leadership.  Despite the occasional challenge to his leadership, Moses was the undeniable selection of Jehovah; as the unique one that was to lead them through the wilderness and to the good land.  But at 120 years of age, the Lord came to Moses to let him know that he was about to be gathered to his people and that he will not be entering into the land with the people.  We might think especially with all of things that Moses had done with and for the Lord, his concern would have been why he was being denied the opportunity to gain an entrance for himself.  But to the contrary, his only concern and care was for the people.  Who would be there to go in and come out before the people?  This is the story of a man according to God’s heart and it is an inspiring story for us to consider, as we will on this life study from the book of Numbers.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

Numbers (Program #23) – Fighting (4)

Numbers is a book that records many wonderful items related to God’s people Israel and their journey through the wilderness on their way to the good land.  But it also records some of their greatest failures.  Perhaps the greatest among these was that spoken of in chapter 25 where many among Israel committed fornication and adultery with some of the idolatrous and pagan people dwelling in the land.  This brought in God’s judgment as seen by the plague that fell upon Israel consuming 24,000.  But this judgment served as kind of purifying of the people and it enabled them eventually to go in and possess the land that they have been 40 years journeying toward.  The renumbering of God’s people for the possession of the good land is our topic today.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

Numbers (Program #21) – Fighting (2)

We all know the story of Israel’s forty-year long journey in the wilderness.  Their journey, though unnecessary long, wasn’t aimless or without a goal.  They had a definite destination, the good land, the land of Emmanuel, today’s Israel.  This land as we have seen before, is a type and even a picture of Christ, of our Christ, who is our goal and destination.  But as we’ve seen, God also has an enemy who opposes Him and frustrates His people, bringing in a kind of warfare in the spiritual realm.  The book of Numbers touches this warfare repeatedly.  Today we come to chapter 22 where the tactic employed by Satan against God’s people Israel changes dramatically,  This program is full of much insight.  We really pray that the Lord would shine in this word today.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS