Bob Feather May 4th, 2008

English language, small group, Bible study of Trinity International Baptist Church in Athens, Greece.

Studying Deuteronomy 1 to 4

• May 2008 Audio
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Bob Feather May 4th, 2008

I. Obey the Law (1-13)

• Don’t change the law. Revelation 22:18-19.
• Your neighbors will be impressed (6-8)
• Take heed to yourself (9)
• Remember the mountain that burned and shook (10-12)
• God’s covenant=10 commandments written on 2 tablets of stone (13)

II. Don’t use images of God (14-24)

• God never gave you an image, nor did He command you to make one (15)
• When you attempt to make an image of God, you corrupt yourselves and make God to be like you (16).
• You should not worship creation- not the sun, not the moon, not the stars. (What about SUNday, MOONday?)
• Image and icon makers have forgotten God’s covenant; and they should be reminded that God is a consuming fire, a jealous  God (Hebrews 12:29).

III. What will happen to those who do not worship God in spirit and in truth (25-28)

• Captivity and slavery to pagans is certain for image makers and users

IV. Repentance and forgiveness (29-31)

• The sinner who seeks God with all his heart and with all his soul shall find Him.
• And the penitent one shall find God to be merciful and forgiving.

V. Favored nation status (32-40)

• Never before had God chosen a nation to be His people.
• Never before had God intervened in the lives of the unsaved for the benefit of so large a number.
• So, realize that the Lord, He alone is God; and obey Him (39-40)

VI. Refuge cities (41-43)

• Read Numbers 35.

Meditation Points:

1. Rewriting history is a fact of life. Rewriting Scripture is a sin.
2. Let your light so shine among men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:16).
3. Many people are concerned about their physical condition; but too few are concerned about their spiritual condition.
4. In what way are the 10 Commandments a covenant?
5. Has God ever changed His mind about idols and images? (Worshiping “stars” is still bad, whether they be movie stars or sports stars.)
6. God will not allow sin to go unpunished. Even the sin of his children requires disciplinary action on His part.
7. If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
8. Is it wrong for God to have chosen one nation from among so many?
9. Are you impressed at how God moves heaven and earth for the good of His people?
10. There is only 1 God–and not everybody worships Him.

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Bob Feather May 3rd, 2008

When Giants Fell …

Recalling more of the history of the last 40 years, Moses speaks of

I. Edomites (2:1-7)

Don’t meddle with them (5).

God has blessed you; God knows where you’ve been and what you’ve been doing; God has been with you; you have lacked nothing (7).

II. Moabites (2:8-18)

Don’t distress them, nor contend with them (9).

Emim and Anakim - giants. Remember Numbers 13:33!

The men of war, who wouldn’t go to war, died without war or reward (16).

III. Ammonites (2:19-23)

Don’t distress them, nor meddle with them (19).

Zamzummim - giants. Remember Deuteronomy 2:10 and Numbers 13:33!

IV. Amorites (2:24-3:11)

Sihon, king of Heshbon (2:24-37)

    The Lord has hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate (Dt 2:30).

    Not one city was too strong for them (Dt 2:36)

Og, king of Bashan (3:1-11)

    A giant himself (Dt 3:11)

V. Reubenites, Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh (3:12-20)

Fight until everyone has rest (18-20)

VI. Distant sites (3:21-29)

As God has done to Sihon and Og, so shall He do to your enemies everywhere you go (21)

God’s answer to Moses’ prayer: “Speak no more to me of this matter” (Dt 3:26)

Encourage and strengthen Joshua and the others who will survive you (28)

Meditation Points:

• Don’t fight with everybody.
• God’s blessing is for Him to be with us, and that we lack nothing.
• The giants, which had seemed formidable 40 years earlier, are easily defeated by God’s grace. And this would not soon be forgotten (Joshua 2:10; 13:10,27; Judges 11:19-21; Nehemiah 9:22; Psalm 135:11; 136:19)
• God is able to, and does, harden the hearts/spirits of men. Remember Pharaoh, and Romans 1.
• Remembering past victories should encourage us to expect God to fight for us in the future, too.
• Not every prayer, even of the best of men, receives a “yes” answer.
• Some prayers should never be repeated.
• Older and experienced saints should encourage their younger counterparts.

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Bob Feather May 2nd, 2008

Three Old Testament books are most often quoted in the New Testament; they are Psalms, Isaiah and Deuteronomy. This fact alone should make the Christian interested to read this second giving of the law.

I.  Verse 3 indicates that these words were spoken at the end of Israel’s forty year wandering. We should not be surprised to find a lot of the most recent history retold, along with encouragements to trust God and to take the land which is before them (1-8).

II. Moses reminds the people that he was not able to govern them alone; and that representative elders had been appointed to oversee the affairs of the people (9-18).

III. Furthermore, they are reminded that the previous generation had rejected God when 10 spies gave an evil report, even though God had been taking care of them ever since the exodus from Egypt (19-33).

IV. God was angry with the unbelievers and sentenced them to die in the wilderness without ever reaching the promised land (34-40).

V. When the people thought to add presumption to their sin of rebellion, they lost a battle to the Amorites and they lost the ear of God, too (41-46).

Meditation Points:

• How much of your life can be recalled as so many accounts of God’s deliverance or judgment?
• Do you take too much responsibility and not delegate enough to others?
• Does the majority opinion influence you more than does the word of God?
• Have you ever been defeated because you were not in the will of God?

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