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Deuteronomy 1
    Today we begin the study of the Book of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy is the fourth book of the Bible and is ascribed to Moses as part of the first five books he wrote. This book represents the ‘last sermon’ Moses preached to the Israelites before he died and they entered the Promised Land. This book, therefore, takes the form of a restatement of the laws given to the Israelites that they are to follow in the Promised Land they are about to inherit.
    As with all Bible studies, it is helpful to refer to study God’s word with the assistance of what learned and trained bible scholars have to say on the subject. In addition to the Bible text itself, these explanations can help make the text clearer or bring up points that the reader might have missed. I always recommend the People’s Bible Commentary available from the Northwest Publishing House of the WELS as a good place to start. I also personally use the Concordia Self-Study Commentary from the Concordia Publishing House of the LCMS. Here also is a link to the Matthew Henry Concise Commentary on the Bible available through BibleGateway.com, the source of all of the Bible verse links in these posts.
    This study is guided by the Three Year Bible Study from the WELS.
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    The Book of Deuteronomy begins with a recounting of the events that led the nation of Israel to be camped across the Jordan River from the land of Canaan- the Promised Land that God had given as an inheritance to the descendents of Abraham. Here Moses paused after the recent Israeli victory over the Moabites to restate the law that God had given them nearly half a century before.
    In this restatement, God, through Moses, sought to remind the Israelites of who they were and what they were about to do. They were God’s chosen people and they were about to enter and take possession of the land that God had promised to their ancestors. God was proving the faithfulness of His covenant with Israel, even though they proved to be a sometimes rebellious and obstinate people.
    The story if Israel is a good parallel to our own lives as sinful humans saved by Grace through faith. In spite of our salvation, in spite of our faith, we still sin, sometimes intentionally. Yet, God through His grace continues to love us and lead us into His kingdom for the sake of our faith. We would do well to remember God’s grace toward Israel in our own lives, because it is the same Grace.
DLH
