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    Deuteronomy ends with the death of Moses, one of the greatest figures in the entire Old Testament. In the story of Moses we see a microcosm of the story of Israel, that is a man chosen specifically by God for His holy purpose, yet a sinful man who sometimes resisted God’s will and sinned.
    We should all take heart in the story of Moses and the story of Israel, because they are our own story. In spite of their recalcitrance and rebellion, their resistance and sin, God watched over His chosen people, defending them and disciplining them as needed. It was through that chosen people that the hope of our own salvation came through Jesus Christ.
    Indeed we should look at the rebellious people of Israel as a mirror of our own rebellious and sinful lives. How often do we do what we know we should not do, denying the Grace given us in favor of the lies of the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh? Yet, we see the truth of our own rebellion in Israel, that even when they rebelled, God sustained them and had mercy on them. How much less will He continue to sustain and have mercy on us?
    The story of Deuteronomy is the story of God’s grace being prepared for all of us. Deuteronomy represents the establishment of the ancient nation of Israel through the promise of God’s covenant to their forefathers, a covenant which included the promise of a savior, whose coming, death, and resurrection we now know as Christians. Praise be to God that He is faithful and true. Now we wait for the final fulfillment, when Christ will come again to gather us all to His side. Amen.
    This is the final study for the Book of Deuteronomy. Tomorrow we return to the Book of Mark.
DLH
