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THE FIFTH BOOK OF MOSES CALLED DEUTERONOMY CHAPTER 1 "Possession East of Jordan: Retrospective." This
Bible Study is written by Roger Christopherson, and it's
transcription/ location The time that these words were given to the people was about thirty days prior to Moses' death, and it will take place in the last month of Moses' life. This then accounts for much of the gentleness that Moses showed to the children of Israel within this book. This book of the law is different from the other books of the law, in as much as it is not directed to the Levitical priests, however it is given more as an explanation of how the law is to be used, and directed to the people for their understanding. This law then was looking forward to the time of Christ, when the Levitical priesthood would need no instruction, because Jesus will be the priest [after the order of Melchisedec]. Hebrews 7:17 "For He testifieth, "Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec." " This was the fifth book of Moses, and five in biblical numerics is always the number for grace, looking forward to God's grace through Jesus Christ, in that respect. Within this book of Deuteronomy, there will be three times when Moses will address the people, and at the end of these addresses, we will be given the "Song of Moses", which is given by God, and that song will be sung by those that are overcomes in the end when Christ returns. This song is spoken of by Jesus in Revelation 15:3, when He gave it to John. Revelation 15:3 "And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, "Great and marvellous are Thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints." This is the song that will be sung by those that will overcome the beast and the beast's system, so naturally it is important that we know what the words to this song are. It will be given in detail in the thirty second chapter of Deuteronomy. Within the "song of Moses" are the events and instruction necessary to be an overcomer in our generation. Moses is one hundred and nineteen years old, and approaching his hundred and twentieth year of age. There are parts of this book that becomes quite detailed and thus I will try to bring forth the full truth as it is written. In the book of Ephesians, Paul uses the analogy of a man and his wife, as to how the body of Christ is to react to each other, as far as getting along and decision making. Then at the conclusion of Ephesians Paul let us know that all the time he is talking about the relationship between Christ and the church. So just as Paul used types to explain relationships, so also we will see types used in Deuteronomy, and the blood that will be spoken of, will be a type used for the blood of Christ. This is why it is important that you know the difference between the "Law", "ordinances", "statutes", and "commandments". There is no way that you can understand any of God's law if these three phases are confusing to you. Within "the blood" comes life. We must understand the fact that within Jesus Christ's blood comes "eternal life". This applies both physically and spiritually. Those parts of the law dealing with blood sacrifices called "statutes and ordinances" are the only parts of the law that were done away with when Jesus went to the cross, and shed His blood as the sacrifice for those that would receive and accept that sacrifice by faith. So this book is given for the peoples instruction, whereby they did not need to be in the priesthood to understand it. Moses left those detailed parts out of this book of Deuteronomy, in presenting and looking forward to the coming Messiah. It is God's instruction to you and your family, explaining why you should get along with the members of your family and your neighbors, and is applied to both children and their parents. It applies to all parts of your life, your business world, as well as your spiritual life. It gives you your basic instructions of life and dealing with those around you. So this entire book is repeating the law that was given prior, and made to the level of understanding of the common person. Now lets enjoy it. Deuteronomy 1:1 "These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red sea, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahb." "These" indicates a continuation of the words already written in the books of Leviticus and Numbers. Though in the King James version, it reads "Red sea", it is not in the manuscripts as such, for it is given "Suph", the name of a place, but not a town. Though these names are given, you will not find these as towns geographically, for Moses is teaching a lesson here. Keep in mind that these Israelites had been in the wilderness for the past forty years at this time, and most of the people that were present at the coming out of Egypt are dead. These Israelites are their little ones, the small children that were still in their years of innocence or born in the wilderness, they were the population that were gathered here to receive Moses' message just prior to enter into the promise land. Paran, Tophel and the other names are referring to events that happened over the forty years of wondering in the wilderness. Those many lessons were given by God as these Israelites continued in their journey, because of their disobedience. The word for "plain" that was over against the Red sea is "Arabah", it is the low lands on both sides of the Jordan that the Israelites passed through. It is the place where the people passed over the Jordan to continue their wanderings on the east side. It was from this place that the phrase came, "from the other side", when the Israelites looked back as to how things use to be. Again this is not looking to any one spot, but it covers forty years of travel from the two seas. So now notice that this next verse is in parentheses. Deuteronomy 1:2 "(There are eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadesh-barnea.)" "Kadesh-barnea" is the place where the Israelites had reached, following the time that Moses had gone up on Mount Sinai when God gave him the ten commandments. "Kadesh" means "holy", while "Barnea", means "a place of wandering". It is the place where Moses selected one man from each tribe to be sent out to spy out the land, and return to report to the people. There were ten that reported bad news from the promise land, and two [Caleb and Joshua] that gave a good report. The ten spies reported back to Moses that there were giants in the land, and that the cities were "walled all the way to heaven". The people had completely overlook the promises that God gave them, that He would clear the way for them and all they had to do was enter. They listened to the lies of a few spies, instead of God and they refuse to trust God. This is the same problem that many Christians have today, for they would rather listen to the words of lies and distortions, than to trust in God's Word and allowing Him to clear the way for us, and following the paths that He has set for us. God is going to give life into your hand and bless you when you step out by faith and take those promises for yourself. When you allow doubt to enter your mind, you chicken out and never allow God to do those things for you. There are no giants in the way for a Christian that places his or her faith and trust in the Lord. Moses brought in this verse in to remind the people, "don't mess up this time like you did forty years ago." The journey from the place where they received the law, to Kadish-barnea was an eleven day's journey. Kadish-barnea was the starting point of the Israelites forty year journey. Had they trusted God to give them the victory as He promised, they would have been living in peace in their promised land for the past forty years. Deuteronomy 1:3 "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;" Moses is telling the people that there will be nothing left out of this set of instructions that he will give to them. Remember that the number "forty" in biblical numerics stands for "probation". However, there are certain things that God directed to the Levitical priests that do not concern the people's lives and duties, and those things were not included here in Deuteronomy. In as much as this was in the eleventh month, and there are twelve to the year, it is just a matter of weeks prior to Moses death, in as much as Moses lived one hundred and twenty years. Moses' life is divided into three periods of forty years each. Moses lived his first forty years as he grew up in Pharaoh's house as the son of Pharaoh. In Moses' second forty years after he was kicked out of Egypt, he lived in the land of the Kenites and was married to the daughter of "...Raguel the Midianite, Moses' father in law." This is given us in Numbers 10:29. Today many are taught that Raguel's name was "Jethro", which was a title and not Raguel's name. In saying this, in turn, they are calling Moses' wife a Kenite, of the offspring of Cain, which she was not. The family of "Raguel", Moses' father-in-law were Midianites, the children of Abraham through his second wife Keturah, and the offspring of their fourth son "Midian". Then the third and last forty year period was during the wanderings in the wilderness, to this time of Moses' deliverance of this message of the book of Deuteronomy. It will be was just a matter of a few weeks before the Israelites would march on Jericho and receive the first victory that God shall give them. Because of Moses' sin of defiance to God, that of striking the rock instead of speaking to it, Moses will not be allowed to enter into the promised land, but God will have a very special place for him anyway. In as much as Moses and Elijah were both present as Jesus met them on the mount of transfiguration. It leaves no doubt at all where Moses stood in the eyes of Jesus our Savior. These Israelites are about to enter the promise land and were in the same place that we are today. We can see the events prophesied in the scripture concerning the end times and they are current events to our generation. The new world order is in place, and all the nations of the world have become members under it's charter agreement. The Jews have returned and established their nation, and peace is spoken in every corner of the land. Everything is in place for the entering into the promise land. God's Word promises that we will know the season, However, not the day, and we are well within the season. We know the enemy Satan will soon arrive, and that there will be a spiritual battle before we will enter and take the promise land. That battle is well under way. So the same set of instruction that God is going to give these Israelites are the same orders that He gives to us living today, at the end of this age of the flesh. It is for this reason that it is important that we understand it now. Deuteronomy 1:4 "After he had slain Sihon the king of the Amorites, which dwelt in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, which dwelt at Astaroth in Edrei;" God gave Moses the victories over these two kings and their nations while they were wandering in the wilderness. They did not want the Israelites to pass through their land, and because of their refusal God gave them into Moses' hand. This is just as Christianity is, it is not a religion, but it is the reality in the way you live your life today. God gives you victory over those things and people that would place a barrier in your path, and prevents you from passing through to the other side. God will take care of you no matter what your problems are, and remove those kings and armies that try to prevent you from doing things God's way. God gave these kings into the hand of Moses, and they were no problem for the Israelites. This is why you must be strong in God's Word and know His promises, know what is right to do and those things to avoid. Deuteronomy 1:5 "On this side Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare this law, saying," It is important that you become familiar with these locations and where they are. "This side", is on the east side of Jordan, for it is at that very end of their journey, after they had crossed over Jordan some forty years prior, as we discussed in verse one. The Israelites were camped in the land of Moab during this writing, even though the exact location isn't known. So this ends the introduction. "The other side" than refers to the time prior to the crossing over Jordan, and entering into their wanderings in the wilderness when they had departed from Kadesh-barnea. Deuteronomy 1:6 "The Lord our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, 'Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount:" "Horeb" means "Sinai", and God spoke to the Israelites forty years prior in Sinai, and told them that they had wandered long enough. It is time that you stop your wandering and enter into the promise land. This is the same message that we should have today, "you have wandered long enough". Those things that were prophesied that must be in place before this age of the flesh comes to a close, have either happened or are taking place before our eyes, and it is time to prepare to enter into the promise land. It is time for each of us to prepare for the spiritual battle that Satan will bring upon us. Deuteronomy 1:7 "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." From the time that the Israelites entered into the promise land and looking forward, the Euphrates river has always represented the border between ourselves [the children of God] and Babylon. It still is, only in the end times God prophesied that the river Euphrates would be "dried up". This is speaking as a border between two peoples and their religions, and ideas. The prime root of the word "Babylon", is "Babel", which in the Hebrew means "confusion". Today there is no border between God's ways and people, and the confusion of the world. Confusion is all over, and Babel or confusion is even preached from the pulpits of our churches. When God told us in these last days to come out of Babylon, come out of confusion, He is not referring to a geographic location, but the confusion of false doctrines and traditions that are being taught in the church houses today. So when Moses is telling these people that they have been out there in the wilderness for the past thirty nine years and eleven months, and it is time for a change. It doesn't matter where you are geographically for God will protect you. What does matter is that you come out of the worldly confusion, and you do that by understanding His promises, and His Word. Deuteronomy 1:8 "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.' " Moses is reminding them and us today of the covenant that God has made with us. That covenant includes God's protection for all generations that will trust Him and follow His ways. Through Jesus Christ's death on the cross, all those that will believe and come to Him by faith in repentance, fall under the same covenant promises, as do the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their offspring. To all those that believe, God has given us the land. Many of the children of these Israelites much later would be scattered through the Caucasus mountains and around the world and are known today as "Caucasians". There is a reason that our land is bless, and our people are in the land to were we came. That reason is the God that gave a promise many years ago to Abraham, and that covenant promise is carried on through this entire earth age, and into the eternity. This great nation, as well as other Christian nations are blessed because of a promise that was given to Abraham almost four thousand years ago. When and as the people of Israelite nation's trust in God, He will always bless us when we put our trust in Him. God gives our enemies into our hands. Deuteronomy 1:9 "And I spake unto you at that time, saying, 'I am not able to bear you myself alone:" Moses is speaking here, and there is a lot of history being referred to here. The Israelites had become a very large nation, as they had multiplied greatly in the past forty years. The time had come to where Moses could not solve all their problems individually, so he had them appoint men that the people trusted to be their leaders and judges over themselves. These leaders and judges came from within their own tribes. Remember that each of these tribes were handled individually as they grew from a family unit in Egypt, into twelve tribal units in the wilderness. Later, after they entered into the promise land, into tribes and a nation. Centuries later, after the time of Moses, at the death of Solomon these Israelites will be split into two nations. This is why Moses is telling them that he is not able to bear their problems by himself anymore. They now have Judges to tend to their needs, and they are ready to become a nation. Deuteronomy 1:10 "The Lord your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven of multitude.' " Moses is reminding these Israelites that God is keeping His promise to Abraham, passed on to Isaac, and then to Jacob, as it is given Genesis 26:4. Genesis 26:2 "And the Lord appeared unto him [Jacob], and said, "Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: Genesis 26:3 "Sojourn in this land and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father [grandfather];" Jacob and his family of twelve sons, one daughter and their families numbered seventy when they first moved to Egypt under the protection of Joseph. This family of Jacob [Israel] grew into their families units of tribes. After Joseph died, and within those few hundred years these tribes numbered well over a million people. The Pharaoh that was over them did not favor them as did the Pharaoh of Joseph's time, and placed them in bondage as slaves to build the bricks and mortar for his structures. However this is exactly as God told Abraham that it would be in Genesis 15:13. Genesis 15:13 "And He said unto Abram, "Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not their, (and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them) four hundred years;" Genesis 15:14 "And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance." It was Moses that led God led to go before the Pharaoh and demand that he release the children of Israel for their bondage, and after the ten trials, Pharaoh not only let them go, but provided great substance and riches to them when he sent them on their way. Abraham had that promised son, Isaac, and Isaac had twins, Esau and Jacob, and when Jacob grew to be an old man, God reaffirmed the same promise to him that He gave to Jacob's [Israel's] grandfather Abraham. Genesis 26:4 "And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and I will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;" Genesis 26:5 "Because that Abraham obeyed My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws." "Abraham" in the Hebrew tongue means "the father of many nations". God made that promise to Abraham, and in Moses day that family had grown into a nation. In our day, it has come to fulfillment, for the tribes of the Israelites have grown into many nations, and though many of the nations simply do not know where they came from, they do know what they call themselves, "Caucasians"; after the scattering of the ten tribes of the nation called the House of Israel, The house of Israel nation was to the north of the house of Judah, known as the Jews. Deuteronomy 1:11 "(The Lord God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as He hath promised you!)" This is as it is with the children of God. The prophet Hosea reminded us of this in His prophecy of Hosea 1:10. Hosea 1:10 "Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, `Ye are not My People,' there it shall be said unto them, `Ye are the sons of the living God'. " Yes the children of the {House of Israel} were scattered by the Assyrians way back prior to 722 A.D., and they lost their identity as children of God. However in the places where they now live, when they do not consider themselves of Israel, then these same people can be identified, for Hosea has told us how to identify them. The "living God" is Jesus Christ, the One who came out of the tomb on the third day following His death, and He lives today. Those that are the nations of the old "house of Israel" nation, will call themselves "sons of the living God", "Christ's men", or to put in a common term, "Christian nations". There will be many of them, and they will be scattered all around the world. Today they number over a thousand times greater than this nation of Israel numbered in Moses day, and this is not in reference to the Jews. The Jews know their number, location and they have always known their identity. Even after they were scattered they remained bonded together. The forefathers of these Christian nations stood before Moses here in Moab, and Moses is reminding them that they had grown into such a large population that it was time for order to their nation. It became to much for one man to do the judging over them, and Moses is remind them how this order would be. Deuteronomy 1:12 "`How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife?" Moses is telling the Israelites that he is old and he just doesn't have time to listen to your little problems. Deuteronomy 1:13 "Take you wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you.' Moses is now reminding these Israelites how he made it so that their problems should be dealt with, as he set judges over the people. Deuteronomy 1:14 "And ye answered me, and said, `The thing which thou hast spoken is good for us to do.' " When Moses appointed these judges over them, the people went along with it and took their judges and respected them. Deuteronomy 1:15 "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 captians over fifties, and captians over tens, and officers among your tribes." Moses is reminding them that he set up a government over them that would keep the order for each tribe, within their own tribes. That form of government was and is a responsible system. Today it is what we call "states rights", where the people are responsible for the judging of their own people. That is God's way, in that people of one tribe or state do not judge that of another tribe or state. It is family units keeping the laws and order within their family units. Today our federal government pushes to remove the trials for crimes committed in one state to another state not connected to the crime. In other words, the person that commits a crime in his state would not tried by his own people, but from people outside his home state. There is also a world governmental system, that will take a person that goes against the laws of that world system government, and tries him in a world court by men and women from all over the world, under many different religious system, and sets of what is right and wrong. It simply doesn't matter to them what the laws of that individual nation were, but the only thing that matters is the advance of the world judicial body that will try him. That is Satan's system, and it first was started under the Nuremberg trials in Germany following world war two, and goes on today not only by our government, but under the world court of the United Nations. This is the very thing that Moses is stating should not happen, for when you break a law, you should be tried by the people of the land you committed the crime in. Deuteronomy 1:16 "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." Moses taught these judges to remove their self and preferences out of their judgments, and judge by what is right and fair according to God's laws, commandments, and statutes. It must be fair between all the people and even the strangers that are living within the their midst. Deuteronomy 1:17 "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.' " Moses commanded that these judges, do not play favorites amongst the people. It doesn't matter how rich or how poor the people are, you will hear them all, and judge rightly between those standing before you. When there was a judgment that was to hard of any of the judges to come to an understanding, then they brought it to Moses. What Moses is saying to these judges, is that when you are on the bench hearing a case between to people, it is not for your mind to determine what is right or wrong, for the thing that determines what should be done has already been set up within the laws of God. God has set forth how the judgments shall be, so don't allow your feelings, nor face of the man standing before you to effect your judgment. When things were to tough for everybody else, it was just right for Moses, and that is the way it should be for you and I also. When you understand God's Word, and the promises that He gave to us, you don't have to be afraid of a man's face. You can speak boldly the truths from God's Word, because God has given it into our hands. We are living in a time today whereby those that have the knowledge, that God has called, will do mighty things. Sure each of us will still mess up at times as long as we are still in the flesh, but truth and knowledge, and the blessings that come from them are guaranteed by God to you. These are "the Way", "the law", the words that came directly from God to you. Many will say in their ignorance that the law was done away with, and this is why it is important to know the difference between the laws, statutes, and the ordinances, for it was only the blood ordinances and statutes that were fulfilled in Christ. All of the rest of the law remains in tact, and God expects you to follow them. Deuteronomy 1:18 "And I commanded you at that time all the things which ye should do." Moses is telling the people that he did not leave anything out of the instructions that God gave to Him. He wrote them down and gave them all to the people. Notice that within the book of Deuteronomy that many times Moses says things where he does not qualify, thus saith the Lord. Moses is speaking from his heart to the people, and as such this is a reminder of those things that he had spoken prior. Just because Moses is saying, "I commanded you...", he is repeating the things that God revealed to him at an earlier time. Deuteronomy 1:19 "And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which ye saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites, as the Lord our God commanded us; and we came to Kadesh-barnea." Moses is reminding the people of what happened after they left that desert of Horeb [Siani], they came to the nation of the Amorites, that holy place where God had led them. Remember that Kadesh-barnea is the place where the wandering in the wilderness started. It was the place where the people stopped trusting in God, and started to believe the lies of those ten spies. They took their eyes off God's promises, and focused on the things that men had constructed to replace what God said. Today we call those things "traditions". Deuteronomy 1:20 "And I said unto you, `Ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorites, which the Lord our God doth give unto us." God made the promise to Moses that these Amorites would be given into the hands of the Israelites, and that is exactly what happened. When God makes a promise, then don't doubt that promise, but rely on it. It was only eleven days journey from the time when the Israelites witnessed God giving to Moses the tablets of the law, and instructions. In that eleven days Moses reminded the Israel of those things that they had done. Deuteronomy 1:21 "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.' " God gave them instructions while they were at Kadesh-barnea that they were to enter into the land and possess it. They were not to fear the enemy, nor doubt and be discouraged for one moment that it would come to pass. They were to march into the land and kill all of the enemy, for God promised them that He would give the enemy into their hands. Deuteronomy 1:22 "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.' " Instead of marching into the land and doing as God told them, the people came to Moses with their alternate plans. They wanted to send their spies into the land, and do their own planning as to how the land would be taken. They trusted in themselves and not God. They thought their ways were better than God's ways. The whole camp doubted both God and Moses. They wanted to send out a few brave boys, and let them see what we are up against before we march. The people wanted to see if it was humanly possible, before they put their trust in God. It is understandable that the woman were concerned for the children, but the men also were not ready to put their whole trust in God for the protection of their families. Deuteronomy 1:23 "And the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe:" Moses is telling the people that he went along with their wishes and sent in the twelve spires to spy out the land. That seemed to be the fair thing to do at that moment. Deuteronomy 1:24 "And they turned and went up into the mountain, and came unto the valley of Eshcol, and searched it out." "Eshcol" means the "cluster of grapes", and it took two men to carry one cluster of grapes, the land was so fertile. Deuteronomy 1:25 "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 good land which the Lord our God doth give us.' " In the first trip into the land, the spies brought back a good report, and the people were excited. They saw the grapes, and they knew that the land was good. Deuteronomy 1:26 "Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the Lord your God:" Even with this good report, your fathers still rebelled against God concerning His commandment to you to go up and take the land. Deuteronomy 1:27 "And ye murmured in your tents, and said, `Because the Lord hated us, He hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us." The people sat in their tents in Kadesh-barnea, after just going through the desert and then seeing the fruit of the promise land. They wallowed around in their self-pity and rumors, trying to give themselves a reason to disobey God's commandment to them. God opened the Red sea for them and allowed them to pass through the sea on dry ground. He gave them clean cool water from a rock in the desert, than with the promise land before them for the taking, they rebelled and refuse to go in and take the land. After all that God did for them, they still cried out that the Lord hated them. They were nothing but a bunch of "poor me babies". These people had become spoiled, and they were now ready for forty years of education and training in the wilderness. Sometimes God has to give the discipline before He will give the victory. God got rid of those that did the murmuring and had the doubt before the victory came, for they all died out in the desert. These people that Moses was speaking to here in Moab, before they were about to go into the promise land, were all either unborn or babies in their innocence during that time when their parents rebelled against God. Stop and look for a moment what is being taught as truth in God's houses today, and it is just as tragic as the rebelling of the Israelites back at Kadesh-barnea. It is the blind leading the blind, a one verse so-called specialist trying to be a teacher of God's Word. Once you know all the beautiful promises that God has made to us through His Word, and then look at the need for the knowledge of those promises by the people, yet it is withheld by their own priests and ministers. Moses gave the promises to these Israelites, yet they would not step and take hold of those promises and believe it, and act upon those promises. This offends our Heavenly Father. So you see there is nothing new under the sun. Deuteronomy 1:28 "Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, `The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.' ' " The people started to create reasons for not entering into the promise land and they started to believe their own lies. There are giants out there, the people are greater and bigger than we are, and in the Israelites own minds they convinced themselves that the Anakims were greater than God. These "sons of the Anakims" were the offspring of the second influx of the fallen angels, for we know that the first influx was prior to the flood of Noah's day, as is recorded in Genesis 6:1-6. The first influx was the cause of the flood, for through the marriage and inbreeding with women, the daughter of flesh man, came a half breed population, which Noah and his family was not a part of. Genesis 6:7 "And the Lord said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth Me that I have made them." Genesis 6:8 "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." Genesis 6:9 "These are the Generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God." In the Hebrew text "the Generations", reads "toledoth", which is the "family history", in the English. The word "perfect" in the Hebrew text is "tamin", which means "without blemish as to breed or pedigree". God told us through Moses in the book of Genesis that "all flesh was corrupted but Noah's family". Genesis 6:11 "The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence." The earth age of the flesh was corrupted, or blemished by the mixing with the fallen angels, and what had become of flesh man were a mix of half breeds of what is called the "Nephilims". This is why the word "children" was not used in verse four, but the translators had added it, because there was no name for this mixture of flesh [women] and the supernatural beings that came from the sexual union of angel and flesh women. The structure of flesh man on this earth had become "abased" [mistranslated into "violance"] and the form of mankind had become something outside of God's plan for sinful man. This is what the first influx of fallen angels had caused. So now here in Deuteronomy 1:28, Moses is reminding the Israelites of the second influx of fallen angels, that of "Anak", and the "sons of the Anakims" ["long necked"]. These children of Anak were home-born persons; mostly slaves. These creatures were the result of the second irruption of the fallen angels, and was also called "Nephilim". These are the people that the spies saw, and their great size put fear into their minds and caused fear in all those that listened to them when they returned to Kadesh-barnea. The people just did not have the faith to believe that God was stronger than those giants that were in the land. Friend, you and God make a majority no matter what the odds. When you have the knowledge of God's Word and what you do is according to His plan, there will always be victory. There will be no giants out there. God has already given us the victory over those things and people that would come against us. However, remember that the plan of God must be fulfilled as it is written. When you get in the way of those prophecies, then you will be removed so God's plan can be fulfilled. You have your set of instructions in these end times as to what we are to do, and we had better be following those instruction. Deuteronomy 1:29 "Then I said unto you, `Dread not, neither be afraid of them." Moses warned the people not to be afraid of those people, for God will give the victory to them, yet they would not listen to Moses. Deuteronomy 1:30 "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;" God promised the victory, and they didn't believe God. There is nothing new under the sun, for this goes on right today in the high offices of the land right down to individual households. If your family seems to be all messed up, then it is time to get out the set of instructions that God has placed in our hands. Don't blame God for the things that go bad, for God has given us so many promises that are our if we would only claim them. Moses is reminding these Israelites that their fathers had witnessed the many wonders that took place in Egypt that had caused the Pharaoh to release them, as well as the many battles that he fought for them along the way. You have see over and over what God did for you, now have trust in Him to follow His instructions. Deuteronomy 1:31 "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.' " God gave them the cloud by day to protect them from the desert sun, and at night he put that fire from heaven, to light their way and to protect them so that they would not get spooked. Yet in seeing all these mighty works that God did for them, they worked themselves into disbelief that God could not take care of them against those giants. Deuteronomy 1:32 "Yet in this thing ye did not believe the Lord your God," Deuteronomy 1:33 "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." God didn't even leave it up to them where to pitch their tents, for He showed them exactly where they were to go, and left nothing to their imaginations as to their safe keeping. God will do that exact same thing for you today, if you read His Word and follow those instruction He gave to you. Deuteronomy 1:34 "And the Lord heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying," As the Lord listen to the murmurings and words of disbelief coming from the mouths of His children, it made him mad. It is because of their own disbelief that God then said what He was going to do to that generation of Israelites. What would you do if your children bad-mouthed you, and said evil things about you? Deuteronomy 1:35 "'Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers," There would be forty years to the day, until that generation of unbelieving Israelites would all die off in the wilderness. There were only two that God saw fit to go into the land and take the land some forty years later. They were Joshua and Caleb, the only two spies that gave a good report and trusted in the Lord's promises. Not even Moses was allow to enter into the promise land. We will see later that when they finally entered into the promise land, the giants were already gone and cleaned out by Edom and Moab. Deuteronomy 1:36 "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.' " It comes down to what ever generation that you live in, that when you follow the Lord God, He will give you the desires of your heart. It doesn't matter what the others do, but what matters is whether you follow the Lord and trust Him to keep His Word. This is also a type of those that will be deceived in our generation, you don't need to wait for the eternity for the blessings that God will give to you. Talk to God, for He knows your problems, and follow the instructions that He gives to you. Those blessings sure paid off for old Caleb and his family. Deuteronomy 1:37 "(Also the Lord was angry with me for your sakes, saying, `Thou also shalt not go in thither." Moses is telling the people that he also would not go into the promise land, because of the time of disbelief that he also had. When the Israelites were out in the desert, crying and pleading for water; God told Moses to go out and speak to the rock and water would flow from it. In Moses' disgust, he took his rod and smote the rock twice as he talked to it, and the water came forth. God was giving a lesson and Moses tried his own way of showing off to the people. Moses' plan and God's plan were different from each other, and Moses refused to follow God's instructions. However for that act of disbelief, God was going to withhold the entering into the promise land by Moses. That rock was the symbolic type of our Savior that would be smitten on the cross. Christ was smitten on the cross only once, for all times. Rather than speaking to the rock, he struck the rock twice. God Himself brought about the burial of Moses, and it was not the people of Israel that laid him to rest. Deuteronomy 1:38 "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.')" Moses is telling the people that Joshua would be the general that would take Moses place, and he will lead the people into the promise land. Joshua was one of the spies, along with Caleb that urged the people to enter into the promise land and take it. Joshua and Caleb trusted God for the victory, and it didn't matter that there were walled cities, and giants in the land. Deuteronomy 1:39 " `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." Only those children that were of the age of innocence would be allowed to live through the wilderness and enter into the promise land. The were not of age to rebel against God, and take part in the evil acts of their parents. These are the ones that will be in the army that will take the land. Deuteronomy 1:40 "But as for you, turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.' " Deuteronomy 1:41 "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." After the people had refused to go into the promised land, when they saw that wrath of God coming upon them, they quickly changed their minds and took up their weapons of war. They were still in Kadesh-barnea, and were then willing for fight in the name of the Lord. There was only one problem for the Israelites, they had already caused God's wrath to be placed on them, and God was not leading and going to give them the victory. It were to late for them, and their doubt and unbelief caused their fall. God had already pronounced His sentence upon them. Deuteronomy 1:42 "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.' " Moses is reminding the people that God instructed him then, to advise their parents against going to battle. God said, if you go into battle I will not be with you, and you will be smitten by your enemies. There are a lot of battles that you will be fighting in this earth age and in our generation, and you had better take and have the Lord with you in those battles. If you try to win those battles by yourself, the enemy will have his way with you. When you do go into battle, God's Word instructs us how we are to fight, and many times it is with a loving smile, and a few soft words. These Israelites had to little to late. They were going to show God that they had courage, but they waited to long to make their minds up. Deuteronomy 1:43 "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." Don't be presumptuous before God, don't assume that God will do something because you have determined that it should be done. The question to ask yourself is, does my plan fit within God's plan? You don't lead God, but God leads you. Don't ask God for something that can't be used in the service of His work. If you want a new truck or car, go work for it. If you want to take a trip, then plan and save for it. But if you want to do a service for the Lord, God will provide guidance and protection and give the gifts for what He thinks is necessary for you to have, and what He feels you can handle. Don't be presumptuous with God, study His Word and follow it. Deuteronomy 1:44 "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." Moses is reminding these Israelites how the battle went when their parents went up against the Amorites and God was not with them. Have you ever seen a man running being chased by a swarm of bees? He runs wildly in every direction, out of his mind and trying to get away from those little rascals. That is how the Israelites came off that hill with those Amorites chasing after them. Deuteronomy 1:45 "And ye returned and wept before the Lord; but the Lord would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear unto you." After the fact, and after the battle was over your parents came whimpering back into camp blaming the Lord. However, the Lord would not give an ear to their idle accusations. God told them what was going to happen before they left the camp, and it was their fault for the beating that they took. A lot of people go to the wrong place for their instructions simply because they will not study God's Word and learn to follow the instructions of God for our generation. Jesus told us clearly in the gospels and even in the Book of Revelation what we are to do in the end times, yet people think that they can still fool around with man's traditions and the doctrines of devil, such as the rapture doctrine and expect God to bless them. Deuteronomy 1:46 "So ye abode in Kadesh many days, according unto the days that ye abode there." This forty sixth verse is not a continuation of what happened following the battle with the Amorites, but Moses is again reminding the Israelites of the stay they had a Kadesh-barnea, following the return of the twelve spies, and their disobedience to go in and take the land. This time of their stay at Kadesh-barnea took place before they even started their wanderings through the wilderness.
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