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Deuteronomy Chapter 4 "Statutes
Announced [1--8, 44-49]." This
Bible Study is written by Roger Christopherson, and it's
transcription/ location Deuteronomy 4:1 "Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you." Moses had been speaking to this point of the Israelites coming out of Egypt, and all their travels through the wilderness, so when he says "Now therefore hearken", he is setting all those things aside and focusing on the things that matter at this instant. Moses is telling these Israelites to pay attention and learn the statutes and commandments that I have given you, for your sake. So that you know your rights under the law, and not that you are just trying to get along here and now, but for the sake of your eternal soul. Moses is giving the Israelites the conditions for possessing the promise land that God is going to give to them. The conditions are that you learn and know the statutes, commandments and conditions to God's agreement, and that you know your rights to the land. You cannot claim a promise made by God if you are ignorant of it, but you must learn all of the conditions to those covenants or contracts before that promise can be claimed by you. It is not the law that is bad, for in the law are the conditions to the promises that God has made. It is man that is bad when he fail to live up to that contract God made with man. The law then is a school teacher, even though parts of the law dealing with blood ordinances are done away with through the blood of Christ, the rest of the law is complete and intact. The law, such as "Thou shalt not steal,..." and all the other commandments and instructions are still in order, and when you break one of those laws, you will pay a price. This is why we must know our rights under the law, for they are our rights given to us by God to follow in order to live a peaceable life. The law is part of our inheritance and it states the condition necessary before we can possess one inch of spiritual ground from our Heavenly Father. However on conversion to Christ by faith, you are accepted, but you are empty handed and you have to earn what you take with you from that day forward. Sure salvation is a gift from God, paid for with the shed blood of His Son on the cross, but the rewards that you receive in eternity are based upon your righteous acts while living on earth in the flesh. Revelation 19:8 "And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints," Revelation 19:9 "And he saith unto me, "Write, `Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb." " It is your righteousness words and deeds and your attention to your obedience to God's Word that determines what you wear before Christ at the marriage supper of the Lamb. Think of it, do you think that a bride these days does not pay attention to every detail of what she is wearing at her marriage? Of course she does, from her shoes to the veil on her head, and every thing in between. She even pays close attention to what those around her are wearing because she wants to be her best when she is presented to her husband at the marriage. As the husband first sees her enter before him, the gleam and pride in her becomes overwhelming to him. Now stop and think for a moment, if that bride is entering the packed church in a ball cap, with sandals, and an old smelly sweat suit. As she comes bouncing down the isle, whistling the latest rock turn, and chewing a wad of gum, will she be accepted by her bridegroom? Are you starting to get the picture? Spiritually speaking, this is not a good presentation of the bride, for Christ, our bridegroom expects each of us to pay attention to those details for the wedding, so on that day of the marriage supper of the Lamb, each of us could be presented fit, and in the proper linen. That linen is determined within this earth age by our righteous acts, and each of us paying attention to the details of the law and commandments that He has given to us. So Moses was telling all of Israel, of all generations to hearken to those statutes and Judgments that God has given to us to follow. Remember that you are the bride of Christ, and you prepare for that wedding while you are here on earth. These laws also set the conditions of us to receive God's blessing into our lives while we are living here in the flesh bodies. When you claim those promises, and expect God to fulfill His part of the contract, you had better know the conditions to those promises in order to receive the blessings. God expects you to earn the blessings before He gives them to you. Deuteronomy 4:2 "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord God which I command you." This is not just given in the Old Testament, but it is given also in the New Testament every time that Christ quoted from this book of Deuteronomy. Christ would say, "It is written", "Haven't you read" and so on, stating that it was written in the law. Matthew 5:17 "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil." Matthew 5:18 "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." The "jot and the tittle" are the little marks that change the sound of a letter, and Christ said I won't even change the sound of one letter in the entire Word of God. That is how important the law of God's Word meant to our Lord and Savior; until the end of time when all the prophecies given in God's Word are fulfilled. The law continues to be in authority until the entire Word of God has been fulfilled, and that time when all of it's prophecies have come to reality. We know that the Word of God continues past the sounding of the seventh trumpet, when all flesh is changed into their spiritual bodies, and through the Millennium age whereby souls are taught discipline for the thousand year period. The law of course is what the great white throne Judgment is all about, making souls accountable for what they do and say, and following the Great white throne judgment we are in the eternity. Following judgment Satan and and the completion of time when all evil and those that followed Satan are cast into the lake of fire, for this is the second death, and then we read. Revelation 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was not more sea." Do you get it my friend? the law is here and you are part of it and under it, except for the blood sacrifice rituals and ordinances which were fulfilled by Christ's death on the cross. The law continues through your entire flesh life; through the Millennium age, and you will account for your actions to the law before the great white throne judgment. This heaven and earth will not pass away until after Satan and all those that follow him have been turned to ashes, and that entire earth age is passed away, even the memory of those things. The wise man and woman would learn all he could about the laws and commandments of God, and do his best to follow it because our Lord Jesus Christ demanded that we do, and remain obedient to those commandments. Matthew 5:19 "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men do, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." When you are teaching that the law is not in affect any more, you are in deep trouble with God. It doesn't say that he will not be there, but he is going to be naked as a J-bird, and his shame will be great. Matthew 5:20 "For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." Those that teach that the law has been changed, and that this man's statements over-rides the law, are just not going to be there. Many teach today that the law just doesn't exist any more, and that their traditions are all that matter. We are to strive for the perfection of righteousness [righteous acts] under the law, but man in the flesh simply cannot obtain that perfection. When you break one of the laws, even the least of the law, you break them all. This is why when we by faith accept the blood of Christ to cover our sins, and we we then enter the kingdom under the perfection and righteousness of Jesus Christ. The blood of Christ, and in Jesus name is the only authority that we can approach the throne of God, and when we pray, "in Jesus name", that is exactly what we are doing, exercising our faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross, through His death and resurrection. We follow the law because Christ commanded us to do so. Then Jesus gives us an example, and then we will look into the Greek meaning of this example that Jesus is giving to us. Many ministers make fools of themselves by this next verse. Matthew 5:21 "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:' " When some person goes out and commits murder, and many bible thumpers that simply don't know any better cry and say: "You can't kill this murderer. You will go to hell if you kill him." They say this because they just don't understand the Greek meaning of the word "kill". The translators have translated the Greek word "Phoneus" to something that was not intended. Lets go to Strong's Greek dictionary to # 5407, for the definition of the word "kill". "Phoneuo", fon-yoo'-o; from 5406, to be a murderer of , to do murder, slay." In 5406 we read the prime root of the word, to where the word came from; "Phoneus, fon-yooce'; a murderer (always of criminal [or at least] intentional) homicide: which 443 does not necessarily imply; while 4607 is a specific term for a public bandit):-murderer." This commandment comes directly from the Law of Moses, and we will read of it in the next chapter. When we take this word "kill", back into the Hebrew, we read in # 7523 in the Strong's Hebrew dictionary. "Ratsach, raw-tsakh'; a prime root, to dash, to put to death a human being, especially to murder." The word "kill" as God intended it to be in His commandment to us; "Thou shalt not kill" then becomes "Thou shalt do not murder, intentional criminal homicide." "Thou shalt not kill" is not directed to the taking of ones life by accident, or in accordance with the fulfillment of following the instruction of the law under capital punishment. It is not directed to the killing of an animal for either sport of for food, but this law is directed to Homicide, the cold blood pre-meditative murderer of another human being. God instructs us to send those murderers to Me so they can face the one that they have murdered, and that is what Capital punishment is all about. It is a very spiritual thing, and done in obedience to God's law. This of course requires at least two witnesses; and ones own fingerprints, and his DNA are used today as a witness to their crime. After the trial, you are to dispatch the guilty murderer to the Father, and He will oversee the real trial when the murderer and the one murdered will face each other, and even the thoughts of the murderer are known to Father. No one, absolutely no one gets away with murder, for all murderers are known to the Father. The executioner of the murderer then is doing an act within the will of God, in obedience to God's Word, and that act should not be an act of revenge in the heart of the one taking the life of the murderer. It is not a time for a loved one of the murdered person to get even, but a spiritual act following the course of events as God requires. There will be sorrow in the hearts of the loved ones, but Jesus Christ can heal over those sorrowful times. The murderer can repent in the flesh and that will save his or her soul, however he still has to be dispatched to the Father to face his accuser, which is to say, the one that he murdered. So why are we to take the life of the murderer? When we do this, others will see and hear the capital punishment taking place, and these thing will cease to happen amongst you. It is for the sake of society, and the people living in their communities. This is why Jesus said above in verse nineteen, that He holds any one in very low esteem that would do or teach against any of the laws of God, and that person will not be part of the kingdom of heaven any more than the scribes and Pharisees. All parts of the law concerning a murderer are still very much in affect, right to the dotting of the "i", and the sounding of each letter. Deuteronomy 4:3 "Your eyes have seen what the Lord did because of Baal-peor, for all the men that followed Baal-peor, the Lord thy God hath destroyed them from among you." It now becomes important to know what happened at Baal-peor, and what the people did there. "Baal-peor" was where the temple of Baal was located, and it was the center of Baal worship. Baal-peor was idol worship. It was where the many children of God took their eyes off the teaching of God that Moses taught them in their wanderings, and started worshiping idols. This is detailed in Numbers 25. Numbers 25:1 "And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab." Towards the end of the wanderings, while the Israelites were in the land of Moab and camped at Shittim, the people committed whoredom ["zanah", # 2181 in the Strong's Hebrew dictionary] with the men an women of Moab. These sexual acts committed with these heathen Moabites tied their two families together, which God forbid. The Israelites are regarded in Scriptures as the spouse of Jehovah, and when they turned to the heathen an tied themselves to them, they took their gods also. Their adultery had also became their idolatry. Numbers 25:2 "And they called the People unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the People did eat, and bowed down to their gods." "They" as given in the Hebrew text, were the religious leaders of Moab, the priest of Baal-peor, from the temple of Baal-peor required the people that had tied themselves to Moabites, to make sacrifices to their gods, and to eat of the sacrificial feasts, and bow down to their gods in their temples. Can you see from this why God demanded that the Israelites stay away from the other people as they passed through a land, or paused to camp in any land near them. It would be a time to mix with their people and absorb their idolatries. Numbers 25:3 "And Israel joined themself unto Baal-peor: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel." You can imagine what Moses felt when God opened his eyes to what was happening. The Israelites were joining themselves by marriage to these Moabites, and taking their customs, and taking up their religious practices and turning from God. Numbers 25:4 "And the Lord said unto Moses, "Take all the heads of the People, an hang them up before the Lord against the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel." There were a lot of hangings at high noon on that day in that little town of Shittim in the land of Moab. For every person that took a Moabite to spouse, and joined their family to these heathens were hung or killed with the javelin, and not one of them escaped. The hanging was done by their kin in their own tribe. The judgment of God was given by the judges of their own each tribe on their own people. God was mad at those people, and He was going to make a public demonstration of what would happen if this was ever done again. Numbers 25:5 "And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, "Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baal-peor." It simply didn't matter if there were bleeding hearts for those committing those acts of idolatry, for God's judgment went forth. We see that when the family member came sobbing for their loved ones, Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw what was happening right in front of the people, and he took a javelin and run it through both the man and the woman standing there in Judgment. Phinehas killed her on the spot, in from of her weeping family, and the rest of the bleeding hearts. This act started the purging throughout the entire Israelite camp, and it pleased God. Numbers 25:6 "And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation." You talk about whordoms and a complete disrespect for God and His tabernacle, flaunting this marriage right there in plain sight of Moses and the priests of the tabernacle, when God commanded that there should be no mixing and intermarriage. Numbers 25:7 "And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand:" Phinehas was the third son of Aaron, and he was the high priest at this time. He was ahead of the priesthood, the religious order of God. Friend this is what preachers did in that day, when there was a righteous act that must be preformed. That righteous act was the killing of all those people that snubbed their noses at God and His laws and commandments. This is what happened at Baal-peor that Moses was telling and warning the Israelites of in Deuteronomy 4:3. That act was intermarriage with heathen people, that have and worship heathen gods and idols. God does not like it one bit. Numbers 25:8 "And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, an thrust both of them through, and man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel." We know from the ninth verse: "And those that died in that plague were twenty an four thousand." There were one thousand that were hanged at high noon, and before the sun went down, and another twenty three were run through with the javelins by their own tribesman. They purged their camp on that day from the curse that God placed on them. The trouble came because of their allowing Israelites to be bonded in marriage with heathen, and taking up the heathen worship of Baal-peor. The lesson to be learned here is that you don't play games with God. When you are studying God's Word, take it very seriously. Once something like this happens, don't let it happen again. Deuteronomy 4:4 "But ye that did cleave unto the Lord your God are alive every one of you this day." All those men and women that were standing before Moses at this time, witness what happened at Baal-peor. Many of them took part in the killing of those twenty four thousand, and most of them had family members that were killed in that purge. Moses is reminding them of that event before they go in to take the land, so that they do not fall back into the ways of what happened at Baal-peor. To "cleave" is to hold it of great value and treasure it. There is a qualification here for eternal life here in this verse. You have the condition, which is to go over into and possess the land. Here is your qualification to possess the land and have eternal life. All those that did and will cleave unto the Lord your God are alive, and every one of us that remain in the Father's Word have eternal life. There are many people that break God's laws in ignorance today, and that is why they do not receive His blessings. Most people that claim to be Christians have no idea of what is in God's Word. How can you explain to them anything of God's Word, when they are biblically illiterate to even the most simple basics of His Word. These Christians have spent to many years in this modern day Baal-peor temples [their churches] trying to understand the traditions of men, than to focus in and study God's Word. God created the races the way that they are because He liked them that way. We are to cleave to God's Word, claim the promises that are within the Word that are your rights, and God will bless you for it. Deuteronomy 4:5 "Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it." Though the Israelites entered into the promise land of the middle east, the ten tribes latter were scattered because of committing these sins. They went through the Caucasus mountains and scattered over Europe and many areas around the world to posses it, and claimed it to be their land where ever they settled. Moses is commanding us even today, in America, in Canada, or England or where ever you have Christian nations and nations of the house of Israelite, that we are to study and follow the statutes and judgment that he has given to us to follow. Deuteronomy 4:6 "Keep therefore and do them; for this your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, `Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people' " There is no other wisdom than the wisdom that comes from the Word of God. This is why we are a superpower today, and the Christian nations are the leaders of the World. In the past our presidents and leaders have follow in the path directed by God, as a Christian nation should follow. History itself documents that our nation was founded a Christian nation, and it still is. It is no accident that the migrating tribes are the richest people on the face of the earth. We hold the most fertile soil and produce the products that feed the world. It was promised by God, and when you know your rights, you will claim them. Deuteronomy 4:7 "For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon Him for? In this nation we still call upon the Lord. Take a coin from your pocket and read what is stated on it. Our value system still recognizes our nation trusts and pays respects to our Heavenly Father and His laws. The constitution of our land, and Christian nations elsewhere recognizes the laws and statutes that God established through Moses, and they have become the laws of our land. The laws that govern our people are taken from God's Holy Word, so when you talk about the law of this land, you are talking about the laws and commandments of God. However today there are certain elected officials that have chosen for their own reasons to pervert the directions that our forefather have laid down for us, by their executive orders, and their legislative processes, but God's law is still the law of the land. Deuteronomy 4:8 "And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?" Our Constitution is taken from that teaching. The constitutions of all the nations that were under the British Empire, and later became part of the commonwealth of nations are under the statutes and judgments that God gave to us through Moses. It is no accident that great nations are the nations that follow God's laws and commandments. Deuteronomy 4:9 "Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy son's sons;" Your "soul" is your life, and Moses is warning the people even to our generation to keep your life, that part of you that is eternal, diligently in His Word. These teachings are to be part of you and your thought process. Not only are they to become part of your life, but they are to be passed on to your sons, and their son's sons to the end of this earth age. This goes right to our generation also. God loves all of His children of all races. God loves even those sinners that would snub Him and turn away from Him, and that is why He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross. However He has a special place in His heart for those that would take His Word and make it a very special part of their lives, and teach others to do so. He loves those that know their rights under the inheritance and take the time to know those rights and claim them. When you learn God's ways and walk in those ways, then you can be of service to God, and He can use you. Deuteronomy 4:10 "Specially the day that thou stoodest before the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the Lord said unto me, `Gather Me the People together, and I will make them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.' " God is saying that even though the people did not see Me on mount Horeb [Siani], but they surely heard My voice and felt My presence. I want them to know My Words to the point that they will revere Me and respect Me all the days of their life. God wants all His people to not only make Him part of their life, but also respected by their children through all generations. When the Israelites stood down from the mountain, they could not see God, but they could hear and see His presence from what was taking place up on that mountain. These people that Moses was addressing here were mostly the children of those that witnessed this taking place, and those that were of a tender age of innocence. Deuteronomy 4:11 "And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness," That sight was an awesome sight as the children of Israel stood waiting for Moses to return from off the mountain. The mountain was burning with fire spewing forth, and thick dark clouds turning the day into night. Deuteronomy 4:12 "And the Lord spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice." The people standing below at the foot of the mountain heard the voice of God but they could not see what was going on up on the mountain. Deuteronomy 4:13 "And He declared unto you His covenant, which He commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and He wrote them upon two tables of stone." It was at this time that God declared His covenant to His people, and that is a contract that He made with all His people right down to our generation. That contract spells out your rights under the law, and when you fill your part of the contract, God promises you a blessing. God wrote those ten commandments on tables of stone, and that is why Jesus said, I didn't come to change one letter of the law. You can count on those commandments, for when you violate one of those commandments, you will pay the price for your disobedience. If you do murder, you will pay the price for your actions. If you steal, or commit adultery there is a price to be paid for your actions, and you can count on it. You simply will not get away with anything, for in time you will face God, and he knows the very thoughts and intents of your heart. Deuteronomy 4:14 "And the Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and Judgments, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it." The statutes and judgments are what we call the Bible today, they are what the laws of our land are based upon. Moses is reminding God's people that were ever they go, this contract is in affect upon them. It is what will cause them to know right from wrong, know good from evil, and will be with them in their journey. Friend, the blessings of America and Canada are no accident. There are a lot of good people that love the Lord and respect and seek to follow His Word. The problem with the generation today is that certain men and woman are creeping in unaware by Christians and trying to change these things that God has given to us that we hold dear, and this confuses the children. However, there still is hope for those that will turn to God and revere His Word. When you hear God's Word and try to follow those ways, God can use and will you. It is time to learn and to protect your heritage that we have in our Christian nation. Deuteronomy 4:15 "Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire:" Moses is telling us to be sincere in ourselves in all that we do and say. Deuteronomy 4:16 "Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female," Moses warning here again is getting into what the worship of "Baal", and "grove" worship is all about. That is what Moses is talking about in this verse when he says, "the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female." What makes this form of worship so inviting to the Israelites and other nations and peoples, that they so willingly give themselves over to it? The worship of "Baal-peor" was heathen form in the wilderness as shittim, and after the Israelites entered into and took the land, the worship was know as "Baal-berith", as recorded in Judges 8. "Baal-peor" was the temple where Baal practice took place, and Baal-berith was the covenant that the people made with this heathen deity. In Strong" Hebrew dictionary #1170; "Ba'al Beriyth, bah'-al-ath beh-ayr'; from 1168 and 1285; baal of (the) covenant, Baal Berith, a special deity of the Shechemites: Baal berith." Under # 1168 we are told that the "Baal of the Pheonicians deity, is the same Baal as the Shechemites." However in # 1285 we read: "Beriyth, beer-eeth'; comes from 1262 in a sense of cutting; a compact (because made by) passing between pieces of flesh: in a covenant or league." Where ever Baal worship exists, the groves are mentioned, as well as the word "asherah". The word "Asherah" is from the root meaning "Ashar", which is to be "straight, erect, or upright." It is also from this word "asherah" that we are given the moral reference, "to be upright", meaning happy and prosperous. When the word Asherah is used in the scripture, the word is also given as "grove or groves" and is left as a proper name. When we get into Deuteronomy 16:21 we will read Moses command God's people to stay away and not take any part of grove worship. However, at this time we will take a closer look at just how grove worship, Asherah and Baal are all tied together. Isaiah 17:8 "And he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, neither shall respect that which his fingers have made, either the groves or the images." Once again the groves and the images are tied together. The Hebrew text refers to the "groves" again as "asherah", and the images to the "sun". These groves or tree trunks were artificially fashioned and set erect in the ground. They were made of wood or the images were shape from stone. We read in Judges that this is why Gideon was able to cut down those groves, as we read in Judges 6:26. "Asherah" can be a living tree that is cut off at the top and shaped, or the trunk of a tree that is cut off and shaped and stuck in the ground in an upright position, and when these images are coupled with "Mazzeroth" or "pillars of stone", it then became connected with Baal worship. The male part called "Asherah" is distinguished from "Ashtoreth", which represents the female goddess, yet when the images are worshipped together, it is called "Baal". The Ashtoreth being representative of the productive (or passive) principle of life; and "Baal" being representative of the generative (or active) part of the process for producing life. In other words, this is using the sexual act and process in a form of worship, and the shaping of the trunks of the trees as the idols and images to excite the worshippers into the sex rite practice, and God hates the practice. Stones of worship in Baal and Asherah are set up all over the Semitic world; and even in Arabia. Even the Mohammedan sacred stone, the "kaaba" in Mecca, remains an object of reverence. Like every form of religion, the stones and the tree trunk's shape had to do with the flesh, and thus even the law of evolution. "Evolution" is seen today as the progress of man's works, because he considers himself to have begun in the simplest form in ignorance, and through the development and learning process of mistakes and failures, evolved to achieved to the point that he is today. So here in Deuteronomy 4:16, Moses has given us a warning against these forms of worship dealing with Baal, groves and worshipping of images dealing with the sexual activity between male and female. Moses is telling the people, you didn't see what God looked like then, so don't try to make some image or object of life and relate it to God, to worship now. In Paul's day the temple of Diana was a form of the old Baal or grove worship, which centered its worship around the sex act. This does not mean that a picture of Christ is a sin, for you don't worship a picture, but you feel the warmth and love of God through the Holy Spirit that touches your heart. Use common sense in relating the Word of God to your rights. When you study His Word you will gain the wisdom and common sense that comes it, and it will become second nature to you. You can make a difference in this world when you read and understand this contract that God made with you. Deuteronomy 4:17 "The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air," Deuteronomy 4:18 "The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth:" Moses is relating that we are not to worship any fish god, animal god or the likeness of any other god that is made by man in any form. This also relates to that house you bought that is the best in the neighborhood, the car that the whole neighborhood envies, or the superstar on your favorite team. When you buy that house, you have to put in all your extra time to earn the money to make the monthly payment, to the point that you simply do not have the time to study God's Word. When you buy that car, you have to put in the extra time polishing it and making sure the neighbors see you driving past their house, and that is what is meant by making an image. It isn't what you look upon, but what you worship and give your time and money to before you have time for God. "Idolatry" is anything that you place between you and God, as far as your time and wealth is concerned. God doesn't expect you to become a religious fanatic, to spend all of your time and efforts, however, you had better find a little time at the beginning or during the day and give back to God part of those blessings that have flowed from Him. Those things of the world, like the house and the car have a way of depreciating and in time just falling apart. Don't stake your life on short lived things of this world, but plan to place in store some of your wealth in things that are eternal. It is only your righteous acts that can be taken with you, and follow your soul into the eternity. When you stand before the Heavenly Father, how are you going to tell Him that your old house that fell apart was more important than God and His ways? It was important that you make a good impression in the community, but at the expense of your very soul. You have a choice now in this flesh life, and from the choices you make it determines your states and rewards in the eternity. We are to know our rights as a child of the King, the Heavenly Father, and under our rights, we have the right to enjoy peace and prosperity that come from His blessings. This goes especially in the troubled world we live in today. This is why we are to keep away from idols and sticks and things that we could worship that would draw us away from God and His Word. Deuteronomy 4:19 "And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the Lord thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven." God designed the sun the moon and the stars in the heavens to show His handiworks, not that you should worship them. The were given to us to be uses as the signs and the seasons of God's time, and not to be given as gods. Genesis 1:14 "And God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years:" Genesis 1:15 "And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth:" and it was so." " If you are a gardener, farmer or rancher you tend to the crops and the animals by your knowledge of the signs and the seasons, and you had better know the signs of the heavens well for God gave them to us for an instruction. Stop and think for a moment; Cain was suppose to be a farmer for he was created to till the soil. However, when he killed his brother Abel, he turned from God and his laws. God's Word was not important to him any more. Cain and his offspring [the Kenites] would go against God's Word, His laws and the instructions that are given in His Word, and turn to their own man made traditions and images. The things and instructions that were written in God's Word just didn't matter to them. When Cain murderer his brother Abel, his heart was set against anything that God instructed, and those signs and seasons just didn't matter to him. No wonder nothing would grow for him and the ground that he would plow and till simply would not produce. When you plant any crop out of season, it just doesn't grow. Genesis 4:11 "And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;" Genesis 4:12 "When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforeth yeild unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth." Though Cain's offspring the Kenites are bad farmers, they have become skilled in other areas, and they have become the vagabonds to roam the earth and wheel and deal throughout the entire earth with their goods. When you are working in agricultural areas, the signs of the heavens do make a big difference as to how successful you will be. You use those signs as a calendar, and not as something to be worshipped. There are two different calendars, one a lunar and the other a solar calendar. The Passover is set by the solar calendar, where as many set their crops by the lunar calendar. The difference between the two calendars is that the solar calendar never changes, whereas the lunar calendar does. The moon is not dependable to be accurate for the setting time, where as the sun sets the time. Both the sun and the moon are there for signs for us to use, but they are not to be worshipped. Don't worship the creation, but worship the creator. Revelation 4:11 "Thou are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created." Deuteronomy 4:20 "But the Lord hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt, to be unto Him a People of inheritance, as ye are this day." When Moses speaks of the "iron furnace" here, he is speak of the furnace that made the bricks which the children of Israel made while under bondage in Egypt. In the prophetic sense it will be a different "iron furnace" which will be during the time of the great tribulation, which is the great deception that will come upon the entire earth. Moses emphasizes "this day" they were the heirs to His kingdom and God owns everything. We are just as much heirs today as they were back in Moses day, when we are His child and belong to him. People today are saying that this "iron furnace" is symbolic of this earth age, and they think that they are still part of that iron furnace. Our heavenly Father owns everything and you don't have to wait to a time when you are out of the flesh to start receiving His blessings, and accepting the inheritance that is rightfully yours. As long as you allow God to take care of you, He will. But if you start worshipping the stars, the moon and the sun, or any other thing of God's creation, than you are turning yourself against God. God is looking for a person that wants to inherit what God has and wants to give to him or her. Deuteronomy 4:21 "Furthermore the Lord was angry with me for your sakes, and sware that I should not go over Jordan, and that I should not go in unto that good land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance:" There is nothing in the manuscripts that indicates that Moses had any anger for those people that made him commit that act of going against God's instruction, and smiting the rock twice. As the people continued to grumble over their need for water, Moses became impatient with them, and this brief loss of Moses' control cause him to do that act against God. Sure God forgave Moses, but the punishment was still placed upon Him. God was trying to teach the people a lesson, and have them look to Him for their water and strength, and Moses took that lesson from them when he smote the rock twice. Moses was suppose to talk to the rock, which represented their talking to God [the Rock], and He would provide the water, but the people thought that the smiting of the rock brought the water forth. Moses took credit for something that God should of had the credit for. Deuteronomy 4:22 "But I must die in this land, I must not go over Jordan: but ye shall go over, and possess that good land." Though Moses would not go over Jordan to walk in the promise land, the people that stood before Him would. Deuteronomy 4:23 "Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which He made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee." The "covenant" is a contract that God has made you each of us, and it is written down in the Word of God. Moses is telling each of us to learn and study that covenant, and make it part of our lives. It is our wealth and happiness, and from it comes our peace of mind. You don't have to drift through this earth age with nothing, and no assurance of your eternal soul, but you can have a guarantee from God Himself of His love and understanding. Don't you dare make any graven image of any sort that God has forbidden you to do, for in doing so you will have broken that part of the covenant that God made with you. Deuteronomy 4:24 "(For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a Jealous God.)" There is a lot of information within this verse. God the Father of love is a consuming fire, and it is God's enemies that are consumed by His fire. When a consuming fire takes over any flesh it is turned to ashes, speaking in a spiritual sense. However to those that love the Lord and study and follow His Word, that same fire that consumes the enemy, warms our souls. That "consuming fire" that is used here, fugitively is an "anthropopathiea", it is using something that is used of man to better explain something of God. This same consuming fire is the warmth and joy that the Holy Spirit brings to your heart when you strive to please Father, and live your life as He has instructed you. Deuteronomy 4:25 "When thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the Lord thy God, to provoke Him to anger:" This is passing through many generations right down to our day today. Moses knew that the Israelites would take on all sorts of heathen images and forms of idolatry, for they had several times prior during the time that he led them. We know from the Book of Judges that over and over, the people fell back into grove worship and taking on the images of the heathens around them. We even see it today, as our people are quick to pick up heathen thought, such as in [TM] and other forms of meditation, right and positive thinking. There is a delight in creating their so-called new form of Christianity, and sell it into the church houses of our land. One of the latest traditions today is called "the rapture doctrine", also called the "any moment doctrine", whereby God's Word can be set aside and man can escape the great tribulation [deception] that God said we will go through. Every time that Moses was away from the people for even a little while, the people sought after strange gods and ideas. They built a golden calf and worshipped it. When in the land of the Moabites, the got into the sex orgies, and married into the heathen races and rituals of the Moabites. They went out of their way to chase after strange ways and peoples, and they stirred God to jealousy. Deuteronomy 4:26 "I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed." In the Hebrew text "heaven and earth" are ["eth"] "the" heavens and ["eth"] "the" earth are given very sternly. It is given for emphasis and is in the form of an Hebrew idiom that God wants your attention here and now. God is telling you and I that we can count on certain destruction ["soon utterly perish"] if after you have pass over Jordan, and when you migrate to where ever God leads you, if you turn your backs on God's laws and commandments. This is future to them in Moses day, and they were utterly destroyed as a nation. God scattered those ten tribes of the house of Israel by the Assyrians in 745 to 722 B.C. and transplanted them to a location in northern Iraq. From that location the migrated through the Caucasus mountains and they became know by many tribal name, such as Sakka, Cimmeron, Gauls, Brits, and so on; but one name stuck with them to this day. That name was "Caucasian" after the migration through the Caucasus Mountains. The House of Judah also was scattered by the Babylonians, and carried off to Babylon for seventy years of captivity. Though some forty three thousand returned to Jerusalem after the captivity, about half of those were Kenites, Nethinims [strangers given to service], and the rest were scattered to only God know were they all went. By the time of the house of Judas return from captivity in Babylon, the duties of the Levitical scribes had been completely taken over the three families of Kenites, the children of Cain, and his father Satan. I Chronicles 2:55 "And the families of the scribes which dwelt at Jabez [Jerusalem]; the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and Scuhathites. These are the Kenites that came of Hemath, the father of the house of Rechab." Common to both these houses, or nations of Israelites was the fact that they forgot God, and took on the groves and images of the heathen that were around them, and they put God and his laws and Word aside. Much later when they came out of Babylon, their Levitical priests were gone, and these Kenite heathen and their traditions had taken over the seat of Moses, which was the duties of the Levitical priests and the laws of God. The laws of God had been replaced by the traditions of these Kenites, the offspring of Satan and Eve in the garden of Eden. Ezra noted this when he stopped to take account of just who was returning with him to Jerusalem, when they were returning to reestablish the temple of God and the worship. Ezra 8:15 "And I gathered them together to the river that runneth to Ahava; and there abode we in tents three days: and I viewed the People, and the priests, and found there none of the sons of Levi." It was the turning against God's ways that caused them to be taken into captivity, and even the Levitical priesthood had been perverted. Now coming out of the captivity, the duties and the role of teachers and priests was completely given over to these Kenite foreigners, strangers given to service in the temple [Nethinims]. What Moses said would happen did happen when God's people started to listen to the heathen and taking part in their ways. Deuteronomy 4:27 "And the Lord shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the Lord shall lead you." It was the Lord that scattered the people and drove them to the places of their home lands of habitation. To Manasseh it was to our nation of America, to the tribe of Ephraim the British lands, and so on to where all the tribes would be removed from the promise land to their new lands of habitations. The heathen in this sense are people that are not believers. If we judge heathenism today, we would find that most of the people around us today are not believers. When the immigrants from the Orient enter our land, they bring their heathen religious forms also. Our nation has allowed themselves to be so over run with strange thought and ideas, that our people have become biblically illiterate. Deuteronomy 4:28 "And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell." There are many today that say that this does not exist in America today. You don't think that people worship wood and stone today, and things that are made with hands? A lot of people worship the things of stone and wood that has a shingle right over the door and it is called their church. The go to the church house to worship those fine things that are within the church, including the beautiful stain glass windows, and that becomes their focus of worship instead of the heavenly Father. They rely on the church systems that are put forth within that house of stone and wood, and many time the teachings taught there go directly against God and His Word. Their teachers and preachers hack away at bits and pieces of God's Word to where the bits and pieces of the heathen slip in and blend to make what is taught there rubbish in the eyes of God. When Jesus asked His disciples, "Have you any bread?" They though He was talking about the bread you eat; but Jesus said, "when you are in a multitude and you pick up a lot of their fragments of thought, Beware of the doctrines of men [the scribes and the Pharisees]." He was speaking of false teaching of the scribes and the Pharisees, and today those Kenite traditions have taken control of what is being taught in most church houses and that is all you get, the traditions and doctrines of men. There are people today that are looking to a church system and think that that system will save them, and deep within their heart they simply do not believe that Christ's death on the cross was the payment for their sins; only Jesus Christ that was lifted up on the cross is the only one that can save you. There is no other way into the sheepfold. Deuteronomy 4:29 "But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find Him, if thou shalt seek Him with all thy heart and with all thy soul." It doesn't matter how bad it can get, for if you will seek the Lord with all thy heart [mind] and with all thy soul, you will find Him. This is a promise to you written in His Word. Deuteronomy 4:30 "When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto His voice;" We are living in the latter days, the final generation and God's promise spoken here is for you and I. Deuteronomy 4:31 "(For the Lord thy God is a merciful God); He will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which He sware unto them." The covenant that God made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and later given to Moses is an eternal covenant. That covenant was written down by the prophets, and today is is our Scriptures. God is the same yesterday, as He is today and He will be the same tomorrow and throughout eternity. The promises given to Moses are just as current as those to the disciples some fifteen hundred years later. When anyone tells you that the Old Testament doesn't matter any more, look out for him for he is ignorant and biblically illiterate. If he is teaching, watch out for anything that he might tell you, for the man or woman is just babbling. There is nothing Old about God, for He is the same always, and His Word is just as current today as it was when Moses spoke the words. Do you realize that Christ quoted from the book of Deuteronomy every time He stated "It is written.." Deuteronomy 4:32 "For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven unto the other. Whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it?" Moses is warning us that we had better look back at the days that have past, all the way back to the first earth age, and the beginning of the earth age we are not in. There is a reason for everything that has happened, and God has revealed it all to us through His Word. God picked this man Moses to remind us of those things and to sharpen us up to all of God's Word. God is a consuming fire that can consume the things of this earth age, while leaving His own children filled with the warmth of His love. When God burned the ten commandments into those stones on mount Sinai, Moses stood by and was not consumed by the fire. God is only a consuming fire to His enemies, but to His own children that fire warms our souls and hearts, and gives us comfort. That consuming fire is our protection. Deuteronomy 4:33 "Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live?" The answer of course is NO. Not since the beginning of time. Deuteronomy 4:34 "Or hath God assayed to go and take Him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?" God is asking you, has any stick or idol ever done for you as God did, when he produced all those signs and wonders back in Egypt, to bring you out of that nation by His mighty hand? Has any mighty army produced the terror in the hearts of your enemies so that they would allow you to walk through the land, as you have done? Has any of the heathen gods protected any people and done for them as I have done for you, for the coming out of Egypt? Of course the answer is no. Moses is asking the people have any of the stars or the sun or moon ever done that for you? Have any form of idols or gods fed you quilty when you were hungry, or brought water out of rock when you were thirsty, or parted the Red sea when the enemy army was coming upon you? The answer to all these questions are no. Our Heavenly Father loves you and He is a merciful Father. Deuteronomy 4:35 "Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the Lord He is God; there is none else beside Him." The Heavenly Father did all these things for you to show you that He is God, and there is none other like Him. Deuteronomy 4:36 "Out of heaven He made thee to hear His voice, that He might instruct thee: and upon earth He shewed thee His great fire; and thou heardest His words out of the midst of the fire." Moses is telling us here why God made us to hear His voice, and that reason was for our instruction. God is that consuming fire. Deuteronomy 4:37 "And because He loved thy fathers, therefore He chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in His sight with His mighty power out of Egypt;" Deuteronomy 4:38 "To drive out nations from before thee greater and mightier than thou art, to bring thee in, to give thee their land for an inheritance, as it is this day." The children of Israel did not defeat the kingdom of Og in Bashan, nor did they defeat king Sihon of Heshbon, two more powerful nations than the Israelites were. God gave the Israelites their victory. It was God that put fear in their hearts of the enemy and caused them to fall in defeat. God gave Israel the victory, and God gave them their lands for an inheritance. The point that is made here is that the land didn't belong to them in the first place for everything belongs to God. It is His right to give it to whomever He please. No deed can be held to any property for a longer period than the life that is within your flesh body. After that it goes to another, and much of it is just taxed away to the people at large. Deuteronomy 4:39 "Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the Lord He is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else." This is just the way that it is. Aside from God's ways there is nothing else that matters. He own all the land on this planet, and all the planets and stars of the universe. They were created by Him and for His glory. Genesis 2:1 "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them." Genesis 2:2 "And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made." Genesis 2:3 "And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made." Anything that man's mind can dream up simply is a vapor in the air. There is only one thing that is firm and man can trust, and that is God and His Word. God revealed to us everything that we must watch out for in our generation, dealing with the end of this earth age of the flesh. Every detail of our generation is written in His Word, and He expects us to read those instruction and be watchman for those signs. Jesus Christ warned us of the Kenites and what they will be doing in the final generation, and he told us to learn the parable of the fig tree. When God talks of Himself being a consuming fire, this applies just as much in the New Testament as the Old. Hebrews 12:18 "For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest," Hebrews 12:19 "And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice thay that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:" The mount is mount Sinai, the time is when Moses went up on the mount to hear God and receive the commandments, and the "Voice" is the voice of the Lord, that when He spoke it was as the sound of a trumpet, sounding the people into obedience. Hebrews 12:20 "(For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touched the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart" Hebrews 12:21 "And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, "I exceedingly fear the quake:" Hebrews 12:22 "But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels," Whether you like it or not, you have come to that place. Hebrews 12:23 "To the general assembly and church of the first born which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect," The first fruits are the first land taken by God and given to our people. The "just" are the Zadok, the upright ones that have been made perfect through Christ. Hebrews 12:24 "And to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel." Abel's blood cried from the ground for vengeance. Jesus blood spilled out onto the earth brings grace and a new covenant of love and mercy. Hebrews 12:25 "See that ye refuse not Him That speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused Him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from Him That speaketh from heaven:" If you think that you can escape "him that speaketh on earth" which was Moses through the law and the Commandments, friend, you will not escape from the one that speaks from heaven, who is Jesus Christ. God is speaking to us living in this generation and His instructions are given throughout His entire Word. This is why Moses stated, "in the latter times" in verse 39. Paul is warning us to listen to all of God's Word and it is all current to us. Hebrews 12:26 "Whose voice then shook the earth: but now He hath promised, saying, "Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven." Satan himself shall be shaken out of heaven very shortly and cast out onto the earth, along with his fallen angels. This great shaking is coming very shortly, even in our generation. Revelation 12:9 "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." This is John writing as he is viewing the casting out of Satan and his angels to this earth. Though this time is past from John's vision, it is the very near future to us living in the flesh today. Hebrews 12:27 "And this word yet once more," signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain." The same warning that Moses gave us in Deuteronomy, and all the other prophets wrote of, is just as important to us today as any part of the New Testament. It is all the voice of the Lord, and there is not difference whether it be in the Old Testament or the New. Can you be shaken? Not if you are in Christ and in His Word. If you know what to expect at Satan's coming there is no way that you can be deceived by him. That is why you study all of God's Word, for the details of our generation is scattered throughout all the prophet's writings. God has written and forewarned you so that His voice will soothe you, rather than be a consuming fire as to the rest of the world. Hebrews 12:28 "Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:" God is stating that very soon He will shake all of the earth, and He is telling us so that we will not be afraid when it happens, for we will move right into God's kingdom with Jesus Christ right here on earth. Paul has made Moses teachings part of the New Testament, and he ends this chapter by quoting Moses from Deuteronomy 4:24. Hebrews 12:29 "For our God is a consuming fire." Moses was looking forward to the latter days, and warning those living in that day to be on guard. God does not make the determination as to who will feel the heat of the flame in destruction, or them that feel that same flame to be their soothing warmth. It is the person, the soul that is living on this earth that determines how that flame will affect them. It is up to you whether you chose God, or refuse His instruction. Both the angels and man will be speaking of the latter times, and my friend we are there, we are living in those days. It is time to pay attention to the one world system surfacing at this time, and the perversion that is spread around the world, and even to the top of our nation. I am not talking politics, but filth that is embedding itself right into the minds at the very top. The people in our nation are beginning to tremble with fear because the curses of God are coming down upon our nation because the people are turning their backs on God and the law and statutes of His Word. If this perversion continues, God will make the correction, but God will protect His own. Deuteronomy 4:40 "Thou shalt keep therefore His statutes, and His commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, for ever." This earth is ours forever, it was ours in the first earth age, it is our in this age of the flesh and it will be ours also in and through the Millennium age. God's laws and commandments will be with us, and we will always posses this planet earth. In time after the judgment and removal of Satan and His followers, God will make this earth over, and come down to be with us. Deuteronomy 4:41 "Then Moses severed three cities on this side Jordan toward the sun rising;" Moses is saying that here and now he is establishing three cities on the east side of Jordan to be cities of refuge. This is one city for each of the tribes that will remain on the east side of Jordan. The purpose of the city of refuge was that if someone would kill another accidentally, he could flee to a city of refuge for protection from the relatives of the deceased. Deuteronomy 4:42 "That the slayer might flee thither, which should kill his neighbour unawares, and hated him not in times past; and that fleeing unto one of these cities he might live:" This means that the slayer did not intend to kill the person, and it was by an accident that the person lost his life. In such a case, the person that caused the accident would be the one to flee to this city of refuge for his or her protection. This is as our laws state today here in America. Deuteronomy 4:43 "Namely, Bezer in the wilderness, in the plain country, of the Reubenites; and Ramoth in Gilead, of the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, of the Manassites." These three cities were Bezer, Ramoth, and Golan. Deuteronomy 4:44 "And this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel:" This starts the second message that Moses is going to give the children of Israel. Deuteronomy 4:45 "These are the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which Moses spake unto the children of Israel, after they came forth out of Egypt," This is a reviews of all the testimonies, statutes, and judgments that God gave Moses while they were in the wilderness. Deuteronomy 4:46 "On this side Jordan, in the valley over against Beth-peor, in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon, of the Amorites, whom Moses and the children of Israel smote, after they were come forth out of Egypt: We see within this verse the first fruits of the land. The time that the first fruits or crops were taken in is the time that the tribes settling there. It is the time that Moses put into motion the statutes and laws of God. In other words; those promises became a reality to Israel established in their promised land. Deuteronomy 4:47 "And they possessed his land, and the land of Og king of Bashan, two kings of the Amorites, which were on this side Jordan toward the sunrising;" God gave the land of the Amorites to the three tribes settling east of the Jordan river. Remember in a prior chapter we read that the Israelites were to kill all the men, women and the children, so there would be no one to claim an inheritance to this land. Those Amorites were also a mixed breed from the second influx of fallen angels. Deuteronomy 4:48 "From Aroer, which is by the bank of the Arnon, even unto mount Sion, which is Hermon." These locations can be seen on the map on page 34. Deuteronomy 4:48 "And all the plain on this side Jordan eastward, even unto the sea of the plain, under the springs of Pisgah." The springs of Pisgah are near mount Nebo. This is the place where Moses climbed to view the promise land before He died.
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