Marge Woodson

As we wrap up reading the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses is nearing the end of his life. We have already been reading Moses calling the people of Israel to renew their commitment to the Lord. Now we read a final message from Moses that sums up everything. The repetition usually emphasizes the importance of receiving the message. We find God speaking through Moses to his people.

The chapters we read this past week continue to restate the code of conduct for Israel. I was particularly struck by chapter 26. The chapter starts, “When you have entered the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and settled in it, take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the Lord your God is giving you and put them in a basket” (26:1-2a).

As we continue reading through the Book of Deuteronomy, I would like to remind us that this is a repetition of God’s laws. Moses was preparing the people for their journey into a new land. He was emphasizing laws that were needed at that time. The heart of the matter is that this book is about the love relationship of the Lord to his people and the people to the Lord as their Sovereign God.

As I reflect on our readings from this past week, I need to remind myself that the Book of Deuteronomy is a second giving of God’s Law. The previous generation of Israel died in the wilderness and it was important to repeat the law to the new generation before they entered the land that God had promised them. He had not yet sent His one and only Son as the final perfect sacrifice, but He was always setting the stage and pointing the way to Jesus.

Some thoughts from this week’s reading:

         - When we get to chapter 32, we read that the people grew tired of waiting for Moses to return from his journey up the mountain to meet with the Lord. The awe and wonder of hearing the trumpet blast, seeing the smoke and trembling mountain and the voice of God calling Moses up the mountain had faded away.