Bible Version: New International Version (NIV)
Application Notes: Life Application Study Bible (NIV)
DEUTERONOMY 1
The Command to Leave Horeb
1 These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the wilderness east of the Jordan—that is, in the Arabah—opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Dizahab. 2 (It takes eleven days to go from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by the Mount Seir road.)
3 In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses proclaimed to the Israelites all that the Lord had commanded him concerning them. 4 This was after he had defeated Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, and at Edrei had defeated Og king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth.
5 East of the Jordan in the territory of Moab, Moses began to expound this law, saying:
6 The Lord our God said to us at Horeb, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain. 7 Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates. 8 See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land the Lord swore he would give to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—and to their descendants after them.”
The Appointment of Leaders
9 At that time I said to you, “You are too heavy a burden for me to carry alone. 10The Lord your God has increased your numbers so that today you are as numerous as the stars in the sky. 11May the Lord, the God of your ancestors, increase you a thousand times and bless you as he has promised! 12But how can I bear your problems and your burdens and your disputes all by myself? 13Choose some wise, understanding and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will set them over you.”
14 You answered me, “What you propose to do is good.”
15 So I took the leading men of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them to have authority over you—as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens and as tribal officials. 16 And I charged your judges at that time, “Hear the disputes between your people and judge fairly, whether the case is between two Israelites or between an Israelite and a foreigner residing among you. 17 Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of anyone, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it.” 18 And at that time I told you everything you were to do.
Spies Sent Out
19 Then, as the Lord our God commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill country of the Amorites through all that vast and dreadful wilderness that you have seen, and so we reached Kadesh Barnea. 20 Then I said to you, “You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us. 21 See, the Lord your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
22 Then all of you came to me and said, “Let us send men ahead to spy out the land for us and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to.”
23 The idea seemed good to me; so I selected twelve of you, one man from each tribe. 24 They left and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshkol and explored it. 25Taking with them some of the fruit of the land, they brought it down to us and reported, “It is a good land that the Lord our God is giving us.”
Rebellion Against the Lord
26 But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God. 27 You grumbled in your tents and said, “The Lord hates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us. 28 Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt in fear. They say, ‘The people are stronger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there.’ ”
29 Then I said to you, “Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. 30 The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, 31 and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.”
32 In spite of this, you did not trust in the Lord your God, 33 who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go.
34 When the Lord heard what you said, he was angry and solemnly swore: 35 “No one from this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your ancestors, 36 except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet on, because he followed the Lord wholeheartedly.”
37 Because of you the Lord became angry with me also and said, “You shall not enter it, either. 38 But your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will enter it. Encourage him, because he will lead Israel to inherit it. 39 And the little ones that you said would be taken captive, your children who do not yet know good from bad—they will enter the land. I will give it to them and they will take possession of it. 40 But as for you, turn around and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea.”
41 Then you replied, “We have sinned against the Lord. We will go up and fight, as the Lord our God commanded us.” So every one of you put on his weapons, thinking it easy to go up into the hill country.
42 But the Lord said to me, “Tell them, ‘Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.’ ”
43 So I told you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the Lord’s command and in your arrogance you marched up into the hill country. 44 The Amorites who lived in those hills came out against you; they chased you like a swarm of bees and beat you down from Seir all the way to Hormah. 45 You came back and wept before the Lord, but he paid no attention to your weeping and turned a deaf ear to you. 46And so you stayed in Kadesh many days—all the time you spent there.
Application Notes
1:1-5 The Israelites spent 40 years on a journey that should have lasted 11 days. It wasn't distance that stood between them and the Promised Land—it was the condition of their hearts. God's purpose went deeper than simply transporting a huge group of people to a new land. He was preparing them to worship him alone and live in obedience to him once they arrived. What good was the Promised Land if the Israelites were just as wicked as the nations already living there? The journey was a painful but necessary part of their preparation. Through it God taught the Israelites who he was: the living God, the Leader of their nation. He also taught them who they were: people who were fallen, sinful, and prone to rebellion and doubt. He gave his rebellious people the law to help them understand how to relate to him and to other people. Your spiritual pilgrimage may be lengthy, and you may face pain, discouragement, and difficulties. But remember that God isn't just trying to keep you alive. He wants to prepare you to live a life of knowing and loving him and sharing this life with others.
1:1-5 The 40 years of wilderness wandering come to an end in this book. The major part of Deuteronomy covers only a week or two of the eleventh month of the fortieth year (1:3). The twelfth and last month was spent in mourning for Moses (34:8). Then the Israelites entered the Promised Land the first month of the forty-first year after the Exodus (Joshua 4:19).
1:6-8 The Lord commanded the Israelites to take possession of the land that was promised to them, but it would not just be given to them. They had to travel, face enormous challenges, and settle in and adapt to a new land. When God has called us to a new task, we need to break camp, break inertia, engage the challenges that come, and adapt to change. God requires us to do our part as he fulfills his promises to lead,· guide, and provide for us.
1:6-7 Notice that Moses' summary of Israel's 40-year journey begins at Mount Horeb (Sinai), not in Egypt. Why did Moses leave out the first part of the Exodus? Moses was not giving an itinerary—he was summarizing the nation's development. In Moses' mind, the nation of Israel began at the base of Mount Sinai, not in Egypt, for it was at Mount Sinai that God made his covenant with the people (Exodus 19-20). Along with this covenant came knowledge and responsibility. After the people chose to follow God, they had to know how to follow him. Therefore, God gave them a comprehensive set of laws and guidelines that stated how he wanted them to live (these are found in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers). The people could no longer say they didn't know the difference between right and wrong, or what God expected of them. Now that the people had promised to follow God and knew how to follow him, they had a responsibility to do it. When God tells you to break camp and move out to face a challenge he gives you, will you be ready to obey?
1:9-13 It was a tremendous burden for Moses to lead the nation by himself. He could not accomplish the task single-handedly. As nations, organizations, and churches grow, they become increasingly complex. Conflicting needs and quarrels arise. No longer can one leader make all the decisions. Like Moses, you may have a natural tendency to try to do all the work alone. You may be afraid or embarrassed or too stubborn to ask for help. Moses made a wise decision to share the leadership with others. Rather than trying to handle large responsibilities alone, look for ways of sharing the load so that others may exercise their God-given gifts and abilities.
1:13-18 Moses identified some of the inner qualities of good leaders: (1) wisdom, (2) fairness, (3) courage, and (4) the ability to recognize their limitations. These characteristics differ markedly from the ones that often lead to the selection of leaders today: good looks, wealth, popularity, and willingness to do anything, to get to the top. The qualities Moses identified should be evident in us as we lead, and we should look for them in those we choose for positions of leadership.
1:22 The scouts had been sent into the land not to determine whether they should enter but to gain knowledge to determine how they should enter (Numbers 13:17-20). Upon returning, however, most of the scouts had concluded that the land was not worth the obstacles. God would give the Israelites the power to conquer the land, but they were afraid of the risks and decided not to enter. God gives us the power to do what he's called us to do, but just as. the Israelites were filled with fear and skepticism, we often let difficulties control our lives. When we follow God regardless of these difficulties, we demonstrate courageous, overcoming faith.
1:23-40 Moses retold the story of the scouting mission into the Promised Land (Numbers 13-14). When the scouts returned with reports of giants and walled cities, the people were afraid to move ahead and began to complain about their predicament. But the minority report of Joshua and Caleb pointed out that the land was fertile, the enemy was vulnerable, and God was on their side. We become fearful and immobile when we focus on the negative aspects of a situation. How much better to focus on the positive—God’s direction and promises. When you are confronted with an important decision and know what you should do, move out in faith. Focus on the positives while trusting. God to overcome the negatives. Problems don't have to rob you of victory.
1:28 Canaan was a land with giants and imposing fortresses. The Anakites may have been seven to nine feet tall. Many of the land’s fortified cities had walls as high as 30 feet. The Israelites’ fear was understandable but not justified, for the all-powerful God had already promised them victory.
1:45-46 The Israelites Stayed at Kaaesh for long time. They had been disobedient but now were willing to wait on the Lord for direction. At times, we may find ourselves in a “Kadesh moment,” simply sitting and waiting to find out what the Lord would have us do next. We may feel as though God refuses to listen to us. We need to encourage each other to remain faithful during these times of waiting.
Taken from Life Application Study Bible - Third Edition - (NIV)