Deuteronomy Chapter 1

Omniscient – You know everything.  You know everything is Moses is speaking.  You know his heart.  You know what he means.  You know this chapter is in the third person and in the past.  You know what it means.  You know me.  You know my heart.  You are all-knowing.

Omnipotent- You can do anything.  You lead Israel.  You put the words in Moses mouth.  Yu have it all summarized again for me to read a second time.  You give me background information to set the stage.  You teach me.  You make me understand.  You are all-powerful.

Omnipresent – You are everywhere.  You are across the Jordan in the wilderness.  You are in Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh–barnea.  You are in Ashtaroth, in Heshbon, and in Edrei.  You are across the Jordan in the land of Moab.  You are at this mountain and in the hill country of the Amorites and in the Arabah, in the lowland, in the Negev and by the seacoast.  Yu are in the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates.  You are in Your WORD.  You are here with me. You are in my heart.  You are all-present.

Eternal – You are the cause of time.  You are eleven days’ journey.  You are forty years.  You are at that time and many days.  You are the days.  You are forever.  You are now.  You are time.

Immutable – You do not change.  Moses took the heads of their tribes?  You did My LORD.  You spoke to them, but they did not listen.  Israel remained in Kadesh many days, the days they spent there.  You will never be made to change.

Self – Existent – You exist by Yourself.  You exist even when Your creation does not.  It is Your creation who needs You in order to exist.  You make up their journey.  You make up Israel’s existence.  You make up Moses’ existence.  You make up my existence.  You choose.  You decide who lives and who dies.  You make Your creation.

Self-Sufficient – You do not need any of Your creation to bring about Your will or Your purpose.  You choose to use  Israel and Moses and Jesus and Your WORD and me because it is Your good pleasure, not Your need, that governs Your choice.

Infinite – There are no limits or bounds to Your person or dominion.  You are omnipotent AND Sovereign.  You are limitless.

Transcendent – You are apart from Your creation.  You teach me about Your.  You teach me about the journey from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea.  They have able men to be leaders.  Judges, who judge for You.  You have men sent out for Yourself for Your purposes.  You know they would grumble against You.  You know they would not go up against the people.  Your anger burned because they would not listen to You or follow Yu fully.  You had Israel remain in Kadesh many days, the days that they spent there.

Sovereign – You said everything.  You did everything.  You led Israel.  It is You I worship.  You are in complete control and You are doing Your foreknown plan!

Holy – You are a morally excellent, perfect being.  You separate the sons of Israel and Moses for Your purpose.

Gracious – You show Your people Your favor by leading them and dealing with them.

Merciful – You show Your people Your compassion by showing them the right way for their higher good.

Longsuffering - You are patient with the sons of Israel and slow to anger.

Righteous – You are always right.  You teach the right way.

Just – You punish the guilty, atone for sin, and reward the righteous who continue in Your way.

Loving – You love Your people and take care of them, giving them everything they need.

Good – You lead them and instruct them.  You give them Your time and Your energy and Your heart.

Wise – You do the things You do because of Your Wisdom.  Your wisdom is higher than my wisdom.  Your thoughts are higher than my thoughts.

Faithful – You always do what You say.  Your people wandered the wilderness until the evil generation perished.  You let them through the wilderness.  You speak of hope.

Truthful - You always speak the truth.  The truth is You told Your people to go in and possess the land which You swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and to Jacob, to them and their descendents after them.  The truth is You do exactly what You say.

Wrathful – You destroy all unrighteousness.

Jealous – You will not share Your people or Your land, what are rightly and morally Yours with any other creature.

Incomprehensible – Why is all of this information being repeated?  Why is it in the past AND in the third person?  The LORD spoke is Moses talking about You in the past.  What is second person and third person?  Is this chapter a different point of view?  Is it a different perspective?  Is it just giving me background information, setting the stage?  Is it Moses who says ‘I spoke to you at that time’?  The one who says ‘I alone bear the load’?  Is that true?  Is it Moses who says ‘I will appoint’, ‘I took’, I charged’, ‘I commanded you’, ‘the thing pleased me and I took’, does Moses or do You My LORD?  Why?

        What does Deut. 1:28 have to do with Gen 11:4? At that time the whole were the sons of Noah.  They used the same language and the same words.  “And they said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name; lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”  Will reach into heaven.  What does that mean?  How is that the same as ‘the cities are large and fortified to heaven’?  Does this mean very tall or quite literally reaching into heaven?  How does that happen?

        Who are judges today?  Who are Your judges My LORD?  ‘You shall not fear man, for the judgment is God’s’.  What does this mean?  Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?  What does it mean?  Your word says ‘…for you do not judge for man but for the LORD who is with you when you render judgment.’  ‘Buy truth, and do not sell it, get wisdom and instruction and understanding.

        ‘These also are sayings of the wise.  To show partiality in judgment in not good.’  What is the right answer?

·      Why do You have judges?  What does ‘for you’ mean?

Judgment – Ex 12:12; Deut 1:17; Ezra 7:26; Ps 1:5; Matt 10:15; John 3:19; 5:29, 30; Heb 9:27; James 3:1; 5:12; 2 Pet 3:7; Jude 6, 15; Rev 19:2

·      You will execute judgments.  The judgment is Yours.  Let judgment be executed upon him strictly, whether for death or for banishment or for confiscation of goods or for imprisonment.

·      You have given Jesus authority to execute judgment.  John 9:39; Acts 10:42; 17:31

·      Jesus is appointed by You as Judge of the living and the dead.  John 5:22, 27; Acts 17:31; 2 Tim 4:1; 1 Pet 4:5

·      Comes judgment 2 Cor 5:10; 1 John 4:17

·      Let not many  of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we shall incur a stricter judgment  Matt 23:8; Rom 2:20; 1 Tim 1:7; James 1:16; 3:10