Through the Bible - Deuteronomy

We are going to be going through the whole book of Deuteronomy tonight. As we do, it's nice to be able to cover it in one study like this. When you read through it, you'll notice that the entire book is essentially one sermon that Moses spoke to the children of Israel right before they entered the Promised Land. It's a pretty long sermon, to be honest. Sometimes people complain that we go for 55 minutes to an hour here at Calvary Chapel. However, those of you who read through Deuteronomy chapters 1 through 34 this week know that this could have been a lengthy sermon.

If you know anything about the children of Israel, when they gathered together for the study of God's Word, they didn't sit in air-conditioned rooms on comfortable chairs. In fact, in Nehemiah chapter 8, we find that when the children of Israel gathered to hear the reading of the Word, they all stood. In the New Testament, we see that Jesus would be seated while the people listening to Him stood. So, imagine the children of Israel out in the wilderness, all standing as Moses delivers this sermon to them. You have it much easier than they did. We're only going to take about 55 minutes instead of maybe a couple or three hours to go through this, and you get to sit down.

Let's pray before we go through the Word tonight, and then we'll consider this passage.

Lord, we do thank You for Your Word. I praise You that You've given it to us, Lord, and that You stirred men throughout the ages to guard Your Word and write it down so that we could have it in our hands tonight. We ask that You would speak to us through it and give us application. Lord, we praise You and thank You. In Jesus' name, amen.

Now, the book of Deuteronomy—the word "Deuteronomy" means "the second law."

And not that God is giving another law, because we already saw back in Leviticus that God had given one law to His people as well as the strangers among them. This isn't a second or different law than what we read back there in Leviticus or in Exodus chapter 20 and all through the rest of the book of Exodus. This is God's law spoken a second time, and it's spoken to the second generation of the children of Israel after they came out of the land of Egypt.

That first generation, as we saw last week in the book of Numbers, perished in the wilderness over the course of 38 years because of their unbelief and disobedience. They were two years at Mount Sinai, roughly two years, and then after that, the Lord sent them out on their journeys in the wilderness. They took a journey up to the place called Kadesh Barnea, which was the entrance into the promised land. However, the children of Israel did not believe the Lord could deliver them into the land and defeat their enemies. They departed from trusting in the Lord, and because of that, God swore in His wrath that they would not enter into His rest.

We see this reiterated in the New Testament in Hebrews chapter 3, where it states that that generation would not enter into the rest that God had for them because of their unbelief. They wandered in the wilderness for 38 years. God said that for each day the spies were in the promised land, spying out the land, they would wander in the wilderness for a year. The spies went in and out of the land for 40 days, so God declared they would be 40 years in the wilderness until this entire generation that did not trust Him passed away.

However, God said in Numbers that their children would go into the promised land. Here we are, 38 years after that experience in Numbers chapters 13 and 14. A new generation is raised up and ready to enter the promised land. God is going to bring them into the promised land and deliver all of their enemies into their hands. In fact, we see in this book of Deuteronomy and again in Joshua chapter 1 that every place the sole of their feet would touch, God says that land He has given unto them, and He will cause their enemies to flee before them. God will bring them into that land by His mighty hand and outstretched arm.

In the same way, with the same power that God used to get the Israelites out of the land of Egypt, He is going to bring them into the promised land. There are some interesting things that this book brings to you and me because we, too, stand at the edge of that promised land. The question is, will we enter into that which God has for us?

Some of you may remember hymns that have equated the promised land to heaven. However, that is really not a good interpretation of the promised land. In fact, the promised land is a place of victorious living. There, in the promised land, they had battles and wars, as we will see when we get into Joshua next week. We will not have battles and wars in heaven, so the promised land is not heaven. It is similar to the life that you and I have, filled with the Holy Spirit. The life in the promised land, the life in the land of rest, that life of victory, speaks to us as Christians of the fullness of the Holy Spirit. We can experience that life.

When the children of Israel enter into the promised land, they are taking their inheritance. They are going to possess their inheritance; they are inheriting the land. You and I, as Christians, have an inheritance as well. Did you know that? The New Testament talks a lot about us receiving an inheritance. Because we have been adopted into the family of God, because we are God's children, we are joint heirs with Jesus, as Romans chapter 8 tells us. Therefore, we have an inheritance in Christ. We have an inheritance as the children of God.

What is that inheritance, though? I believe it is the exact same inheritance that the children of the tribe of Levi had. Turn in your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 10. Last week, when we considered the book of Numbers, we talked about the tribe of Levi, which was not going to receive an inheritance in the promised land for a very specific reason. We find that reason here in Deuteronomy chapter 10, starting in verse 8. It says, "At that time, the Lord separated the tribe of Levi to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord, to minister unto Him, and to bless His name unto this day."

Wherefore, in verse 9, note this: "Wherefore, Levi has no part nor inheritance with his brethren." Why? Because the Lord is his inheritance. The Lord Himself was the inheritance of the tribe of Levi. I believe you and I have the very same inheritance.

We find that in the New Testament, specifically in the book of Ephesians, Paul says something very significant and important about the inheritance that we have. In Ephesians chapter 1, verse 13, we read, "In whom, in Jesus, you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth of the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, after you believed, you were sealed with what? The Holy Spirit of promise." This Holy Spirit is described as the guarantee, or the down payment, of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory.

What does Paul tell us about the Holy Spirit there? He states that the Holy Spirit is the guarantee or the down payment of our inheritance. Many of you have shopped before and perhaps bought something on layaway, putting a down payment on it. That down payment was just a small portion of the total cost; it wasn't the entire amount, but it secured the possession and held it in your name. God has purchased us and redeemed us, and He has given us the down payment of our inheritance.

What is the down payment we have received? The Holy Spirit. What is it that you and I shall inherit when we enter into glory, when we enter into the presence of God? We will inherit the complete and full abiding presence of God. This is something very important to consider about heaven. Heaven would not be heavenly if it were not for the presence of God. If heaven were merely a paradise, like Hawaii, it would become hell after an eternity because God's presence wouldn't be there. What makes heaven so heavenly is the presence of God. That is what makes it so glorious for you and me: we inherit Him.

Just in the same way as the Levites in the book of Deuteronomy and in the Old Testament, God was their inheritance. We want to enter into the inheritance, the promised land, and experience the fullness of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Remember, the children of Israel were entering into a land that flowed with milk and honey. They were also entering into a land that was filled with fruitfulness.

Now, I want you to consider for a moment milk, honey, and fruitfulness. In 2 Peter 2, verse 2, it says that...

As newborn babes desire the pure milk of the word, we are encouraged to desire the pure milk of the Word. We also just sang in Psalm 19 that the law of the Lord, the word of the Lord, and the testimonies of the Lord are sweeter than honey in the honeycomb. We enter into a land that flows with milk and honey. The scripture says that the word of God is like milk to the newborn baby, and it is sweeter than honey in the honeycomb. Experiencing and taking in the fullness of the word of God is part of the inheritance that we have in our promised land, this promised land that God has given to us.

Now, John chapter 1 tells us, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God, and the Word was with God." John chapter 1, verse 14 says, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." Who is the Word? Jesus. Jesus is the Word. As we take in the word of God, which is like milk to the newborn and like honey to the one who takes it in, we are taking in the presence of the Lord, the abiding presence of God.

We are told in Psalm 119 to hide His word in our hearts. We are to take His word into our hearts. On top of that, we are coming into a promised land that is filled with fruitfulness. Any time we talk about fruitfulness, I am reminded of Galatians chapter 5, which talks about the fruit of the Spirit. When we come into the promised land, that life dominated by the word of God and filled with the fruit of the Spirit is when we truly partake of that which God desires us to have here on earth.

The sad fact is that there are a lot of people who are no longer in Egypt but are not experiencing the promised land. They are not entering in and taking hold of that which God desires them to have. I believe Paul talks about this in Philippians chapter 3. There, in Philippians chapter 3, I want to read this to you real quick. Paul says in verse 12, "I press on that I might grab hold of the very thing that God saved me for." He says, "I haven't already apprehended. I haven't already been completely perfected."

But I press on that I may lay hold of the very thing that God has laid hold of me for. Christ Jesus has saved us. He has laid hold of us for a purpose. He's brought us out of the world for a reason. I believe it's the very same reason that God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt. It wasn't so that they could spend eternity in the wilderness and eat manna. God doesn't want us to be in the wilderness, constantly relying upon manna.

There are a lot of people in the church today, a lot of people in America, who are out of Egypt but are just living in the wilderness of Christian life with no victory, no joy, and just barely surviving on manna. I would say that manna is merely what you get on Sunday morning if you go to church. If you just come to church, then you might just get by on manna. But God desires that you no longer live under just manna. He wants us to come out of Egypt and into the promised land—the land that flows with milk and honey, the land that's filled with fruitfulness. God wants the fruit of the Holy Spirit to be evident in my life and in your life. He desires that we would be feeding on His faithfulness through His milk, the Word of God, and through that honey, the Word of God, constantly relying upon Him, not just meandering through the wilderness.

As we saw in Numbers, the wilderness is a pretty sad, dry, dead place. How many of you in your Christian walk have experienced that wilderness wandering before? I think we all know what it's about. But God wants us to cross over the Jordan River and come into the promised land. Before the children of Israel could come into the life of victory and the land of rest, as described in the book of Joshua, we have this story in the book of Deuteronomy—the second telling of the law. God comes to His people once again and speaks to them His law. The law has a purpose, not only at the very beginning of their wilderness wanderings but here at the end of their time in the wilderness. God speaks His law to the children of Israel once again.

You see, there are also some people in the church today who have neglected the law of God. They say, "We're New Testament Christians; we don't need the law of God." Listen to me, I guarantee you, if you find yourself in that place, then you're going to continue wandering in the wilderness. God's law has a purpose. God's law has been given for a reason, and God gave it twice in His Word for a few different reasons. The first reason that God gives us His law...

Back in Exodus chapter 20, and again here in the book of Deuteronomy, at the end of their wilderness wanderings, God wants us to understand that it is important. God doesn't say anything twice that's not important. He speaks things repetitively because we need to take notice of them.

The children of Israel, that first generation that came out of Egypt, did they take wholehearted notice of the word of God? No, they just gave it lip service. They said, "All that the Lord has said, we will do and be obedient." Did they? Nope. The proof is in the fact that they all died in the wilderness. They just gave the law of God lip service. They did not honor God through His word and through His law and follow Him through it. Because of that, they died in the wilderness.

God has given us His law for a reason. One of the important things I think we need to note about the word of God is that, last week when we looked at Numbers, I showed you how the book of Numbers correlates with Romans chapter 7. Do you remember that? We talked about how Genesis fits with Romans chapter 3: "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." The book of Exodus fits with Romans chapter 5: "In due time, Christ died for the ungodly to redeem them," right? We saw that Leviticus correlates with Romans chapter 6: "Shall we sin that grace may abound? Certainly not. How shall we that have died to sin live any longer in it?" We are to be holy unto God, as Leviticus says.

But Romans chapter 7 speaks of the struggle: "The good that I want to do, I don't do, and the bad things I don't want to do, that I practice." That whole place of struggling with the flesh is captured in Romans chapter 7.

Well, where does Deuteronomy fit in? I want you to consider a verse in Romans chapter 7 again, because I think it speaks very clearly of the book of Deuteronomy. Romans chapter 7, verse 12 states, "Wherefore, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, just, and good." Paul tells us something interesting about the law: it is good. The law is holy, just, and good. God's law is perfect, as we saw David say back in Psalm 19, verse 7: "The law of the Lord is perfect."

The law of the Lord is holy, it is just, and it is good. But God's word, His law, given in the Old Testament, is very good. However, here's the problem: God's very good law shows you and me that we are very bad. God's very good law shows us that we are very bad.

It shows us that we are no good. In fact, it tells us, just as the prophet Jeremiah did in Jeremiah chapter 17, that the heart of man is desperately wicked. But you know what? Man doesn't want to admit that. How many of you have noticed that even you don't want to admit that you're desperately wicked? Let's be honest. None of us want to admit that. We just don't want to face it.

So, we make up better terms for our sin than we do for other people's sin. You know what I'm talking about? We say, "Oh, I was just kidding," but we call another person a liar. We say, "You're a liar," but we excuse ourselves by saying, "Oh, I was just kidding. It was just a joke." People will say, "Oh, that's adultery," but then they'll say of themselves, "Well, I just had an affair." We have different words that we apply to sin for ourselves than we do for other people. You see that? We're always trying to justify ourselves.

Anyone who has ever talked with someone about their sin will often hear, "Well, I'm a pretty good person. I'm not as bad as so-and-so." They will fill in the blank with someone they perceive as worse. But there's always the recognition that they are not as good as Billy Graham. They might say, "Well, I'm no Mother Teresa, but I'm not as bad as..." and then they will fill in the blank again. So, man is always trying to justify himself.

The law is holy. The commandment is holy, just, and good. God's Word, God's law, is very good, but it shows that you and I are very bad. Oftentimes, people get mad at the law and think that the law is bad. In fact, Paul asks the question in Romans chapter 7, "Is the law sin?" Certainly not, he says. It only shows me that I'm a sinner. God gives His law for the purpose of bringing to man's mind that he is a sinner.

Turn, if you're in Romans, to Romans chapter 3. There, Paul speaks again in Romans chapter 3, verse 19. He says, "Now we know that what things soever the law says, it says to them that are under the law." This is the purpose of the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and that all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds of the law, shall no flesh be justified in His sight. Why? For by the law is the knowledge of sin.

You see, the first purpose of the law is to bring man to the knowledge of sin. Paul says in Romans chapter 7, "I would not have known sin except by the law."

I would never have known that I was a sinner in need of a Savior if it wasn't for the law of God. God's law is holy, just, and good. It is perfect. We need His law. Even after you have been a Christian, even after you've come out of the land of Egypt and are in the wilderness, He gives His law at the very beginning to that person.

But even after you've wandered in the wilderness for a period of time, God says, "Let's go back to basics. Let's go back to the law." Why? Is any flesh justified by the law? Is anybody saved by the keeping of the law? No. Romans chapter 3 tells us very clearly that no one is saved by the keeping of the law.

Remember the children of Israel. Were they brought out of the land of Egypt by the law? No. What brought them out of the land of Egypt? God says, "By My mighty hand and outstretched arm, I redeemed you out of the land of Egypt." Not by keeping the law. He gave His law after they came out of the land of Egypt.

So why did He give them the law? Because they were to be a people wholly dedicated to Him. They were to be a people that were completely consecrated to Him, living in the midst of a wicked, wicked people. When you consider the history of the land of Canaan, the land that the children of Israel were going to inherit as their possession, it was dominated by lewdness and wickedness. These were a people completely given over to immorality, filled with tons of sexual immorality.

The children of Israel were called to be a people living in the midst of a sex-crazed society, and yet they still had to be completely given over to the Lord. Can you relate to that at all? Do we not find ourselves in the very same place that the children of Israel would when they entered into the land of Canaan? God told them, "I want you to be separate. I don't want you to mix in with these people."

Why? Because if you mix in with all of that, what's going to happen? Are you going to affect them, or are they going to infect you? They will infect you. Bad company corrupts good morals. God says, "If you keep company with them, then you are going to be infected."

Sometimes the Christian thinks, "I can go into the world, and I will affect the world." Listen, if you don't follow after the law of God with your heart, you will not affect this world. Nor will you be separate; you will blend in with the rest of the world.

And you will be infected by them. God gave His law to the children of Israel back in Exodus, and then, 38 years, 40 years later, He gives it to their next generation that is coming into the promised land. Why? To prepare them.

Now, I want you to consider something. When God gave His law to the children of Israel in Exodus, did He desire them to wander in the wilderness for 40 years? No. How long do you think it was that He wanted to take them into the promised land? Pretty soon, right? He was going to take that generation into the promised land, but because of their unbelief, they didn't go in. So, He told that generation His law just before they came into the promised land, and now He has a new generation. What does He tell them? The law.

You see, why are so many Christians weak today in this world for being a witness for Christ? Because they don't take heed to the word of God, to the law of God. We're not saved by it. I will never, ever, let you hear anybody at this church say that you're saved by the keeping of the law. We are not saved by the keeping of the law, but after being saved, we seek to keep these things out of gratitude because God has called us to be His people, separate from this world.

What would make us separate from this world? Well, we don't do the things that the world does. If we don't do the things that the world does, there's only one other system that we can go after. Whose system is that? God's. God's system, and here it is: the word of God, the law of God. It is holy, just, and good. It is perfect.

Will we ever be able to completely keep the law of God? No. No, you won't. Should we strive to do so? Absolutely. We press on that we may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has laid hold of us. Why did He lay hold of us? That we would be a people separated unto Him, holy and perfect.

Remember, Ephesians tells us that He is seeking to present Himself a bride without spot or blemish. He wants to set up for Himself, when He draws us to Himself, a bride that is chaste, a virgin, not blemished with the rest of the things of this world. And how does He do that? By the washing of the water by His word, by His law. His word is perfect. It converts the soul. It transforms our lives.

God desires to transform us by His law through His Holy Spirit. He uses the word, and Jesus is the word. Jesus comes into our life by His word, and His Holy Spirit begins to transform us so that we look more and more like Jesus. He wants to transform us into the image of God.

They were supposed to come into the Promised Land, and they will. We'll see next week in Joshua that they are to come into the Promised Land, and all the nations of the world are to see them and say, "That is a people that follows God."

Now, there are a lot of people today who are trying to live their lives as Christians so that others will notice and say, "Hey, that's a Christian." However, they often focus on how happy they are, how joyful they are, and how much love they have for other people, hoping others will recognize them as Christians. They refer to the words of someone—perhaps Aquinas or Augustine—who said, "Preach the gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words." We want the world to see us and say, "That's a Christian."

But how are they going to know unless they see that we are different from the rest of the world? The world must see a difference in you and me, just as they were to see with the children of Israel. They were to recognize that these people served their God in a very specific way that God had outlined. The Israelites were not involved with the immoral practices of the other worldly gods that people bowed down to and worshipped. They had very specific ways of eating, giving offerings, and praying. These practices were meant to show the rest of the world that they were God's people.

Moreover, the world was to see that their God fought for them. As we saw in the book of Numbers, God fought against the king of Bashan and the king of Sihon. He took care of their needs in battle and provided for them. He gave them manna from heaven while they were in the wilderness, this bread that came down to them. He provided water out of the rocks, covered them with a cloud by day, and guided them with a pillar of fire by night. God took care of His people, and the rest of the world was to see and know that they were God's chosen people—a people special to Him, a people He desired to use in a magnificent way.

God was going to bring them into the Promised Land by faith and by His grace. But once they were there, He wanted them to follow Him in His word. Therefore, He gives them His word a second time. One of the interesting things about the book of Deuteronomy is that, over and over again, God says, "Observe My word to do it." He wanted them to do this when they came into the Promised Land.

This book speaks constantly of the statutes, judgments, and commandments of God. You probably saw those words—statutes, judgments, commandments—over and over again. In fact, the word "statutes" appears almost 30 times in these 34 chapters. God says, "I want you to observe my statutes, my commandments. Do them." He emphasizes this command over 15 times, instructing His people to follow Him in this way. Therefore, God wanted His people to adhere to His law, which is why He gives it to them a second time.

As we go through this book, there are several important passages and concepts that we need to take note of. The book is divided into three sections. The first division, chapters 1 through 4, deals with God speaking to His people about what He had already done for them. In these chapters, God recounts how He brought them out of the land of Egypt and took care of them while they were in the wilderness. He provided them with a cloud during the day and a pillar of fire by night. He gave them water from the rock and manna to eat.

However, these chapters also reflect on how the children of Israel responded to these blessings. The first four chapters discuss how they were a stiff-necked people who rebelled against God. They were stubborn and did not trust Him. Thus, chapters 1 through 4 of Deuteronomy focus on what God had done for Israel in the past and how Israel received and responded to those gifts.

The second division of the book of Deuteronomy, which begins at the end of chapter 4, specifically from verse 44 through chapter 26, involves God giving His law to the children of Israel a second time. The first four chapters recount how God treated the children of Israel over the last 40 years. If you want a good synopsis of the wilderness wanderings of Israel, the first four chapters of Deuteronomy provide a clear and concise overview of what took place during those years.

Then, from chapter 4, verse 44 through chapter 26, we see God's law reiterated. Notably, in chapter 5, God presents the Ten Commandments to His people once again. In chapter 5, He goes through it one more time, as He tells them in verse 7.

You shall have no other gods before Me. In verse 8, He says, "You shall not make for yourselves any graven image of any likeness or anything that is in heaven above or on earth beneath or in the waters beneath." Then, in verse 11, He gives the third commandment: "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain." In verse 12, the fourth commandment is introduced: "Keep the Sabbath day holy to the Lord."

The fifth commandment, found in verse 16, is to honor your father and your mother. It is the first commandment with a promise, as Paul would say in the book of Ephesians. What is the promise? That it may be well with you and that your days may be long upon the earth.

The sixth commandment, found in Deuteronomy chapter 5, verse 17, states, "You shall not kill." The seventh commandment, in verse 18, is "You shall not commit adultery." The eighth commandment, in verse 19, is "You shall not steal." The ninth commandment, in verse 20, is "You shall not bear false witness." Finally, the tenth commandment, in verse 21, is "You shall not covet."

God gives them His law once again and goes through all the dietary laws and the sacrificial laws from chapter 4, verse 44, to chapter 26. God lays out His law very clearly for His people.

However, chapters 27 through the end of the book, the third division of the book of Deuteronomy, deal with what God is going to do for Israel, for His people, the children of Israel. This is a powerful passage because it is not just God telling them what He will do for them; it prophetically outlines the entire history of Israel before it happens.

It outlines what God was going to do and how Israel would turn away from Him. It describes how they would be taken down into Babylon and serve the gods of those people during their exile. Then, they would return to the land, only to be taken over by the Romans, exiled again, and ultimately return to the land once more.

The last section of the book of Deuteronomy deals with history before it ever comes to pass. It is one of the clearest proofs of divine authorship. Prophecy in the Bible is like God's thumbprint on the Scriptures; it shows us that He is outside of time and able to tell us what happens before it starts. Thus, chapters 27 through 34 deal with history before it ever comes to pass.

God is telling them what was going to happen. The key passages that really give us the themes of the book of Deuteronomy begin with Deuteronomy chapter 6. We always have to start out with the problem. In Deuteronomy chapter 6, verse 20, Moses says to the children of Israel, "In years to come, when your children ask you, 'Why do we keep these feasts? Why do we keep these commandments? Why do we follow these statutes?' this is what you're to tell them."

In verse 21, you always have to start all the way back at the beginning. The book of Deuteronomy brings us back to the beginning of this nation, of this people. But not only does it bring us back to the beginning of the children of Israel, it also brings us back to our roots. Where did we start? We started as dead in trespasses and sins. Ephesians chapter 2 tells us, "You who were dead, God did what? He quickened us, right? He raised us to life. By grace, we have been saved."

The children of Israel started as slaves in Egypt. Genesis, the very last verse, states that Joseph was in a coffin in Egypt. You and I, our roots, our beginning, were dead in trespasses and sins, and we needed a Redeemer. So, who were we? What did God do? This is the next question that Deuteronomy answers.

In Deuteronomy chapter 6, verse 22, it says, "And the Lord showed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household before our eyes." Notice this; this is one of the key verses of the book. In verse 23 of chapter 6, it states, "And he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in to give us the land which he swore unto our fathers."

Several times in the book of Deuteronomy, I’m sorry, in the book of Numbers, we read the children of Israel say to God, "Why have you brought us out into Egypt? Have you brought us out here that you might kill us? Were there not enough graves in Egypt?"

Did you think that you brought us into this wilderness to die? Yet God says, "I didn't bring you out of Egypt to bring you into the wilderness." God didn't bring us out of Egypt to just let us meander around wondering, "What's our purpose?" He brought us out that He might bring us in. The very same purpose that He had for the children of Israel when He brought them out of Egypt was to bring them into the Promised Land. God said, "I brought you out with my mighty hand that I might bring you in, and that you might have this land as an inheritance."

God wants to do these things in and through us and for us. We were dead in our trespasses and sins in Egypt and the world, just as the children of Israel were. But God came and brought us out by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm so that He might bring us in.

Why did He do this, though? Why did God go to all this trouble to bring these stiff-necked people out of the land of Egypt? Was it because they were a lovely people? Was it because they were a good people or a righteous people? No, in fact, He gives us the answer to that question in Deuteronomy chapter 7, verse 6. "For you are a holy people unto the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a special people unto Himself above all the people upon the face of the earth."

The Lord did not set His love upon you nor choose you because you are more in number than any people, for you are the fewest of all people. But notice this in verse 8: "But because the Lord loved you." And because He would keep an oath which He had sworn unto your fathers, the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, out of the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.

God says, "I did not save you, Israel, because you were more in number than all the people of the earth or because you were the greatest nation. I did not save you because you were righteous." He says in chapter 9, "I brought you out of Egypt to bring you into the Promised Land because I loved you."

For God so loved the world, right? John chapter 3, verse 16, maybe the first verse that most Christians memorize: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever would believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." God didn't save us from the wickedness and the death of the world because He looked at us and said, "You're such a good-looking people, and you're such a wonderful people." No, He saved us because He loved us, not because we were righteous or had done anything for Him.

Because all of our righteousness, as Isaiah 64:6 says, is as filthy rags before the Lord. He doesn't look at us and say, "Boy, you're such good people; I want you on my team." No. God says, "You're the most pitiful group of people around, and I love you, so I want you on my team." It has nothing to do with how great we are.

So, why did God bring the children of Israel out of Egypt? Well, Deuteronomy 7:6-8 makes it very clear why. It wasn't because of them; it was because of God. Because of His faithfulness, God brought them out. He had made an oath to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, and God is faithful. In Deuteronomy 7:9, it says, "Know therefore that the Lord thy God, He is God, the faithful God, which keeps covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations."

God says, "I am a faithful God. I brought you out to bring you in because I loved you and because I had made a covenant with your fathers." God has brought us out that He might bring us into the promised land, not so that we could merely wander around in the wilderness of this Christian experience, wondering, "What's my purpose?" and "How come I don't have love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, and self-control?"

When I say those words—love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, self-control—what are those? They are the fruit of the Spirit, and that is the fruitfulness of the promised land. There are a lot of people in the church who say that they're Christians but don't experience the fruit. They are merely eating manna, wandering in the wilderness, but they, by faith, have not stepped into the promised land.

Why? Because I guarantee you it has something to do with not taking heed to the law of God. The law of God does not save you, but if we take heed to it, I want to skip ahead to the next book that we're going to look at next week, just to give you a "to-be-continued" sort of thing.

Look at Joshua 1. This is really a restatement of some things that God says in the book of Deuteronomy. In Joshua 1:6, God says to the group of people coming into the promised land and to Joshua, their leader, "Be strong and of good courage, for unto this people you shall divide for an inheritance the land which I swore unto their fathers to give to them. Only be thou strong and very courageous." Why? "That you may observe to do according to all the law."

To all the law which Moses, my servant, commanded you: Turn not from it to the left hand or to the right, that you may prosper whithersoever thou goest. What does God say to Joshua? If you walk in the law of God and keep His word, don't turn to the right hand or to the left; you will prosper. You will prosper wherever you go.

Verse 8 states, "This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate therein day and night." Why? That you may observe to do according to all that is written therein. For then, after you've done that, you shall make your way prosperous, and you shall have good success.

Why are there so many people in church today who say, "I'm not experiencing the love, joy, peace, kindness that the evangelist promised me"? The reason is that they have not taken heed to the word of God and the law of God. They have not meditated upon it day and night. They have not taken it into their life like drinking of the pure milk of the word, like tasting of the commandments of God, which are sweeter than honey in the honeycomb. Because of that, they have not experienced the fruitfulness that God intends and desires for every single one of us to partake of.

This book, Deuteronomy, is very important because it speaks to us at that level. How do you come out of the wilderness and into the promised land? As we will see in Joshua, it is a step of faith. They had to put their feet in the water of the Jordan, and when they did, the waters parted. But listen, before they could, God says, "You want to have a prosperous way? Take heed to the word of God."

Why? Well, Deuteronomy chapters 27 and 28 tell us what will happen if you don't. The blessing will be removed, and God will not only bless you, but He says He will curse you from the land. God says, "If you don't take heed to my law, if you don't take heed to my word, then I will treat you like I treated your enemies, and I will remove you from the land."

This is interesting because the very same thing happens in our lives. If we turn away from the Lord God and backslide away from Him, we will immediately sense a lack of that fruitfulness in our lives. We will not be partaking of the promised land that God desires for us. When I meet a Christian who is down in the dumps and has no joy, I see the consequences of turning away from God's word.

They have no love, no peace, no kindness, gentleness, or self-control. I know that they are not partaking of the Word of God, the pure milk of the Word, and that which is sweeter than honey in the honeycomb. As a result, they have no fruit in the land and life of rest. They have no victory over their enemies and are always falling into sin. Every temptation that comes their way leads to failure. Why? Because they have not taken heed to the Word of God.

Deuteronomy makes it very clear: if you want to have a prosperous way in the will of God, if you want to experience the joy of victory in the land of rest, it has much to do with the law in the book of Deuteronomy. I encourage you to get acquainted with this book, especially the last chapters, which are so very important. God reveals to us in Deuteronomy chapter 8 why the children of Israel went through the wilderness.

Here’s an interesting thing: even after we are walking in the Spirit, we will experience dry times. I had a conversation with a lady this week who called the church in tears. She said, "I really believe I'm following the Lord, but it seems like I'm just going through a dry wilderness time." I shared with her that we go through seasons. It is clear that we have those seasons where it seems like it’s desert time. In the summer, the heat comes, and then the fall arrives, causing all the leaves to fall off our lives. Winter comes, and it is dry and barren. We go through those times.

But notice this: Deuteronomy chapter 8, verse 2. God tells us why He took the children of Israel through the wilderness. I think it gives us insight into why we sometimes go through similar experiences. Verse 2 states, "And you shall remember the way which the Lord your God led you these 40 years in the wilderness." Why did He lead them into the wilderness? Notice this: "to humble you and to test you and to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep My commandments or not."

He humbled you, verse 3 continues, "and suffered you to hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord." God says to His people, "I led you through that wilderness so that you would be humbled, that I could test you, that I would know."

What was in your heart? Now listen, God tests the hearts of men. The Scriptures tell us that very clearly, and He knows the deep things. God knows your heart better than you'll ever know your heart. A lot of times, He allows us to go through these dry wilderness times so that we might see and recognize what He knew all along: that our hearts are truly desperately wicked.

You see, sometimes we start to think, "Well, I'm doing pretty good." Just about the time you think that you're really walking pretty well, I guarantee you'll find yourself in a trial. You'll find yourself wandering in the wilderness. Why? God wants to humble you. As we're going to see when we get to Judges in two weeks, the children of Israel, when they stood tall and thought themselves to be very strong, were warned by God to take heed. Remember we've looked at that verse in 1 Corinthians chapter 10? All these things were written for your admonition, for our instruction. The very next verse says, "Take heed when you think you stand, lest you fall."

Just about the time that we think, "You know what? I'm pretty strong. I got this whole Christian thing figured out," God takes us into the wilderness. Why? So that He might humble us, test us, and ultimately help us know what's in our hearts.

What happens when we recognize what's in our hearts? We come to the place of 1 John chapter 1, verse 9, which says, "Confess your sin to the Lord, and He is what? He's faithful. He's faithful and just to forgive you and to cleanse you of all unrighteousness," the Scripture says. But it's only as we come to Him in that place of humility, confessing. That word "confess" means to say the same thing as—to agree with God about our wicked condition. We come to Him and say, "Lord, I recognize and I see that I am wicked, and I need You."

Not only does God reveal to us here in Deuteronomy chapter 8 why He brings us sometimes into the wilderness, but we also see in this great book, the book of Deuteronomy, God's primary command and God's primary call. We sang it tonight. Deuteronomy chapter 6, verse 4 says, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord, and you shall what? Love Him." You shall love the Lord. The primary command, really, of the Bible and of this book, the book of Deuteronomy, is to love God. In fact, we see it in this book in chapter 6, chapter 11, chapter 13, chapter 19, and chapter 30.

And then three times we see it in chapter 11. Again and again, God reiterates to us that we shall love the Lord our God. In chapter 13, verse 3, He says the very same thing: you shall love the Lord your God. In chapter 19, verse 9, it is repeated again: you shall love the Lord your God. Then, three times in chapter 30, you can read it for yourself, God says that we are to love Him.

God brings us out to bring us into the promised land so that we can feed on His faithfulness and recognize Him as our Father, the one who provides for us and takes care of our needs. There, we love Him because He first loved us. We recognize how much He loves us and how much He takes care of us, and we begin to fall deeply in love with Him.

The result of loving God is the fulfillment of the commands found in this book. When you begin to love God and recognize what He has done for you, you realize that God loved you so very much that you begin to love Him in return. All of the things that are "thou shalt not" and "thou shalt" will become desires of your heart. It won't be a burden to you as it was to the children of Israel in the Old Testament. It will no longer feel like something you have to do, but rather, you will come to a place of gratitude where you long to walk with God in holiness.

This transformation only happens as you recognize His love for you, and you truly begin to see it in the promised land—in that place where you are feeding on His Word and His faithfulness. God desires to bring us into that place.

Turn over to Deuteronomy chapter 27. As we wrap things up tonight, I want to consider the blessings of the law. Andrew Murray, some of you may have heard of him before, wrote a little book that is quite potent. It's called The Blessings of Obedience. I think we even have some copies of it in our bookstore. It is a small book that you can probably read in just one sitting.

The Blessings of Obedience provides very clear information about those blessings. In Deuteronomy chapter 27, it says in verse 1: "And when you shall..."

You have passed over that you may go into the land which the Lord your God gives you, the land that flows with milk and honey, as the Lord God of your fathers has promised you. Therefore, it shall be when you have gone over the Jordan that you shall set up these stones which I command you this day on Mount Ebal. You shall plaster them with plaster, and there you shall build an altar unto the Lord your God, an altar of stones. You shall not lift up any iron tool upon them. You shall build an altar of the Lord your God with whole stones, and you shall offer burnt offerings there unto the Lord your God. You shall offer peace offerings, and you shall eat there and rejoice before the Lord your God. You shall write upon the stones all the words of this law very plainly.

God says to write the word upon the rock. God wants us to write His word upon our hearts. Moses and the priests and the Levites spoke unto the people of Israel, saying, "Take heed and hearken, O Israel." This day you have become the people of your God. Therefore, you shall obey the voice of the Lord your God and do His commandments and His statutes which I command you this day.

Moses charged the people the same day, saying, "These shall stand upon Mount Gerizim," and he listed a few of the tribes of Israel. "These shall stand upon Mount Ebal," so they are going to stand on two different mountains when they come into the promised land. He listed another group of the children of Israel, and the Levites shall speak and say unto the men of Israel with a loud voice. Here are the curses that come upon those who do not follow or obey:

"Cursed be the man that makes any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsmen, and puts it in a secret place." All the people shall answer and say, "Amen." What does the word "Amen" mean? So be it. God says there is going to be a curse that comes upon a person who breaks this law, and all the people shall say, "So be it."

Cursed shall be he that sets light by his father or his mother or does not honor his father or mother, and all the people shall say, "Amen." Cursed be he that removes his neighbor's landmark, and all the people shall say, "Amen." Cursed be he that makes the blind to wander out of the way, and all the people shall say, "Amen." Cursed be he that perverts the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow, and all the people shall say, "Amen."

He goes on through each one of these things, saying, "Cursed shall be you if you break this law." But notice verse 28; he says...

Chapter 28, verse 1, states, "And it shall come to pass, if you shall hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord your God and observe to do all His commandments which I command you this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth. All these blessings shall come and overtake thee if you shall hearken unto the voice of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, and the fruit of the ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, and the increase of your kind and your flocks of the sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. Blessed shall you be when you go out and when you come in.

The Lord shall cause thy enemies to rise up against thee and to be smitten before your face. They shall come out against thee one way and flee before you seven ways. The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouse and in all that you set your hand unto. He shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God gives thee. The Lord shall establish thee as a holy people unto Himself, as He has sworn unto thee, if you shall keep the commandments of the Lord thy God and walk in His ways. All the people of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of thee.

The Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of the body, in the fruit of the cattle, and in the fruit of the ground, in the land which the Lord swore unto your fathers to give to them. The Lord shall open unto you His good treasure, the heaven, to give you rain unto your land in season and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations and shall not borrow.

Then, He goes through all these blessings that He speaks to them in chapter 28. After that, He begins to speak to them the complete opposite of these things. He says to them, "If you don't hearken, if you do not follow, then cursed shall you be when you go out and when you come in." Your enemies will come against you one way, and you will flee in seven directions.

God says, "If you will follow Me, if you will hearken diligently unto Me and observe to do according to all of My word, then I will keep you in the land and bless you. But if you turn away from Me, then I will remove you from the land, and you'll no longer experience the fruitfulness of the land until you cry out to Me." The amazing thing is that in their crying out to Him, God would hear, and He would come and restore, as we will see in the book of Judges.

The last chapter of the book of Deuteronomy records for us the death of Moses. As I've mentioned, we believe that he wrote the first five books of the Bible, but it's quite likely that he didn't write the very last chapter of this book because it is about his own death. You may remember that the Lord had told Moses back in the book of Numbers that he would not come into the promised land because he had not hearkened diligently unto His word. Even Moses, the man who had led the nation so greatly, would die in the wilderness and would not enter the promised land.

Yet, God was still gracious and merciful to him. He took Moses up into a high mountain, Mount Nebo, where he was able to behold the good land that the Lord was bringing the children of Israel into. The scripture says that he died there, and the Lord Himself would bury him. The children of Israel mourned for Moses for thirty days until the Lord told them in the book of Joshua, chapter 1, to arise and go over the Jordan River into the land that He was giving to them. They would have to step out by faith to cross the Jordan River, but once they entered the promised land, they would only see victory against their enemies as they hearkened diligently unto the words spoken in Deuteronomy.

Some people say that Moses is a picture of the law, and he is. Moses could not bring them into the promised land, which is very true; the law cannot bring you into the apprehension of the things that God desires us to have. We only take possession of the promised land by faith. However, it is certain that we hold on to these things as we observe to do all that the Lord has commanded us.

I want you to notice, as we wrap this up, that he says to observe to do. Sometimes we find that we cannot accomplish in our flesh the things that we set out to do for the Lord. Have you ever noticed that? I find comfort in the words of the prophet Nathan to David. You may remember that David desired to build a temple for God. He said, "I live in this great palace, and God dwells in a tent. I want to build a temple for the Lord." What does Nathan say?

First, tell him to do all that is in his heart. The king desired to do this for the Lord. Well, Nathan went away that night, and God spoke to him and said, "No, you shouldn't have told him that. You have to go back and tell him that he cannot build this temple for me." The scripture says that when Nathan went and spoke to David, he said, "As it was in your heart, it was good, but the Lord says you cannot build him a temple." David had the desire in his heart to do it, but God said, "You can't."

God recognized David's desire, and I believe God recognizes our desire to do the things that He has called us to do. We really only get to know those requirements through His Word. As we take in the Word of God and feed upon the pure milk of the Word, that's when we get to know what it is He wants us to do, and our hearts desire to keep those things. However, in our own strength, we are weak.

Romans chapter 7 states, "The good that I want to do, I don't do, and the bad things I don't want to do, that I practice." Paul expresses, "I find in my flesh dwells no good thing. Oh, wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" But Paul says, "I thank God."

When we come to Romans chapter 8, verse 1, which we will discuss next week, it states, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." Philippians chapter 2 tells us that it is God who works in you both to will and to do His good pleasure. It is God who first builds in you the desire to obey His Word, and He also, by His Spirit, gives us the power to perform that which we desire to do.

That is the story of Joshua, as we will see next week. The book of Deuteronomy is very important, and God doesn't give His law twice for no reason. There is a reason why He speaks this to us a second time. Let's be honest; we can be a little hard of hearing, can't we?

Let's stand and pray together. God, thank You for Your Word. I ask that You would help us to hide Your Word tonight in our hearts so that we would not sin against You, Lord. May we meditate upon Your Word day and night so that we may be able to observe to do all that is written there. Then shall we find that we are prosperous.

In the way that we have good success, Lord, I pray that every one of my brothers and sisters here would experience that good success in their walk with You. I ask, Lord, that we would take careful heed to Your Word, to Your law, and that we would seek to do all the things that are written herein so that we can enter into the promised land.

Lord, we do recognize tonight that it is a step of faith. The very same step of faith that brought us out of the land of Egypt is the same faith that brings us into the joy and peace in the land of rest. Lord, that fullness of the Holy Spirit in our lives is essential. We maintain and hold on to the ground that You've given to us in the promised land by following You, by hearkening unto Your voice, and by seeking to be obedient to You.

I pray that You would work to will and to do in my life and in the lives of my brothers and sisters here tonight. May we be a people separate unto You, given and consecrated to Your name. I pray that our family, our friends, and our co-workers would see and know that You are our God, and that they would be fearful of that very thing, leading them to come to know You as their God.

Lord, use us as witnesses. May people see our good works and glorify You, our Father in heaven, for we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen. God bless you.