Deuteronomy

This is the 5th book of the Bible, coming from the greek word "deuteronomion", which means "second law". (thanks wikipedia)

This book doesn't talk as much about stories that happen to the Israelites as it talks about what God tells Moses about the impending move into Canaan. It is very uplifting. It talks about what God will do for the children of Israel once they go into the Promised Land. God gives them exhortation to obey His commandments and tells of his love for the people, and things that would really edify them before they were to cross the Jordan river to get to the Promised Land.

One thing I thought was really cool was Deuteronomy 18, when God explains the Cities of Refuge. A city of refuge is a place a man could flee to if he killed someone on accident. Once there, the family of the person who was killed could not kill him. This was necessary because vengeance for deaths was very common back then, and sometimes expected. There were to be three cities of refuge in Canaan to start with, and three more were to be added as the land of the Israelites grew.

Since the Israelites were going into a land that was already inhabited, they knew they had to conquer the people- and because of this, God gave them laws for warfare.

At the end of the book, Moses blesses the children of Israel, because he knows that he will not live to go into Canaan. Instead, God has him go up onto a mountain so that he can see the land that the people will inhabit. In the last chapter of Deuteronomy, Moses dies just before the Israelites are getting ready to go into Canaan and claim the promised land.

This is way too short of a summary for this book, and there is a lot of stuff in the book that I didn't mention, but it's laste and I'm tired, so this is it. I just want to end by saying that except for Jesus Christ, I believe Moses is the only man in the Bible who is the main character in 4 books of the Bible. I think the verses say it best:

Deuteronomy 34: 8-12
And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.
And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses.
And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face,
In all the signs and the wonders, which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land,
And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel.

Moses is one of the greatest men of God in the Bible. I can't really think of anybody that God gave more responsibility to (except JC). Moses was born a slave, became a prince of Egypt, chose to be a shepherd, talked to God, freed 2 million people from bondage against the most powerful country in the world at that time, managed to organize and lead these people through a wilderness for 40 years, all the while trying to teach them what what right and wrong and how God wanted them to live. He had to put up with constant complainers and the Isrealites disobeyed God all the time. Yet he managed not only to lead them, but oversaw the building of the first temple and the consecration of the first priests for that temple. Talk about an amazing guy. At times he got frustrated and angry with the people but he always relayed what God had told him to the children of Israel and several times interceded on their behalf when God wanted to give up on the whole operation.

Now I'm caught up with the synopsis of the first 5 books and from now on I'll be updating this as I go along, hopefully with more detail into individual chapters.

Thanks Moses, now it's time for The Office.