By
Bishop Elijah H. Hankerson III, BA, MA, DD
LESSON NOTES:
I.
THE KEY TO UNDERSTANDING
THE ENTIRE BIBLE. If
you understand that the Bible is written to show us how humanity was created
for God, fell into sin, was reconciled through Christ (who was the product of a
family) and God will restore everything through His sacrifice on the Cross;
then you have the message of the entire Bible.
2 Corinthians 5:17-21 17Therefore
if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away;
behold, all things are become new. 18And all things are of God, who
hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the
ministry of reconciliation; 19To wit, that God was in Christ,
reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them;
and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20Now then we
are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in
Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21For he hath made him to
be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God
in him.
II.
THE AUTHOR OF DEUTERONOMY.
It is commonly believed
that Moses was the author of Exodus. That is the only way that pre-historic
information could have been received and transmitted. Moses received this
information when he went to the top of Mount Sinai and heard from the LORD.
Exodus
19:20 20The
LORD descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up
Exodus
24:15 15When Moses went
up on the mountain, the cloud covered it,
Exodus
24:18 18Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty
nights.
Exodus
24:12-13 12The LORD said to
Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you
the tablets of stone with the law and commandments I have written for their
instruction." 13Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up
on the mountain of God.
Exodus
34:2 2Be ready in the
morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai. Present yourself to me there on top
of the mountain.
Exodus
19:3 3Then Moses went up
to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said, "This is
what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the
people of Israel:
III.
WHAT DOES THE NAME
DEUTERONOMY MEAN? This
name literally means, “second law.” This entire book is a reminder of what God
has done and how the people are to live.
IV.
THE PURPOSE OF DEUTERONOMY.
God
has commanded Moses to consecrate his successor (Joshua) and now Moses recounts
all of the history of their experiences as a baby nation. He reminds them of
their responsibilities. The book is a little sad, because this is Moses’
farewell speech after 40 years of service. Moses concludes by either his own
writing of his obituary or of someone else adding it on after his death.
V.
THIS IS A BOOK OF
REMINDERS.
A.
REMINDER TO KEEP THE TEN
COMMANDMENTS.
Deuteronomy 5:1-21 New International Version
(NIV)
5 Moses summoned all Israel and said:
Hear,
Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn them
and be sure to follow them. 2 The Lord our
God made a covenant with us at Horeb. 3 It
was not with our ancestors that the Lord made this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are
alive here today. 4 The Lord spoke to you face to face out of the fire on
the mountain. 5 (At that
time I stood between the Lord and
you to declare to you the word of the Lord, because
you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain.) And he said:
6 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of
Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
7 “You shall have no other gods before me.
8 “You shall not make for yourself an image in
the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters
below. 9 You shall not bow down to them or worship
them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous
God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and
fourth generation of those who hate me, 10 but
showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my
commandments.
11 “You shall not misuse the name of
the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who
misuses his name.
12 “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as
the Lord your God has commanded you. 13 Six days
you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but
the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your
God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter,
nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your
animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female
servants may rest, as you do. 15 Remember
that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and
an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your
God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
16 “Honor your father and your
mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you
may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
17 “You shall not murder.
18 “You shall not commit adultery.
19 “You shall not steal.
20 “You shall not give false testimony against
your neighbor.
21 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.
You shall not set your desire on your neighbor’s house or land, his male or
female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
B.REMINDER THAT THERE IS ONLY
ONE GOD. According
to Jesus, this Scripture includes
the greatest commandment of all.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 New International Version
(NIV)
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and
with all your strength.
Leviticus 19:17-18 17"'Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your
heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt. 18"'Do
not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
Matthew 22:34-40 34Hearing
that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35One
of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36"Teacher,
which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied:
"'Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and
with all your mind.' 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And
the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40All the
Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
C.REMINDER TO TEACH YOUR
CHILDREN THE RIGHT WAY. Teach them what God has done for you.
Deuteronomy 6:20-25 New International Version
(NIV)
20 In the future, when your son asks
you, “What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?” 21 tell
him: “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 Before our eyes the Lord sent signs and wonders—great and terrible—on Egypt and Pharaoh
and his whole household. 23 But
he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land he promised on
oath to our ancestors. 24 The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept
alive, as is the case today. 25 And
if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our
righteousness.”
D.REMINDER TO STAY AWAY FROM
IDOLS. The
Israelites will not prosper in the future if they become like the other
nations.
Deuteronomy 7:1-5 New International Version
(NIV)
7 When the Lord your God brings you into the land you
are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations—the
Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites,
Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and
stronger than you— 2 and when the Lord your God has delivered them over to you and you have
defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no
treaty with them, and show them no mercy. 3 Do
not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take
their daughters for your sons, 4 for
they will turn your children away from following me to serve other
gods, and the Lord’s anger will burn against you
and will quickly destroy you. 5 This
is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred
stones, cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols in the fire.
E.REMINDER TO BE HOLY.
Deuteronomy 7:6 New International Version
(NIV)
6 For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all
the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured
possession.
F.REMINDER TO RESPECT GOD.
Deuteronomy 10:12-13 New International Version
(NIV)
12 And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to
fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to
him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and
with all your soul, 13 and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own
good?
G.REMINDER TO OBSERVE ALL OF
GOD’S LAWS. From
chapter 12 through 26, Moses recounts all of the laws that the people are to
observe, from avoiding paganism, to paying tithes to being pure and treating
everyone right.
Deuteronomy 12:1 1These
are the decrees and laws you must be careful to follow in the land that the
LORD, the God of your ancestors, has given you to possess-as long as you live
in the land.
1.
THEY WILL BE BLESSED FOR
OBEYING.
Deuteronomy 28:1-2 New International Version
(NIV)
28 If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his
commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all
the nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come on
you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your
God:
2.
THEY WILL BE CURSED FOR
DISOBEYING.
Deuteronomy 28:15 New International Version
(NIV)
15 However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow
all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will
come on you and overtake you:
H.THE DEATH OF MOSES.
1.
EXHORTATIONS TO JOSHUA.
Deuteronomy 31:23 New International Version
(NIV)
23 The Lord gave this command to Joshua son of
Nun: “Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the
land I promised them on oath, and I myself will be with you.”
2.
ONLY A LOOK. Moses is forbidden from
going into the Promised Land; however, God is gracious and does allow him to
see it. It is really not far away from Egypt at all. But, just to know that
this is the place that God promised the Israelites would be theirs is amazing.
Deuteronomy 34:1-4 New International Version
(NIV)
34 Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the
plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There
the Lord showed him the whole land—from Gilead to Dan, 2 all of
Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far
as the Mediterranean Sea, 3 the
Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of
Palms, as far as Zoar. 4 Then
the Lord said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath to
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your
descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not
cross over into it.”
3.
MICHAEL AND SATAN FIGHT
OVER MOSES BODY. Satan
wanted control of the remains so that he could make it an item of worship; thus
leading the people into idolatry. This is not the first time that Michael and
the Devil have fought.
Jude 1:9 9But
even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body
of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, "The
LORD rebuke you!"
Revelation
12:7-9 7Then war
broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the
dragon and his angels fought back. 8But he was not strong enough,
and they lost their place in heaven. 9The great dragon was hurled
down-that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world
astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
4.
GOD BURIES THE BODY. God stepped in and ended
the dispute. He just buried Moses Himself. This was done to ensure that no one
worshipped Moses body or made a god out of it. Moses must have been some kind
of man of God for this to occur. The text below says there was no one like him.
Deuteronomy 34:5-12 New International Version
(NIV)
5 And Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab, as the Lord had said. 6 He buried
him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one
knows where his grave is. 7 Moses
was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not
weak nor his strength gone. 8 The
Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until
the time of weeping and mourning was over.
9 Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the
spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the
Israelites listened to him and did what the Lord had commanded Moses.
10 Since then, no prophet has risen in
Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, 11 who did
all those signs and wonders the Lord sent
him to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole
land. 12 For no one
has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that
Moses did in the sight of all Israel.
I.JESUS IN DEUTERONOMY. As powerful as Moses was,
JESUS IS GREATER, not only that; but He nullifies all of the curses that Moses
proclaimed for disobedience against the Law. We can obey God through Christ in
our hearts.
John 1:17 17For
the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 3:1-6 1Therefore,
holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts
on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. 2He
was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all
God's house. 3Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than
Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. 4For
every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. 5"Moses
was faithful as a servant in all God's house," bearing witness to what
would be spoken by God in the future. 6But Christ is faithful as the
Son over God's house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our
confidence and the hope in which we glory.
Romans 8:2 2because
through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from
the law of sin and death.
Romans
8:3 3For what
the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by
sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so
he condemned sin in the flesh,
Galatians 3:13 13Christ
redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is
written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole."
Colossians 2:13-14 13And
you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he
quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14Blotting
out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to
us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
VIII.
PRAYER FOR SALVATION. As we close, if you have not received this
Jesus pray this simple prayer:
"Father, I know that I
have sinned against You. Please forgive me. Wash me clean. I promise to trust
in Jesus, Your Son. I believe that He died for me—He took my sin upon Himself
when He died on the cross. I believe that He was raised from the dead. I
surrender my life to Jesus today.
"Thank You, Father, for Your gift of
forgiveness and eternal life. Please help me to live for you. In Jesus' name,
Amen."
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