This Week
We are reading:
Deuteronomy 1-26
Psalms 133-135, 137, 146-148
Summary
This week we begin Deuteronomy.
Deuteronomy is largely a redux of Leviticus and the entire 40 years of wandering in the desert as Moses reiterates the rules Israel is to abide by as they take over and inhabit the Promised Land.
Given the behavior of the Israelites for the last 40 years of desert wandering (hey, at least they weren’t slaves anymore), it makes sense that Moses would devote an entire book to summarizing the Israelites faults and rebellions and the rules that the next generation is to follow to stay in God’s good graces.
This week also marks Passover, which begins at sundown on Wednesday, April 1st and continues through Thursday, April 9th. Our family will be doing a Passover Seder to share the story of Exodus with our children. If you’ve never done a Passover Seder, it’s a ritual using symbolic foods and ritual acts that invite us to step into The Exodus ourselves, using story, symbolism, and questions to pass along what freedom really means and where we come from, in a way our kids can understand and carry with them.
Why is this night different from all other nights?
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Here is the daily breakdown from our annual plan:
Day 89 — Monday, 3/30 — Deuteronomy 1-3, Psalm 133
Day 90 — Tuesday, 3/31 — Deuteronomy 4-6, Psalm 134
Day 91 — Wednesday, 4/1 — Deuteronomy 7-10, Psalm 135
Day 92 — Thursday, 4/2 — Deuteronomy 11-14, Psalm 137
Day 93 — Friday, 4/3 — Deuteronomy 15-18, Psalm 146
Day 94 — Saturday, 4/4 — Deuteronomy 19-22, Psalm 147
Day 95 — Sunday, 4/5 — Deuteronomy 23-26, Psalm 148
Day 89 — Monday, 3/30 — Deuteronomy 1-3, Psalm 133
Moses recaps Israel’s journey: their failure to trust God when the scouts saw the giants in Canaan, and the resulting rebellion that led to 40 years of wandering; the defeat of King Og; Moses barred from entering the Promised Land; Joshua commissioned to lead the Israelites over the River Jordan.
Day 90 — Tuesday, 3/31 — Deuteronomy 4-6, Psalm 134
Moses practically begs the Israelites to be obedient to God as they continue their journey into the promised land — warning against idolatry, reminding them God is near to His people, repeating the Ten Commandments, and urging them to teach the faith diligently to future generations.
Day 91 — Wednesday, 4/1 — Deuteronomy 7-10, Psalm 135
Moses is again reminding the Israelites that they are chosen to inhabit and occupy the promised land — and that they have been chosen not for their greatness but due to God’s love for them. That God will indeed punish those who reject Him. And that they are to destroy idolatrous influences of other nations.
He encourages them to fight the wicked giants of other nations, and to remain pure of heart by reminding them of the golden calf rebellion, and the renewed covenant on Mount Sinai.
Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
Deuteronomy 8:3
Day 92 — Thursday, 4/2 — Deuteronomy 11-14, Psalm 137
Moses goes over the blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience; reminding the people that their children have not witnessed the glory of the Lord traveling with them via cloud and establishing a relationship with Israel — and that the land will respond to faithfulness.
Moses again reminds the Israelites to reject pagan worship practices, warns against false prophets, and reiterates the levitical rules about ceremonially clean and unclean animals and that radical loyalty to God is required.
Day 93 — Friday, 4/3 — Deuteronomy 15-18, Psalm 146
Moses continues to reiterate the levitical rules to be followed: releasing those from debt and slavery in the Sabbath years; caring for the poor; celebrating the major feasts including Passover; laws on justice, kingship, and worship; and a call to living holy in the promised land (in which again we find the Israelites must be directly told not to sacrifice their children or practice witchcraft).
Moses tells the Israelites a new prophet will be raised up to guide them — foreshadowing Jesus
Day 94 — Saturday, 4/4 — Deuteronomy 19-22, Psalm 147
Moses describes the events to come: the Lord will destroy the existing nations illicitly living in the Promised Land, after which the Israelites are to establish cities of refuge. He reiterates the laws of justice and warfare, and urges trust in God rather than military strength.
Moses goes over the various civil laws that provide order to the Israelites and are to be enacted in promised land (unsolved murders, family order); laws on inheritence; laws on community responsibility and sexual ethics; and protection of life and property.
Day 95 — Sunday, 4/5 — Deuteronomy 23-26, Psalm 148
Deuteronomy 23 opens with pretty specific rules for what I hope was a rare situation in Israel: a man whose testicles were crushed or whose penis was cut off could not be permitted entry to the assembly of the Lord. This was likely about ritualistic purity of some sort of position, but still, wow.
Moses continues to reiterate the rules that have been established throughout the 40 years of desert wandering: regulations for assembly and camp purity; protection for vulnerable people; laws on divorce, pledges, and justice; care for the poor, widows, and foreigners; fair punishment and economic justice.
Deuteronomy 25 is straight up funny, out of exactly what circumstances did these rules arise?
8 The elders of the town will then summon him and talk with him. If he still refuses and says, ‘I don’t want to marry her,’ 9 the widow must walk over to him in the presence of the elders, pull his sandal from his foot, and spit in his face. Then she must declare, ‘This is what happens to a man who refuses to provide his brother with children.’ 10 Ever afterward in Israel his family will be referred to as ‘the family of the man whose sandal was pulled off’!
11 “If two Israelite men get into a fight and the wife of one tries to rescue her husband by grabbing the testicles of the other man, 12 you must cut off her hand. Show her no pity.
Deuteronomy 25:8-12
We end this week with Moses once again asking the Israelites to wholeheartedly obey the Lord’s commands.
Moses = Bernie Sanders = hilarious 😂