May 11-15

So write down the words of this song,
and teach it to the people of Israel.
Help them learn it,
so that it may serve
as a witness for Me against them.
Deuteronomy 31:19

When was the last time you went to a conference or concert and came home with a new song? You were sure the church you attend needed to add it to its repertoire. Great melody! Great words! Well, this week we learn a song that was on Heaven’s Top Ten. God taught it to Moses and instructed him to teach it to the Israelites. I wonder if Israel used the song like we used the hymnals “in the olden days!” “Let’s stand and sing the first, second, and last verses of page 365.” The last thing you wanted to be in the churches I grew up in, was the third and fourth verse of a five-verse song. Often the song leader would find the verses with the best words, while leaving the rest unsung. God’s instruction to Moses was, teach them the whole song!

But what made this song so important? Was it its catchy melody? Or were the words so rich and encouraging that you just had to sing them all? God said that the words were to “serve as a witness for Me against them.” A witness against them! What kind of song is that?!?!?!

Quite a number of years ago, I was asked to speak in a church. I felt I had God’s message for the people and I felt I had prepared myself to deliver it. But as I began to speak, I sensed that my words were falling to the ground and not on hearing ears. When the meeting was over, I left and found a quiet place to be alone with God and asked, “God, why did You send me there? They obviously didn’t want to hear what I felt you sent me there to say!” I was quite startled at His response when He said, “I sent you to be a witness against them.” It certainly wasn’t the answer I was expecting. We often fail to understand the power of the spoken word. Israel was taught to sing this song and pass it on to generation after generation. When things went wrong, they would be reminded of what God had told them and the covenant they had made with Him.

The song has several verses. The first stanza (vs 1-4) is all about God’s faithfulness to His people. Second stanza (vs 5-8) contrasts their constant unfaithfulness. The third stanza (vs 9-14) speaks of God’s heart of protection and provision. The fourth (vs 15-18) tells of a people who gobbled up those provisions, gave Him no thanks or acknowledgement and became an obese generation. Stanza number six (vs 19-27) would definitely be left out of most song services. After all, who wants to sing about God abandoning His children? What pleasure or encouragement is there in singing about God’s arrows, anger, jealousy, famine, disease and instigation of terror? Stanza seven (28-33) would sound much better if we just pull out all the good bits and forget the part where God calls them a senseless nation, foolish people without understanding. We would like to think that stanza eight (vs 34-35) is only found in the Old Covenant Hymnal, but compare these two passages and see what you think.

Deuteronomy 32:34-35
The LORD says, “Am I not storing up these things, sealing them away in my treasury
I will take revenge; I will pay them back,
In due time their feet will slip.
Their day of disaster will arrive,
And their destiny will overtake them.”

Romans 2:5-8
But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of righteous judgment for God, who will render to every man according to his deeds; to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.

No need to file any law suits for plagiarizing. The same Author wrote them both!!!

There are still three more stanzas to this God-given song and Moses made sure they learned every word! Unfortunately, we don’t have the tune that accompanied the words, but I can assure you, the mood of it was unforgettable!

On Tuesday we hear Moses pronounce God’s blessing over each tribe – well, nearly each tribe. These were not merely words of well wishes; they were the prophetic declarations of God. To know ourselves and see ourselves as God sees us is to truly be blessed!

Wednesday we say goodbye to Moses. God tells us that there never was another prophet like him. We’ve walked with Moses through a lot of pages and he has shared God’s word with us on many levels. Although we say farewell for now, we know that we will encounter his message through the rest of our journey through the pages of the Book.

“Moses, My servant is dead!” God’s words to Joshua set us on a new path on our journey. Joshua is no longer a young man. We know he was over 20 years of age when the Israelites came out of Egypt. They had spent two years at Mt. Sinai. Joshua wandered through the wilderness for forty years while the disobedient, unbelieving generation passed away. God through Moses groomed him for this day. Now it is time for him to fulfill his call.

Forty years earlier, Moses sent 12 spies into the land. Only two came back with a good report, Joshua being one of them. This time, Joshua only sends two spies. Obviously, he knew a double witness was enough. This time he was not sending them to investigate the truth of God’s word that it was a land flowing with milk and honey; that had already been established. There would be no evidence brought back that the land was all that God said it would be. While the spies were sent out as military scouts, the rest of the people were told to prepare provisions. The day of everything being given to them was about to end. It was time to fight the good fight of faith and obtain God’s promises!

Thursday the Israelites cross the Jordan and enter the land. What a day!!!!! I can’t even imagine what Joshua and Caleb must have felt on that day. You talk about a dream come true!!!!! God made a way for the people to enter His promises and take what He desired to give them. Not only do they set up a memorial of the event, they receive the sign of the covenant in their flesh and are circumcised. And then they top off the whole experience by celebrating Passover. Remember! Remember! Remember!

Joshua’s experience of meeting the man with the drawn sword says more than meets the western eye. When Joshua asks, “Are you for us or against us,” the answer is powerful! “Neither! I’m the Commander of God’s army!!!” In other words He was saying, “I’m the one leading this army. On which side are you?!?!?” Joshua’s basic answer is, “Joshua reporting for duty, Sir. What would You like me to do?” It is the Commander of Hosts’ answer that is so powerful. Although in our translations it reads “remove your sandals,” it actually reads “remove your sandal,” in the Hebrew text. Why is that so important? Because the removal of one sandal was a sign of ownership! The land was about to become theirs!!!

What an exciting week lies ahead. I pray that we stay alert. There is so much to see, hear, and learn. I’m sure we want to take in as much as we can as we embark on this amazing journey!!!

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TRAIL STOPS

Monday - What gauge did God use to divide the human race?

Tuesday
1. What must we know if we are to grow in wisdom?
2. Moses blessed the tribes of Israel before he went into the mountain to die. Which tribe does not receive a prophetic word of blessing?

Wednesday
1. What did Joshua have to do to be successful?
2. What did Joshua have to do to be obedient?

Thursday
1. What day did they cross the Jordan River and what is so significiant about that day?
2. What does Gilgal mean? (The answer to this question is not in the text. You will have to look it up in a Bible dictionary or word study book to obtain it. It's time for some of you to be stretched a bit!)