Ep 925 – Deuteronomy 1:1-8

Today, we begin a lengthy and hopefully enlightening study in the Book of Deuteronomy. This incredible Old Testament book provides us with a glimpse into the preparations Moses went through in order to ready the Israelites for their long-awaited entrance into the land of Canaan. This was the "promised land" – the tract of property located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River – that God had told Abraham would be the home of his descendants. And now, nearly half a millennium later, those descendants stood on the border waiting to enter in and take possession. But Moses had been here before and things had not gone so well. Forty years earlier he had watched as the previous generation had refused to obey God, choosing instead to listen to the dire warnings of the spies who came back with reports of a bountiful land filled with powerful armies made up of giants. Suffice it to say, they didn't cross over the border and, therefore, they came under a curse from God. That reluctant and rebellious generation died off in the wilderness. Now, Moses stood in front of a new group of Israelites, who were going to have to take God at His Word and take Canaan by force. But before the first battle was fought, Moses gave his charges a few last words of encouragement.