Learn to Fear the Lord

Deuteronomy 31:1-30

Key Verse 31:13

This passage shows us how the Lord helped the Israelites to fear the Lord and thereby fulfill His purpose to build God's rule in the Promised Land. 

Read verses 1-2 and think about the age and ability of a person who leads the flock of God. Is there any relationship between the two?

** There is. Read Ecclesiastes 12:1-8; John 9:4

Read verses 3-6 and describe what the Lord will do and what the Israelites must do. The Lord God is almighty and there is nothing he cannot do all by himself. Why then did the Lord involve the Israelites in such a strenuous venture? What message(s) is there for us to learn?

** It is to help them to participate in the venture, so the accomplishments to come out would be not just the Lord's but theirs as well.

** The spirit of participation in building the Lord's kingdom in our generation, not only for God but also for us and our children.

Read verses 7-8. What is Joshua's mission? What do the following words (which Moses said to Joshua) indicate about the mission? What applications can we find in serving the Lord in our generation?  

Be strong; 

[Be] courageous;

The Lord himself will go before you;

[The Lord] will be with you;

He will never leave you nor forsake you;

Do not be afraid; and

Do not be discouraged.

** To lead people into the enemy's territories, clear up the ground, and build the rule of God.

** It requires a lot of [physical, moral, mental, and spiritual] strength, for a war is not for the weak, and it is the strong who wins.

** It requires a lot of courage, for it is not only the devil or enemies but the followers/fellow soldiers who will cause the leader to lose heart.

** It is the Lord's battle, and the Lord is the leader. Read Mark 16:20

** The Lord wants to work with you.

** Even if all leave (or desert you), the Lord will never.

** Fear (working inside of you) (of failure in particular) is one of the worst enemies.

** This exhortation is repeated twice first positively then negatively, to show that it is truly easy for a leader to lose heart.

 

Read verses 9-13. What does "the ark of the Covenant of the Lord" stand for? (Think about what is in it, and how it is made.) What does "this law" mean? To whom did Moses entrust it? What should the trustees do with it? What is the purpose of the assembly? What can we learn from this passage in serving the Lord's purpose in our generation?

** Exodus 37; Heb 9:4,5

** Torah (the first five books of the Bible in a broader term); Moses Ten Commandments (in a narrower term) 

** The priests and sons of Levi

** They needed to hold a national assembly among all Israelites once every seven years, during the Feast of Festivals, to let the Israelites learn it. 

** To learn to fear the Lord.

** Teaching the Bible to the members of the church is the key to helping people learn to fear the Lord..

Read verses 14-22. What are the contents of the song the Lord commanded Moses to write down? What should the Israelites do with it? Why did God give them the song? What wisdom is there for us in serving the emerging generations?

** The Israelites will backslide, will hit a brick wall, and come back to their senses.

** They have to use the lyrics as the song so they could sing and hopefully learn how to fear the Lord, maybe the hard way.

** The wisdom is teaching the unpopular subject in a joyful way, that is, musically.

  

Read verse 23 and compare the Lord's command to Joshua with what Moses said to Joshua in verses 7-8. What are differences?

** The Lord's exhortation is a lot simpler than Moses'.

Read verses 24-29 and think about "this command" Moses gave to the Levites. What does Moses want to use as a "witness"? Against whom? Why does Moses want to do this?

** The law (the prophecies he made)

** The Israelites

** To teach them the truth and eat the truth, so they would not escape and run away from the truth. 

The end