March 9-15, 2025

Heart Preparation:
As you read, ask God to show you the timeless truths in these chapters of Numbers and Deuteronomy, and to help you see clearly which Old Testament commands and laws were fulfilled by Christ and no longer apply to us today.


Week’s Reading Plan:

• Sunday, March 9th – Numbers 33-34
• Monday, March 10th – Numbers 35-36
• Tuesday, March 11th – Deuteronomy 1-2
• Wednesday, March 12th – Deuteronomy 3-4
• Thursday, March 13th – Deuteronomy  5-7
• Friday, March 14th – Deuteronomy 8-10
• Saturday, March 15th – Deuteronomy 11-13

What to Expect:
Chapters 33-34 of Numbers review Israel’s journey from Egypt to the plains of Moab east of the Jordan River, God’s instructions for the conquest of Canaan, and God’s appointed boundaries for the Promised Land.  The last 2 chapters of Numbers establish cities for the Levites, cities of refuge, and land to be inherited by women whose fathers had no sons.  Deuteronomy is Moses’ last address to Israel before they begin conquering the Promised Land.  Moses tells the next generation that their parents and grandparents refused to trust God and follow His plan for them to conquer Canaan, so God caused them to wander in the desert for 38 years, yet He still led and provided for them.  Now, Moses urges the Israelites to trust and obey God, and to beware of idolatry.  Moses reviews the Ten Commandments and God’s other laws, details the blessings of obedience, and warns of the dangers of disobedience.


Things to Look For:
Deuteronomy means “second law”, as it repeats many commands first given in Exodus and Leviticus, plus adds some specific applications.  God, through Moses, repeatedly tells the Israelites to do, or not do, specific things.  He spells out their blessings if they obey, then the disasters that will befall them if they do not obey.  Over and over, God tells them (and us) to remember Him, His love and care for us, His standards, and to seek His guidance.  He wants the next generation to learn from their parents’ sins so they do not repeat them, and to teach their children to hear and follow God.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 is Israel’s creed, the Shema, still recited by pious Jews twice each day, and Jesus cited it as the greatest commandment.  Jesus and the apostles quoted from Deuteronomy over 80 times in the New Testament, more than any other book except Psalms.  When Jesus fasted for 40 days and was tempted by Satan, He answered each of Satan’s temptations with a quote from Deuteronomy (8:3, 6:16, and 6:13).


Personal Insight:
God repeatedly commanded the Israelites to “drive out” the Canaanites, and destroy all their idols and high places with alters to false gods (Numbers 33:52-56, Deuteronomy 7:5, 25-26 and 12:29-31).  If the Israelites obeyed and destroyed all the Canaanites’ idols, God promised to miraculously defeat the Canaanites, so the Israelites would “displace them and dwell in their land” without having to kill many.  Some of this happened, but I believe that if the Israelites had completely destroyed all Canaanite idols, more Canaanites would have come to worship the true God as Rahab of Jericho and the Gibeonites did, and far fewer Canaanites would have been killed.  Israel would not have been led into idolatry and exile later, as God did to Israel as He thought to do to Canaan, as promised in Numbers 33:56.

God did not tell Moses to repeat most of the ceremonial law, which was mainly for the priests and later abrogated by the New Covenant in Christ.  The moral laws given again in Deuteronomy were important for every Israelite, and many of them still apply today.  Christ and His new Church did end the Old Testament dietary laws (Mark 7:19, Acts 15:28-29) and rules for the Sabbath, sacrifices and annual feasts (Luke 6:5, Colossians 2:16-17), but the rest of the Ten Commandments and God’s other moral laws still stand.

In the New Testament, those who’d turned to Christ did completely destroy their former idols.  Christians in Ephesus, in Acts 19:19, burned books with “magic spells” worth 50,000 silver coins (5 to 6 million U.S. dollars today).  God still calls Christians to completely destroy anything sinful (such as pornography or addictive substances) and to renounce anything that takes their focus away from following Jesus (such as excessive sports viewing or expensive hobbies that don’t provide chances to witness to others about Christ).


Prayer:
Thank you, Father God, for sending your Son Jesus to perfectly fulfill the Old Testament Law, and take our place as your perfect sacrifice for sin.  Thank you for showing your power by raising Jesus from the dead, and then sending the Holy Spirit to guide us as You led the Israelites in the desert.  Thank you for your Word, and that by following the Holy Spirit and your Word we can become more like Jesus, as you planned for us to be.  Help us to trust and obey you more and more.  In Jesus’ name, may it be so.


This week’s devotion was prepared by Brenda Reid, Missions Team leader at Center Christian Church.