Jo’s Place

Moses’ First Address to Israel  These are the words that Moses spoke, to all the people of Israel, while they were in the wilderness, east of the Jordan River.  They were camped, in the Jordan Valley, near Suph, between Paran, on one side, and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Di-zahab, on the other.  Normally, it takes only eleven days, to travel from Mount Sinai to Kadesh-barnea, going by way of Mount Seir.  But, forty years, after the Israelites left Egypt, on the first day, of the eleventh month, Moses addressed the people of Israel, telling them everything, that the Lord had commanded him to say.  This took place, after he had defeated King Sihon, of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, and at Edrei, where he had defeated King Og of Bashan, who ruled in Ashtaroth.  While the Israelites were in the land of Moab, east of the Jordan River, Moses carefully explained the Lord’s instructions, as follows.  “When we were at Mount Sinai, the Lord our God said to...

​ The Book of Deuteronomy   Deuteronomy is a set of sermons, preached by Moses to all of Israel, shortly before his death, urging Israel's faithful obedience, to the covenant laws, given 40 years previously at Sinai. The name Deuteronomy comes from the Greek title for the book, deuteronomion, meaning “second law” or “repeated law,” a name attributed to one of the Hebrew Scripture books, from the Mishneh Torah. God’s promise, to Israel, in Deuteronomy, is that    the LORD your God will bless you in the land He is giving you.  The LORD will establish you, as His holy people… because He promised you on oath… that if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in His ways… then, all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will respect you. This is the core of Deuteronomy -    the covenant that binds Yahweh and Israel, by an oath of fidelity and obedience. God will give Israel blessings of land, fertility, and ...