Jo’s Place

There Is Only One God (Moses continued his history lesson to the children of Israel) , “Now search all of history, from the time God created people on the earth, until now, …and search from one end of the heavens to the other.  Has anything, as great as this, ever been seen or heard before?  Has any nation ever heard the voice of God, speaking from fire—as you did—and survived?  Has any other god dared to take a nation, for himself, out of another nation, by means of trials, miraculous signs, wonders, war, a strong hand, a powerful arm, and terrifying acts?  Yet, that is what the Lord, your God, did for you, in Egypt, …right before your eyes.  “He showed you these things, so you would know, that  the Lord is God  …and  there is no other .  He let you hear His voice, from heaven, so He could instruct you.  He let you see His great fire, here on earth, so He could speak to you from it.  Because He loved your ancestors, He chose to ble...

A Warning against Idolatry “…Be very careful! (…said Moses to the people of Israel).  You did not see the Lord’s form, on the day He spoke to you, from the heart of the fire, at Mount Sinai.  So, do not corrupt yourselves, by making an idol, in any form—whether of a man or a woman, an animal on the ground, a bird in the sky, a small animal that scurries along the ground, or a fish in the deepest sea.  And when you look up, into the sky, and see the sun, moon, and stars—all the forces of heaven—don’t be seduced, into worshiping them.  The Lord, your God, gave them, to all the peoples of the earth.  Remember that the Lord rescued you, from the iron-smelting furnace of Egypt, in order to make you His very own people …and His special possession, which is what you are today.  “But, the Lord was angry, with me, because of you.  He vowed, that I would not cross the Jordan River, into the good land, which the Lord, your God, is giving you, as your special poss...

Moses Urges Israel to Obey “And now, Israel, listen carefully, to these decrees and regulations, that I am about to teach you.  Obey them, so that you may live, and so you may enter and occupy the land, that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you.  Do not add to or subtract from, these commands, which I am giving to you.  Just obey the commands, of the Lord, your God, that I am giving you.  “You saw, for yourself, what the Lord did, to you, at Baal-peor.  There, the Lord, your God, destroyed everyone, who had worshiped Baal, the god of Pe-or.  But, all of you, who were faithful, to the Lord, your God, are still alive today—every one of you.  “Look, I now teach you …these decrees and regulations, just as the Lord, my God, commanded me, …so that you may obey them, in the land, which you are about to enter …and occupy.  Obey them completely, and you will display your wisdom …and intelligence, among the surrounding nations.  When they...

Moses is Forbidden to Enter the Promised Land “At that time I gave Joshua this charge:  ‘You have seen for yourself, everything the Lord, your God, has done to the two kings ( east of the Jordan River ).  He will do the same to all the kingdoms, on the west side of the Jordan.  Do not be afraid, of the nations there, for the Lord, your God, will fight for you.’  “At that time, I pleaded with the Lord and said,  ‘O Sovereign Lord, you have only begun, to show your greatness, and the strength, of your hand, to me, your servant.  Is there any god, in heaven …or on earth, who can perform such great and mighty deeds, as You do, Lord?  Please, let me cross the Jordan, to see the wonderful land, on the other side, the beautiful hill country …and the Lebanon mountains.’  “But, the Lord was angry with me, because of you, and He would not listen to me.  ‘That’s enough!’ He declared. ‘Speak of it no more.  But go up to Pisgah Peak, and look over th...

534 - Land Division East of the Jordan (Moses continued the history lesson for the children of Israel) , “When we took possession of this land  (to the east of the Jordan River) , I gave to the tribes of Reuben and Gad the territory beyond Aro-er, along the Arnon Gorge, …plus half of the hill country, of Gilead, with its towns.  Then, I gave the rest of Gilead and all of Bashan—Og’s former kingdom—to the half-tribe of Manasseh.  (This entire Argob region, of Bashan, used to be known as the land of the Repha-ites.  Ja-ir, a leader from the tribe of Manasseh, conquered the whole Argob region, in Bashan, all the way to the border of the Geshur-ites and Maaca-thites.  Jair renamed this region after himself, calling it the Towns of Jair, as it is still known today.)  I gave Gilead to the clan of Makir.  But, I also gave part, of Gilead, to the tribes of Reuben and Gad.  The area, which I gave them, extending from the middle of the Arnon Gorge, in the s...

533 - Victory over Og of Bashan Moses continued  (the history lesson for the children of Israel) ,  “Next we turned and headed for the land of Bashan, where King Og and his entire army attacked us, at Edrei.  But, the Lord told me, ‘Do not be afraid of him, for I have given you victory over Og …and his entire army, and I will give you all, of his land.  Treat him, just as you treated King Sihon, of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon.’  “So, the Lord, our God, handed King Og …and all his people, over to us, and we killed them all.  Not a single person survived.  We conquered all sixty, of his towns—the entire Argob region, in his kingdom, of Bashan.  Not a single town escaped our conquest.  These towns were all fortified, with high walls and barred gates.  We also took many unwalled villages, at the same time.  We completely destroyed the kingdom of Bashan, just as we had destroyed King Sihon, of Heshbon.  We destroyed all the p...

532 - Victory over Sihon of Heshbon Moses continued  (the history lesson for the children of Israel) ,  “From the wilderness of Kedemoth, I sent ambassadors to King Sihon, of Heshbon, with this proposal of peace:  ‘Let us travel through your land.  We will stay on the main road …and won’t turn off, into the fields, on either side.  Sell us food to eat …and water to drink, …and we will pay for it.  All we want is permission to pass, through your land.  The descendants of Esau, who live in Seir, allowed us to go through their country, …and so did the Moabites, who live in Ar.  Let us pass through, until we cross the Jordan, into the land, which the Lord, our God, is giving us.’  “But, King Sihon, of Heshbon, refused to allow us to pass,    through his land, because the Lord, your God, made Sihon stubborn and defiant, so he could help you defeat him, as he has now done.  “Then, the Lord said to me,  ‘Look, I have begun to han...