 Deuteronomy 1 - 17 Questions and Answers |
| Q. Is there a place in the bible where the first 4 books of the Pentateuch, Exodus through Numbers, are summarized? | A. Deuteronomy 1 - 9 = Yes. Moses summarized his first four books in the last book of the Pentateuch, Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy begins where Numbers ends in history as well, with a summary of their adventures from Exodus through Numbers. |
| Q. Does Deuteronomy add any more information about the Israelites' wilderness experience? | A. Deuteronomy 2:4 = Yes. While they wandered, God told them that certain lands were given to certain peoples. They were warned not to bother the the peoples of these lands in any way. |
| Q. What peoples? |
A. Deuteronomy 2:4 = 1). The Edomites, descendants of Esau 2). The Moabites, descendants of Lot). |
| Q. Did Esau get his land in a similar way that Israel was getting theirs now? | A. Deuteronomy 2:12 = Yes. |
| Q. Who did Esau's tribe have to battle for it? | A. Deuteronomy 2:10 = 1). A numerous and powerful race of giants called the Emites and the Horites as well. |
| Q. What are some of the names of the giants? | A. Deuteronomy 2:10 = Emites, Anakites (known as the Rephaites, also known as the Zamzumnites. |
| Q. Was King Og of Bashan a giant himself? | A. Deuteronomy 3:11 = Yes. His bed was 13' long by 6' wide! |
| Q. How did Israel acquire their land? | A. Deuteronomy 3:18 = They prepared men, who were ready to fight for it. (Women and childen stayed at home.) |
| Q. What did Moses warn Israel never to do? | A. Deuteronomy 4:2 = Never to add or subtract from God's commands -- just obey them. |
| Q. What was the rest of the recap of Exodus through Numbers about? |
A. Deuteronomy 4 - 9 = 1). How God intervened to save, protect and test their faith 2). How God taught them that their salvation came from trusting and believing in God's word 3). that their wealth came from God and not anywhere else 4). There was no need to feel self-righteous because they were the chosen ones. They were stubborn, yet it was God who was patient, that He was the one who gave them land belonging to others because those others were evil -- not because Israel wasn't. In fact, Israel could be destroyed the same way as these others for the same reasons (9:4-6). |
| Q. Is stubborness a choice? | A. Deuteronomy 10:16 = Yes. |
| Q. How does one deal with it? | A. Deuteronomy 10:16 = Cleansing a sinful heart and making a choice not to be stubborn, but instead, replacing that choice with obeying God's word. |
| Q. Did God specify exactly how? |
A. Deuteronomy 10:12 = Yes. 1). Fear God 2). Live according to His will 3). Love God 4). Worship God with all the heart and soul 5). obey God's commands and laws for one's own good. |
| Q. Does God favor leaders? | A. Deuteronomy 10:17 = No. |
| Q. Are we to cling to God? | A. Deuteronomy 10:20 = Yes. |
| Q. How should we live? |
A. Deuteronomy 10:17 = 1). Take no bribes 2). Show no partiality 3). Give justice to orphans and widows 4). Love foreigners living amongst us by giving them food and clothing 5). Fear God 6). Worship and cling to God 7). Remember God's great salvation -- He is worthy of our praise 8). Remember that inthe midst of the Israelites' adventures and trials, God did multiply them as promised to Abraham. |
| Q. What is the benefit of obedience to God? | A. Deuteronomy 11:8 = Physical strength and long life. |
| Q. How was the promised land different than Egypt? | A. Deuteronomy 11:10 = It had hills and valleys and plenty of rain. There was no need for digging irrigation ditches here. |
| Q. Why? | A. Deuteronomy 11:12 = God cared for the promised land, watching over it day and night all through the year. |
| Q. How does one's heart turn away from God? | A. Deuteronomy 11:16 = When we let it turn away by choice to worship other gods. |
| Q. How does draught happen? | A. Deuteronomy 11:17 = God shuts up the sky! |
| Q. Did God suggest how they could remember His words? |
A. Deuteronomy 11:18 = Yes. 1). Commit yourself to His word 2). Tie God's word to your hands as a reminder 3). Wear God's word on your forehead 4). Teach God's word to your children 5). Talk about God's word at home, on a journey, while laying down and arising 6). Write God's word on the doorposts of your house and gates. Note: You can get cotton bracelets with verses, necklaces with God's word, you can write them down and tape them up on the corners of your house, your refrigerator, mirror, and think of other creative ways to get God's word soaked into your brain. Sing songs that declare God's word too, but most of all, practice it. The Holy Spirit will change you if you let Him. It is your choice. Is it possible to do all these things and not be changed a bit? Yes. Change is a choice and God never forces it on us. Please don't be stubborn! |
| Q. What promise is attached to this? | A. Deuteronomy 11:21 = As long as the sky remains above the earth, you and your children will flourish in the land. |
| Q. When we obey, do we show love to the Lord? | A. Deuteronomy 11:22 = Yes. |
| Q. How else does the upright believer experience success? |
A. Deuteronomy 11:23 = 1). God drives his enemies away 2). We have success wherever we go 3). We win every battle. |
| Q. How do we win every battle? | A. Deuteronomy 11:25 = God puts fear and dread ahead of us wherever we go. |
| Q. Are being blessed or cursed our choice? | A. Deuteronomy 11:26-28 = Yes. |
| Q. Did God command that we need to sometimes curse? | A. Deuteronomy 11:29 = Yes. The Israelites were commanded to pronouce a blessing from Mount Gerizim and to pronounce a curse from Mount Ebal. Both mounts were in the land of the Canaanites who lived in the Jordan Valley, near the town of Gilgal. |
| Q. How would the Israelites stay pure? |
A. Deuteronomy 12:2 = Not easily! They had to 1). Drive out the nations 2). Destroy all the places where their enemies worshiped their gods 3). Break down their altars and smash their sacred pillars 4). Burn their Asherah poles 5). Cut down their carved idols 6). Erase the names of their gods from every place. |
| Q. Would God help them accomplish this? |
A. Deuteronomy 12:4-5 = Yes. He would choose a place of worship to honor from among all the tribes.The people would: 1). Sacrifice there 2). Feast there in the presence of the Lord their God 3). Rejoice in all they had accomplished because their Lord their God had blessed them. |
| Q. Did the Israelites hunt gazelle and deer in the wilderness? | A. Deuteronomy 12:15 = Yes. This hunting is first mentioned here in this passage. |
| Q. Did the no-drinking-blod rule apply to all meat? | A. Deuteronomy 12:16 = Yes. Blood is life. |
| Q. Were there definite rules of where to sacrifice? | A. Deuteronomy 12:12-18 = Yes. And they could not ever eat an offering at home. |
| Q. Why? | A. Deuteronomy 12:18 = Offerings were eaten in God's presence -- in the place He chose for them. |
| Q. Were the Israelites allowed to study idol worship? | A. Deuteronomy 12:29 = No. They would stumble. |
| Q. How could they avoid that trap? | A. Deuteronomy 12:32 = By observing God's commands; by not adding or subtracting to His word. |
| Q. What is the ultimate role of the false prophet? | A. Deuteronomy 13:1-3 = To test our love. He mixes truth, miracles and lies. |
| Q. What would be done with a false prophet who was found out? | A. Deuteronomy 13:5 = He was put to death to remove the evil from amongst them, even if they were dear friends and relatives. Death was by stoning. |
| Q. Was it possible that an Israelite would stray and lead an entire town to hell? | A. Deuteronomy 13:12-18 = Yes. Total destruction of the town and people and livestock was the consequence. No rebuilding of that city was allowed. |
| Q. The unleavened bread eaten at Passover -- what was another name for it? | A. Deuteronomy 16:3 = The Bread of Suffering. |
| Q. Would God choose a place of worship and sacrifice in the towns He planned to give the Israelites in Canaan? | A. Deuteronomy 16:5 = No. God would choose a place elsewhere. |
| Q. Does God bless all of our hard work? | A. Deuteronomy 16:15 = Yes. We plant and He blesses. The amount of harvest is God's to determine. |
| Q. Does God give different amounts of harvest as He sees fit? | A. Deuteronomy 16:17 = Yes. |
| Q. Where did judges first appear in the bible? | A. Deuteronomy 16:18 = God told Moses to appoint judges and officials for each tribe in all the towns He was giving them. |
| Q. Were there guidelines a judge had to follow? |
A. Deuteronomy 16:18-20 = Yes. 1). Judge fairly 2). Never twist justice 3). Never show partiality 4). Never accept a bribe. |
| Q. What power does a bribe carry with it? |
A. Deuteronomy 16:19 = 1). It blinds the eyes of the wise 2). It corrupts the decisions of the godly. |
| Q. What promise did God give to good judges? | A. Deuteronomy 16:20 = They would live and occupy the land God gave them. |
| Q. Did God Foresee that Israel would want a king in the land of promise? | A. Deuteronomy 17:15 = Yes. |
| Q. Did God give the Israelites guidelines for choosing a good king? |
A. Deuteronomy 17:15 = Yes. 1). An Israelite king had to be a fellow Israelite and not a foreigner 2). An Israelite king could not build up a large stable of horses for himself 3). An Israelite king could never send his people to buy horses in Egypt 4). An Israelite king could not take many wives because they would lead him astray from the Lord 5). An Israelite king could not accumulate vast amounts of wealth in silver and gold for himself. |
| Q. How would his kingship commence? |
A. Deuteronomy 17:18 = 1). When he first sits on the throne as king, he had to copy these laws on a scroll for himself in the presence of the Levitical priests 2). He would keep a copy of the law with him and read it daily as long as he lived. |
| Q. How would daily reading of the law benefit the Israelite king? |
A. Deuteronomy 17:19 = 1). He would learn the fear of the Lord by obeying all of it 2). He would be prevented from becoming proud and acting as if he was above his fellow citizens. 3). He wouldn't turn away on the smallest command 4). He was guaranteed that he and his descendants would reign for many generations in Israel. |