Show Me Your Glory S Lessons from the Life of Moses Inductive Discovery Lesson 19 o it shall be when all of these things come upon you Moses was nearly finished with his message. He had reviewed the Lord s faithfulness to bring Israel every step of the way on their long journey. He tirelessly reminded the people of God s covenant with them for the Promised Land. Every blessing was theirs to claim, every warning was theirs to heed. Trying to picture this assembly, we might see the people in rapt attention, nodding agreement with Moses every word. All the Lord has spoken we will do. Perhaps the old man paused to scan the faces of these people he loved deeply and knew well. They heard his words, but were they were listening? We can almost hear Moses sigh as he reminds them that obeying God is not too complicated. Background Moses gathered the people together for a covenant renewal ceremony on the Plains of Moab before they entered the Promised Land. Our chapter this week is Moses closing message to this ceremony (the entire message is recorded in Deuteronomy 27-30). Moses gave instructions for a second ceremony after Israel entered the Promised Land. This vow renewal would take place between Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerazim. The Law would be written on large stones covered with plaster (Deuteronomy 27:2) and set up at the base of Mt. Ebal; an altar would also be built. This was near the city of Shechem, where the Lord first appeared to Abraham, who built his first altar to the Lord there. Blessings and curses were a common part of ancient treaties. The Levites stood in the valley between the mountains to declare the blessings and curses. Six tribes gathered on barren Mt. Ebal where the curses for abandoning God were recited. Six tribes gathered on the green slopes of Mt. Gerazim to announce blessings for obedience. As the spiritual leaders read these curses, they weren t predicting what would happen if the people disobeyed God. They were calling upon the Lord to send these curses on His people if they turned away from Him. And when the people said, Amen after each statement ( so be it ), they were telling God they were willing to be chastened if they disobeyed Him. --Excerpted from Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, pg. 441 Deuteronomy 30 Read the entire passage in one sitting. If possible, read it again from a different Bible translation. Briefly describe in your own words what is happening. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1
Write down your OBSERVATIONS Read the section and record what you see. Use the first column to keep track of what you find in the Bible passage. (Who? What? When? Where?) Look for clues that tell you when and where the story is taking place. What events are recorded? Who is mentioned and what role do they play? What choices do they make? Do they succeed or fail? How do they respond to circumstances? What attitudes or motives do they display? Use the second column to record information you gather from other sources. Are more details of the story recorded somewhere else in the Bible? What else can you discover about the people and places mentioned? You may want to look up names and places in a Bible dictionary, map or encyclopedia. You can also use this section to jot down your own thoughts and impressions about people and events. Imagine the people, places and events you read about. Don t use your imagination to produce facts, but use it to bring those biblical facts to life. Deuteronomy 30:1-10 Facts from the passage: My Research and Personal Observations: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2
Deuteronomy 30:11-14 Facts from the passage: My Research and Personal Observations: Deuteronomy 30:15-20 Facts from the passage: My Research and Personal Observations: 3
Moses Character Profile This section is provided so that you can get to know Moses, the man. Use the suggested areas on the chart below to track what you have observed about Moses this week. Characteristics/Personality Traits: Training/Growth: Obstacles/Challenges: Accomplishments/Failures: Attitudes/Motives: Relationship with God/With Others: 4
INTERPRETATION What does it mean? Look for a spiritual lesson. Be careful not to read into the Bible an idea that is not there. Examine each verse in light of the verses around it. To help you find a spiritual lesson, ask questions such as, Is there a command to obey? A promise to claim? A condition to that promise? Is there a warning to heed? An example to follow or avoid? Looking at a character, ask questions such as, How did God deal with this person? How did they respond to their circumstances? What strengths or talents are revealed? What faults are exposed? Did they learn from their failures? Who did they depend on? How did they influence others? What did they accomplish? State the lesson in one simple sentence. APPLICATION How does it apply to me? We don t study the Bible just to gather information we want to spiritually grow. Our heart needs to be open to change. The only way to move truth off the pages of your Bible and into your life is to put it into action. To apply a spiritual lesson, we must examine ourselves and take deliberate steps to do something with what we have learned. Ask yourself: Is this a new lesson, or does it reinforce what I already know? What does it challenge me to do? Does it point out error in my attitude or actions? What changes does it require? Think of how the lesson relates to you and what specific course of action you will take. Write your application in the form of a question to make it personal. Deuteronomy 30:1-10 Lesson: Application: Deuteronomy 30:11-14 Lesson: Application: Deuteronomy 30:15-20 Lesson: Application: 5
Summary Write a simple sentence that summarizes what the passage is about. Give a title to the chapter that will help you personally to remember it. Take a Closer Look But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it. Deuteronomy 30:14 NAS Moses reminded the people that obeying God did not need to be difficult, since His Word was stored right where they needed it most! What was true for the ancient Israelites is just as true for us today. God graciously makes His ways known so His people will not have trouble learning how to please Him. The choice is ours to make; when we obey, blessings will follow. Take a closer look at what it means, in practical terms, to have God s Word in your mouth and in your heart. God s Word in Your Mouth The people could recall God s Word and speak it themselves; for by this time, it had been written down and recited for forty years. That simple observation points to the value of memorizing scripture. As Christians, we know we ought to memorize scripture but why? Put a check by the most accurate answer: Because God said so. Because it makes us more credible as Christians. Because it strengthens our faith. Memorizing scripture doesn t need to be like the dull exercises we were required to do in school. Frankly, much of what we recited in the classroom was just to get a passing grade; we weren t interested and the information was soon forgotten. But committing God s Word to memory strengthens our faith by making God s truth readily available for every need or situation. So it should be a consistent habit for every growing believer. Think about it. You may already know more scripture by heart than you realize, simply because you go back to it frequently. Why? Because it gives you encouragement, hope, instruction, and strength! Maybe you highlighted that verse in your Bible so you can find it quickly; or you might have it scribbled on a post-it note where you re sure to see it during the course of your day. Before long, you can say it without looking. The point is, when we experience the benefit of having God s Word on the tip of our tongue, we know that taking time to memorize it is well worth the effort. 6
Write it down. Say it aloud. Sing it! Speak it back to the Lord in prayer (Moses did that on a regular basis). Do whatever you can to commit scripture verses to memory, word for word, including the reference. That way you ll be more confident in sharing it with others which brings us to the second good reason for memorizing scripture. Through scripture memory, we build ourselves up in our faith (Jude 1:20) and we also stir up others to love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24). With God s Word in our mouth (shaping our own character and attitude) we have the privilege of being a godly influence in the lives of others. God want us to verbally communicate His Word! So how do we go about doing that? The following verses give some practical examples from normal, everyday life. Briefly share the instructions you find. Deuteronomy 11:19 Colossians 3:16 Colossians 4:6 2 Timothy 4:2 1 Peter 3:15 Of course, memorizing scripture goes hand-in-hand with meditating on scripture. As you read and memorize God s Word, do you find yourself turning it over and over again in your mind? God s Word in Your Heart Just as food must be digested, we must absorb God s Word in order to nourish growth and sustain life. But spiritual food is digested in the heart. When the truth of what you read in the Bible begins to come alive to you, when it stirs up action or clears up questions, you are spiritually digesting God s Word! Moses essentially tells the people, You have had these forty years to let God s Word saturate and permeate your heart. Meditating on God s Word is simply taking time to let the truth move down from our mind into our heart. In this study, meditation is what will help you take your observations and arrive at a spiritual lesson and personal application. Choose one portion of scripture from this chapter to memorize and meditate on for the rest of this week. At this point, you have studied the whole chapter; now go back to the verse (or verses) that stand out to you. Write it here, and begin to soak it in every chance you get. Whether you have twenty minutes or two hours, God will honor your obedience to digest His Word. Plan to recite this verse from memory in group discussion. (Share your insights in God s Word Bearing Fruit.) 7
Something to Think About... Meditation goes beyond hearing, reading, studying, and even memorizing God s Word. Meditation must always involve two people the Christian and the Holy Spirit. Praying over a text is the invitation for the Holy Spirit to hold His divine light over the words of Scripture to show you what you cannot see without Him. 1 - Donald S. Whitney- God s Word Bearing Fruit For you, personally, what has been the most important lesson from this study? How will you put what you have discovered into practice? 1 Donald S. Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life ((NavPress, 1991) pp. 48,55 8
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