Show Me Your Glory Lessons from the Life of Moses Inductive Discovery Lesson 17 W hat would you say to loved ones if you knew the days of your life were drawing to a close? Would you talk about the times you shared, good and bad? Would you recall people, places and experiences that shaped your life and defined your character? Would you draw your family close with a sense of urgency, reminding them what is most important in life? This is what Moses did. We have traced his life through the pages of Exodus and Numbers; now we are stepping into the final weeks of this faithful servant s life. Moses is preparing God s people to enter the land of promise; and he is preparing to say goodbye. Background Deuteronomy opens with Moses gathering the people on the Plains of Moab near the Jordan River. By our calendar, it is mid-january; this is a breezy, relatively pleasant period before the spring rains bathe the soil and swell the riverbanks of the Jordan. (Just a short time later, crossing Jordan under Joshua s leadership, Israel will be reminded of their Red Sea experience.) The book of Deuteronomy is a series of messages Moses gave the people before they entered the Land of Canaan. Beginning with the rebellious incident that provoked God, Moses recalls events of the wandering years; he repeats the Ten Commandments, instructs Israel s next generation and challenges them to obey the Lord in all their ways. Deuteronomy 6-7 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 6:1-9 Facts from the passage: My Research and Personal Observations: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2
Deuteronomy 6:10-25 Facts from the passage: My Research and Personal Observations: Deuteronomy 7:1-11 Facts from the passage: My Research and Personal Observations: 3
Deuteronomy 7:12-26 Facts from the passage: My Research and Personal Observations: 4
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: 5
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 6:1-9 Lesson: Application: Deuteronomy 6:10-25 Lesson: Application: Deuteronomy 7:1-10 Lesson: Application: 6
Deuteronomy 7:11-26 Lesson: Application: 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 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:5 It s all about the Lord. That is what Moses repeatedly reminded this new generation of Israelites as they prepared to enter the Promised Land. Knowing what little remaining time he had with them, every sermon Moses preached rang the same bell. Remember the Lord your God. He wasn t simply urging the people to acknowledge God as an important part of their history. He was commanding them to love God as the most important person in their individual lives. Centuries later, when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was (Mark 12:28-31) He answered, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. Fast Fact: Do you know how many times Moses used the phrase, The Lord your God in the book of Deuteronomy? Answer: 279 times! While it is enough to say that God wants us to love Him with everything we are, this verse compels us to think about what that involves. Take a closer look at each facet of your love for the Lord and be reminded it s all about Him! 7
Heart Speaks of emotions, affections, desires, motives, will. mind Soul Literally means breath ; the immaterial God-breathed part of a person that holds the vital element of life (Genesis 2:7). heart Mind The intellect, thoughts, understanding, judgment. Strength Ability, capacity, power. The word Moses used implies diligent, determined, wholehearted effort that responds without hesitation. Loving God with all my heart. Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. - Psalm 73:25 NLT We think of our heart as the center of our being. In simple terms, loving God with all our heart is giving God unhindered access to who we are. Because we desire Him above all else, He is free to examine, explore, and expose our heart. Every thought, every motive, every desire is rooted in Him or weeded out! At the same time, God gives us unhindered access to Himself. We are free to express our hearts openly, humbly and with complete confidence that He hears and responds. How can we express wholehearted love for God in a tangible way and what can we expect in response? Read the following scriptures and share what you find. Make your answers practical and specific. Proverbs 3:5-6 Psalm 13:5-6 Psalm 119:10-11 Psalm 51:6 & 10 Jeremiah 29:12-13 Loving God with all my soul. The dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it. - Ecclesiastes 12:7 Our life consists of more than mere physical existence. Earthly things, including our bodies, will pass away. How does the knowledge that you will someday be called into the Lord s eternal presence influence the way you choose to live in the here-and-now? Briefly share how loving God with all your soul shapes what you value in life. 8
Loving God with all my mind. Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. - Romans 12:2 NLT Throughout the Bible, the words heart and mind are closely linked. In Moses day, the word heart covered all aspects of emotion and intellect. When Jesus answered the religious leader s question, He used heart and mind to communicate the same idea in terms the people of that day would understand. In order to love God with all our mind, our thought life needs to be governed by the truth of God s Word. Feelings may shift and change, but God s Word is solid ground. What are some outward indications that we are loving God with all our mind? Read the following scriptures and share, in your own words, what you find. Psalm 119:59-60 Proverbs 2:6-7 Philippians 2:5-8 Colossians 3:8-10 Romans 12:2 Philippians 4:8 is an excellent guide for filtering thoughts and focusing our outlook. Meditate on the entire verse; then select one or two elements you will conciously practice this week. Briefly share what you chose and why. Loving God with all my strength. One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal - Philippians 3:13-14 Without question, Moses biggest challenge as leader of the Israelites was dealing with their continual lapse of faith and determination. They were a fickle, fair-weather people! In commanding the people to love God with all their strength, Moses was essentially telling them choose to follow God from this day forward no turning back. Finish this section with some self-examination. The Bible urges us to learn from Israel s example (1 Corinthians 10:6). Can you see reflections of your own walk in their journey? Some days they walked in faith some days in their flesh. Even for those who proved faithful, the journey required trust and endurance. Will you go the distance? Consider all that God has done for you, brought you through, promised you. Take a moment to express your heart to the Lord; ask for help to love Him with all your strength. 9
Something to Think About... Our commitment to Christ, however genuine and whole-hearted it may be today, must be renewed tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that until the path comes at last to the river. - Louis Cassels - 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? 10
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