Posts

The Beginning - Joshua 1

Ok, here we are the first chapter outside of the Torah is over 4 years, pretty exciting. I’m also really excited to start in the military warfare part because like I explained before, God’s warfare strategy is fascinating to me and I want to eventually write a book about it. TB spent 3 lecture hours going back through the history of how the Israelites got to the point where they were led by Joshua and stood at the bank of the Jordan river, ready to enter the promised land. There were a few interesting points in it, the first was that Abraham’s father was a merchant of idols for the pagan gods and he sold these idols to people. Interestingly, TB said something to the effect of “I bet it was a very strained relationship between Abraham, who believed in Jehovah, and his father, who made money in idolatry.” When I heard that, I was reminded of the picture and Abraham’s account in the Pearl of Great Price, of his father trying to have him sacrificed to the pagan god of Elkenah. In reading t...
Post a Comment
Read more

The End - Deuteronomy 33 & 34

This last bit is where Moses “blessed the children of Israel.” He’s going up the mountain to die in just a few minutes and now that he’s passed on the obligation of leadership to Joshua, he’s able to reflect on the good that he wants for Israel instead of the inevitable wrongdoing that he knows will happen. TB likened it to being a grandfather who can dote lovingly on his grandchildren because the obligation for the care of the children has passed. Moses has bourn the crushing responsibility for the welfare of Israel for so long and they had complained and rebelled against him almost the whole time, so it must have been nice to be able to focus on the positive for once. The IM says that this blessing is also similar to the one in Genesis 49 in which Jacob individually blesses each of his sons before he dies, but notes that Moses added some more things into each individual tribe’s blessings. In his blessing he goes through each tribe and pronounces specific words for them. The order in...
Post a Comment
Read more

Moses' Song - Deuteronomy 32

Chapter 32 is the song that God commanded Moses to write and teach to the people of Israel so that they would be reminded of the consequences of disobedience. It’s very long, the IM has a few blurbs about it, TB had 4 hour long lectures on it, but after the first 2, there were just so many tangents, that I gave up. So this probably isn’t going to go as in depth as it is possible, but I’m ok with it and I’m ready to move on. Verse 4 refers to God as “the rock,” which will be referenced by and about Jesus as being the “rock” or “foundation” or “head of the corner.” There is almost an entire hour long lecture by TB that discusses what verse 8 means “when the most High divided to the nations their inheritance,” it was interesting but kind of weird. Apparently in some interpretations of this chapter, there are many references to others gods that TB covers in depth, some might find it interesting, it went a little bit too deep for me, but it’s there for any who are interested. The followin...
Post a Comment
Read more

Moses' Farewell - Deuteronomy 31

This is essentially Moses’ farewell address. He says “I’m 120 years old and God said that I’m not going into the promised land, so this is it for me,” essentially. We talked about it previously, that Moses was forbidden by God from going into the promised land and the reason given was because Moses talked out of turn on a certain occasion. I don’t think that was it, I think that was the reason, but just like Joseph Smith not being the one to take the saints to Utah, Moses couldn’t be the one to take the people into the promised land. It had to be another leader, for a lot of reason which we discussed earlier. Moses reiterates to the people that God will win the military victories that it will take to clear the people out of the land of Canaan so that the Israelites can inhabit it. He also calls and talks to Joshua “in the sight of all Israel” indicating that Joshua is Moses’ successor, even though it’s going to be a split authority. Moses was the spiritual AND political leader of Israe...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Covenant - Deuteronomy 29 & 30

Chapters 29 and 30 are where the whole book of Deuteronomy has been leading up to, the covenant that Moses will put the people under before they go into the promised land. TB makes a point that I think is important here. He reminds us that this is the 2nd of 3 covenants the people will make with God before settling into the promised land. The first covenant was at Mount Sinai after the incident with the golden calf, then the people wandered in the desert for 40 years. Now the second one in Moab, right before they cross the Jordan river, and the last one that Moses will do. Then the third one will be once they cross the Jordan river into the promised land to start taking it. The reason that God had the people do this was because at the time the prevailing belief of ALL people was that the gods they worshipped had geographic boundaries, meaning that the gods worshipped at Mount Sinai were different than the gods worshipped at Moab and in the promised land. We know that the God of the Tor...
Post a Comment
Read more

Blessings & Curses - Deuteronomy 28

Chapter 28 is VERY long and honestly I was dreading it, but after reading it, I really like it. In this chapter, Moses spells out again how Israel will be blessed by God if they are obedient and how they will be “cursed” if they are disobedient. Before getting into it, TB pointed out a couple of key points that I thought were interesting and that I didn’t even realize until he said it. This contrast is between the Abrahamic covenant and the Mosaic Covenant. He said that with the Abrahamic covenant, it was only one way, a promised made by God to Abraham where the only condition was that Abraham accept it, he didn’t have to do anything else, these were all promised blessings that came with no strings attached. I hadn’t realized that before. Conversely, the Mosaic covenant was a two way promise between God and the Israelite people, and there were strings attached. Additionally, it wasn’t the kind of contract where if Israel breached it by being disobedient, they were just let out of the c...
Post a Comment
Read more

Uncut Stones - Deuteronomy 26 & 27

Chapter 26 is basically just Moses telling Israel that they are to sacrifice their first fruits when they settle in the land of Canaan and then to pay their tithing and they covenant with God to do all the things that He commanded them. The covenant that Moses puts them under is “this day the Lord thy God hath commanded thee to do these statutes and judgments: thou shalt therefore keep and do them with all thine heart, and with all thy soul. Thou hast avouch the Lord this day to be thy God, and to walk in his ways, and to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and to hearken unto his voice: And the Lord hath avouch thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments; and to make thee high above all nations which he hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honour; and that thou mayest be an holy people unto the Lord thy God,.” That was long, but the IM explains, “After briefly reminding Israel of God...
Post a Comment
Read more