Wilderness Recap

The people Moses was addressing in this section were not the ones who lived through the history he recounts. That generation died in the wilderness due to their lack of faith. So before this generation was to step foot into the Promised Land, Moses wanted to be sure that they knew their nation's history. Though he had been instructed by God to leave a written record behind, it was the oral tradition that would be most vital for the people. So few would have access to the written records but all were charged with the responsibility of retelling the stories of God's faithfulness and their own disobedience. Moses was told he was getting ready to die, so his last act of service to God and his people was to leave this reminder of the journey they had taken together. Today's reading is just the beginning of this lengthy sermon.

One thing worth noting in the recounting of the battles for the Promised Land, is the Hebrew word which is translated "completely destroyed" in our Bible. The term refers to the fate of the conquered people groups who were ousted from the Promised Land. It reads to us as the annihilation of everyone...man, woman, and child, but the Hebrew word has a slightly different meaning. According to the footnote in the Chronological Bible, the meaning is "complete consecration of people or things to the Lord, either by destroying them or giving them as an offering". This is in keeping with what was recorded about their conquest of the Midianites, wherein all women (initially) and children were spared and some given in service to the Temple.

Tomorrow's reading: Deuteronomy 3:21-5