Eden to Eternity Vol. 1, Deuteronomy 10-18

Apr 10, 20245 min read

Come along with me as I complete The Daily Grace Co.’s Eden to Eternity study!

This chronological Bible study requires us to dive into the 66 books of God’s Word while encouraging self-reflection and application. In the following posts, I intend to discuss the content, existing themes, and perceived messages throughout the Bible so we may dwell in scripture together.

I hope we can approach God's word with an open heart and fall more in love with Christ, who had our eternal salvation in mind all along!

5/66 | Author: Moses | Old Testament | Pentateuch/Torah | 1407-1406 B.C. (estimated)

10: The Renewed Covenant and God's Requirements

Moses described the experience of receiving the stone tablets on the Mount. The Levites placed them in the ark and took care of their transportation. Moses reminded the Israelites of God's forgiveness and grace when He granted Moses' plea and allowed this nation to enter the territory dedicated to their fathers.

In Deuteronomy 10:12–13, Moses outlines the expectations for them: to "fear the Lord your God by walking in all His ways, to love Him, and to worship the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul—keep the Lord's commands and statutes... for your own good."

Moses then honored God's character by crediting Him for being:

The possessor of the heavens and all that dwells on earth (10:14).
Dedicated to their fathers (10:15).
"Great, mighty, and awe-inspiring, showing no partiality" (10:17).
An executor of justice and a provider for His people (10:18).
Our praise (10:19).
Responsible for the Israelites becoming as numerous as the stars in the sky (10:22).

11: Obedience

Each generation of Israelites witnessed "every great work the Lord has done" (11:7). They are called to remember God rescuing them from slavery and leading them through the wilderness with sustenance. Obeying God meant receiving His divine provision.

Ultimately, love God!

"No one will be able to stand against you; the Lord your God will put fear and dread in all the land where you set foot, as He has promised you" (11:25).

The Israelites will be blessed if they enter the land intending to be obedient, but they will be cursed should they decide to turn away from God.

12: The Chosen Place and Animals to Eat

The places where other gods were worshipped were to be demolished. The Israelites would be given guidance about a chosen place of worship. Moses warns the people,

"You are not to do as we are doing here today; everyone is doing whatever seems right in his own sight" (12:8).

They were encouraged to eat meat as they pleased, refraining from digesting the blood that gave the animal life.

13: False Prophets and Idolatry

Do not attempt to mislead someone from the Lord with dreams or prophetic messages. Follow the Lord. Do not be influenced by those who follow other gods. Those who rebelled and intended to lead followers astray were to be killed.

14: Practices

Do not mutilate your appearance as a symbolic gesture to the deceased. Recall what was clean and unclean to eat (Leviticus 11). Practice setting aside one-tenth of what has been reaped throughout the year; this is the Lord's.

15: Practices Continued

Debts are canceled after seven years. In the land of the Lord, there is no incitement to poverty. Do not hold onto resources that others need; assist one another. Slaves are to be freed in their seventh year. Present the firstborn male of all livestock to the Lord.

16: Festivals and Practices

Observe Passover, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Shelters (discussed in Leviticus 23 and 25). The people were called to implement judges to ensure justice was served in every case. There were no Asherah poles or sacred pillars when worshipping, nor physically flawed livestock sacrifices (16:21–22, 17:1).

17: Judging Cases and Choosing a King

Anyone who went "to serve other gods by bowing in worship to the sun, moon, or all the stars in the sky" was to be stoned. If cases were too challenging to resolve, the Levitical priests were to suggest a solution. When the time comes for a king, he must not demand horses, return to Egypt, desire many wives, or covet materialism excessively. He should continue to fear the Lord.

18: Levitical Provisions and Occult Practices

The Levites were not a part of the Abrahamic covenant that was being fulfilled, but God highly regarded them. Since they were serving the Lord, they were to receive portions of the Israelites's harvests and offerings. Israelites were reminded to avoid witchcraft, omens, sorcery, dark magic, or anything that attempted to awaken and interact with the dead. These were other nations' practices. Then, Moses says, "The Lord your God will raise for you a prophet like [Moses] from among your among brothers. You must listen to him" (18:15). Moses went on to say in 18:18 that God's words will reside in the mouth of this prophet, and he will speak of everything the Lord commands. How were they supposed to differentiate a false prophet from a real prophet? 18:22 says, "When a prophet speaks in the Lord's name and the message does not come true or is not fulfilled, that is a message that the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him."

Daily Grace reflection questions based on Deuteronomy 10-18:

The law represents what is important to God, how is this important to us?

How can generosity be seen as worship?

These commands were not created and spoken to enslave the Israelites as they increased in size. "We must remember that God delivered His people from Egypt before giving them the law" (The Daily Grace Co., 2021). It was meant to prolong and enhance their lives through God's sanctification. God wanted them to reach a level of holiness that permitted communion with His presence! The Israelites could not enact the self-destructive habits of other nations when they were known to be set apart by God.

Eventually, we will see the Pharisees test Jesus by asking which law is the most important. Jesus refers to what we are currently reading: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37). We are called to know and love God, embracing His ways, so that we may receive life in its fullest form—eternally.

Deuteronomy 15 highlights God's yearning for us to tend to one another, loving our neighbor as ourselves. He didn't want anyone to experience poverty, as we are seeing today. Since the modern interpretation of success is how much someone can collect and consume, no one sees the value in helping others anymore. There is no personal gain in releasing our resources to others, even if someone else could make better use of them, so society says. However, remembering God and His commands is important so that we do not lose ourselves to the world's culture. When we give, we worship by reverting our ways back to God. Christ shared His life with us, so why aren't we more inclined to give a portion of our excess every once in a while?

Gratitude List:

Surprise door dashes
Completing tasks with ease, when they were expected to be dreadful
Telling people no / declining invites (Love ya, but I don't want to go)
Harry Potter audiobooks
A clean patio
A very specific "rainy beach with crashing waves" video that puts our entire household into a deep sleep
A family member completing their chemo and radiation treatments!!!