Dt. 1: Where We've Been

Deuteronomy 1:32-33 "In spite of this, you did not trust in the LORD your God, who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go."

Well, I don't know what to think now concerning the boundaries of the promised land, as Moses just said that it was up to the Euphrates River, which was originally promised to Abraham, but was not part of the promised land to the Israelites. Did God change his mind? Are the borders exact? Were they established with a kind of fluidity? And what part of the Euphrates? Its not all that far off it's the northern portion. The southeast mouth of the Euphrates presents a significant difference. Does it matter? Will the Bible be completely torn down if we get a line of demarcation wrong? I don't know. This is going to bug me, and I will have to study it deeper on my own. Ponderous.

Moses kicks off the book reiterating a few things that have happened in the past 40 years or so. Moses reminds them of the leaders that were needed, which I believe was originally proposed by Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, who kind of popped in and out of the lives of Israel.

Then he reminds them of why it took them 40 years to travel an eleven or twelve day's journey, with the spies bringing back a good report, and then Israel losing their minds and not wanting to go in, being afraid of the inhabitants of the land. Because of their attitude, their minds changed, but probably not their hearts, leading to an ill-fated charge into the hill country.

So, after this reading, I imagine Israel probably was feeling a little sheepish, and probably annoyed. After all, all the times they screwed up were being listed off and read back to them. They were being reminded of their failings, and nobody wants that.

But here they were, on the doorstep of the promised land. The inhabitants had been defeated. And Moses was ready to give a history lesson. It's like waiting to open presents on Christmas until after the Bible reading....let me have my gift already!