( There are eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadesh-barnea.)
The verse opens Moses's final rehearsal of Israel's history in Moab on the borders of Jordan before his death, to repeat God's dealings, laws, trials and warnings to the new generation about to cross the Jordan into Canaan, and it states that the route from Horeb or Sinai by way of Mount Seir to Kadesh-barnea on the borders of Canaan was only eleven days' journey. God intended to lead Israel through in that brief time and plant them triumphantly in the promised land as His acknowledged chosen people who had seen His wonders and covenanted to accept Him as sovereign. That generation did not sustain the trial of faith for that short journey, but failed to do His judgments, keep His ordinances and wholly follow Him, yielding to appetite and murmuring, so they fell in the wilderness and only two of the adults who left Egypt were permitted to reach Canaan. The book repeats God's law and the conditions for entering and possessing the land to be kept before the people and taught to their children, since obedience brings life and prosperity while disobedience brings death, as an admonition for those on whom the ends of the world are come to fully follow the Lord's will in self-denial and perfection of character.
Historical Setting and Journey
The verse opens Moses' final rehearsal of Israel's history before his death, when he gathered the people in Moab while encamped on the borders of Jordan after crossing the desert to repeat and explain God's dealings, laws, past experiences, trials, failures, and warnings. That rehearsal was to be given to the people before the new generation came into possession of Jericho and Canaan and crossed the Jordan. It is recorded in the opening of Deuteronomy as the setting for all that follows.
The rehearsal covered all the journeyings of the host since leaving Egypt and all the great transgressions of their fathers which brought God's judgments upon them and caused Him to say they should not enter the promised land. Their fathers had died in the wilderness according to the word of the Lord, and their children had grown up to whom the promise of possessing the land of Canaan was to be fulfilled. Many of them had been small children when the law was given and had no remembrance of the grandeur of Sinai, and others had been born in the wilderness, so Moses was instructed to recapitulate the Ten Commandments and all the laws and judgments given to him with all the circumstances connected with their giving, lest they should not realize the necessity of obeying them.
The verse states the route from Horeb, also called Sinai, by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh-barnea on the borders of Canaan was only eleven days' journey. God intended to lead Israel through in that brief period and plant them triumphantly in the promised land after bearing them on eagles' wings out of Egypt. When the cloud at last gave the signal for onward movement they therefore resumed the march with the prospect of speedily entering the goodly land. They expected great blessings as a people who had seen God's wonders in bringing them from Egypt, who had formally covenanted to accept Him as their sovereign, and who had been acknowledged as the chosen people of the Most High.
Obedience, Failure, and Warning
The chapter to which the eleven days' journey belongs shows that God's promises are upon condition of obedience, and it explains why the adults of the army that left Egypt were refused entry into the promised land. That promised entry was altered and withheld from that generation because they did not do His judgments, keep His ordinances and statutes, walk therein, and wholly follow Him. The distance was short, yet Israel did not sustain the trial of faith for that brief period. Instead they yielded to the clamors of appetite and murmured against the manna after being borne out of Egypt, so they fell all along the way in the wilderness. Only two of the adults who left Egypt were permitted to reach Canaan.
The book to which the journey belongs repeated God's law and the conditions for entering and possessing the land for the new generation about to cross the Jordan to receive it. That law was to be kept before the people, taught to their children, and heard in public reading, so they would understand God's claims and obey them. Obedience was set before them as bringing life and prosperity, while disobedience brought death. Together with the surrounding instruction in Deuteronomy 1 with Deuteronomy 7, 8, and 28, the record stands as admonition for those on whom the ends of the world are come. It calls for full following of the Lord's will rather than following human judgment and opinion only in part, and for conformity to Christ as truth and true light through self-denial and self-sacrifice and perfection of character instead of feeble human standards and living to please self.
The rehearsal given when Israel was encamped on the borders of Jordan, reviewing all the Lord's dealings with them during their journeyings through the wilderness, is recorded in Deuteronomy as a pattern. It provides the model for reviewing, republishing, and keeping before the people the record of past experience and the way the Lord wrought. It is likewise the model for preserving the history of God's people.
The verse opens Moses's final rehearsal of Israel's history in Moab on the borders of Jordan before his death, to repeat God's dealings, laws, trials and warnings to the new generation about to cross the Jordan into Canaan, and it states that the route from Horeb or Sinai by way of Mount Seir to Kadesh-barnea on the borders of Canaan was only eleven days' journey. God intended to lead Israel through in that brief time and plant them triumphantly in the promised land as His acknowledged chosen people who had seen His wonders and covenanted to accept Him as sovereign. That generation did not sustain the trial of faith for that short journey, but failed to do His judgments, keep His ordinances and wholly follow Him, yielding to appetite and murmuring, so they fell in the wilderness and only two of the adults who left Egypt were permitted to reach Canaan. The book repeats God's law and the conditions for entering and possessing the land to be kept before the people and taught to their children, since obedience brings life and prosperity while disobedience brings death, as an admonition for those on whom the ends of the world are come to fully follow the Lord's will in self-denial and perfection of character.
Historical Setting and Journey
The verse opens Moses' final rehearsal of Israel's history before his death, when he gathered the people in Moab while encamped on the borders of Jordan after crossing the desert to repeat and explain God's dealings, laws, past experiences, trials, failures, and warnings. That rehearsal was to be given to the people before the new generation came into possession of Jericho and Canaan and crossed the Jordan. It is recorded in the opening of Deuteronomy as the setting for all that follows.
The rehearsal covered all the journeyings of the host since leaving Egypt and all the great transgressions of their fathers which brought God's judgments upon them and caused Him to say they should not enter the promised land. Their fathers had died in the wilderness according to the word of the Lord, and their children had grown up to whom the promise of possessing the land of Canaan was to be fulfilled. Many of them had been small children when the law was given and had no remembrance of the grandeur of Sinai, and others had been born in the wilderness, so Moses was instructed to recapitulate the Ten Commandments and all the laws and judgments given to him with all the circumstances connected with their giving, lest they should not realize the necessity of obeying them.
The verse states the route from Horeb, also called Sinai, by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh-barnea on the borders of Canaan was only eleven days' journey. God intended to lead Israel through in that brief period and plant them triumphantly in the promised land after bearing them on eagles' wings out of Egypt. When the cloud at last gave the signal for onward movement they therefore resumed the march with the prospect of speedily entering the goodly land. They expected great blessings as a people who had seen God's wonders in bringing them from Egypt, who had formally covenanted to accept Him as their sovereign, and who had been acknowledged as the chosen people of the Most High.
Obedience, Failure, and Warning
The chapter to which the eleven days' journey belongs shows that God's promises are upon condition of obedience, and it explains why the adults of the army that left Egypt were refused entry into the promised land. That promised entry was altered and withheld from that generation because they did not do His judgments, keep His ordinances and statutes, walk therein, and wholly follow Him. The distance was short, yet Israel did not sustain the trial of faith for that brief period. Instead they yielded to the clamors of appetite and murmured against the manna after being borne out of Egypt, so they fell all along the way in the wilderness. Only two of the adults who left Egypt were permitted to reach Canaan.
The book to which the journey belongs repeated God's law and the conditions for entering and possessing the land for the new generation about to cross the Jordan to receive it. That law was to be kept before the people, taught to their children, and heard in public reading, so they would understand God's claims and obey them. Obedience was set before them as bringing life and prosperity, while disobedience brought death. Together with the surrounding instruction in Deuteronomy 1 with Deuteronomy 7, 8, and 28, the record stands as admonition for those on whom the ends of the world are come. It calls for full following of the Lord's will rather than following human judgment and opinion only in part, and for conformity to Christ as truth and true light through self-denial and self-sacrifice and perfection of character instead of feeble human standards and living to please self.
The rehearsal given when Israel was encamped on the borders of Jordan, reviewing all the Lord's dealings with them during their journeyings through the wilderness, is recorded in Deuteronomy as a pattern. It provides the model for reviewing, republishing, and keeping before the people the record of past experience and the way the Lord wrought. It is likewise the model for preserving the history of God's people.