Deuteronomy 1:4, commentary and pictures

Deuteronomy 1:4 marks the time of Moses's address in Moab after Israel had defeated Sihon king of the Amorites and Og king of Bashan. Israel had crossed the desert and was encamped on the borders of the Jordan, ready to enter the promised land, as Moses neared death and spoke to the new generation that would possess Canaan. He then rehearsed all the Lord's dealings with Israel from Egypt, with their trials, blessings, failures and judgments, and repeated and explained God's laws already given at Sinai so the people would understand His claims and the conditions for entering and prospering in the land. The opening chapter shows why the adult generation that left Egypt was refused entrance, because they disobeyed and did not wholly follow Him and died in forty years of wandering, while Caleb and Joshua were spared, proving that God's promises are upon condition of obedience. Those words in Deuteronomy 1, with Deuteronomy 7 and 8, were written for admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come, to turn from human judgment and self-pleasing to Christ's self-denying example and perfection of character, setting the pattern of reviewing God's early leading for those who have since come into the truth.

Setting and Mosaic Rehearsal

The verse fixes the moment of Moses's address and history to the time after Israel had slain Sihon king of the Amorites and Og king of Bashan. It belongs to the history God told Israel to remember, including their failures and victories, and to the words of the Lord to be read whole together with Deuteronomy 7 and Deuteronomy 8. It places Moses' recounting of Israel's experiences and his final account after the defeat of Sihon, king of the Amorites who dwelt in Heshbon, and Og, king of Bashan who dwelt at Astaroth in Edrei, reminding the people of blessings received, mistakes made, and God's dealings with them.

Moses spoke in Moab when Israel had crossed the desert and was encamped on the borders of the Jordan, as Moses neared death. The people stood ready to enter the promised land before crossing over, at the Jordan ready to enter Canaan. There Moses gathered the people and repeated and explained God's laws.

The gathering was commanded by God shortly before Moses's death to address the new generation who would possess Canaan. These were the children grown up to whom the promise of possessing Canaan was to be fulfilled, after the journeyings of the host since departure from Egypt and after the judgments for the great transgressions of the fathers that kept them from entering the promised land. Many had been small children when the law was given with no remembrance of the grandeur of the event, and others had been born in the wilderness. They needed to hear the law and its conditions for entering and possessing the land.

Moses then rehearsed all the Lord's dealings with Israel in their journeyings from Egypt and through the wilderness. He related those journeyings and transgressions, including trials, failures, warnings received, blessings received, and mistakes. He set before them the judgments for the fathers' great transgressions that kept them from entering the land.

At the same time Moses repeated God's law to the new generation before they crossed the Jordan and recapitulated the ten commandments with all the laws and judgments given to Moses and all the circumstances connected with the giving of the law. He was to recount their deliverance and wilderness journey and repeat the law so the people would understand God's claims and obey as the condition of prosperity in the promised land. In this way they would realize the necessity of obeying them and know the conditions for entering, possessing, and prospering in the land.

That repetition was not a new revelation but a restatement and enlargement of laws previously given at Sinai. Their enforcement was explained, some precepts were clarified, and the reasons for them were made plain. Commands violated in earlier judgments were repeated so that the people would know that disobedience brings God's punishment.

Warning and Present Application

The opening chapter explains why the Lord refused to bring the adult army and generation that left Egypt into the promised land. They disobeyed and did not wholly follow Him, so they died during forty years of wilderness wandering, while Caleb and Joshua were spared because they wholly followed the Lord. The chapter thus proves that the Lord's promises, including prosperity in the promised land, are upon condition of obedience and full following of His guidance.

The words of the Lord in Deuteronomy 1, to be read whole together with Deuteronomy 7 and 8, were written for admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come, to be learned, appreciated, and obeyed. They lead away from following human judgment and self-pleasing to viewing everything in the light of Christ's example. Copying His self-denial and self-sacrifice, being molded after the Lord's similitude, they bring to perfection of character through Christ's merits.

The rehearsal sets the pattern to be followed now. It is to be a reviewing and republishing of the experience through which God led His people in their early history. Those who have since come into the truth and are ignorant of how the Lord wrought are thereby to have it kept before them.