Deuteronomy 1

Deuteronomy 1:1-8

In the first first verses of this chapter we have the date of Moses’ forward sermon, the place where it was preached, ver. 1, 2, 5. and the time when, ver. 3, 4. He reminds them, 1. Of the promise God made them of the land of Canaan, ver. 6, 8. 2. Of the provision made of judges for them, ver. 9, 18. 3. Of their unbelief and murmuring upon the report of the spies, ver. 19, 33. 4. Of the sentence passed upon them for it, ver. 34—46.

1. THESE be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel, on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over-against the Red sea, between Paran and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab. 2. (There are eleven days journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir, unto Kadeh-barnea.) 3. And it came to pass in the forcieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the LORD had given him in commandment unto them; 4. After he had Slain Sihon the king of the Amorites, which dwelt in Hefshon, and Og the king of Bashan, which dwelt at Asfaroth in Edrei. 5. On this side Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare this law, saying, 6. Vol. I.

The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount: 7. Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea-side, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great river, the river Euphrates. 8. Behold I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD swore unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them, and to their seed after them.

Moses is now about to part from that people, whom he had so tenderly and faithfully served; and therefore he leaves them his solemn charge, that after his death they might have these things always in remembrance. They were now in the plains of Moab, over-against Sugh (not the Red sea, as we translate it, which was at a considerable distance) and just forty years had elapsed since their departure from Egypt; during which they had received the punishment of their murmurings, and were ready to receive the fulfilment of the promises; highly it imported them now to be obedient, since this would ensure them the necks of their enemies. It was at God’s command he spoke, and he begins his discourse from their departure from Sinai. 1. He mentions their order to depart. They had dwelt long enough under the mount Sinai, and its awful thunderings.

Before Christ 1451. 1. Ezek. iii. 1. 2. See Ezek. xii. 1. Numb. x. 17. 3. Heb. All his neighbours. 4. Heb. given. 5. Gen. xii. 7. & xx. 18. & xvi. 7, 8. & xxvi. 4. xxvii. 13. Chap. 1 Before Christ 1411.

and are now to go to possess the land of promise. Now, God will not suffer his people to continue mourning ever under the spirit of bondage and distress, but when he hath made them feel their defects, will shew them the riches of his grace, which bebers the spirit of adoption. 2. The assurance God gave them of success. We fight not when under Christ’s banners as uncertainty; heaven is our own from the moment he is our captain.

9. ¶ And I praise unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone: 10. The LORD your God hath multiplied you, and behold, you are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude. 11. (The LORD God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you as he hath promised you.) 12. How can I myself alone bear your cumbraces, and your burden, and your strife? 13. Take ye wife men and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you. 14. And ye answered me, and said, The thing which thou hath spoken, is good for us to do. 15. So I took the chief of your tribes, wife men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifteen, and captains over ten, and officers among your tribes. 16. And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the courts between your brethren, and judge rightfully between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him. 17. Ye shall not respect persons in judgment, but you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid of the face of man, for the judgment is God’s; and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it. 18. And I commanded you at that time all the things which ye should do.

10. 6.—18. The excellent civil government established among them is here mentioned, for which they were greatly indebted to Moses’ prudence and wisdom.

11. Their multitude being so great, and he unable to bear the burden, so as to bear and determine upon the variety of cases which came before him, he directed them to chuse wife men to be affiant judges; yet heartily praying that their numbers might increase a thousand times, whatever care devolved upon him thereby. A good wish, or a short prayer, is a useful parenthesis in our discourse. 2. As he had no ambition to engross the government to himself, he had no dependant to provide for; therefore only describes the character of fit persons, and leaves the choice of them to themselves. Now, judges must be men of superior understanding, as well as tried integrity, if they would fill their high station with honour to themselves, or advantage to the community. 3. When they approved the advice, and presented to him the persons, he gave them an excellent charge for their behaviour; which every good judge need seriously weigh and follow. 1. To give every cause a full hearing, and not be impatient with the length of the cause, or inattention to the evidence produced in it. 2. To determine with strict impartiality, unbiased by any connection, uninfluenced by any regard for men’s persons, untaxed by any fears or menaces of the rulers or the multitude. 3. He enforces his charge with this strongest argument, The judgment is God’s; they act under him immediately, as his representatives, and are accountable to him for their conduct. 4. In cases of difficulty, recourse was to be had to himself, that so no injustice might be done the people through ignorance, any more than of design.

12. ¶ And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which you saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us; and we came to Kadeh-barnea. 20. And I said unto you, Ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorites, which the LORD our God doth give unto us. 21. Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged. 22. ¶ And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come. 23. And the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe. 24. And they turned and went up into the mountain, and came unto the valley of Ethcol, and searched it out. 25. And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down

unto us, and brought us word again, and said, ‘It is a good land which the LORD our God doth give us. 26. Notwithstanding, ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God. 27. And ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the LORD hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. 28. Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, ‘The people it greater and taller than we,’ the cities are green and walled up to heaven, and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there. 29. Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them. 30. ‘The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes: 31. And in the wilderness, where thou-halt fear, how that the LORD thy God bare thee as a man doth bear his sons? shall the way that ye went, until ye came into this place. 32. Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God. 33. Who went in the way before you to search you out a place to go? your tents are in fire by night to shew you by what way ye should go, and in a cloud by day. 34. And the LORD heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and swore, saying, 35. Surely there shall not one of these men, of this evil generation, see that good land, which I swore to give unto your fathers; 36. Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed the LORD. 37. ‘All the LORD was angry with me for your takes, saying, Thou alibi shall not go in this ther. 38. But Joshua the son of Nim, which slandeth before thee, he shall go in thither. Encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. 39. Moreover, your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it. 40. But as for you, turn yet and take your journey into the wilderness, by the way of the Red sea. 41. Then ye answered and said unto me, ‘We have finned against the LORD, we will go up and fight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go up into the hill. 42. And the LORD said unto me, Say unto them, ‘Go not up, neither fight, for I am not among you, lest ye be limited before your enemies. 43. So I make unto you, and ye would not bear, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and I went predominantly up into the hill. 44. And the Amorites which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, even unto Hormah. 45. And ye returned and wept before the LORD; but the LORD would not be hearken to your voice, nor give ear unto you. 46. So ye abode in Kadeh many days, according unto the days that ye abode there.

6. 19.—40. They were now in a fair way for possession of the promised land; but Moses reminds them of their persecuted, and the dire consequences which ensued thereupon. They were safely fed through the terrible wilderness, and nothing remained but to go up and possess their inheritance. God’s protection had been an earnest of future mercies, and his promise their security. But then their unbelief began to break forth, 1. In sending spies. They should have taken God’s word, and not have desired sight, when they were called to walk by faith. Nothing so dangerous as indulging our own wisdom, where God’s word hath already decided. 2. In the credit they paid to the lying representation the spies made. They acknowledged the goodwill of the land, but they exaggerated the difficulties of comparing it. He went in allowed to be a desirable place, but the traitants of the way deters the carnal and unbelieving heart from going up to it. 3. In their disregard of Moses’ earnest encouragement. Much had they experienced of God’s care of them in Egypt, more in his protection and guidance through the wilderness, and there’d be sure they used not now fear; but, blind to their own mercies, they murmur, refusing to go up, reflecting inviolably on God himself, as they destroyed, instead of preferred; and thus, under the power of an evil heart of unbelief, departed from the living God. Now, (1.) Unbelief is at the root of all our sins. (2.) Every sin is greatly

greatly aggravated, when committed against experience of past morals. He reminds them of the consequences of this unbelief, in the condemnation which passed upon them all, save Caleb and Joshua. All their other sins had not destroyed them but for this. Unbelief is the only damning sin. He himself also suffered under their provocation, and was excluded from Canaan. Nor that God hereby intended to disinherit them: He was ordered to encourage Joshua, and to assure their children they should possess what their fathers believed. Happy for them, if they took warning by their examples, to do no more after their works. Finally, he mentions their petrials attempt to oppression to the divine command, and the ill success of it. Their tears then were fruitless; the decree was gone forth, and they had nothing to do but to submit. Nate, (1.) When the door of mercy is shut, it is too late to knock. (2.) Many weep for their fudselings, not for their sins; and this is no better than the sorrow of the world, which worketh death.