(A seminary class assignment originally dated September 24, 2006.)
I saw God’s repeated faithfulness in the face of Israel’s repeated rebellion as He continually provided means for their restoration to fellowship with Him through things like the animal sacrifices and the bronze serpent. Moses’ speeches in Deuteronomy show God’s deep longing for them (and us) to experience the blessings of obedience and fellowship with Him. I also saw His faithfulness in His provision of Moses for the nation. Who but someone reared in Egypt’s royal court would have the skills to write such a detailed legal code, govern a large community, cast vision for the future, administer a judicial system, and even lead the military? I see a big leadership lesson here: God had Moses organize Israel into a nation before taking them to conquer the land, showing the wisdom of planning and creating an infrastructure to sustain future action and growth. There was no attitude of “let’s get moving and leave the picky details for later” or “we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.” God made sure Israel was spiritually, governmentally and militarily prepared in advance for what He called them to do.
(For an introduction and table of contents for this series, see New Series: Old Testament Reading Journal).