May 1, 2019: Day 4 – Deuteronomy 4

There is a lot in this chapter so let’s try to break it down.  You still need to look at the map that I included in the last blog.  Moses speaks about the 10 commandments and how God gave them to Moses, but especially how the people were witnesses to the presence of God.  Moses asks the following questions in verses 32 and following: have you ever seen a god who takes personal  interest in His people like our God?  Moses describes how God is actively and tangibly a part of the life of the people of Israel and revealed Himself to them throughout history.  Who  has a God like that?  Only the God of Israel is like what is described in history.

Moses goes from the handing down of the ten commandments to describing how and why he will not be able to enter the promised land because the people of Israel made God mad.  Moses tells the people of Israel that they better keep the commandments of the Lord or else the Lord will let the people live their lives on their own.

Then we take a left turn as we describe sanctuary cities.   And you thought sanctuary cities were a 21st century invention!  Nope, they have been around for a while and Moses was the one who instituted them.  I wonder if that makes things look a little differently than what we had thought in the past.