Day 59 Deuteronomy 31-33 Supplemental Note

Deuteronomy Chapter 31
Moses was the appointed human leader of Israel, but he was also the primary early human historian (The Lord gave Moses the information for the most ancient times; see Bible History) and librarian of Israel, beginning 40 years earlier (e.g. Exodus 17:14, 24:4-7, Numbers 33:2). When Moses reached the end of his own journey, he began preparing a succession of leadership and the library.

"So Moses continued to speak these words to all Israel. And he said to them, "I am a hundred and twenty years old this day; I am no longer able to go out and come in. The Lord has said to me, 'You shall not go over this Jordan.'" (Deuteronomy 31:1-2 RSV) "Then Moses summoned Joshua, and said to him in the sight of all Israel, "Be strong and of good courage; for you shall go with this people into the land which The Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them; and you shall put them in possession of it. It is The Lord who goes before you; he will be with you, he will not fail you or forsake you; do not fear or be dismayed." (Deuteronomy 31:7-8 RSV)

Moses then transferred possession of his library to the other Levites. Moses himself was a Levite (Exodus 2:1); the Levitical priesthood was established through Moses' brother Aaron and his successors (see The Lines Of Eleazar and Ithamar).

"And Moses wrote this law, and gave it to the priests the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of The Lord, and to all the elders of Israel. And Moses commanded them, "At the end of every seven years, at the set time of the year of release, at the feast of booths [i.e. the Feast of Tabernacles; see Christ's Feast of Tabernacles], when all Israel comes to appear before The Lord your God at the place which he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear The Lord your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law, and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear The Lord your God, as long as you live in the land which you are going over the Jordan to possess." (Deuteronomy 31:9-13 RSV)

Deuteronomy Chapter 32
The "Song of Moses" (not his only composition; Moses also wrote what became Psalm 90) was bittersweet in how it expressed the faithfulness of The Lord toward the people who so often became unfaithful to Him.

"For I will proclaim the Name of The Lord. Ascribe greatness to our God! The Rock [see 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 to understand who the "Rock" was], His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and right is He. They have dealt corruptly with Him, they are no longer His children because of their blemish; they are a perverse and crooked generation. Do you thus requite The Lord, you foolish and senseless people? Is not He your father, who created you [see Christ The Creator], Who made you and established you?" (Deuteronomy 32:3-6 RSV)

The Lord's final word on Moses, in this life (see the Fact Finder questions below; also The Valley of Moses' Grave).

"And The Lord said to Moses that very day, "Ascend this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, opposite Jericho; and view the land of Canaan, which I give to the people of Israel for a possession; and die on the mountain which you ascend, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died in Mount Hor and was gathered to his people; because you broke faith with Me in the midst of the people of Israel at the waters of Meribath-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because you did not revere me as holy in the midst of the people of Israel. For you shall see the land before you; but you shall not go there, into the land which I give to the people of Israel." (Deuteronomy 32:48-52 RSV)

Deuteronomy Chapter 33
Moses' final official act was a blessing upon the tribes of Israel, very similar to that given to them by their father Jacob, who The Lord renamed as Israel, just before he died (Genesis 49; see also the notes for Genesis 48-50).

"This is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. He said, "The Lord came from Sinai, and dawned from Seir upon us; he shone forth from Mount Paran, he came from the ten thousands of holy ones, with flaming fire at his right hand. Yea, he loved his people; all those consecrated to him were in his hand; so they followed in thy steps, receiving direction from thee, when Moses commanded us a law, as a possession for the assembly of Jacob. Thus The Lord became king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people were gathered, all the tribes of Israel together." (Deuteronomy 33:1-5 RSV)

Although the Messiah would come through Judah, as had long been known (e.g. " The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples" Genesis 49:10 RSV), the physical and national blessings would come to the tribe of Joseph (see The Israelite Patriarchs - Joseph), which had been made into two tribes, Ephraim and Manasseh. Interestingly, Moses' successor Joshua was of the tribe of Ephraim (1 Chronicles 7:20,27).

"And of Joseph he said, "Blessed by The Lord be his land, with the choicest gifts of heaven above, and of the deep that couches beneath, with the choicest fruits of the sun, and the rich yield of the months, with the finest produce of the ancient mountains, and the abundance of the everlasting hills, with the best gifts of the earth and its fulness, and the favor of him that dwelt in the bush. Let these come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the crown of the head of him that is prince among his brothers. His firstling bull has majesty, and his horns are the horns of a wild ox; with them he shall push the peoples, all of them, to the ends of the earth; such are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and such are the thousands of Manasseh." (Deuteronomy 33:13-17 RSV)

Day 58 Deuteronomy 28-30 Supplemental Note

Deuteronomy Chapter 28
There are two sources of the blessings that will come when people live according to God's Way. The first is the natural good that will result when one does things in a way that works. The other is the additional blessing that The Lord will give to those who truly seek to obey Him.

"And if you obey the voice of The Lord your God, being careful to do all His Commandments which I command you this day, The Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of The Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, and the fruit of your ground, and the fruit of your beasts, the increase of your cattle, and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading-trough. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you; they shall come out against you one way, and flee before you seven ways. The Lord will command the blessing upon you in your barns, and in all that you undertake; and he will bless you in the land which The Lord your God gives you." (Deuteronomy 28:1-8 RSV)

Conversely, those who reject The Way of The Lord will reap the failure and misery that they sow for themselves.

"But if you will not obey the voice of The Lord your God or be careful to do all His Commandments and His statutes which I command you this day, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field. Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading-trough. Cursed shall be the fruit of your body, and the fruit of your ground, the increase of your cattle, and the young of your flock. Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out. The Lord will send upon you curses, confusion, and frustration, in all that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly, on account of the evil of your doings, because you have forsaken Me." (Deuteronomy 28:15-20 RSV)

Deuteronomy Chapter 29
The Ten Commandments did not originate with the Israelites at Mount Sinai; God's Law that was codified as The Ten Commandments existed right from the time that The Lord (see the Fact Finder question below to understand who that was) created the first humans. The covenant with the physical Israelites was given to Moses however with a specific prophetic purpose for all of those who would choose to be God's people (see Physical and Spiritual Israel).

"These are the words of the covenant which The Lord commanded Moses to make with the people of Israel in the land of Moab, besides the covenant which he had made with them at Horeb." (Deuteronomy 29:1 RSV). "Therefore be careful to do the words of this covenant, that you may prosper in all that you do. You stand this day all of you before The Lord your God; the heads of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, all the men of Israel, your little ones, your wives, and the sojourner who is in your camp, both he who hews your wood and he who draws your water, that you may enter into the sworn covenant of The Lord your God, which The Lord your God makes with you this day; that he may establish you this day as his people, and that he may be your God, as he promised you, and as he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. Nor is it with you only that I make this sworn covenant, but with him who is not here with us this day as well as with him who stands here with us this day before The Lord our God." (Deuteronomy 29:9-15 RSV).

Deuteronomy Chapter 30
Living according to God's Way is a journey toward a destination (see Born Again, How and When?), a trek that will itself be blessed for those who choose life.

"For this commandment which I command you this day is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, 'Who will go up for us to heaven, and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who will go over the sea for us, and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' But the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it." (Deuteronomy 30:11-14 RSV) I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live, loving The Lord your God, obeying His voice, and cleaving to Him; for that means life to you and length of days, that you may dwell in the land which The Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them." (Deuteronomy 30:19-20 RSV)

Day 57 Deuteronomy 25-27 Supplemental Note

Deuteronomy Chapter 25
A modern-day fuel tanker requires fuel to enable it to deliver fuel to those who will make use of it; the fuel tanker does not itself benefit from the fuel that it consumes - it's merely what is needed to make delivery possible. The same principle is found in the Holy Bible, for working animals such as an ox, but also for the work of God, as stated by the apostle Paul who quoted this same verse from Deuteronomy.

"You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain." (Deuteronomy 25:4 RSV) "Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching; for the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain," and, "The laborer deserves his wages." (1 Timothy 5:17-18 RSV)

The family was the foundation of Israelite life. When a loss occurred, perpetuation of a family was sometimes done according to a specific marriage rule within the family.

"If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead shall not be married outside the family to a stranger; her husband's brother shall go in to her, and take her as his wife, and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her. And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his brother who is dead, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel. And if the man does not wish to take his brother's wife, then his brother's wife shall go up to the gate to the elders [see also The Senate], and say, 'My husband's brother refuses to perpetuate his brother's name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband's brother to me.' Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak to him: and if he persists, saying, 'I do not wish to take her,' then his brother's wife shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, and pull his sandal off his foot, and spit in his face; and she shall answer and say, 'So shall it be done to the man who does not build up his brother's house.' And the name of his house shall be called in Israel, The house of him that had his sandal pulled off." (Deuteronomy 25:5-10 RSV)

Honesty in trade was one of the key obligations of free enterprise.

"You shall not have in your bag two kinds of weights, a large and a small. You shall not have in your house two kinds of measures, a large and a small. A full and just weight you shall have, a full and just measure you shall have; that your days may be prolonged in the land which The Lord your God gives you. For all who do such things, all who act dishonestly, are an abomination to The Lord your God." (Deuteronomy 25:13-16 RSV)

Deuteronomy Chapter 26
The ceremony of the firstfruits when the Israelites entered their physical promised land was a direct portrayal of the firstfruits of salvation entering the spiritual promised land at Christ's return (see Christ's Pentecost and When Will You Be Judged?).

"When you come into the land which The Lord your God gives you for an inheritance, and have taken possession of it, and live in it, you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from your land that The Lord your God gives you, and you shall put it in a basket, and you shall go to the place which The Lord your God will choose, to make his name to dwell there. And you shall go to the priest who is in office at that time, and say to him, 'I declare this day to The Lord your God that I have come into the land which The Lord swore to our fathers to give us.' Then the priest shall take the basket from your hand, and set it down before the altar of The Lord your God." (Deuteronomy 26:1-4 RSV)

Obeying God benefits those who choose to obey God. Salvation is a gift to repentant sinners; unrepentant sinners are going to be cast into the lake of fire.

"This day The Lord your God commands you to do these statutes and ordinances; you shall therefore be careful to do them with all your heart and with all your soul. You have declared this day concerning The Lord that He is your God, and that you will walk in His ways, and keep His statutes and His commandments and His ordinances, and will obey His voice; and The Lord has declared this day concerning you that you are a people for His own possession, as He has promised you, and that you are to keep all His commandments, that He will set you high above all nations that He has made, in praise and in fame and in honor, and that you shall be a people holy to The Lord your God, as He has spoken." (Deuteronomy 26:16-19 RSV)

Deuteronomy Chapter 27
Mount Ebal, from the Hebrew word pronounced ay-bawl, meaning rocky, is a mountain in Samaria, in central Israel. At a height of 3,077 feet / 937 meters above sea level, and 1,200 feet / 365 feet above the level of the adjacent valley, it was located on the north side of the ancient city of Shechem. Mount Gerizim was to the south of Shechem on the opposite side of the valley. Well within sight of each other, Mount Ebal's rather barren appearance contrasted with the more profusely-covered Mount Gerizim. This difference was used in a ceremony to symbolize the blessings for those who obey God, and the curses for those who disobey - a principle that applies as much now as at any other time during Bible History.

"And Moses charged the people the same day, saying, "When you have passed over the Jordan, these shall stand upon Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. And these shall stand upon Mount Ebal for the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. And the Levites shall declare to all the men of Israel with a loud voice: "Cursed be the man who makes a graven or molten image, an abomination to The Lord, a thing made by the hands of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret.' And all the people shall answer and say, 'Amen.'
"'Cursed be he who dishonors his father or his mother.' [see "Honour thy father and thy mother"] And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'
"'Cursed be he who removes his neighbor's Landmark.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'
"'Cursed be he who misleads a blind man on the road.' [see also Stumbling Blocks] And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'
"'Cursed be he who perverts the justice due to the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'
"'Cursed be he who lies with his father's wife, because he has uncovered her who is his father's.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'
"'Cursed be he who lies with any kind of beast.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'
"'Cursed be he who lies with his sister, whether the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'
"'Cursed be he who lies with his mother-in-law.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'
"'Cursed be he who slays his neighbor in secret.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'
"'Cursed be he who takes a bribe to slay an innocent person.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'
"'Cursed be he who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.' (Deuteronomy 27:11-26 RSV)

Day 56 Deuteronomy 20-24 Supplemental Note

Deuteronomy Chapter 20
When the Israelites went to war, it was a Levite priest that addressed the troops before battle to remind them that it was The Lord who was fighting for them, "for The Lord your God is He that goes with you" (see also "Strong Is He Who Has Come Down").

"When you go forth to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them; for The Lord your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. And when you draw near to the battle, the priest [see Levites; also The Lines Of Eleazar and Ithamar] shall come forward and speak to the people, and shall say to them, 'Hear, O Israel, you draw near this day to battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint; do not fear, or tremble, or be in dread of them; for The Lord your God is he that goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.'" (Deuteronomy 20:1-4 RSV)

Then the battle commanders addressed the volunteer army with one last chance to withdraw themselves for just cause.

"Then the officers shall speak to the people, saying, 'What man is there that has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man dedicate it. And what man is there that has planted a vineyard and has not enjoyed its fruit? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man enjoy its fruit. And what man is there that has betrothed a wife and has not taken her? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man take her.'" (Deuteronomy 20:5-7 RSV)

The rules of engagement for the Israelites differed according to where the battle took place. If it was outside the promised land, the enemy was allowed a chance to surrender; if they didn't, all males were to be killed, while everyone and everything else could be taken as booty. On the other hand, if it were within the promised land, the enemy troops and population were to be annihilated - without destroying the trees, which would be the Israelites' because they were within the prescribed borders of the land of Israel.

"When you draw near to a city to fight against it, offer terms of peace to it. And if its answer to you is peace and it opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall do forced labor for you and shall serve you. But if it makes no peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it; and when The Lord your God gives it into your hand you shall put all its males to the sword, but the women and the little ones, the cattle, and everything else in the city, all its spoil, you shall take as booty for yourselves; and you shall enjoy the spoil of your enemies, which The Lord your God has given you. Thus you shall do to all the cities which are very far from you, which are not cities of the nations here. But in the cities of these peoples that The Lord your God gives you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes, but you shall utterly destroy them, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites [see The Land Of Canaan] and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, as The Lord your God has commanded; that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices which they have done in the service of their gods, and so to sin against The Lord your God.
When you besiege a city for a long time, making war against it in order to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an axe against them; for you may eat of them, but you shall not cut them down. Are the trees in the field men that they should be besieged by you? Only the trees which you know are not trees for food you may destroy and cut down that you may build siegeworks against the city that makes war with you, until it falls." (Deuteronomy 20:10-20 RSV)

Deuteronomy Chapter 21
As stated above, foreign women from cities outside of the promised land of Israel could be taken alive. They could be married if they chose to be; if the woman refused the marriage, she was free to leave.

"When you go forth to war against your enemies, and The Lord your God gives them into your hands, and you take them captive, and see among the captives a beautiful woman, and you have desire for her and would take her for yourself as wife, then you shall bring her home to your house, and she shall shave her head and pare her nails. And she shall put off her captive's garb, and shall remain in your house and bewail her father and her mother a full month; after that you may go in to her, and be her husband, and she shall be your wife. Then, if you have no delight in her, you shall let her go where she will; but you shall not sell her for money, you shall not treat her as a slave, since you have humiliated her." (Deuteronomy 21:10-14 RSV)

The rights, and responsibilities, of the firstborn son was a direct foreshadow of the Christ (see Christ's Pentecost)

"If a man has two wives, the one loved and the other disliked, and they have borne him children, both the loved and the disliked, and if the first-born son is hers that is disliked, then on the day when he assigns his possessions as an inheritance to his sons, he may not treat the son of the loved as the first-born in preference to the son of the disliked, who is the first-born, but he shall acknowledge the first-born, the son of the disliked, by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the first issue of his strength; the right of the first-born is his." (Deuteronomy 21:15-17 RSV)

Executed people were not to be left hanging (see also Gallows) beyond the time of execution - another direct symbolism of the Messiah (see Cross or Stake? and Eloi, Eloi, Lama Sabachthani?).

"And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is accursed by God" (Deuteronomy 21:22-23 RSV)

Deuteronomy Chapter 22
God is pure; His creation was to be a reflection of the ultimate Creation that is yet to come (see The City To Come). In the mean time, simple things of life were to be "pure."

"A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman's garment [see Clothing In Bible Times]; for whoever does these things is an abomination to The Lord your God." (Deuteronomy 22:5 RSV) "You shall not sow your vineyard with two kinds of seed, lest the whole yield be forfeited to the sanctuary, the crop which you have sown and the yield of the vineyard."
You shall not plow with an ox and an ass together.
You shall not wear a mingled stuff, wool and linen together." (Deuteronomy 22:9-5 RSV)

Physical adultery was a capital offense because physical marriage itself was symbolic of a greater marriage to come (see "Thou shalt not commit adultery").

"If a man is found lying with the wife of another man, both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman; so you shall purge the evil from Israel." (Deuteronomy 22:22 RSV)

Deuteronomy Chapter 23
The rules of purity naturally applied to prevention of disease epidemics within a highly-populated camp.

"When you go forth against your enemies and are in camp, then you shall keep yourself from every evil thing. "If there is among you any man who is not clean by reason of what chances to him by night, then he shall go outside the camp, he shall not come within the camp; but when evening comes on, he shall bathe himself in water, and when the sun is down, he may come within the camp. You shall have a place outside the camp and you shall go out to it; and you shall have a stick with your weapons; and when you sit down outside, you shall dig a hole with it, and turn back and cover up your excrement. Because The Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp, to save you and to give up your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy, that he may not see anything indecent among you, and turn away from you." (Deuteronomy 23:9-14 RSV)

God's Law required both business responsibility and compassion. Poor people or hungry travelers (Christ Himself was an example of "When you go into your neighbor's standing grain" rule as quoted below i.e. "At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat," Matthew 12:1 RSV; note that Jesus was not working on the Sabbath - He was merely eating a necessary meal because He was hungry).

"When you make a vow to The Lord your God, you shall not be slack to pay it; for The Lord your God will surely require it of you, and it would be sin in you. But if you refrain from vowing, it shall be no sin in you. You shall be careful to perform what has passed your lips, for you have voluntarily vowed to The Lord your God what you have promised with your mouth. "When you go into your neighbor's vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes, as many as you wish, but you shall not put any in your vessel. When you go into your neighbor's standing grain, you may pluck the ears with your hand, but you shall not put a sickle to your neighbor's standing grain." (Deuteronomy 23:21-25 RSV)

Deuteronomy Chapter 24
The Law of God is about rights and responsibilities - individual freedom, but in such a way that it benefited the entire nation. Example: military service was a part of Israelite life, but it did not take precedence over the starting of a family, a practical policy since it might provide a replacement Israelite for the father who might later be killed in war.

"When a man is newly married, he shall not go out with the army or be charged with any business; he shall be free at home one year, to be happy with his wife whom he has taken." (Deuteronomy 24:5 RSV)

Another example: when Israelites harvested their fields, they were to not harvest it entirely and then give to the needy, but rather to leave some of the crop unharvested so that the needy could have the simple human dignity, and personal responsibility, of working for what they received.

"When you reap your harvest in your field, and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow; that The Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat your olive trees, you shall not go over the boughs again; it shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow. When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not glean it afterward; it shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I command you to do this." (Deuteronomy 24:19-22 RSV)

Day 55 Deuteronomy 17-19 Supplemental Note

Deuteronomy Chapter 17
The Lord's justice is true justice because it is above human politics i.e. some things are "legal" in one country but "illegal" in another, while God's Law is based upon what is truly right for everyone, everywhere, forever (see Timeless). The Lord nevertheless allowed local or tribal councils to settle legal matters of God's one perfect Law, because local people were best capable of making an informed judgment. When a decision could not be reached at such a "lower court," the matter was taken to the Levites who were more studied in God's Law - but whether a decision was reached by a lower council, or by the Levites, everyone used God's Law as the basis for their decision. Contempt of court was a capital offense because the Judge that they were ultimately not respecting was The Lord.

"If any case arises requiring decision between one kind of homicide and another, one kind of legal right and another, or one kind of assault and another, any case within your towns which is too difficult for you, then you shall arise and go up to the place which The Lord your God will choose, and coming to the Levitical priests, and to the judge who is in office in those days, you shall consult them, and they shall declare to you the decision. Then you shall do according to what they declare to you from that place which The Lord will choose; and you shall be careful to do according to all that they direct you; according to the instructions which they give you, and according to the decision which they pronounce to you, you shall do; you shall not turn aside from the verdict which they declare to you, either to the right hand or to the left. The man who acts presumptuously, by not obeying the priest who stands to minister there before The Lord your God, or the judge, that man shall die; so you shall purge the evil from Israel. And all the people shall hear, and fear, and not act presumptuously again." (Deuteronomy 17:8-13 RSV)

Kings and officials among the Israelites were to meet two qualifications - to be a citizen from within their own people (i.e. they were not to accept any foreign imperial ruler) and to personally know and live by the Word of God.

"you may indeed set as king over you him whom The Lord your God will choose. One from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother." (Deuteronomy 17:15 RSV) "And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, from that which is in the charge of the Levitical priests; and it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear The Lord his God, by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them; that his heart may not be lifted up above his brethren, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left" (Deuteronomy 17:18-20 RSV)

Deuteronomy Chapter 18
The Levites could freely move from one tribal territory to another within Israel because they had no tribal allotment of their own.

"The Levitical priests, that is, all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel; they shall eat the offerings by fire to The Lord, and his rightful dues. They shall have no inheritance among their brethren; The Lord is their inheritance, as he promised them." (Deuteronomy 18:1-2 RSV) "And if a Levite comes from any of your towns out of all Israel, where he lives - and he may come when he desires - to the place which The Lord will choose, then he may minister in the name of The Lord his God, like all his fellow-Levites who stand to minister there before The Lord. They shall have equal portions to eat, besides what he receives from the sale of his patrimony." (Deuteronomy 18:6-8 RSV)

The purpose of Prophets was to deliver the Word of God, not the word of themselves (see Traditions of The Lawyers and I Did It My Way...).

"And The Lord said to me, 'They have rightly said all that they have spoken. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brethren; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And whoever will not give heed to my words which he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him. But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.' And if you say in your heart, 'How may we know the word which The Lord has not spoken?' -- when a prophet speaks in the name of The Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word which The Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously, you need not be afraid of him." (Deuteronomy 18:17-22 RSV)

Deuteronomy Chapter 19
The Commandment against killing was actually about not committing murder. The lethal force of lawful self defense, lawful military operations and lawful law enforcement were all the means by which "Thou shalt not kill" was enforced - The Lord commanded that the death penalty was to be imposed upon those who were found guilty of murder after a fair and impartial trial. The innocent were not to be punished. The cities of refuge were there to insure that justice was done.

"This is the provision for the manslayer, who by fleeing there may save his life. If any one kills his neighbor unintentionally without having been at enmity with him in time past-- as when a man goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down a tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies - he may flee to one of these cities and save his life; lest the avenger of blood in hot anger pursue the manslayer and overtake him, because the way is long, and wound him mortally, though the man did not deserve to die, since he was not at enmity with his neighbor in time past." (Deuteronomy 19:4-6 RSV) "But if any man hates his neighbor, and lies in wait for him, and attacks him, and wounds him mortally so that he dies, and the man flees into one of these cities, then the elders [see also The Senate] of his city shall send and fetch him from there, and hand him over to the avenger of blood, so that he may die. Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, so that it may be well with you." (Deuteronomy 19:11-13 RSV)

Day 54 Deuteronomy 14-16 Supplemental Note

Deuteronomy Chapter 14
The Creator (see the Fact Finder question below) knows what is good for life and what is contrary to it. Diet is very important to good health because, physically, we are literally what we eat. Humans and animals began as vegetarians: "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food" (Genesis 1:29-30 RSV), however, after the Flood, The Lord permitted humans to also consume clean animals, fish and birds: "The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every bird of the air, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea; into your hand they are delivered. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; and as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything" (Genesis 9:2-3 RSV).
Clean and Unclean animals were already known to humans while humans were yet vegetarians i.e. before the flood, while humans were yet vegetarians, "Of clean animals, and of animals that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground, two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded Noah." (Genesis 7:8-9 RSV). The principle was repeated later because what is good is Timeless.

"You shall not eat any abominable thing. These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, the hart, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain-sheep. Every animal that parts the hoof and has the hoof cloven in two, and chews the cud, among the animals, you may eat. Yet of those that chew the cud or have the hoof cloven you shall not eat these: the camel, the hare, and the rock badger, because they chew the cud but do not part the hoof, are unclean for you. And the swine, because it parts the hoof but does not chew the cud, is unclean for you. Their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch. Of all that are in the waters you may eat these: whatever has fins and scales you may eat. And whatever does not have fins and scales you shall not eat; it is unclean for you.
You may eat all clean birds. But these are the ones which you shall not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the osprey, the buzzard, the kite, after their kinds; every raven after its kind; the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, the hawk, after their kinds; the little owl and the great owl, the water hen and the pelican, the carrion vulture and the cormorant, the stork, the heron, after their kinds; the hoopoe and the bat.
And all winged insects are unclean for you; they shall not be eaten. All clean winged things you may eat." (Deuteronomy 14:3-20 RSV)

Tithing was established as a practical act of worship, a humble recognition of the Creator's "Now therefore, if you will obey My voice and keep My covenant, you shall be My own possession among all peoples; for all the earth is mine" (Exodus 19:5 RSV).

"You shall tithe all the yield of your seed, which comes forth from the field year by year. And before The Lord your God, in the place which He will choose, to make His Name dwell there, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstlings of your herd and flock; that you may learn to fear The Lord your God always. And if the way is too long for you, so that you are not able to bring the tithe, when The Lord your God blesses you, because the place is too far from you, which The Lord your God chooses, to set his name there, then you shall turn it into money, and bind up the money in your hand, and go to the place which The Lord your God chooses, and spend the money for whatever you desire, oxen, or sheep, or wine or strong drink, whatever your appetite craves; and you shall eat there before The Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household. And you shall not forsake the Levite who is within your towns, for he has no portion or inheritance with you." (Deuteronomy 14:22-27 RSV)

Deuteronomy Chapter 15
God's people were free to work and prosper, but they were at the same time to be responsible citizens, as Christ Himself had done ("And Jesus said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" They said, "Caesar's." Then He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's" Matthew 22:20-21 RSV; note: the coins spoken of there by Christ were similar to those shown in the illustration - Caesar Augustus reigned at the time of Christ's birth, Caesar Tiberius at the time of Christ's crucifixion) and compassionate toward their fellow man.

"At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release. And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release what he has lent to his neighbor; he shall not exact it of his neighbor, his brother, because The Lord's release has been proclaimed. Of a foreigner you may exact it; but whatever of yours is with your brother your hand shall release. But there will be no poor among you, for The Lord will bless you in the land which The Lord your God gives you for an inheritance to possess, if only you will obey the voice of The Lord your God, being careful to do all this commandment which I command you this day. For The Lord your God will bless you, as he promised you, and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; and you shall rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over you." If there is among you a poor man, one of your brethren, in any of your towns within your land which The Lord your God gives you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him, and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. Take heed lest there be a base thought in your heart, and you say, 'The seventh year, the year of release is near,' and your eye be hostile to your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to The Lord against you, and it be sin in you. You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him; because for this The Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. For the poor will never cease out of the land; therefore I command you, You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in the land." (Deuteronomy 15:1-11 RSV)

Deuteronomy Chapter 16
The Lord's true Holy Days were established as living symbols of the process of salvation, through and by means of the only Savior, Jesus Christ.
Christ's Passover and Christ's Feast of Unleavened Bread:

"Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover to The Lord your God; for in the month of Abib The Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night. And you shall offer the passover sacrifice to The Lord your God, from the flock or the herd, at the place which The Lord will choose, to make his name dwell there. You shall eat no leavened bread with it; seven days you shall eat it with unleavened bread, the bread of affliction--for you came out of the land of Egypt in hurried flight - that all the days of your life you may remember the day when you came out of the land of Egypt. No leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory for seven days; nor shall any of the flesh which you sacrifice on the evening of the first day remain all night until morning." (Deuteronomy 16:1-4 RSV)

Christ's Pentecost (regarding the instruction "You shall count seven weeks," you may listen to the detailed sermon Pentecost, A Day Of Reckoning as well as sermons for all of God's true Holy Days from our Sermons page and our Holy Day Calendar page.

"You shall count seven weeks; begin to count the seven weeks from the time you first put the sickle to the standing grain." (Deuteronomy 16:9 RSV)

Christ's Feast of Tabernacles ("the feast of booths") and Christ's Eighth Day, which are preceded by Christ's Feast of Trumpets and Christ's Day Of Atonement:

"You shall keep the feast of booths seven days, when you make your ingathering from your threshing floor and your wine press; you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your manservant and your maidservant, the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are within your towns. For seven days you shall keep the feast to The Lord your God at the place which The Lord will choose; because The Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful. Three times a year all your males shall appear before The Lord your God at the place which he will choose: at the feast of unleavened bread, at the feast of weeks, and at the feast of booths. They shall not appear before The Lord empty-handed; every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of The Lord your God which he has given you." (Deuteronomy 16:13-17 RSV)

Day 53 Deuteronomy 11-13 Supplemental Note

Deuteronomy Chapter 11
Over and over, The Lord emphasized to His people, past and present, that obedience to Him is not to His benefit, since The Lord already has everything, but to their benefit - blessings that would come from the natural result of doing things right, as determined by Him who made all things that are good, to even more blessings from The Lord to those who obey Him.

"You shall therefore keep all the commandment which I command you this day, that you may be strong, and go in and take possession of the land which you are going over to possess, and that you may live long in the land which The Lord swore to your fathers to give to them and to their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey. For the land which you are entering to take possession of it is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and watered it with your feet, like a garden of vegetables; but the land which you are going over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water by the rain from heaven, a land which The Lord your God cares for; the eyes of The Lord your God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year." (Deuteronomy 11:8-12 RSV)

But with the absolutely sure promise of blessings for the truly obedient (see the Fact Finder question below) came also a warning of sure curses upon those who chose (see Damnation to understand how salvation is a personal choice) not to repent and live as best as humanly possible according to The Lord's Way.

"Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the Commandments of The Lord your God, which I command you this day, and the curse, if you do not obey the Commandments of The Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods which you have not known." (Deuteronomy 11:26-28 RSV)

Deuteronomy Chapter 12
Those who choose to obey The Lord must also make a choice to obey Him according to the way that He instructs (see the Fact Finder question below). For example, when The Lord told His people not to use idols to worship Him, He meant exactly what He said (see What Would Mary Really Say About Idolatry?).

"You shall surely destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess served their gods, upon the high mountains and upon the hills and under every green tree; you shall tear down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and burn their Asherim with fire; you shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy their name out of that place. You shall not do so to The Lord your God." (Deuteronomy 12:2-4 RSV) "You shall not do according to all that we are doing here this day, every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes; for you have not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance which The Lord your God gives you." (Deuteronomy 12:8-9 RSV)

Deuteronomy Chapter 13
The Lord commanded the Israelites to completely obliterate the heathen religions out of their land as a simple matter of self-defense. Otherwise, it would surely corrupt the people which would result in their destruction. The Lord provided His people with the knowledge of the way to life; it was up to them to make their choice of life or death for themselves. They were also always to be on guard against false teachers and prophets who would lead people away from what The Lord plainly provided to them, and to us, in writing.

"If a prophet arises among you, or a dreamer of dreams, and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder which he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, 'Let us go after other gods,' which you have not known, 'and let us serve them,' you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or to that dreamer of dreams; for The Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love The Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after The Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His Commandments and obey His voice, and you shall serve Him and cleave to Him." But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against The Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to make you leave the way in which The Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from the midst of you." (Deuteronomy 13:1-4 RSV)

Day 52 Deuteronomy 8-10 Supplemental Note

Deuteronomy Chapter 8
As they were nearing the end of their homeward journey, the Israelites were reminded why a trek that could have been easily done in less than a year took them over forty years. It was an irony; The Lord cared very well for the next generation, while awaiting the rebellious ones who refused to enter the promised land, when they had the opportunity to do so, to die off (see A Journey Without A Destination).

"All the commandment which I command you this day you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land which The Lord swore to give to your fathers. And you shall remember all the way which The Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that He might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His Commandments, or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna {see Christ, The Bread of Life], which you did not know, nor did your fathers know; that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but that man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of The Lord. Your clothing did not wear out upon you, and your foot did not swell, these forty years. Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, The Lord your God disciplines you." (Deuteronomy 8:1-5 RSV)

The promise was clear - obey The Lord, and His people would truly enter a land of blessings.

"So you shall keep the Commandments of The Lord your God, by walking in His ways and by fearing Him. For The Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains [see also The Fountains Of The Great Deep] and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills, a land of wheat [see Corn; also The Great Tribulation] and Barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees [see The Olive Tree] and Honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper." (Deuteronomy 8:6-9 RSV)

Deuteronomy Chapter 9
Although the infamous debacle with the "golden calf" is one of the best-known incidents of Bible History, people to this day do the same thing - they turn their back to The Lord and bow before idols (see "Thou shalt not make any graven image").

"And at the end of forty days and forty nights The Lord gave me the two tables of stone, the tables of the covenant. Then The Lord said to me, 'Arise, go down quickly from here; for your people whom you have brought from Egypt have acted corruptly; they have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them; they have made themselves a molten image.'" (Deuteronomy 9:11-12 RSV) "So I turned and came down from the mountain, and the mountain was burning with fire; and the two tables of the covenant were in my two hands. And I looked, and behold, you had sinned against The Lord your God; you had made yourselves a molten calf; you had turned aside quickly from the way which The Lord had commanded you. So I took hold of the two tables, and cast them out of my two hands, and broke them before your eyes." (Deuteronomy 9:15-17 RSV)

Moses at that time did something that only two other humans, Elijah and Jesus Christ, are recorded to have done (see The Forty Day Fasts).

"Then I lay prostrate before The Lord as before, forty days and forty nights; I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all the sin which you had committed, in doing what was evil in the sight of The Lord, to provoke him to anger.For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure which The Lord bore against you, so that he was ready to destroy you. But The Lord hearkened to me that time also. And The Lord was so angry with Aaron that he was ready to destroy him; and I prayed for Aaron also at the same time. Then I took the sinful thing, the calf which you had made, and burned it with fire and crushed it, grinding it very small, until it was as fine as dust; and I threw the dust of it into the brook that descended out of the mountain." (Deuteronomy 9:18-21 RSV)

Deuteronomy Chapter 10
Moses then made a replacement set of stone tablets, upon which The Lord re-wrote The Ten Commandments. The Lord also at that time instructed Moses to make a container, The Ark Of The Covenant (see also Raiders Of The Lost Ark), to provide a secure carrying device for the "breakable" (as the Israelites did many times spiritually) covenant stones.

"At that time The Lord said to me [see also Why Did Christ Put Moses To Death?], 'Hew two tables of stone like the first, and come up to me on the mountain, and make an ark of wood. And I will write on the tables the words that were on the first tables which you broke, and you shall put them in the ark.' So I made an ark of acacia wood, and hewed two tables of stone like the first, and went up the mountain with the two tables in my hand. And He wrote on the tables, as at the first writing, the Ten Commandments which The Lord had spoken to you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly; and The Lord gave them to me. Then I turned and came down from the mountain, and put the tables in the ark which I had made; and there they are, as The Lord commanded me." (Deuteronomy 10:1-5 RSV)

The Lord provided His Law to His people, not to limit them, but to set them free from a dead-end world.

"And now, Israel, what does The Lord your God require of you, but to fear The Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve The Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the Commandments and statutes of The Lord, which I command you this day for your good? Behold, to The Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it; yet The Lord set His heart in love upon your fathers and chose their descendants after them, you above all peoples, as at this day." (Deuteronomy 10:12-15 RSV)

Day 51 Deuteronomy 5-7 Supplemental Note

Deuteronomy Chapter 5
Moses then reiterated The Lord's Ten Commandments that had been given to God's people at the time forty years earlier, for all time (see The Ten Commandments Before Sinai? and the Fact Finder question below).

"I am The Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I The Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love Me and keep My Commandments.
You shall not take The Name of The Lord your God in vain: for The Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as The Lord your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a Sabbath to The Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, or your manservant, or your maidservant, or your ox, or your ass, or any of your cattle, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your manservant and your maidservant may rest as well as you. You shall remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and The Lord your God brought you out thence with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore The Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
Honor your father and your mother, as The Lord your God commanded you; that your days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with you, in the land which The Lord your God gives you.
You shall not kill.
Neither shall you commit adultery.
Neither shall you steal.
Neither shall you bear false witness against your neighbor.
Neither shall you covet your neighbor's wife; and you shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor's.'" (Deuteronomy 5:6-21 RSV)

Deuteronomy Chapter 6
Although the people of Judah adopted a tradition for themselves (the other tribes of Israel didn't) to use Frontlets and Phylacteries, The Lord wasn't referring merely to the symbolism; He was talking about actually living according to God's Way (ironically, people wearing phylacteries were among those who rejected the Author of them when He came i.e. "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach, but do not practice. They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by men; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long," Matthew 23:2-5 RSV).

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love The Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." (Deuteronomy 6:4-9 RSV)

Jesus Christ repeated His own words centuries later to emphasize their timeless implementation (see the Fact Finder question below):

"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And He said to him, "You shall love The Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." (Matthew 22:36-37 RSV)

Deuteronomy Chapter 7
The Israelites were to respect the legal sovereignty of other nations (see Landmark), but they were at the same time to take total control of their own sovereignty within their own God-defined borders. Otherwise, they would know much trouble and corruption from the hostile aliens in their midst.

"When The Lord your God brings you into the land which you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites [see The Land Of Canaan], the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than yourselves, and when The Lord your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them; then you must utterly destroy them; you shall make no covenant with them, and show no mercy to them. You shall not make marriages with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons. For they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods; then the anger of The Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly.
But thus shall you deal with them: you shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and hew down their Asherim, and burn their graven images with fire. "For you are a people holy to The Lord your God; The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession, out of all the peoples that are on the face of the earth." (Deuteronomy 7:1-6 RSV)

Day 50 Deuteronomy 2-4 Supplemental Note

Deuteronomy Chapter 2
The book of Deuteronomy summarizes the approximate forty years of Bible History from the Exodus to the time just before the Israelites entered their promised land i.e. Deuteronomy reviews, and in some cases elaborates upon, information originally written in Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers (see The Deuteronomy of Moses).

"For The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands; He knows your going through this great wilderness [see also The Wilderness of Sin]; these forty years The Lord your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.'" (Deuteronomy 2:7 RSV) "And the time from our leaving Kadesh-Barnea until we crossed the brook Zered was thirty-eight years, until the entire generation, that is, the men of war, had perished from the camp, as The Lord had sworn to them. For indeed the hand of The Lord was against them, to destroy them from The Camp, until they had perished [see A Journey Without A Destination].
So when all the men of war had perished and were dead from among the people, The Lord said to me, 'This day you are to pass over the boundary of Moab at Ar; and when you approach the frontier of the sons of Ammon, do not harass them or contend with them, for I will not give you any of the land of the sons of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the sons of Lot for a possession.'" (Deuteronomy 2:14-19 RSV) [see Landmark]
'Rise up, take your journey, and go over the valley of the Arnon; behold, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land; begin to take possession, and contend with him in battle. This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the peoples that are under the whole heaven, who shall hear the report of you and shall tremble and be in anguish because of you.'" (Deuteronomy 2:24-25 RSV)

Deuteronomy Chapter 3
The land of Israel included tribal areas east of the Jordan, which are today occupied by the people of Syria and Jordan (see Eastern Tribal Lands).

"When we took possession of this land at that time, I gave to the Reubenites and the Gadites the territory beginning at Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, and half the hill country of Gilead with its cities; the rest of Gilead, and all Bashan, the kingdom of Og, that is, all the region of Argob, I gave to the half-tribe of Manasseh. The whole of that Bashan is called the land of Rephaim. Jair the Manassite took all the region of Argob, that is, Bashan, as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, and called the villages after his own name, Havvoth-jair, as it is to this day. To Machir I gave Gilead, and to the Reubenites and the Gadites I gave the territory from Gilead as far as the valley of the Arnon, with the middle of the valley as a boundary, as far over as the river Jabbok, the boundary of the Ammonites; the Arabah also, with the Jordan as the boundary, from Chinnereth [i.e. The Sea Of Galilee] as far as the sea of the Arabah, The Salt Sea, under the slopes of Pisgah on the east." (Deuteronomy 3:12-17 RSV)

Although Moses was closer to The Lord than anyone (see The Trysting Tent), he was not above the Law; when Moses violated The Lord's instructions before the people, it cost Moses his own entry into the promised land (although Moses will be in the ultimate Promised Land, the future Kingdom of God - see Why Did Christ Put Moses To Death?). Moses asked The Lord to change His mind on the decision, as he had successfully done at times before (e.g. "But Moses besought The Lord his God, and said, "O Lord, why does Thy wrath burn hot against Thy people, whom Thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Exodus 32:11 RSV), but this time, the answer remained "No" (Abraham was another who was close enough to The Lord to ask Him to change His mind - see "Jehovah" and Abraham).

""And I besought The Lord at that time, saying, 'O Lord God, Thou hast only begun to show Thy servant Thy greatness and Thy mighty hand; for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as Thine? Let me go over, I pray, and see the good land beyond the Jordan, that goodly hill country, and Lebanon.' But The Lord was angry with me on your account, and would not hearken to me; and The Lord said to me, 'Let it suffice you; speak no more to me of this matter. Go up to the top of Pisgah, and lift up your eyes westward and northward and southward and eastward, and behold it with your eyes; for you shall not go over this Jordan. But charge Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him; for he shall go over at the head of this people, and he shall put them in possession of the land which you shall see.' So we remained in the valley [see also The Valley of Moses' Grave] opposite Beth-peor." (Deuteronomy 3:23-29 RSV)

Deuteronomy Chapter 4
The Israelites had witnessed idol worship during their time in Egypt (their infamous making of the golden calf was likely based upon the Egyptian bull "god" - see notes for Exodus 32) and among the surrounding nations, but God's people, ancient or modern, were not to worship, bow to and pray to idols of anything or anyone ("beware lest you act corruptly by making a graven image for yourselves, in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female," see below), a Commandment (see "Thou shalt not make any graven image") that is still widely ignored to this day, even among those who claim to be Christian e.g. see What Would Mary Really Say About Idolatry?

"Therefore take good heed to yourselves. Since you saw no form on the day that The Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, beware lest you act corruptly by making a graven image for yourselves, in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, the likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth. And beware lest you lift up your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and worship them and serve them, things which The Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven. But The Lord has taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be a people of his own possession, as at this day." (Deuteronomy 4:15-20 RSV)

The Lord (see the Fact Finder below) is the Creator of all. Humans are to worship The Creator, not mere created things.

"For ask now of the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from one end of heaven to the other, whether such a great thing as this has ever happened or was ever heard of. Did any people ever hear the voice of a god speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and still live? Or has any god ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, and by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, according to all that The Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?" (Deuteronomy 4:32-34 RSV)

Day 49 Numbers 34-36, Deuteronomy 1 Supplemental Note

Numbers Chapter 34
Even before they actually entered their physical promised land, The Lord gave the Israelites the legal boundaries of the country that their nation (see Country and Nation) would inhabit; they knew exactly "how far they could go" from and within their own sovereignty. No one was to violate their territory, nor were they to violate any other people's territory. As with everything else that is good, The Lord was the Creator of property rights, national and personal (see Landmark and Out Of Line).

"The Lord said to Moses, "Command the people of Israel, and say to them, When you enter The Land Of Canaan, this is the land that shall fall to you for an inheritance, the land of Canaan in its full extent, your south side shall be from the wilderness of Zin [see also The Wilderness of Sin] along the side of Edom, and your southern boundary shall be from the end of The Salt Sea on the east; and your boundary shall turn south of the ascent of Akrabbim, and cross to Zin, and its end shall be south of Kadesh-barnea [see Kadesh-Barnea]; then it shall go on to Hazar-addar, and pass along to Azmon; and the boundary shall turn from Azmon to the Brook of Egypt, and its termination shall be at the sea. "For the western boundary, you shall have the Great Sea [i.e. The Mediterranean Sea] and its coast; this shall be your western boundary.
"This shall be your northern boundary: from the Great Sea you shall mark out your line to Mount Hor; from Mount Hor you shall mark it out to the entrance of Hamath, and the end of the boundary shall be at Zeded; then the boundary shall extend to Ziphron, and its end shall be at Hazar-enan; this shall be your northern boundary.
"You shall mark out your eastern boundary from Hazar-enan to Shepham; and the boundary shall go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain; and the boundary shall go down, and reach to the shoulder of the sea of Chinnereth [i.e. The Sea Of Galilee] on the east; and the boundary shall go down to the Jordan [see The Jordan Valley], and its end shall be at the Salt Sea. This shall be your land with its boundaries all round." (Numbers 34:1-12 RSV)

The tribal lands (see Children of Jacob) within the land of Israel (see map) were also determined with precision.

"Moses commanded the people of Israel, saying, "This is the land which you shall inherit by lot, which The Lord has commanded to give to the nine tribes and to the half-tribe; for the tribe of the sons of Reuben by fathers' houses and the tribe of the sons of Gad by their fathers' houses have received their inheritance, and also the half-tribe of Manasseh; the two tribes and the half-tribe have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan at Jericho eastward, toward the sunrise." (Numbers 34:13-15 RSV)

Numbers Chapter 35
The Levites had no tribal territory of their own, primarily because, as the priesthood, they lived and worked throughout the entire land of Israel. They were nevertheless given towns of their own that made them self-sufficient if need be - an old and wise principle that insured that those who preached and taught the Word of God could not be financially pressured into preaching anything other than the pure Word of God.

"The Lord said to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, "Command the people of Israel, that they give to the Levites, from the inheritance of their possession, cities to dwell in; and you shall give to the Levites pasture lands round about the cities. The cities shall be theirs to dwell in, and their pasture lands shall be for their cattle and for their livestock and for all their beasts. The pasture lands of the cities, which you shall give to the Levites, shall reach from the wall of the city outward a thousand cubits all round. And you shall measure, outside the city, for the east side two thousand cubits, and for the south side two thousand cubits, and for the west side two thousand cubits, and for the north side two thousand cubits, the city being in the middle; this shall belong to them as pasture land for their cities." (Numbers 35:1-5 RSV)

Some of the Levite towns were also designated as "cities of refuge" for those accused of murder - not to protect them from justice, but to insure that justice was done i.e. they would be protected from vigilantism until they faced their accusers at a properly authorized trial.

"The cities which you give to the Levites shall be the six cities of refuge, where you shall permit the manslayer to flee" (Numbers 35:6 RSV) "And The Lord said to Moses, "Say to the people of Israel, When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall select cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person without intent may flee there. The cities shall be for you a refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment. And the cities which you give shall be your six cities of refuge. You shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities in the land of Canaan, to be cities of refuge. These six cities shall be for refuge for the people of Israel, and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, that any one who kills any person without intent may flee there." (Numbers 35:9-15 RSV)

Numbers Chapter 36
The matter of Zelophehad's Daughters was reiterated (see notes for Numbers 27).

"And Moses commanded the people of Israel according to the word of The Lord, saying, "The tribe of the sons of Joseph is right. This is what The Lord commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, 'Let them marry whom they think best; only, they shall marry within the family of the tribe of their father. The inheritance of the people of Israel shall not be transferred from one tribe to another; for every one of the people of Israel shall cleave to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. And every daughter who possesses an inheritance in any tribe of the people of Israel shall be wife to one of the family of the tribe of her father, so that every one of the people of Israel may possess the inheritance of his fathers. So no inheritance shall be transferred from one tribe to another; for each of the tribes of the people of Israel shall cleave to its own inheritance.'" The daughters of Zelophehad did as The Lord commanded Moses; for Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married to sons of their father's brothers. They were married into the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father." (Numbers 36:5-12 RSV)

Deuteronomy Chapter 1
On the eve of their entering their physical promised land, Moses gave the Israelites a review of their history, their rights, their obligations, and their future (see the Fact Finder question below for the meaning of "deuteronomy").

"And in the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses spoke to the people of Israel according to all that The Lord had given him in commandment to them, after he had defeated Sihon the king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth and in Edrei. Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses undertook to explain this law, saying, "The Lord our God said to us in Horeb, 'You have stayed long enough at this mountain; turn and take your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites, and to all their neighbors in the Arabah, in the hill country and in the lowland, and in the Negeb, and by the seacoast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates. Behold, I have set the land before you; go in and take possession of the land which The Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their descendants after them.'" (Deuteronomy 1:3-8 RSV)

Moses then reminded them why a few months' journey had taken them over forty years - that this was the second time in their history that they were being given the opportunity to go home (see A Journey Without A Destination).

Day 48 Numbers 31-33 Supplemental Note

Numbers Chapter 31
Israel was about to be established as a country; they already existed as a nation (see Country and Nation). Like any country, Israel sought peace with their neignbors, by making peace, peace through victory - a principle that Jesus Christ will Himself apply at His return (see Christ the Conqueror For Peace), a principle that He also commanded the Israelites to do back then (i.e. "I want you to know, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same supernatural food and all drank the same supernatural drink. For they drank from the supernatural Rock which followed them, and the Rock was Christ," 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 RSV).
From their base just across The Jordan River from Jericho (see also Jesus In Jericho), the Israelites rendered the Midianites into peaceful neighbors. It would be one of the last leadership duties of Moses before he would die, east of the Jordan.

"The Lord said to Moses, "Avenge the people of Israel on the Midianites; afterward you shall be gathered to your people." And Moses said to the people, "Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian, to execute The Lord's vengeance on Midian. You shall send a thousand from each of the tribes of Israel to the war." So there were provided, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand armed for war. And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand from each tribe, together with Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, with the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand.
They warred against Midian, as The Lord commanded Moses, and slew every male. They slew the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian; and they also slew Balaam the son of Beor with the sword [see notes for Numbers 22-24]. And the people of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones; and they took as booty all their cattle, their flocks, and all their goods. All their cities in the places where they dwelt, and all their encampments, they burned with fire, and took all the spoil and all the booty, both of man and of beast. Then they brought the captives and the booty and the spoil to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the people of Israel, at the camp on the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho." (Numbers 31:1-12 RSV)

How many troops did Israel lose in the battle? None. It was a total victory.

"Then the officers who were over the thousands of the army, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, came near to Moses, and said to Moses, "Your servants have counted the men of war who are under our command, and there is not a man missing from us." (Numbers 31:48-49 RSV)

Numbers Chapter 32
The promised land of Israel was actually much more than just west of the Jordan River; two tribes, and part of another, at their own request, settled east of the Jordan River. All of the tribes fought together however; the western tribes helped the eastern tribes to secure their land as they passed through, then warriors from the eastern tribes crossed the Jordan to help the western tribes to secure their lands.

"Now the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle; and they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, and behold, the place was a place for cattle. So the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben came and said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to the leaders of the congregation, "Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon, the land which The Lord smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle; and your servants have cattle." And they said, "If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession; do not take us across the Jordan." (Numbers 32:1-5 RSV)

Moses agreed to the request. Perhaps he was even a little relieved, since he knew that he would himself not cross the Jordan (see Why Did Christ Put Moses To Death?); he may have been comforted to know that he would at least, even east of the Jordan, be buried near, or within, territory held by Israelites (see also The Valley of Moses' Grave).

"So Moses said to them, "If you will do this, if you will take up arms to go before The Lord for the war, and every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before The Lord, until he has driven out his enemies from before him and the land is subdued before The Lord; then after that you shall return and be free of obligation to The Lord and to Israel; and this land shall be your possession before The Lord. But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against The Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out. Build cities for your little ones, and folds for your sheep; and do what you have promised."
And the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben said to Moses, "Your servants will do as my lord commands. Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle, shall remain there in the cities of Gilead; but your servants will pass over, every man who is armed for war, before The Lord to battle, as my lord orders." (Numbers 32:20-27 RSV)

Numbers Chapter 33
The journey from Egypt had been a very long one; instead of a matter of months, it took them over forty years, because of their rebellion (see A Journey Without A Destination). The beginning of the journey:

"These are the stages of the people of Israel, when they went forth out of the land of Egypt by their hosts under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. Moses wrote down their starting places, stage by stage, by command of The Lord; and these are their stages according to their starting places. They set out from Rameses [see In The Land of Rameses] in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the day after the passover the people of Israel went out triumphantly in the sight of all the Egyptians, while the Egyptians were burying all their first-born, whom The Lord had struck down among them; upon their gods also The Lord executed judgments. So the people of Israel set out from Ram'eses, and encamped at Succoth." (Numbers 33:1-5 RSV)

The end of the journey, over forty years later, with insructions and a warning:

"And The Lord said to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, "Say to the people of Israel, When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan [see the fact Finder question below], then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their figured stones, and destroy all their molten images, and demolish all their high places; and you shall take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it. You shall inherit the land by lot according to your families; to a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance; wherever the lot falls to any man, that shall be his; according to the tribes of your fathers you shall inherit. But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as pricks in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell. And I will do to you as I thought to do to them." (Numbers 33:50-56 RSV)

Day 47 Numbers 28-30 Supplemental Note

Numbers Chapter 28
The significance of burnt offerings (see the Fact Finder below) includes that the object being offered is used wholly for that purpose (interestingly, wholly means totally or exclusively, while holy means set apart), that the sacrificed object ceases to exist as a physical entity and that the result rises to heaven (in its symbolic form, to the first heaven, the atmosphere - see Heavens Below, Heavens Above). In that pre-Christian Christian era (not a contradiction - see Christ The Creator), burnt offerings were done daily, during the weekly Sabbath, monthly, and during each of the annual Sabbaths / Holy Days.
Daily:

"The Lord said to Moses [to understand who was The Lord that spoke to Moses, see Why Did Christ Put Moses To Death?], "Command the people of Israel, and say to them, 'My offering, my food for my offerings by fire, my pleasing odor, you shall take heed to offer to me in its due season.' And you shall say to them, This is the offering by fire which you shall offer to The Lord: two male lambs a year old without blemish, day by day, as a continual offering." (Numbers 28:1-3 RSV)

During the weekly Sabbath (see "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it Holy"):

"On the Sabbath day two male lambs a year old without blemish, and two tenths of an ephah of fine flour for a cereal offering, mixed with oil, and its drink offering: this is the burnt offering of every sabbath, besides the continual burnt offering and its drink offering." (Numbers 28:9-10 RSV)

On the first day of each month (see Bible Calendar and Bible Months):

"At the beginnings of your months you shall offer a burnt offering to The Lord: two young bulls, one ram, seven male lambs a year old without blemish; also three tenths of an ephah of fine flour for a cereal offering, mixed with oil, for each bull; and two tenths of fine flour for a cereal offering, mixed with oil, for the one ram; and a tenth of fine flour mixed with oil as a cereal offering for every lamb; for a burnt offering of pleasing odor, an offering by fire to The Lord." (Numbers 28:11-13 RSV)

At the Passover (see Christ's Passover and Christ's Feast of Unleavened Bread):

"On the fourteenth day of the first month is The Lord's passover. And on the fifteenth day of this month is a feast; seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten. On the first day there shall be a holy convocation: you shall do no laborious work, but offer an offering by fire, a burnt offering to The Lord: two young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old; see that they are without blemish; also their cereal offering of fine flour mixed with oil; three tenths of an ephah shall you offer for a bull, and two tenths for a ram; a tenth shall you offer for each of the seven lambs; also one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you. You shall offer these besides the burnt offering of the morning, which is for a continual burnt offering." (Numbers 28:16-23 RSV)

At the Feast of Firstfruits (see Christ's Pentecost):

"On the day of the first fruits, when you offer a cereal offering of new grain to The Lord at your feast of weeks, you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work, but offer a burnt offering, a pleasing odor to The Lord; two young bulls, one ram, seven male lambs a year old; also their cereal offering of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths of an ephah for each bull, two tenths for one ram, a tenth for each of the seven lambs; with one male goat, to make atonement for you." (Numbers 28:26-30 RSV)

Numbers Chapter 29
Interestingly, the European and English printers who divided the Holy Scriptures into chapters (there were no chapters in the original Hebrew or Greek Scriptures) listed the spring Holy Days in the previous chapter and the autumn Holy Days in this one. Whether they realized it or not, doing so was appropriate for more reasons than a printer alone would appreciate - the spring and autumn Holy Days portray the first and second comings of the Messiah (see God's Holy Days and Seasons Of The Harvest). As with The Lord's spring Holy Days, burnt offerings were back then included in the observance of The Lord's autumn Holy Days.
The Feast of Trumpets (see Christ's Feast of Trumpets):

"On the first day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work. It is a day for you to blow the trumpets, and you shall offer a burnt offering, a pleasing odor to The Lord: one young bull, one ram, seven male lambs a year old without blemish; also their cereal offering of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths of an ephah for the bull, two tenths for the ram, and one tenth for each of the seven lambs; with one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you; besides the burnt offering of the new moon, and its cereal offering, and the continual burnt offering and its cereal offering, and their drink offering, according to the ordinance for them, a pleasing odor, an offering by fire to The Lord." (Numbers 29:1-6 RSV)

The Day of Atonement (see Christ's Day Of Atonement):

"On the tenth day of this seventh month you shall have a holy convocation, and afflict yourselves; you shall do no work, but you shall offer a burnt offering to The Lord, a pleasing odor: one young bull, one ram, seven male lambs a year old; they shall be to you without blemish; and their cereal offering of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths of an ephah for the bull, two tenths for the one ram, a tenth for each of the seven lambs: also one male goat for a sin offering, besides the sin offering of atonement, and the continual burnt offering and its cereal offering, and their drink offerings." (Numbers 29:7-11 RSV)

The Feast of Tabernacles (see Christ's Feast of Tabernacles and Christ's Eighth Day):

"On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work, and you shall keep a feast to The Lord seven days; and you shall offer a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to The Lord, thirteen young bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old; they shall be without blemish; and their cereal offering of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths of an ephah for each of the thirteen bulls, two tenths for each of the two rams, and a tenth for each of the fourteen lambs; also one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its cereal offering and its drink offering." (Numbers 29:12-16 RSV) "On the eighth day you shall have a solemn assembly: you shall do no laborious work, but you shall offer a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to The Lord: one bull, one ram, seven male lambs a year old without blemish, and the cereal offering and the drink offerings for the bull, for the ram, and for the lambs, by number, according to the ordinance; also one male goat for a sin offering; besides the continual burnt offering and its cereal offering and its drink offering." (Numbers 29:35-38 RSV)

Numbers Chapter 30
Vows among family members were regarded as sacred because the family itself is a living portrait of the family that God is creating i.e. God is our Father ("Our Father who art in heaven," Matthew 6:9 RSV), Christ is our firstborn brother ("But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at His coming those who belong to Christ," 1 Corinthians 15:23 RSV), the Church is the woman (see Daughter of Zion) who will give birth to the children of God when they are truly born again (see Born Again, How and When?).
Men had no "out" for any vow or pledge that they made. Vows or pledges made by a never-married or married woman could be over-ruled by her father or husband respectively, but a widow or divorced woman was personally responsible for her vow or pledge, the same as a man (see also Zelophehad's Daughters). Examples:

"Moses said to the heads of the tribes of the people of Israel, "This is what The Lord has commanded. When a man vows a vow to The Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth." (Numbers 30:1-2 RSV) But if her father expresses disapproval to her on the day that he hears of it, no vow of hers, no pledge by which she has bound herself, shall stand; and The Lord will forgive her, because her father opposed her. And if she is married to a husband, while under her vows or any thoughtless utterance of her lips by which she has bound herself, and her husband hears of it, and says nothing to her on the day that he hears; then her vows shall stand, and her pledges by which she has bound herself shall stand. But if, on the day that her husband comes to hear of it, he expresses disapproval, then he shall make void her vow which was on her, and the thoughtless utterance of her lips, by which she bound herself; and The Lord will forgive her.
But any vow of a widow or of a divorced woman, anything by which she has bound herself, shall stand against her." (Numbers 30:1-9 RSV)