St. Irenaeus Ministries

All of our actions are meant to be put into the effort of loving devotion to God--teaching our children constantly and binding His Word in our heart. God is loyal to His people, and He insists that we be loyal to Him.

The remainder of the Ten Commandments are reviewed. While on the surface they are concerned with man's responsibility not to bring harm upon one another (through honoring his parents, not killing, stealing, sowing falsehoods, etc,) they ultimately come back to God. God is our Father, and dishonoring our earthly father is as an affront to Him. God values life, and killing, stealing, and bearing false witness against our neighbor are attacks on that life. The more these commandments are reflected upon, the more they yield applications in our love of God AND our love of neighbor.

In this episode, we begin discussing the Ten Commandments. In particular, we discuss the first three--God's commandment against idols, His commandment against taking His name in vain, and His commandment to keep the Sabbath holy. These commandments are often broken and avoided, even by Christians, but if we do not honor them we do not honor God.

Moses treats the text of Deuteronomy as not just a legal code, but instruction to be preached to Israel in order to be faithful to the Lord. Both the Ten Commandments and the various statutes and decrees are relevant to us today, and wisdom on how to obey God can be gained from studying them. God wants to be with His people, but as long as they exist in mortal flesh a mediator is required for His covenant. Moses was that mediator in the Old Testament, and Jesus Christ was in the New.

After the previous generation of Hebrews is punished for Kadesh Barnea, the next generation is guided by God to defeat Sihon and Og on the path to the Jordan river. Moses exhorts his people to be faithful to God and to teach their children and grandchildren to continue to be faithful. He warns against idolatry, because like a husband God is jealous for his love Israel, and firmly opposed to the unfaithfulness that graven images are. God will punish those who turn away from him, but He is merciful and faithful, and will return to those who turn towards him again.

This episode explores Kadesh Barnea, where the Hebrews break their covenant with God and accuse Him of murderous intent as they are about to enter the Promised Land.

The Hebrews, led by Moses, have reached the Jordan river after 40 years of wandering in the desert. After 40 years, the generation who had disobeyed God has died out, leaving their children. Moses seeks to pass on the law of the Lord to the Hebrews before they cross and take the Promised Land, warning them against the mistakes of their fathers and laying out a basic governmental framework.

Deuteronomy is the roadmap through with the Hebrews were called to live their life. It is useful for "teaching, reproof, and correction," and preparation "for every good work," but is not a tool to justify themselves before God. The law, defined in the Old Testament, is not obsoleted in the New Testament but instead fulfilled through Jesus Christ.

The Lord exhorts the Hebrews present at the Jordan to follow His law, unlike the generation of Sinai. The law is more than a dated legal code applicable only to this ancient people. Careful study of this book brings a deep understanding of our faith. Deuteronomy was well studied by Jesus and Paul, and its study is strongly encouraged by the Psalmist.

The dating of the book of Deuteronomy is discussed. Archaeological and Biblical evidence is considered, as well as its literary style in comparison to Suzerain treaties of the time.