Moses' final instruction to his people is a song which tells of Israel's history past and future. It is intended to provide them with hope and a way back after the long series of calamity and exiles that they would suffer if they forgot God. What does that song tell us today? How is it relevant to our current situation?

During the time between Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur it is good to focus on your purpose and on where you have fallen short during the past year. It is also a time for repairing damaged relationships if possible. There is a process for doing this.

Jeremiah gave a very dire prophecy about Jehoiakim and had it written down on a scroll. When the king's ministers heard it, they had it read before the king. As each page was read, the king cut it from the scroll and threw it into the fire. This attempt to 'destroy the prophecy' did not work.

Secular science is being dragged to the realization that everything was created by God. While that is not news to believers, it does have some very interesting ramifications which have bearing on the Holy Days coming up. A creator outside of the universe means that He has a purpose in view and we have meaning within that purpose. Further it means that standards of conduct are given by Him and not invented ad hoc. Finally, since we are made in His image, we have the ability to control our various appetites just as He set limits on the creation. These realizations have bearing on preparation for the Holy Days.

In another bit of 'performance prophecy' Jeremiah is instructed to purchase a field in Anathoth because he is the redeemer. Since Judah and Jerusalem are about to be destroyed, Jeremiah himself will not possess the field. The act then is a statement by God that He will restore Israel and Judah and that the original property rights will also be restored. In this continuation of His description of the New Covenant, God assures Jeremiah that He will neither forget His people nor the land he promised to them.

Deuteronomy is Moses' final set of instructions to the people he has led for 40 years. In Ki Tavo he winds up the list of curses by saying that they will come about because of a lack of joy in their relationship with God. In John 14-17 Y'shua prepares his disciples for his crucifixion. There also the overwhelming message is one of joy. What is this joy and how does it differ from mere happiness?

As Jerusalem is about to be destroyed by Babylon, God sends a message of hope to the people who are about to go into exile. He promises a future restoration and a new covenant with a reunited Israel. The only difference between the New Covenant and the old one is the medium upon which it is written. Moses wrote on tablets of stone symbolizing Israel's hard heart. God will write the same words but upon hearts of flesh. The terms of the covenant will be internal rather than imposed from the outside.

In capturing a city, it might be that a warrior finds a beautiful woman among the captives and desires her. Dt 21:10 explains the process of turning such a captive into a wife. This may seem archaic and a bit barbaric today, but it has profound meaning in God's plan of redemption. It also is important to us as we prepare for the High Holy Days.

False prophets were saying that the Babylonian captivity was going to end quickly and that everything would be restored to normal. Jeremiah put on a yoke symbolizing the Babylonian occupation. He spoke both locally and by letter to the exiles in Babylon saying that they should settle down and prepare for a seventy year stay. In being good citizens and seeking to benefit Babylon they would find peace and prosperity for themselves.

At the Last Supper Y'shua gave a final briefing to His Disciples telling them what was to come. While they did not fully comprehend, He was preparing them for His Resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit. In this briefing He describes the ministry of the Holy Spirit.