Deuteronomy Part 3

Copied from the Sermon Notes of Pastor Don Elmore

December 24, 2017

Scripture Reading:  Deuteronomy 1:37-40

37) “Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not go in thither.

38) But Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.

39) Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.

40) But as for you, turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea.”

“The most powerful force in the universe is ________ __________.” What is this marvelous concept that warrants such a strong statement from one of the most intelligent human beings of all time?” This is a quote from the college math book, “The Survey of Mathematics with Applications, 10th Edition.”

What do you think are the two words that are missing from this quote and who do you think they are quoting? What do you think is the most powerful force in the universe? The quote is from Albert Einstein and the two missing words are……….“compound interest.”

Compound interest is the most powerful force in the entire universe? More powerful than an atomic bomb; more powerful than the most advanced, technical army; more powerful than the most viral disease—it is compound interest that is the most powerful. And only a very few individuals, even Christians now even think about it or believe it. Most have no idea how powerful compound interest is, even after they are told. It may not be the most powerful, but it certainly ranks up there as one of the most powerful.

On page 577 in the same book, it says in a column called “Did You Know?”:

“For most of human history the practice of charging interest on money borrowed, or usury, was considered not only immoral, but a crime. This attitude arose in ancient times, in part because a peasant or farmer could literally be enslaved if payments could not be made. Charging interest over time was considered ‘selling time,’ something not ours to sell.”

The college math book said, “For most of human history the practice of charging interest on money borrowed was considered not only immoral, but a crime.” What a statement! It is a little clue, but they left out a major fact. It was also a capital sin. It was against the law in all of Christendom. They were forbidden by their God to charge interest to their brethren. But they could charge interest to individuals who were not their brother. That is one of the reasons that made them the “head” and not the “tail.” If they loaned money to the foreigner, they would be the head. If they borrowed money from the foreigner, they would be the tail.

Our God tried to protect us from the greedy investors who would make a vast fortune out of charging us compound interest on loans that they would make. And for many centuries the banks and other financial institutions did not charge interest to their brethren, for if they did, they would suffer death for doing so. Well, if it was against the law in Christendom, how is it that now it is common acceptance in the lands that claim to be Christian?

And what did the textbook say: “What was especially objectionable was the idea of ‘pure interest,’ a fixed payment set at the time of the loan, even when there was no risk to the lender. Today, borrowing money has become a fact of life for individuals, businesses, and governments. In 2014, the United States government paid about $431 billion in compound interest alone on a debt of over 17.8 trillion.” And it just keeps on increasing, year after year.

The Bible says that compound interest, the charging of money to the brethren for loans, is a capital crime. It makes the borrower a slave to the lender. That means the death penalty to anyone who is guilty of doing it. So, how did Christian nations get around to doing it?

Great Britain started it in 1688. They put in charge Jews from the bank in Amsterdam, who were not their brother, in the banking industry. And they got loans to their government from Jews and they paid compound interest to the Jews. From there it has spread to almost all the countries of the world. (Nazi Germany didn’t do it and look at all the lies about the former power.)

To show the difference between simple interest and compound interest, let’s look at an example from the same math book quoted above. In 1626, the Dutch West India company bought Manhattan Island for about $24.

“If the $24 had been invested for the 390 years (2016) in a 6% simple interest account, the investment would be worth only ______? Had the $24 been invested in a continuously compounded interest account at 6% for the same amount of years, the investment would be worth about ___________?”

Simple Interest = principal x rate x time (years) + principal

I = p . r . t + p

I = 24 . 6% . 390 + 24

I = 24 . 0.06 . 390 + 24

I = 561.60 + 24

I = $585.60

Now let’s compare how much interest it would be if it was figured as compound interest? The college math book adds: “These results dramatically demonstrate the power of compounding interest over time.”

And that is the reason that 70% of Americans live pay check to pay check. The difference between compound interest and simple interest is staggering. The above example it was just a difference of “only” $348,900,922,329.40!

Accumulated = principal . (1 + r/n)nt(years)

A = 24 (1 + 6%/360)360 x 390

A = 24 (1 + 0.06/360)140,400

A = 24 (1 + 0.0001666667)140,400

A = 24 (1.0001666667)140,400

A = 24 (14,537,509,170.92)

A = $348,900,922,915.18

Why are we not as wealthy as the world thinks? Think compound interest has anything to do with it? Get out of debt—especially compound interest debt. Why do you think that the biggest skyscrapers in the world are owned by many financial institutions that steal interest from the people?

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We start off today’s sermon with Moses relating that the old generation would not go into the Promised Land. Everyone older than 20 years old was the old generation. Twenty years old is the age when a child becomes an adult, not at 18 years old. Our nation has fixed the age of adulthood at 18. They have the children leaving the home in which their parents are guardians and taking charge of their own lives, when they are still a teenager. Children, especially girls, leave their protective homes and are vulnerable to the dating game when they are living in dorms away from home. They are even in trouble when they are home because dating is not the Biblical way—courtship is. But that is another sermon.

All the Israelites had agreed with the warning given by the majority of spies. They murmured and said that they would kill Moses, Joshua, Caleb and Aaron and return to Egypt. (The majority is usually wrong). They made their God so angry that He stepped in and said that the older generation would not enter the Promised Land. They would have to wait about four decades until that generation all died, and then only Joshua and Caleb, the two good spies, would enter along with everyone who was under the age of 20.

When Joshua took Moses’ place as head of Israel by Tom Brown.  Dating is not an essential part of the complete teenage experience. You can serve God better without it.  Courtship is the answer.  Under God, everyone was younger than him, except maybe for Caleb. How strange that must have been. No one in Israel was older than Joshua and Caleb.

But then God gave a commandment for the congregation of Israel to do something for Joshua, their new leader. What could they do for him? They could give him encouragement! For Joshua, as do all the leaders of Israel, face the possibility of failure. It doesn’t matter how much authority or responsibility they may have. Pray for your leaders and ask God to give them the encouragement that they need to be good leaders.

Joshua was chosen by Moses who trained him, along with a few others, to be a leader to assist him. When the Israelites were in their journey in the wilderness shortly after the exodus, they were forced to fight the Amalekites at Rephidim. Joshua led the Hebrew defense force in a battle now famous in Israel’s history because his troops were victorious only if Moses stood on the hillside with his staff raised. If Moses’ arm dropped, the Amalekites gained advantage. Finally, Moses’ brother, Aaron, and a man named Hur, held up his hands until sunset, when the victory was complete. Now, who is sovereign? Who was responsible for Israel’s victory over the Amalekites?

Joshua was the only person who traveled with Moses to Mt. Sinai, where he spent 40 days and nights in God’s presence. As Joshua guarded his tent, Moses received the law and instructions for Israel’s governing and religious life. When they returned to the camp and found that a golden calf had been created and worshiped as an idol, Joshua risked his life to stand with Moses as he confronted the Israelites’ sin.

Joshua appeared at crucial points in the establishment of Israel as a spiritual and political nation. When Moses brought the people north from Mt. Sinai to the oasis of Kadesh-barnea, they stood at the doorway to Canaan, the land God had promised to give them as a home. Joshua was chosen to represent his tribe, Ephraim, on the team sent to survey the land. Twelve Hebrew men, one from each tribe, traveled some 40 days through Canaan to spy out the quality of the land and assess the military strength. Only Joshua and the man chosen from the tribe of Judah, Caleb, gave a good report. The other ten discouraged the people from entering. There was even serious talk of Joshua, Caleb, Moses and Aaron all being stoned and the congregation of Israel returning to Egypt. What a disaster that would have been.

Caleb served along with Joshua as the two spies that encouraged the congregation of Israel to proceed into the Promised Land. The other 10 spies felt dwarfed by the challenge and died in the wilderness for their lack of faith in God’s promises. At age 85, after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, faithful Caleb received his long-awaited reward—Hebron became his territory in the Promised Land. And he gave his daughter Achsah in marriage to Othniel for capturing the neighboring city of Debir.

The very things we fear are sometimes what God uses to show His power and teach us lessons. One of the arguments made to not enter the land that was promised to them was that the children would be a prey. God just turned that around and said that they would be the people that would enter forty years later. The older generation would all die in the wilderness.

Deuteronomy 1:41-45:

41) “Then ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned against the LORD, we will go up and fight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go up into the hill.

42) And the LORD said unto me, Say unto them, Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies.

43) So I spake unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and went presumptuously up into the hill.

44) And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you.

45) So ye abode in Kadesh many days, according unto the days that ye abode there.”

When God said that the older generation would not enter, then they presumed to have repented and went up to fight the Amorites. How upside-down and backward crazy was Israel.

• When God told them to go and fight; they didn’t.
• Then He told His covenant people not to go up and fight, and they did.

This shows the absolute stubbornness and presumption of the old generation. God commanded them not to go up, and faithfully warned them of the consequences—defeat. But they went contrary to His orders and were defeated as predicted. They rebelled when God told them to go up, then rebelled again when He told them not to go up.

Now who were the people that were not allowed to go in—the people who were adults, who witnessed all the miracles that occurred during the time of their fight to be set free from their enslavement in Egypt. They were the ones who wanted to kill Joshua, Caleb, Moses and Aaron and then march all the way back to Egypt. Because they followed their own desire and not their LORD’s, they would just die wondering around in the wilderness. They were the generation without a land to call home.

The Amorites were the most powerful people of all the surrounding nations and their name is used in general of the Canaanite people. In Numbers 14:40-45, they were called Amalekites and Canaanites.

Numbers 14:40-45:

40) “And they rose up early in the morning, and went up into the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we are here, and will go up unto the place which the LORD hath promised; for we have sinned.

41) And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the LORD? But it shall not prosper.

42) Go not up, for the LORD is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies.

43) For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword; because ye are turned away from the LORD, therefore the LORD will not be with you.

44) But they presumed to go up unto the hilltop; nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and Moses departed not out of the camp.

45) Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites who dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and routed them, even unto Hormah.”

Either they were more of the Amorites nation; or, in the 38 years since this happened the Amorites had become the masters of the Amalekites and Canaanites, causing them to be referred to in this manner.

The Amorite army is described as bees. Bees are a little creature, but together they can chase the inhabitants out of the land. This is the picture that Moses tells the people of the situation; Israel was soundly defeated by the Amorites.

What was the deciding factor in determining whether the Israel army achieved victory or defeat? It was whether their LORD was with them. The reason they were defeated was because they had turned away from their LORD and God was not with them. It guaranteed sure defeat.

Weeping before God does not always mean the persons are brought to obedience. Sometimes, as here, it means that they wept over their defeat and not the consecration to obey God. Already God had given them up to die in the wilderness because of their repeated sin of rebellion. He had endured enough with them and was now holding to His decision of doing away with the old generation.

Israel, after their defeat, stayed at Kadesh for a long time. They did not go immediately up to wondering. It doesn’t say how long; it could have been many months or a year or a couple of years or even 38 years.

Deuteronomy 2:1-8:

1) “Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea, as the LORD spake unto me: and we compassed mount Seir many days.

2) And the LORD spake unto me saying,

3) Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward.

4) And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the coast of your brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir; and they shall be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore:

5) Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not to march as a foot breath; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.

6) Ye shall buy meat of them for money, that ye may eat; and ye shall also buy water of them for money, that ye may drink.

7) For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he kneweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee: thou hast lacked nothing.

8) And when we passed by from our brethren the children of Esau, which dwelt in Seir, through the way of the plain from Elath, and from Eziongaber; we turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab.”

Israel left Kadesh after staying there after they rebelled. The first country they would go past was Edom, who lived in Seir. What would happen when the camp of Israel came marching through the country of Edom? Would there be war? No. For Edom was afraid of them.

Israel was instructed not to meddle with them. The Israelites would buy food and water from them, but God gave Seir to the Edomites. For the LORD God has blessed Israel all forty years of their wilderness journey. For forty years the LORD God has been with them, and they lacked nothing! The Edomites forbid the Israelites from entering their land. Israel had to go around Edom.

Deuteronomy 2:9:  “And the LORD said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give thee of their land for a possession: because I have given Ar unto the Children of Lot for a possession.”

After Israel had successfully passed around Edom, they approached Moab. They were given the same instructions that they were given when they passed through Edom. No war. There were three commands that He gave to His people about Moab:

1. Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle, for I have not given you the land of Moab.
2. Now rise up, and get you over the brook Zared.
3. You are to pass over the border of Moab this day.

Deuteronomy 2:10-13:

10) “The Emims dwelt therein in times past, a people great, and many, and tall as the Anakins.

11) Which also were accounted giants, as the Anakim; but the Moabites call them Emim.

12) The Horites also dwelt in Seir formerly, but the children of Esau succeeded them when they had destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their stead, as Israel did unto the land of his possession, which the LORD gave unto them.

13) Now rise up, said I, and get you over the brook Zered. And we went over the brook Zered.”

The Emmins, Anakims, and Horites were all giant races. The had been on the earth for many centuries…do you think that they would be candidates to be saved if their descendants were alive today? What do you think a Judeo-Christian would say?

Israel was told to go over the brook Zered. The brook Zered was the southern boundary, while the river Arnon was the northern border between Moab and Amorites.

Deuteronomy 2:14-25:

14) “And the period in which we came from Kadesh-barnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, was thirty and eight years, until all the generation of the men of war were perished from among the host, as the LORD swore unto them.

15) For indeed the hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from among the host, until they were consumed.

16) So it came to pass, when all the men of war were consumed and dead from among the people,

17) That the LORD spoke unto me, saying,

18) Thou art to pass over through Ar, the border of Moab, this day.

19) And when thou comest near over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them; for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon any possession, because I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession.

20) (That also was accounted a land of giants; giants dwelt therein as formerly, and the Ammonites call them Zamzummim.

21) A people great and many, and tall as the Anakim, but the LORD destroyed them before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead.

22) As He did to the children of Esau, who dwelt in Seir, when He destroyed the Horites from before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead even unto this day;

23) And the Avvim, who dwelt in Hazerim, even unto Gaza, the Caphtorim, who came forth out of Caphtor, destroyed them, and dwelt in their stead.)”

24) “Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the river Arnon; behold, I have given into thine hand Sihon, the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and hos land. Begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle.

25) This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the nations that are under the whole heaven, who shall hear report of thee, and shall tremble and be in anguish because of thee.”

I was reminded last week or the week before by a person in our congregation, about Israel’s army. What did the army look like, i.e. who was in the army? The answer was only Israelite men who were over 20 years of age, who met the qualifications. The army was an all-white male Israelite army, with no one who had any perversions, handicaps, or anyone who was a foreigner.

Compare that with who is in the armed forces of the United States:

• Any person, male or female, who is over the age of 18.
• Homosexuals, transvestites, and other perversions are allowed and are protected.
• Many soldiers were just married; they were not given a one-year grace period to stay out since they had just married. No married person, whose wedding was less than one year, was exempt.
• All foreigners, who are citizens of the United States, are qualified to enter; Africans, Asians, Polynesians, etc.
• All individuals of different religions are qualified to join; Buddhists, Judaism, Mormonism, atheists, Islam, Judeo-Christian, etc.
• Women, of all races and religions, are now allowed to fight in the front lines.
• Women, of all races and religions, are now allowed to be commanding officers.
• Ships of prostitution were made available for United States troops to engage in during the wars.

What was the difference in victory or defeat when the Israel army was fighting a battle? It was whether the Israel army was following the commandments of their LORD. It was all a matter of whether the LORD was with them or not with them. If He was with them—victory; if he was not with them—defeat.

Somebody tell me how our army is anything but the enemy? It has every race and mongrel, every religion, practically every perversion, every gender—how could the God of Israel bless such a non-separate army? America has sinned in that she has allowed all races of individuals to enter her nation, bringing all their false gods with them. America broke the first commandment that God gave to them.

The role of the genders has been elevated to equality. We are taught in school that both sexes are equal. That is not true. God punished the women for the sin that was committed by Eve. God didn’t say the women were not able but that they were forbidden to hold positions over the man. And God made man the provider for the woman. Women were forbidden to fight in wars, especially in the front lines. For example, how many women were killed in the battle of Gettysburg? The world is upside down.

Deuteronomy 2:26-37:

26) “And I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth unto Sihon, king of Heshbon, with words of peace, saying,

27) Let me pass through thy land; I will go along by the highway, I will neither turn unto the right hand nor to the left.

28) Thou shalt sell me food for money, that I may eat; and give me water for money, that I may drink: only I will pass through on my feet.

29) (As the children of Esau who dwell in Seir, and the Moabites who dwell in Ar, did unto me) until I shall pass over the Jordan into the land which the LORD our God giveth us.

30) But Sihon, king of Heshbon, would not let us pass by him; for the LORD thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand, as appeareth this day.

31) And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have begun to give Sihon and his land before thee; begin to possess it, that thou mayest inherit his land.

32) Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to fight at Jahaz.

33) And the LORD our God delivered him before us, and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people.

34) And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones of every city; we left none to remain.

35) Only the cattle we took for a prey unto ourselves, and the spoil of the cities which we took.

36) From Aroer, which is by the brink of the river of Arnon, and from that city that is by the river, even unto Gilead, there was not one city too strong for us; the LORD our God delivered all unto us.

37) Only unto the land of the children of Ammon thou camest not, nor unto any place of the river Jabbok, nor unto the cities in the mountains, nor unto whatsoever the LORD our God forbade us.”

Moses offered every nation that he came to: Edom, Moab, and Ammon the same choice. Sell us food and drink for money and let us pass through. The previous three nations allowed Israel to go around, but did not war against them. The Amorites were offered the same thing. But Sihon and the individuals under his control refused. He refused the terms of peace, therefore it was necessary to have war.

God was with His all white, male army. The results of this war were all on the side of Israel:

1. God delivered Sihon before Israel.
2. Israel smote Sihon, his sons, and people.
3. Israel captured all his cities.
4. Israel killed all the men, women and children.
5. Israel captured their livestock for a prey unto themselves.
6. Israel gathered spoil of al the cities that they had captured.
7. There was not a city too strong for the Israel army; for the LORD their God delivered all unto them.
8. God gave to Israel a complete, lop-sided victory. The enemy was destroyed; there was no one left! The land was Israel’s.

Fear and anguish about the Israel nation was now heightened. The Canaanites who were living on the western side of the Jordan River must have been wondering what was going on. Who were these people?

They had come out of Egypt, with the result that the Egyptian army was destroyed. They had been wondering around the wilderness for about 40 years. Now they made their march northward and committed genocide on the Amorites that lived east of the Jordan River.

Where was this large group of people going to go next? The Jordan River provided a barrier for them as it was too deep for the great multitude to cross. It was a shield that protected the Canaanites from their enemy—the Israelites and their LORD God. What would happen next?

To be continued.

Blessed the LORD God of Israel.