Sabbath School Summary
Moses’ History Lesson
Lesson 2.

By Dr Elder Masimba Mavaza

Memory Text: And they “all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:3, 4, NKJV).

INTRODUCTION

These are the words which Moses spoke” (Deut. 1:1, NKJV). Thus begins the book of Deuteronomy. And though, yes, Moses and the presence of Moses dominate the book, from these opening words to his death in the land of Moab (Deut. 34:5), Deuteronomy (as the whole Bible) is really about the Lord Jesus. For He is the One who created us (Genesis 1, Genesis 2, John 1:1-3), sustains us (Col. 1:15-17, Heb. 1:3) and redeems us (Isa. 41:14, Titus 2:14). And, in a looser sense of those words, Deuteronomy reveals how the Lord continued to create, sustain, and redeem His people at this crucial time in salvation history.
Basically, just as the children of Israel are finally to enter Canaan, Moses gives them a history lesson, a theme that is repeated all through the Bible: remember what the Lord has done for you in the past.

This admonition should mean something to us, we who are on the borders of a better Promised Land: “In reviewing our past history, having traveled over every step of advance to our present standing, . . . I am filled with astonishment, and with confidence in Christ as leader. We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history.”—Ellen G. White, Life Sketches, p. 196.

SABBATH: At the heart of the Bible is Christ. It is no wonder that all through the book of Deuteronomy, Christ is revealed. Moses was used as the mouthpiece of God from the onset of the book till his death in the land of Moab (Deut. 1:1; 34:5). Deuteronomy calls us to remember our origins & love God. He made, sustains, & redeems us (Gen. 1, 2, John 1:1-3, Col. 1:15-17, Heb. 1:3, Isa. 41:14, Titus 2:14, LS, p. 196).

SUNDAY: Moses was God’s reply to the prideful Egypt & His teacher to the disobedient Israel. His ministry is one of the most important in the Bible. He penned Genesis, the book that tells the history of the world. He is first seen in his second book; Exodus 2:2. He had his flaws, but he interceded for Israel after the terrible sin of the golden calf (Exod. 32:29-32). He asked God to bear their sins (1 Pet. 2:24, Heb. 7:25).

MONDAY: True science reveals the handwriting of God in this world. It only bring fresh evidences of God’s creative power. It shows God’s precision in making this world. If God was precise in creating this physical world, He certainly will be precise with spiritual things (Deut. 1:1-6). As we see in the Bible, God always fulfills His promises (Num. 14:34, Dan. 9:24-27; 7:25; Rev. 12:6, 14; 13:5; see Dan 2, 7, & ?.

TUESDAY: In Kadesh Barnea when Israel rebelled & was to wait for 40 years before they could possess the Promised Land, God sustained them. When the 40 years was due, He blessed & bid them to enter the land (Deut. 1:8-11; Neh. 9:21). The prophet, Moses asked God to bless Israel more than before. After the blessing, they were to be organized as would the early church (Deut. 1:12-17, Matt. 16:18, 1 Cor. 12).

WEDNESDAY: Israel’s rebellion in Kadesh which doomed them to 40 years of wandering serves as the backdrop of Deuteronomy. Reports of the Promised Land given by the spies caused the people to dread. In distrusting the power of God & requesting to return to slavery, Israel was stopped from entering the land (Deut. 1:20-46; Num. 14 & 14:11-20). Israel was spared at the pleas of Moses to God (Eph. 3:10).

THURSDAY: The Bible contains no myth. Every account is true (2 Tim. 3:16). This also includes the killings of men, women & children in pagan nations such as the Amorites (Deut. 2:11, 20; 3:13; 20:10, 11). The pagan nations were cruel & had the time to repent but they would not. Since we don’t know more about some of these events, let’s accept the hard reality & trust in God’s goodness at all times (1 Cor. 10:1-4, John 14:9).

FRIDAY: Why did God permit the killings of the Canaanites? “The ways of God are a mystery.” Since we can never fully grasp His ways, let us relax with the questions we have in our minds till we meet Him (Isa. 55:8-9). Also, He is just as He is merciful. The wrath of God on humanity just as on the Canaanites was based on scale & agency (Gen. 6-9; Deut. 7:1; cf. 20:10-18). All sinners will also face God’s wrath.

—Daniel I. Block, The NIV Application Commentary: Deuteronomy (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), pp. 98, 99.

Keyword

LS- Life Sketches

Amorites/Canaanites- The two are often used interchangeably. Canaan was the vast land while the Amorites were a part of it.

Captions

SUNDAY- The Ministry Of Moses
MONDAY- Fulfilled Prophecy
TUESDAY- A Thousand Times More Numerous
WEDNESDAY- Kadesh Barnea
THURSDAY- The Iniquity Of The Amorite

Discussion Questions

? Think about our understanding of the millennium, in which we will have a thousand years to have all our questions answered. How can this understanding help us to learn to trust in God despite whatever hard questions we have now?

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