Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 20: God’s Presence in Battle Collin Leong. July 29, 2026 (v1-20) Laws Concerning Warfare (v1-4) "When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger that 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 shall come forward and speak to the people and say to them 'Hear, O Israel, today you are drawing near for battle against you enemies: let not your hear faint. Do not fear or panic, or be in dread of them, for the LORD your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.'" Exp: Moses told the men not to fear the enemies, and asked the priest - not the general - to address them before the battle.  This emphasizes that warfare is not merely military but spiritual. The priest’s role is to remind Israel that their strength comes from God , not numbers or w...

Deuteronomy 19: God's Concerns For The Innocent Collin Leong. July 28, 2026 (v1-13) Laws Concerning Cities of Refuge (v1-3) "When the LORD your God cuts off the nations whose land the LORD is giving you, and you dwell in their cities, you shall set apart three cities for yourselves in the land. You shall measure the distances and divide into three parts the area of the land, so that any manslayer can flee to them." Exp: This recalls Numbers 35 , where it said that 6 cities will be cities of refuge. At that time the cities had not been named. In Deut 4:41-43, 3 cities were name for the east of Jordan - Bezer, Ramoth, Golan. There are the cities that are under Israel's control. In verses above Moses is speaking about the land west of Jordan river. They are to designate 3 other cities there as well. The cities were named by Joshua after the conquest of Canaan - Kadesh, Shechem, Hebron (Joshua 20).  (v4-6) "This is the provision for the manslayer, who by fleeing t...

Deuteronomy 18: God Will Raise Prophet Like Moses Collin Leong. July 25th, 2026 (v1-8) Provision for Priests and Levites (v1-2) "The Levitical priests, all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They shall eat the LORD's food offering as their inheritance. They shall have no inheritance among their brothers; the LORD in their inheritance, as He promised them." Exp: Recalling Num 18:20-24 and Deut 10:9 . The consistent theme is that the Levites’ inheritance is not land but the Lord Himself , expressed through their service and the offerings/tithes of Israel. (v3-5) "And this shall be the priests' due from the people, for those offering a sacrifice, whether an ox or a sheep: they shall give to the priest the shoulder and two cheeks and the stomach. The firstfruits of your grain, wine, oil, and fleece of your sheep, you shall give him. For the LORD your God has chosen him out of all your tribes to stand and minister in the name of th...

Deuteronomy 17: God Is Our Only King Collin Leong. July 17th, 2026 (v1-7) Various Instructions (v1) "You shall not sacrifice to the LORD your God an ox or a sheep which is blemish, and defect whatever, for that is an abomination to the LORD your God." Exp: This is a continuation from previous chapter where they are not to worship idols that the Canaanites worshiped. Here they are told not to offer blemish animals. Lev 22:17-25 detailed a list of defects (blind, injured, maimed, etc.) that disqualify animals from sacrifice.  There are two reasons for this commandment. The first one is because God is holy, and it points to the holy sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who knew no sin. The blemish represents sin. Second is that archaeological and textual evidence shows that Canaanites did not have strict rules against offering blemished or mutilated animals.   Ugaritic Texts (KTU 1.40) are West-semitic ritual texts from  Ugarit (13th century BC) describe offerings tha...

Deuteronomy 16: Rejoicing In God's Goodness Collin Leong. July 10, 2026 (v1-8) Passover & Unleavened Bread, (Exo 12:1-28; 13:3-10; Lev 23:4-8; Num 9:1-14; 28:16-25)  Firstfruits (Exo 23:16, 34:22,26; Lev 23:9-14); Num 18:12-13, 28:26)  (v1-2) "Observe the month of Abib and keep the Passover to the LORD you 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, from the flock or the herd, at the place that the LORD will choose." Exp: "Abib" means "ear of grain" or "ripening of grain" - specifically the stage when barley is maturing and ready for harvest. The month of Abib corresponds roughly to March–April in the modern calendar. Later, in post-exilic times, this month was renamed Nisan (Nehemiah 2:1; Esther 3:7) . Nisan was borrowed from Akkadian “Nissānu” , meaning “month of the beginning” , ultimately derived from Sumerian nisag  (“first fruits”). Joh...

Deuteronomy 15: Generosity to God's People Collin Leong. July 7th, 2026 (v1-6) Debts Canceled Every Seven Years (v1-3) "At the end of every seven years you shall grant a 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 with your brother your hand shall release." Exp:  This recalls Leviticus 25:1-17 . Every seventh year is the Sabbath year (or Shemitah in Hebrew). The land rest - no sowing or reaping. Debts are released, and the people are reminded that the land and provision belong to God. The phrase "t he LORD's release has been proclaimed" means that it was the Lord's command, it is not optional. This only applies to Israelites , brother-to-brother or cousin-to-cousin. It does not apply to foreigner or sojourner.  (v4-6) "But there will be no poor among you; for the...

Deuteronomy 14: Worshipping God With Our Tithe Collin Leong. July 6th, 2026 (v1-21) Clean and Unclean Food (v1-2) "You are the sons of the LORD your God. You shall not cut yourselves or make any baldness on your foreheads for the dead. For you are a people holy to the LORD, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth." Exp: v1   refers to mourning practices common among surrounding nations at the time, such as the Canaanites, Moabites, and others. Archaeological and textual evidence from the Ancient Near East shows that people often engaged in ritual self‑mutilation , shaving parts of their head, or cutting their flesh as a sign of grief for the dead or as part of pagan worship. Israel was explicitly forbidden to imitate these practices because they were set apart as God’s holy people . (v3-6) "You shall not eat any abomination. These are the animals you may eat: the ox, sheep, goat,...