Seder 140: Deuteronomy 8---The Perils of Prosperity

 In Deuteronomy 8 Moses notes that God has been teaching and training the Israelites in obedience throughout the wilderness years.  With this training, they have been equipped to continue following God when they reach the Promised Land.  

An important tool in this training has been their daily ration of manna, designed to teach the people to trust in God, the source of their daily bread.  

In the Promised Land, Moses explains, things would be easier for the Israelites in many respects.  The manna would no longer appear, but food would be more plentiful.  There would also be new challenges---in particular, they would be tempted to forget the source of their prosperity.  They would need to walk closely with God and give him thanks for their blessings.  If they stray from God and become like the Canaanites, Moses cautions, they will suffer the same fate as the Canaanites.  God would play no favorites. 

Seder 139/140: Deuteronomy 7---The Canaanite Challenge

 In just a few weeks after Moses' final sermons to the Israelites, Joshua would lead the people across the Jordan into Canaan, where they would have the task of occurpying the land God had allotted to them.  Concerning the Canaanites, Moses instructed Israel that "when the Lord your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction.  You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them " (Dt 7:2).  

These words sound harsh to us today when we first encounter them.  It is helpful to see them in the context of the rest of Scripture, paying attention to everything the Bible has to say about this subject.  

Commentator Daniel Block  points out several things to take into account: 

1. God is sovereign.  He created us, and so he can do with us as he pleases.  But he did not create us in order to discard us, and he does not give up on us easily (2 Peter 3:9).  The physical death of a Canaanite did not determine that person's eternal destiny. 
2. The Canaanites were under judgment for some serious sins.  The Exodus had been a warning to them, putting them on notice that they had 40 years to repent.  As the example of Rahab and her family shows, they still had that option when confronted by the Israelites (Joshua 6:22-25).  
3. The primary thing that the Israelites were to destroy was the religion of the Canaanites, not the people themselves, who are pictured elsewhere as fleeing away (e.g., Ex 23:27-28).   
4. God does not show favoritism.  Moses makes clear that if the Israelites live like Canaanites, they will suffer the fate of the Canaanites (Dt 8:18-20).

Seder 39: Psalm 94---Counting on Divine Vindication

 Psalm 94 does not have a superscription in the Masoretic text.  In the Septuagint it is labeled a psalm of David for the fourth day of the week.  In the temple there was a psalm designated to be sung by the Levites for each day of the week, and Psalm 94 was the one for Wednesday.  This custom may have originated during the Babylonian exile.  In Babylon a different god was honored on each day of the week, and the Jews decided to honor the true God on every day of the week.  

The Talmud (b Rosh Hashanah 31a) notes that the fourth day of creation is associated with the sun and moon, and Levites sang Psalm 94 on the fourth day of the week to call for God's punishment of those who worshiped the sun and moon.  

Psalm 94 begins by referring to the God of Israel as the "God of vengeances."  The congregation prays that God would execute justice on the wicked who have been exploiting the defenseless and boasting about what they have done (vv 1-7).  The wicked are rebuked in vv 8-11 for imagining that God will not hold them accountable for their actions.

On the other hand, there are blessings for those who submit to God's authority and allow themselves to be corrected by God's word.  A midrash on Ps 94:12 lists 3 blessings that result from divine discipline:

• the Torah (Ps 94:12).
• the promised land (Deut 8:5-7).
• the world to come (Prov 6:23).

Verses 16-23 note the consolation that comes from trusting in God's vindication.  

Two verses in Psalm 94 are referenced in the New Testament.  Verse 14 declares, "For the LORD will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage."  Paul repeats this affirmation in Rom 11:1-2.

Psalm 94:11 states that God "knows the thoughts of man, that they are but a breath."  Paul quotes this verse in 1 Cor 3:20 when he admonishes his readers not to trust too much in human wisdom.