Deuteronomy 3:20

The Bible says in Deuteronomy 3:20, “Until the LORD have given rest unto your brethren, as well as unto you, and until they also possess the land which the LORD your God hath given them beyond Jordan: and then shall ye return every man unto his possession, which I have given you.” What were the Israelites supposed to do “Until the LORD have given rest?” The answer to that is found back in verse 18 that says, “ye shall pass over armed before your brethren the children of Israel, all that are meet for the war.” There are two important statements here, and they have both a practical and a spiritual meaning. The Israelites had to be “armed,” and they were going off to “war.” War is a reality of life on this planet. It is good to pray for peace and hope for it, but the reality is that there are evil people in the world, Some wars are avoidable, but in a world where evil exists, some wars are not avoidable. Jesus described the age in which we live in Matthew 24:6, “And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” It would be a very unwise country that is not prepared for war. It would be a very unwise Christian who is not prepared for spiritual war.

Christians are told in Ephesians 6:10-18, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.[11] Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.[12] For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.[13] Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.[14] Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;[15] And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;[16] Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.[17] And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:[18] Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;” A Christian’s weapons are not the weapons of flesh and blood, but even so, it is a very powerful armor. The first thing mentioned is truth. We become attached to truth when we are attached to Christ. The spiritual war involves truth against falsehood. Believe the truth and tell the truth, and then you will be prepared for the battle. The second part of the armor is righteousness. That means doing the right thing. Always do what is right. In any situation simply ask what should be done and do that. Right always conquers wrong.

The third part of the Christian armor that is mentioned is having your feet shod with the gospel of peace. That means that it is important to be involved in the spread pf the gospel. That is what it is all about. That is the work of God. You are losing the battle if you are not reaching out to a lost world so that souls can come to Christ. Interesting that we are involved in a spiritual war, but if we do it right, it will result in peace for those who get saved by Christ.

Ephesians 6:15 says that we should take the shield of faith. Of course, faith means that we are trusting in the Lord and in His promises to get through our trials. He has promised to be with us and to fight the battle for us, so let’s believe that when opposition comes against us. It does say, “Above all, take the shield of faith.” This a battle of faith against whatever the enemy can throw against us. The enemy wants to destroy our faith, but we win no matter what happens as long as we keep faith. The contest really has to do with our faith. Will your faith survive the attacks?

Ephesians 6:17 mentions the “helmet of salvation.” A helmet protects you from any fatal blow. No matter what happens, if you have salvation, at least you know that your soul is saved and you will end up in heaven. It says in John 3:36, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life:” That is the eternal security of the believer. Once you have eternal life through faith in Jesus, you will never lose it. You are on the winning side, and you are forever on the winning side in regards to the most important issue: your eternal destiny.

Ephesians 6:17 also mentions “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” We cannot overstate the importance of the Word of God in the life of the believer. Listen to the Word of God, read the Word of God, and think about the Word of God. It is called a sword because it will cut down the lies that the world will try to teach you. The sword of the Word will also pierce into the soul of those who oppose themselves. Nothing can reach the heart in the battle for souls like the Word of God.

Finally, Ephesians 6:18 tells us the importance of prayer. It says, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.” The Lord is always there with open arms inviting us to pray to Him. He loves hearing from us. How can we say that we are trusting in Him about every issue that comes our way if we do not talk to Him about it?

We are ready for the spiritual battle that will surely come if we have: truth, righteousness, spreading the gospel, faith, salvation, the Word of God, and prayer.

The Bible says in Deuteronomy 3:21-22, “And I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, Thine eyes have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto these two kings: so shall the LORD do unto all the kingdoms whither thou passest.[22] Ye shall not fear them: for the LORD your God he shall fight for you.” Joshua is told several great things that every Christian should remember. First, God promises victory. Christians will have victory too because Jesus will return to the earth to right all wrongs and to take the reins of power. We also have victory because through faith we have the power of God and the unbelievers do not. Also, many of the unbelievers will be won over to faith in Christ. Everything that we do in the name of Christ with His leadership has a purpose, as opposed to a world that is vain and empty and is passing away. Just like Joshua, we are told to fear not. If God be for us, who can be against us? If everything has a good purpose to those who love God, what is there to fear: nothing. When God said to Joshua, “the LORD your God he shall fight for you,” we can be sure that God will fight for us too. This means that God is on our side. This means that we do not have to take things into our own hands. This means that we have resources that other people know nothing about.

The Bible says in Deuteronomy 3:23-26, “And I besought the LORD at that time, saying,[24] O Lord GOD, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might?[25] I pray thee, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon.[26] But the LORD was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me: and the LORD said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter.” Here is an example of a prayer that was not answered. Well, it was answered, but the answer was “No.” Having an opportunity to serve God in this life is a privilege: a great privilege. God is the One who opens a door or who shuts a door. God has His reasons for when He shuts a door. It would be a very sad day indeed if a believer missed an opportunity to glorify the name of Christ because that believer had displeased God, but of course, in the case of Moses we are talking about someone who lived under the requirements of the law. In the New Testament and under the new covenant, we please God through the standing of Christ. We have no standing on our own, but Jesus is our all-in-all. Jesus is the only reason that we are accepted. Because Jesus pleased the Father, His good graces are credited to our account freely.

One more important point to make about Deuteronomy 3:26 is that God said to Moses, “speak no more unto me of this matter.” It might be time to stop praying about something, especially if God has given you an answer. Even if you are told “No” like Moses was, at least you can have peace that you put the matter into God’s hands.

The Bible says in Deuteronomy 3:27-29, “Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold it with thine eyes: for thou shalt not go over this Jordan.[28] But charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him: for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which thou shalt see.[29] So we abode in the valley over against Beth-peor.” Moses was not allowed to cross the Jordan and go into the Promised-land, but Joshua was. God had a different plan for Moses and Joshua. But Moses did have a hand in what Joshua did. God told Moses to “encourage” Joshua and to “strengthen” Joshua. Any time that you find a Christian leader or pastor or teacher who has risen to accomplish something significant for the Lord, it only happened because many, many other Christians helped him along the way. We are all members of a team: the church that has been called by the Lord to believe in Him and follow Him. If a person is strong, it is only because other Christians encouraged him or her and built them up and taught them. Anyone can tear others down because we all have our frailties. It takes a wise person to know how to contribute to another Christian’s character.

The Bible says in Deuteronomy 4:1-2, “Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you.
[2] Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.” The Israelites were told to “hearken” to the statutes and judgments that God had given to them. To “hearken” means to listen and to obey. One very important point to remember about the Bible: when reading the Bible or hearing it being read by someone, it is not only important to believe it and enjoy it, but we need to make sure that we put it into practice. Then notice in verse 2 that the children of Israel were taught the sufficiency of the Bible. The Bible is all you need to know for your faith and practice. Any person on this earth had better be careful how they treat the Bible. To add to it, or to take away from it is a serious offence before God. We are given the same warning in Revelation 22:18-19, “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book. And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” The Bible comes from God: every word of it. There are no mistakes in the Bible because God does not make mistakes. God gave His written Word, and God has preserved His written Word. Anyone who does not believe these truths about the Bible is in a very grave and serious place spiritually speaking. This includes anyone who diminishes the value of the Bible, or who says that there are errors in the Bible. Modern liberal theologians make this mistake because they do not view the Bible as being the inerrant Word of God. They take away from the Bible. Certain religious groups make this mistake because they add to the Bible, such as the Mormons adding the book of Mormon. Some Christians make a similar mistake by giving too much credence and authority to their favorite speakers or authors. Be careful because the warning is very severe for those who take away from or add to the Word of God.

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