Faith (Deuteronomy 2 - 3)

The Theology of Remembrance. This may be a major theme of Deuteronomy: When the people of God remember the grace of God that redeemed them from slavery, they will want to obey him wholeheartedly. Ajith Fernando titles his sermons of Dueteronomy as "Loving Obedience to a Loving God." When we remember how much God loves us in saving us, we will thus want to lovingly (rather than grudgingly) obey him.

The theme of each chapter. Though there is much overlap and repetition throughout the book of Deuteronomy, the following may be identified as the single predominant theme of the initial chapters (in brackets):

1. Sin (1)
2. Faith (2-3)
3. Obedience (4)
4. Commandments (5)
5. Love (6)
6. War (7)
7. Remembrance (8)
8. Prayer (9)
9. Devotion (10)
10. Land (11)
11. Worship (12)
12. Testing (13)
13. Food (14)
14. Charity (15)

Chapter 1 recounts how sin caused the first generation of the people of God to be set back for 38 years until all of them died in the desert (Dt 2:14-15). Their sin was inexcusable, because they had personally experienced the power of God in delivering from slavery in Egypt (Dt 1:30-31). Chapters 2 - 3 continues Moses' account of the faith of the second generation of the people of God. Broadly speaking their faith was in:

1. God's sovereignty (Dt 2:1-23): God says, "Pass through."
2. God's promise of victory (Dt 2:24-3:11). God says, "Strike."
3. The allocation of the land (Dt 3:12-20). God says, "Allocate."
4. The judgment of Moses and the commissioning of Joshua (Dt 3:21-29). God says, "No."

Before entering the promised land. In Deuteronomy 2-3 Moses deals with a new generation--the children of the faithless exodus generation. After 38 years (Dt 2:14), the people of Israel (Dt 2:1) take up the delayed command of Dt 1:40 to depart from Kadesh Barnea. God directed them before they entered the promised land by dealing successively with the Edomites (Dt 2:2-8a), Moabites (Dt 2:8b-15) and the Ammonites (Dt 2:16-24). After 38 years of aimlessly circling the desert, Israel was on the march, passing through the territorial possessions of Edom (descendants of Esau, the brother of Jacob), Moab and Ammon (the descendants of Abraham's nephew Lot by his 2 daughters [Gen 19:30-38; Dt 2:9, 19]). They were not to attack them or engage them in battle, but only pass through.