Numbers records the wilderness experience of God’s covenant people, who are moving towards receiving the promises of God in Canaan, despite their failures and unbelief. It is a humbling story as far as man is concerned, but also a blessed and beautiful account of God’s exhaustless patience and mercy, as He works to refine His people. Deuteronomy has more occurrences of the expression “the Lord our God” than any other book in the Bible. The frequency of this phrase and the prevalent occurrences of the words “law,” “love,” “land,” and “possession” combine to declare Deuteronomy’s central message: First, through faithful obedience to God’s Law, the Israelites would properly recognize Jehovah as their God among the nations. Second, Jehovah’s love for Israel would also be evident to the nations when the Jewish nation miraculously possessed Canaan, His inheritance for them. Deuteronomy is a book of practical directives to ensure that Israel both experiences and affirms covenantal love.
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