These first two chapter of Deuteronomy contain a summary of all that was written in Numbers — the record of the Israelites’ trek through the desert and their grumbling and disbelief about God’s ability to come through on his promise about the Promised Land.  It seemed like too big of a hurdle.  Forty years later, as the people stood on the edge of the Promised Land and looked in, Moses reminded the people of their journey.

What must it have felt like to be one of those standing at the border?  The people about to cross over were going to have to use deadly tactics to overtake the land and claim it for their own.  They were the children of the grumblers who ended up dying off one by one in the wilderness.  I doubt any of them verbalized any doubts they may have had — doubts passed on by their parents — for fear that the Lord would prevent them from settling down, too.  These people who have never lived in anything but a tent were about to embark on a path their parents never got to take.

Since this is a record of my observations and impressions and thoughts for application in my reading of Scripture, I must be honest and say that tonight I do not have any application to my life at my fingertips…except perhaps to be very careful not to disbelieve God’s promises!