Dear 365 Bible Readers,

Nearly one million Israelites have died in forty years of wandering in the desert in Numbers – but you have survived and made it to the shores of the Jordan River across from Jericho!  Welcome to Deuteronomy!

Deuteronomy is Moses’ farewell to the nation of Israel, his emotional account of all that God has done for His people, and a reminder of the terms of the covenant (the law, the “treaty”) God made with them back in Exodus.  Much of the content of Deuteronomy you will have read before, but this is Moses’ personal account and a reminder of key parts of the law.

Deuteronomy is a series of speeches:  Speech #1 is chapters 1-3, A History of Israel.  Speech #2 is chapters 4-26, A Review of the Law. Speech #3 is chapters 27-34, Blessings, Curses, and a Final Farewell.

If you have trouble staying on task during the law section, look for passages about the poor, widowed, orphaned, aliens, and the sick.  How does God feel about them, and how should God’s people respond to them?

Enjoy Moses’ final “State of the Union” address.  Soon we will be crossing the Jordan to do battle at Jericho with Joshua.