The name Deuteronomy means "second law". It is Moses’ final address to the people. It covers the last 1 ½ months of Moses’ life. He’s 120 years old. It’s God’s "review" for the people to make sure they understand His ways before they go into the land.

plaister (or lime). Produced by roasting gypsum, which was available in the Jordan and Dead Sea valleys. When the stones were whitewashed with this, the writing would be clearly visible.

(Exo 20:25 KJV) And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.

This was previously commanded in:

Joshua carried out these instructions.

Though there is plenty of room to apply these principles to our lives, keep in mind that this is a covenant between God and His people Israel.

Half of the tribes set on the side for blessing.

Half of the tribes set on the side for cursing.

The choice between blessing and cursing was dramatized by relating it to the cleavage between two mountains in the central part of Palestine that rise about 3,000 ft (914 m) on either side of Shechem.

The Levites stood in the valley between the two peaks, reciting the blessings and the curses, and the other tribes would echo with "Amen".

Making other gods or idols, doing it in secret.

God sees what’s done in secret.

(Deu 27:16 NKJV) 'Cursed is the one who treats his father or his mother with contempt.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen!'

Stealing your neighbor’s property. Property was marked off by landmarks. Moving the landmark would be equivalent to stealing your neighbor’s land.

Don’t take advantage of helpless people.

Don’t take advantage of those who can’t defend themselves.

Incest.

(Deu 27:24 NLT) 'Cursed is anyone who kills another person in secret.' And all the people will reply, 'Amen.'

Murder for hire.

Paul used this verse to show that eternal life could NOT be achieved by the keeping of the Law:

This is a promise again for Israel, but there is a sense in which it can apply to any nation.

I like the idea of God’s blessings "overtaking" me.

fruit of thy body – your children

thy store. A wide, shallow bowl used to prepare dough for making bread.

God, not Baal, provides rain from His storehouse to make the land fertile.

We often think of this as prayer that can’t reach heaven.

It probably refers to a lack of rain.

This is what concerns me about our nation. I don’t mean to get "political", but when our president is caught in the middle of an immoral scandal, I become real concerned when we go out and attack someone like Saddam Hussein. I think our victories up to this point have simply been a matter of God’s grace on us.

botch … emerods. Better, boils … tumors or hemorrhoids. the scab. Scurvy. the itch. Probably scabies.

A prediction of the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities, which would be more than 700 years in the future.

(Dan 5:1-4 KJV) Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. {2} Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein. {3} Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them. {4} They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.

(Joel 1:4 KJV) That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpillar eaten.

(Deu 28:40 NLT) You will grow olive trees throughout your land, but you will never use the olive oil, for the trees will drop the fruit before it is ripe.

All this comes to a people who are stubborn to refuse to obey the Lord.

(Deu 28:47 NLT) Because you have not served the LORD your God with joy and enthusiasm for the abundant benefits you have received,

(Jer 28:13-14 KJV) Go and tell Hananiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Thou hast broken the yokes of wood; but thou shalt make for them yokes of iron. {14} For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him: and I have given him the beasts of the field also.

Several times this was fulfilled in different ways, most vivid was with the Babylonians:

Cannibalism of their own children during times of siege and famine.

This also would happen several times, as described by the siege of Samaria by the Syrians:

Or, Yahweh, Thy God.

There would always be a remnant, as we read in Isaiah this morning:

This is because God’s judgment was out of discipline, and not for the purpose of destroying them.

Quite a picture of the person who has been running from God. No rest, filled with fear, doubt, guilt.

A prophecy of the dispersion of the Jewish people among all people (nations) after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in a.d. 70. At that time, according to Josephus, many were consigned to slavery and transported in ships to Egypt (v. 68).