“Now this is the commandment – the statutes and the rules – that the LORD your God commanded me (Moses) to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it…The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you are in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” – Deuteronomy 6:1, 4-9

The Books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy are known as the Pentateuch (Lit. “five books”) or Torah (Lit. “teaching” or “doctrine”). It is considered the foundation that the rest of Scripture rests upon…including the New Testament! As we have discovered, these ancient books of the Bible reveal to us key insights about the One True God that are as relevant today as they were when they were first written.

These five Books together reveal a God who is interested in every detail of His creation and describe in great detail how God called out and organized a group of people and made them His own, His “chosen” people. We saw how God delivered these people in Exodus and how He provided them in the wilderness. He gave very specific instructions on how to get along with God and with each other (Ten Commandments). He taught them how to worship and what that worship should look like. In the Book of Numbers the details continue but the people begin to doubt and they choose not to follow God into the promised land. They feared the obstacles that were there and, like Adam and Eve, they doubted God’s Word of promise. The consequence for deviating from God’s plan was a 40 year “time out” in the wilderness.

Deuteronomy picks up the story with the people of Israel standing on the edge of the Promised Land the second time. This Book is Moses’ last speech and as they prepare to follow God into this new place, he reminds them of all that God has taught them. He has provided for them a blueprint for a blessed life. Our love for God and for others should be evident in the details of our daily living…in our attitudes…in our words…in our deeds. It’s all in the details and the details matter to God. According to the Scripture above these guiding principles are essential to our faith and walk with Him and must be careful not to forget them.

Like Moses, Jesus continued to clarify the very same things throughout His ministry, teaching the same principle of a living faith that shows itself in the way we live our lives. He modeled what that life should look like and it became obvious we have fallen short. But, God’s love for us remains the same. God’s commitment to provide a way is revealed in Jesus and His sacrifice! All the details have been taken care of. The sin has been forgiven. There are no loose ends in God’s plan to save you. That’s why Jesus was able to shout from the cross, “It is finished”.