Deuteronomy 1:19-46 • Faith That Moves

Review & Overview

1. The Introduction & Title

Deuteronomy, is known as Moses’ “Upper Desert Discourse,” which consists of a series of farewell messages.

Moses is 120 years old as he addresses the new generation, those who survived the forty years of wilderness wandering, those who are destined to possess the Land of Promise.

Like Leviticus, Deuteronomy contains a lot of legal detail, but its emphasis is on the laymen rather than the priests.

Moses reminds this new generation to learn from the sad example of their parents and obey God.

2. The Theme & Purpose

“Beware lest you forget” is a key theme in Deuteronomy.

Moses emphasizes the danger of forgetfulness because it leads to arrogance and disobedience. They must remember two things:

(1) when they prosper, it is God who has caused it, and

(2) If and when they disobey God, He will discipline them as He did when the previous generation failed to believe Him.

Deuteronomy is a call to obedience as a condition to blessing.

God has always been faithful to His covenant and He now extends it to the new generation.

Deuteronomy is like a renewal contract document that uses the same format as Near Eastern treaties in the time of Moses.

Scholars have found insane parallels between Deuteronomy and other contracts from the ancient Near East, like the Hittite Empire during the second millennium BC.

So what we have here is a contract between God and His people.

Israel is a vassal to God, where Israel is required to be loyal and obey God's laws, worship Him alone, and live according to the terms of the covenant or contract.

In return, God promises protection, blessing, and guidance.

The key point here is that our inheritance, our salvation, is based on the promise of God’s grace, not on our performance under the law.

1 John 2:25 NKJV

25 And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.

3. The Outline

1. Moses’ First Discourse: The History of Israel Ch. 1:1-4:43

Here Moses recounts the history of Israel, especially God's deliverance of Israel from Egypt and their journey through the wilderness.

2. Moses’ Second Discourse: The Stipulations for Israel Ch. 4:44-26

All the laws and commandments are reiterated and clarified by God to Israel

3. Moses’s Third Discourse: The Future of Israel Ch. 27-34

In this section we have a detailed account of all the the blessings and curses that would follow Israel's obedience or disobedience to the covenant.

4. Current Study’s Overview

That brings us to Vs. 19 and our portion of today’s scripture. Where we will continue to hear from Moses as he give his first message his first discourse. Read…

The Title of Today’s Message is: Faith That Moves

As we saw in our quick reading of todays scripture the Israelites are standing on the edge of the Promised Land, and allowed their fear and distrust of God's promises to dictate their actions.

Instead of stepping forward in faith, they hesitated, added their own conditions to God’s instructions, and ultimately allowed fear to overcome their faith.

We’ll unpack two major themes this morning:

first, how disobedience is rooted in unbelief,

and second, how disobedience always carries consequences.

The Israelites forfeited both God’s blessings and His presence because they trusted in their own strength instead of fully relying on Him.

And you know, this story is a mirror that reflects our own struggles with trust and obedience.

How often do we hesitate when God calls us to step out in faith?

How often do we rationalize our disobedience by thinking we know better than God's plan?

The reality is that, just like the Israelites, our faith is tested when we face giants—whether those giants are fear, doubt, or life’s overwhelming challenges.

And when we act presumptuously, trying to fix things on our own, we step out of God's will and into defeat.

If you are taking notes we want to look at 2 things:

Israel’s Rebellion Vs. 19-33

1. Disobedience Involves Unbelief Vs. 19-33

We see their unbelief in 2 ways…

1.1 They Added to God’s Instructions Vs. 19-22

They wanted to scout out the way they should enter the land… not if they should enter the land…

Now on the surface this might seem like a good idea… but God never said to scout out the land… He said to go in and posses the land… Look at…

Deuteronomy 1:21 “21 Look, the Lord your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the Lord God of your fathers has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged.’”

this was their 1st mistake…

Application: It's always better to simply obey God's commands without adding our own "safeguards."

How often do we hesitate when God calls us to move, asking for extra signs or confirmation when He’s already given us a clear word?

True faith requires immediate obedience. Delayed obedience is disobedience and another form of disbelief.

APPLICATION: And Just like the Israelites, we too can rationalize our hesitations, but this only leads to problems.

God's plans don’t need our modifications. His wisdom is sufficient; our job is to trust and obey.

God’s Arrangements Never Need Adjustments

ILLUSTRATION: Imagine you're a batter standing in the box during a critical moment in a baseball game.

The pitcher winds up and releases the ball, and in that split second, you see the perfect pitch coming your way—a fastball right down the middle.

You know it's your pitch, the one you've been waiting for.

But instead of swinging, you hesitate. You start thinking: *"Is it really as perfect as it seems?

Maybe it'll curve at the last second. What if I swing and miss?"*

That moment of hesitation passes, and before you know it, the ball is in the catcher’s glove.

You’ve just watched the best opportunity sail by, and now you're down a strike.

In baseball, hesitation can mean the difference between getting a hit and striking out.

You’ve been trained to recognize the right pitch and swing with confidence, but that brief second of doubt leads to missed opportunities.

The same is true in our walk with God. When He presents us with a clear command, a chance to step out in faith, our hesitation can cause us to miss out on the blessing He has prepared for us.

God calls us to swing at the pitches He throws our way—to act in obedience and trust His timing.

So, the next time you're in the batter's box of life and God presents you with an opportunity, don't hesitate.

Take the swing and trust that He will guide you to connect.

And you know what this makes me think of? Eve, when satan came to deceive her.

Genesis 3:1–3 NKJV

1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”

Genesis 2:16–17 NKJV

16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

APPLICATION: Don’t add to the word of God, just do the word of God.

1.2 They Allowed Fear to Overcome Faith Vs. 23-33

They didn’t need to scout out the land… the Lord was going to lead, guide & direct them… He was also going to fight for them…

But they saw the giants and were afraid… thus they didn’t believe God promise… Heb.3:19.

APPLICATION: You know its easy to get our eyes off the Lord and onto the giants in our lives… those problems that seem insurmountable… undefeatable…

2 Corinthians 4:18 NKJV

18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

When David faced a giant, 1 Sam.17:47 battle belongs to the Lord…

1 Samuel 17:47 NKJV

47 Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”

2. Disobedience Involves Consequences Vs. 34-46

for not entering the Promised Land…

2.1 They Forfeited God’s Blessing Vs. 34-40

Because of their unbelief and disobedience, God declared that the first generation of Israelites would not enter the Promised Land, except for Joshua and Caleb.

This was the direct consequence of their lack of trust in God’s promises. Unbelief closed the door to the blessings God had prepared for them.

Application: Disobedience always has consequences. And when we refuse to trust and obey God, we risk forfeiting the blessings He has in store for us.

I wonder how many blessings do we miss out on because we refuse to walk by faith?

Understand this: Obedience opens the door to God’s favor, while disobedience closes it.

APPLICATION: Think of moments in your life where God asked you to step out in faith but you hesitated.

What blessings did you forfeit by not trusting Him fully?

This should remind us that faith opens the door to God's promises, but unbelief keeps us wandering in the wilderness.

2.2 They Forfeited God’s Presence Vs. 41-46

So here in verses 41-46, we see the Israelites making a second, and even more grievous mistake.

After their initial disobedience, they tried to make things right, but in doing so, they acted presumptuously.

When they realized the consequences of their unbelief—that they would not enter the Promised Land—they decided to take matters into their own hands.

In their own strength, they attempted to invade the land without God's presence or blessing, despite clear warnings from Moses (v. 42).

Now, the key word here is "presumptuously" (Hebrew: *zādôn* זָדוֹן), which means to act with arrogance or overconfidence, disregarding God’s will.

It speaks of their audacious assumption that they could succeed in taking the land, even though God had explicitly told them not to go.

Etymology and Biblical Definition - The Hebrew word *zādôn* carries a deeper meaning of willful arrogance, or pride, and defiance against God's command.

It is derived from the root *zid*, which means to boil up or act with insolence.

And Throughout the Bible, acting presumptuously is connected with rebellion against God's authority (see Deut. 17:12, Num. 15:30).

Deuteronomy 17:12 NKJV

12 Now the man who acts presumptuously and will not heed the priest who stands to minister there before the Lord your God, or the judge, that man shall die. So you shall put away the evil from Israel.

Numbers 15:30 NKJV

30 ‘But the person who does anything presumptuously, whether he is native-born or a stranger, that one brings reproach on the Lord, and he shall be cut off from among his people.

It describes actions taken in prideful defiance, where a person knows the will of God but chooses to act contrary to it out of arrogance.

APPLICATION: Acting presumptuously is dangerous because it places our will above God's will.

The Israelites knew God had told them not to go up into the land without Him, yet they arrogantly believed that their own strength could overcome their disobedience.

APPLICATION: But notice this: disobedience, no matter how sincere the attempt to "make it right," cannot be rectified by more rebellion.

This always leads to inevitable defeat.

Application: And I wonder How often we act presumptuously in our own lives?

How often do when we make decisions or take actions in our own strength, without seeking God’s guidance, assuming we know best.

We may convince ourselves that our intentions are good, but good intentions can never replace obedience to God's will.

APPLICATION: Presumption can show up in various areas:

- Career decisions: We rush ahead with choices, convinced that we know what’s best for us, without waiting on God’s timing or direction.

- Relationships: We might enter into or leave relationships, thinking we know better than God’s plan for us, without praying for discernment.

- Ministry or service: We can even be presumptuous in ministry, taking on roles or responsibilities because we think we can handle them, without truly asking if God has called us to them.

The result of presumptuousness is always the same—failure and frustration, because we are acting outside of God’s will and presence.

Like the Israelites, when we move forward without His guidance, we are essentially saying, "I know better than God."

The Israelites presumed they could still achieve victory, even though they had forfeited God's favor.

But as verse 44 shows, they were severely defeated by the Amorites because God was not with them.

Psalm 19:13 NKJV

13 Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression.

The psalmist understood the subtlety of presumptuousness—it can take dominion over our lives if we’re not careful to remain humble and dependent on God.

As we close today, let’s take a moment to reflect on the lessons from the Israelites’ journey.

Their disobedience, rooted in unbelief, led them to forfeit not only God’s blessings but also His presence.

They tried to adjust God’s plan to fit their fears, and when that failed, they acted in arrogance, thinking they could still succeed without Him.

And The message is clear: obedience to God isn’t optional.

When we trust in our own strength, we miss out on the fullness of His promises.

But when we walk by faith—choosing to trust and obey Him even when the path seems uncertain—we position ourselves to receive His blessings and experience His presence.

So today, I want to leave you with a couple of questions: where in our lives have we hesitated, rationalized, or even acted presumptuously?

Where have we allowed fear to paralyze our faith?

My challenge to you is this: trust God fully, obey His Word without hesitation, and remember that His plans never need adjustments.

When we walk in obedience, we walk in His promises. Let’s choose faith over fear and step boldly into the future He has prepared for us.

ENDING…