Categories
Discussions Torah

Deuteronomy 10: ‘40’ means new birth, new status, new life

The number 40 plays heavily in this chapter. Both Moses and Yeshua had to spend 40 days and 40 nights alone in prayer with God to prepare themselves to teach and lead His people through difficult times ahead. It’s no coincidence that a woman carries a child in her womb for 40 weeks either and the correlation is purposeful as Moses’ 40 days and nights with God brought forth the 10 commandments into the world. Yeshua’s 40 days and 40 nights gave Him the strength to resist temptation and defeat Satan.

The number 40 plays heavily in this chapter. Both Moses and Yeshua had to spend 40 days and 40 nights alone in prayer with God to prepare themselves to teach and lead His people through difficult times ahead. It’s no coincidence that a woman carries a child in her womb for 40 weeks either and the correlation is purposeful as Moses’ 40 days and nights with God brought forth the 10 commandments into the world. Yeshua’s 40 days and 40 nights gave Him the strength to resist temptation and defeat Satan.

Thought Questions

  • What will Israel meet when it crosses the Yarden River (Jordan)?
    • How are we like them in not knowing other “powers,” elohim in Hebrew, often translated as “gods” or “God”?
  • What happened after breaking of the first two tablets?
    • We know there are right and left hands of God?
    • What action did each side of a warrior’s body perform in ancient shield-and-sword warfare?
    • Who is at the right hand of God? (See Mark 16:19.)
    • What is meant by the phrase “not know their left hand from their right” (Jonah 4:11)?
  • Why did Moshe (Moses) go up on Mt. Sinai a second time (Deut. 10:2)?
    • What did Moshe say to God? (See Deut. 9:18-19; Ex. 33:12-23.)
    • When Moshe brought the two tablets, what did God say in Ex. 34:5-7 to answer Moshe’s question in Ex. 33:18?
    • How is God’s declaration in Ex. 34:5-7 similar to the “gospel”?
    • Will God hold people responsible for their actions?
      • Did Messiah change anything of this description of God? (See Matt. 5:18.)
      • How will Messiah Yeshua judge the nations?
      • If you are under grace, are you free to disregard the 10 Commandments?
  • How do we live by “love the LORD with all you heart, all your soul and all your strength” (Deut. 6:4)?
  • How is Moshe explaining us how to do this in Deuteronomy?
  • What is the “day of the assembly” in Deut. 10:4?
    • What happened on that day?
    • How important is the Festival of Weeks, called Shavuot in Hebrew and Pentecost in Greek?
    • What happened on Shavuot in the Apostolic Writings? (See Acts 2:1.)
    • How important did it continue to be in apostolic times? (See Acts 20:7, Acts 20:16 and 1st Cor. 6:18.)
  • What does “to this day” mean in Deut. 10:8?
    • Who and when compiled the Tanakh, a Hebrew acronym for the Torah, Prophets and Writings?
  • Why is it so important to say “40 days and 40 nights” for the Flood (Gen. 7:4), Moshe’s time on the Mt. Sinai twice (Ex. 24:18 and Ex. 34:28) and Messiah’s time in the wilderness (Matt. 4:2)?
    • What is the average number of weeks of pregnancy?
    • Why does it read “days” and “nights,” rather than just “days”?
    • How is it different from the approach of Islam to days and nights as in the “fast” during the month of Ramadan?
  • How many times in your life have you said, thought or wondered what God wants me to do about anything in life?
    • What do Deut. 10:12-13 and Matt. 6:33 say?
    • How does that address your specific problems in life?
      • How do we “seek first the kingdom of God”? (See Matt. 7:7.)
      • What “door” do we “knock” on?
    • What do the secrets in the Torah lead to?
    • What does Messiah want us to do with the statutes, judgments and commands of God?
    • What is meant by Deut. 10:16 in “circumcising the foreskins of your heart”?
      • How is that connected to the “stiff-necked” reference in that verse?
      • What is the significance of the symbolism of circumcision?
      • How is that connected to “rolling away” the past? (See Josh. 5:8-9.)
        • What is being “rolled away” in your heart?
        • What is the replacement?
  • What is significant about the phrase “Lord of lords” and “God of gods” in Deut. 10:17?
    • Who else has that title? (See Rev. 19:11-16.)
    • How many elohim, translated as “powers” or “principalities” (Eph. 6:12), are there?
    • What are they?
  • Should we be speeding the arrival of the “Day of the LORD” (Joel 2:11)?
  • What two things does God do in Deut. 10:18?
    • How does God love the “stranger,” or goyim in Hebrew?
    • How does God want us to treat those who are “far from God” (Eph. 2:11-13)?
    • Why do widows need protection?
      • If a woman has no husband, how is she going to provide for her children?
        • Is she to get a job and put her children in day care?
      • Is it more difficult for a woman or a man to find a new spouse?
      • How significant is the mother’s role in the family compared to the father’s?
  • Why is God Israel’s praise (Deut. 10:21)?
    • How is God your praise?
  • What is meant by Israel’s being “as numerous as the stars in the sky” (Deut. 10:22)?
    • How many constellations are there?
    • How many of the stars are “numbered”?