A LIMINAL PLACE
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Opening Prayer
Almighty God, open my eyes as I read your Word today. Help me to see what you want me to see—and be changed.
Read DEUTERONOMY 1:1–18
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
The Command to Leave Horeb
1 These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the wilderness east of the Jordan—that is, in the Arabah—opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Dizahab. 2 (It takes eleven days to go from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by the Mount Seir road.)
3 In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses proclaimed to the Israelites all that the Lord had commanded him concerning them. 4 This was after he had defeated Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, and at Edrei had defeated Og king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth.
5 East of the Jordan in the territory of Moab, Moses began to expound this law, saying:
6 The Lord our God said to us at Horeb, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain. 7 Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates. 8 See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land the Lord swore he would give to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—and to their descendants after them.”
The Appointment of Leaders
9 At that time I said to you, “You are too heavy a burden for me to carry alone. 10 The Lord your God has increased your numbers so that today you are as numerous as the stars in the sky. 11 May the Lord, the God of your ancestors, increase you a thousand times and bless you as he has promised! 12 But how can I bear your problems and your burdens and your disputes all by myself? 13 Choose some wise, understanding and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will set them over you.”
14 You answered me, “What you propose to do is good.”
15 So I took the leading men of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them to have authority over you—as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens and as tribal officials. 16 And I charged your judges at that time, “Hear the disputes between your people and judge fairly, whether the case is between two Israelites or between an Israelite and a foreigner residing among you. 17 Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of anyone, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it.” 18 And at that time I told you everything you were to do.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Sit quietly and breathe deeply for a few moments. Ask yourself: Am I a grateful person? Am I quick to judge or to complain? Am I passionate about justice?
For Jewish people, Moses is, above all, Moshe Rabbeinu, Moses our teacher. Deuteronomy contains his last words (the book ends with the account of his death). We would certainly pay special attention to a loved one’s words if we knew that they would be their last. Are we in a liminal place too? ‘Liminal’ means on the boundary; on a threshold; in a transitional state between X and Y. Are we facing a change, a future with many unknowns, the dissolution of old certainties? If so, let’s make a pilgrimage through this book into a review-and-revise session.
To know which way to go, we need to know where we are starting. Location names (v. 1), chronological data, and a description of ‘the land’ (vv. 7, 8) feature in today’s reading; together with a tantalizing reminder that an eleven days’ journey has somehow taken forty years (vv. 2, 3). These are fascinating details for another sort of study.
Today’s reading focuses on legacy, on delegation of leadership. What picture of Moses’ community do we glimpse behind his brief description in verse 12? What are the particular qualities that Moses looks for in his ‘judges’ or ‘leaders’ (vv. 15–18)? What lies behind the words ‘judge righteously’ (v. 16, ASV): ‘Do not show partiality … Do not be afraid of anyone … Bring me any case too hard for you’ (v. 17, NIV)? Notice, too, that small and great, brother and alien are to be treated fairly. I think about my own society, the judgers and the judged. We cannot have a decent society without justice; but the justice must also be ‘righteous’—this word is prominent in Genesis and in Deuteronomy, the bookends of the Torah.
Apply
How can you make things more just for everybody where you live or work? Do you speak up when things are not done properly?
Closing prayer
Loving Father, help me to see what you see. Give me courage and wisdom to work for change wherever it is needed.
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