Moses began his recital of Israel's history at Horeb because this is where Yahweh adopted the nation by making the Mosaic Covenant with her. The trip from Egypt to Sinai was only preparation for the giving of the covenant. The Mosaic Covenant is central in Deuteronomy.
"The importance of history has two focal points: (a) there is the covenant tradition of promise, from Abraham to Moses; (b) there is the experience of God in history working out in deed the content of the promise. Thus, for the renewal of the covenant described in Deuteronomy, the prologue recalls not only the covenant's history, but also the ability of the Lord of the covenant to fulfill his promise. What God had done in the past, he could continue to do in the future. There is thus a presentation of a faithful God, whose demand was for a faithful people."22
Moses reflected on the past mainly as Israel's history stands revealed in the earlier books of the Pentateuch. He did not assume knowledge of Israel's history that is independent of the biblical account nor did he recount events previously unrecorded. Occasionally in Deuteronomy he supplemented what he had written earlier with other explanatory material. This indicates that Moses assumed that those who read Deuteronomy would have prior knowledge of his preceding four books. He did not just write Deuteronomy for the generation of Israelites about to enter the Promised Land but for later generations as well including our generation.23
1:6-18 Moses called Mt. Sinai Horeb almost exclusively in this book, ". . . in keeping with the rhetorical style of the book."24The events in this section of verses took place before Israel left Horeb. The references to "the river Euphrates"(v. 7) and "the stars of heaven for multitude"(v. 10) hark back to God's promises to Abraham.
"Virtually all of Palestine and Syria are included in these terms [in v. 7], an area larger than Israel ever possessed in fact, even during the reigns of David and Solomon."25
"The Lord's gift of Canaan to Israel (v. 8) and his command to them to enter and to possess the land began here and was reiterated and emphasized repeatedly in the speeches of Moses recorded in Deuteronomy. They are cardinal elements of the teaching of the book and show that, as Baly has said, Palestine was, in fact, the Chosen Land for the Chosen People; not, it should be noticed, chosen bythem, but chosen forthem' (p. 303)."26
God had already multiplied the Israelites, and He was ready to give them the land. However the "strife"(v. 12) of the people would prove to be their undoing. God appointed judges (v. 16) to help Moses carry the burden of legal decisions that resulted from the giving of the law. It was very important, therefore, that these men judge fairly (v. 17).
1:19-46 These verses deal with Israel's failure at Kadesh-barnea, its causes and its consequences.
The Hebrew word translated "take possession"(v. 21), referring to the Promised Land, occurs over 50 times in Deuteronomy. God's great desire for His people had been that they possess what He had promised them. Unfortunately the older generation would not because of fearful unbelief.
The sending of the spies was the people's idea (v. 22; cf. Num. 13:1-3). Moses agreed to it, as did the Lord, because it was not wrong in itself. It had the potential of being helpful to the Israelites. Nevertheless God had not commanded this strategy. He knew that the sight of the threatening people and fortified cities (v. 28) would discourage them.
The people's sin in failing to enter the land was not just underestimating God's power. They could have blamed themselves for their weak faith. Instead they blamed God and imputed to Him the worst of motives toward them. God loved them, but they claimed He hated them (v. 27). In covenant terminology to love means to choose, and to hate means to reject (cf. Gen. 25:23; Mal. 1:2-3; Rom. 9:10-13).27The Israelites doubted God's goodness, denied His word, and disobeyed His will (cf. Gen. 3).
"The most subtle danger for Israel was the possibility that they might doubt the gracious guidance of God and His willingness to fulfill His promises. It was to become the besetting sin of Israel that they doubted the active and providential sovereignty of Yahweh in every crisis."28
"Such familial language was common in ancient Near Eastern treaty texts where the maker of the covenant would be father' and the receiver son.'"29
The Book of Deuteronomy reveals the wrath of God (v. 34) as well as His love.
The account of Moses' sin (v. 37) is out of chronological order. Moses' purpose in this narrative was not to relate Israel's experiences in sequence but to emphasize spiritual lessons.
"Moses . . . looked behind his own failure and referred to the cause of his action, which was the people's criticism of the Lord's provision of food."30
God's provision of a new leader who would take the nation into the land followed Moses' failure (v. 38). The point is that God provided for the Israelites even when they failed. Moses did not try to hide his own guilt.
Moses connected entering the Promised Land with the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The new generation of Israelites was in a position similar to the one in which their original parents found themselves. They had "no knowledge of good or evil"and so had to depend on God to "give it to them"as a gracious father (v. 39; cf. 32:6). The instruction (Torah) that Moses gave the people was the means that God would use to provide for their good (cf. 30:15-16).31
The former generation tried to salvage an opportunity lost at Kadesh through unbelief (v. 41). This is not always possible, and it was not in this instance.32
". . . chapter 1 sets up what Deuteronomy is about. It will echo and anticipate disobedience and unwillingness to live by promise and instruction. Further, the chapter gives us clues about the purpose and context of Deuteronomy. It is a word of instruction about how to live in the land, addressed to a people whose history reflects persistent faithlessness and disobedience . . ."33
