We hope to read during the present month, the Lord enabling, the book of Deuteronomy. This will serve, in some sense, as a substitute for the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, read last year, while, of course, it is by no means a mere repetition. Its name in the Greek means, literally, "a second law;" that is, a repetition of the law, and this roughly describes its contents ; but God never makes mere repetitions. Even when apparently they are, there is a special object in view. Deuteronomy, however, is very far from being this. Its position in connection with the other books will best give us the general thought of the book.

The people have finished their forty years' wanderings in the wilderness. Numbers brought them to the borders of the land. The wilderness is all behind them. The land of promise is before. The generation which had come out of Egypt, all at least who had reached the years of responsibility, had fallen in the wilderness, except Caleb and Joshua, beautiful types of that whole-hearted devotedness to God in the power of the Holy Ghost which alone brings us unwearied through the trials of our desert journey. In one sense, of course, this weeding out of the generation which was distinguished by their unbelief and hardness of heart would be an advantage. Here was a nation which knew nothing practically of the corruptions and bondage of Egypt, which had been nurtured in the desert to a measure of hardiness and dependence upon God. Time and time again had they proven His goodness in their journey, His sufficiency when all around them seemed, as it really was, a barren waste. The manna and the flowing water were witness that the God who had brought them hitherto, and sustained them with food and drink, would now make good His promise to Abraham of old, repeated to the people in Egypt, and ofttimes alluded to through their desert wanderings. He who had brought them out would bring them in.

But because of the very fact that they were a young nation, without the later history of failure and unbelief of their fathers; without, too, the experience and self-knowledge gained through these humiliating histories, they needed to be reminded afresh of the lessons to be learned from the wilderness.

Thus Moses, as a closing ministry, is permitted to review their past history and glean its lessons for their instruction, pressing upon them present obedience. The law, too, is gone into afresh, and, as is always the case when the Spirit of God reiterates, fresh adaptations are made to new circumstances and conditions which had not existed at the beginning. A striking illustration of this is seen in the sermon on the mount, where our Lord, so far from repealing, emphasizes the law, but with those divine modifications and additions which, while not contradicting, bring in new light and motives. Of this Deuteronomy also affords full illustration.

But the book is not occupied with retrospect alone. After having looked at the past, the eye having traced the whole weary way through those forty years of wanderings in the wilderness, having impressed upon them afresh the necessity of obedience to God, the prophet, as it were, from the height of Pisgah, surveys the future for the people, looking forward into the land of their inheritance, and with the light of the past, giving warning, exhortation and distinct prediction as to what will take place in the future.

We have thus really seen the three main divisions of the book. They relate to the past, the present, and the future. More accurately speaking, they have been given as follows:

Division 1 (chapters 1:-4:43). The review of the past, in view of God's dealing in righteousness and grace as a motive for the obedience of love.

Div. 2 (chaps, 4:44-30:). The law restated, expounded and amplified, with a view to the land.

Div. 3 (chaps, 31:-34:). The outlook into the future, Moses' warning song, final blessing of the tribes, and peaceful death.

Glancing at some of the chapters, we find that the first goes back to Horeb, where they received the law, and dwells upon the journey from there to Kadesh Barnea, where the people turn back in unbelief after having sent the spies into the land, refusing to go up. In fact, there was practical apostasy from God here, and but for His merciful interposition they would have turned back into Egypt. Here they brought upon themselves the sentence of exclusion, individually, from the land. Their children, for whose safety they pretended to café so much, would be brought through all the wilderness, and inherit that from which unbelief excluded them:"They could not enter in because of unbelief."

Chap. 2:shows how they had not been permitted to take any of the territory of their kinsmen according to the flesh, either Moab or Edom, and when the way through their territory was opposed by these, Israel was obliged to go around, rather than provoke hostility by going through. The same was true of the children of Ammon ; but with the Amorites and their king Sihon no such restriction was made, and they conquered him when he opposed them, and possessed his territory. We avoid the flesh, rather than fight with it.

Chap. 3:continues the narrative of the possession of the land east of Jordan, and the overthrow of its inhabitants. A pathetic account is given also of Moses' plea to enter the land. He had a foretaste of what God was going to do, and longed, as he had brought the people out of Egypt and through all their long journey to enjoy at last the fruits of it all in peace ; but alas, one sin prevented this, and shut him out of the earthly inheritance- solemn type of how one sin, were it possible to think of it being unatoned for, and if our title to heaven depended upon our faithfulness, would shut us out of the eternal mansions. Typical reasons also are evident why Joshua, rather than Moses, should lead the people into the land. He is a type of Christ in us by the Holy Ghost, who leads us into the enjoyment of that inheritance which is ours in the heavenly places.

Chap. 4:presses upon the people their responsibility to be obedient to such a God as this.

Chap. 5:repeats the Ten Commandments.

Chap. 6:shows that the law is to be diligently obeyed, and to control every circumstance of the life.

Chap. 7:forbids intercourse with the nations of the land. They are to be relentlessly exterminated. How good would it have been for the people had they literally obeyed this command! Their subsequent history furnishes sorrowful evidence of this.
Chap. 8:again presses upon them the responsibility to cleave unto God in true-hearted obedience by all the wilderness way and all the fulness of blessing in the land. Thus looking backward and forward, everything plead with them to obey the Lord.

Chaps, 9:and 10:recount the various acts of rebellion on the part of the people in order that they may be truly humbled.

Chap. 11:again looks at the miracles and acts of the Lord in the past, and promises special blessing upon them in the land, fruitfulness and prosperity, if they obey. The blessing and curse are set before them, and when they come into the land they are to proclaim it from mounts Ebal and Gerizim.

Chap. 12:and the succeeding ones go more minutely into the details of the law. Idolatry is to be shunned. The place of the Lord's choice is to be the center of their worship. Thither are they to bring all their sacrifices and peace offerings.

Chap. 13:is devoted to special warning against idolatry. They are relentlessly to destroy all who would seduce, or any who would connive at that which taught departure from God. The corporate responsibility of a city is seen which has yielded to the seductions of any evil men in the midst.

Chap. 14:speaks of clean and unclean foods.

Chap. 15:treats of the seventh year of release, also of God's right in the first-born of everything.

Chap. 16:provides for the three great yearly feasts- the passover, Pentecost, and tabernacles.

Chap. 17:again speaks of the danger of idolatry, then of the priestly position to decide difficult cases, and lastly looks forward to the time which was reached later on, when the people would choose a king.

Chap. 18:provides for the support of the priests and Levites; warns against the false prophet; predicts the coming of the True, Christ Himself.

Chap. 19:refers to the cities of refuge and the course of action in judicial cases.

Chap. 20:gives rules of battle and warfare.

Chap. 21:gives a glimpse of the nation's responsibility in the death of Christ at its opening, and another allusion to His being made a curse for us at its close.

Chaps, 22:-25:are filled with legal re-enactments, applications and restrictions, most instructive and profitable for study.

Chap. 26:speaks of the basket of first-fruits.

Chaps, 27:and 28:speak of the blessings and curses to be pronounced upon mounts Ebal and Gerizim in the land. It is most significant that the curses are dwelt upon at length; the blessings spoken of in a more secondary way, as though the Spirit of God would recognize that which would take place later on. Alas, under the legal covenant, whether given at Sinai or renewed as here, there could be nothing but curses, for "the law worketh wrath."

Chaps, 29:and 30:are, as we might say, the closing appeal of this part of the book, the outpouring of the heart of the lawgiver, and of the Spirit of God through him, in yearning and warning over this beloved but stiff-necked people.

The closing division of the book, as we said, is more prophetic. Moses resigns the charge to Joshua. The law of God is delivered to the priests, and God foretells the disobedience of the people after the death of Moses.

Chap. 32:is the song which is to witness against the people. It is in striking contrast with the song of Ex. 15:That was unmingled triumph in view of God's victory in the past and of what He was going to do in the future. This, while God is over all, is devoted to warnings and a reminder of their evil hearts. Most blessed is it to see at the close recovery and restoration of the people. This final promise is not yet fulfilled, but is quoted by the apostle in the eleventh chapter of Romans as proof that God's people are yet beloved for the fathers' sakes.

In Chap. 33:we have the blessing of the tribes, which again looks forward to the Millennium. Many a weary century of Israel's history intervenes between the' giving of these blessings and their accomplishment.

In Chap. 34:we have briefly and beautifully the account of the departure of this faithful servant into the better portion which God had reserved for him. He is not permitted to enter the earthly inheritance, which is a witness of the righteousness of divine government; but he is spared as well the sorrow of seeing the people turning from the God who had loved and done so much for them. He passes into heaven. No one knows the place of his burial. He appeared in company with Elias upon the holy mount at the transfiguration of our Lord. There all his thoughts and words were not of Israel's glory, but of Him who, as the true Servant of God, was alone worthy, and through whom also blessing at last would come upon that beloved people whom he had vainly sought to keep in the straight and narrow way.