Today’s Reading:
Read Deuteronomy 1:1-8; 1:19-38; Deuteronomy 2:7; 3:21-22
The group of Israelites we will read about in Deuteronomy who are ready to enter Canaan were not the same group of Israelites who left Egypt. It was the next generation- their sons and daughters. Deuteronomy is filled with Moses’ last words to these people, which are mostly reminders of what Moses had been teaching them all along.
See how much your family can remember about what had happened on the Israelites’ journey. Take a blank sheet of paper and make a list of all you can remember about the journey so far. (Egypt, Sinai, Canaan). With each memory your family has, ask this question, “What happened next?” Challenge your family to remember as much as they can about the Israelites journey. Use the Bible to fact check!
Moses reminded the people how God brought them out of Egypt, to the Red Sea which he parted, to Mt. Sinai where God gave him the 10 commandments; and then to Canaan where the people were too scared to enter. Moses reminded them of the 12 spies that he sent into Canaan to scout the land and how when they came back with mixed reports- 10 bad and 2 good- the Israelites got scared and spoke out against God and so God punished them and said they would not be able to enter the land. But to keep His covenant, He promised that their children would enter. This is what is about to happen but before it does, Moses wanted to remind the Wilderness Children all that God had done for them.
Joshua and Caleb were the only two from that original group of Israelites who left Egypt who would be able to see the Promised Land. Moses reminded the people, “Do not be afraid, the Lord himself will fight for you.”
Considering all of the ways God has provided for the Israelites and the promise that He will continue to provide for them, they should be ready to finally move to Canaan! What do you think?
Application/Prayer:
Of all that we have learned about the Israelites journey, what is your favorite part? Remember, the stories of the Israelites are all true – they actually happened. And we can use their encounters with God and His plan as reminders of how God will always provide for us as well.
March Memory Verse:
He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
Matthew 4:4
Using the daily reading prompts from George H. Guthrie’s Read the Bible for Life, here’s how to use this devotional:
- Bring your Bible! Your kids need to see that everything you are reading to them or learning about comes from an actual Bible!
- Each day starts with a reading prompt. Read the selection as a family. If your kids are readers, encourage them to read along with you.
- After you’ve read the passage, read the short devotional thought that goes along with each passage.
- Prayer and application are important any time we read God’s word! After each devotional, there is a challenge to help apply what your family has read that day.
- There is a reading for six days of the week. The last reading of the week is a Gospel Conversation Prompt to help you connect the reading from the week with God’s plan for salvation.
Other Resources:
March memory verse coloring sheet