Deuteronomy makes it so clear that the law and the covenant were central, not only to Israel’s relationship to God but also for the nation’s purpose as the “chosen” people (Deuteronomy 7:6, Deuteronomy 14:2, Deuteronomy 18:5).

Read Deuteronomy 10:12-15, where much of this idea of law and Israel’s chosen status is stressed. What, however, does the Bible mean with the phrase “heaven of heavens”? What point is Moses making with that phrase?

What “heaven of heavens” means isn’t absolutely clear, at least in this immediate context, but Moses is pointing to the majesty, power, and grandeur of God. That is, not only heaven itself but “the heaven of the heavens” belongs to Him, most likely an idiomatic expression that points to God’s complete sovereignty over all the creation.

Read the following verses, all based on the phrase that appears first in Deuteronomy. In each case, what point is being made, and how do we see the influence of Deuteronomy there?

1 Kings 8:27

Nehemiah 9:6

Psalm 148:4

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Especially clear in Nehemiah 9 is the theme of God as the Creator and who alone should be worshiped. He made everything, even “the heaven of heavens, with all their host” (Nehemiah 9:6). In fact, Nehemiah 9:3 says that he “read from the Book of the Law,” most likely, as in the time of Josiah, the book of Deuteronomy, which explains why a few verses later the Levites, amid their praise and worship of God, used this phrase “heaven of heavens,” which came directly from Deuteronomy.

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

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Flipping through the new quarterly, there are a number of titles that have the word ‘love’ in them – Love, to Be Loved; To Love God; He First Loved Us; To Love the Lord Your God; to name just a few. Hence, I believe a wonderful hymn to devote to as a theme will be
Hymn 349 – God Is Love. Our first Memory Text says “for God is Love”, 1 John 4:8. As the book of Deuteronomy is the book of the covenant, it would also be good to add 
Hymn 347 – Built On the Rock as verse four tells us of God ‘Making with us His covenant”.

Oh the joy of being able to have the Everlasting Covenant which we find in
Hymn 469 – Leaning On The Everlasting Arms of our Lord Jesus.

We are shown in the Sabbath introduction to our week of study that the Bible has given us instructions all the way down through the ages, therefore, we may ask 
Give Me the Bible – Hymn 272.

There is no human language to show the height, the depth and the wonders of the Heavens on Monday: 
Hymn 9 – Let All the World in Every Corner Sing, 
Hymn 26 – Praise the Lord! You Heavens Adore Him, 
Hymn 96 – The Spacious Firmament and 
Hymn 536 – God, Who Stretched.

Jeremiah wrote the same as had Moses saying “Seek Me” just as we may sing in 
Hymn 224 – Seek Ye First the Kingdom. On seeking and finding the Awesome God of the Heavens, we learn obedience: 
Hymn 590 – Trust and Obey.

“What Does the Lord Require?” asks Wednesdays’ title? 
O Brother, Be Faithful – Hymn 602.

Daniel (on Thursday) prayed tearfully, and “expressed the reality that despite these events, there was hope” just we have today: 
Hymn 214 – We Have This Hope.

We are bound for The Promised Land! Hallelujah!! Come, Lord Jesus, come – very soon.

Blessings for a wonderful week ahead.

To learn unknown hymns, you will find the accompaniment music for each one at: https://sdahymnals.com/Hymnal/

Another great resource is for when there is a hymn you wish to sing, but can’t find it in your hymnal. Go to https://www.sdahymnal.org and in the search bar type a special word in that is in the hymn. I am sure you will be amazed at the help you will be given.

2 Timothy 2:15 KJV – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

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King Josiah of Judah, who was eight years old when he became king, reigned 31 years (640 B.C. — 609 B.C.) before his death on the battlefield. In the eighteenth year of his reign, something happened that, at least for a while, changed the history of God’s people.

Read 2 Kings 22:1-20. What lessons can we learn from this incident?

Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com

Scholars have long concluded that the “Book of the Law” (2 Kings 22:8) was Deuteronomy, which apparently had been lost to the people for many years.

“Josiah was deeply stirred as he heard read for the first time the exhortations and warnings recorded in this ancient manuscript. Never before had he realized so fully the plainness with which God had set before Israel ‘life and death, blessing and cursing’ (Deuteronomy 30:19) … The book abounded in assurances of God’s willingness to save to the uttermost those who should place their trust fully in Him. As He had wrought in their deliverance from Egyptian bondage, so would He work mightily in establishing them in the Land of Promise and in placing them at the head of the nations of earth.” — Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, p. 393.

All through the next chapter, we can see just how seriously King Josiah sought “to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes, with all his heart and all his soul” (2 Kings 23:3; see also Deuteronomy 4:29, Deuteronomy 6:5,  Deuteronomy 10.12-13). And this reformation included a cleansing and purging of “all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might perform the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the LORD” (2 Kings 23:24).

Deuteronomy was filled with warnings and admonitions against following the practices of the nations around them. The actions of Josiah, and all the things that he did, which included the execution of what must have been idolatrous priests in Samaria (2 Kings 23:20), revealed just how far the people of God had strayed from the truth entrusted to them. Instead of remaining the holy people who they were supposed to be, they compromised with the world, even though they often thought, We are just fine with the Lord, thank you.

What a dangerous deception.

<–Sabbath Monday–>

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