Deuteronomy 1 Footnotes
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1:30 The idea of God’s fighting for Israel has to be understood against the backdrop of the conquest of Canaan, in which the Lord would annihilate the hopelessly unrepentant and irredeemable Canaanite nations so as to open the land to Israelite possession. This language of “holy war” does not contradict the idea that God loves all peoples and desires all to repent. Even the NT speaks of Jesus, God’s love incarnate, coming in bloody wrath and judgment in the last days (Rv 19:11-16). God’s love and grace never compromise his holiness and justice.
1:37 God’s severe treatment of Moses for what seems a minor incident (see Nm 20:12) does not expose him to a charge of unfairness or of capricious administration of his judgment. Moses was the most privileged of men. As such he bore the greatest responsibility for his sin of failed leadership. His punishment was in direct proportion to what God had rightfully expected of him.