Deuteronomy 1:3

"And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according to all that Jehovah had given him in commandment unto them; after he had smitten Sihon the king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who dwelt in Ashtaroth, at Edrei. Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare this law, saying, Jehovah our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mountain: turn you, and take your journey, and go to the hill-country of the Amorites, and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the Arabah, in the hill-country, and in the lowland, and in the South, and by the sea-shore, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates. Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the !and which Jehovah sware unto your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them."

Deuteronomy 1:3 places the event of the writing of Deuteronomy almost at the end of the period of Israel's wilderness sojourn and just before the death of Moses. It was an opportune time indeed for the aged commander to turn the mantle of authority over to Joshua and to pour out his heart in the eloquent and moving words of this remarkable book. Great military victories had just been won over the Amorites and the people of Bashan, and the general weakness of the whole area in a military sense gave Israel the ideal opportunity to take over the promised land. Their tragic failure to do so led to their forty-year delay during which God waited for the rebellious generation to die, and this, of course, gave the citizens of Canaan time to fortify themselves and improve their strength greatly before the delayed confrontation with Israel actually took place. Some lost opportunities never return.

Deuteronomy 1:6 is actually the beginning of the first address featured in Deuteronomy. It extends to Deuteronomy 4:40 and is divided from the second address by Deuteronomy 4:41-49.

THE FIRST DISCOURSE (Deuteronomy 1:6-4:40)

The subject matter of this first speech of Moses is presented in the chapter headings usually found in English Bibles, as follows: Moses briefly recounts God's promises to Israel, reminds them of God's anger at their incredulity and disobedience, recalls their instructions not to meddle with the Edomites, nor with the Moabites, nor with the Ammonites, rehearses their victory over Sihon king of the Amorites, reminds them of their victory over Og king of Bashan, recalls the size of Og's bed, recounts his own prayer to enter the promised land and God's granting him the privilege of seeing it, gives a powerful admonition to Israel regarding the necessity of their obedience, and concludes with a powerful dissuasive against idolatry.

Obviously, a great deal of this material has already been related in the preceding Books of Moses.