| DEUTERONOMY |
| A Personal Plea |
| Moses' last chance with the people he loved. |
| But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul. 4:29 |
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| Politicians get this advice: "When you deliver a speech, make it seem as if you're having a personal talk in a small room with each one of your listeners." No one took that advice better than Franklin Delano Roosevelt - unless, perhaps, you consider Moses' speeches in Deuteronomy. When Roosevelt became president of the United States in 1932, he faced a national crisis greater than any since the Civil War. Fifteen million people were unemployed in the Great Depression, and two million of those wandered around the country, homeless, searching for work and food. War in Europe was not far away. Fireside Chats To combat the mood of despair, Roosevelt turned to a powerful new weapon: radio. The very first week of his presidency he gave his first "fireside chat," and a series of such chats helped him pull the nation through its hard times. Warm and personal in tone, the book of Deuteronomy resembles just such a fireside chat, delivered by the great leader Moses to his people, the Israelties. He, too, led a nation through dangerous times, and at the end of his life he had many parting words. This book is Moses' State of the Union address, personal diary, and tearful swansong all combined into one. Poised on the Edge Of their length and emotional power, these speeches have no equal in the Bible. Moses passionately went over and over the same ground, occasionally lashing out, but more often showing the anguish and love of a doting parent. An |