In this message I would like to give a word concerning Israel's history and the situation of Israel in what may be called the sunset of the divine revelation.
Israel was in Egypt under the yoke of the Egyptians and the tyranny of Pharaoh. God sent Moses to release them from this yoke and tyranny and bring them out of Egypt into the wilderness to Mount Sinai. At Mount Sinai the heavens were opened to Israel, and God gave them the revelation concerning the tabernacle and its utensils. He also gave them the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, telling them how to worship God and giving them detailed instructions regarding how to eat, dress, and conduct themselves. From that time Israel began to be a people under the divine revelation in every way.
In the beginning Israel obeyed the divine revelation somewhat. They built the tabernacle according to the revelation they received, and, in keeping with this revelation, they also began to worship God by means of the priesthood and the sacrifices. However, as they were traveling in the wilderness, they began to degrade from the revelation they had received from God through Moses. The book of Numbers records many cases of their degradation from God's law, that is, from God's revelation.
When the people of Israel were about to enter the good land, Moses repeated the divine revelation; he repeated the revelation of God's law. This repetition is found in the book of Deuteronomy. (The word Deuteronomy means "second law" and thus signifies a respeaking of the divine law.) In this repetition Moses charged them especially that when they entered the good land, they were to tear down the idols, destroy the places of idol worship, and slaughter the idol worshippers. For example, concerning the idol worshippers Moses commanded Israel, saying, "You shall utterly destroy them; you shall make no covenant with them, nor shall you show them any favor....But you shall deal with them in this way: their altars you shall tear down, their pillars you shall shatter, their Asherim you shall hew down, and their idols you shall burn with fire" (Deut. 7:2, 5).