Deuteronomy

Growing in Christ

"He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures." Luke 24:45

Overview of Old Testament or New Testament

Links to observations drawn from other other books of the Bible

Introduction: The Hebrew title of the book is taken from the first verse "words" referring to the words of Moses given to Israel on the plains of Moab before crossing the Jordan into Canaan. This is a crucial time for Israel. Moses is about to die. The people would face war and many changes afterwards as they settled as a nation in the land. Joshua's leadership was untested. The generation he would lead had not known Egypt, Yahweh's deliverance or self-revelation in the giving of the law at Mt. Sinai. The Greek translation (Septuagint) titles the book "Deuteronomy" (Second law-giving) because it repeats laws from earlier in the Pentateuch. Moses desires stability and continuity for Israel in the new circumstances Israel will face.

Deuteronomy is a constitution for the theocracy of Israel. The structure of the book parallels the pattern of a typical near-eastern suzerainty treaty. Of the 27 books of the New Testament, 17 quote from Deuteronomy. In his wilderness temptation Jesus quoted only Deuteronomy.

Practical and Pastoral Observations on the Book of Deuteronomy (please read each chapter slowly and meditatively before reading observations below):

Deuteronomy 1

The Setting: The location where Moses speaks to the people is specified (v.1-2) along with the date (v.3). Moses speaks just after God's victory over the Amorites (v.4) and before the people cross the Jordan.

Israel's Promise and Problem: God's promise of Canaan had been made clear at Sinai (v.6) as well as God's command to go and possess the land (v.7-8). God also made clear how they should rule themselves under God's impartial law (v.12-18). Israel's problem however was they did not believe God.

The Cost of Unbelief: Moses tells the children of those who died in the desert why the tragedy happened. God placed the land before their fathers (v.21) but the majority account of the spies (v.22-24) focused on their opponents (v.28) rather than on the Lord's promise and track record. Because of their fathers' refusal to cross the Jordan (v.26), despite Moses's words of truth (v.29-33), God denied them the land (v.34-35) promising it instead to their children (v.39). When Israel, instead of accepting God's judgement, sought to battle the Amorites in their own strength (v.41-43), they were defeated (v.44). 

The Next Generation: The children of those who died in the desert needed to hear this sad story so as not to make the same mistake of unbelief and loss of courage. May we too learn from history rather than repeat its errors. Deut 1:11: "May the LORD, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many as you are and bless you, as he has promised you!" 

Personal Response: I will listen to the stories of my parents and of their mission history and change my behaviour accordingly.

My Prayer: Father, thank you that you promise and warn. Give me now to believe and obey. Your word is not to be taken lightly or spurned. Spare me from the consequences of unbelief.

Deuteronomy 2

38 Years: Moses first 40 years were in the privileged court of Pharoah, the 2nd 40 years until the burning bush, a simple shepherd, and the majority of his last 40 years are here summarized in a single verse (v.1): wandering in the wilderness around Mount Seir until the generation of fighting men, who refused to fight, had died (v.14-16).

Singular Focus: God had not given Israel any of the land of Esau's descendants, the Edomites (v. 2-8), or the land of the descendants of Lot; the Moabites (v.9) or the Ammonites (17). Israel was to maintain good relations with these neighbours, asking only to pass through, paying for food and water. Only the land of Canaanite tribes was given to Israel.

Heshbon was east of the Jordan so Israel made the same offer (v.26-29) but King Sidon attacked (v.32) and was destroyed fully (v.33-35).

History of occupation: World history to this day is the history of land being taken by one people from another. v.10-12 outlines Lot's descendants, the Moabites taking their land from the Emims, and the Edomites, Esau's descendent, taking their land from the Horims. v.20-23 describes the Ammonites, Lot's other branch of descendants, taking their land of the Rephaites, and the Caphtorites from Crete taking the land of Gaza from the Avvites. The Caphtorites in Gaza became known as Philistines. The Caphtorites, from Lower-Egypt, had taken Crete earlier and the Moabites had lost much of their land to Sihon.

Moses may have included this wider history in his summation to Israel to encourage them, having come from Egypt and backing away from Canaan 38 years earlier, that they too could occupy the land promised them by Yahweh, land currently occupied by worshippers of Chemosh who had taken the land from those before them. God chose the most wicked tribes of the area to be dispossessed by Israel.

Personal Response: I will be meek when called to be meek and courageous when the Lord calls me to courage.

My Prayer: Father, the history of violence to take land is long, continuing to this day, and painful to ponder. When Jesus returns, You will bring justice taking the earth from the wicked. Till then, Lord, I join in a prayer-song of my youth: ""In a troubled world, I pray the Lord to keep, Keep hatred from the mighty and the mighty from the small. Heaven help us all."

Deuteronomy 3

East of the Jordan: Moses reiterates the capture of the 60 walled cities of Bashan (v. 4-5) and Og the king of Bashan and all his people (v.6-7). Og was the last of the giant race of Rephaim which had occupied the territory of the Amorites. His bed (or coffin) was 13.5 long x 6 ft wide (v.11), giving a sense of why the spies first sent by Moses into the promised land brought back a fearful report. But God gave victory.

The Promise of the Two and a Half Tribes: Gad (v.12, Manasseh (v.13) and Reuben (v.16) are given the land of the Amorites east of the Jordan (v.18). Their families begin to settle the land (v.19) while their men of fighting age cross the Jordan with the rest of Israel to take the Promised Land (v.20), before returning to their families. Joshua will lead Israel to the victory the Lord will win for them (v.21).

Denial of Mose's Request: Moses, after the defeat of Sidon and Og (v.21), again asked the Lord permission to cross the Jordan into Canaan and Lebanon. God's answer was firm however, and commanded Moses not to ask again (v.26). Moses had to be satisfied with a visual taste of the promise from a mountain top (v.27) before he died. Moses final energies were to be expended transferring strength and encouragement to Joshua, who would receive God's inheritance to Israel from the Lord's hands (v.28).

Moses' disappointment: Sometimes we have to be satisfied with the Lord's "no". We may or may not know the reason but we do know the Lord knows what we do not about the future and has reasons beyond us we must accept. In that place of disappointment, though forgiven as was Moses, we dwell in a place of peace.

Personal Response: I will accept the Lord's "no" as fully as His "yes." I will not be angry and carry my disappointment in peace until the disappointment fades into trust.

My Prayer: Father, I trust the next generation leaders who take my place and, rather than hold on, bless, encourage and strengthen them, grateful that you call them to lead your people into places I cannot.

Deuteronomy 4

Of Ultimate Importance: Among the nations, through the generations, in all the busyness and challenges of life, what is of ultimate importance? Moses will die (v.21), the people with cross into Canaan without him (v.22). What burns on Moses heart and urges upon the people must not be forgotten (v.9), added to or selected from (v.2, 12:32; Rev.22:18-19) but held to through the generations.

The Irreducible Basics: God is, there is no god like Him (v.35, 39). He is holy and sets His people apart to be holy; jealous of his rights and moral standards (v.24). God is without form like fire (v.11, 15, 24, 33, 36) and cannot be reduced to any image, male or female (v.16-19). Nothing can represent Him. He speaks (v.12, 33, 36) and makes covenant to bind us to Him (v.13), His own possession (v.20) forever.

Inevitable Consequences: Those who hold fast (v.4) to Him will have a reputation for wisdom and understanding (v.6), righteousness (v.8) and blessing serving a God who is near, answering the call of His people (v.7). Those who reject or ignore Him will be scattered (v.26-27) and destroyed (v.3). Those who return (v.30) will find Him compassionate (v.31) and enjoy generational blessings in the land (v.40).

Deut 4:39 know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.

Personal Response: I will hold fast to the one and only true living God whose I am, who loves and speaks. How can I stay focused, in relationship and on course? Individually, I can read a chapter of the Bible daily, meditate on it, pray and obey. Corporately, I can proactively participate in a community of the Word, prayer, worship and mission.

My Prayer: Father, show me how I can urge this generation to hold fast, be blessed and press in to God our Savior.

Deuteronomy 5

Purpose of Hearing: Hearing and knowledge of the Holy One is of value only to the extent that we conform our lives to align with all we receive from Him (v.1). What God speaks is first a covenant (v.2) defining our relationship with Him and each other. This covenant was not only with our ancestors but for all today (v.3).

Moses the Mediator: God spoke from out of the fire (v.4). The people were afraid and drew back (v.5). Therefore Moses stood between God and the people, mediating His word. So, through Moses, God spoke to Israel "face to face" (v.4).

The Ten Commandments: are restated from Exodus 20. As Moses reviews these stipulations, he adds only examples, such as the warning not to covet one's neighbour's field (v.21), now that Israel will no longer be slaves or nomads but landowners in Canaan.

The Promise of the People: Israel, terrified by the sight and sound of God's voice from the fire and cloud (v.22-23) asked Moses to protect them from death (v.25) by standing near to God and hearing in their place (v.27), promising to do all that the Lord spoke to them. God affirmed their intention to obey (v.28), yearning that Israel's heart would hold true that it might go well with them (v.29) and that their days be prolonged in the promised land (v.33).

The Center: Not only does God prohibit adding or subtracting from His way of life (4:2) but also from turning to the right or left (5:32) in doing so. This has vital application also to contemporary politics. Seeking this straight and narrow path (Matt 7:13f) is not a matter of finding a middle compromise acceptable to all as in conventional politics but in seeking the centre of God's heart and will. This may move us to the right of the far left or to the left of the far right but we seek not to please men or any extreme but only the Lord who loves righteousness, justice and mercy.

Personal Response: I will be led by the Holy Spirit to the centre of the Father's heart, so avoiding extremes in the sight of God, but unafraid in that place to be labelled extreme in the eyes of man.

My Prayer: Father, turn my eyes up in every occasion where I am faced with political, i.e. moral, issues in the world, seeking Your face and word, Father, that I would not be ahead, behind, right or left of Your will.

Deuteronomy 6

Milk and Honey: The joyful outcomes of a wholehearted, ongoing and practical embrace of the Way of the Lord (v.1) are interwoven in Moses' final address. These promised blessings include prolonged days of life (v.2), a broad state of wellness (v.3) and the blessing of family growth and multiplication. All this in a land flowing with milk and honey (v.3). To people struggling with desert conditions, this ideal symbolized a dream, as it implied a well watered land required for both milk (flocks) and honey (fields). The evocative phrase is repeated in 11:9; 26:9 and 15; 31:20 as well as in 3 other books of the Pentateuch.

Shema: These promises are based on embrace of the uniqueness of Yahweh in verse 4: "The LORD is our God, the LORD alone"; Judaism's core creed, which begins with the word "hear" (Shema, in Hebrew). [The creed later grew to include Deut. 5-9; 11:13-21 and Num. 15:37-41 and was recited morning and night (v.7).] The call is not only to truth (v.4) but all encompassing love - Jesus' first commandment - (v.5) the centre of our attention (v.6) and priority in child-rearing and all aspects of the day (v.7).

This confession does not preclude the Trinity as God (Elohim) is a plural word, and the word One is also used of the union of Adam and Eve (Gen. 2:24) where two persons are one flesh. (Ryrie)

Remember: Not only should children remember (v.7) but adults also, posting visible aids on their head and arm (v.8) in what became known as phylacteries (see left arm and forehead in photo) and doorposts so as to be visible reminders at home (v.9). Remembering is critical especially when all is well (v.10f).

Vigilance and Diligence: Do not let blessing be an excuse for complacency (v.12). Know that distraction by other 'gods' (v.14) will lead to death (v.15). Do not put God to the test (v.16). Faithfulness precedes blessing and success (v.17-19).

Why? When your child asks about the meaning of the Shema or covenant (v.20), tell the full story of slavery (v.21) and redemption (v.22f). This is no small matter. It is your righteousness (v.25) and very survival (v.24.)

It is impossible to overstate the importance of our God and His grace and salvation. It is entirely possible to neglect or diminish His glory or our salvation.

Personal Response: I will be vigilant and diligent daily to remember, seek and obey the Lord and to urge the same on our children and community. No big names or attractions can replace or add to this central personal and primary call.

My Prayer: Father, may the chapter quoted by Jesus in his wilderness temptation be my foundation also.

Deuteronomy 7

No Dilution (v.1-5): If there was no voluntary departure, the seven nations (v.1) occupying the promised land were to be driven out or destroyed (v.1-2). Neither God's holiness or the land He promised Israel was to shared or diluted. Obviously there was to be no intermarriage (v.3f), nor was any vestige of their idols to be retained (v.5), not even the gold or silver covering them (v.25) could be kept. Asherim poles were images of Asherah, the imagined mother of 70 gods including Baal. They were to be burned along with all wooden idols.

God's Sovereign Choice (v.6-8): Abraham was childless when he was chosen, Jacob's family included only 70 people. God did not choose Israel because of their size (v.7) but because of His love and oath to Abraham, Issac and Jacob (v.8) He choose them to be utterly holy and separate to Himself (v.6) from among all the peoples of the earth.

God's Unique Love (v.9-15): God is a faithful, covenant-keeping God to 1000 generations who experience His lovingkindness (v.9), but will repay those who reject Him to their face (v.10). If you are likewise faithful (v.11) as He is faithful (v.12), His blessings will overflow you, your family, farms and flocks (v.13). There will be no barrenness (v.14) or illness (v.15), including those known in Egypt (e.g. ophthalmia, dysentery, smallpox, elephantiasis).

Don't be Afraid, Polluted or Stop (v.16-25): Entirely remove those who occupy the land, do not compromise with them or their 'gods' (v.16), anymore than God compromised with Egypt or it's 'gods' (v.17-19). They will flee as before hornets (v.20). Destroy them as you meet them, step by step, until you have possessed the whole land (v.22-23) and their names are no longer remembered (v.24).

Particularly retain no vestige of their demon-gods (v.25-26) [the sin of Achan, Josh 7:1]. Holding to the Lord is survival (6:24), the cost of pollution is death.

Personal Response: Though no one believe the cost of pollution and compromise, I will hold the Lord, faithful to His love and know the blessings of His faithful love.

My Prayer: Father, I joyfully walk in faithfulness with You, in peace and trust, siding with You whatever the world may ask or demand, loving and enjoying You forever!

Deuteronomy 8

Wilderness: Israel had much to learn about their covenant relationship with the Lord. They had seen God's power and provision in the Exodus and journey to the promised land but didn't yet trust Him. For this reason the Lord humbled them when they refused to enter the promised land. In the wilderness then He also tested them to see what was in their hearts, whether they were ready to walk in obedience with Him (v.2-3). God both provided for them (v.3-4) and disciplined them (v.5) to prepare them to walk in His ways (v.6) and receive His good gifts (v.7-9).

Goodness: The land before them was full of good soil and water (v.7), crops of every kind (v.8), even iron and copper for tools and weapons (v.9). There is no scarcity in the Lord's goodness.

The Scourge of Loss of Historical Memory: When you are comfortable and satisfied, remember to bless the Lord who gave it (v.10). If you forget the Lord, deny or ignore the history His has given (v.11-13) and proudly place yourself in the centre (v.14), overlooking His redemption (v.14), protection and provision (v.15) and the lessons of His discipline and testing in the wilderness (v.16), you will perish. If you spurn the God of your history, enthroning yourself (v.17) in His place, you will perish (v.19-20) along with the other nations who reject Him.

The heart of the matter is this: Deut 8:19: If you forget (the LORD your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that) you will surely perish.

History as Battleground: The Lord is in, works through and is over our history. Not all have the eyes to see Him or hearts to acknowledge Him in history, but those who do, are blessed. Christians are not alone in arguing from history. This may be why history is a secular battleground, with revisionism common to shape identity and ideology.

Acknowledging the Source of Wealth: Many wealthy people do not serve the Lord with their wealth. Yet it is God gives the ability to make wealth (v.17-18). The contrast is not between the individual and the state having the means of production but between man and God being the source of blessing.

Personal Response: I will remember the Lord's goodness with joy, walk with Him and in His ways, now and every day, enjoying His presence and blessings.

My Prayer: Father, I confess the fallen human heart can long remember wrongs against it but will soon forget your undeserved goodness to us. Give me a long memory of your goodness, grace and forgiveness. Give me the ability to remember history and to urge true history on our children's children also.