Tolle Lege: Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy, “the second law,” is a covenantal document that tells of the renewal of the covenant between God and his chosen people at Mount Sinai. As the people of Israel stood at the plains of Moab, waiting to enter the land of Canaan, they received the teaching of Moses, instructions for Godly living in the land of the promise, which are the words that we find in this book. The teaching they received came in the form of three sermons: 1:6-4:43; 4:44-11:32; 12:1-26:19. It can also be said that the whole of Deuteronomy is a large sermon aimed to move the minds and wills of the hearers to obey the Lord. There is nothing more that Moses desires for the people of Israel than to follow the Lord. He proclaims in the important Shema, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart” (Deut. 6:5-6). Love has been unconditionally shown to Israel and now they ought to live as the people loved by God. Israel is in the covenant relationship with God not because of their righteousness but because the Lord loves them and because He is a promise-keeping God (Deut. 7:6-11).
The fifth and final book of the Torah, retells some of the history of the people of Israel: exodus, patriarchal promises, wilderness wanderings, and the decalogue – the ten commandments. The theme of land is prevalent; God has promised to give land to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Deut. 6:10-11), he has been partially fulfilling that promise, and he reassures them once again of his faithful character regarding this matter (Deut. 7:7-9). Because the Lord chose the Israelites to be a people for his treasured possession, it tells of the covenantal stipulations: blessings and curses. It is not a light matter to be in a relationship with the living God, and therefore, as the people of God, they were expected to maintain pure worship (Deut. 12-13), live holy lives, obedience was necessary, for they were set apart to draw other nations to the Lord (Deut. 4:1-8).
Why Should I Read This? It has been said that Deuteronomy is the most important book in the Bible on the subject of Christian discipleship. The book begins with: “These are the words,” which can be restated as, “This is the way to live.” After all, Deuteronomy serves as an exposition of the ten commandments and speaks directly to a young generation (Deut. 1:34-40) as they seek to follow God in the land of promise. Deuteronomy is written for people during the time of major transition: change of land and change of leadership (Deut. 31:1-8). So, the book instructs the people of God in the proper worship of Yahweh (Deut. 12:1-32; 13:1-18).
The book of Deuteronomy is one of the most quoted books in the New Testament, frequently quoted by Christ himself. As an example, when tempted by Satan in the wilderness, Jesus recited Deuteronomy 8:3, 6:16, and 6:13. Surveying the rest of the New Testament, Paul heavily relies on Deuteronomy in the book of Romans. Paul uses Deuteronomy in order to teach on sin (Rom. 7:7), righteousness by faith (Rom. 10:6–8, 19; cf. Deut. 30:12–14), Christian ethics (Rom. 12:19 and 13:9; cf. Deut. 5:17–19, 21 and 32:35).
Once again, the majesty of God is portrayed vividly in Deuteronomy 4:32-40. Moses wants people to remember that there is no other God like the Lord. No God has descended on Earth to dwell with his people (4:32), no God ever spoke to his people (4:33), no God ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, and by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great deeds of terror, all of which the Lord your God did in Egypt (4:34).
Key Themes:
Israel is the covenant people of God, from generation to generation.
Deuteronomy serves to instruct a new generation in a new place; but following the same and never changing God who keeps his promises to Abraham, even generations later.
Israel is called to live faithfully in the land they will inhabit. They do this through the Law of God as given through Moses.
They still await the future promises of God to “circumcise hearts” (Deut. 30:6), both theirs and their offspring’s hearts. This cannot be done by them for themselves. It is fully realized only through the Spirit (Ezek. 36:26; Acts 2:1-13), as the Spirit ministers in Christ’s name (John 16:4b-15).
Applying the Book. Westminster Confession of Faith 1.6 teaches us that “The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man’s salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture...” Deuteronomy is overwhelmingly impregnated with principles and applications for Christian living today. It is rich with lessons on Godly leadership (Deut. 1:9-18; 3:23-29), encouraging obedience (Deut. 4:1-14, 32-40; 6:1-9), understanding idolatry (Deut. 4:15-31), upholding the pure worship of God (Deut. 12-13), and the doctrine of unconditional election (Deut. 7:6-8).
In Deuteronomy, God is teaching his people to learn from the past: past mistakes, which would lead to greater obedience (Deut. 1:19-46); past manifestations of God’s power, which will lead to overcoming fear (Deut. 7:17-18); past slave-like conditions, which will lead to greater thanksgiving and showing compassion to a sojourner (Deut. 15:15; 16:12; 24:18). The list is long but it illustrates a gracious reality for Christians. As God saved us in Christ Jesus––as he loved us––we love (1 John 4:19). His actions served to instill godly characteristics in Deuteronomy and also now in the Church. We need to remember that the rediscovery of this very book from the dust led king Josiah in 2 Kings 22-23 to restore Israel (even if for a time) to the true pure worship of God, and may it do the same today by the power of the Spirit.
