3-5-15

DEUTERONOMY

The title of this Book in our bible is taken from Chapter 17, Verse 18 in the Septuagint:

18 When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests.

In the Hebrew Bible, the title is taken from the first words of the book:

 1 These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the wilderness east of the Jordan—that is, in the Arabah—opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Dizahab

Deuteronomy introduces no new material that has not been presented in previousl books.  It re-presents and inculcates the covenant between God and Israel. It consists of four speeches given by Moses:

Chapter 1-4  

Chapter 5-26

Chapters 27 & 28

Chapters 29 & 30

The speeches are set  Plains of Moab, at which Israel had arrived after 40 years of wandering in the Wilderness.

The Book is both retrospective and prospective. It is retrospective in that it recounts recent events for Israel and prospective in that Moses speaks of entering the Promised Land and what will happen once they enter.

It is similar in structure to other treaties between Ancient Near Eastern Traditions

~The Hittite Vassal Treaty

~Assyrian Vassal Treaties

These treaties, and Deuteronomy, have at least 7 elements:

1. A Preamble announcing the treaty and the parties thereto (Deut 1-5)

2. A Historical Prologue citing past relations between the parties (Deut 1:6 - 4:49)

3. General Stipulations (Deut 5-11)

4. Specific Stipulations (Deut 12-26)

5. Deposition of Documents for Display (Deut 27:1-10)

6. Witnesses (Deut 32)

7. Blessings and Curses (Deut 27 & 28)

In Deuteronomy we have Moses making a series of speeches to remind Israel of the Covenant.

It can be compared to a "legally binding contract" in that it has all f the elements of such a contract:

~An Offer (which God made to Israel)
~Acceptance of the Offer (by Israel)
~A consideration---something of value exchanged between the parties.

Moses reiterates the considerations gien by both parties.

God offers his "Shalom"--his "Peace", Israels's part of the bargain is Obedience

We are revisiting all of these elements in Moses' speeches.  The first speech is found in chapters 3 & 4.

Deuteronomy 3:23-26 illustrates that Obedience is part of the bargain, and he will hold Moses to it:

23 At that time I pleaded with the Lord: 24 “Sovereign Lord, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do? 25 Let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan—that fine hill country and Lebanon.”26 But because of you the Lord was angry with me and would not listen to me. “That is enough,” the Lordsaid. “Do not speak to me anymore about this matter. 27 Go up to the top of Pisgah and look west and north and south and east. Look at the land with your own eyes, since you are not going to cross this Jordan. 28 But commission Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead this people acrossand will cause them to inherit the land that you will see.” 29 So we stayed in the valley near Beth Peor.

This is the price paid for Moses' disobedience when he struck the rock rather than speak to it.

As does 4:1-4:

 4 Now, Israel, hear the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. 2 Do not addto what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.3 You saw with your own eyes what the Lord did at Baal Peor. The Lord your God destroyed from among you everyone who followed the Baal of Peor, 4 but all of you who held fast to the Lord your God are still alive today.

And 4:32-39 describes the offer and consideration from God:

32 Ask now about the former days, long before your time, from the day God created human beings on the earth; ask from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything so great as this ever happened, or has anything like it ever been heard of? 33 Has any other people heard the voice of God[a] speaking out of fire, as you have, and lived? 34 Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all the things the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?35 You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord is God; besides him there is no other. 36 From heaven he made you hear his voice to discipline you. On earth he showed you his great fire, and you heard his words from out of the fire. 37 Because he loved your ancestors and chose their descendants after them, he brought you out of Egypt by his Presence and his great strength, 38 to drive out before you nations greater and stronger than you and to bring you into their land to give it to you for your inheritance, as it is today.39 Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other.

Moses' second speech is in Chapter 5 and recounts the 10 Commandments

In Chapter 6, we see the first example of Moses stating the Covenant and Shalom

6:4-9 is The Shema, the central prayer in the Jewish prayer book, where Moses describes to Israel their consideration part of the Covenant

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[a] 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

6:10-19 goes from God's consideration (his shalom) and back to Israel's part:

10 When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, 11 houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, 12 be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

(God's Shalom)

13 Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. 14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; 15 for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. 16 Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah. 17 Be sure to keep the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. 18 Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors, 19 thrusting out all your enemies before you, as the Lord said. 

(Israel's Obedience)

Chapter 7:1-2 give a command to Israel regarding the inhabitants of the land they are about to possess:

7 When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you— 2 and when the Lord your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally.[a] Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy.

This is known as "The Ban" or "Cherem" 

The "ban" (Heb. cherem) refers to God's command to the Israelites to exterminate 7 tribes living in the land of Canaan (Deut. 7:1,2).There are several moral problems raised by the "ban." The Christian worker should be able to defend this area of biblical revelation (1 Pet. 3:15).

Equally important is Verse 3 in Chapter 7

3 Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons,

This verse has been used incorrectly by persons using it as looking to prevent the intermarriage of races.  It must be remembered that God is talking here of sinners of immense proportions who are idol worshippers.  The command is to the Israelites not to marry outside the faith. This is a result of the incident at Peor described in Numbers 25 and Numbers 31.  The command is repeated in 2Corinthains 6:14.

Verse 7:12 is another reminder of the Covenant:

12 If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the Lord your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your ancestors.

And again 7:3-16 goes back and forth between Shalom and Obedience

13 He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land—your grain, new wine and olive oil—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you. 14 You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless, nor will any of your livestock be without young.15 The Lord will keep you free from every disease. He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but he will inflict them on all who hate you. 16 You must destroy all the peoples the Lord your God gives over to you. Do not look on them with pity and do not serve their gods, for that will be a snareto you.

The command in 7:25-26 will be part of a test question:

13 He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land—your grain, new wine and olive oil—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you. 14 You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless, nor will any of your livestock be without young.15 The Lord will keep you free from every disease. He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but he will inflict them on all who hate you. 16 You must destroy all the peoples the Lord your God gives over to you. Do not look on them with pity and do not serve their gods, for that will be a snare to you.

Chapter 8, Verses 11 & 12 should inform or lives today:

11 Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down,

As well as 9:4:

4 After the Lord your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, “The Lord has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.” No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is going to drive them out before you.

 Verse 10:12-13 discusses the difference between the Law and the Spirit of The Law

12 And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?

A foreshadowing of the message in Matthew 5:

46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

In Chapter 11, we see again the refrain of Covenant and Shalom:

18 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 19 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 20 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, 21 so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land the Lordswore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.
22 If you carefully observe all these commands I am giving you to follow—to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him and to hold fast to him— 23 then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you. 24 Every place where you set your foot will be yours: Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River to the Mediterranean Sea. 25 No one will be able to stand against you. The Lord your God, as he promised you, will put the terror and fear of you on the whole land, wherever you go.

In Verse 26 is the Doctrine of The Two Ways, one can choose a Blessing or a Curse:

26 See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse— 27 the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; 28 the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known. 

Chapter 17 contains an indictment on the political process:

4 When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” 15 be sure to appoint over you a king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your fellow Israelites. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not an Israelite. 16 The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” 17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.
18 When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. 19 It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees20 and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.

Chapter 20 contains some practical advice on waging war:

20 When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be withyou. 2 When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. 3 He shall say: “Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. 4 For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fightfor you against your enemies to give you victory.”5 The officers shall say to the army: “Has anyone built a new house and not yet begun to live in it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else may begin to live in it. 6 Has anyone planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else enjoy it.7 Has anyone become pledged to a woman and not married her? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else marry her.” 8 Then the officers shall add, “Is anyone afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his fellow soldiers will not become disheartened too.” 9 When the officers have finished speaking to the army, they shall appoint commanders over it.

Chapter 24 Verses 19-22 are a reminder of Leviticus 19:

19 When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. 20 When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time.Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. 21 When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. 22 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I command you to do this.

Chapter 24 Verse 4 has relevance later in the New Testament:

 4 Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.

(personal research finds that it is noted twice in the NT in reference to providing for Ministers Matthew Henry notes:

 This instance of the beast that trod out the corn (to which there is an allusion in that of the prophet, Hos. 10:11 ) is put for all similar instances. That which makes this law very remarkable above its fellows (and which countenances the like application of other such laws) is that it is twice quoted in the New Testament to show that it is the duty of the people to give their ministers a comfortable maintenance,1 Co. 9:9, 1 Co. 9:10 , and 1 Tim. 5:17, 1 Tim. 5:18 . It teaches us in the letter of it to make much of the brute-creatures that serve us, and to allow them not only the necessary supports for their life, but the advantages of their labour; and thus we must learn not only to be just, but kind, to all that are employed for our good, not only to maintain but to encourage them, especially those that labour among us in the word and doctrine, and so are employed for the good of our better part.  )

We would do well to read Chapter 26  regarding First Fruits and Tithing.

Moses' final speech is found in Chapter 28 and outlines the Blessings and Curses touched on in 11:26.

28:1-14 lists Blessings and 28:15-48 lists Curses.

Take note that there are 14 verses of blessings and about a page and a half of Curses.

Verses 49-57 and 64-68 contains Prophesy of things to come when Israel turns away from God.

Moses is doing his best to convince Israel to hold up their end of the bargain.

Chapter 31 Verses 19-29 shows that even though the Curses were a page and a half long, and even though Moses did his very best to convince Israel, it was known that they were a stiff necked people and would eventually rebel

But god was giving them a chance.

Modern Scholarship holds that Deuteronomy was written during the Josianic Reformation, during the reign of King Josiah outlined in 2 Kings 22

As such, it is a book of reform, to help reform and remind Israel of the Covenant.


Here are Roxie's notes: