We have wound up our meditations on King Solomon’s expressions of ennui in Ecclesiastes and we are now turning back in time to the fifth book of the Pentateuch, the Book of Deuteronomy. You might ask how I know which book of the Bible to write about next. It’s simple: I don’t, but God does. God knows the hearts of those reading these devotions and He knows what we need. While I was writing from Ecclesiastes in September, we lost my sister-in-law as well as our long-time friend who had handled our business affairs and sheltered us whenever we returned to America. At that point, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 became even more real to us.
“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born,
And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; 4 A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace.”
So now, we are about to begin a study of Deuteronomy. Moses is elderly but still strong, and the Israelites have not yet entered the Promised Land. Here is what Pastor Chuck Swindoll in his Insight for Living web site says about Deuteronomy:
Who wrote the book?
Deuteronomy means “second law,” a term mistakenly derived from the Hebrew word mishneh in Deuteronomy 17:18. In that context, Moses simply commands the king to make a “copy of the law.”1 But Deuteronomy does something more than give a simple copy of the Law. The book offers a restatement of the Law for a new generation, rather than a mere copy of what had gone before. Deuteronomy records this “second law”—namely Moses’s series of sermons in which he restated God’s commands originally given to the Israelites some forty years earlier in Exodus and Leviticus.
“These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel,” says Deuteronomy 1:1. Mosaic authorship of this book finds the usual support from Jewish tradition (with the entire Pentateuch) but also from within the biblical text. Several times, Deuteronomy asserts Moses as author (1:1; 4:44; 29:1). Speaking to Joshua, Moses’s successor, the Lord referred to this “book of the law” as that which Moses commanded (Joshua 1:8). And when future Old Testament and New Testament writers quoted from Deuteronomy, they often referred to it as originating with Moses (1 Kings 2:3; 2 Kings 14:6; Ezra 3:2; Nehemiah 1:7; Malachi 4:4; Matthew 19:7;
Some obvious editorial changes were made to the text sometime after Moses recorded the bulk of it. For instance, he could not have written the final chapter, which dealt with his death. However, these and other small changes do not affect the generally accepted authorship of Moses.
Where are we?
Deuteronomy was written around 1406 BC, at the end of the forty years of wandering endured by the nation of Israel. At the time, the people were camped on the east side of the Jordan River, on the plains of Moab, across from the city of Jericho (Deuteronomy 1:1; 29:1). They were on the verge of entering the land that had been promised centuries earlier to their forefathers (Genesis 12:1, 6–9). The children who had left Egypt were now adults, ready to conquer and settle the Promised Land. Before that could happen, the Lord reiterated through Moses His covenant with them.
Why is Deuteronomy so important?
Moses addressed his words to “all Israel” at least twelve times. This phrase emphasized the nation’s unity, initiated by their covenant with God at Mount Sinai and forged in the wilderness. In the midst of widespread polytheism, Israel was distinctive in that they worshiped one God, Yahweh. Their God was totally unique; there was none other like Him among all the “gods” of the nations surrounding them. Deuteronomy 6:4 codifies this belief in the Shema, the basic confession of faith in Judaism even today. “Hear, O Israel! The LORD [Yahweh] is our God, the LORD [Yahweh] is one!”
Deuteronomy also restates the Ten Commandments and many other laws given in Exodus and Leviticus. The book delivered to Israel God’s instructions on how to live a blessed life in the Promised Land. Chapters 27 and 28 specify the blessings of obedience and the curses of disobedience.
What’s the big idea?
Unlike the unconditional covenant God made with Abraham, the covenant between Yahweh and Israel was bilateral—a two-way street. God would keep His promise to bless the nation if the people remained faithful. The adult Israelites were too young to have participated in the first covenant ceremony at Mount Sinai. Therefore, Moses reviewed the Law at the doorstep to the Promised Land, urging this new generation to re-covenant with Yahweh, to recommit themselves to His ways.
How do I apply this?
In Moses’s conclusion, he entreated the people,
“I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days.” (Deuteronomy 30:19–20)
I have chosen the title for this series because many of Moses’ followers whine like small children who hope that if they simply pout hard enough and long enough, they will get their own way, despite all warnings. Deuteronomy contains so many wonderful promises but also so many dire predictions of the consequences that will inevitably descend if the Israelites fail to uphold their side of the covenant.
Poor Moses! There must have been many times when Moses has longed to be back herding sheep, for the Israelites have proven to be a contentious lot. Reading some of the remarks God makes from time to time, you realize that many of the Israelites have never totally abandoned their idols, particularly their household gods, but have slyly carried them from Egypt and all through forty years of wandering, training their children in idolatry rather than in the worship of the One True Living God.
Hebrews 4:12 tells us, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” As we study Deuteronomy, you may find yourself convicted by the things you read. Stop immediately and ask God to reveal the source of your unrest, for that conviction means God wants to deal with you on something. And never forget that no matter how God deals with you as you read, God has already dealt with me at an even deeper level, for true teaching only comes from a cleansed heart, and a cleansed heart only springs from confession and repentance.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, open our eyes that we might see wonderful things in Your Law. Let everything we read in Your Word have its full effect in our hearts and lives. Don’t let us wriggle off into a spiritual corner. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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