From the most ancient of times to the present, from Africa to Asia to North America, humans have shared and told stories. Perhaps this is because our brains are hardwired to remember stories better than we retain facts. When we hear a story, we make connections to our own lives and our own stories. By becoming emotionally invested in the story, we become actively engaged. The Author of the Bible intended us to read God’s Story as a story, from beginning to end, so that we become emotionally involved in the story that gives us meaning as we engage in HIStory.
God’s Story related in Deuteronomy easily falls into four messages: Look Back and Remember (chs. 1-4); Look Up and Obey (chs. 5-26); Look Out for Trouble (chs. 27-33); Farewell (ch. 34).
Deuteronomy is the record of Moses’ farewell addresses to Israel, on the plains of Moab, on the eve of entry into the Promised Land. It covers a period of two months, including the 30 days of mourning for Moses. It took Moses approximately seven days to deliver his three addresses to the children of Israel.
The title of this Book, which comes from the Greek translation, implies a second law-giving, but it actually contains a restatement and reaffirmation of the Sinai covenant. Time after time in Exodus the Lord called Moses and told him to speak to Israel. Time after time in Deuteronomy Moses simply repeats in more specific ways what a new generation needed to hear.
There was about to be a change in leadership in Israel, which in ancient Near Eastern times called for a treaty. A retiring king demanded that the people swear an oath of allegiance to his successor. The writer of Deuteronomy would have been familiar with the way in which treaties were drafted. It was time for Israel to answer the call to be a holy nation owing exclusive allegiance to the Lord. The new relationship was termed a covenant. Covenants resemble treaties in three principal respects: language, form, and ideology (‘beliefs’). Certain terms are used in treaties to describe an obedient vassal’s behavior. A good vassal should ‘follow’, ‘fear’, ‘love’, and ‘listen to the voice of his lord’. A rebellious vassal ‘sins’. These terms are often used in Deuteronomy. Compare them to the short treaty in Exodus 19-24. Again and again God emphasizes that Israel is to show total allegiance to Him and to obey His law if they are to enjoy peace and prosperity in their new home. His message can be summed up in the word of Deuteronomy 6:5: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” God entered into a love relationship with the nation of Israel, not because they were great in number but “because the Lord loves you…” (Deuteronomy 7:8). This is the first time in the Scriptures that it is actually recorded that God loves His people. He first established His holiness and justice so that His love relationship with the nation was founded in the context of His justice, mercy, and faithfulness. His relationship with Israel is founded on the covenant promise made to the patriarchs: “Just as the Lord your God promised your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, he will give you a land with large and prosperous cities which you did not build” (Deuteronomy 6:10-11, GNT, see Genesis 12:7; 26:3; 28:13).
Sharing:
- Finally, the ‘l’ word appears – for the first time God’s ‘love’ for His people is stated. Before this, Leviticus 19:18 commanded: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ It is a contradiction to claim that we love God, whom we cannot see, when we do not love the ones we can see.
- God has moved into the neighborhood, so it is now time to learn to love Him as our neighbor!
- Israel is a perfect example of human beings, and not the greatest of nations.
- When we look at the Law it almost looks like a violent God; in Deuteronomy it shows us that it is really about how we relate to a loving God. What is taught above the Law is love.
Deuteronomy begins where Numbers left the Israelites – numbered and camped east of Jordan, in the plains of Moab, ready to enter Canaan. Moses rehearsed Yahweh’s laws and teachings with Israel (Deuteronomy 1:6-3:22):
- The appointment of judges (see Exodus 18:13-27). The context of the appointment is God’s faithfulness to His promise: “The Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky” (Deuteronomy 1:10, GNT).
- The Lord punishes rebellion (Numbers 14:20-45). The context of the punishment is God’s faithful provision: “Then the Lord said to all of us, ‘Your children, who are still too young to know right from wrong, will enter the land…” (Deuteronomy 1:39, GNT).
- The years in the desert (Numbers 21). The context of the wanderings in the wilderness is God’s faithful guidance: “Then the Lord told me that we had spent enough time wandering about in those hills and that we should go north” (Deuteronomy 2:2-3, GNT).
- Tribes settled east of Jordan (Numbers 32). The context of their possession of the land is God’s faithful protection: “The Lord our God has given you this land east of the Jordon to occupy. Now arm your fighting men and send them across the Jordan… ” (Deuteronomy 3:18, GNT).
“Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess. Therefore be careful to observe them…” (Deuteronomy 4:5-6). If the Israelites obeyed the word of the Lord, there would be blessings; if they ignored His laws and rebelled against the Lord, there would be cursing. Everything depended upon ‘obedience’: life, possession of the Promised Land, victory over foes, prosperity, and happiness.
Deuteronomy teaches the inflexibility of the law. “You shall” and “you shall not” is stated over and over. There is ‘a blessing if you obey and a curse if you will not obey’. But the essence of this obedience is founded in the “fear of the Lord”, and to “love the Lord” (Deuteronomy 10:12). Deuteronomy 4:7-8 (NIV) states why this is possible: “What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him? And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?” Think of God’s promise in Leviticus 26:11: “I’ll set up my residence in your neighborhood” (‘The Message’).
“Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget…” (Deuteronomy 4:9). “Lest” expresses precaution. The tendency is to forget, so ‘safeguard’ your memories! Deuteronomy can also be viewed as a Book of remembrance. How was Israel to remember, remember, and remember? This takes us to another theme…
“Teach” is another theme in Deuteronomy, giving four basic principles (Deuteronomy 6:4-15):
- “Hear, O Israel” (verse 4): Foundational to faith is ‘The Lord our God, the Lord is one’. Yahweh is unique, unlike any and all other deities, and He is unity. What He ‘is’ (attributes) are expressed in the unity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
- “…love the Lord your God with all your heart… soul… strength” (verse 5): All the commands Israel taught were to flow from a loving relationship with their God.
- “…teach them diligently to your children…” (verse 7): To impress truth requires a conscious, consistent transfer of God’s truth from the older to the younger. The word for “talk” implies a natural flow of conversation. God was to fit naturally into Israel’s regular conversation and lifestyle: “talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up… Bind them as a sign on your hand, be as frontlets between your eyes… write them on the doorposts… on your gates” (verse 7-9).
- “…fear the Lord your God…” (verse 13). Prosperity gives itself to self-sufficiency so that God would be forgotten: Yahweh “will give you a land with large and prosperous cities… houses will be full of good things… wells that you did not dig… vineyards and olive orchards… and you have all you want to eat… do not forget the Lord who rescued you from Egypt…” (verses 10-12). There was only one solution to forgetting: “Honor the Lord your God, worship only him, and make your promises in his name alone” (verse 13, GNT).
Sharing:
- To ‘remember’ does not mean just bring it to mind; it has to do with doing something about what we remember. We are to know the truth and pass it on. Particularly, for parents it means to teach it to their children through their lifestyle. It goes beyond talking to demonstrating the truth.
- What you have been through you can share with others.
- For those belonging to the family of God, it means passing on as ‘grandparents’ and ‘parents’ to our ‘children’ in the family of faith.
- We are to teach our children; they will make their choices.
- Children need to see us read God’s Word, hear us pray, and witness our lives.
- Parents who choose to home school make it an opportunity for extended time to be involved with their children.
- Those of us who have grown children still have the chance to model the truth, and pray for them.
- I have the opportunity to relate to her family as one who trusts in God.
- My father was flawed in life, but I remember him leading men to God.
Moses had approximately seven days to address the nation he had led for 40 years! What would he say to a new generation that God enabled to fulfill the responsibilities in the covenant He made with the nation? The generation that lived through the rebellion of their parents needed a word from the Lord for themselves. Over seven days Moses gave the new generation three messages: ‘Look back and remember’; ‘Look up and obey’; and ‘Look out for trouble’.
Moses’ first address is summarized in Deuteronomy 2:7: “For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand. He knows your trudging through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.”
Moses looked back on the recent encounter between Israel’s journey to Canaan and the refusal of Sihon, king of Heshbon, to allow the nation passage. God enabled Moses to express an understanding of the king’s actions in retrospect: “But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass through, for the Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that He might deliver him into your hand, as it is this day” (Deuteronomy 2:30). Sihon’s ‘spirit’ (will) and ‘heart’ (mind) reflects a Hebrew view of history. Man is responsible for his actions, and those actions must be seen within the sphere of history, with God as the Ruler of history. Sihon made a willful choice in his mind to rise up against Israel even though the nation’s intentions were peaceful. God’s sovereign act of hardening Sihon’s spirit and heart did not overthrow either His justice or interfere with human responsibility.
There are three things about Yahweh’s faithfulness that Moses calls on the new generation to remember:
- Look back and appreciate God's love: “Because he loved your forefathers and chose their descendants after them, he brought you out of Egypt…” (Deuteronomy 4:37, NIV). God’s love is demonstrated up to this time in God’s Story, but this is the first time His love is specifically stated. God’s attribute of love is framed within His holiness, justice, and mercy.
- Look back and be grateful: Yahweh cared for Israel in numerous ways. He used Moses to attend to the nation’s complaints by choosing “wise, understanding, and knowledgeable men from among your tribes, and I will make them heads over you” (Deuteronomy 1:13). Yahweh maintained fairness and equality for every Israelite: “I commanded your judges at that time, saying, ‘Hear the cases between your brethren, and judge righteously… You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid in any man’s presence, for the judgment is God’s…” (Deuteronomy 1:16-17). Yahweh never failed in providing for Israel: “For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand… the Lord your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing” (Deuteronomy 2:7). Yahweh’s watchful care over Israel led Moses to plead with the Lord in Deuteronomy 3:23-25: “O Lord God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your mighty hand, for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do anything like Your works and Your mighty deeds? I pray, let me cross over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, those pleasant mountains, and Lebanon.” Moses’ prayer has to do with a submissive but insistent entreaty to a superior. He knew of the Lord’s anger because of his sin at Meribah (Numbers 20:12), but he also knew that God does not keep His anger forever. Moses received mercy in a very different way than expected: “But the Lord was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me. So the Lord said to me: ‘Enough of that! Speak no more to Me of this matter… for you shall not cross over this Jordan’” (Deuteronomy 3:26-27). The Lord showed mercy toward Moses by essentially telling him that He alone as His God was the true ‘Promise’ to him! He would deliver Moses from continuing with the rebellious nation that caused the Lord’s anger in the first place.
- Look back and be obedient: God’s faithfulness is demonstrated through a greater appreciation for His laws: Deuteronomy 4:1: “…listen to the statutes [decrees] and the judgments [laws] which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and possess the land…” Obedience required that they “…shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you” (Deuteronomy 4:2). God’s laws were enough!
These instructions were crucial because the absence of any physical representation of God imposed great difficulty for a people living in a world where all the other nations represented their gods in visual, physical form: “Take careful heed to yourselves, for you saw no form when the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, lest you act corruptly and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of any figure…” (Deuteronomy 4:15-16). To counter this difficulty they were to “…teach them to your children and to your grandchildren” (Deuteronomy 4:9).
Sharing:
- The kings of the surrounding nations are wiped out and those stories would be passed down to the new generation of Israel, reminding them of God’s protection.
- How God treated the Israelites as they traveled in foreign territory is an example of His love, patience, and mercy.
- Another forty years of punishment for the Israelites could mean salvation for the people of the land. This shows God’s longsuffering, justice, faithfulness, and love.
- ‘Look back and remember’ means to ‘look back and be obedient’.
- Israel was to remember in the sense that they were to take action and live according to what they remember.
- The first generation was terrible at remembering. It’s time for the next generation to remember and get it right.
- Why do we so easily forget? Because God’s rules are not important enough to us.
Deuteronomy 12:1 summarizes Moses’ second address: “These are the statutes and judgments which you shall be careful to observe in the land…” There is no better way to keep their focus on the Lord God than by obeying the statutes (permanent rules of conduct), and the ordinances and judgments (case-laws, judicial decisions).
Moses called all Israel, and said to them: “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your hearing today…” (Deuteronomy 5:1). The next generation needed to hear the original covenant given at Mt. Sinai. The Ten Commandments remain the same; the explanations of some of them have the reason for obedience changed, have the order changed, and have an addition. For instance:
- The reason to obey the fourth commandment to observe the Sabbath stated in Exodus 20:11 was based on God’s work of creation; the reason in Deuteronomy 5:15 is based on their deliverance from Egypt.
- A reminder in the sixth commandment to honor your “father and mother” is added in Deuteronomy 5:16: “…as the Lord your God commanded you” (this has also been added to the fourth commandment).
- The order of what not to covet in the tenth commandment in Exodus 20:17 starts with, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house”; in Deuteronomy 5:21 it starts with, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife”.
- In Deuteronomy 5:21 a neighbor’s “field” has been added to the commandment of what not to covet. This is in view of the settlement of households in Canaan.
To observe God’s commandments correctly, Israel should:
- Love your fellow brethren: “At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release of debts… If there is among you a poor man… you shall open your hand wide to him (Deuteronomy 15:1, 7). Love was demonstrated by cancelling debts, giving generously to the poor and needy among them, without regard to personal cost, and giving liberally to those they set free.
- Worship God: “…keep the Passover… the Feast of Weeks… Feast of Tabernacles” (Deuteronomy 16:1, 9, 13). Their feasts were a reminder to worship the Lord by remembering what He had done for them.
- Accept discipline: “According to the sentence of the law… you shall do” (Deuteronomy 17:10). The cost of failure was high for the Israelites because the law demanded total obedience. The testimony of two or three witnesses was sufficient for putting to death by stoning a transgressor of the law. This was required in order to put away evil from among them.
One of the two laws particularly vital about life in Canaan has to do with future kings. God’s relationship with them would be controlled by His requirements: “When you come to the Lord… and say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me’, you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses…” (Deuteronomy 17:14-15). The possibility for future kings was obvious, since every known ancient nation had a king. The requirements for future kings of Israel are specific:
- True believer: “…set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses; one from among your brethren; you may not set a foreigner over you” (Deuteronomy 17:15). In surrounding nations the king was a god. Strange kings would introduce strange customs and practices contrary to divine law. He was to be a fellow covenant servant of Yahweh.
- Trust in God’s strength: “…he shall not multiply horses for himself (Deuteronomy 17:16). They were not to rely on their own military strength.
- Never forget your bondage: “…he shall not… cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses” (Deuteronomy 17:16). Returning to the land of their bondage will only entice them to lust after Pharaoh’s famed horses and chariots.
- Flee idolatry: “Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away” (Deuteronomy 17:17). Marriage was a tool of diplomacy throughout the Ancient Near East. It opened the way for foreign idol worship.
- Avoid greed: “…nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself” (Deuteronomy 17:17). Excessive wealth was a symbol of power, opening the way to unnecessary taxation to fill the royal treasury. The king was forbidden from accumulating wealth for private purposes.
- Fear the Lord his God: “…when you sit on the throne… write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites… read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law…” (Deuteronomy 17:18-19). The king was not above the law! He was to know the God of Israel, the true King, enhanced by copying the law under the supervision of the levitical priests (prevents errors and self-interpretation).
- Avoid arrogance and pride: “…his heart must not be lifted above his brethren…” (Deuteronomy 17:20). The king was to be mindful of the true relationship to his fellow Israelites, which is as an equal, not a lord.
- Provide stability: “…prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel” (Deuteronomy 17:20). The crown of Israel was to be hereditary in order to provide safety and public tranquility. The king could only provide this if he did “not turn from the commandments to the right hand or to the left” (Deuteronomy 17:20).
God did not approve of the practices of surrounding nations for seeking supernatural help. He instructed Israel in how to deal with them: “When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations” (Deuteronomy 18:9). The practices of enchanters, soothsayers, fortune-tellers, mediums, and consulters were forbidden:
- Divination: foretelling the future or the unknown by occult means.
- Necromancy: predicating the future by alleged communication with the dead – “black magic”.
- Spiritualism: ancestral worship and communication.
- Séance: a group of people communicating with the dead.
- Sorcery: use of evil or supernatural powers over people and their affairs – “witchcraft”.
God’s reason for this is clearly stated in Deuteronomy 18:14: “The Lord your God has not appointed such for you.” The way of Yahweh is stipulated in Deuteronomy 18:15 (NIV): “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him.” Moses reminded them from Exodus 20:18-19 that they desired a prophet after their encounter with God in Horeb: “On the day that you were gathered at Mount Sinai, you begged not to hear the Lord speak again or to see his fiery presence any more, because you were afraid you would die” (Deuteronomy 18:16, GNT). This required that they know the difference between a true and a false prophet:
- Punish a disobedient prophet: “…the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name… who speaks in the name of other gods…” (Deuteronomy 18:20). There would be many false prophets delivering false messages, claiming to speak something God has not commanded, or speak in the name of other gods.
- One hundred percent accuracy required: “…when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass… the prophet has spoken presumptuously (Deuteronomy 18:22). The phrase “does not happen or come to pass” means “the word is not”, which implies that God has already revealed the words spoken, which a false prophet contradicts.
These laws about prophets (literally rulers and preachers) are intended to save Israel from political and spiritual ruin. False prophets were not to be feared: “…you shall not be afraid of him” (Deuteronomy 18:22). No future prophet would be the initial mediator of a covenant, and none would equal Moses’ intimacy with God or receive divine revelations as clear as those given to him. Prophets after Moses primarily explained and reminded Israel what God had already spoken through Moses.
Various rules complete the specific requirements of the covenant:
- Loving one’s neighbor (Deuteronomy 22-23): These regulations are specific applications of Leviticus 19:18: “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.” In Deuteronomy 22 they include lost property (verses 1-3), emergencies (verse 4), tenderness (verses 6-7), and safety (verse 8). Deuteronomy 23:24-25 includes generosity.
- Maintain distinctions: Two more laws separated them from cultural practices around them:
- The first law pertained to outward adornment, which includes clothing and “anything that pertains to a man”, or “a woman” (Deuteronomy 22:5). They were to maintain the gender distinction established by God from the very beginning: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:27). By divine wisdom, man and woman were made for each other but were made to be different from each other. Surrounding nations approved and practiced homosexuality, whereas in Israel it was a capital crime (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13).
- The second law pertained to farming (Deuteronomy 22:9-10). This comes from Leviticus 19:19: “You shall not let your livestock breed with another kind. You shall not sow your field with mixed seed.” God’s order in nature kept different kinds of animals separated, which included keeping a clean animal (ox) from an unclean animal (donkey). Keeping the various seeds separated when sowing the fields was also recognition of the principle of separation. It's possible that the pagan nations mingled their seed as a part of their fertility rites in connection with their gods. Whether they were weaving garments, plowing with their farm animals, or sowing their seed, Israel was to remember that they were God's people and therefore a separated people.
- Honoring personal purity: God created sex and has every right to control the way Israel used it, and if they obeyed Him, it would bring enrichment and enjoyment. One of the basic rules is that sex must not be experienced outside of the bonds of marriage. The Law of Moses magnifies personal purity and the importance of honesty and loyalty in marriage. Long before this we see that God’s requirements for marriage given to Adam and Eve in Genesis 2:24-25 meant that marriage was for a man and a woman who had a heart for the God who created them. It was an erosion of the nation when divorce entered Israel’s society.
It was bad enough when a family had a rebellious child to disturb the home, but it was even worse when the husband and wife did not get along and the marriage was threatened. The original law of marriage said nothing about divorce (Genesis 2:18-25). The Law of Moses did not allow divorce for adultery because the guilty spouse was stoned to death. The “certificate of divorce” (Deuteronomy 24:1) was an official document that protected the woman from slander and abuse and also gave her the opportunity of a second marriage. The time that was required to secure this document would give the husband opportunity to think the matter through and possibly reconsider.
Personal purity was also to be maintained regarding a slandered wife (Deuteronomy 22:13-21). The sexual purity of women was important in Israel in order to maintain the integrity of the family line and therefore the integrity of the tribes. The legitimacy of a man's sons guaranteed the protection and perpetuation of the family name and the family property. If on consummating the marriage the husband discovered that his wife was not a virgin, then it was possible that she was already pregnant. If the husband didn't act immediately to protect himself, he would have to accept a child fathered by another man, but how could he prove it?
Adultery was also forbidden. An Israelite girl engaged to be married was considered to be a man's wife (Deuteronomy 22:24), and if she had intercourse in a city, it was considered adultery and she was stoned. This was true even if the intercourse was more like rape, for she could have cried out for help. Even if nobody came in time to rescue her, her cries were evidence that she wasn't cooperating in the deed. Her silence would have implied consent.
When an engaged woman was a victim of rape in the country, she could cry out and still not be helped because nobody was there to hear and rescue her. Therefore the man was stoned to death but the woman was allowed to live. Incest was also dealt with (Deuteronomy 22:30). The woman here is step-mother to the man committing the sin and not his mother (see Leviticus 18:7-8). Leviticus 20:11 condemns them both to death. This sin was among those condemned on Mount Ebal (Deuteronomy 27:20).
Sharing:
- The Ten Commandments were not changed; only some of the reasons to obey them and the explanations of them changed.
- The order of what not to covet changes in the tenth commandment. Women are given greater status than the ‘house’. This was fulfilling God’s requirements for the nation to give women their rightful place in society in comparison to the treatment of women in surrounding cultures as ‘objects’ or ‘property’ without personal rights.
- God is not changing His mind about the treatment of women; He is bringing the nation closer to His mind on the place of women according to His creation of man and woman.
- The added phrase in the sixth commandment for children to honor their father and mother “as the Lord your God commanded you” makes them more accountable to God than the previous generation.
- There is no recorded evidence of stoning a disobedient child. This is someone older than young children, since it is a reference to those who worked and contributed to society. A lifestyle of disobedience (not just a single act) to the Lord involved the whole community. The purpose was to rid society of evil rebellion.
Deuteronomy 30:1-3 summarizes Moses’ third address: “Now it shall come to pass, when all these things come upon you, the blessings and the curses which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the Lord your God drives you, and you return to the Lord your God and obey His voice, according to all that I command you today, you and your children, with all your heart and with all your soul, that the Lord your God will bring you back from captivity, and have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the nations where the Lord your God has scattered you.”
In his brief introduction to this final section (Deuteronomy 26:16-19), Moses reminded the people that he had given them the Word of the Lord, the commandments of the true and living God. He also reminded them that at Sinai the nation had vowed to obey all that God said to them (Exodus 19:7-8; 24:3-8), and that the Lord had promised to bless them if they obeyed Him from the heart. It isn't enough for God's people to enjoy the blessings and privileges of the covenant; they must also accept the responsibilities that are involved. Moses explained these responsibilities and called for the people to commit themselves wholly to the Lord.
In Deuteronomy 27:1-13 Moses joined with the elders and the priests in announcing the covenant to the people. Moses would soon leave the scene, but the nation would continue and the Lord's authority would operate through their civil and religious leaders. The people weren't committing themselves to Moses; they were committing themselves to the Lord to “keep all the commandments” (26:18).
Joshua was commanded to plaster some large stones on Mount Ebal and write on them the laws that God gave His people. This wasn't a symbolic gesture, for the words were to be written clearly for the people to read (Deuteronomy 27:8). He was also to build an altar at the base of Mount Ebal where the priests would offer burnt offerings (total dedication to God) and peace offerings (joyful celebration of God's blessing). The location held sacred memories for the Jewish people, for Abraham had built an altar near Shechem (Genesis 12:6-7) and so had Jacob (33:17-20).
The curses pronounced on disobedience were given from Mount Ebal (Deuteronomy 27:15-26). As the spiritual leaders read these curses, they weren't predicting what would happen if the people disobeyed God. They were calling upon the Lord to send these curses on His people if they turned away from Him. And when the people said “Amen” after each statement (“so be it”), it was their acceptance of the terms of the covenant.
Deuteronomy 28:1-14 gives the blessings of obedience. It is not recorded that the people were to say “Amen” to these blessings. The curses were not prophetic while this list of blessings is God's prophetic promise of what He would do for His people. These blessings would lift Israel far above all the other nations (Deuteronomy 26:19). The benefits of obedience were so great that God made sure through Moses that the new generation in Israel would remember God’s covenant with them. To do this He renewed it with them in Deuteronomy chapters 29-30:
- Keep the covenant because of what God had done for them (29:2-13).
- Beware of the punishment if you fail to keep it (29:14-29).
- Repent and return, for the Lord promised to restore them (30:1-14).
- Be faithful to God for “He is your life and the length of your days” (30:15-20).
Judgments are summed up in Deuteronomy chapter 28:15-68:
- children cursed (verse 18); low birth rate (verses 62-63)
- crops ruined and animals killed (verses 18, 22, 31-32, 38-40, 42, 51)
- confusion of mind, madness, and fear (verses 20, 28-29, 34, 65-69)
- sickness (verses 21-22, 27-28, 35, 59-61)
- drought, hunger, and thirst (verses 22-24, 48)
- defeat in war (verses 25, 49-50, 52)
- wives ravished (verse 30)
- oppression and slavery (verses 29, 33, 48, 68)
- cannibalism (verses 53-57); captivity (verses 36, 63-64)
- corpses not buried (verse 26)
- plans shattered (verse 30)
- poverty, debt, and nakedness (verses 44, 48)
- robbery (verses 29, 31, 33)
- children kidnapped (verses 32, 41)
- aliens take over the land (verse 43)
- shame and scorn (verse 37)
The writer Professor E. M. Blaiklock from New Zealand said, “God alone knows how to humble us without humiliating us, and how to lift us up without flattering us.” This is what God did with Moses!
When viewed from a human perspective, Israel’s history was a tragic story. Although Moses served so faithfully for forty years, at Sinai they made a golden calf and indulged in a pagan orgy (Exodus 32); at Kadesh-Barnea they wanted to appoint a new leader and return to Egypt (Numbers 14); during their wilderness wanderings, they frequently complained to Moses about the way he was leading them; at the entrance to Canaan, the new generation of men indulged in immorality and idolatry with the women of Moab (Numbers 25).
No wonder Yahweh said to Moses: “Behold, you will rest with your fathers; and this people will rise and play the harlot with the gods of the foreigners of the land, where they go to be among them, and they will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them” (Deuteronomy 31:16).
How could Moses encourage his beloved people to stay true to their God? He did what God commanded him: he appointed Joshua to be his successor; he gave the people the Book of the Law and told them how to use it; and he sang them a song of warning (Deuteronomy 32:1-43).
Dr. John Kitto’s echo through the ages:
“All the great men of sacred, as well as of profane history, possessed some prominent virtue or quality, which stood out in bolder relief than their other excellences. We think of the faith of Abraham, of the conscientiousness of Joseph… but what do we regard as the dominant quality of Moses? It is not to be found. The mind is perplexed in the attempt to fix on any. It is not firmness, it is not perseverance, and it is not forgetfulness of self that forms his distinguishing characteristic. It is not any one of these. It is all of them. When we reflect that Moses possessed all the learning of his age, and that he wanted none of the talents which constituted human greatness, we honor his humility...”
Sharing:
- Why should we take time to mourn the death of someone?
- It brings closure.
- We grow.
- It reminds us of the frailty of life.
- It opens us up to God and draws us closer to other relationships.
- In Israel there was a time of mourning for captives.
- It allows for the passing of spiritual leadership as new relationships are established.
- It gives a time for a period of honesty.
- It gives us time to process matters about life.
- It can be a manifestation of sorrow, grief, and lament; but it is not done in hopelessness or despair for those who trust God.
- No matter what the curses were, God never stopped forgiving His people.
- The song of Moses was his ‘rock’ song, with so many references to God being the “Rock”.
- Maybe God would not let Moses speak about entering the Promised Land again because He was going to spare him further heartbreak.
- It seems like the Israelites wanted to learn by their own experience instead of by what a humble and wise leader (Moses) told them.
- Israel didn’t need to learn by experience, but they chose to!
- It is a sad commentary for Moses to hear that Israel would forsake their God! It leaves us feeling frustrated!
- Even though Moses knew of his impending death, he still expressed concern for God’s people. Here is a humble man!
- God buried Moses, sparing him more sorrow.
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