THE FIFTH BOOK OF MOSES CALLED DEUTERONOMY
- Year before the common Year of Christ, 1451
- Julian Period, 3263.
- Cycle of the Sun, 10.
- Dominical Letter, B
- Cycle of the Moon, 10.
- Indiction, 15.
- Creation from Tisri or September, 2553.
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Bible Background Commentary
DEUTERONOMY
I n t r o d u c t i o n
The book of Deuteronomy follows the format of agreements between nations, as described in the sidebar "The Covenant and Ancient Treaties." In these ancient covenants, the largest section was usually the stipulations section, which detailed the obligations of the vassal. These would include general expectations, such as loyalty, as well as specifics, such as paying tribute and housing garrison troops. There would also be prohibitions against harboring fugitives and making alliances with other nations. There were obligations to contribute to the defense of the suzerain nation and to treat envoys with respect.
In Deuteronomy the stipulations are in the form of laws that detail expectations and prohibitions. Some interpreters believe that the laws in Deut. 6-26 (or Deut. 12-26) are arranged according to the Ten Commandments. Just as the ancient law collections have a prologue and an epilogue to give them a literary framework (see the introduction to Exodus}), it is the covenant that provides the literary framework for the law. The literary framework of Hammurabi's laws helps us to understand that the collection of laws was not for framing legislation but for demonstrating how just Hammurabi's reign was. Likewise the literary framework of Deuteronomy gives us an idea of why these laws were collected. Deuteronomy is framing these laws not as legislation but as covenant.
When the people of the ancient Near East agreed to a treaty and its stipulations, they were obliged to abide by the terms of the treaty. It is the same level of obligation that would be connected to the laws of the land, but it operates differently, not within a legal system. For example, in today's world each country has its own laws, enacted by its legislative bodies, that are binding on its citizens. But there is also international law, which in part has been established by multinational bodies, often by treaty-type agreements. This international law is binding on all of the parties involved in the agreement. The binding nature of Deuteronomy is tied to treaty rather than to law (that is, to the covenant rather than to legislation). What that means is that Israel's obligations were connected to sustaining the relationship outlined in the covenant. If they were to be God's people (covenant), they were expected to conduct themselves in the described ways (stipulations). We should therefore not look at the laws as laws of the land (though they may well have been). The Israelites were not supposed to keep the law because it was the law; they were to keep the law because it reflected something of the nature of God and of what he wanted them to be like in order to remain in relationship with him.
An additional characteristic of Deuteronomy is that it is presented as the exhortations of Moses to the people. In this way Moses is seen as the mediator of the covenant because as God's messenger or envoy he is establishing the terms of the treaty. The Hittite treaties preserve only the treaties themselves and offer no insight into the envoy who delivered the treaty. Other texts, however, allow us to gain some insight into the role of the envoy. He often presented his message verbally but had a written copy for the documentation and for the records. The words of Moses admonishing the people to be loyal to the terms of the covenant are very much in line with what any royal envoy would have been expected to say. The vassal would have been reminded that it was a privilege to be brought into this agreement and that it would be prudent to refrain from any action that would jeopardize those privileges.
—Bible Background Commentary
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Wesley's Commentary
INTRODUCTION
NOTES ON THE FIFTH BOOK OF MOSES CALLED DEUTERONOMY
THE Greek interpreters call this book Deuteronomy, that is, The second law, or a second edition of the law, bccause it is a repetition of many of the laws, (as well as much of the history contained in the three foregoing books. They to whom the first law was given were all dead, and a new generation sprung up, to whom God would have it repeated by Moses himself, that it might make the deeper impression upon them. It begins with a brief rehearsal of the most remarkable events, that had befallen them since they came from mount Sinai. In the fourth chapter begins a pathetic exhortation to obedience: From the 12th to the 27th are repeated many particular laws, inforced in the 27th and 28th with promises and threatnings, which are formed into a covenant, chap. 29,30. Care is taken in chap. 31. to perpetuate the remembrance of these things among them, particularly by a song, chap. 32 concluded with a blessing, chap. 33. All this was delivered by Moses to Israel, in the last month of his life. See how busy this great and good Man was to do good, when he knew his time was short.
—Wesley's Commentary
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J. Vernon McGee's Thru The Bible
DEUTERONOMY
INTRODUCTION
As we come to the Book of Deuteronomy, I should remind you that this is the last book of the Pentateuch. The first five books in the Bible were written by Moses and they are called the Pentateuch. These books are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
The Greek word deutero means "two" or "second," and nomion is "law." So the title Deuteronomy means "the second law." We are not to infer that this is merely a repetition of the Law as it was given to Moses on Mount Sinai. This is more than a recapitulation. It is another illustration of the law of recurrence, as we have already seen in Scripture. The Spirit of God has a way of saying something in an outline form, then coming back and putting an emphasis upon a particular portion of it.
There are four Hebrew titles of Deuteronomy: (1) Debarim, meaning "The Words" or "These be the Words," is derived from the opening expression, "These are the words which Moses spake." (2) The Kith, or the Fifth of the Law. (3) The Book of Reproofs. (4) The Iteration of the Law.
The theme of Deuteronomy may surprise you. The great theme is Love and Obey. You may not have realized that the love of God was mentioned that far back in the Bible, but the word love occurs twenty-two times. The Lord Jesus was not attempting to give something that was brand new when He said, "If you love me, keep my commandments." Deuteronomy teaches that obedience is man's response to God's love. This is not the gospel, but the great principle of it is here. And let's understand one thing: the Law is good. Although I emphasize and overemphasize the fact that God cannot save us by Law, that does not imply that the Law is not good. Of course the Law is good. Do you know where the trouble lies? The trouble is with you and me. Therefore God must save us only by His grace.
Moses wrote Deuteronomy. Moses was a man who knew God; he talked with God face to face. The Psalmist says, "He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel" (Ps. 103:7). The children of Israel saw the acts of God, but did not know Him. Moses knew His ways. Deuteronomy is the result of this intimate knowledge, plus the experience of forty years in the wilderness.
The section dealing with the death of Moses (Deut. 34:5-12) was probably written by Joshua and belongs to the Book of Joshua. When the Book of Joshua was written, it was placed on the scroll of the Pentateuch, making a Hexateuch.
The authorship of Deuteronomy has been challenged by the critics. The original criticism was that Moses could not have written it because no writing existed in Moses' day. That theory has been soundly refuted, as we now know that writing existed long before Moses' time. Also the critics stated that the purpose of the book was to glorify the priesthood at Jerusalem, yet neither the priesthood nor Jerusalem is even mentioned in the Book of Deuteronomy. It is amazing to see that this Graf-Wellhausen hypothesis, as it is known, which came out of the German universities years ago, is still being taught in many of our seminaries in the United States.
The Book of Deuteronomy was given to the new generation that was unfamiliar with the experiences at Mount Sinai. The new generation had arrived on the east bank of the Jordan River, and it was one month before they would enter the Promised Land. The adults of the generation which had left Egypt were dead, and their bones were bleaching beneath the desert skies because of their unbelief and disobedience. They had broken God's Law -- those were sins of commission. They had failed to believe God -- those were sins of omission. You see, unbelief is sin. The Law was weak through the flesh. It was the flesh that was wrong, as wrong as it is today. This is the reason God has an altogether different basis on which He saves us.
The new generation, now grown to adulthood, needed to have the Law interpreted for them in the light of thirty-eight years' experience in the wilderness. New problems had arisen which were not covered by the Law specifically. Also God tells His people that they are to teach the Law constantly to their children. By the way, I wonder if this isn't the great neglect in the modern home. We talk about the failure of the school and the failure of the church today, and I agree that both have miserably failed in teaching boys and girls, but the real problem is in the home where instruction should have originated.
Moses gives to this new generation his final instructions from the Lord before he relinquishes his leadership of the nation through death. He reviews the desert experiences, he reemphasizes certain features of the Law, and he reveals their future course in the light of the Palestinian covenant that God had made with him relative to the Land of Promise. We will see in this book that the Mosaic Law was not only given to a people, it was given to a land also.
Finally, Moses teaches them a new song; he blesses the twelve tribes; and then he prepares to die. A requiem to Moses concludes the Book of Deuteronomy.
One Hebrew division of Deuteronomy is very good and follows the generally accepted pattern:
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EIGHT ORATIONS
Sixth Oration -- Deut. 32 (Song of Moses)
First Oration -- Deut. 1:6 through Deut. 4:40
Second Oration -- Deut. 4:44 through Deut. 26:19
Third Oration Deut. 27 through Deut. 28
Fourth Oration Deut. 29 through Deut. 30
Fifth Oration Deut. 31:1-13
Sixth Oration -- Deut. 32 (Song of Moses)
Seventh Oration -- Deut. 33
Eighth Oration -- Deut. 34
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Outline
I. Reviewing the Journeys, Deut. 1 through Deut. 4
II. Restating the Law -- Love and Obedience, Deut. 5 through Deut. 26
A. Repetition and Interpretation of the Ten Commandments, Deut. through Deut. 7
B. Religious and National Regulations, Deut. 8 through Deut. 21
1. God's Past Dealings Are Assurance for Future, Deut. 8
2. God Knew Israel -- Past Was Not Good, Deut. 9
3. God Sent Israel to Egypt; God Brought Them Out of Egypt, Deut. 10
4. Promised Land Not Like Egypt; Principle of Occupancy, Deut. 11
5. Israel Has Only One Place to Worship in Land, Deut. 12
6. Warning Against and Test of False Prophets, False Gods, Deut. 13
7. Diet for Israel, Deut. 14
8. God's Poverty Program; the Permanent Slave; the Perfect Sacrifice Is Christ, Deut. 15
9. Three Main Feasts -- All Males Required to Attend (Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles), Deut. 16
10. Sundry Laws, Deut. 17
11. Priests and Prophets; Test of True Prophet, Deut. 18
12. Cities of Refuge; Extent of Land and Extremity of Law, Deut. 19
13. Laws Regulating Warfare, Deut. 20
14. Laws Regulating Murder, Marriage, and Delinquent Sons, Deut. 21
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C. Regulations for Domestic and Personal Relations, Deut. 22 through Deut. 26
1. Miscellaneous Laws Concerning Brother Relationships, Dress, Building Code, Planting Seed, and Marriage, Deut. 22
2. The World, the Flesh, and the Devil, Deut. 23
3. Divorce, Deut. 24
4. Punishment of Guilty; Law Protecting Widows; Punishment for Crimes; Judgment of Amalek, Deut. 25
5. First Fruits -- Thanksgiving, Deut. 26
III. Regarding the Future in the Land (blessings and curses), Deut. 27 through Deut. 30
IV. Requiem to Moses, Deut. 31 through Deut. 34
—J. Vernon McGee's Thru The Bible
Deuteronomy Introduction
The Wilderness School
Summary and Review
The Jewish scholar Martin Buber once wrote, "All life is meeting." It's a brief statement, but the more you ponder it, the more luminous it becomes. Life is meeting new circumstances, many of which we don't expect and can't control. Life is meeting new people and developing new relationships; it's meeting new ideas, some of which may upset us. As much as we try to avoid it, life is meeting ourselves and not always liking what we see. But most of all, life is meeting God, for He's always there, protecting us, wanting to teach, and always seeking to mature us.
Life is meeting, and meeting ought to lead to learning and learning to growing. Let's review some of the lessons we can learn while marching with Moses and the people of Israel, people just like you and me.
We learn about life
The metaphors for life are many, and each one teaches us something important. Sometimes life is like a battle and sometimes it's more like a race, but always it's a school where we need to be awake and alert to what God is trying to teach us. To Moses and the people of Israel, Me was a journey, but a very special journey: from bondage to freedom, from childishness to maturity, from selfishness to service, from glorifying the past to anticipating the future.
From God's point of view, there are only three locations in this journey: Egypt, the place of bondage that seems like security; Canaan, the place of inheritance where God wants to give us His best; the wilderness, the place of unbelief, discipline, and falling short of the good things God has planned for us. This truth is elaborated in Hebrews 1-5.
Living the Christian life begins with deliverance from Egypt (bondage) through the grace and power of God. This we experience when we trust Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, and commit our lives to Him. But the essence of Christian living is to enter into your spiritual inheritance as quickly as possible.
When you reach the Kadesh-Barnea place in life, and all believers do, trust His Word and enter into your inheritance by faith. Don't worry about the giants, the enemy, the walled cities, or your own weakness and insignificance. Say with Caleb and Joshua, "The Lord is with us; fear them not" (Num. 14:9). "For we who have believed do enter into rest" (Heb. 4:3).
Before Israel arrived at Kadesh-Barnea, God put them through various trials because a certain amount of wilderness experience is good for people who want to grow (James 1:2-8; 1 Peter 1:3-9). But the Lord doesn't want us to stay in the wilderness constantly. Yes, there are lessons to learn, but there are even greater lessons to learn after we have claimed our inheritance in Christ. The Lord knows what trials we need, when we need them, and how long we need them; He always teaches those who are willing to learn.
Above all else, in the journey of life, we must be sure to follow the Lord as He goes before us, and we must not look back or hunger for the old life in Egypt. "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!" (Ps. 34:8, nkjv)
We learn about God
Israel repeatedly committed the same three mistakes that caused them no end of trouble:
(1) they looked back and glorified Egypt;
(2) they looked around and complained about their circumstances; and (3) they looked within and magnified their own desires. What they should have done was to look up to Almighty God and trust Him to see them through. We never learn the lessons we should learn if we plan the curriculum and write the textbook. We must leave it all with the Lord.
God's desire is that we develop character and become more like Jesus Christ. That's why He arranges the experiences of life and causes them to work together for our good and His glory (Rom. 8:27-29). We can't grow in grace unless we grow in the knowledge of God as revealed in Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).
How do we learn about God? Primarily, we learn about God from His Word, both in private meditation and public worship. We also learn about God from personal experience, our own as well as that of others who share with us what He has done for them. In the difficult places of life, the Holy Spirit helps us recall and apply the truths of the Word. This ministry gives us wisdom to understand the situation better and faith to trust the promises we need to carry us through.
During their wilderness journey, Israel learned that God loved them and cared for them, but they didn't always believe it. "What shall we eat? What shall we drink?" were the repeated questions the Jews asked (Matt. 6:25-34), when they should have been saying to one another, "The Lord is our shepherd. We shall not lack for anything."
Israel also learned that God was long-suffering with them but wouldn't permit them to sin successfully. He was willing to forgive when they cried out to Him, but too often they didn't cry out in confession until first they cried out in pain. 'Tor whom the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights" (Prov. 3:12, nkjv; see Heb. 12:1-11). How much pain we would avoid if only we submitted to the will of our loving Heavenly Father!
On life's journey, we learn that the Lord is the God of new beginnings. As Dr. V. Raymond Edman used to remind the students at Wheaton College, "It's always too soon to quit." It's sad that the Israelites doubted and disobeyed God so many times, but it's encouraging that God gave them a new start and encouraged them to keep moving toward their inheritance. True, a whole generation had to die before the nation could enter the Promised Land, but they died because of their own rebellion. In His grace, God forgave them; in His government, He permitted them to suffer the consequences of their sin. You can't negotiate the will of God. You either obey it, ignore it, or resist it.
One of the tests of spiritual maturity is what Paul called "increasing in the knowledge of God" (Col. 1:10). Not just in the knowledge of the Bible or Christian theology, but the knowledge of God Himself, His character, how He works, and how we can delight His heart. Moses grew in his understanding of God, but Israel failed to learn this lesson. "He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel" (Ps. 103:7). The Jews saw what God did, but Moses understood why God did it. There's a difference.
We learn about ourselves
As I studied the Book of Numbers in preparation for writing this book, I frequently said out loud, "How could they do that? Don't they realize what they're doing?' Then I would pause and confess, "But, Lord, I've done the same thing. Forgive me." People are people, whether marching slowly through an ancient wilderness or driving at high speed down a modern freeway. "For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust' (Ps. 103:14, nkjv).
Socrates said that the unexamined life was not worth living, but most people don't like to face the truth about themselves. Like our first parents, we run and hide and defend ourselves by making excuses and blaming others. Not many people pray as honestly as David did in Psalm 51.
One of the first lessons we learn about ourselves from Israel's experience is that all of us have a fallen nature that's prone to resist the will of God, and the sooner we admit it, the easier it will be to make the journey. Peter acknowledged that he was a sinful man (Luke 5:8), and Paul confessed, "I know that in me... nothing good dwells" (Rom. 7:18, nkjv). Our Lord warned us, "The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matt. 26:41).
Another lesson we learn about ourselves is that we don't enjoy changes in our lives and the discomfort they usually bring. One day the people were thirsty; the next day they were attacked by an enemy; for forty days, they wondered what had happened to then-leader. All of us want life to be one vast comfort zone where we're sheltered from change, all the while forgetting that God-ordained change can be used to mold our character and help us grow up.
If there's one lesson the Jews frequently failed to learn it was that complaining and criticizing are sins that God judges. When we complain to God about our lot in life, we not only commit the sin of ingratitude, but we also reveal pride (we think we know more than God knows, and why should this happen to us!), unbelief (we don't really trust Him), and impatience. If we would learn to trust God, praise Him for His mercies, and wait for Him to accomplish His will, we'd grow a lot faster and experience a lot less misery.
One last lesson from Israel's experiences: age is no guarantee of maturity. It's possible to grow old and not grow up. When the nation failed at Kadesh-Barnea, the fault didn't lie with the young people but with the older people. To prove it, God rejected the older generation (twenty years and older), gave it time to die off, and then made a new beginning with the younger generation.
The church needs both the older saints and the younger ones, because each generation has something to contribute, and we can all learn from each other (Titus 2:1-8). But Moses was wise to train Joshua to be his successor, and Paul was wise to equip Timothy to succeed him in Ephesus.
We learn about faith
Life is a journey that we make by faith, for only God knows the end from the beginning. Actually, everybody lives by faith in someone or something. The difference between Christians and non-Christians is the object of that faith. Christians put their faith in God and His Word, while non-Christians trust themselves, their experience, and ability, their money, and perhaps their friends. But Israel had the bad habit of walking by sight, not by faith, and it was this failure to trust God that caused the nation so much trouble.
No sooner had the Lord delivered the people from Egypt than they stood by the Red Sea trembling with fear and wanting to go back. Why? Because they didn't really believe that the God who had redeemed them could finish the task and see them through. But when God begins a work, He completes it (Phil. 1:6).
Faith is not believing in spite of evidence; that's superstition. Faith is obeying God in spite of what we see or hear, how we feel, or what might happen. The Jews had been given all the evidence they needed that God was concerned about them and had the power to deliver them, protect them, and take them to the Promised Land. The devastation of the land of Egypt was proof of God's power, so why should the nation not trust Him?
Years ago, I heard Vance Havner give a message on Hebrews 11 that has stayed in my heart and encouraged me in many a difficult hour. This was his outline:
- Faith chooses the imperishable (Heb. 11:24-26)
- Faith sees the invisible (Heb. 11:27)
- Faith does the impossible (Heb. 11:28-29)
Once we've made that choice to follow the Lord and live for eternal values, the rest is bound to follow: He will help us see the invisible and do the impossible, no matter what the circumstances may be around us.
Faith must be nourished if it's to grow strong, and that's where the Scriptures come in, for "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17, nkjv). When Moses declared God's word, Israel didn't really hear it or mix it with faith, so their faith didn't grow (Heb. 4:1-2). Faith is like the muscles in your arms: If you don't exercise them, they lose their strength. Every trial of life is an opportunity to claim God's promises and trust Him for the solution.
We learn the importance of one believer
Numbers is a book of "counting." Twice Moses counted the men available to serve in the army, and he also counted the Levites. Somebody even counted the number of people who died in the various plagues God sent to discipline them. Those ancient Jews would be shocked to see how much counting goes on in today's world, most of it done unannounced by electronic devices.
God wants all of His children to be the kind He can count on. The Lord could count on Moses and Aaron to lead the people in His will, even though they each disappointed the Lord on a couple of occasions. Joshua and Caleb were men God could count on, and so were Eleazar and his son Phinehas. Anybody can be a statistic, a number in a record, but it takes faith and courage to be the kind of person the Lord can count on.
We have a choice. We can go with the unbelieving majority and miss God's very best, complaining our way through life, or we can stand with the minority and dare to believe God and follow His commands. We can crave comfort or respond to challenge. We can look back and yearn for carnal security or look ahead and eagerly anticipate spiritual maturity. We can wander in the wilderness of unbelief, selfishness, and disobedience or enter into the Promised Land with its battles and trials, trusting God to give us the victory.
"He shall choose our inheritance for us" (Ps. 47:4).
Will we choose to claim our inheritance and use it for His glory? Will we be counted among the conquerors?
—Bible Exposition Commentary - Old Testament
SRB = Scofield References
