Deuteronomy

In 2 Kings 22:5 a copy of the law was found during the Temple rebuilding project. It's this "copy of the Law" that we know today as Deuteronomy (which means copy or summary of the law in Greek). Deuteronomy is a sermon (or series of sermons) by Moses to the people of Israel at the end of their 40 wilderness journey. He is speaking to them recognizing that he will not enter the Promised Land and wants them to remember some key points/laws that God has placed on his heart and on their shoulders.

The setting is the Moab Mountains looking across the Jordan River Valley and into Jericho. (the picture above is of the Moab Mountains taken just south of Jericho looking out over the Dead Sea.) It takes place around 1406 BC

It is a summary of the law Moses had given them in the wilderness, given to them so that they may survive the conquest and sustain their faith in future generations.

Deuteronomy stands as a book end for the Exodus story. Joshua's journey with them is a new chapter in this nation's life.

We have seen major themes of each of the books of the To'rah:
Genesis - Promise
Exodus - Presence
Leviticus - Response (individually)
Numbers - Formation (communal/community)
Deuteronomy - Practice

Deuteronomy is about the practice of the laws, obedience is a key theme as is education and preservation of the law. Moses stressed the keeping of it, or Practice!

A Summary is supposed to do what? To sum up, or overview, even simplify what had gone before in order to make it memorable, to remind. So Deuteronomy as a summary does the following:
1-Israel is One nation under One God under One Law! (see 4:1-43)

What is so significant about that? It is about unity as a nation, unity in faith, unity in community (peace).

Moses also shares that this is only accomplished through obedience and warns about the dangers of neglecting the law. You'll notice that obedience keeps popping up throughout the book.

2-The Law (in shortened form) What is this called? (10 Commandments not suggestions!) (see 5:1-21)
And later expands his teaching to much more than this (see 12:1-26:15).

What is so important about these 10 laws? What are their expected results? What do they require of Israel? What do they do to Israel? for Israel?

Remember these laws are the basic teaching of God. They have 2 foci
-God focused (1-4 are focused on the worship of God alone.)
-Community focused (5-10 are focused on our human relationships.


3-Education and Obedience are the third major theme in Deuteronomy (see 6:1-25)

This section includes the important passage known as the Shema or the hearing, and is Moses' charge to obey. It's restated even more directly in 10:12-13 and in 11:1-25.

The book is completed with the blessings (and curses) of the tribes of Israel (all 13 of them. Do you know why there are now 13 tribes? Can you name them? Who is left out of the count of 12? Which ones replaced this one? The answers are easy to find.) and the epilogue, so called because it was written by someone else, probably Joshua as it pertains to Moses' death and burial (it is likely that Moses didn't write this part!).

So, to understand Deuteronomy, think of it as a last charge, last sermon/address of Moses to the people that he loves on behalf of God whom he loves even more. His summaries help us to obey so that we might still become:

One nation under One God under One law!

Peace ><>
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