Deuteronomy is the words of Moses to Israel just before his death as Israel prepared to enter into the promised land. On the first day of the 11th month, in the 40th year since God used Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt, Moses began to give a series of farewell speeches that were committed to writing and given to the elders and priest to be passed to the coming generations of Israel. The entire book is a testament to the importance of generational faithfulness. God moved Moses to write down again the law and testimony of what God had done for Israel for the express purpose of passing it down to those who did not come out of Egypt, but for the children born in the desert, who would remember nothing but a land of milk and honey.
The book has no other purpose. It does not really advance theologically - it tells us very little about God that is not contained in the first 4 books and assumes a general knowledge of that revelation. It does not advance historically - the entire book takes place in about one month time. It does not even advance geographically - the scene of the entire book is the encampment of Israel in the central rift valley, on the plains of Moab, east of the Jordan River.
Israel sits for a month and listens to the final words of Moses, as he expounds the law, before they enter into the promised land of God. And what does Moses say? First Moses gives a historical review of the gracious acts of God and encourages Israel to obey the law. Second, Moses begins to lay out the conditions of the covenant between God and Israel established at Mount Sinai. This included the basic elements of the relationship between God and Israel, specific instructions for life in the new land, and the blessing and consequences connected with faithfulness to the covenant.
The epiphany of the obvious came when I reflected on the why. Why did Moses repeat the Law and recite the testimonies of God toward Israel? Well, as I said before, my first response was, "generational faithfulness." God did this so that they would pass this information from one generation to the next. That, for me, begged an obvious question, why? Why was this so important? It is too obvious:
4:1 "And now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the rules that I am teaching you, and do them, that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you."
5:1 "And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, "Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the rules that I speak in your hearing today, and you shall learn them and be careful to do them."
God gave the Law to Israel through Moses that they might do it. Wow, what an idea, that people would actually set out to obey God's commands. And why would a people want to do that? That they might live!
6:1-3 "Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the rules that the LORD your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, that you may fear the LORD your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, "
God says here that by keeping the Law, they would take possession of the blessing that they had been promised. This was primarily characterized in this context by the Promised Land. However, God makes clear that the number of their days, the peace and prosperity of those days and the fruit of those days all depended on keeping the Law. The Law was not a means of punishing the Israelites when they broke the Law. It was a means of blessing them when they kept it. God had Moses repeat the Law to this new generation that they would learn it, in order that they might do it, in order that God might bless them. They were also to teach the laws and history and principles diligently to their children, so that the Lord might bless them, for their good always, and preserve them, and make them righteous.
6:20-25 "When your son asks you in time to come, 'What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the LORD our God has commanded you?' then you shall say to your son, 'We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. And the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. And the LORD showed signs and wonders, great and grievous, against Egypt and against Pharaoh and all his household, before our eyes. And he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give to our fathers. And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are this day. And it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us.'"
This is of great importance, because the obvious nature of God's purpose here demonstrates the reality of a clear distinction between the people of God -
7:12-13 "And because you listen to these rules and keep and do them, the LORD your God will keep with you the covenant and the steadfast love that he swore to your fathers. He will love you, bless you, and multiply you."
8:1-2 "The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the LORD swore to give to your fathers. And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not."
and not the people of God -8:11-17 "Take care lest you forget the LORD your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end. Beware lest you say in your heart, 'My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.'"
We must be exceedingly mindful never to presume upon God or forget Him in His blessings. We must always walk in the reality of His presence by walking in loving obedience. As a result, He will love us, bless us and multiply us. If we fail to acknowledge Him, we will perish.
