Present Truth in Deuteronomy
The Book of the Covenant: Deuteronomy
The story goes like this: during the reign of King Josiah in Jerusalem (640-609 B.C.), someone, probably working in the temple, found a copy of a book, and the book was read before King Josiah. “Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, that he tore his clothes” (2 Kings 22:11). Why? Because he realized that he and his people were not obeying what was written in the book.
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Then, on the basis of that book, called the “Book of the Covenant” (2 Kings 23:2), Josiah began a great reformation. We can read about that reformation in 2 Kings 23.
What was the book that had such an impact on the king and his nation? It is believed to be Deuteronomy, our study for this quarter.
The fifth, and last, of the Five Books of Moses, Deuteronomy — a name that comes from the Latin word deuteronomium (which means “second law”) — could be summarized as follows:
Having left Egypt, and having entered into the covenant at Sinai with the Lord, the children of Israel — instead of going directly to Canaan — wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. When the 40 years were finished and the Hebrews were finally about to cross over to the Promised Land, Moses spoke to them in a series of speeches. The essence of those speeches was: you’re now about to enter the Promised Land. Finally! Don’t forget what the Lord has done for you, and don’t forget what He asks of you now, which is to love Him with all your heart and soul and to reveal that love by obedience to all His commandments, all according to the covenant.
And, to stress the importance of the covenant, Moses repeated to the people the Ten Commandments, the legal foundation of their obligations in the covenant that the Lord had first cut with their fathers, and was doing so, again, but now with them — right on the borders of Canaan.
Hence, we ask: Might there be parallels with what the children of Israel, on the borders of the Promised Land, faced — and what we, today, right on the border of the Promised Land (only a much better one), face, as well?
Thus, the topic for this quarter, which is called “Present Truth in the Book of Deuteronomy.” And that’s what we’re going to look at: present truth messages that we can take from God’s words to His covenant people.
In this quarter, we will look at Deuteronomy topically, covering themes such as the everlasting covenant, law and grace, what it means to love God and your neighbor, and — most important of all — how the book of Deuteronomy reveals to us the love of God, which was most powerfully made manifest in the death of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection.
Sure, a vast time and cultural divide separates our church today from the church in the wilderness. But perhaps, what we have in common with them might be more than what divides us from them. For example, could not the following words be spoken to us as well, today?
“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; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’” ( Deuteronomy 4.5-6, NKJV).
Notice, it wasn’t the laws themselves that were their “wisdom and understanding” before the nations but their obedience to those laws. Certainly there’s a message for us here. Just one of many, as we will see, in the book of Deuteronomy.
Clifford R. Goldstein is editor of the Adult Bible Study Guide and author of Baptizing the Devil: Evolution and the Seduction of Christianity.
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One of the things I have learned about legal documents is that it is not just what the documents say that is important, but the process of putting them together. The process provides the context and often the rationale and make the legal document meaningful.
The American Declaration of Independence and the English Magna Carta are documents that laid down much of what we regard and freedom and responsibility. But these documents are dry collections of words (some of them misspelled!) if we do not understand the reasons why they were developed and the process they went though to be adopted.
The Book of Deuteronomy is part of the Torah. The fact that it has survived to this day as part of Jewish culture speaks of its legal and cultural importance to Jews throughout history.
We will be studying this book in some detail this quarter. No doubt we will be putting a Christian/Adventist take on what we are reading. However, it may be illuminating to learn how the Jewish mind also read these passages.
Deuteronomy Clearly proves that the Old Testament was never done away with as so many people think and question.
This sheds light , that nothing was changed from the beginning, but fulfillment.
I am privileged get opportunities to explore the option of God with people who are potentially open to such. I often start out by proposing that from a Bible perspective, God essentially claims/asserts that there is only one way that true life is actually viable.
I then propose that if that assertion is false, then we can reject God as a liar and/or irrelevant. But if that assertion is true, then all God is doing is trying to let us know what that one viable way is and trying to help us access that one way if we are willing. This might seem harsh to some, but 'non-believers' report that they find it non-threatening (I always check with them about this).
I have not yet had a 'non-believer' suggest that such is nonsense suggestion. But in raising this point at the outset, it then becomes the foundation and framework for any further exploration of biblical concepts related to the person's situation and circumstances. And it does so in a non-threatening way that preserves and promotes their freedom of choice to reject such at any point along the way.
What has this to do with Deuteronomy? I would propose that this is essentially the same 'approach' that Moses adopted when presenting Deuteronomy to the Israelites as two options or propositions to choose from (see Deuteronomy 28 in light of Deuteronomy 30:15-20).
Keeping this in mind from the outset will help us better 'unpack' what Deuteronomy is about because we know some of the background perspective/mindset of its author.
Gods love is genuine love. If you love God's people, then u love God. Its what Moses asked the isralites to do as they were winding up the 40 years in the wilderness.
King Josiah asked his people to follow the commandment book. To use this as their second law.
I am going to read deuteronomy more today so I learn more about this.
Otherwise happy sabbath