I’ve mentioned before that the first five books of the Bible are a bit….repetitive.
Deuteronomy is the last major repeat in the Old Testament, so thank the Lord for that. There are only so many “basics” I can do about the same material over and over again. So, if you’re still here, bless you.
Let’s make this one short and sweet
Deuteronomy! Wow! What a weird name!
“Why is it named that Rev. Dr.?”
Well, Substack reader, it derives from the Greek word meaning “second law” which was a poor translation that should have meant “copy of the law.” As far as the “law” goes, there is nothing new or major that you haven’t already read about.
However, there is one major difference…
It’s a giant Moses monologue. Call it his first EP. Call it his “big break.” Whatever floats your boat really, but that’s what it is. A giant Moses monologue.
Now, as I mentioned 9000 times before, there is nothing that new about Deuteronomy. The feasts, the laws, the blessings, the curses…they’re all basically the same. Don’t get me wrong. It’s still great, but I’d be lying if I said it was fun to read. It’s not. But, let me give you a little clue on how to read it.
Hypothetical situation: Jim decides that he wants to buy his parents house as an early wedding gift to his fiancé Pam. Jim goes to his parents house under the precursor of dinner, and then decides to ask the parents if they would be interested in selling the house to him. Jim tells his parents about how responsible he is, how he makes rent payments on time, how he has decent credit as a paper salesman. Jim tells his parents that if they sell to him, he will take care of the house, put grand-babies in it, leave up a clown painting that is glued to the wall, won’t remove the shag carpet, and will redo the kitchen with the help of some unqualified contractors. They say yes. They let him buy the house. They make a contract. Therefore, Jim is able to buy the house.
This hypothetical situation happens ALL the time, not just now, but also in ancient times. To us, anytime a major purchase happens, it tends to come with a contract. To the ancient people, anytime there is a major agreement or change in their life, it tended to always come with a treaty.
Just as “Jim” had a formal contract with his parents to buy their house, Deuteronomy is the formal treaty between God and His people.
Why would God have a treaty between Himself and His people?
BECAUSE THINGS NEED TO BE WRITTEN DOWN.
I can guarantee they would have forgotten 99% of the laws had God not made Moses write them down. I forget 9/10 groceries I need when I’m at the store without a list. This ain’t much different.
So, Deuteronomy is a treaty. It’s a contractual agreement between man and God. What’s the agreement? For the people to do good in the eyes of the Lord.
All ancient treaties (Babylonian, Hittite, Assyrian, etc., etc., etc.) had a similar format, which included an introduction, history between the two parties, general and specific stipulations, blessings and curses, document clauses and a series of witnesses to ratify the document/agreement.
Deuteronomy is no different.
Here is the Rev. Dr.’s take on it:
Introduction: 1:1-5
“Hi, it’s me! Moses! God wants us to sign a document that makes us promise to try not to be stupid and live morally.”
History Between the Two Parties: 1:6-4:43
“Listen, I know this seems kind of scary to say yes to this big of a promise, but think of all God has done for you. He saved you from Egypt. He gave us heavenly sky bread. He made sure we weren’t thirsty. He didn’t kill you guys when you tried to escape back to slavery. His track record is 10/10.”
Stipulations: 4:44-26:19
“This document is essentially asking us to follow the laws that we have already talked about, like the Ten Commandments. Remember the first commandment about just worshiping Him? Great, because that is included. We don’t need another golden calf incident again. Remember when I talked about tithes? Yeah, that matters in this. Remember when I talked about clean and unclean foods? Yeah, that matters in this. Remember when I talked about the feasts? Yeah, that matters in this. REMEMBER THE SABBATH? That REALLY matters in this. Those are all a stipulation for this. It is NOT a heavy ask.”
Blessings and Curses: 27-28:68
“Here’s the doom and gloom for you. If we follow it, we will be blessed. If we fail, we will probably get cursed. Do yourself a favor and follow the laws.”
Document Clause: 31:9-29
“If we are all in agreement, I am going to write everything down, give it to the priests, and their job will be to read this every seven years as a nice reminder for all of us. Now, listen, I’m really old. I am probably going to die soon. My main man Joshua is going to take over and you can trust what he has to say. When he reads the laws, don’t boo him. He is trying his best. He may not have my spunky persona, but he is a nice guy with a good head on his shoulders. Everyone find this agreeable? Great. I’m going to have the priests put this next to the ark of the covenant, where it is safe from you mongrels.”
Witnesses: 32:1-47
“Now, please, everyone take a seat. I’m going to sing you a song, and that basically makes you all witnesses to this historic day. I wrote it last night. It’s really nice…I’m kind of nervous, so I am probably going to sing with my eyes closed. Once I’m done singing, you may clap, but no autographs.”
If Moses could have made a music video, I imagine it would have been similar to this. That’s all I’m going to say…..lol
When you read Deuteronomy, read it like an agreement and the format will make A LOT more sense to you.
Go read with confidence. Thanks for being here.
