Deuteronomy Chapter 1
Deuteronomy 1: These are the words
When I think of the Book of Deuteronomy, these words from Hymn 257 comes to mind: Obedience is thy life. All of God’s laws are certainly imperative, but Deuteronomy closes the Pentateuch with a meaningful motivation to obey:
“Set your hearts on all the words which I testify among you today, which you shall command your children to be careful to observe— all the words of this law. For it is not a futile thing for you, because it is your life, and by this word you shall prolong your days…” (32:46-47)
Just as interesting is how the book begins: These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel. What words?
“Moses spoke to the children of Israel according to all that the LORD had given him as commandments to them” (1:3)
Deuteronomy is thus a reiteration of God’s law (not a “second law” as the name literally means). This is necessary because Israel’s refusal to enter Canaan 38 years ago (1:39-40) resulted in the death of that entire generation (1:27-28) and the current generation needs to be taught God’s laws, and to obey what their fathers failed to heed.
Moses recounted Israel’s victory over two Transjordan Amorite kings after the gruelling dessert years (Ch.2-3), and then flashed back to the burning holy mountain where God gave them His law 4 decades earlier (Ch 4-5)
The Decalogue encapsulates God’s law, which is the basis of His covenantal relationship with His chosen people. The spirit of the 10 commandments is love for God & human created in His image, hence the permanent inscription of these commandments should not be on stones but in the heart (Ch 6-11). Hence the law is not about the past (stones speak of the past!), but the heart of the faithful is drawn to the future, sealed with an everlasting covenant (Ch 27-34). But before the arrival of Christ, the people of God were kept under tutelage of the law (Gal 3:23-25), the “statutes and judgments” that seemed tedious (Ch 12-26) but were a shadow of good things to come (Heb 10:1).
Like a jewel that crowns the Books of Law, Deuteronomy’s relook at the law in effect very much forward looking. It anticipates the time when Christ would circumcise our hearts (10:16; 30:6) and grant us the righteousness that comes through faith (30:12-14 quoted in Rom 10:6-10).
