Deut 1-4
Deut 1-4; Ps 119.121-128
Deuteronomy is a recapitulation of the Law set forth in the previous entries of the Pentateuch. Far from being a dry rehearsal of commands and events, Deuteronomy reads like a series of sermons. It may be best to consider Deuteronomy as Moses’ sermons to Israel as they prepared to enter Canaan—exhortations based upon the events and instruction recorded in Genesis-Numbers.
Moses’ sermon in the opening chapters of Deuteronomy is a message of covenant faithfulness—a theme Moses would take up throughout the book. The introduction to the sermon provides the occasion: Israel settled in Transjordan and poised for conquest of Canaan (1.1-5). Moses’ sermon had at least two points:
- A Review of God’s covenant faithfulness to Israel (1.6-3.29). Here Moses wished for Israel to be mindful of the land-promise of the Abrahamic covenant (1.6-8), and how God provided judges who would apply Torah to Israel’s new situation in Canaan (1.9-18; cf. Ex 18). While Israel had initially failed to take the land, He was faithful to recompense justly both the unbelieving and the faithful at Kadesh-Barnea (1.19-45). God displayed His faithfulness during their journey through the southern Transjordan (2.1-23), and their initial conquest of the regions to the north through the defeat of Sihon the Amorite, and Og King of Bashan (2.24-3.7)—territory allotted for the inheritance of the two-and-one-half Tribes (3.8-20). Israel enjoyed the promise of God’s faithfulness in the change of leadership from Moses to Joshua (3.21-29)
- A call for Israel to respond in covenant faithfulness (ch 4). The initial verse of ch 4 signals that Moses had changed directions in his sermon, moving from a review of God’s covenant faithfulness to a challenge for Israel to trust and obey the instructions God had given them. The remainder of the chapter emphasizes the demand for Israel to be faithful to the covenant stipulations—so that they would possess the Land (vv. 1-4), and be a witness to the surrounding nations. Israel’s life there was to be a witness of the true God (vv. 1-8). Moses cast a vision for future generations in Israel to know of God’s covenant faithfulness to His people (vv. 9-14)—that they would continue to revere His holiness (vv. 15-40), and maintain justice in the land (vv. 41-43)
Moses’ first sermon in Deuteronomy is significant for the storyline of Scripture in that while it rehearsed the events of Israel’s history, it also provided points of contrast for the writers of the New Testament. His description of the covenant ceremony at Mt Sinai—including the black cloud, blazing fire, and frightening presence of the LORD (4.10-14)—proved to be a distinctly different experience that what the author to the Hebrews understood to be the case for his readers. While Israel’s covenant emphasized the distance between the LORD and His people, the new covenant is based upon the fact that Jesus took on flesh to fully identify with His own; the author to the Hebrews wrote: “Now since the children have flesh and blood in common, He also shared in these…He had to be like His bothers in every way, so that He could become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people” (2.14a, 17). This was no academic matter for him; it had practical implications for how his audience should approach God in their day of need. Contrasting their situation with that of Israel he wrote:
“For you have not come to what could be touched, to a blazing fire, to darkness, gloom, and storm, to the blast of a trumpet, and the sound of words. (Those who heard it begged that not another word be spoken to them, for they could not bear what was commanded: ‘And if even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned!’ And the appearance was so terrifying that Moses said, ‘I am terrified and trembling.’) Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem), to myriads of angels in festive gathering, to the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been written in heaven, to God who is the judge of all, to the spirits of righteous people made perfect, to Jesus (mediator of a new covenant), and to the sprinkled blood, which says better things than the blood of Abel” (Heb 12.18-24).
*For a complete list of references, please see scripturestoryline.com