DEUTERONOMY
Deuteronomy is an incredible book. It records Moses’ final words at the end of his long life of service, and they come at a crucial pivot in the history of Israel. Israel is coming to the land God promised them generations ago. The last time Israel came to the boundary of that land they failed, doubting the word of the LORD, and as a consequence were sent back into the wilderness. Had they learned their lesson?
Deuteronomy is about God’s grace and his holy invitation to re-orient our hearts in loving service to him. At the heart of this book is God’s faithfulness to His people, and his desire to give them life to the full as they learn to serve and love Him with their whole heart. In spite of all their rebellion, and in spite of the fact that God knows they will rebel again, he renews his covenant with his people at Mt Ebal with these beautiful words: “this day you have become the people of the LORD your God!” (Deut 27.9). What a remarkable and gracious gift. This is why Jesus, the perfect and complete embodiment of that grace, quotes Deuteronomy more than any other book of Scripture (other than the Psalms). Deuteronomy is a foundational text for the people of God, crucial for understanding what it means to be in covenantal relationship with him. It goes to the heart of who we are and who God is. When the scribe asks Jesus to summarize the law, he naturally goes back to Deuteronomy:
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.
You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your might. (Deut 6.4-5)
May we take these words to heart, teach them diligently to our children, talk of them when we self-isolate in our houses, when we walk at socially appropriate distances on the way, when we lie down, and when we rise, that it may go well with us.
May God bless you as you read His words in Deuteronomy!
Deuteronomy Overview courtesy of Bibleproject.com