Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Law. Deuteronomy is largely composed of three speeches / sermons given by Moses to Israel on the bank of the Jordan River. They were preparing to enter Canaan under the leadership of Joshua but Moses reminds Israel of their past and challenges them for the future.
The Jews named their books frequently after the first word(s) of the book. So, Deuteronomy was called “elleh haddebarim” or “haddebarim” (“words”) for short. When Deuteronomy was translated into Greek (LXX), the name was given from a misunderstanding of 17:18, as “second law book” or Deuteronomion which gives us the modern English name.
The Hebrew word often translated “law” is torah, which means “instruction” or “teaching” (see Prov 1:8 for a broader definition than just “law”). The word is used more than 200 times in the Hebrew Old Testament. It is used 22 times in Deuteronomy. By the post-exilic period, the “law” was in a scroll form (Ezra 6:18; Neh. 8:19). By the New Testament time, the word “law” could refer to the law of Moses or to the whole Old Testament as the “instruction” and “teaching” of Jehovah God (cf. John 10:34; 12:34; 15:25).
Only about half of the regulations from the books of Exodus and Leviticus are discussed in Deuteronomy. Those other regulations are presupposed in Deuteronomy. Those that are mentioned, are applied in a new context, not the wilderness context, but the context of the Promised Land, for a new generation of Israelites.
The theme of the book may be found in 10:12-16 but the key word is “covenant,” used 27 times in the book in English. The Hebrew term is used 26 times, more than any other book. Rendtorff (The Old Testament, 155) suggests that no other OT book could be called a “theological book” so clearly as Deuteronomy. Block (The Gospel According to Moses, 1) calls it the “most systematic presentation of theological truth in the entire Old Testament,” suggesting it could be parallel to Romans or the Gospel of John.
Deuteronomy would have special significance in three areas of Israel’s life:
1.) In its original setting on the plains of Moab – the immediate audience.
2.) The period of the late monarchy under the threat of the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles.
3.) The return to Palestine when the Law and the priests who taught the law came to have a strong and central role in the life of the Jews.
We see in Deuteronomy the unity and the uniqueness of God. There is also an exclusiveness about God that demands total commitment (love, loyalty, dedication). To love him completely leaves no place for devotion to another god.
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The number of quotations of Deuteronomy in the NT (bet. 80-195) make it one of the most used books in the OT, placing it behind the books of Psalms, Isaiah, Genesis and Exodus. Twenty-one out of the 27 books of the NT quote or allude to Deuteronomy. Jesus three times found strength in the book: Matt. 4 (8:3; 6:13, 16).
There are two key themes from Deuteronomy that are found in New Testament theology:
1.) God will raise up another prophet, like Moses (Acts 3:22-23) which implies a new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31ff).
2.) Loving obedience must exist between mankind and God. In that, we find a strong affirmation of New Testament theology. What do we need to do to have a strong relationship with our God and Savior? Loving obedience.
Christians should read Deuteronomy, then, from three perspectives (Block, 11-12):
1. As an ancient near eastern document.
2. As a written deposit of truth from the mouth/mind of God.
3. Through the lens of Jesus Christ.
We will study, together, the book of Deuteronomy, “The Gospel according to Moses,” on Fridays for the next three months.
Paul HOlland
