Deuteronomy Is an Underappreciated Book

It is unfortunate that Deuteronomy and the Pentateuch as a whole are books of the bible that are largely ignored. They are a part of divine revelation and as such should be discussed more. In all fairness, I am also guilty of this.  Although I am not a priest or deacon, I do teach children and to a lesser extent some adults.

However, the message contained in Deuteronomy is applicable to all of us.  Deuteronomy has the unfortunate distinction of being called the “second law”, which is the literal translation of the name in the Greek Septuagint.  However, in its character as an exhortation, it can be synchronized with what we read in the New Testament.

Moses’ First Address

In Deuteronomy 4, Moses challenges the Israelites to look at the evidence of God’s great mercy on their behalf.  He described everything that God had done for them.  At that point they had seen the events of Sinai and had seen various miracles occur.

They heard the voice of God themselves.  Moses declared the mighty deeds of God, attempting to stir the hearts of the people. He implored them to follow the instructions given.  That was the first address of Moses.

You Must Choose

Moses’ second address in Deuteronomy takes places in chapters 5-11.  Here Moses uses personal pronouns like “I” and “we” and includes himself in the conversation.  The tone of this address is quite different from that found in chapters 21-23 of Exodus, which are written in a third person perspective.

This is an important distinction because in Exodus Moses gives the law, while in Deuteronomy Moses challenges the people.  In Exodus he addresses the people as a whole; in Deuteronomy, based on the pronouns used, he addresses the people individually.

This is equally important for us today.  Moses is not shy about telling the people how YHWH chose them, saved them from bondage in Egypt, and provided for them in the desert.  The Lord chose the people of Israel, but the people are also responsible for their own actions.

Choose Life and Remain Faithful

The third address of Moses takes place shortly before his death in Deuteronomy 29-30.  Moses reminds the people of the need to stay faithful to the Lord; then he details the consequences of infidelity and tells them to choose life not death.

Moses has seen the people fall into sin in the desert and exhorts them to stay on the narrow path.  The bad habits they had learned in Egypt would manifest themselves at times and cause them to stumble.

This is something that Moses was aware of, but out of love for the people, he addressed the issue again: choose life!  The way of the Lord is life and not following that way leads to death.

Deuteronomy and the Pentateuch

Deuteronomy presents itself differently than other law texts in the Pentateuch.  This can be seen in its language, tone, and the content of the addresses.  There are more dissimilarities between Deuteronomy and the other books, but these three differences are a good start.

Though we may have grown up in a Christian family, we all arrive at a point where we have to evaluate evidence of the faith for ourselves.  As Moses says to the Israelites: we need to see for ourselves everything the Lord has done.

Also, like the Israelites, there comes a point where we cannot hide within the group.  Just because one’s parents and grandparents were Christians does not make one a Christian by default.  We are responsible for our own actions, which is Moses’ basic message to the Israelites.

It is up to each individual to choose the way of death or the way of life.  True, we are many centuries removed from the writing of Deuteronomy, but its message stands the test of time and the addresses of Moses can be applied to situations today.

Hearts of Stone or Flesh?

The law was given to Israel, but following God is much more than following laws.  The heart has to be changed.  If we do not change our hearts, we are missing the point.  The law was written on tablets but not on the tablets of the peoples’ hearts.

The issue of a changed heart is mentioned in several other parts of the Old Testament.  In Jeremiah 31 the Lord speaks of writing the law on the hearts of the people.  In Ezekiel 11 the Lord discussed removing the people’s hearts of stone and replacing them with hearts of flesh.

In this we find a parallel between Deuteronomy and the prophet Malachi, specifically in Deuteronomy 34 and Malachi 3.  Moses is the messenger of the Old Covenant.  He was the shepherd and messenger of God to the people of Israel.  Deuteronomy 34 says that a prophet has not risen like Moses, but Malachi 3 says another messenger is coming, and he will purify the hearts of the people.

Consistent with the Gospel

There is much more to say, but the essence of the Gospel message can be seen in Deuteronomy.  It is unfortunate that it is something that is ignored for the most part.  Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy more than any Old Testament book and for good reason.

The message of Deuteronomy was also His message: love the Lord with all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself.  The two-fold law of love not only reflects the two main parts of the Ten Commandments but is also a rule of life.

If you love God with everything you’ve got, you will hand your life over to Him and your heart will be changed.  In other words, the law will be written upon your heart and from there you will love your neighbor because your heart is now concerned about the things of God.  In short, this is what it means to choose life.