In short
The final book of the story of Israel before they get their own land.
Why it is important
“Deuteronomy” means “second law.” But that’s confusing. There are, indeed, parts that are redundant from Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers. But there are also significant passages that are unique to this book, and they are some of the most memorable verses in the Old Testament.
Main characters
- Moses
- Joshua
What is in this book
Moses gives 32 chapters of speeches. The rest of the book (chapters 31 and 34) are instructions and the story of Moses’ death.
- A recounting of the journey so far (chapters 1-3 and 9:13-10:11)
- A reminder of many of the laws already given (chapters 5, 14-16, 19, 22-23)
- Words of encouragement and exhortation (4:1-40 and 6:1-9:12; 10:12-11:32; chs. 29-30)
- Moses gets to see the Promised Land from afar (31:48-52 and 34:1-8)
And this is not an exhaustive list at all – just my cursory observations.
Some memorable teachings that are unique to Deuteronomy
I mean unique in the Torah. I bring these up because they are almost all mentioned in the New Testament for some reason.
- The Shema, a legendary poem (6:4-9)
- “You shall not put the LORD your God to the test” (6:16)
- Do not intermarry with the conquered people (7:1-5) *
- If you want a king, it will end badly… (17:14-20)
- A future prophet like Moses (18:15-22) [It’s a prophecy of Christ]
- “A hanged man is cursed by God” (21:23) [another prophecy]
- The only Old Testament law about divorce (24:1-4)
- “When a man is newly married, he shall not go out with the army or be liable for any other public duty. He shall be free at home one year to be happy with his wife whom he has taken.” (24:5)
- “You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain.” (25:4)
- “Levirate” marriage (25:5-10) **
- The “blessings and curses” speech (chapters 27-28)
Theology and doctrine
If you get only one thing out of this book, I would pick Deuteronomy 6:4-9. This is so important to Jews, that Wednesday’s lesson is on this alone.
Footnotes
* We will talk about the intermarriage law in depth in April.
** Just read it; you’ll recognize the story. “Levirate” is a new term to me, too.
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