LESSONS FROM DEUTERONOMY
Thoughts come from a wide variety of sources. Some from messages I have heard from individuals, some from assembly Bible studies, some from home life, and some from books I have read. The Holy Spirit is the Teacher who makes them real to me.
- "Believer's Bible Commentary: Old Testament." by William MacDonald. Thomas Nelson Pub.
- "The Life Application Bible." Tyndale House and Zondervan
Deuteronomy is the document that Moses prepared as a witness to the covenant the Lord made with Israel. God wanted them to be His people and gave them this covenant and its terms. In the ancient past, it was standard for conquerors to make covenants with the conquered and establish them as vassals of a new government. God intended His people to stand out from all the surrounding nations and provided clear instructions for every part of life as a unique people.
Deuteronomy records the terms of the covenant with God. The giving of the covenant was like an official ceremony that took place just before Moses died. There was a new generation of people, and a new leader, Joshua, was to lead them. In this ceremony, the second generation had to renew the covenant with the Lord that had been made forty years earlier because all of those adults had died.
This was a consecration ceremony for a new generation of servants dedicated to their righteous, holy, and loving God. They now bore responsibility to God for their actions and would be under the authority of a new leader chosen by God. He would guide them into the promised land and ensure they settled there. An overall outline of the book provides a way to study and understand its contents.
Covenant mediator: Moses, 1:1-5 Covenant history: 1:6-4:49 Covenant life: 5:1-26. (The Great Commandment). 5:1-11:32; Secondary commandments 12-26 Sanctions that ratify the covenant: 27-30 Covenant continuity (dynasties): 31-34