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CHAPTER 27:
Moses, now joined by the elders of Israel, begins his third address to the nation. (v.1) The presence of the elders is significant because they are the ones who will assist Joshua in carrying out the ceremony described in this chapter. Their standing with Moses also affirms his leadership and faithfulness as mediator and messenger between God and the people. Moses is demonstrating to the people that his authority and leadership is being transferred to them as well as Joshua. (Numbers 27:22-23) Verses 2-8: Moses commands the people to do two things immediately after passing over the river Jordan into the promised land: 1) construct a pillar of stones upon which they will write the words of the law of God; and 2) build an altar upon which to make burnt offerings and peace offerings to God in thankfulness and rejoicing for all that He’s done thus far and all that He will do for them as they conquer the land. The word “plaister” in verse 2 refers to a type of lime or whitewash that would make it possible to write on the stones. (Joshua 8:32) While verse 3 states that “…all the words of this law…” are to be written on the pillar, it’s unclear from the text if that refers to just the ten commandments or that plus everything Moses has expounded upon to the people since Mount Sinai. Whatever the case, this directive seems to be primarily a ceremonial function since the lime and the words would eventually be washed away by rain and other natural elements as time goes on. The altar that’s to be built next to that pillar is to be made of stones that are uncut or shaped by the hands of man. This hearkens back to God’s command to Moses at Mount Sinai in Exodus 20:25. God considered any attempt by the men to cut or shape the stones so that they fit together more perfectly to be a pollution or a profanity upon His holy altar. Both the pillar and the altar are to be constructed at Mount Ebal. (v.4) Verses 9-13: Moses now stands with the Levitical priests, again to show to the people that his authority, given by God, is being transferred to them as well as the elders and Joshua. Once again, Moses implores the people to listen and to remember that they are a chosen people, and that because of this they are to obey all the commandments and statutes of the LORD their God. (v.9-10) (Deuteronomy 26:18) Next, he commences with the instructions for the blessing and cursing ceremony that is to follow the erection of the monument and the sacrificial offerings that were described in the first section of this chapter. Half of the tribes will stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people, and the other half will stand on Mount Ebal to recite the curses for disobedience of the covenant. (v.12-13) (Deuteronomy 11:29, Joshua 8:33, Judges 9:7) Commentators have noted that the tribes pronouncing the blessings were all born of Leah and Rachel, except for Reuben and Zebulun. The rest were born of the handmaids Bilhah and Zilpah. Some have suggested that the tribe of Reuben was selected to pronounce the curses because of Reuben’s sin of incest with Bilhah. (Genesis 35:22, 49:3-4) While this is possible, there is no clear reason given in the text, and so we should not read too much into what isn’t there. What is important to note here is that just because a tribe is selected to pronounce the curses doesn’t mean that God has cursed that tribe. Verses 14-26: There is a total of twelve curses, eight of which can be connected directly to one of the ten commandments. (v.15-17, 20, 22-25) After each curse is read aloud all the people on both mountains are to respond with “Amen!”, once again pledging to uphold the commandments of the law. Note that some of these curses can be violated in secret which means that the one committing the act will be punished even if there are no witnesses. This is a reminder to the people that God sees all, and He will punish the guilty accordingly. All of the curses pertain directly to the “Thou shalt not” laws/commandments given in Exodus and Leviticus and reviewed by Moses in his first two sermons to the people here in Deuteronomy. These verses can be viewed as a review of what God expects of the nation regarding their relationship to Him, and then to each other, specifically the poor, the blind, the orphan, the widow, and one’s own family. Note that, once again, Moses emphasizes sexual purity more than any other law. (v.20-23) And while homosexuality is not specifically mentioned in any of those four verses, the fact that it’s listed in the same verses with bestiality in Leviticus means that we can logically presume it's also implied here in verse 21. Verse 26 is meant to be a summary curse for any violation of any of the commandments in the whole law of God. (Psalm 119:21, Jeremiah 11:3, Galatians 3:10) This is why Paul refers to the curse of the law in that verse from Galatians. God expects His chosen people to obey every single statute and judgment, and when they do not they must immediately perform the expected sacrificial atonement. Those who do not are cursed and subject to God’s wrath and judgment. While the same applies to the NT believer today, we have the final act of Jesus Christ on the cross to plead with God as the atonement for our sins. God still expects us to obey His law and strive for holiness, and when we fail we must ask for forgiveness and plead the blood of His only son as the payment for our sin. CHAPTER 28: Given the instructions in the previous chapter regarding the blessing and cursing ceremony, one would expect this chapter to be a continuation, with Moses describing the blessings that the tribes on Mount Gerizim will give following the curses pronounced by the tribes on Mount Ebal. But that is not the case. While Moses does begin by describing the blessings that God will bestow upon the Israelites for their obedience, the bulk of this chapter focuses on God's judgment and punishment should Israel turn away from Him and fail to keep the law. Verses 1-14: This section, presumably, is the same ceremonial blessings that the tribes on Mount Gerizim will pronounce in response to the curses listed in the previous chapter. As always, Moses makes clear to the people that God’s blessings come with a condition: “…if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all His commandments…”. (v.1) (Exodus 15:26, Leviticus 26:3, Deuteronomy 7:12, 11:13) Only by this will the nation of Israel be set “…on high above all nations of the earth.” (Deuteronomy 26:19, 1 Chronicles 14:2) Moses then lists all the blessings that God will pour out on His chosen people. (v.2-8) Not only will God ensure victory against all of Israel’s enemies, thus creating lasting peace throughout the land, but He will continue to multiply their offspring, their harvests, and their livestock. Every home and every storehouse will be overflowing with bounty, and whatever each Israelite sets his hand unto will be blessed “…in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.” (v.8) (Genesis 22:17, 39:5, Leviticus 25:21, 26:7-8, Psalm 121:8, 128:1, 4) Israel will be a holy nation (v.9), and all other nations of the world will recognize her status as God’s chosen people. (v.10) (Exodus 19:5-6, Numbers 6:27, 2 Chronicles 7:14, Isaiah 63:19, Daniel 9:18-19) They will be afraid of her, and the bounty of God’s blessings upon Israel will allow her to lend to other nations, thus indebting them to her. (v.10-12) As long as Israel continues to “…hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God…” (v.13) He will pour out on them “…His good treasure…” (v.12), and Israel will always be “…the head, and not the tail…”. (v.13) (Isaiah 9:14-15) But all of this is predicated on Israel never straying off the path God has chosen for them by obeying all his commandments and statutes and worshiping Him only. (v.14) (Deuteronomy 5:32, Joshua 1:7) The remainder of this chapter is lengthy and detailed exposition of curses that will fall upon Israel if, instead, she chooses not to “…hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God…” (v.15) by disobeying “…all His commandments and His statutes…”. (Joshua 23:15, Daniel 9:10, Malachi 2:2) Just as there are bountiful blessings for obedience, so is there bountiful curses and judgment upon Israel if she fails to uphold her part of the covenant. Verses 16-19: Rather than blessing Israel’s offspring, harvests, and livestock, God will instead curse them, causing barrenness of the womb for both woman and beast and famine in the land. These four verses deliberately mirror verses 3-6. Verses 20-22, 27, 33-35: Everything that the Israelites put their hand to will fail or be destroyed. (v.20) All manner of sickness and deadly diseases will befall them. (v.21-22) (Exodus 15:26, Leviticus 26:16, Amos 4:9) The death toll from war, famine, and disease will be so great as to wipe out the whole nation from the promised land. (v.21-22) The physical descriptions in these three verses indicate clearly that God will use not only the heathen nations outside the promised land but also the very elements of nature itself to pour out His righteous judgment upon His people. (Jeremiah 5:15, 17) Verses 23-24, 38-40, 42: God will stop the rain and harden the earth so that nothing will grow. (v.23) Locusts and worms will consume the crops and vineyards, and the fruit of the olive trees will fall from their boughs before they’re ripe, making the olives useless for the production of oil. (v.38-40) (Exodus 10:4, Joel 1:4, Micah 6:15, Zephaniah 1:13, Haggai 1:6) Verse 25-26: This is the opposite of verse 7. Now it is Israel who is fleeing from her enemies seven different directions. (Deuteronomy 32:30) The death toll will be so great as to provide a bountiful feast for the ravens, vultures, and other wild animals. (v.26) (1 Samuel 17:44, Psalm 79:2) Verses 28-29: God will even blind the hearts and minds of the people, so that they “…grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness…”. (v.29) (Job 5:14) This is the same judgment which Jesus speaks of in Mark 4:12. For some, like Pharaoh in Exodus, God hardens their hearts because of their unbelief so that the truth is foreign to them. If Israel turns from God to worship idols and practice the abominations of the heathen nations around them, God will give them over to the same judgment as Pharaoh and the people of those foreign nations. Furthermore, Israel will be continually enslaved and plundered, and no one will come to her rescue. Verses 30-32, 41: These echo the curse of verse 20 where Moses stated that all which Israel attempts to do will be for naught. Here he goes into specifics. The betrothed daughter will either be raped or willingly engage in premarital relations with a man other than her future husband. (2 Samuel 12:11, Job 31:10, Jeremiah 8:10, Amos 5:11, Zephaniah 1:13) All attempts to establish a home, family, and occupation will be thwarted. (v.30) (Deuteronomy 20:6, Job 31:8, Jeremiah 12:13, Lamentations 1:5, Micah 6:15) A man’s livestock will be slain or plundered, preventing him from making a living. (v.31) His children will be enslaved and forced to marry foreigners, causing deep sorrow and regret for him and his wife. (v.32) (2 Chronicles 29:9, Nehemiah 5:5) All of this will result in utter weakness and despair for every Israelite. Verses 36-37: Much of this chapter is a prophecy, and here Moses foretells of Israel’s desire for a king. If the nation persists in their disobedience and apostasy, God will deliver them and their king into captivity by a people that is foreign to them. Israel will be slaves once again, forced to serve false gods by their captors. (Deuteronomy 4:28, 1 Kings 9:7-8, 2 Kings 17:4-6, 24:12-14, 25:7, 11, 2 Chronicles 36:1, Jeremiah 16:13, 24:9, 25:9) The name of Israel will be reduced to a byword and thing of horror among all the other nations outside the promised land. (v.37) (Psalm 44:14) They will marvel at Israel’s downfall. Verses 43-44: Instead of being the head, Israel will now be the tail. The entire nation will be brought low, enslaved and in debt to a foreign people. Verse 45-46: One would expect this verse to the end of this chapter as it sums up Moses’ central point. All the curses detailed in the preceding verses will come upon Israel if she fails to obey God’s law and honor her part of the covenant. It’s important to note here that although Moses states clearly that the nation will be destroyed, he does not use any adjectives here that say the destruction will be complete. God will not – and cannot, in fact – renege on His promise to Abraham. Verse 46 confirms this, for Moses adds that the consequences of these curses will stay with Israel “…for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed forever.” In other words, the name of the LORD will still be glorified in Israel’s judgment and condemnation. (Numbers 26:10, Isaiah 8:18, Ezekiel 14:8) Verses 47-57: But Moses doesn’t end with that dire warning and prediction. As if all that wasn’t bad enough, he now gives a detailed description of God’s judgment against Israel for her apostasy that makes the previous curses pale by comparison. Moses expounds on his earlier mention of Israel’s captivity by a foreign power, describing exactly what will happen among the Israelites while they under siege by their enemies. Because Israel fails to serve the Lord by joyfully acknowledging Him as the source of their daily providence and blessings (v.47) God will deliver her back into bondage at the hands of her enemies. (Deuteronomy 12:7, Nehemiah 9:35) Israel will go naked and hungry and destitute, with “…a yoke of iron upon thy neck…”. (v.48) (Lamentations 4:4, Jeremiah 28:13-14) This is an interesting point that Moses brings up in verse 47. What God is saying here is that He will bring judgment upon His chosen people because their heart attitude is not right before Him. They are ungrateful for His daily providence and protection, and they fail to properly worship and honor Him as the sole source of all their wealth and prosperity. This ingratitude will result in the sin of pride among the nation, and this will cause them to turn from the Lord to idolatry and many other transgressions from which God has commanded them to abstain. Therefore, a nation whom the Israelites have never heard of, whose language is unknown to them, will invade the promised land. (v.49) (Isaiah 5:26, 7:18, Jeremiah 5:15) The enemy will be great and powerful, showing no mercy to the old or the weak (v.50), and will seize all of Israel’s crops and livestock. (v.51) (2 Chronicles 36:17) They will besiege her cities, causing mass starvation for the people within, causing them to resort to cannibalism in order to survive. (v.52-53) (Leviticus 26:29, 2 Kings 6:28-29, 25:1-2, Jeremiah 19:9, Lamentations 2:20, 4:10) The reason such depravity will come about is because every Israelite man and woman will be so desperate in their hunger that they will forsake their civilized behavior and resort to not only killing their own children to consume as food, but will hide it from their neighbors for the sake of their own survival. (v.54-57) The women will even consume their own afterbirth. (v.57) All of this, sadly, came true, and many Biblical scholars have suggested that God gave Moses divine prophetic insight in order to deliver this specific warning. Verses 58-68: As if all that wasn’t enough, Moses hammers his central point home even harder. War, disease, famine, death, captivity and slavery – all of it will befall God’s chosen people if they fail to “…fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD…”. (v.58) God will no longer take delight in blessing and caring for Israel, instead rejoicing in His wrath and judgment upon them. (v.63) (Deuteronomy 30:9, Proverbs 1:26, Isaiah 1:24, Jeremiah 12:14, 32:41, 45:4) All of the blessings described at the beginning of this chapter will be reversed. Instead of being as numerous as the stars in the heaven, Israel will be reduced to a very small number. (v.62) Instead of peace and rest, she will experience nothing but fear, dread, sorrow, and despair as she is scattered among the heathen nations. (v.64-65) (Leviticus 26:36, Lamentations 1:3, Amos 9:4) Her despair will be so great, in fact, that every morning the people will long for night, and at night they will long for the dawn, but there will be no hope or salvation forthcoming. (v.66-67) (Job 7:4) And, in the end, Israel will return to the foreign land where she began, but this time not even the Egyptians will take them back as slaves. (v.68) (Jeremiah 43:7, Hosea 8:13) Israel will be left utterly alone and destitute, a fragmented and scattered remnant with no home or land to call their own. Verse 63 echoes Deuteronomy 18:12, and many people, including Christians, find this troubling. (Refer back to that chapter and my comments on that verse.) But it should not surprise the true believer that God’s holiness and His justice demand punishment for sin, including the disobedience of His chosen people. The Israelites, remember, promised to obey all of God’s law and uphold their part of the covenant numerous times, starting with the ten commandments at Mount Sinai. (Exodus 24:3) God, therefore, has every right to pass judgment on Israel for her disobedience, apostasy, and rebellion. The same holds true for all of mankind today, even us believers. We are His creation (Psalm 24:1), and He has every right to do with us as He so pleases. This final passage of Moses’ third address to the people is extremely depressing, to say the least. But it underscores the importance of Israel’s obedience to God and His covenant. There will be no excuse for this second generation’s descendants when God’s judgment and wrath come upon them for their disobedience and apostasy. Their fathers were warned of the punishment for not keeping and honoring all of the law of God, and that warning was passed down from generation to generation in the words of Moses recorded in this book. Even when the books of Moses were long forgotten and buried in the archives of the temple, God still sent His warning to His chosen people in the words of the prophets such as Isaiah and Jeremiah. Israel and Judah still refused to listen, and all the prophecy of Moses in this chapter came true. God always keeps His word, for both blessing and judgment.
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Chapter 5:
Moses’ second address to the people makes up the bulk of the book of Deuteronomy. (Chapters 5-26) Moses is about to give a detailed review of the whole law, beginning with the ten commandments here in chapter 5. I have often wondered as I read scripture why there is so much repetition of certain verses, passages, or historical accounts. Several different verses in different chapters of Proverbs, for example, are either identical or very nearly so, and the books of Kings and Chronicles give almost the same historical accounts of the kings of Israel and Judah leading up to the Babylonian captivity. Chapter 5 of Deuteronomy is nearly identical to Exodus 20. Moses begins his second address by repeating the ten commandments, and those ten verses are very nearly identical, word for word, with the corresponding verses in Exodus 20. The simplest answer is that God put together His word in a specific way, including all the passages that either repeat or echo others, because that’s what He wanted. While it may seem redundant to readers of our present time, oral repetition – such as what Moses is doing now for the second generation of Israel – was a common practice in the ANE, due primarily to the lack of abundance of paper and ink with which to keep written records. That doesn’t mean there was no system of reading and writing at this time, obviously, but it was often much easier to pass on large amounts of information and knowledge – such as the law of God – to a large group of people by oral tradition rather than large, bulky scrolls to which only a select few of the people had access. Keep in mind, too, that the whole book of Deuteronomy is Moses’ last message to the children of Israel, and it’s been almost forty years since the law was first given at Mount Sinai. It was necessary for him to remind the second generation of the importance of the law and all that God had commanded them to do, both before and after they enter the promised land. The first generation had failed God through the sin of rebellion, lack of faith, and disobedience of the law, and they forfeited the promised land as a consequence. Moses didn’t want the same thing to happen to their sons and daughters, hence the reason for this last book of the Pentateuch. Verses 1-5: Moses begins with the command to “Hear” in verse 1, a word used frequently in this book. Israel is to do more than just passively listen to Moses words. The exhortation “Hear, O Israel” is an imperative, a plea to take these words to heart and apply them to their lives. Moses again refers to the law as a covenant in verse 2, reminding the people of what they and their fathers had agreed to at Horeb. (Jeremiah 31:32, Hebrews 8:9) He makes this specific point in verse 3, emphasizing that the covenant was not made void by the disobedience of the first generation. Those present listening to him now also agreed to obey and follow the law. Moses then recalls the scene at Mount Sinai with the fire, thundering, and darkness, and the voice of God that spoke from the midst of it all. (v.4-5) Moses had to stand between the people and the mountain to relay the word of the LORD because of the people’s fear. (v.5) (Exodus 19:9, 20:21, Galatians 3:19) Verses 6-21: Moses now reviews the ten commandments, the basis of the whole law. Verses 7,8,11,12,16,17,18,19,20, and 21 are either identical – or very nearly so – to verses 3,4,7,8,12,13,14,15,16 and 17 of Exodus 20. (Refer back to that chapter of my commentary for a detailed discussion and analysis of each of the commandments.) When comparing the two passages, there are some minor differences. 1) The word “remember” is used in Exodus 20:8 when referring to the sabbath day, but here in verse 12 the word “keep” is used instead. Moses further elaborates in verse 15 that one of the reasons for this observance is to remember their time of slavery in Egypt and how God delivered them through His power and might. In Exodus, however, he had compared the observance of the sabbath to the creation week when God rested on the seventh day. 2) Moses uses the phrase, “As the LORD thy God hath commanded thee” twice here in Deuteronomy, when giving the fourth and fifth commandments. But, for obvious reasons, that phrase was not in the corresponding verses in Exodus. This is in keeping with Moses’ theme of reminding the people of what God had already laid out for them forty years earlier. In light of all the sin committed by the Israelites in that time, Moses is now emphasizing obedience to what God had already commanded them to do. 3) The order of things that one should not covet in verse 21 is reversed from that given in Exodus 20:17. There it’s the neighbor’s house that is mentioned first, not his wife. Not only that, Moses uses a different Hebrew word here in Deuteronomy when referring to the coveting of someone else’s wife. The KJV translates it as “desire” rather than “covet”. While both words carry almost the same meaning, “desire” in this context refers to sexual lust, a more specific kind of coveting that God is warning His people to not give into. The other reason that Moses begins with a reiteration of the Decalogue is that it forms the outline for the rest of his second address to the people. As noted earlier, these ten commandments are the basis of the whole law of God. And also, as noted in my commentary of Exodus 20, the first four pertain to one’s relationship to God while the last six govern one’s relationship to his fellow man. Verses 22-33: This section recalls the incident from Exodus 19 where God had initially called the whole congregation to meet with him up on Mount Sinai but they were too afraid because of the thundering, lightning, and fire. While the people had acknowledged God’s greatness and glory (v.24), they were fearful of being killed by the fire if they came any closer (v.25-26). Rather than trust God and obey His command to come further up the mountain, they gave into their fear and held back. Instead, they told Moses to go up the mountain to meet with God, promising that they would obey all the Lord’s commandments. (v.27) While God was not pleased with the people’s lack of faith, He did delight in their willingness to obey His word. (v.28) His desire is that this would always be characteristic of them and all future generations. (v.29) (Deuteronomy 11:1, 32:29, Psalm 81:13, Isaiah 48:18) This is why Moses is bringing it up again here. The first generation failed to keep that desire for God’s word and obey all that He commanded them to do. Moses doesn’t want the second generation to make the same mistake, a point that he emphasizes in verses 32-33. That phrase, “…the LORD your God hath commanded you…” appears in both these verses. Only by obedience to the law of the Lord would Israel first be able to conquer the promised land and then have peace and long life within it. Chapter 6: Verses 1-3: Not only would obedience of the law bring peace and long life, but it is also meant to teach the children of Israel to “…fear the LORD thy God…”. (v.2) (Exodus 20:20, Deuteronomy 10:12-13, Psalm 111:10, 128:1, Ecclesiastes 12:13) Proverbs 9:10 says “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” The law of God is meant to give wisdom and knowledge to the Israelites, and, in the process of taking to heart all its statutes and judgments (v.1), the people would learn to fear God. The Hebrew word for “fear” in verse 2 is “yârê’” which in this context means “to stand in awe of”, according to the Brown-Driver-Briggs Bible dictionary. Strong’s concordance also defines it as “a healthy reverence or dread”. Those who fear God are not only in awe of Him and His holiness, but they also revere and dread His power and judgment. That’s why Moses warned Israel at the end of chapter 4 what would happen to them if they did not obey the law of the LORD. They were to always possess a healthy and reverential fear of God’s wrath because of the covenant they agreed to at Mount Sinai. If they disobeyed His statutes and judgments as they had done quite frequently since their exodus from Egypt, then they would continue to incur His anger and judgment for their sin. There are numerous references throughout scripture, especially in Psalms and Proverbs, to the wicked and rebellious who do not fear God’s wrath. That is why pride is such a deadly sin, for it denies the power of God and His right to judge those who disobey His law and rebel against His righteous authority over all His creation. The fear of the LORD is to be passed onto all generations. (v.2) (Deuteronomy 4:40) This was something the first generation out of Egypt failed to do. Had they obeyed God and possessed the faith of Caleb, Joshua and Moses, they would have lived longer and reaped the rewards of the promised land. Instead, their disobedience cost them their lives. A long, healthy, and prosperous life is one of the blessings of obeying and fearing God, a point that Moses emphasizes in verse 3. The phrase, “Hear therefore, O Israel…” is repeated again. (v.3) As mentioned before, the word “hear” in this context means more than just passive listening. It’s an exhortation of active listening, to take to heart what Moses is teaching and to apply it to one’s life. This is why he immediately follows that phrase with the command, “…observe to do it.” This implies a conscious, active decision on the part of the listener, a choice to obey the statutes and judgments that Moses has been preaching about since the beginning of chapter 5. Why? So that their lives in the promised land will be long, peaceful and prosperous. Not only that, the nation would “…increase mightily…” because of obedience. (Genesis 22:17, Deuteronomy 7:13) This was part of God’s promise to Abraham in His initial covenant: a nation that would be as great in number as the stars of the heaven and the sands upon the seashore. The implied opposite of this promise is that disobedience and failure to keep the fear of the LORD would bring about death, war, famine, disease, and a host of other negative consequences, which is exactly what happened in the years following the reign of King Solomon. Israel failed to obey God and His law, and their lives were in constant peril at the hands of the heathen nations around them. Peace and long life are a reward only for the humble who consistently seek God’s face and obey all His statutes and judgments. The bounty of the promised land is mentioned again at the end of verse 3, a “land that floweth with milk and honey.” Verses 4: This verse has been labeled as “The Shema”, which comes from the Hebrew word “shâma’”, meaning to “to hear”, and it’s considered a key verse in the OT by the Jews. It has become a confession of faith, recited twice daily by devout Jews, and it simply and clearly affirms the monotheism of God. He is one LORD, and there is none other like Him. He is the only true and living God, creator of the heavens and the earth, and He is sovereign over all things. (Deuteronomy 4:35, Mark 12:29, John 17:3, 1 Corinthians 8:4-6) Notice Moses’ command once again: “Hear, O Israel…”. He is imploring the people to not just listen with their ears, but to take to heart his words; to meditate on this principle that God is the only true and living God, and there is none other like Him in all the earth or in the heavens. He is LORD of all, the only LORD, and, because of His sovereignty, He is to be worshiped alone. This is the reason for the first and second commandments. They are the most important of the Decalogue, and the foundation of all the Mosaic Law. Verse 5: Moses’ next point connects directly to verse 4. Because of who God is, and because of His sovereignty, and because of all that He has done for them and will do, the Israelites are to love Him above all else, with all their heart, soul, and might. Jesus affirmed this as the first and greatest of all the commandments. (Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, Luke 10:27) According to the Moody Bible Commentary, “The heart was generally associated in Hebrew thinking with the mind, the soul denoted the innermost being or emotions, and might refers to doing the previous two injunctions exceedingly (literally ‘very, very much’). The repetition of the word ‘all’ shows that Israel’s commitment to the Lord was to be undivided and complete.” Verses 6-9: The Hebrew word for “heart” is “lêbâb”, which means, “inner man, mind, will, soul, or understanding”, according to Brown-Driver-Briggs and Strong’s Concordance. Moses is commanding the people to always be thinking about and meditating on the word of the LORD and to apply it to one’s innermost parts. (v.6) (Deuteronomy 11:18, Psalm 119:11, 98) Like the seed that is planted deep in fertile soil, the commandments of the law of God are to be planted deep in one’s heart where they will eventually grow and blossom. Furthermore, the parents are to teach all these statutes and judgments to their children by instructing them every day throughout the day. (v.7) (Deuteronomy 4:9, 11:19, Ephesians 6:4) Verses 8-9 are not meant to be taken literally, but the form of Judaism that took hold by the time of Jesus’ birth had led most Israelites – especially the Pharisees – to create phylacteries and mezuzoth. These were tiny boxes with words of scripture written on miniature scrolls, and the former was bound to one’s forehead by straps or cords while the latter was bound to the doorposts of one’s home. (Exodus 13:9, 16, Deuteronomy 11:20, Proverbs 3:3, 6:21, 7:3) The point of Moses’ command here is that the law of God was to be so much a part of everyday life for the people that they would constantly be talking about and thinking about its words. The same is true for us today. We should be reading and studying our Bible daily so that its words sink into our hearts and minds, causing us to meditate on them throughout the day. We should be memorizing those words as much as we can so that when the devil’s snares and temptations appear before us we have a defense. That process of reading, study, and memorization also is key to the ongoing process of our sanctification following salvation. The more we feed the spirit and starve the flesh, the more like Christ we will become. Verses 10-15: Moses now warns of the consequences of not doing what he commands in verses 6-9. The Israelites would be inheriting cities of great wealth, rich and fertile farmland, and all manner of goodly possessions that currently belong to the Canaanites. In other words, they will be reaping the rewards and bounty of someone else’s labor, and Moses warns them not to become complacent in their new life of prosperity. This is always the risk for the believer who is richly blessed by God. It becomes too easy for us to neglect the Lord’s commandments, to turn away from our Bible study and church attendance and daily prayer life. We quickly forget the source of all our blessings and prosperity and instead put other things at the center of our lives. (Deuteronomy 8:11) Along with all their houses and material wealth, the Canaanites would also be leaving behind their false gods, idols that were carved from wood and stone, as well as the high places and groves that were built to house them. (v.14) There would also be other nations outside the promised land that would be a snare to the Israelites because of their false religions and practices. Moses reminds the people to fear God alone, to serve Him only, and swear only by His name. (v.13) (Deuteronomy 13:4) Jesus quotes this verse to Satan when rebuking him. (Matthew 4:10, Luke 4:8) The consequences of not obeying this command are stated in verse 15: “For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you…”. (Exodus 20:5, Deuteronomy 4:24) God’s jealousy is a natural extension of His holiness, and He will not share His glory with any man or anything that man makes. If the Israelites worship anything or anyone other than the LORD their God, they will suffer God’s wrath, and He will wipe them “…from off the face of the earth.” This is not to say that He will break His promise to Abraham, but it does mean that He will destroy an entire generation and start anew with their children. This is, in fact, exactly what happened with the first generation that came out of Egypt. God sentenced them to forty years of wandering in the wilderness until they all died because of their disobedience and lack of faith. It’s also important to note that phrase from verse 15, “among you”. God is dwelling among His people in the tabernacle, and He had promised to continue dwelling among them after they entered the promised land. (Exodus 33:3) In a similar manner, believers today have God dwelling within them in the form of the Holy Spirit, and the consequences for sin and disobedience are no different for us than for the Israelites. If we persist in idolatry, lack of faith, or all manner of other such sin, God will chastise us as a Father disciplines His children. Our bodies are the temples of the Holy Ghost, and the LORD our God will not share His glory with any other. We are to put Him first in our lives, above all else! Verses 16-19: Moses expounds on this point by warning the Israelites against testing the LORD’S patience as they did at Massah. (1 Corinthians 10:9) Instead, the people are to “…diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God…” (v.17). (Deuteronomy 11:22, Psalm 119:4) Obeying God requires a commitment of one’s whole heart and mind, a daily conscious decision and effort to choose God and forsake all else. The children of Israel, like believers today, are easily tempted by their sin nature to wander from God, and Moses is exhorting them to strive daily to stay true to the LORD their God. They are to “…to do that which is right and good in the sight of the Lord…” (v.18) because only obedience would bring them the fulfillment of God’s promise to their father, Abraham, as well as a multitude of other blessings and long life. (Exodus 15:26, Deuteronomy 8:7) It would be by God’s power and providence that Israel would successfully conquer all their enemies in the promised land. (v.19) (Numbers 33:52-53) Verses 20-25: Moses now circles back to the point he made in verse 7. The parents are to instruct their children on the testimonies, statutes, and judgments of the whole law of God. (v.20) (Exodus 13:8, 14) They are to always remember where they came from and how God delivered them from bondage in Egypt by His divine power and might. (v.21) (Exodus 13:3) They are to remember His signs and wonders that He displayed to both the Egyptians and the Israelites in order that His covenant with Abraham would be fulfilled. (v.22-23) Lastly, they are to instruct their sons and daughters just as Moses is instructing them now, to keep the law of the LORD, because only through obedience will come happiness, blessings, and long life. (v.24) (Deuteronomy 10:12-13, Job 35:7-8, Jeremiah 32:39) Not only that, but obedience to the law will also be “…our righteousness…” (v.25) (Deuteronomy 24:13, Romans 10:5) By “…keeping all these commandments before the LORD our God…” the Israelites would be declared righteous. This verse is one of the many clues throughout the OT that confirm eternal salvation as a combination of faith plus works in this dispensation of the law. (Ezekiel 18:20-22, 24, Habakkuk 2:4) Unlike believers today in the NT dispensation of grace, those in the OT were not saved by faith alone, nor was their salvation secure. If they did not keep the law and maintain their righteousness by the daily, weekly, and yearly sacrifices in the tabernacle, they could lose their salvation. Examples of this are clearly seen in the lives of King Saul and King David. (1 Samuel 10:6, 15:22-23, 16:14, Psalm 51:11) |
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