So important is Deuteronomy
it is doubtful if any person can claim
to have understood the Old Testament
who has not gotten a clear grasp
of the book.
At first glance, the book of Deuteronomy is not the most obviously exciting book of the Old Testament. Yet it is the book whose thought and theology impact the rest of the Old Testament, and the New, like no other.
No other book in the Old Testament has had an impact on the theology of the other books in the Old Testament as Deuteronomy. So clearly is this influence seen in the way the historical narratives from Joshua to 2 Kings were written that modern biblical scholars refer to these books as "the Deuteronomistic History." They represented a history written from the perspective of Deuteronomy's demand on Israel. How well each of the characters in these books faired was 'measured' by the extent of their alignment with the teachings of Deuteronomy. It is also the book most often referenced by the prophets; though the specific texts from Deuteronomy are not always specifically cited, it is clear that the Old Testament prophets assume the demands of Deuteronomy as their starting point.
A case in point may be seen in the account recorded in 2 Ki 22/2 Chron 34. Josiah had begun a series of reforms, cleansing the temple and the land of the horrendous idolatry of his grandfather and great-grandfather. While repairing the temple, the workers recovered the lost manuscript of "the Book of the Law." When the book was brought to Josiah's attention and read to him,
When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes. He gave these orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Acbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king's attendant: "Go and inquire of the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord's anger that burns against us because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us." (2 Ki 22:11-13)
Biblical scholars are unanimously agreed in identifying this "Book of the Law" as Deuteronomy. The discovery of the Book drove Josiah, if not the entire people of Israel, into an even more vigorous programme of religious reform. No other book of the Old Testament had such a power of influence.
If the Book of Deuteronomy was central to the life of ancient Israel, it is not surprising that it should play a decisive role in Old Testament thinking and scholarship. In fact, it has been called "the linch-pin" of Old Testament studies.1 So important is Deuteronomy it is doubtful if any person can claim to have understood the Old Testament who has not gotten a clear grasp of the book.
If Deuteronomy should prove so significant in its impact on the rest of the Old Testament, it is little surprising that it should be—together with Genesis, Isaiah, and the Psalms—among the most frequently quoted books in the New Testament. It clearly nurtured our Lords Jesus's understanding of discipleship. When tempted by the devil in the desert, for example, all three times it was Deuteronomy that our Lord Jesus quoted to refute the evil one:
The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."
Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
Matt 4:3-4, with Jesus citing Deut 8:3.
Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"
Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your
God to the test.'"
Matt 4:5-7, with Jesus citing Deut 6:16.
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."
Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'"
(Matt 4:8-4, with Jesus citing Deut 6:13.
On nunerous occasions in his teaching ministry, the book of Deuteronomy became Jesus' source-text of authority. When asked, for example, what commandment is the most important, Jesus cited the Shema from Deut 6:4-5:
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
While Paul tended to incline towards the books of Isaiah, the Psalms and the Minor Prophets in his citation of the Old Testament, when he did use the Pentateuch it was Genesis and Deuteronomy to which he gave most of his attention.
What is it then that makes Deuteronomy such an important work?
The answer to this question becomes clear once we understand the nature and origin of the book. The book of Deuteronomy presents itself as the record of a series of "exposition of the law" by Moses addressed to Israel when she was encamped on the plains of Moab east of the Jordan on the eve of her entry into and conquest of the land of Canaan (Deut 1:1). In these expositions Moses made clear to the Israelites how the laws given by the Lord since their departure from Egypt were to be lived out once they have settled in the land. In these addresses Moses sought to prepare the new generation of Israelites—who were children when they left Egypt or who were born during the past fourty years of wandering—for life in the land, for practicing the presence of God in the land.
(Click here for an alternative view of this timeline.)
As such the book of Deuteronomy is nothing less than the authoritative "manual of discipleship" that spelled out for the ancient Israelites the implications of the covenant with the Lord in which they stood, while they lived in the land that he was leading them into. The book, as a record of these addresses, was, therefore, intended to remind Israel how she should live, and how she would be judged as the people of God living in the land gifted and watched over by the Lord. It is little surprising, therefore, that the book of Deuteronomy should become the theological, spiritual and ideological authority by which ancient Israel and later Jewry, accounted for their life before God as no other book has. Christians have, of course, also recognized the importance of the book for the Christian life of faith. While at Geneva, e.g., John Calvin preached systematically through the Bible, one book at a time. What the great reformer thought of the book of Deuteronomy is clearly reflected in what he produced: "123 sermons on Genesis, 200 sermons on Deuteronomy, 159 sermons on Job, 176 sermons on 1 and 2 Corinthians, and 43 sermons on Galatians."2
Deuteronomy is nothing less than
the authoritative "manual of discipleship"
that spelled out for the ancient Israelites
the implications of
the covenant with the Lord
in which they stood,
while they lived in the land
he was leading them into.
Low Chai Hok
©Alberith, 2016