TOM · The Owner's Manual · Old Testament

Deuteronomy 1

Before you read Deuteronomy: who, when, why

BOOK 5 OF 66 · OLD TESTAMENT · BOOKS OF MOSES

Moses' last words

AUTHOR
Moses, according to Jewish and Christian tradition. The book says Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the priests (31:9, 31:24), and Jesus quoted it as what Moses said (Mark 10:3 to 5). Someone else wrote about Moses' death in chapter 34; the Talmud says Joshua did. Many modern scholars think most of the book was written in the 600s BC, around King Josiah's day.
EVENTS TOOK PLACE
On the plains of Moab, across the Jordan from Jericho, in the fortieth year after Egypt. Moses begins speaking on the first day of the eleventh month (1:3). The whole book covers only about two months, ending with thirty days of mourning for Moses (34:8).
DATE WRITTEN
Traditionally about 1406 BC, just before Israel crossed the Jordan. Those who date the Exodus later, in the 1200s BC, move that date down too.
WRITTEN TO
The new generation of Israel, the children of the people who left Egypt, about to go into the Promised Land without Moses.
KEY VERSE
Deuteronomy 6:4 to 5. Hear, O Israel: Yahweh our God, Yahweh is One. And you shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS IN THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS

The Ten Commandments in the Dead Sea Scrolls

This is 4QDeut n, called the All Souls Deuteronomy, a Dead Sea Scroll from Cave 4 at Qumran, copied about 30 to 1 BC. This piece holds Deuteronomy 5:1 to 6:1, the Ten Commandments. In its Sabbath command it gives both reasons, the rest after creation from Exodus 20:11 and the slavery in Egypt from Deuteronomy 5:15. Many scholars think it was a copy of favorite passages for study or worship, not the whole book. About thirty copies of Deuteronomy were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, more than any other book except Psalms. Deuteronomy is one of the books Jesus quoted most. Photo Shai Halevi, Israel Antiquities Authority. Public domain.

The Setting

Forty years have passed. The generation that refused to enter the land has died in the wilderness, and Moses himself will not cross the Jordan. So before he dies, he gathers their children and preaches his heart out. He retells the journey, repeats the Ten Commandments, explains the law for life in the land, and begs them to love God and choose life. The English name comes from the Greek Bible, which turned the words a copy of this law in 17:18 into this second law, deuteronomion. The Hebrew name is Devarim, words, from the first verse.

What Was Going Wrong

  • A Stubborn History. Moses reminds them of the fear at Kadesh and the golden calf. You have been rebelling against Yahweh since the day I came to know you (9:24).
  • Forgetting Him When Life Is Good. Moses warns that once they are full and rich, they will say, The power and strength of my hands have made this wealth for me (8:12 to 17).
  • The Idols of Canaan. The nations in the land worshiped idols, sorcery and the dead, and God warned that Israel would be pulled in (12:29 to 31, 18:9 to 12).
  • The Warning Came True. God told Moses that after his death Israel would turn to other gods and break the covenant (31:16 to 21). The rest of the Old Testament shows it happened.
  • Moses Slipped Too. Moses was not allowed to enter the land because of what happened at the waters of Meribah, and he begged God to change His mind (3:23 to 27, 32:51).

Where to Find Jesus

  • Deuteronomy 8:3, 6:16, 6:13. When the devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness, all three of Jesus' answers came from Deuteronomy: man does not live on bread alone, do not put God to the test, and worship God only, Matthew 4:4, 7, 10.
  • Deuteronomy 6:4 to 5. Jesus called this the greatest commandment, Mark 12:29 to 30.
  • Deuteronomy 18:15 to 19. God promised a Prophet like Moses. Peter and Stephen said this Prophet is Jesus, Acts 3:22 to 23 and 7:37, and the crowds said, Truly this is the Prophet, John 6:14.
  • Deuteronomy 21:23. Anyone hung on a tree is under God's curse. Paul says Christ became a curse for us by hanging on the cross, Galatians 3:13.
  • Deuteronomy 30:12 to 14. The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. Paul uses these verses for the message of faith in Christ, Romans 10:6 to 8.
  • Deuteronomy 32:43. Let all God's angels worship Him. Hebrews 1:6 quotes this line about Jesus.

Cool Stuff Most People Miss

  • Jesus Quoted It Against the Devil. All three answers Jesus gave Satan in the wilderness came from Deuteronomy 6 and 8.
  • A Name From A Translation. Deuteronomy means second law. The Greek Bible got the name from 17:18, where the king must write a copy of this law. The book is not a new law. It is Moses explaining the same law again.
  • Child Sacrifice Was Banned. The nations of Canaan burned their sons and daughters in the fire for their gods. Moses says Yahweh hates it, and no one in Israel may ever do it (12:31, 18:10).
  • Shaped Like A Treaty. Deuteronomy follows the pattern of ancient treaties between a great king and his people: history, rules, witnesses, then blessings and curses. Scholars compare it to Hittite treaties from the 1300s BC and to Esarhaddon's treaty from 672 BC, and they argue over which it is closer to.
  • The Oldest Ten Commandments. The Nash Papyrus, bought in Egypt in 1902, has the Ten Commandments and the Shema. It was the oldest known Bible text in Hebrew until the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. See the Field Notes page.
  • A Kinder Law Than You Might Think. Put a railing on your roof (22:8). A new husband gets a year off from the army (24:5). Leave some of the harvest for the poor (24:19). Do not muzzle the ox (25:4).

Did Anybody Listen?

For a while. Israel served Yahweh all the days of Joshua, Joshua 24:31. But the next generation forgot, just as Moses warned, Judges 2:10 to 11, and the curses of chapter 28 came true, all the way to exile. Centuries later King Josiah found the Book of the Law in the temple and led the nation back to God, 2 Kings 22 to 23. And Jesus called its command to love God the greatest one of all.

Chapter 1 in 30 seconds

Forty years after Egypt, Moses stands on the plains of Moab and starts his farewell speech. He retells how he picked judges to help him, how twelve spies saw the land, and how the people refused to go in. So God turned them back into the desert. Moses is basically saying, Let's not do that again.

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The Command to Leave Horeb// Exodus 33:1–6

1These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel in the wilderness east of the Jordan—in the Arabah opposite Suph—between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.

  • DT 1:1[NOTE]Deuteronomy is three long speeches by Moses, then a song, a blessing and his death. The Hebrew name is Devarim, words, from this first verse.

2It is an eleven-day journey from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea by way of Mount Seir. 3In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses proclaimed to the Israelites all that Yahweh had commanded him concerning them. 4This was after he had defeated Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and then at Edrei had defeated Og king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth.

5On the east side of the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this law, saying:

6Yahweh our God said to us at Horeb: “You have stayed at this mountain long enough. 7Resume your journey and go to the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the hill country, in the foothills, in the Negev, and along the seacoast to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great River Euphrates.

8See, I have placed the land before you. Enter and possess the land that Yahweh swore He would give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their descendants after them.”

  • DT 1:8[PROPHECY]Israel would enter and possess the land sworn to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob → JOSH 21:43-45MEDIUM

Moses Appoints Leaders// Exodus 18:13–27

9At that time I said to you, “I cannot carry the burden for you alone. 10Yahweh your God has multiplied you, so that today you are as numerous as the stars in the sky. 11May Yahweh, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand times over and bless you as He has promised. 12But how can I bear your troubles, burdens, and disputes all by myself? 13Choose for yourselves wise, understanding, and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will appoint them as your leaders.”

  • DT 1:10[FULFILLS]Abraham's offspring would be as many as the stars ← GEN 15:5

14And you answered me and said, “What you propose to do is good.”

15So I took the leaders of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them as leaders over you—as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens, and as officers for your tribes.

16At that time I charged your judges: “Hear the disputes between your brothers, and judge fairly between a man and his brother or a foreign resident. 17Show no partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. And bring to me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it.”

18And at that time I commanded you all the things you were to do.

Twelve Spies Sent Out// Numbers 13:1–33

19And just as Yahweh our God had commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill country of the Amorites, through all the vast and terrifying wilderness you have seen. When we reached Kadesh-barnea, 20I said: “You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which Yahweh our God is giving us. 21See, Yahweh your God has placed the land before you. Go up and take possession of it as Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has told you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”

22Then all of you approached me and said, “Let us send men ahead of us to search out the land and bring us word of what route to follow and which cities to enter.”

23The plan seemed good to me, so I selected twelve men from among you, one from each tribe. 24They left and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshcol and spied out the land. 25They took some of the fruit of the land in their hands, carried it down to us, and brought us word: “It is a good land that Yahweh our God is giving us.”

Israel’s Rebellion// Numbers 14:1–12

26But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of Yahweh your God. 27You grumbled in your tents and said, “Because Yahweh hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to be annihilated. 28Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying: ‘The people are larger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the heavens. We even saw the descendants of the Anakim there.’”

  • DT 1:28[DEMONIC]The people are taller than we are, and we saw the Anakim

29So I said to you: “Do not be terrified or afraid of them! 30Yahweh your God, who goes before you, will fight for you, just as you saw Him do for you in Egypt 31and in the wilderness, where Yahweh your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way by which you traveled until you reached this place.”

32But in spite of all this, you did not trust Yahweh your God, 33who went before you on the journey, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day, to seek out a place for you to camp and to show you the road to travel.

Israel’s Penalty// Numbers 14:20–35

34When Yahweh heard your words, He grew angry and swore an oath, saying, 35“Not one of the men of this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your fathers, 36except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land on which he has set foot, because he followed Yahweh wholeheartedly.”

37Yahweh was also angry with me on your account, and He said, “Not even you shall enter the land. 38Joshua son of Nun, who stands before you, will enter it. Encourage him, for he will enable Israel to inherit the land. 39And the little ones you said would become captives—your children who on that day did not know good from evil—will enter the land that I will give them, and they will possess it. 40But you are to turn back and head for the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea.”

The Defeat at Hormah// Numbers 14:40–45

41“We have sinned against Yahweh,” you replied. “We will go up and fight, as Yahweh our God has commanded us.” Then each of you put on his weapons of war, thinking it easy to go up into the hill country.

42But Yahweh said to me, “Tell them not to go up and fight, for I am not with you to keep you from defeat by your enemies.”

43So I spoke to you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the command of Yahweh and presumptuously went up into the hill country.

44Then the Amorites who lived in the hills came out against you and chased you like a swarm of bees. They routed you from Seir all the way to Hormah. 45And you returned and wept before Yahweh, but He would not listen to your voice or give ear to you.

46For this reason you stayed in Kadesh for a long time—a very long time.

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