It is with profound lamentation and grievous despondency that I must impart unto thee these melancholy tidings: This is verily the final volume of the Torah. Wail and gnash thine teeth in dolorous affliction, for the sacred writ of Moses hath reached its terminus (save, perchance, Psalm 90). Yet lo, these venerable words shall reappear in fragmentary form within the New Testament, yea, even inscribed in letters of crimson. Attend thou most earnestly, for if thou comprehendest them now, thou shalt apprehend the Testament of New with far greater sagacity. Fare thee well, O Torah. May thy dulcet words return anon to our contemplation and study.

Who wrote Deuteronomy? Moses

What does Deuteronomy mean? 2nd telling of the law!

Why was Deuteronomy written? Think of it as Moses' locker room pep-talk before the big game. The rest of the Torah leading up to Deuteronomy had a lot of stories and movement happening involving the Israelites. Deuteronomy takes a pause as Moses gives a sermon just before the Israelites enter the promised land! Moses instructs the Israelites on how to live as they go in to take possession of the promised land.

Where is Deuteronomy located in the Bible? The fifth book of the Bible AND the final book of the Torah

Fun Facts about Deuteronomy: 🎉

#1 - The first time the term “God’s love” shows up is in Deuteronomy!

Deuteronomy 4:37 says, “And because he loved your fathers and chose their offspring after them and brought you out of Egypt with his own presence, by his great power”

#2 - We find the "greatest commandment" that Jesus quoted in the New Testament.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5)

#3 - All 4 of Jesus' answers to Satan in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11) are from Deuteronomy!

What do we love about Deuteronomy?

🍞 This beautiful sermon reminds us that we cannot live by bread alone. We can be physically satisfied but still spiritually hungry!

Deuteronomy 8:3 says, “And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”

🗝️ This book is like a key that can unlock the rest of the Old Testament. This book is instructing the Israelites on how to live as they enter the promised land. This was their framework for living. Following these commandments would lead to more blessings and promises (Deuteronomy 27-28). Then Moses goes on to unpack the curses that will fall on Israel if they rebel against God. This passage helps us understand why bad things happened to the Israelites when they disobeyed God throughout the rest of the Old Testament! Famine, siege, eating their own children, all of it.

What are the challenges to reading the book of Deuteronomy?

This brings us to our first challenging question about Deuteronomy: Is Christianity legalistic? Do we do good things to earn God’s love? God promises blessings for doing good and curses for doing bad. But here’s the thing… Deuteronomy was written to God’s covenant people. These are people who God literally rescued out of slavery and made them His covenant people. Deuteronomy lays out what expectations God had for His chosen people, not a list of do’s and don’ts for salvation. A New Testament equivalent would be the Sermon on the Mount is Matthew 5! Jesus lays out expectations for those who are saved, not how to be saved.

In closing…

Remember Deuteronomy is a re-telling of the law so a lot of things are repeated from Moses’ earlier books. When the Israelites received 10 Commandments, they were eager to respond that they would obey them! God then reveals His heart in that He loves their response but knows they won’t be able to live up to it.

Deuteronomy 5:29 says, “Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!”

How many times have we struggled with doing all that God asks of us? How hard is it to be in perfect obedience to God?

The good news is that we can’t! It’s just not possible. Our natural, sinful heart is tainted and unable to be perfect. God gives us a sneak peek at things to come through Christ:

Deuteronomy 30:6 says, “And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.”

We don’t have the right heart to obey God perfectly. It will require God acting on us in order for us to obey Him. And then God makes a promise: one day He will circumcise your heart so that you may love the Lord your God with all your heart in a way that you can’t possibly do now. ❤️

Application questions:

When was the last time you read Deuteronomy?
What stood out to you in this podcast episode? What questions are you wondering about the book of Deuteronomy? (Great! Now go read it!)
Read Matthew 4:1-11. Find the passages that Jesus quoted in Deuteronomy and underline them in red.