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INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY
THURSDAY, JULY 1
Deuteronomy 1:1-5

Joshua 1:8-9

 

“…[B]ut thou shalt meditate
therein day and night…

then thou shalt have good success.”

 

INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY
 
Deuteronomy is the last of the five books of Moses commonly called the Law. Moses wrote it in the wilderness of Moab just prior to his death. It has greater advantage over the other books as, being the last one, new experiences had taken place. It is a progressive revelation. The epilogue is added to this book in the last chapter recording the death of Moses. This is evidently written by Joshua his successor. Now our study of the book commences.
 
Deuteronomy was a reminder, a renewal of the covenant, to the new generation of the children of God that they had a responsibility to obey. The title of the book means the second giving of the Law. This stresses that God’s words are worth giving attention to. The wilderness wandering of Israel was characterised by disobedience. It was a manifestation of the depravity of the human heart; as such it needs reminding from the Lord. The message of Deuteronomy was given for that purpose. The contents of the book were sermons that Moses preached before he died. He spoke and committed his messages to writing, this fact is given within the book in Deuteronomy 31:24-26: “And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, that Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying, Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.” The Jews refer to the book as “Mishneh Hattorah,” i.e. a repetition of the Law. The name Deuteronomy is derived from Greek. It is not the second law, but it is an adaptation of much of the original law given by God at Mount Sinai. It was a reminder to the new generation that was set to enter and live in the Promised Land to exercise the precepts herein given. The book gives a vast amount of legal details and was addressed to the lay people. Obedience was important as the new generation had to learn from the mistakes of their parents. All these point to the need for the constant study of God’s Word.
 
THOUGHT: My ears must always be attentive to the words of God.

PRAYER: Father, may I never forget the affirmations of Thy Word.

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