1. Introduction to Deuteronomy.
   A. The historical setting of Deuteronomy is end of the forty year wanderings just
      before the death of Moses and just before the Jews enter the Promised Land.
      1. Moses is about to die.
      2. The reigns of leadership are about to be turned over to Joshua.
      3. This is a very important time of transition for God's people.
   B. Moses admonishes Israel to keep the laws of God.
      1. Deuteronomy literally means "Second Law."
         a. deuteros , second
         b. nomos, law
      2. However this may be misleading because what we have is not another law, but
         a recounting of the original law. There are two places in the O.T. where
         the Ten Commandments are given (Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 5).
      3. Deuteronomy is structured around three speeches of Moses delivered to Israel
         before his death.
   C. Deuteronomy follows the pattern of the suzerain treaties of the ANE
      (Ancient Near East).
      1. Suzerain vassal treaty was a treaty between a vassal state and the more
         powerful suzerain under whose protection they came.
         a. More than fifty such treaties have been found in the ANE ranging from the
            mid-third century B.C. to the mid-first century B.C. (Hill, A Survey of the
            Old Testament, 143-44).
         b. The standard treaty included:
            1. Preamble: introduces the speaker, usually the suzerain.
               Deut. 1:1-5: Moses is God's spokesman
            2. Historical Prologue: recounts the suzerain's benevolent acts toward the
               vassal. Deut. 1:6-3:29: Recounts how God had brought Israel out of
               Egypt, revealed himself at Sinai, and delivered them to the Promised Land.
            3. Stipulations: states what is expected out of the vassal. Deut.5:6-26:19:
               Gives the Ten Commandments and many other laws based on the principles of
               the Ten Commandments.
            4. Terms of the Document's Display, storage or public recital. Deut. 27:1-10:
               Jews to set up stones, coat with plaster, and write the laws upon them. To
               be set up on Mt. Ebal.
            5. Witnesses to the Treaty, usually deities. Deut. 31, 32: Moses is instructed
               to write a song that will serve as a witness to the covenant. Also 31:26-28
               where the writing of the law is placed by the ark and heaven and earth also
               serve as witnesses (31:28).
            6. Curses and Blessings to be brought by the gods in accordance with obedience
               or disobedience. Deut. 28 contains both curses for disobedience and blessings
               for obedience.
      2. Moses' First Speech (Deut. 1-4:43).
         A. First speech is a recounting of the history of Israel from the time of
            the birth of the nation when they left Egypt to the present.
            1. Begins with God's command for Israel to leave Horeb (1:6). Horeb is a
               range of mountains, of which Sinai is the most prominent.
            2. Recounts how God appointed the seventy leaders to help Moses, and how
               the nation was divided into groups of thousands, hundreds, fifties
               and tens (1:15, 16).
            3. The Rebellion of the Ten Spies (Deut. 1:19-46).
               a. God pronounced his curse that not a single man, except for Joshua
                  and Caleb, would enter the Promised Land (1:35, 36).
               b. Israel then tried to take Canaan without God's help, but were defeated
                  (1:41-46)
            4. Desert Wanderings (2:1-15).
               a. Recounts how they were to pass through the land of the Edomites (2:1-8).
               b. God told them not to fight the Moabites (2:9) or the Ammonites (2:19).
                  The significance here is that the Moabites and Ammonites were the
                  descendants of Lot, and therefore cousin nations to the Jews.
            5. Beginning of Conquest.
               a. Defeat of Sihon and Og, whose lands were in transjordan and were given
                  to the Gadites, Reubenites, and half-tribe of Manassah (Deuteronomy 3).
               b. Further instructions on how to conquer the land. The three transjordan
                  tribes are to go ahead of the rest of Israel as they cross the Jordan
                  (3:18).
         B. It is important for this second generation to know this history of the nation
            so that it will be aware of the consequences of not keeping the covenant.
            Thus, there is a logical connection between the first speech, telling the
            history of Israel, and the second speech, recounting the laws of the covenant.
            1. Deut. 4:32 admonishes the Israelites to ask about the former days.
               All of this history was designed to teach Israel that God is Lord (4:35).
            2. (Deut. 4:40) Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you this today,
               so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may
               live long in the land the Lord your God gives you for all time.
      3. Moses' Second Speech (Deut. 4:44-26:15).
         A. Moses's second speech makes up the body of Deuteronomy.
            1. Begins with the Ten Commandments (5:1-21).
            2. Followed by what appears on the surface to be random laws grouped together
               without any pattern (Deuteronomy 6-21).
            3. Stephen Kaufman showed that the laws in chapters 6-21 are structured
               around the ten commandments as stated in Deut. 5:6-21. By viewing each one
               of the ten commandments topically, it can be shown that the laws in chapters
               6-21 are grouped under those topics, rather than in an arbitrary random
               order.
            4. As we look at this structure, we will state the commandment, then the
               topic, and finally show how some of the laws fit into that topic (See Hill,
               A Survey of the Old Testament, 145-49). (While the basic thesis appears to
               be valid, at some points it is difficult to establish which topic a
               particular law relates to. However, this is likely due to the fact that one
               law can legitimately span two topics).
         B. The Commandments and Laws.
            1. (Deut. 5:6) I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out
               of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.
               a. Topic: Divine Authority
               b. Laws are found in Deut. 6:13-11:32. By breaking these laws, the
                  Jews will be denying God his divine authority.
                  1. (Deut. 6:13-14) Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take
                      your oaths in his name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of
                      the peoples around you . . . .
                  2. Deut. 7:1-4 commands that they are to drive out the nations
                     living in the land and are to destroy them. The Israelites are
                     not to make treaties or intermarry with them. The reason they
                     were commanded to drive out the nations, not make treaties and
                     not intermarry was because if they lived with these people, they would
                     turn their hearts against God and they would follow other Gods, which
                     would be a violation of the first commandment to only serve the Lord
                     (cf. 7:4).
                  3. Deut. 8:1-18 states the blessings that will come from living under
                     the authority of God. God is bringing you into a land with wheat
                     and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey:
                     a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing.
                  4. Deut. 8:19 gives the consequences of turning away from the authority
                     of God: If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other Gods
                     and worship and bow down to them . . . you will surely be destroyed.
                  5. Deut. 11:26-28 See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a
                     curse - the blessing if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that
                     I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands . . . .
            2. (Deut. 5:7-10) You shall not make for yourself an idol . . . .
               a. Topic: Divine Dignity: How is God to be treated?
               b. Laws are found in Deut. 12:1-32
                  1. (Deut. 12:2, 3) The Jews are to destroy the places of idolatry:
                     the places on the high mountains and on the hills and under every
                     spreading tree where the nations you are dispossessing worship their
                     gods.
                  2. Deut 12:5 says they are to seek the place the Lord will choose at the
                     place of worship.
                     a. bring sacrifices to that place (12:11).
                     b. bring tithes and gifts to that place (12:11).
                     c. Present your offerings on the altar of the Lord (12:27).
                  3. (Deut. 5:11) You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your
                     God . . . .
                     a. Topic: Commitment to God
                     b. Laws are found in Deut. 13:1-14:21.
                        1. Those who would entice you to give up your commitment to God
                           must be put to death.
                           a. Deut. 13:1-3 addressed the issue of false prophets.
                              1. If a prophet announces that he is going to do a miracle
                                 and does it, but tells you to follow other gods, he is a
                                 false prophet. He is misusing the name of God.
                              2. Do not follow that prophet because God is testing your
                                 commitment to him (13:3). The Lord is testing you to
                                 find out if you love him with all your heart and soul.
                           b. Jews who say they should worship other gods are to be put
                              to death (13:6-10). Show them no pity (13:8).
                           c. If a town of the Jews is being led to worship other gods,
                              the town is to be destroyed (13:12-18).
                        2. Deuteronomy 14 contains dietary laws. Commitment to God even
                           extends to the more subtle areas of life.
                           a. May eat ox, sheep, goat, deer, gazelle, antelope, etc.
                              (14:4, 5).
                           b. May eat any animal that has a split hoof divided in two
                              and chews the cud (14:6). But must have both.
                              1. Cannot eat rabbit, camel, pig, etc.
                              2. Cannot even touch the carcasses of these animals (14:8).
                           c. May eat any animal in the waters that has fins and scales
                              (14:9).
                           d. May eat birds, except for the eagle, vulture, black vulture,
                              red and black kites, falcon, owls, gulls, hawks, storks,
                              bats, et al. (14:11-18).
                           e. Do not eat insects that swarm (14:19) or anything found dead
                              (14:21).
                           f. Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk (14:21). This
                              law may have had to do with Canaanite religios practices.
                              The Law Code of Hammurabi prescribes boiling a kid in its
                              mother's milk as a way of worship to God (Archer, Survey of
                              O.T. Introduction, 173).
                  4. (Deut. 5:12) Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy . . . .
                     a. Topic: Rights and priveleges of God. God has a right to our
                        gratitude which is shown by dedicating things to him, like the
                        Sabbath day.
                     b. Laws (Deut. 14:22-16:17).
                        1. God has a right to our time, as shown by the Sabbath day.
                        2. God has a right to our money, as shown by the tithes (14:22-29).
                           a. Tithe the produce of the fields, new wine, oil, firstborn of
                              animals.
                           b. Tithes to be taken to the tabernacle, but if the distance
                              was too far, they could bring equivalent in silver and
                              purchase animals there (14:25ff.).
                        3. Generosity to the Poor (15:1-11).
                           a. The poor belong to God. They are his people. By being generous
                              to them, one honors the rights and priveleges of God.
                           b. Note that Moses says there will always be poor among the Jews
                              (14:11).
                        4. Indentured servants set free on the sevent year (15:12-18).
                        5. Firstborn animals belong to the Lord (15:19-23).
                        6. Appointed Feasts (Deuteronomy 16). Like the Sabbath, God has
                           the right of man's time.
                           a. Passover (16:1-8)
                           b. Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) (16:9)
                           c. Feast of Tabernacles (16:1317).
                  5. (Deut. 5:16) Honor your father and your mother . . . .
                      a. Topic: Human Authority
                      b. Laws in Deut. 16:18-18:22.
                         1. Judges and officials are to be over each tribe (16:18-20).
                            As they administer justice, Israel is promised a long life in
                            the land.
                         2. Priests also played a role in deciding legal cases.
                            a. The Jews were bound to follow their directives (17:11, 12)
                               on penalty of death (17:12).
                            b. Priests to be supported by offerings of the people (18:1-8).
                         3. Kings are to be under the authority of God (17:14-20).
                            a. Kings must not accumulate silver and gold (17:17).
                            b. Kings must not take many wives (17:17).
                               1. If he does, they will lead the king astray.
                               2. This is exactly what happened to Solomon, who "had
                                  seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines, and
                                  his wives led him astray (1 Kings 11:3).
                            c. The king was to write these laws on a scroll and read them
                               all the days of his reign (17:19)
                         4. God would raise up prophets to whom the people were to listen
                            (Deut. 18:14-22).
                             a. We have here a prophecy of the coming Prophet, Jesus (18:15).
                             b. After Jesus fed the five thousand, the people responded,
                                "Surely this is the Prophet who was to come into the world"
                                (John 6:14).
                  6. Commandment Numbers 6-8:
                     (Deut. 5:17) You shall not murder.
                     (Deut. 5:18) You shall not commit adultery.
                     (Deut. 5:19) You shall not steal.
                     a. Topic: Human Dignity
                     b. Laws in Deut.19:1-24:7.
                        1. Human dignity is maintained in the judicious protection
                           of those of who have killed accidentally, and the judicious
                           execution of those who have committed murder.
                           a. Note that three additional cities were set aside in the
                              event of territorial expansion (19:7 with 8-10).
                           b. If a man kills someone accidentally, he may flee to the
                              city of refuge for protection from the avenger of blood.
                           c. If it is premeditated murder, he is to be put to death even
                              if he does flee to the city of refuge.
                              1. The putting to death of a murderer maintains the dignity
                                 of human life in that the life of the victim is not
                                 cheapened. It will cost another life.
                              2. This is not a violation of the sixth commandment, "You
                                 shall not murder."
                                 a. God would not command people to break one of his
                                    commandments.
                                 b. There are two different Hebrew words for kill. One
                                    means murder, and the other to put to death. A
                                    judicious death penalty is not murder.
                        2. Human dignity is maintained through ethical warfare
                           (Deuteronomy 20).
                           a. Before attacking a city, make an offer of peace (20:10).
                           b. When you conquer a city a distance from you, you are to
                              spare the women, children, and livestock (20:14).
                           c. Do not destroy fruit trees (20:19).
                        3. The dignity of marriage is maintained in the treatment of
                           a bride when questions about her virginity are raised by her
                           new husband (22:13-21).
                        4. Human dignity is maintained in marriage when adulterers and
                           rapists are stoned (22:23-27).
                  7. (Deut. 5:20) You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
                      a. Topic: Commitment to Mankind
                      b. Laws found in Deut. 24:8-16.
                         1. Kidnappers to be put to death (24:7).
                         2. (Deut. 24:8, 9) In the case of skin diseases, they are to
                            follow carefully the laws which are designed to protect the
                            rest of the community from infection.
                         3. (Deut. 24:12, 13) If a poor man gives his cloak as a pledge for
                            a loan, you must give it back to him by sunset.
                         4. (Deut. 24:14, 15) Do not withhold a poor man's wages to the
                            next day, for he needs the money.
                         5. (Deut. 24:17) Do not take the cloak of a widow in pledge.
                         6. (Deut. 24:19-22). When you harvest your fields and vineyards,
                            do not pick up what falls to the ground. Leave the gleanings
                            for the poor to come and gather.
                  8. (Deut. 5:21) You shall not covet . . . anything that belongs to
                     your neighbor.
                     a. Topic: Human Rights and Priveleges
                     b. Laws found in Deut. 24:17-26:15.
                        1. Note that the division at Deut. 24:16 (Commitment to Humankind)
                           and 24:17 (Human Rights and Priveleges) seems rather arbitrary.
                        2. Men have a right to justice (Deut. 24:17, 18). When applied to
                           man, justice means right rule, right conduct, or each man getting
                           his due, whether good or bad (Harrison, Baker's Dictionary of
                           Theology, 308)
                     c. Laws reflecting Human Rights and Priveleges. Section shows that
                        the rights and priveleges of others should be protected.
                        1. Right to Justice. The alien and the fatherless are not to be
                           deprived of justice (24:17). The widow is not to be deprived
                           of her cloak in pledge for a loan (24:17).
                        2. Right to Bear Children.
                           a. If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them seizes
                              her husband's attacker by the private parts, her hand shall
                              be cut off (25:11).
                           b. If a woman's husband dies leaving her no children, her
                              husband's brother shall marry her and she shall have
                              children by him (25:5, 6).
                        3. Right to Fair Treatment.
                           a. If a man is to be flogged, he shall not receive more than
                              forty lashes, for that would degrade him (25:1-3).
                           b. Jews not to mistreat others by having differing weights by
                              which they sell goods in the market (25:13).
                        4. Right to Subsistence. Firstfruits and tithes to be brought to
                           the tabernacle and distributed among the priests, aliens,
                           fatherless and widows (26:1-16).
         C. Exhortation to Keep the Law (26:16-19).
         D. Curses and Blessings (Deuteronomy 27, 28).
            1. These two chapters hold out the promise of blessing if the Jews will
               obey the laws that Moses has set forth and curses if they disobey.
            2. Deuteronomistic history: the history of the Jews recorded from the
               standpoint that when the Jews obey God, the blessings come upon them.
               When they disobey, the curses come upon them. The rest of the O.T. is
               history written from this perspective.
            3. Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim (27:9-13).
               a. After they enter Canaan, the Jews are to divide into two groups
                  according to their tribes and stand on Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal
                  (Josh. 8:30-33).
               b. The Levites recite the curses upon individuals for disobedience
                  (27:14-26).
                  1. cursed is the man who makes an idol (27:15).
                  2. cursed is the man who moves his neighbor's boundary stone(27:17).
                  3. cursed is the man who sleeps with his father's wife (27:20).
                  4. cursed is the man who sleeps with an animal (27:21).
                  5. cursed is the man who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person
                     (27:25).
               c. The group on Mt. Gerizim is to pronounce all the blessings of covenant
                  obedience upon the nation recorded in Deut. 28:1-14 (cf. 28:1: high above
                  the nations).
                  1. God would bless the fruit of the womb, crops, livestock and flocks
                     (28:4).
                  2. God would protect them from their enemies (28:7).
                  3. People of the world will fear you (28:10).
                  4. The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty,
                     to send rain on your land in seson and to bless all the work of
                     your hands (28:12).
               d. The group on Mt. Ebal to pronounce all the curses of covenant
                  disobedience upon the nation recorded in Deut. 28:15-68.
                  1. The fruit of the womb, crops, livestock and flocks all cursed
                     (28:18).
                  2. Plagued with diseases (28:21).
                  3. Rain will dry up (28:24).
                  4. Defeated by your enemies (28:25).
                     a. (28:36) The Lord will drive you and the king you set over
                        you to a nation unknown to you or your fathers.
                     b. The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away, from
                        the ends of the earth (28:49).
                     c. They will beseige your cities (28:49) and you will eat the
                        fruit of your womb (28:53) (cf. 2 Kings 6:28).
                     d. Uprooted from the land you possess (Deut. 28:63).
      4. Moses' Third Speech (Deut. 29:1-30:30).
         A. Moses third speech he once agains reminds them of their history of the
            importance of keeping the covenant.
         B. Adds that when the curses of covenant failure come upon them and they are
            driven to other lands, God will restore them to their land and cause them to
            prosper (30:1-10).
            1. The message here is that even with covenant failure, God is not casting them
               off as his people.
            2. God will restore them to their former position because of his promise to
               Abraham.
         C. Moses has set before them "life and prosperity, death and destruction"
            (30:15).
      5. Last Words of Moses (Deuteronomy 31, 32).
         A. Moses summons Israel and has Joshua appointed as his successor (31:1-8).
         B. Moses Prophecies Israel's Rebellion (31:14-47).
            1. One of the great, though tragic, prophecies of the Bible is found in
               this chapter.
               a. They will forsake God and worship idols (31:16).
               b. I (God) know what they are disposed to do, even before I bring them into
                  the land I promised on oath" (31:21).
            2. Moses was told to write a song to be sung by the Jews throughout their
               generations (31:21, 22). Recorded in Deut. 32:1-43.
               a. Song celebrated what God had done in making them his people.
               b. Lyrics speak of the failure covenant yet to come (32:14-20).
               c. Lyrics speak of the curses yet to come (32:21-27).
               d. As time passed, the events of the song were fulfilled.
         C. Moses Blesses the Tribes of Israel (Deut. 33).
         D. Death of Moses on Mt. Nebo (Deut. 34).