A Word from the Author
A Word from the Author
Deuteronomy means “second law” or “repetition of the law.” In this book, Moses reviews the law originally given at Sinai and applies it to Israel’s life in the land of Canaan. It also contains instructions and exhortations concerning the conquest of the land and Israel’s relationship to the inhabitants of the land.
The book of Deuteronomy may well be the longest farewell speech in recorded history. It’s certainly the longest farewell speech found in Scripture. But it’s much more than a farewell speech, because in this series of addresses, Moses sought to equip this generation for their new life in the Promised Land. One of the most important responsibilities of the older generation is teaching the younger generation the Word of God and the principles of godly living, and Moses fulfilled that task superbly. We have the same responsibility today (2 Tim. 2:2; Titus 2:1–8), and God calls us to be faithful (1 Cor. 4:2).
First, Moses reviewed the past and reminded Israel of God’s faithfulness and their ancestors’ unfaithfulness. Then he declared the law of God and the covenant the Lord had made with them at Sinai, because their obedience to this covenant would determine their success in the Promised Land. The nation had been nomadic for forty years, but now they would enter their land and become an agricultural people as each tribe claimed its inheritance. Moses applied to their new situation the law He had given them forty years before.
If Israel obeyed God’s covenant, God would bless them abundantly, and the nation would be a witness to the pagan nations around them. These peoples would then want to know the God of Israel, and the Jews could explain their faith to them. Moses urged his people to love the Lord, because love is the greatest motive for obedience. So important was the book of Deuteronomy to the Jewish nation that God commanded it to be read publicly during the Feast of Tabernacles at the close of each Sabbatical Year (Deut. 31:10–13).
But does Deuteronomy have a message for us today? Three facts would indicate that it does: (1) All Scripture is inspired and profitable, and that includes Deuteronomy; (2) Deuteronomy is quoted in the New Testament nearly one hundred times; and (3) Jesus quoted more from Deuteronomy than from any other Old Testament book. It was the book He used when Satan tempted Him (Matt. 4:1–11) and when His enemies questioned Him (22:34–40).
The church today needs to return to the principles of godly living explained in Deuteronomy. Only then can we move forward in victory, by faith in Christ, and claim the inheritance He has appointed for us. To love God supremely and our neighbors as ourselves, and to seek to glorify God in all that we do, is the essence of the message of Deuteronomy; and it’s a message we need to return to as we face the challenges of the future.
—Warren W. Wiersbe