The Book of Deuteronomy is believed to have been written by Moses as a collection of sermons delivered to the Israelites before they entered the Promised Land. It recounts God's faithfulness and commands obedience to His laws. Its purpose was to remind the new generation of God's power and instruct them to obey in order to receive blessings rather than curses. Key themes include obedience, blessing, warnings, and prophecies about a future prophet like Moses who would be the Messiah.

1. The Bible: Book of Deuteronomy – 9th December 2016
“Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God
that I give you.” (Deuteronomy 4:2).
It is believed that Moses wrote the Book of Deuteronomy, which is in facta collection of his sermons to Israel just
before they crossed the Jordan. “These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the wilderness east of the
Jordan—that is, in the Arabah—opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Dizahab.”
(Deuteronomy 1:1). Someone else - Joshua,perhaps - may have written the lastchapter. These sermons were
given duringthe 40-day period prior to Israel’senteringthe Promised Land. The firstsermon was delivered on the
1stday of the 11th month as we can learn from Deuteronomy 1:3, “In the fortieth year, on the first day of the
eleventh month, Moses proclaimed to the Israelites all that the LORD had commanded him concerning them.” In
addition we can also learn of Israelites mourningafter Moses’death. The year was 1406 B.C. We can read this in
Deuteronomy 34:8,“The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping
and mourning was over.”
Sincethe Israelites where wondering in the wilderness for 40 years,a new generation of Israelites was aboutto
enter the Promised Land. This multitude had not experienced the miracleatthe Red Sea or heard the lawgiven at
Sinai,and they were about to enter a new land with many dangers and temptations. The purpose of writing the
book of Deuteronomy was given to them to remind them of God’s lawand God’s power. We can learn from
Deuteronomy 32:46-47 “He said to them, ‘Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day,
so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words
for you—they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”
The Book of Deuteronomy was given to the Israelites and were commanded to remember four things: God’s
faithfulness, God’s holiness, God’s blessings, and God’s warnings. The firstthree chapters of the book recap the
trip from Egypt to their current location,Moab. Chapter 4 is a call to obedience, to be faithful to the God Who was
faithful to them. Chapters 5 through 26 are a repetition of the law.The Ten Commandments, the laws concerning
sacrifices and specialsdays,and the rest of the laware given to the new generation. Blessings arepromised to
those who obey as stated in Deuteronomy 5:29;“Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all
my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever! We can read again from
Deuteronomy 6:17-19, “Be sure to keep the commands of the LORD your God and the stipulations and decrees he
has given you. 18 Do what is right and good in the LORD’s sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in
and take over the good land the LORD promised on oath to your ancestors, 19 thrusting out all your enemies
before you, as the LORD said.” We can also read thatthe book tells them that famine is promised to those who
break the law:“Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them.
17 Then the LORD’s anger will burn against you, and he will shut up the heavens so that it will not rain and the
ground will yield no produce, and you will soon perish from the good land the LORD is giving you.”( Deuteronomy
11:16-17).
The theme of blessingand cursingis continued in Deuteronomy chapters 27-30.This portion of the book ends with
a clear choiceset before Israel between lifeand death: “This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses
against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your
children may live (Deuteronomy 30:19).In the final chapters,Moses encourages the people; commissions his
replacement, Joshua; records a song; and gives a final blessingto each of the tribes of Israel. Deuteronomy
Chapter 34 relates the circumstances of Moses’death. He climbed Mt. Pisgah,where the Lord showed him the
Promised Land that he could not enter. At 120 years old,but still with good eyesight and the strength of youth,
Moses died in the presence of the Lord. The book of Deuteronomy ends with a shortobituary on this great
prophet. This is stated in the lastpassagein Deuteronomy 34:10-12,“Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like
Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, 11 who did all those signs and wonders the LORD sent him to do in
Egypt—to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. 12 For no one has ever shown the mighty power
or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.”

2. Many New Testament themes are present in the Book of Deuteronomy. The foremost among them is the necessity
of keeping perfectly the Mosaic Law and the impossibility of doingso.The endless sacrifices necessary to atone for
the sins of the people—who continually transgressed the Law—would find their fulfillmentin the final “oncefor
all”sacrificeof Christ as we learn from Hebrews 10:10,And by that will, we have been made holy through the
sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.’ Becauseof the atoning sacrificeof Jesus Christ on the cross,we
would need no further sacrifices for sin,unlikewhere the Israelites had to attend regularly as animal sacrifices
made at the Temple.
God’s choosingof the Israelites as His special peopleforeshadows His choosingof those who would believe in
Christas stated in 1 Peter 2:9,“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special
possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”We
can also learn from Deuteronomy 18 where Moses prophesies of another prophet—the ultimate Prophet to come
who is the Messiah.We can learn this from Deuteronomy 18:15-19,“The LORD your God will raise up for you a
prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. 16 For this is what you asked
of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the LORD
our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.” 17 The LORD said to me: “What they say is good. 18 I will
raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He
will tell them everything I command him. 19 Imyself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words
that the prophet speaks in my name.”
The book of Deuteronomy underscores the importanceof God’s Word. It is a vital partof our lives.Although we
are no longer under the Old Testament law,we are still responsibleto submitto the will of God in our lives.Simple
obedience brings blessing,and sin has its own consequences. None of us is “above the law.” Even Moses,the
leader and prophet chosen by God, was required to obey. The reason that he was not allowed to enter the
Promised Land was that he disobeyed the Lord’s clear command.
Duringthe time of His testing in the wilderness,Jesus quoted from the book of Deuteronomy three times as we
see in Matthew 4 in verses 4, 7 and 10. In so doing, Jesus illustrated for us the necessity of hidingGod’s Word in
our hearts that we might not sin againstHim as we can learn from Psalm 119:11,“I have hidden your word in my
heart that I might not sin against you.” As Israel remembered God’s faithfulness,so should we. The crossingof
the Red Sea, the holy presence at Sinai,and the blessingof manna in the desert should be an encouragement to us
as well.A great way to keep going forward is to take some time to look back and see what God has done.
We also havea beautiful picturein Deuteronomy of a lovingGod Who desires a relationship with His children.The
Lord names love as the reason that He brought Israel outof Egypt “with a mighty hand” and redeemed them as we
can learn from Deuteronomy 7:7-9, “The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were
more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 But it was because the LORD loved
you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed
you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the LORD your God
is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and
keep his commandments.” Therefore when we read this presentation,it is made clear to us as Christians whata
wonderful thing to be free from the bondage of sin and loved by an all -powerful God!