The

Book of Deuteronomy
Ive been replaying in my head the stirring image Mom suggested in our final session of the LORD carrying Moses down from the mountain where he died to a hidden place in the valley, a place where He tenderly buried his servant. Id never thought about God possibly digging up the dirt or burying Moses with His own hands, the very hands that created him. What a beautiful thought. Ive probably never thought about it because Im usually a sopping mess as soon as I read Then Moses, the servant of the LORD, died . . . Gets me every single time. Death is sacred and precious, making it all the more jarring when we flip the page to Joshua 1:1-2 where the LORD says to Joshua: Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel (Joshua 1:2). Well, all right then. The time to weep and mourn is over. Its go time now for the Israelites. With relentless courage, they must leave Moses behind and march on to conquer the land of promise. But before Joshua leads the Israelites across the Jordan, and before we end our time in Deuteronomy we have a few more verses to explore together. Every Seventh Year Its worth reiterating again that in Deuteronomy 31.9-13 Moses commands the people of Israel to read this law (namely, the book of Deuteronomy) together publicly every seven years to remind themselves of its contents. 9 Then Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel. 10 And Moses commanded them, At the end of every seven years, at the set time in the year of release, at the Feast of Booths, 11 when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place that he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12 Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law, 13 and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as you live in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.

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Now weve already discussed how teaching is hugely important in Deuteronomy. Moses has already commanded the Israelites to teach the LORDs commands when they are at home and when they are away, binding them on their hands, doorposts, and gates (Deuteronomy 6.4-7). Duane Christensen does a great job elaborating on this pedagogical emphasis of Deuteronomy: The focus on teaching . . . children these words diligently within the context of the familyat all conceivable times and placesillustrates once again the pedagogical purpose of Deuteronomy. The content of this book was the primary curriculum in an ongoing program of religious education in ancient Israel. Phylacteries and mezuzot are essentially pedagogical tools, designed to keep the great summary statements of the Words of YHWH central in the experience of each individual member of the covenant community.1 When we conceive of the public reading of Deuteronomy every seven years we should not assume that its contents were completely inaccessible the rest of the time. The commandments were supposed to be discussed in every home at every possible opportunity. But even still, the public reading every seventh year is something quite special and different. The children of Israel couldnt pocket the whole Torah scroll once Moses died. They didnt have iphones or printing presses and literacy rates were very low compared to the mass literacy we know and experience daily in modern America. Jeffrey Tigay points out interestingly that conducting the public reading every seven years would mean that no generation would need to wait until reaching adulthood before having the experience; every child would have it soon after reaching an educable age.2 Peter Craigie also expounds helpfully on the nature of this public reading assembly: The function of the ceremony would be educational; the people would be summoned together in order that they may hear and in order that they may learn (v. 12). For the older people in the covenant community, the educational value of the ceremony would lie in remembering the covenant with God and in renewed dedication to the God of the covenant. The renewed dedication would find its expression in the fear of God and in obedience to his law (v. 12b). The younger generation, however, would learn for the first time the full meaning of the covenant (v. 13). Although they would know about it beforehand, its significance would dawn on them fully only as they left their homes and villages and heard the public reading of the law in the presence of all Israel (cf. v. 11). There, in the presence of the larger family of Gods people, they would begin to perceive the greater community of which they were a part, and they too would learn to fear God. As each generation 1 Duane L. Christensen, Deuteronomy 1:121:9 (WBC 6A; Accordance/Thomas Nelson
electronic ed. Waco: Word books, 2001), 143. 2 Jeffrey Tigay, Deuteronomy (The JPS Torah Commentary; Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 1996), 292.

 Scripture itself may record two of these public readings of Deuteronomy. The first, which Mom definitely mentioned earlier in the study, is 2 Kings 23.1-3, after the book of the Law is found by the high priest Hilkiah around 622 BCE. The second is recorded in quite a lengthy section in Nehemiah 7.73b-9.37. Have you ever been part of a public Scripture reading that impacted you? If so, describe it here: _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Several public Scripture readings have marked me forever. The first was during an event I attended as a college student. Students on megaphones literally shouted through the prophetic literature! Ive never forgotten it; I specifically remember the haunting words of the prophets Joel and Hosea. Also, just a couple of months ago, at Passion 2012, over 40,000 of us stood in the Georgia Dome as several leaders recited the New Testament book of Ephesians. These moments are few and far between but they are often powerful and even revolutionary. But it wasnt just the public nature of the reading that was so crucial for Israelit was also the occasion of the Feast of Booths that mattered tremendously. As Christopher Wright observes: The occasion of the public reading of the law is also pregnant with significance. In the sabbatical year, the year for canceling debts, the law will be heard in the context of widespread liberation from debt and release of slaves, based upon the historical recollection of Gods own liberation of the Israelite slaves from Egypt.4 This suggests that the public reading of Deuteronomy during the Feast of Booths wasnt just about indoctrinating folks but about also holding them accountable for disseminating justice throughout the community and beyond. Pretty awesome, right? The Song of Moses After commanding the children of Israel to read the book of Deuteronomy publicly every seven years, Moses finishes writing it down in its entirety. But he is not done with the Israelites quite yet. As we mentioned before, Moses asks the Levites to place the Deuteronomic Law book beside the Ark of the Covenant. And then he declares both pessimistically and prophetically, For I know that after my 3 Peter C. Craigie, Deuteronomy (New International Commentary of the Old Testament;
Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1976), 372. 4 Christopher Wright, Deuteronomy (New International Biblical Commentary; Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1996), 295.

learned to fear God and to obey him, so would the continuing community of Israel ensure their lasting possession of the promised land.3

death you will surely act corruptly and turn aside from the way that I have commanded you. And in the days to come evil will befall you, because you will do what is evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger through the work of your hands (Deut. 31.29). Immediately on the heels of this depressing foresight, Moses somewhat unpredictably recites a song before the whole assembly. Please take five or so minutes to very carefully read the song of Moses in your own Bibles (any major English translation will do!). The song spans Deuteronomy 32.1-43 but please read all of Deuteronomy 31.24-32.47. What images stuck out to you in your reading of the Song of Moses? _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ The song of Moses, or the poem of Moses (we will use these two terms interchangeably here) is not for the faint of heart, is it? Yet it does encapsulate succinctly and in vivid language the gist of Israels history (past and still yet to come), from the breaking of the covenant to the affirmation of Yahwehs unconditional covenant loyalty despite devastating consequences. Brueggemann suggests, the poem has on its horizon the entire history to follow in the corpus of Joshua-Kings.5 The song has perplexed scholars for quite some time and little consensus exists about what genre the song of Moses even falls underis it cast in the form of an ancient covenant lawsuit, liturgy, hymn, or wisdom meditation? Daniel Block even suggests that the song is Israels national anthem.6 What is clear is that the Hebrew text is written, not in prose, but in poetic language. No matter the precise form or genre type, these poetic words undoubtedly were to serve as a witness against the people of Israel when they were unfaithful to Yahweh. Regarding the songs function, Harold Fisch brilliantly says: It will . . . act as a mnemonic, an aid to memory, because during the intervening period it will have lived unforgotten in the mouth of the reader or hearer, ready to come to mind when the troubles arrive. Poetry is thus a kind of time bomb; it awaits its hour and then springs forward into harsh remembrance . . . It will live in their minds and mouths, bringing them back, whether they like it or not, to the harsh memory of the desert sojourn. Once 5 Walter Brueggemann, Deuteronomy (Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries; Nashville:
Abingdon Press, 2001), 277. 6 Daniel I. Block How I Love Your Torah, O LORD! Studies in the Book of Deuteronomy (Eugene, Oregon: Cascade Books, 2011), 162-184.

learned it will not easily be forgotten. The words will stick, they will be importunate, they will not let us alone.7 Dont you love that last part? They will not let us alone. Poetic words have the power to provoke and to agitate, dont they? What strikes me about this song is the incredibly vivid and beautiful imagery. Yet as stunning as the imagery is, the message is far from idealistic. Things look quite bleak and even terrifying until the final couple of verses when, as Dennis T. Olson says, the LORD sees that Israels power is gone, that they have come up against their limits, and will finally have compassion on them and win victory on their behalf.8 Rejoice with him, O heavens; bow down to him, all gods, for he avenges the blood of his children and takes vengeance on his adversaries. He repays those who hate him and cleanses his peoples land (Deut. 32.43). As Daniel Block says, the view of Israel throughout the song is quite negative; the function of the song was to raise the peoples aspirations by fixing their eyes on YHWH and instilling in them gratitude for His undeserved favors.9 The song does two things rhetorically, as Block also points out: In the midst of prosperity the Song sends a cautionRemember YHWH!and in the midst of judgment it offers hopeRemember YHWH!10 Im struck by how many metaphors are used for God in the song: God as rock (32:4; 15, 18, 30, 31, 37), God as eagle (32:11), God as a nursing mother (32:13), and God as divine warrior (32:35). The image that struck me most was: You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you (Deut. 32:18) A rock begetting a human being is certainly a striking image. One of my favorite Psalms, Psalm 18, employs the rock metaphor several times: The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold . . . For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? . . . The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation (vv. 2, 31, 46). Patrick Miller says that the image of rock for God points to the steadfastness of God as an anchor and refuge in a tottering world. It is a poetic way of speaking of the faithfulness of God, who can be counted upon and trusted, whose ways are clear, straight, upright, and not devious or deceptive.11 7 Harold Fisch, Poetry with a Purpose (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1990), 51.
Selection quoted in Patrick D. Miller, Deuteronomy (Interpretation; Louisville: John Knox Press, 1990), 225-226 8 Dennis T. Olson, How Does Deuteronomy Do Theology? Literary Juxtaposition and Paradox in the New Moab Covenant in Deuteronomy 29-32 in A God So Near: Essays on Old Testament Theology in Honor of Patrick D. Miller Edited by Brent Strawn and Nancy R. Bowen (Winona Lake, Indiana: Eisenbrauns, 2003), 211. 9 Daniel I. Block How I Love Your Torah, O LORD! Studies in the Book of Deuteronomy (Eugene, Oregon: Cascade Books, 2011), 179. 10 Daniel I. Block How I Love Your Torah, O LORD! Studies in the Book of Deuteronomy (Eugene, Oregon: Cascade Books, 2011), 178. 11 Patrick D. Miller, Deuteronomy (Interpretation; Louisville: John Knox Press, 1990), 227.

Deuteronomy tells us that Moses wrote and recited the song on the very day the LORD commanded him to ascend the mountain on which he would die (32:48- 50). I cant help but think that one of the primary reasons Moses left behind the song was to simply help the people of Israel remember the bottom line of his message. Moses is a master preacher who rearticulates the heart of his sermon in beautiful language to make a lasting impression on the people, so they will not forget. Conclusion As we conclude our time together, I wonder, is there anything that you will take away with you from your time in Deuteronomy? A specific life-giving word? _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ The weight and importance of faithfulness to our covenant God is what has impressed itself so heavily upon me over the past six or seven weeks. Deuteronomy has forced me to think a whole lot about what faithfulness looks like as a disciple of Jesus, the Messiah, of Israel. I suppose Ill spend the better part of my life thinking about what this really means and seeking to embody it. What I do know is that JesusHis obedient life and His faithfulness on the cross, must wholly and thoroughly inform what faithfulness means to us. Christian faithfulness is, I think, fundamentally cross-shaped and that has lots of wonderful and yet challenging implications. Finally, Deuteronomy has challenged me to stop and think about what we can do to equip and educate the next generation of disciples. With each year lived my desire and concern to see the spiritual baton passed grows. This past weekend my six-year-old nephew Jackson got his very first truly legit Bibleno pictureswere talking the real deal here. I watched closely as he fixated on it and clutched it tightly in his hands. My sister, Amanda, told me yesterday that Jackson even insisted on taking his new Bible into the bathroom with him. And youre thinking, Well, of course he did, hes a guy, Melissa! That means NOTHING. You do have a point. But seriously, I can hardly remember a more special moment. I wanted to tell him, Oh, you have no idea or just you wait, little nephew! Or maybe even what my Mom uttered to me some twenty years ago: this Book isnt like every other book. You cant always sense the importance of something when youre actually experiencing 6

it but this time, even in the moment, I had a deep sense of its profundity. Echoing in my head was Psalm 145: One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts . . . They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and will declare your greatness . . . They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power, to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom (Psalm 145:4, 6-7, 11-12).

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for reading along and journeying with us through Deuteronomy. Wherever the LORD may be leading you in this season of your life: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go (Joshua 1.9). Love the LORD your God, for He is your life and length of days; obey His voice and hold fast to Him.

Melissa Moore Fitzpatrick