Author: Traditionally attributed to
Moses, an idea supported by Deuteronomy 31:9: "Moses wrote this
law, and delivered it unto the priests... and unto all the
elders of Israel." Chapter 34, recording Moses' death, was
probably written by his successor, Joshua.
Date: Approximately 1400s BC.
Ten Words or Less: Moses reminds the Israelites of their
history and God's laws.
Details, Please: With a name meaning "second law,"
Deuteronomy records Moses' final words as the Israelites prepare
to enter the Promised Land. Forty years have passed since God
handed down His laws on Mount Sinai, and the entire generation
that experienced that momentous event has died. So Moses reminds
the new generation both of God's commands and of their national
history as they ready their entry into Canaan. The invasion will
occur under Joshua, as Moses will only see the Promised Land
from Mount Nebo. "So Moses the servant of the Lord died there...
and he [God] buried him in a valley in the land of Moab... but
no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day" (34:5-6). Moses
was 120 years old.
Key Verses: Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one
LORD. (6:4) | Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine
heart, and with all thy soul, adn with all thy might. (6:5) |
The LORD thy God is a jealous God among you. (6:15)
Unique and Unusual: The New Testament quotes from
Deuteronomy dozens of times, including three from the story of
Jesus' temptation in the wilderness in Matthew 4:1-11. The Lord
defeated Satan by restating Deuteronomy 8:3 ("Man shall not live
by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the
mouth of God"); 6:16 ("Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God");
and 6:13 ("Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only
shalt thou serve"). The Ten Commandments, most commonly found in
Exodus 20, are restated in full in Deuteronomy 5.
So What?: Deuteronomy makes clear that God's rules
and expectations aren't meant to limit and frustrate us but
instead to benefit us: "Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to
do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase
mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in
the land that floweth with milk and honey" (6:3).
