By Brian Holda

Audio of “The Gospel of Deuteronomy” (1 hr, 5 min)

Moses’ Final Words and God’s Not-Final Covenant

Deuteronomy Background

  • Deut. prolifically used in New Testament and U.S. Founding
  • “Deuteronomy” = “Second Law” > renew covenant (rבְּרִית be.rit, found 26 times) 
  • God-through-Moses (Deut. 1:1-5), briefing before conquest

Deuteronomy as Suzerain-Vassal (Master-Redeemed) Covenant

  • “I am the LORD your God…” (Deut. 5:6a) Suzerain/Master
  • “…who brought you out of the land of Egypt…slavery” (5:6b) Vassal/Redeemed 
  • Preamble 1:1-5
  • Historical Prologue 1:6-4:40 
  • General Stipulations 5:1-11:32: 1 God > Love Him (6:4-5) > 10 “Words” (5:7-21)
  • Specific Stipulations (Applications) 12:1-26:15 
  • Blessings & Curses 27:1-28:68 
  • Witnesses 30:19; 31:19; 32:1-43 
  • Guarding, Reading Covenant 31:9-13 

Deuteronomy in the New Testament (Covenant) 

  • Matthew 4:4-11: Jesus-Israel and the Bible
    • Deut. 8:3; 6:16, 13
    • “Every word” (Deut. 8:3); don’t add or take away (4:2; 5:22; 12:32); in God’s presence (31:24-26); we have “only a voice”, not a picture (4:12-16)
    • Study: individual (17:18-20), household (6:6-9), community (31:9-13)
  • All Christians obey the heart of the Law, not the letter

❤️Heart of Law – Deut. 6:4-5 = Mark 12:29-30

  • The gap – Gen. 6:5; 8:21; Jer. 17:9; Rom. 7:7-12

✝️Righteous by faith in gospel, not works of Law – Gal. 3:10-14 (Deut. 21:23; 27:26); Rom. 9:30-10:13 (Deut. 30:11-20)

  • Repent to follow Christ – Acts 3:17-26 (Deut. 18:14-22)

🔥Holy Spirit within follows heart of Law – Rom. 2:25-29; 7:6 (Deut. 30:1-10); Gal. 5:16-24

🎯Follow heart, not rituals, of Law – 1 Cor. 5:9-13 (Deut. 13:5; etc.); 1 Cor. 9:9 (Deut. 25:4)

The Gospel of Deuteronomy — Teacher Version

Moses’ Final Words and God’s Not-Final Covenant

Deuteronomy Background

  • Deut. prolifically used in New Testament and U.S. Founding
  • “Deuteronomy” = “Second Law” > renew covenant (rבְּרִית be.rit, found 26 times) Deut. 29:1
  • God-through-Moses (Deut. 1:1-5), briefing before conquest Matt. 19:8; Hittite covenants; “the place that He will choose” Deut. 14:23

Deuteronomy as Suzerain-Vassal (Master-Redeemed) Covenant

  • “I am the LORD your God…” (Deut. 5:6a) Suzerain/Master
  • “…who brought you out of the land of Egypt…slavery” (5:6b) Vassal/Redeemed “Egypt” mentioned 49 times in Deuteronomy; shows God’s redemption forms the basis of His commands, just as gospel is the basis of God’s commands in the New Testament
  • Preamble 1:1-5
  • Historical Prologue 1:6-4:40 
  • General Stipulations 5:1-11:32: 1 God > Love Him (6:4-5) > 10 “Words” Commandments (5:7-21)
  • Specific Stipulations (Applications) 12:1-26:15 
  • Blessings & Curses 27:1-28:68 
  • Witnesses 30:19; 31:19; 32:1-43 
  • Guarding, Reading Covenant 31:9-13 

Deuteronomy in the New Testament (Covenant) 

  • Matthew 4:4-11: Jesus-Israel and the Bible
    • Went through water; 40 in desert; beginning public ministry; quotes Deut.
    • Deut. 8:3; 6:16, 13
    • “Every word” (Deut. 8:3); don’t add or take away (4:2; 5:22; 12:32); in God’s presence (31:24-26); we have “only a voice”, not a picture (4:12-16)
    • Study: individual (17:18-20), household (6:6-9), community (31:9-13)
  • All Christians obey the heart of the Law, not the letter

❤️Heart of Law – Deut. 6:4-5 = Mark 12:29-30

  • The bad news gap – Gen. 6:5; 9:21; Jer. 17:9; Rom. 7:7-12 obey “all law” with “all of you” “all the way” All of it with all of you “In all the way”
    • Deut. 5:32-33; “keeping all his statutes” 6:2; “all your heart, etc” 6:5; “keep…walk…fear” 8:6; “walk in all his ways…with all your heart…”10:12-13; “keep his commandments always” 11:1; “careful to do all” 11:22-23; “be careful to do all” 11:32; “bring all that I command” 12:11; “Everything that I command you” 12:32; “all your heart…” 13:3-4; “keeping all his commandments” 13:18; “fear the LORD your God always” 14:23; “all this commandment” 15:5; “observe these statutes” 16:12; “keep yourselves from every evil thing” 23:9; “I have done according to all that you have commanded me” 26:14; “do them with all your heart…” 26:16-17; “keep the whole commandment” 27:1; “all his commandments” 28:1; “careful…do not turn aside” 28:13-14; “do all the words of this law” 28:58; “keep…do” 29:9; “all that I command…all your heart” 30:2; “all your heart” 30:6; “keep all his commandments” 30:8; “obey…with all your heart…” 30:10; 30:15-16; “do all the words of this law” 31:12-13; “do all the words of this law” 32:46-47  
    • Gladly “Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart” Deut. 28:47

✝️Righteous by faith in gospel, not works of Law “Justification” – Gal. 3:10-14 (Deut. 21:23; 27:26); Rom. 9:30-10:13 (Deut. 30:11-20) Jesus perfectly obeyed Law, we’re righteous in Him; Gal. 2:21; The gospel “abolishes” the law’s ordinances (Eph. 2:15) and “cancels” the law’s legal demands for righteousness (Col. 2:14)

  • Repent to follow Christ – Acts 3:17-26 (Deut. 18:14-22)

🔥Holy Spirit within follows heart of Law “Sanctification” – Rom. 2:25-29; 7:6 8:1-10 (Deut. 30:1-10); Gal. 5:16-24 Heb. 8:8-13

🎯Follow heart, not rituals, of Law – 1 Cor. 5:9-13 (Deut. 13:5; etc.); 1 Cor. 9:9 (Deut. 25:4) Deut. 22:5-11 – Brian’s personal testimony

Deut. 23:15-16 – Slavery could’ve been abolished sooner in U.S.!

  • We are therefore free from the Law’s external rituals
  • Mark 7:14-23 – “‘Whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?’ (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, ‘What comes out of a person is what defiles him. From from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts…’”
  • “Not being myself under the law” –Paul, an ex-Pharisee (1 Cor. 9:20)
  • Rom 2 – circumcision of heart
  • Heb 10 – sacrifices of animals vs sacrifices of Christ
  • The gospel frees us from needing to follow the dietary, feasting, Sabbath, and similar laws (Col. 2:15-17)

Extras

How to Test False Prophets

  1. Does what they say come to pass? Deut. 18:22
  2. Do they lead you toward God’s commands? Deut. 13:1-5

Bookends:

  • Israel’s wilderness journey begins and ends with a song (Exod. 15; Deut. 32)
  • Beginning and end of Israel’s sojourn in Egypt and wilderness was a blessing over 12 tribes by their dying patriarchs, Joseph and Moses, respectively (Gen. 49; Deut. 33)

Full Notes: The Gospel of Deuteronomy

Moses’ Final Words and God’s Not-Final Covenant

  • “Deuteronomy” = “Second Law”; renewing the covenant: rבְּרִית (be.rit) 26 times, most of any Biblical book
  • Setting: God-through-Moses (Deut 1:3; Matt. 19:8), other side of Jordan, briefing before conquest

Deuteronomy Structure = Ancient Suzerain-Vassal (Master-Redeemed) Covenant (Rev. 1:5-6)

  • 1:1-5 Preamble
  • 1:6-4:40 Historical Prologue
  • 5:1-11:32 General Stipulations
    • “I am the LORD your God…” (5:6a) // God = Suzerain
    • “…who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (5:6b) // Israel = God’s redeemed possession
    • 10 Commandments (5:7-21) // Covenant stipulations
  • 12:1-26:15 Specific Stipulations
  • 27:1-28:68 Blessings & Curses
  • 30:19; 31:19; 32:1-43 Witnesses
  • 31:9-13 Guarding and Reading Covenant

New Testament Insights

  • On Deuteronomy: “No Old Testament book is referred to more in the New Testament as a basis for proper belief and behavior.” (Merrill, Deuteronomy, New American Commentary, 1994, p. 38)
  • Galatians 3:10-14: Gospel
    • Deut. 27:26 – The curse of disobeying the Law
      • All of it with all of you “In all the way” Deut. 5:32-33; “keeping all his statutes” 6:2; “all your heart, etc” 6:5; “keep…walk…fear” 8:6; “walk in all his ways…with all your heart…”10:12-13; “keep his commandments always” 11:1; “careful to do all” 11:22-23; “be careful to do all” 11:32; “bring all that I command” 12:11; “Everything that I command you” 12:32; “all your heart…” 13:3-4; “keeping all his commandments” 13:18; “fear the LORD your God always” 14:23; “all this commandment” 15:5; “observe these statutes” 16:12; “keep yourselves from every evil thing” 23:9; “I have done according to all that you have commanded me” 26:14; “do them with all your heart…” 26:16-17; “keep the whole commandment” 27:1; “all his commandments” 28:1; “careful…do not turn aside” 28:13-14; “do all the words of this law” 28:58; “keep…do” 29:9; “all that I command…all your heart” 30:2; “all your heart” 30:6; “keep all his commandments” 30:8; “obey…with all your heart…” 30:10; 30:15-16; “do all the words of this law” 31:12-13; “do all the words of this law” 32:46-47  
      • Gladly “Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart” Deut. 28:47
    • Deut. 21:23 – The curse of hanging on a tree (only specific “curse” outside Deut 27-28)
  • Romans 10:1-17; Deut. 30:9-16 Law Foreshadows Gospel
    • Rom. 10:5–Deut. 30:9-10,15-16: If you obey, you live
    • Rom. 10:6-7–Deut. 30:11-13: God’s Law and the gospel both came to us
    • Rom. 10:8-11–Deut. 30:14: Receive gospel in our heart, then proclaim
    • Choose life – i.e. choose the gospel!
  • Matthew 4:1-11; Deut. 8:3; 6:16, 13: Jesus after 40 days in desert, poised to begin public ministry
  • Mark 12:29-30; Deut. 6:4-5: Most important command
    • Love God: Deut 6:5; 5:10; 7:9; 10:12; 11:1, 13, 22; 13:3; 19:9; 30:6, 20; Josh. 22:5; 23:11
  • Acts 3:17-26; Deut. 18:15-22: Jesus is the Foretold Prophet
  • Matt. 18:16; 2 Cor. 13:1; Deut. 17:6; 19:15: Established by 2-3 witnesses

Q: Should the Church Obey Deuteronomy (Old Testament Law)? A: We Obey the Heart of the Law, Not the Letter.

  • The heart of the law starts with: Love God with everything
    • Deut. 6:4-5; Mark 12:29-30: God is One; love and serve Him with everything
    • Deut. 5:6-21: Ten “Words” (i.e. “Commandments”) and rest of Deuteronomy apply Deut. 6:4-5
  • The Gospel is THE ONLY way to obey the heart of God’s law and be truly righteous
    • “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Rom. 10:4)
    • “If righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.” (Gal. 2:21)
    • The gospel “abolishes” the law’s ordinances (Eph. 2:15) and “cancels” the law’s legal demands for righteousness (Col. 2:14)
  • We are therefore free from the Law’s external rituals
    • Mark 7:14-23 – “‘Whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?’ (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, ‘What comes out of a person is what defiles him. From from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts…’”
    • “Not being myself under the law” –Paul, an ex-Pharisee (1 Cor. 9:20)
    • Rom 2 – circumcision of heart
    • 1 Cor 5: Purge evil
    • Heb 10 – sacrifices of animals vs sacrifices of Christ
    • The gospel frees us from needing to follow the dietary, feasting, Sabbath, and similar laws (Col. 2:15-17)
  • We also keep the heart of the Law by the Spirit within
    • Gal. 5:16-24 – “if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law…the fruit of the Spirit is love…against such things there is no law.”
    • Hebrews 8:7-13 – “I will establish a new covenant…I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts…In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete.”
  • Further, we teach and follow the heart and principles of the law. Examples:
    • 1 Cor. 5:8-12 – “Don’t muzzle an ox” (Deut. 25:4)
    • “Purge the evil” 1 Cor. 5:9-13; Deut. 13:5; 17:7, 12; 19:19; 21:21; 22:21-24; 24:7: In Deut. involved stoning/killing; now involves warning and church discipline 
    • Deut. 22:5-11 – Brian’s personal testimony
    • Deut. 23:15-16 – Slavery could’ve been abolished sooner in U.S.!
  • Deuteronomy echoes all this:
    • Deut. 27:26; 21:23 – Christ redeems us from breaking law (Gal. 3:10-14)
    • Deut. 18:15-22 – Responding to the gospel is how you obey the Prophet foretold, i.e. Jesus (Acts 3:17-26)
    • Deut. 30:9-16 echoes the gospel (see Rom. 10:5-17)

God’s Word, Scripture in Deuteronomy

  • Don’t add or take away (4:2; 5:22; 12:32)
  • In God’s Ark; wedded to His presence (31:24-26)
  • We have “only a voice”, not a picture (4:12-16)
  • Diligent study as an individual (17:18-20), family (6:6-9; 11:18-23), church community (31:9-13)

How to Test False Prophets

  1. Does what they say come to pass? Deut. 18:22
  2. Do they lead you toward God’s commands? Deut. 13:1-5

Extras

  • Deuteronomy is used more than any other book in shaping America’s founding: The Bible in the Political Culture of the American Founding. 
  • Bookends:
    • Israel’s wilderness journey begins and ends with a song (Exod. 15; Deut. 32)
    • Beginning and end of Israel’s sojourn in Egypt and wilderness was a blessing over 12 tribes by their dying patriarchs, Joseph and Moses, respectively (Gen. 49; Deut. 33)