Concluding Thoughts on Deuteronomy

"The four preceding books might be compared to the four Gospels; Deuteronomy represents the whole, and may be styled a Diatessaron, as it recalls to our mind the great Creator of all things, who was about to fulfill the promises which he had made to the Patriarchs."  So says the introduction to Deuteronomy in my Bible.  And it's a wise observation, for Deuteronomy truly is a blending of all four of the previous books of the Pentateuch.  The people saved from Egypt in Exodus have grown old or passed on to the next life.  In Deuteronomy, Moses is speaking to the next generation, the generation that will carry the torch into the Promised Land.  And so immediately in Deuteronomy we sense a different tone, which I wrote about in my post on Deuteronomy 1, way back on April 7th, 2011.  That tone is one of a loving father (or even grandfather, you could say).  He is writing with sentiment, with emotion welling up in his heart for his people, for the gift they are about to receive, and also in sadness for the transgressions they have committed, for the transgressions Moses himself has committed which disallows him from entering into the Promised Land.  He is speaking to his little children, and this is especially evident in the beginning of Deuteronomy and at the end.  In the middle we are reminded of those warnings and punishments laid out in Leviticus and Numbers.  All in all, though, we are not given much new information.  The first four books lay it all out pretty clearly: the history and the law.  But Deuteronomy acts more like an underline or a highlight.  It is a re-emphasis.  The Law is repeated because it is the most important thing the Israelites are taking with them into the Promised Land.

And though there are harsh words found throughout Deuteronomy, it is the soft and merciful blessings and encouragements that stick out the most.  God reminds His people of due punishments that await them should they fail to comply with the Law, and there are plenty of horrible things described.  But the tone overall is so loving and gentle in Deuteronomy that one cannot help but feel hopeful and inspired at the end of it.  God reminds us, through Moses, that He will never abandon us.  That the strength we need will be there for us, if we ask for it and seek it.  Moses, before he dies, leaves us with a beautiful song and a beautiful blessing.  And his death fills the pages of the Word with peace and tranquility.  The Pentateuch has ended, the Law is official, the Land is now theirs, and now the only thing left to do is step foot in it.  Joshua now steps into the narrative to help lead the people in that next step.  The Book of Josue is next.  Moses has put down his pen.  The next inspired writer has picked it up.  And on we go.

Deuteronomy 34 - The Passing of the Prophet

It took me a year and a half, but I finally finished Deuteronomy (Numbers took me "just" one year, Leviticus took me three months, Exodus five months, and Genesis about nine months).  All together, I've spent the last four years reading the Pentateuch!  When I began I was 30 years old, living in an apartment in Rancho Cucamonga, and working part-time jobs.  Now I'm 34, living in a house in Apple Valley, and working as a full-time English teacher.  Reading these five books has been a journey.  And yet, the larger journey has just begun.  I've still only scratched the surface of the Word!  I'm not disappointed it took me so long because I was able to dwell on each chapter thoroughly.  This project of mine is not a race.  That said, there were a few lapses during those four years in which I failed to read for months at a time.  This must be avoided in the future.  Even if my pace is slow, I need to strive to always be making progress.  At any rate, this first leg of the journey has concluded.  It's been an immensely rewarding four years of reading.  I can only imagine what awaits me next.

Deuteronomy 34 is short, yet powerful.  There is only one thing that occurs, and that is the death of Moses, which unfolds in a subtly emotional way.  Moses is alone (well, not exactly, as he is graced by the divine company of God and His angels).  There are no friends around, no family members consoling him at his bedside.  He is on top of a mountain, looking down on the land he'll never set foot in -- the land he strove so hard to will his people toward.  God reminds him one last time that he won't enter into the Promised Land.  And we hear no complaint from Moses, no discontent, or anger, or disappointment.  We hear nothing, which indicates Moses's obedience.  He simply views that earthly paradise, and dies.  The passage is almost softly spoken, understated, and yet powerfully emotional.  I was almost able to visualize the scene: the top of the peak, wind blowing, yet a quiet in the air, the whole world stretching out around Moses, a giant panorama of the land he'd never inhabit, and God's gentle voice inviting Moses into the next life, a life that would one day open up to the true Promised Land, when heaven's gates would open with the Son's Supreme Sacrifice. 

It is interesting that Moses's body needed to be buried in secret.  There is a striking verse in the Epistle of Jude that reads, "When Michael, the Archangel, disputing with the devil, contended about the body of Moses" (Jude 9).  Thus it is revealed that there was an actual dispute over Moses's body, that Satan wanted it buried in a public place, so that, presumably, the Israelites could be tempted into idolizing his remains.  And Michael had to wrest it from him to keep it as God desired it -- that Moses should be buried in a secret place. 

To end, a few words about Moses, the greatest of the Old Testament prophets.  In my commentary it is stated that "no prophet ever appeared with greater dignity, in the old law, than Moses."  He was a "lawgiver, priest, prophet, ruler of a great and ungovernable people, and a sacred writer of the highest antiquity."  His importance cannot be stressed enough.  The way in which his relationship with God is described is beyond wonder -- nothing less than a face to face friendship.  He has done more than anyone in the Old Testament to set the stage for the coming of the Messiah, with his establishment of the Law, the Priesthood, and the Jewish Kingdom.  The people who inhabit the pages of the coming books of the Old Testament will constantly look back to Moses as they look forward to the coming of the Messiah.  Moses had the supreme privilege of doing God's wonders.  It was a privilege reading about this great man.

Deuteronomy 33 - All the Land That Was Promised

I was amazed to see how Deuteronomy came to a close.  After Moses's Canticle in Deuteronomy 32, there is a lengthy blessing in Deuteronomy 33 that seems to mirror or parallel the blessing given by Jacob to all his children at the end of the Book of Genesis.  Thus we have blessings that act as bookends to the two sides of the Torah.  Jacob, in Genesis 49, blesses his sons directly.  Moses, in Deuteronomy 33, blesses their progeny.  The whole literary structure of it all is quite brilliant (which I guess is an understatement referring to God's Word).  Even reading both chapters side by side, one can see the parallel structure quite vividly.  For instance, Jacob tells his son Ruben "grow thou not" (Genesis 49:4), indicating his descendents will be few; and Moses says Ruben will be "small in number" (Deuteronomy 33:6).  Moses's blessings, though, go beyond the individual sons of Jacob.  They speak not only to descendents and posterity, but also to specific geographical regions.  Though the tribal allotments of the Promised Land will be more thorough and exact in the Book of Joshua, Moses here in his blessing hints at where they will be and what they will consist of.  Contained in this blessing are other prophecies.  In speaking of the tribe of Dan, Moses mentions a "young lion" (Deuteronomy 33:22), which is taken to indicate the powerful Samson of the tribe of Dan.  In speaking of Benjamin, Moses says that "the Lord shall dwell confidently in him" (Deuteronomy 33:12), referring to Jerusalem's location, and thus the Temple of the Lord, being within the bounds of Benjamin's tribe.  We can start to get an idea of where each of these tribes will settle in the Promised Land, that Zabulon will be by the sea, that Aser will be where olive trees grow plentifully, etc.  We get other indications, that Juda will be a warring tribe, that Gad will be where Moses will be buried, etc.  The stage is being set.  Deuteronomy is ending with a bang.  First Moses's striking song, then this information-packed blessing/prophecy.  The significance of the Covenant is being stressed one last definitive time!  Moses is leaving the earth and he needs to make sure his people understand the importance of the Law they are meant to keep, and also the utter magnificence of what transpired in Egypt and in the desert.  Everything that comes next in the Old Testament is built upon this foundation, the foundation created by God through Moses.  Deuteronomy 33 is like a blueprint, and Joshua will pick up the plans and take the Israelites with him to enact what Moses has envisaged. 

Deuteronomy 32 - Moses's Song

Deuteronomy 32 forced me to slow my pace.  It took me a couple of days to digest it all.  It is significant as the last chance for Moses to summarize all he had observed and prophesied throughout his life concerning the Jewish people.  And it is in essence a summary, though one in the form of a very poetic and artistic song.  It is the story, a very familiar story, of a chosen people, an ungrateful people, and a people implored to follow a very special Law.  Moses sings of the beginnings of God's dealings with His people, of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  How fortunate were the Israelites, how they were chosen because of their sufferings, and how God gave them many blessings to help them rise above their tribulations, and how, sadly, once they had prosperity they quickly forgot God.  It ends with Moses's appeal that the people value their special Law, do not take it for granted, live by it, live in it.  

There is much that could be said about this chapter, but I will just mention a couple of verses that especially struck me.  First, there is Deuteronomy 32:15, which states: "The beloved grew fat, and kicked: he grew fat, and thick and gross, he forsook God who made him, and departed from God his Saviour."  This speaks of the Jews' propensity to become neglectful and worldly whenever they come upon temporal prosperity (which, ironically, is only a gift from God).  But there is so much more packed into this verse, for it radiates with a universality that shoots across the centuries and speaks to us today just as powerfully.  I know I am personally guilty of forgetting God whenever my life gets going on a smooth and prosperous path.  It is usually at my low moments that I remember Him.  It is most likely the case with all of us.  God provides when we are desperate, then when we are secure and content we indulge in that security and comfort and fail to give thanks to the One who gave it us!  The story of the Jews is the story of us.  Their 40-year journey through the wilderness has already illustrated that, but this Canticle of Moses shows it just as profoundly.

The other verse that caused me to pause was Deuteronomy 32:21, which reads: "They have provoked me with that which was no god, and have angered me with their vanities: and I will provoke them with that, which is no people, and will vex them with a foolish nation."  At the risk of being irreverent, this verse struck me as God being humorous.  Because the Jews have fallen into idolatry and worshiped gods that are not gods, God will do the same by choosing instead a people (the gentiles) who are not a people.  This verse must have packed a punch when those ancient Israelites heard Moses recite it!  How perfectly does God illustrate the Israelites' error?!  Worshiping false gods was the ultimate insult to God; and God choosing to give salvation to the Gentiles must have been the ultimate insult to the Jews.  God's justice is perfect.

Deuteronomy 31 - Preparations

One can sense the very near end in Deuteronomy 31.  Only three more chapters left in the entire Pentateuch.  Many things happen in Deuteronomy 31, all of them meant to prepare the Israelites for Moses' impending death.  The Law, written by the hand of Moses, is basically complete.  (One can presume that a new author has taken over, or is about to).  The Law Book, the Torah, is given to the priests, and one copy placed beside the Ark.  Joshua is officially pronounced Moses' heir (this episode also occurs in Numbers 27, which I wrote about on November 26th, 2010).  And Moses is instructed to compose a canticle which he will deliver to the people; something they can easily remember (while the priests and ancients will be in charge of learning the very complex Law).  This Canticle, which will be the focus of the next chapter, is obviously very significant.  It is Moses' last words to his people.  The greatest prophet of the Old Testament is about to pass away.  He will not set foot in the Promised Land.  And even though he gave everything he had to ensure his people lived according to God's Law, he was made aware that they would eventually fail and reject God, which must have broken his heart.  But perhaps God also allowed him to see the ultimate fate of his people, when they would one day re-embrace God in the Person of His Son, at the end of time, when all things would be accomplished, and perhaps he was consoled.

The focus will quickly be shifting.  I have spent the last three and a half years reading the Pentateuch, the Old Law.  Joshua will now be moving the narrative forward, and into inevitable warfare.  The tone of the text is bound to change.  For now, I sit back and marvel at the prophet Moses and just how privileged he was to enjoy such a close friendship with the Lord.  He will be leaving the pages of the Word soon.

Deuteronomy 29-30: God Is Nigh

Deuteronomy 30 is a soothing chapter.  After hearing of those frightful curses in the previous chapters, we are given words of encouragement in this latter chapter of Deuteronomy.  After hearing of what would happen to the Jews if they don't obey, we hear of what will happen if they do.  And what will happen is nothing short of amazing: God will gather them from the far corners of the earth, where they had been scattered, and return them to the Promised Land, with even greater bounties and blessings than their fathers had!  Many interpreters take these verses to mean when the Jews accept Christ, for we have seen that these bounties and blessings are still withheld.  At any rate, these verses lead into some very beautiful and moving passages.  Deuteronomy 30:11 and 30:14 read: "This commandment, that I command thee this day, is not above thee, nor far off from thee:... But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayst do it."  Essentially, God is saying, I am here, follow Me, you can do it.  These are words that prefigure God's Word Incarnate, Jesus Christ, Who will literally be near us to guide us.  But they are consoling words to the Jews of that time as well.  We know the Jews weren't able to keep God's commands, but we also know that through their weaknesses the path was opened up for Jesus to come.  The curses ended up overtaking the Jews, but the blessings are still there, waiting to be bestowed.  As is said in Romans 11:25-26:  "Blindness in part has happened in Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles should come in, And so all Israel should be saved, as it is written."  The blessings will one day be bestowed.

Deuteronomy 28 - Doom To Come

It's a beautiful autumn day, and a perfect time to resume my studies of the Word.  I return with renewed vigor, for the past year or so I have neglected to make much progress in this spiritual journey, which I began with much exuberance back in 2009.  But I aim now to re-dedicate myself to this endeavor.  One chapter a day, at least, from here on out.  It's the least I can do.

When I last posted, in the midst of summer's heat, I had just read of the blessings and curses the tribes were told to pronounce from opposite mountaintops.  Deuteronomy 28 mentions some of those blessings, but then goes on a long tirade, forcefully announcing the many curses that will befall the Jewish nation should they fail to abide by the Mosaic Law.  It was a powerful and yet unnerving chapter to read.  In many ways it still speaks to us today, for we are all in danger of these fearful fates if we do not heed God's commandments.  One verse in particular, Deuteronomy 28:47, really shook me.  Moses says these curses will fall on the Jews "because thou didst not serve the Lord thy God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things."  God continues to make all things abundant, and yet we still, today, fail to serve Him with "joy and gladness of heart."  It was a wake-up call of a verse, for sure.  But specifically speaking, the curses call to mind the fates we now know awaited the Jews.  And it is quite amazing to read of them in this old book, hundreds of years before they happened.  All things are prefigured, from the Babylonian Captivity to the coming of the Messiah to the Roman destruction of Jerusalem to the Jew's fate even today among the nations of the world.  Deuteronomy 28:29 says, "And mayst thou grope at mid-day as the blind is wont to grope in the dark."  This passage is often interpreted to mean that the Jews will drift blindly even as the light of the Gospel and Jesus Christ shines brightly on earth!  Profound.  Another remarkable passage prefigures the Gentiles being welcomed as one of God's chosen peoples:  "May a people which thou knowest not, eat the fruits of thy land, and all thy labours" (Deuteronomy 28:33).  This calls to mind Romans 10:19: "I will provoke you to jealousy by that which is not a nation."  The Gentiles were a non-nation, yet they would end up being included in God's plan, in some ways due to the Jews' insolence, and they would essentially "take over" the Jews' privileged place.  All these things we know came true.  And therefore it is not easy reading Deuteronomy 28, even though we know that God's salvation, despite a hard-hearted people, extends to all, including the Jews, if they follow Him.  But reading these curses and knowing the utter pain and suffering some of those Jewish peoples endured is difficult to imagine.  The verses suggesting the coming destruction of Jerusalem were especially harrowing.  We sometimes forget what a horrific and tormenting event that was in 70 AD.  The abominations that were committed, due to the desperation of a dying, starving, embattled people, were prefigured in Deuteronomy 28, the worst of which was probably the prophecy that men and women would eat their children in their grief and madness.  And sure enough, there are accounts that this occurred when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans. 

Deuteronomy 27 - Two Hills

On November 14th, 2009, I wrote about Exodus 20, in which a discrepancy of sorts exists concerning two mountains in what is now Israel, Gerizim and Hebal (or Ebal).  Those two mountains appear again in Deuteronomy 27.  The point of contention concerns which mountain God commanded His Law, written on stones, to be placed on.  Traditionally the mountain called for is Hebal, but according to the Samaritans, and many Biblical scholars, originally it was Gerizim that had the distinction but the Jews replaced it with Hebal because of their dislike of the Samaritans (and Gerizim being a holy site for the latter people).  The whole thing can get quite convoluted.  It appears either way that the pride of man has been at work here, trying to doctor the Word.  It's a trivial issue, in that the Law is more important than where it is placed, and furthermore the Law would eventually be fulfilled and the New Covenant would assume supremacy, and this new Law doesn't require a physical location, for it is universal, for all men.  A couple of interesting things, though, from reading Deuteronomy 27, were learning that the names Gerizim and Hebal designate fruitfulness and sterility, respectively (though this also may be contested, depending on whose side you're on).  And that the tribes were told to split in two, half going to the top of Mt. Gerizim and half to the top of Mt. Ebal, where they were to shout blessings and curses.  It was a very interesting passage and quite grand in scope.  One thing's for sure, reading from the Bible sure hones one's knowledge of eastern Mediterranean geography! 

Deuteronomy 26 - "His Peculiar People"

Deuteronomy 26 reminded me once again just how unique was the situation with the Jewish people.  Looking at a broader picture of all the different peoples who lived at that time, one can start to see how "peculiar" and exceptional were that particular people.  It makes no sense that one small wandering tribe of people would be the caretakers of monotheism, in a world that had become completely polytheistic, unless they were divinely aided.  It makes no sense otherwise that they would have survived in that world, or even that they would have wanted to preserve monotheism in the face of hostile neighbors.  But their preservation of the knowledge of the One True God did in fact happen, against all odds, and it eventually led to monotheism taking back over the world and reclaiming its place of domination.  There is an exchange of sorts in Deuteronomy 26 that captures both the epicness of what these people did on the world stage, and also the intimacy of what it was they had between them and their God:  "Thou hast chosen the Lord this day to be thy God, and to walk in his ways, and keep his ceremonies, and precepts, and judgments, and obey his command. / And the Lord hath chosen thee this day, to be his peculiar people, as he hath spoken to thee, and to keep all his commandments" (Deuteronomy 26:17-18).  It's almost like a wedding ceremony, where both parties, in this case God and the Jewish people, are vowing to each other their dedication and solemn fidelity.  It's really a covenantal promise.  The covenant made between God and His chosen people, through Moses, is so sacred and so significant, because these people were literally saving the Faith, saving all true religion, for the people of the future, in all reality for God's future Church, established by His only Son.  If monotheism had been swallowed up by polytheism, Jesus would have walked into an entirely different earth.  Deuteronomy really reminds us how profound and sacred was the covenant God established between Him and His people.  It will go on to establish all else that is written about in the Old Testament.  Until a covenant even more profound and more sacred is established by Jesus Christ.

Deuteronomy 25 - Feeding the Oxen

In Deuteronomy 25 is a seemingly inconsequential verse that I at first glanced over without a thought but upon reading the commentary on it realized that it was much more profound than I had ever expected (and I guess the lesson is not to ever think a word in the Word is inconsequential!).  That verse is Deuteronomy 25:4 which reads, "Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out thy corn on the floor."  There is a literal meaning here which has to do with humane treatment of animals, but like much else in the Bible the significance doesn't end there, and actually it doesn't quite even begin there.  What Deuteronomy 25:4 is telling us is that there are those among us who do laborious deeds for our benefit and we are not to neglect them but are to provide for them.  Think of the soldier, who goes out and risks his life that we may have safety back home.  His deed is utterly selfless and I don't know too many who would argue his pay should not come out of our pocketbooks.  To most it would seem pretty logical to give up some of our money so that the soldier may get by; we are after all the main beneficiaries of his work.  So why is it much harder to imagine the same principal for clerics?  The soldier labors for our physical safety and well-being, while the cleric labors for our spiritual safety and well-being.  The cleric, and maybe I should narrow the term, whether priest, bishop, religious brother or sister, selflessly labors his or her life away for our spiritual betterment.  They are the oxen treading out the corn on the floor.  Does it seem logical to muzzle them?  Some (lately many) argue that they are greedy to "demand" our money as stipends.  We are offended when that collection basket comes by.  Why should we give up our hard-earned money to the cleric who spends his days in leisure on the church grounds?  Well, that whole idea is wrong, both our attitude and conception of what a cleric does.  The life of a priest is one of constant labor.  And it is all for our sake.  Just as we wouldn't think twice of paying for a soldier's necessities of life, we should think likewise concerning a priest.  And of course St. Paul clarifies all of this for us:  "It is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn.  Doth God take care for oxen?  Or doth he say this indeed for our sakes?  For these things are written for our sakes: that he that ploweth should plow in hope: and he that thresheth, in hope to receive fruit.  If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great matter if we reap your carnal things?" (First Corinthians 9:9-11).

Deuteronomy 23-24: What's the Deal With Divorce?

Divorce is a divisive issue.  Genesis 2:24 clearly describes the utter seriousness and sacredness of marriage.  No mention of divorce is found in these early chapters of the Bible in which the institution of marriage is introduced once for all.  More than likely, divorce crept in as man's inerrant ways became more prevalent.  For divorce is part and parcel with sin.  If man and woman both lived sinless lives (i.e., lives of unselfishness and virtue), divorce would be an unnecessary thing.  But divorce becomes an issue when one or both of the partners forget the sacredness of marriage and begin to live selfishly.  A man commits adultery, a woman doesn't want the responsibility of motherhood anymore, a man shows no affection or care for his spouse, a woman is distrustful and disrespectful of her spouse, and on and on and on.  Essentially, when humans start acting human, divorce becomes almost necessary.  No doubt the bar God sets is high.  Two becoming one is no slight thing.  But in Deuteronomy we find some verses that seem to undermine God's great proclamation of matrimony in Genesis.  Deuteronomy 24:1 seems to grant permission for divorce, and at that time, yes, it did just that.  It may seem difficult to reconcile God's decree in Genesis and Jesus's decree in the Gospels with this verse in Deuteronomy, but Jesus Himself clears it up for us.  Matthew 19:7-8 says, "They say to him: Why then did Moses command to give a bill of divorce, and to put away?  He saith to them: Moses because of the hardness of your hearts permitted you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so."  And there it all is.  It's a simple case of the Old Law versus the New (which in many ways is much older than the Old Law!).  God's original plan was too much for the Israelites to handle, so Moses, in an effort to avert worse sins, permitted divorce among those early Jews, though stressing that it didn't change God's original proclamation that the flesh of two become one, which is why adultery was still committed when remarriage occurred (committed though the consequence presumably lessened).  But when Christ came, He made all things new, and in the case of marriage He actually made things old!  He re-instituted the eternal sacredness of those words in Genesis.  Marriage was once again indissoluble (though, again, scholars say it always was).  Divorce need not be permitted because of the hardness of men's hearts anymore, for the Light of Christ has filled the world, granting strength to the married, to live virtuously, and to have no need of divorce; for saying humans still need it is to say Christ made no difference by His coming.

Deuteronomy 22 - Against Nature

Once again, this chapter of Deuteronomy is filled to the brim with laws and ordinances.  Much of it has already been mentioned in Exodus and Leviticus.  One verse I found interesting, though, was verse 5: "A woman shall not be clothed with man's apparel, neither shall a man use woman's apparel: for he that doth these things is abominable before God."  There is a lot to be said of assuming one's natural role throughout the Old Testament.  Charges against homosexual activity have already been laid.  But this verse in Deuteronomy seems to be of a more specific nature, though some disagree.  At face value, it condemns men wearing women's clothes and women wearing men's clothes.  This Law would surly be put to the test in today's culture!  But nearly nothing is left at face value in the Good Book.  There is much more to this ordinance.  Some think Moses is here referring to specific pagan rituals that required men and women to change clothes.  Others think this is a veiled reference to the ban on women serving in warfare, in that they are not allowed to don a soldier's attire.  And others still think it alludes to the greater sins of men and women going against their nature in acts of lust.  A couple of verses later in the Bible seem to echo this passage in Deuteronomy:

"And all these things are mingled together...
Forgetfulness of God, defiling of souls, changing of nature, disorder in marriage, and the irregularity of adultery and uncleanness." (Wisdom 14:25-26)

"For this cause God delivered them up to shameful affections.  For their women have changed the natural use into that use which is against nature.
And in like manner the men also, leaving the natural use of the woman, have burned in their lusts one towards another, men with men working that which is filthy..." (Romans 1:26-27)

Deuteronomy 22:5 may very well be a law against that which may lead to greater sins, to which the above passages refer.  There is a common thread throughout Old and New Testament that the natural order of things is a Good to which we ought to conform ourselves.  When we begin to break down that order, the fabric of lawful society begins to disintegrate.  And all manner of behavior begins to occur, to the apathy of the rest of society.  Amazingly, we have turned our backs on the Word, and we are thus living in such a time now.

Deuteronomy 21 - Observations on the Law

Deuteronomy 21 delves deep into the Law, and at times it can be difficult to comprehend.  It reveals a lot about the Old Law, and how it could paradoxically be both stringent as rock and also strangely malleable.  In the former case, I refer to the Laws on child disobedience.  There were apparently very harsh punishments in store for any son who recklessly disobeys his parents, namely stoning.  This seems instantly overly cruel, especially to 21st century ears.  But we must always look at the bigger picture and not let our modern sensibilities cloud our vision.  What the Bible describes here as "disobedience" is really much worse than what the word today implies.  We're talking here about a son who wants to murder his parents!  A son who is old enough to know better yet rejects his parents, hates his parents, and would rather see them die so that he could continue to live a life of debauchery and drunkenness!  All mild cases of child disobedience were handled with much more moderate punishments.  Girls were exempt from this rule altogether.  And to put it more in perspective, it's interesting to note how other ancient societies handled this issue (which, if you think of it, if allowed to go on, could threaten the very foundation of civil order).  The Romans, according to Justinian and as quoted in my commentary, "formerly sewed such wretches in a leathern sack, but afterwards they enclosed with them a dog, a cock, a viper, and a monkey; and having first whipped them so as to fetch blood, placed them in a chariot drawn by black oxen, and hurled them into the sea or into some river."  The severity of the crime must be remembered.

The other issue is of complications arising from polygamy.  It's interesting to note how the Old Testament treats of polygamy.  Deuteronomy 21:15-16 states, "If a man have two wives, one beloved, and the other hated, and they have had children by him, and the son of the hated be the first-born;  And he meaneth to divide his substance among his sons: he may not make the son of the beloved the first-born, and prefer him before the son of the hated."  Moses here does not endorse polygamy or praise it, he simply speaks of it.  It was not the ideal way and nowhere in the Old Testament does it speak of polygamy as the ideal way.  It was a remnant of a polytheistic, pagan culture that must have been harder to eradicate than a field of weeds!  In the Old Testament, polygamy, at times, is simply tolerated in an effort to avoid greater sins.  And this toleration has since been revoked by Christ "as contrary to the primary design of God, and the institution of matrimony" (Challoner).

The Old Law is truly a fascinating study.  I'm simply picking at the upper most part of the surface.  I leave a more thorough analysis to those more capable.

Deuteronomy 19-20: On War

Deuteronomy 20, a chapter totally devoted to war, demonstrates clearly that sometimes war is necessary.  The doctrine of "just war" has always made sense to me, however I have also always been strongly averse to war of any kind.  More than likely, the majority of wars fought throughout history have not qualified as "just wars."  This is probably particularly true of modern wars.  I think war is an engine too often abused.  Its effects are dire, horrific, cruel.  The innocent and the poor are usually the ones who suffer most in war.  And because of these things I am through and through anti-war and nearly completely a pacifist.  But, again, I'll come back to the concept of "just war."  If an evil is truly great and truly unstoppable, what other course has been left to us?  If peace has been offered and rebuked, if it's for the safety of society at large, war can be (though always unfortunately) the proper response. 

These ideas are solidly exclaimed in Deuteronomy 20.  God reveals that there is a proper protocol for war.  It is for the brave only.  It is not for the newly married (who may be too distracted).  And there is this relieving order:  "If at any time thou come to fight against a city, thou shalt first offer it peace" (Deuteronomy 20:10).  God's revelations concerning war are not inhuman nor cruel.  They are rational, promoting peace first and war only as a last resort.

Deuteronomy 18 - The Promised Prophet

"The Lord thy God will raise up to thee a PROPHET of thy nation, and of thy brethren, like unto me: him thou shalt hear." (Deuteronomy 18:15)

And so we have another instance of Moses foretelling the coming of Christ, one of the earliest mentions of the Messiah.  One of the most fascinating aspects of the Old Testament is this continuous thread that weaves in and out of the narrative of a great Prophet that is to come in a future age.  It is a wonder of the Word that never fails to captivate me.  There were already some monumental references to Christ in the Book of Genesis, and now again, as we near the end of the Pentateuch, we have a blatant reference to a future great Prophet, one who the people are instructed to listen to and be prepared for.  It is debated, of course, whether these allusions are meant to indicate the Person of Jesus Christ or are just a broad reference to any of the prophets that eventually rose up in the midst of the Jews.  But I find in the arguments of those in favor of the former theory a logical explanation that demonstrates these as obviously Messianic references for a number of reasons.  First, in the passage quoted from Deuteronomy above, Moses says this Prophet will be "like unto me."  Only Jesus Christ, when compared to the other prophets of the Old Testament, can be thoroughly compared to Moses.  Moses was a lawgiver, as is Christ; Moses was the chief of God's people, as is Christ; Moses was a mediator, as is Christ.  None of the other prophets, as great as they were, fit all of those qualifications so exactly.  Secondly, the Messianic references are always in the singular.  We know there were many Old Testament prophets, so why not refer to the coming of prophets rather than prophet?  Could it be that that is because of the, as my commentary puts it, "eminent dignity" of Christ?  He is the only Prophet worth mention.  He is the greatest Hope of the people, and therefore He is referred to frequently to maintain that Hope.  There is also an interesting connection in the verse above to an event in the New Testament.  The verse concludes with the words, "him thou shalt hear."  This sounds a lot like another instruction from God in direct reference to Jesus Christ: "This is my beloved Son, hear him" (Luke 9:35).  It's unbelievable, but here is God centuries before sending His Son, telling His people to "hear him" when he arrives!

But before I conclude, I do not mean to say that God could not have also meant to refer to the general prophets in the verse above.  Much of the Old Testament does operate on two or more levels.  In Deuteronomy 18 God is instructing His people not to take part in the profane activities of the pagans who will be living near them.  This leads to verse 15 in which He promises a prophet.  Along with this being a reference to Jesus Christ, God could be referring to the help He'll provide His people as they strive for holy perfection by sending prophets along the way who will keep the way straight for them.  I don't think the meaning must be one way or the other.

Deuteronomy 17 - Of Kings and Authority

Deuteronomy 17 brings up a lot of significant topics.  First is the mention of a moral authority for the Jews, a central judge that would be the end of the line on difficult issues.  The idea of a central authority is at the core of Catholicism, wherein the Church, founded by Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit, provides the definitive interpretation of the Law and the Scriptures.  So it is interesting to see its forerunner here in the Old Testament.  Deuteronomy 17:9-11 says, "And thou shalt come to the priests of the Levitical race, and to the judge, that shall be at that time: and thou shalt ask of them, and they shall shew thee the truth of the judgement. / And thou shalt do whatsoever they shall say, that preside in the place, which the Lord shall choose, and what they shall teach thee, / According to his law: and thou shalt follow their sentence; neither shalt thou decline to the right hand nor to the left hand."  God very clearly does not leave it up to personal judgment.  It is clear that when it comes to the Law, to foundational morals, each man and woman must follow that which is taught by the highest authority in the land.  The Law is found in the Bible, yes, but when it comes to issues that men disagree on, what then?  The Bible, from the oldest books of the Torah through the New Testament, was written through the use of human language, and thus, even though it is inspired, it is subject to imperfections and confusions.  When one of these confusions arise, God does not leave us to blindly figure it out for ourselves.  If He had done so, His Law would be unrecognizable before long.  Instead he provides a teaching authority.  Now, the central authority found in the Old Testament is far inferior to that which we have today.  It was imperfect the way the Law was imperfect, prior to the coming of Christ.  Now, the Magisterium of the Church provides the definitive authority on faith and morals and Scriptural interpretation.  The only thing that can now lead men astray is pride (combined with the promptings of the evil one).

The second topic of significance that intrigued me in Deuteronomy 17 was the mention of a king.  It has been said that God didn't intend on men being led by kings.  In God's perfect plan, kings were not needed.  Furthermore, kings (as God well knew) led to wars, greed, power and pride in men.  But man in his fallen state, God conceded, would be best to follow a virtuous king.  So God provides instruction on how a king ought to be.  As we know from history, not every king was virtuous, and the kingship came with all the foreseeable problems.  But when a king was virtuous, and ruled by God's law, the people benefited.  One interesting verse in Deuteronomy 17 says that "Thou mayst not make a man of another nation king, that is not thy brother" (Deuteronomy 17:15).  The Jews famously broke this commandment when Herod became their king around the time of Christ.  Fascinatingly, though, this was all foretold.  In Genesis 49:10 it is written, "The sceptre shall not be taken away from Juda, nor a ruler from his thigh, till he come that is to be sent, and he shall be the expectation of nations."  The scepter was taken away from Juda's line when Herod assumed the throne, which occurred when the "expectation of nations," Jesus Christ, was sent to save the world.  The Word never ceases to amaze me.

Deuteronomy 15-16: Statues

Since Deuteronomy is, as its name suggests, a second telling of the Law, there isn't a whole lot of new information in this book to comment on.  Every now and then, though, there is a verse or two that includes an interesting statement, or a rephrasing of a statement already made in an earlier book.  The issue of idolatry obviously is a pressing one, especially in these early books of the Bible.  Idols have been condemned, as well as graven images of, in particular, animals.  Yet, some graven images have been not just allowed but ordered!  The cherubs holding the divine seat of God upon the Ark are obvious examples.  And, though it is an example from before Mosaic times, Jacob in Genesis 28 erected a stone monument to God to glorify Him.  The reason I mention all of this is because the very last verse of Deuteronomy 16 states, "Neither shalt thou make, nor set up to thyself a statue: which things the Lord thy God hateth."  This is a strongly worded verse and one that I think deserves a close look.  There is a divide within Christianity over the role or lack thereof that images should take in the practice of the Faith.  Catholicism obviously permits images, many denominations of Protestantism do not.  And though it appears that Deuteronomy 16:22 states resolutely that statues are forbidden, one must apply it within the greater context of the Bible before coming to that conclusion.  I've already mentioned the images that have been permitted, namely the graven cherubs of the Ark.  But there was also the brazen serpent.  Clearly the issue of statuary, or images, is not black and white.  Furthermore, we must look at what the law is directed.  Most of Deuteronomy, thus far, has been concerned with the Israelites not falling into the same errors as the pagans around them.  The Chanaanites, as we know, worshiped idols, material objects, animal statues, stone gods and so forth.  This is what must be condemned.  Not just a statue, but a statue that is worshiped as itself a god.  The English translation of Deuteronomy 16:22 uses the word "statue," but in Hebrew the word is matseba, which means "pillar," or "monument."  So the true meaning of the word is not just a visual representation of someone (which is really all a statue is), but instead a much more significant, solemn structure meant to play some sort of ceremonial role.  Statues as used by the Church today are not what is meant by "statue" in Deuteronomy 16:22.  To quote my commentary, "statues and pictures may be very instructive and commendable."  A statue of a saint, or Mary, or even Jesus, can be used to increase devotion to God, to remind us of those who walked in the way of the Lord, to instruct us in our Faith.  The furthest thing from our mind when gazing upon a statue is idolatry, as if the statue itself were a living god.  I bring this issue up because it is after all rather significant.  My commentary also says that "this subject is of such vast importance, the accusation of idolatry is of so black a nature, that it deserves to be accurately and frequently refuted."

Deuteronomy 13-14: Lawful to Ink?

I have often heard people mention verses in the Bible that seem to condemn tattoos.  The most famous of these verses is probably Leviticus 19:28: "You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh, for the dead, neither shall you make in yourselves any figures or marks."  However, the glaring words in this verse are "for the dead."  Even if it at first seems to be a reference to tattooing, it becomes clear when viewed in context that what is condemned is hopeless grief.  At that time, among many pagan nations, grieving took on many, sometimes elaborate, forms.  Cutting oneself to cause bleeding was one way to express your sorrow over the death of a loved one.  Marking yourself with symbols of the gods was another.  In Deuteronomy 14:1 the law on cutting is mentioned again: "You shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness for the dead."  Here it gets even more specific, as cutting off one's hair is a very ancient form of mourning.  So, essentially, God is here telling the Hebrews, don't grieve like the people around you who put on dramatic displays and carry on with their hopeless wailing.  God wants His people to always have hope, even when sadness is all-consuming.  Nowhere in either the Leviticus verse nor the Deuteronomy verse is tattooing, on its own, condemned.  If someone got a tattoo out of grief and despair, these verses might then be more applicable.  Some commentators, though, think these verses indicate something more about the time they were written, specifically that self-made cuttings and signs on the body refer to pagan customs, especially those devoted to Egyptian gods like Isis and Osiris.  All of Deuteronomy 13 and 14 is devoted to Israelite exceptionalism, meaning that the Israelites were forbidden from partaking in the lowly, barbaric rituals of their pagan neighbors; they were to remain above all that.  So if some pagans cut themselves when a loved one died, the Israelite could do no such thing.  The issue of tattoos in today's society is a much different thing.  Again, the main message here is Hope.  Have hope, don't despair.  A verse from the First Epistle to the Thessalonians says it all:  "And we will not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that are asleep, that you be not sorrowful, even as others who have no hope." (1 Thessalonians 4:12)

Essentially, St. Paul here says that we have hope, we believe in Christ and His Resurrection, as well as the resurrection of all the dead, and so the ones "asleep" will rise again and we ought not despair over the dead the way the non-believers do.

Deuteronomy 10-12: An Abominable Offense

"When the Lord thy God shall have destroyed before thy face the nations, which thou shalt go in to possess, and when thou shalt possess them, and dwell in their land,
 Beware lest thou imitate them, after they are destroyed at thy coming in, and lest thou seek after their ceremonies, saying: As these nations have worshipped their gods, so will I also worship.
Thou shalt not do in like manner to the Lord thy God. For they have done to their gods, all the abominations which the Lord abhorreth, offering their sons and daughters, and burning them with fire." (Deuteronomy 12:29-31)

 "Thou shalt not give any of thy seed to be consecrated to the idol Moloch." (Leviticus 18:21)

I once again must remark on this.  I find it amazing that anyone would characterize the Canaanites (and other pagans of the region prior to the Jewish takeover) as innocent, victimized people who were unjustly murdered by God.  The whole distortion of God as a ruthless murderer is simply an unsophisticated look at the situation.  The Canaanites clearly were living lives of severe corruption and scandal, breaking left and right natural laws.  The most detestable of their crimes was the ritualistic murder of their children.  In Leviticus it is written that children were sacrificed to a god named Moloch by means of incineration.  In Deuteronomy the god's specific name isn't repeated, but it is mentioned that the Israelites must not copy the practices they will find in Canaan, among these the deplorable sacrifice of children.  This child sacrifice to Moloch goes beyond standard human sacrifice that we find in ancient cultures throughout the world.  The fact that it is innocent babies being voluntarily given up to be murdered makes the whole thing infinitely more revolting.  It was unfortunate that the Canaanites had to be destroyed, and there is no evidence that God did so joyously, but their acts were of a nature that they could not be allowed to continue.  The Canaanites had to answer for their crimes, and hopefully some were saved in the end.  God had to purge the region, which had been mired in iniquity for ages.  The overall situation was much more layered and complex than a simple act of wiping out an unsuspecting and innocent nation.  Again, it's unfortunate that it happened at all, but it says more about man's weakness than God's cruelty.

On a final note, it struck me in a rather profound and painful way that the murder of innocent children is not something for which the Canaanites can claim sole credit.  Abortion has become such a scourge in our land that the comparisons to the ancient practice of sacrificing babies are hard to ignore.  It will probably sound harsh and extreme to bring this up, but sometimes when something hits close to home it is all the more difficult to hear.  Satan found a way in ancient Canaan to have people kill their babies through the guise of a ritualistic and necessary sacrifice to a fake god.  Today, Satan has found a way again to have people kill their babies through the guise of "reproductive rights" and court mandated rulings, i.e., societal acceptance.  It is just as abhorrent and evil in both cases.

Deuteronomy 9 - Humbled

I'm really amazed at how thorough and point-by-point these lessons in Deuteronomy are.  Well, I guess I shouldn't say "amazed."  I mean, there is nothing more monumental than the great mercy God is here showing the Israelites by granting them this land of milk and honey.  If they are allowed to just walk in without any words of wisdom, they would go about it all wrong.  So what we have here in these opening books of Deuteronomy are lessons, instructions, item by item, reminders, anything and everything that can be told to the Israelites so that they may be good stewards of the land.  They have been reminded of the Law, how they are to act; they have been reminded of how they got here, their flight out of Egypt, their long journey through the desert; and now they are being reminded of each and every time they have murmured or transgressed or rebelled against the Lord.  Deuteronomy 9 really puts the Israelites in their place.  God specifically reminds them that it is not because of their goodness that they are getting the Promised Land, it is because of the sinfulness of the pagans living there now.  Deuteronomy 9:5 says, "For it is not for thy justices, and the uprightness of thy heart that thou shalt go in to possess their lands: but because they have done wickedly, they are destroyed at thy coming in."  God also reminds them of how close they came to their own destruction after the incident with the golden calf.  It was because of Moses's supplications and his sacrifices that they were spared.  All these warnings are made in an effort to humble the Israelites.  Humility is really what they need to remain in God's favor once in the Promised Land.  Humility is really what we all need to remain in God's favor even today.