Introductory.
Part 1 of the commentary contained the first speech of Moses which proclaimed the recent history of Israel under the hand of Yahweh, demonstrating why they had reason to be grateful to Him, and finishing with a reminder of how gloriously and fearsomely the covenant had been given and an exhortation to keep the covenant requirements and remember Who had given them. From Deuteronomy 4:44 to Deuteronomy 29:1 this is followed by the central renewal of the covenant in Moses' second speech, commencing with a renewed description of the giving of the covenant (Deuteronomy 5), followed by the basic principles lying behind the covenant (Chapter s 5-11), more detailed regulations (Chapter s 12-26), the requirement that the covenant be recorded in writing at Shechem (where Abraham first built an altar when entering the land and received his first theophany in the land) as confirmed by all the elders (Deuteronomy 27:1-8), the acknowledgement of it by the priesthood along with Moses as witnesses to it (Deuteronomy 27:9-10), and the applying to it of curses and blessings (Chapter s Deuteronomy 27:11 to Deuteronomy 29:1).
This section of the commentary will cover Chapter s 5-11, but these Chapter s must be seen as part of the greater whole to Deuteronomy 29:1, as incorporated in the whole book.
The Covenant Stipulations - the Basic Underlying Principles (Chapter s Deuteronomy 4:45 to Deuteronomy 11:32).
This introductory section begins the second section of the book which consists mainly of a proclamation of general basic principles related to the fulfilment of the covenant (Chapter s 5-11). This is then followed by a detailed review of the statutes and ordinances which have been spoken of previously, but with special reference to their applicability to the people and mainly ignoring priestly activity (Chapter s 12-26). It is ‘popular' Law. In this second section Moses once again makes clear the demands that Yahweh is making on His people as a response to what He has done for them. But he will begin it by repeating, with minor alterations, the covenant made at Horeb, at Mount Sinai. Thus he declares that covenant in chapter 5 almost word for word, although slightly revised in order to bring out new emphases. This is then followed chapter by chapter by the requirements that Yahweh is laying on them as a response to His covenant love. In 6-11 he first deals with the basic principles involved, and then in Chapter s 12-26 moves on to the specific detailed requirements. This is a pattern typical of ancient treaty covenants.
Central to all the Chapter s are the ideas of how they must obey His commandment, His statutes and His ordinances that He might bless them in all they do (Deuteronomy 5:1; Deuteronomy 5:29; Deuteronomy 5:31-33; Deuteronomy 6:1-3; Deuteronomy 6:6-8; Deuteronomy 6:17-18; Deuteronomy 6:24-25; Deuteronomy 7:11-12; Deuteronomy 8:1; Deuteronomy 8:6; Deuteronomy 8:11; Deuteronomy 10:13; Deuteronomy 11:1; Deuteronomy 11:8; Deuteronomy 11:13; Deuteronomy 11:22; Deuteronomy 11:27; Deuteronomy 11:32); of how the reason that they are being blessed is not for their own sakes, but because of their fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Deuteronomy 6:10; Deuteronomy 6:18; Deuteronomy 7:8; Deuteronomy 7:13; Deuteronomy 8:1; Deuteronomy 8:18; Deuteronomy 9:5; Deuteronomy 9:27; Deuteronomy 10:15; Deuteronomy 11:9); of how they must remember Yahweh their God Who has mightily delivered them from Egypt (Deuteronomy 5:6; Deuteronomy 5:15; Deuteronomy 6:12; Deuteronomy 6:21-23; Deuteronomy 7:8; Deuteronomy 7:15; Deuteronomy 7:18; Deuteronomy 8:14; Deuteronomy 9:26); of how He is bringing them into a good and prosperous land where they will enjoy great blessings (Deuteronomy 6:10-11; Deuteronomy 6:18; Deuteronomy 7:13-16; Deuteronomy 8:7-10; Deuteronomy 8:12-13; Deuteronomy 11:10-12; Deuteronomy 11:14-15), and of how they must then beware of turning to false gods and false religion once they enter the land, and must rather totally destroy them (Deuteronomy 5:8-9; Deuteronomy 6:14-15; Deuteronomy 7:4-5; Deuteronomy 7:25-26; Deuteronomy 8:19; Deuteronomy 9:12; Deuteronomy 9:16; Deuteronomy 11:16; Deuteronomy 11:28).
These are the general emphases, but each chapter also has a particular emphasis.
· Deuteronomy 6 stresses their need to love Yahweh, their covenant Overlord, with all their beings (Deuteronomy 6:5), to fear Him (Deuteronomy 6:2; Deuteronomy 6:13; Deuteronomy 6:24), and to teach their children His instruction, and warns them that when they are prospering in the land they must not forget what He has done for them. Their Overlord is calling His subjects to love and obedience.
· Deuteronomy 7 confirms Yahweh's elective covenant love for them (Deuteronomy 7:7-8; Deuteronomy 7:13) as His holy people, chosen and treasured (Deuteronomy 7:6), and promises them that because of that love He will bless them wonderfully, delivering the promised land into their hands. Here He reveals why they should love Him and respond to Him, because He has first loved them, and chosen them to be the recipients of His love with all its great benefits.
· Deuteronomy 8 reminds them of how they must remember and not forget the past (Deuteronomy 8:2; Deuteronomy 8:5; Deuteronomy 8:11; Deuteronomy 8:14; Deuteronomy 8:18), especially how He has looked after them in the wilderness, with the promise that He is bringing them to a good and prosperous land, and that once He has done so they must beware of self-glorification. Here the details of His watch over them are laid out demonstrating the practicality of His love.
· Deuteronomy 9 exhorts them on this basis to go forward and cross the Jordan knowing that Yahweh goes before them, while reminding them that their success will not be because of their own righteousness, a fact which he then demonstrates from their past history, reminding them how right from the very beginning they had broken God's covenant that He had made with them. Here He emphasises how gracious He has been to them even though they had not been fully faithful to His covenant. While they do not deserve His goodness, He is pouring it on them anyway.
· Deuteronomy 10 stresses that God then graciously renewed that covenant which they had broken so quickly, and goes on to describe the greatness and uniqueness of Yahweh their covenant God and Overlord. They must recognise how good He has been to His erring subjects and take note of the fullness of His glory, lest they again break His covenant with them.
· Deuteronomy 11 urges them to learn from the past and go forward on the basis of it, repeats the promises and warnings of the previous Chapter s, constrains them to remember His words, and bear them about with them and teach them to their children, and promises the good things to come, and the certainty of their possession of the land because Yahweh is with them. It finally concludes the section with the reminder of the blessings and cursings, which will be solemnly applied on Mounts Gerizim and Ebal, which are by the oaks of Moreh, that is, at Shechem, and says that which of these will come on them will depend on whether they faithfully respond to His covenant or not. This conclusion prepares the way for Deuteronomy 27, although meanwhile being first of all preceded by the detailed stipulations of Chapter s 12-26.
So throughout these Chapter s the covenant is constantly stressed, a covenant which is the result of His love for their fathers and for them and is their guarantee of the future as long as their response to it is full and complete.
Chapter 9 Let Them Not Become Self-righteous, for They Are A Very Stubborn People.
The thought of their forgetting Yahweh and taking the credit for themselves about their possession of the land and its wealth (Deuteronomy 8:17) and turning to graven images is now taken up. He fears lest when they have taken possession of the land they will convince themselves that it was because of their own righteousness that they had received the land, and become self-satisfied and heedless of God's voice. Thus let them ‘Hear, O Israel' and take note of what the real truth is.
“Hear O Israel” always signals something of special importance. Compare Deuteronomy 5:1 where they were to ‘Hear, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances which I speak in your ears this day, that you may learn them, and keep, and do them,' that is, they were to respond wholly to the covenant, and Deuteronomy 6:4 where they were to ‘Hear, O Israel, Yahweh our God, Yahweh is one, and you shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.' It introduces subjects of great importance to which he wants to draw attention.
Here it is because having brought to them again the details of Yahweh's declaration of His covenant in Deuteronomy 5; and having stressed their need to love their covenant God with their whole being, and having warned them against forgetting how He delivered them from Egypt, and against submission to false gods, in Deuteronomy 6; and having confirmed His elective love and warned them again against forgetting His goodness and turning to false gods, reminding them also again of His deliverance from Egypt, in Deuteronomy 7; and having reminded them of how He had cared for them in the wilderness in chapter 8, again with a warning against turning to graven images; and having stressed all through that all that they are to receive has come to them because of His sworn promise to Abraham (Deuteronomy 6:10; Deuteronomy 6:18; Deuteronomy 7:8; Deuteronomy 7:13; Deuteronomy 8:1; Deuteronomy 8:18), he is now bringing them to the crunch moment when they are about to enter the land, and warns them not to take any credit for their coming victory to themselves. For he stresses that they are to remember how truly unworthy they are (Deuteronomy 9:5-6), as revealed in that same wilderness (Deuteronomy 9:7-24), and that it is Yahweh their covenant God Who alone can give them victory (Deuteronomy 9:3), and that this will not be for their sakes, but for their fathers' sakes (Deuteronomy 9:5; Deuteronomy 9:27; Deuteronomy 10:15), and because of the need for judgment on the people of the land. Thus no credit belongs to them. This is the essence of this chapter, which centres on their stubbornness.
(‘Thou' is used in the first seven verses being directed at the nation as a whole. From then on when speaking of Israel ‘ye' is used to indicate combined action).