intro to Deuteronomy

Numbers has flown past, and I am beginning Deuteronomy. I thought I'd write briefly and share some basic information about the book for those of you who are reading.

Deutero-nomos literally means in Greek (not Hebrew) "second law." In Hebrew the name for this book is devarim, which means "spoken words," taken from the first words of the book, "These are the words..."

Deuteronomy is largely Moses' rehash of what has happened in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. Over the course of this book, Moses gives three speeches to the people of Israel, who are on the brink of going into the land that has long been promised to them. Moses knows that he won't be going with them, so this is his lengthy farewell speech. He is clearly concerned to impress upon the people their heritage. This is particularly important because the people whom he addresses were not those who remember coming out of Egypt. Those who were afraid to enter the promised land in Numbers were not allowed to enter the land because of their lack of faith. So these people whom Moses addresses have lived their entire lives wandering in the desert. Most of them probably have no memory themselves of being at Sinai, so Moses reiterates to them the "law" (which is better translated as "instruction" than "law"), and the people reaffirm their covenant with God.

A few things to notice as you read:

• Look for the following key words and verses in Deuteronomy
• Today
• You
• See
• Heed (or listen)(shema in Hebrew)

• Look for the Shema, Deu. 6:4, which is the central verse of Deuteronomy, and, one could say, of all of the Hebrew Scriptures (extended to verse 9): "Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is One. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and and with all your soul and with all your strength."

• Look for times when Moses tells the people, YOU crossed the Exodus. They personally did not, because they weren't alive yet, but there is such a strong communal dimension to their sense of identity that it is THEIR past, regardless of their individual participation in the Exodus. This becomes an important theme in Christianity, in which time also collapses, and events in the past for which we were not present become the most defining events about us. The Exsultet, sung at the Easter vigil, is a key example of this in our liturgy: "THIS is the night when Christ broke the bonds of death and hell." Technically, in our linear way of thinking, it's not the same night, but liturgically it is, and the benefits of Christ's saving work in the past have become present to us.

a snake & a savior

We just hosted an amazing conference at our church: the C3 conference. Now I am spending the week at another conference of sorts - a 3DM learning community. With all this going on, I won't be able to post much this week. But in the meantime, here's one brief thought on Numbers.

Numbers is - surprise! - a challenging book as well. God and the people of Israel are not getting along very well. The story illustrates again and again that the relationship between God and humanity has been profoundly disrupted, and that restoring that relationship is hampered by the people's complaining and lack of trust. Numbers 21 describes an outbreak of snakes that come upon the people because of their disobedience.

The LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.

The snake, which was cursed for its craftiness in Genesis 3, in the story of Moses becomes the emblem of health and healing. Jesus referenced this story when describing himself and his purpose to Nicodemus in John 3:

"Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him."

There is an interesting reversal here; in his crucifixion the Son of God becomes like a snake, which is THE creature that began the unraveling of God's good plans.  And as he says in John 12:32:

"When I am lifted up, I will draw all people to myself."

Reader's Guide to the Bible

This book arrived a few days ago. If you're reading through the Bible this year, I'd recommend getting it. There is a short (very short) paragraph about the reading for each day along with a reflection question. The book also has fold-out timelines that help you visualize the progress of the overall story. Reading along in this as well as in the Bible will not add much time to your daily habit but will hopefully help make greater sense of what you're reading. George Guthrie also gives helpful suggestions for related passages in the New Testament.