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.