Dt 3 Preamble to 1st Address Dt 1:1-5
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Intro:
Today we’re going to see the introduction to Moses’ 1st sermon. If you’ve been coming for the last 2 weeks, you would have heard some of the things that will be mentioned today and so it’ll be a bit of a revision for you.
If you didn’t come for the last 2 weeks, you’ve just begun the Book of Deuteronomy and some background info we mentioned the first 2 weeks.
@@ First let us see the overall structure of Deuteronomy: Since Deuteronomy is a big Book, we’ll not see the detail outline. You can break the 2nd address into 2 sections and thus creating a 4 sermon model. For this class, we’ll just stick with the 3 sermon model.
The 1st 5 verses also provides an editorial introduction to the whole Book of Deuteronomy. There’s some editing work done on the book as can be seen in the following verse:
5 So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord.
Dt
Moses can’t write about himself dying. So someone else must have written all those words and the rest of the book.
We don’t know who the editor is, but it doesn’t affect the canonicity of the book since canonicity is recognized by the Jews and is not entirely dependent on the final form of composition. If someone did some editing to add errors to the book, the early Jews would recognize it and would not preserve the book for us today.
The OT has less problem than the NT when it comes to canonicity since it was preserved in the temple and only the priests had access to it. No one can do any alteration to it as they can’t enter the temple precincts.
But the editing is not just near the end of the book. The first verse already indicates that there is editorial work done on the book.
1 These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red sea, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab.
Moses would not write in the 3rd person and then switched to the 1st person for the vast majority of the book. Hence Deuteronomy opens with a formal editorial introduction. This introduction describes the nature and content of the book.
I. The Authorities behind the book
I. The Authorities behind the book
The NIV Application Commentary: Deuteronomy Original Meaning
Although Deuteronomy consists largely of proclaimed divine truth, the voice of God is heard directly only five times: 31:14b, 16b–21, 23b; 32:49–52; and 34:4b.
@@ Although Deuteronomy consists largely of proclaimed divine truth, the voice of God is heard directly only five times: , , ; ; and . And these 5 passages are near the end of the book.
14 And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation.
This introduction alerts the reader to the voice of Moses, which we will hear throughout. But his voice is not an independent voice; he speaks only what Yahweh “had commanded him” ().
1 These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red sea, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab. 2 (There are eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadesh-barnea.) 3 And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the Lord had given him in commandment unto them;
@@ This man, who served as mediator of Yahweh’s covenant with Israel and as the human conduit of divine revelation at Sinai, speaks as the authoritative spokesman for God.
II. The Addressees in the book
II. The Addressees in the book
The addressees are identified as “all Israel” in verse 1 and “the children of Israel” in verse 3.
1 These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red sea, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab. 2 (There are eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadesh-barnea.) 3 And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the Lord had given him in commandment unto them;
-3
“all Israel” suggests that Moses speaks to the community of faith; “the children of Israel” highlights the nations’s ethnic oneness, i.e. they are the descendants of Jacob.
III. The Location of the events in the book
III. The Location of the events in the book
The introduction locates the addresses of Moses geographically as “east of the Jordan” in general and “in the territory of Moab” in particular.
5 On this side Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare this law, saying,
1 These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red sea, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab. 2 (There are eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadesh-barnea.)
Based on and , these events happen at the northern edge of Moab.
1 And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the Lord shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan,
49 Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession:
@@ Map. See Mt Nebo
1 These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red sea, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab. 2 (There are eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadesh-barnea.)
“Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Dizahab” are those places located south of the Dead Sea (don’t have a map that list all those places), this list seems to refer to a series of way stations along the route the Israelites took from Sinai/Horeb to Kadesh Barnea.
Verse 2 notes that under normal circumstances the journey could be completed in eleven days. However, because the people had rebelled at Kadesh Barnea—the point of entering the Promised Land ()—their entrance into Canaan had been delayed almost forty years.
IV. The Time of the events in the book
IV. The Time of the events in the book
The narrator fixes the time of Moses’ address “in the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month.”
3 And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the Lord had given him in commandment unto them;
According to just before the Passover, the people’s departure from Egypt marks the beginning of Israel’s history. Now forty years later, a new generation of Jacob’s descendants stands at the Jordan, ready to enter Canaan.
2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
Verse 4 adds a second chronological marker: Moses delivers these addresses after the defeat of the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan. The victories over Sihon and Og provide concrete proof that when Israel is faithful to Yahweh, he will fight for them.
3 And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the Lord had given him in commandment unto them; 4 After he had slain Sihon the king of the Amorites, which dwelt in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, which dwelt at Astaroth in Edrei:
4 After he had slain Sihon the king of the Amorites, which dwelt in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, which dwelt at Astaroth in Edrei:
V. The Genre of the book
V. The Genre of the book
The book opens with “These be the words which Moses spake.” Verse 3 reiterates that Moses “spake” to the Israelites all that Yahweh commanded him.
1 These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red sea, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab. 2 (There are eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadesh-barnea.) 3 And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the Lord had given him in commandment unto them;
Dt 1
This suggests that in this book Moses does not function primarily as a lawgiver but as a prophet (; ) and more importantly as the people’s pastor (cf. ; ), delivering his final sermons before he passes from the scene.
15 The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;
Moses in this verse identifies himself as a prophet. A prophet is essentially someone sent by God to speak to His people. A priest goes in the opposite direction - he represents the people and going to God to make atonement for them.
11 Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? Where is he that put his holy Spirit within him?
identifies Moses as the shepherd or pastor of Israel and God as the One that brought Israel out of the sea and put the Holy Spirit in Moses.
5 On this side Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare this law, saying,
The word “declare” has the meaning of “to elaborate” or “to expound”. But here Moses is not just expounding the law but also putting in force the covenant God made with Israel with this new generation of Israelites. (Remember that Dt is also a covenant document.)
Law or Torah in Heb. is instruction rather than legislation. The bulk of the book consists of pastoral instruction and exhortation, and even when earlier laws are cited, they are surrounded with appeals to the people to obey God’s commandments.
Moses stands before the people as pastor, delivering his final sermons at the command of Yahweh and pleading with the Israelites to remain faithful to their God once they cross the Jordan and settle down in the land promised to the ancestors.
Conclusion:
@@ Since Moses functions as Yahweh’s mouthpiece, whatever he declares to the Israelites is as binding on them as the Sinai revelation, which Exodus—Leviticus consistently presented as direct divine speech. But the process of inspiration does not stop with the oral delivery, or even with Moses’ own transcription of his speeches (cf. ). The same Holy Spirit who guided Moses as he proclaimed the Torah also guided the person who collated and edited the speeches and stitched them together with the narrative seams, including this narrative introduction.
Deuteronomy is not primarily a book of Law but the Gospel. When the Psalmist says that he delights in the Law () he is not thinking primarily of “law,” for without the Gospel narrative embedded in this book, the laws are a burden rather than a delight.
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; And in his law doth he meditate day and night.
@@ Unless we rediscover this book, we will not treasure the Old Testament as a whole. As we will see in this Bible study series on the Book of Deuteronomy, this book presents the gospel according to Moses. This is a gospel of divine grace lavished on undeserving human beings.
@@ In this book we catch a glimpse of pastoral ministry at its finest. The speeches represent the farewell address of a man who had pastored this congregation for forty years, guiding them in exciting times and caring for them when circumstances were difficult. As he faced his own death, he was not preoccupied with personal legacy; his energies were focused on his flock.
As he faced his own death, he was not preoccupied with personal legacy; his energies were focused on his flock.