A covenant to keep - Deuteronomy 26-28

Intro

We now enter into the home stretch in our study of Deuteronomy. We have 8 chapters left, but they really ought to be understood as a three-part conclusion to the book, so to prepare us to better understand that conclusion, I will attempt to survey it tonight and provide some big picture insights into where we will be going over the next 8-10 weeks as we conclude this book.

My goal tonight is to provide you with a literary, historical, and theological structure by which we can wrap our minds around the end of Deuteronomy, and really understand how this book lays the foundation for the entire Christian faith.

You can break these sections down as follows:

A covenant to keep - Ch 26-28

A future to fulfill - Ch 29-30

A legacy to leave - Ch 31-34

Tonight we will consider the covenant to keep.

A covenant to keep

You cannot understand Deuteronomy 26-28 without the ancient near eastern historical context in which it was written.

These chapters follow a common ceremonial pattern common to the ancient near east. This pattern is known as the suzerain-vassal treaty. These treaties were fairly common in the ancient near east, and we have preserved today 35 of these treaties in writing, outside the Bible, and there also exists the world’s oldest known treaty between two parties, know simply as Hittite Diplomatic Text 1.

These treaties were sociopolitical in nature and occurred often in the nations and cities around Israel and in Canaan. Therefore, this concept of a treaty or covenant would have been a familiar cultural concept to the Israelites.

The general context of such a treaty would be as follows:

One nation comes to the aid of another, and in some way preserves the existence of that nation, OR one nation defeats another nation, and the first nation promises to not obliterate the second nation from the face of the planet if they meet certain obligations.

The leaders of the two nations come together to “cut the covenant” or sign the treaty.

They then enter into this binding covenant relationship in which failure to uphold the stipulations thereof would result in deadly military or economic action.

These treaties would take, generally, the following form:

The Lexham Bible Dictionary Treaties

• Preamble: The name, title, and genealogy of the Hittite king is given.

• Historical Introduction: This section explains the relationship between Hatti and the other party, and expresses the reasons that the vassal should be loyal to Hatti—often because of great deeds that the king of Hatti has done for the vassal.

• Provisions: Here the various stipulations specific to the treaty are given; common elements include:

• payment of tribute

• providing military assistance

• returning fugitives

• renouncing other political alliances

• a guarantee that the Hittite ruler’s heir would succeed the throne

• Deposition: This section indicates where a copy of the treaty is to be kept and stipulates regular readings of the treaty.

• List of Divine Witnesses: Various deities of both parties are summoned to witness the treaty.

• Curses and Blessings: Here the vassal recognizes various curses that will be enacted if it fails to keep its obligations.

Moses, as he writes and speaks in these chapters, follows the formula almost to a T, with a few notable exceptions.

Those exceptions assume the reality that we have spoken of so often - that the nation of Israel is to be distinct, and that distinction is anchored in and focused on the character and works of Yahweh.

I’ve outlined this covenant in a way that might help you more easily remember it:

Recount - 26:1-15

Requirement - 26:16-19

Reminder - 27:1-10

Ratification 27:11-26

Reward - 28:1-14

Retribution - 28:15-68

Let’s work our way through each of the six parts and see how God makes His covenant with the people of Israel.

Recount - 26:1-15

In this first section we see the intentional recounting of the works of God in the life of the nation.

We also see an invocation, a call to worship, as it were, a beseeching of the Lord to condescend and shine His face on the nation.

Notice the repeated use of the phrase “The Lord your God.” It is repeated 11 times. In Hebrew this is Yahweh ka Elohim. The repeated use of this name indicates both God’s holiness and God’s nearness. His transcendence and his immanence. The nation must be reminded that this is a God who, by virtue of His holiness, cannot be in relationship with an unholy people, and yet, by virtue of His mercy, intends nevertheless to be in a relationship with an unholy people.

This initial section then effectively serves as the preamble, the introduction to Yahweh, the suzerain king in this treaty.

Here’s what makes Yahweh’s covenant unique to the Hittite and Canaanite treaties. The introduction of Yahweh introduces him not so much as a conqueror but as a provider.

Requirement - 26:16-19

We now see the declaration of the requirements or stipulations of the covenant. This is where we can see the nature of the relationship between the two parties, and the commitments of the relationship. You can break this down into a declaration and a duty.

The relationship is declared in verse 17: Yahweh is your God. This is the verbal commitment, the verbal assent by the people that they are committed to this covenant with Yahweh. The resultant commitments are doing the commandments, not just in word and deed but with all the strength their inner man can muster.

Then in a chiastic reversal, we see the Lord’s declaration: that Israel is His people, a treasured posession, and His duty is that He will set the nation high above all others, that they will be praised, famed, and honored, and consecrated to Him.

Again we see the distinctiveness of Israel. The typical Canaanite suzerain nation would have stipulated far more strict requirements, and in return, would have simply promised to not destroy the vassal nation. Here, Yahweh, the suzerain king, simply stipulates delight and obedience, and promises love, blessing, and glory in return.

After the requirements, we come to the reminder.

Reminder - 27:1-10

Another feature of a Hittite treaty is some sort of external, physical reminder of the covenant. Many times this was the basic requirements or the name of the suzerain king etched in stone and placed in a prominent location. Other times it was a physical mark or brand that was applied to the vassal king or nation.

We see that in full view here in these verses. The nation is commanded to set up two stone monuments, one, an altar, the other, an stone-etched edition of the law of God. This may be the Ten Commandments only, as it would be impractical at best, impossible at worst, to etch every single word of the law onto stones.

At the tail end we see a repetition of the declaration and duty from 26:16-19.

After the completion of the external, physical reminder of the covenant, we now come to the ratification ceremony.

Ratification - 27:11-26

Ancient treaties always featured some sort of interesting ratification ceremony, a kind of cultic or religious ritual that signified and symbolized the signing of the contract, as it were.

That is in clear view as the nation splits in two, goes up to either side of a small valley in the very center of the Promised Land, and shouts these antiphonal curses back and forth to each other.

Notice the direct correlation to the Ten Commandments and other prominent commands in the book of Deuteronomy. By using this smattering of a dozen commandments, God is doing two things. First, he is signifying by the number 12 that this covenant is for the whole nation, all 12 tribes. Secondly, he is signifying that the whole law must be kept in order to not be in breach of the covenant. These specific laws are representative of the whole law.

The final part of the ancient treaty was the pronouncement of blessings and curses, rewards and retribution.

Reward - 28:1-14

We see here a laundry list of blessings that the Lord will give the nation if they uphold the covenant.

This is unique in the ancient near eastern context. Many treaties only included one blessing: if you keep the covenant, I will not obliterate you. Yahweh promises generosity, an overflowing provision for his people if they abide by the words of the covenant. Not only does Yahweh offer blessings of mercy, or witholding his wrath, but he also offers blessings of grace, or the pouring out of divine prosperity on his people, contingent on their obedience.

Notice the expressive flourish of the language. It’s very picturesque, and envisions a kind of paradise that will be gained by obedience.

Retribution - 28:15-68

The final component of the covenant is an extensive declaration of the curses if the covenant is not kept.

A couple of items to observe about these curses.

The terror of their scope and scale. These curses are truly graphic.

The parallels to the plagues of Egypt. These parallels help make these curses real for Israel. They saw the sheer destruction of God’s wrath being poured out on Egypt. By equivocating these curses to the destruction of Egypt, God is giving Israel something solid to bite onto, a way to picture and understand exactly what his judgment against disobedience is like.

The emphasis on foreign nations being the arbiters of God’s judgment. We see this fulfilled in the prophecies of Isaiah and in the fulfillment of those prophecies through the military and political action of Assyria and Babylon.

This covenant then forms the foundation for the way God would relate to Israel as His people. He is the eternal, unchanging God, He has chosen Israel as His people, delivered them from Egypt, and now requires them to keep His covenant or be cursed.

A Biblical Theology of Covenants

Now this is all fine and dandy, and maybe you gained some historical perspective on God’s communication to His people, and that’s all nice.

But there is something far more important going on here.

This concept of a covenant traces itself throughout Scripture.

Many Biblical scholars locate these covenants in connection to the person with whom the covenant was made.

Now in order to understand these covenants, you have to understand some of the big picture structure. Not every Biblical covenant necessarily follows every Canaanite or Hittite rule, and that’s because God’s covenants pre-date the Canaanites and Hittites. The first express covenant made in Scripture is the covenant with Noah, predicted in Genesis 6 and ratified in Genesis 9. But I would argue that the first covenant God made with anyone was a covenant He made with Adam in Genesis 2.

Recount 2:1-15

Require - 2:16-17

Remember - 2:18-

Ratify -

Reward - 1:28-30

Retribution 3:14-19

Grace - 3:15, animal skins

Abraham

Recount 17:1

Require 17:2

Remember - Circumcision

Ratify - The appearance of the men ch 18

Reward - Isaac ch 21

Retribution - Sodom and Gomorrah

Epilogue of grace - provision of a ram

David

Recount 7:8-9

Require

Remember

Ratify

Reward 8-10

Retribution 11-12

Epilogue of grace - Solomon’s birth

New