The word “Deuteronomy” is a Greek term that means “second law.” This book of the Bible is often believed to be “the book of the law” that was discovered in the Temple in 2 Kings 22-23, which we discussed in late May. Keeping in mind the meaning of the name of this book, we see that much of it is actually a retelling of the Law of Moses that appeared in Exodus. It includes, also, the story of Israel’s journey from Egypt to the border of the Promised Land.
Moses summoned all of the Israelites to Mount Horeb, another name for Mount Sinai, and recounted the list of rules that we call the Ten Commandments. These mitzvah are the backbone of the six hundred and thirteen commandments that are contained within the entirety of the first five books of the Bible. God spoke to Israel directly in delivering these statutes before dismissing His Chosen People back to their encampment and then giving additional instructions directly to Moses.
At the heart of the Law is the great prayer known as the Shema: “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all your soul, and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) We are called into a relationship with our Creator that is not based on fear but rather on love.
God reminded His People that when they entered the land of Canaan, they must drive out the nations who live there. Because the Lord knows that the human heart is a little idol-making factory, He commands that we seek to remove the temptations in our lives that will draw us to those idols. In His love for the Israelites, God wanted them to be a truly holy people, set apart from the ways of others.
As Moses approached the end of his life, he gathered the Israelites on the plains of Moab beside Mount Ebal and pronounced a series of blessings upon them that were conditional: “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow his commands. . .” Moses also reminded the Chosen People of the results of disobedience. We need to note that these blessings and curses were given to the Israelites as a nation because God wanted them to become a people set apart from all others as the beloved children of Abraham. With these blessings and curses as a reminder, Israel renewed the covenant they had made with the Lord at Mount Horeb prior to their time of wandering. Moses then appointed Joshua, who had served as his assistant, to succeed him in leading Israel. Then after offering a song of praise to God and blessing the tribes of Israel, Moses died atop Mount Nebo, where he could look out into the Promised Land.
The Psalm this week points us toward the manner in which God’s creation and the law offer the Lord praise.