4. Introducing Torah - Amazon Web Serviceslogosdocs.s3.amazonaws.com/.../004-Introducing-Torah.pdf(illuminated Ms Add. 18859, fol 39r), c. 1150. BriEsh Library, London. Introducing

Lesson#4IntroducingTorah

(4:44–5:33)

1IntroducingTorah

InLesson#3weconcludedMoses’1stDiscourse(1:1–4:43)asMoses

emphasizedthesacrednessofGod’scovenantandthemutualobligaEons

containedwithinit.Assovereign,GodpromisesIsraelland—realestatein

thelandofCanaan—aswellasarich,fulllifeinacovenantrelaEonshipwith

him;conversely,Israelistopromiseto“fear”theLordandtoobeyhis

commands,commandsthatgoverneveryaspectofhumanlife,fromthe

foodtheIsraeliteseat,tothelandtheyfarm,totherelaEonshipstheyhave

withoneanotherandwithoutsiders.

Mostimportantly,theIsraelitesaretoworshipYHWHexclusively,anineffable,transcendentGod,onewhoisbeyond“seeing,”aGodwho

stunninglyinvitestheIsraelitesintoaninEmate,spousalrelaEonship.

IftheIsraeliteobeythetermsofthecovenant,Godwillblessthem

abundantlyandtheywilllivelongintheland;iftheydonot,Godwillcurse

themandtheywilllosetheland—andtheirlives.

2IntroducingTorah

Moses’2ndDiscoursesprawlsacrossDeuteronomy4:44–29:1,

aexpansivebodyofteachingthatformsthecoreof

Deuteronomy.TheTorahisnotsimplythePentateuch,orthe

fivebooksofMoses,butratherGod’scomprehensive,

foundaEonalteaching,ateachingthat—iffollowed—enables

God’scovenantpeopletolivelifefullyinthePromisedLand,a

lifeblessedandabundant.

Likealightshininginthedarkness,God’scovenantpeoplewill

bea“lighttothenaEons,”amodeloffulfilledhumanpotenEal,

humanityfullyformed.

InLesson#4weexaminetheveryheartofTorah,theDecalogue

ortheTenCommandments.

3IntroducingTorah

AsDeuteronomy1:1-4introduced

Moses’1stDiscourse,so

Deuteronomy4:44-49introduces

his2ndDiscourse.

Itconsistsoftwoparts:

1.   4:44-49,whichcreatesexpectaEon

andgravitas;and

2.   5:1-5,whichpushesthecovenant

forwardtothepresentEmeonthe

plainsofMoabandinfusesitwith

deeplypersonalrelevance.

4IntroducingTorah

5IntroducingTorah

“This is the law which Moses set before the Israelites. These are the decrees, and the statutes and ordinances which Moses proclaimed to the Israelites after they came out of Egypt, beyond the Jordan in the valley opposite Beth-peor, in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses and the Israelites defeated after they came out of Egypt. They took possession of his land and the land of Og, king of Bashan, as well—the land of these two kings of the Amorites in the region beyond the Jordan to the east: from Aroer on the edge of the Wadi Arnon to Mount Sion (that is, Hermon) and all the Arabah beyond the Jordan to the east, as far as the Arabah Sea under the slopes of Pisgah.”

(Deuteronomy 4: 44-49)

“This is the law which Moses set before the Israelites. These are the decrees, and the statutes and ordinances . . .

IntroducingMoses’2ndDiscoursewithaflurryof

legalvocabularyemphasizesthestrictruleoflife

andrigorousstructurethatGoddemandsofthe

IsraelitesiftheyaretofulfilltheirdesEnyas

God’scovenantpeople.

Theword“law”istorahinHebrew,butaswenoteditrefersnotsimplytoasetofrulesand

regulaEons,buttoGod’scomprehensive

teaching.

Around250B.C.,however,Jewishscholarsin

Alexandria,EgypttranslatedtheHebrew

ScripturesintoGreek.Theytranslatedthe

Hebrew“torah”asnovmoß,theusualGreekwordfor“law,”andsoittypicallyappearsinEnglish

translaEons.

6IntroducingTorah

7IntroducingTorah

“This is the law which Moses set before the Israelites. These are the decrees, and the statutes and ordinances which Moses proclaimed to the Israelites after they came out of Egypt, beyond the Jordan in the valley opposite Beth-peor, in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses and the Israelites defeated after they came out of Egypt. They took possession of his land and the land of Og, king of Bashan, as well—the land of these two kings of the Amorites in the region beyond the Jordan to the east: from Aroer on the edge of the Wadi Arnon to Mount Sion (that is, Hermon) and all the Arabah beyond the Jordan to the east, as far as the Arabah Sea under the slopes of Pisgah.”

(Deuteronomy 4: 44-49)

HereMosesshibsfocusfromalegal

vocabularytogeography,locaEngtheveryplacewheretheIsraelitesstand,

theverysoilonwhichMosesplantshis

feetashedelivershisdiscourse.

8IntroducingTorah

“Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses and the Israelites defeated after they came out of Egypt. They took possession of his land and the land of Og, king of Bashan, as well—the land of these two kings of the Amorites . . .”

NowMosesillustrateshowtheIsraelitesgotto

thisspecificpieceofland.Againstalloddsthey

conqueredthetwomightykingsoftheAmorites,

SihonandOg.Thesonsoftheveryslaveswho

fledEgypt,whotrembledinfearatthereportof

thespieswhomMosessentintoCanaan,who

complainedabouteveryinconveniencethey

experiencedontheirwildernessjourney,these

verysonsdefeatedtwolarger-thanlifekings!

OnlywithGod’saidandstrongrightarmcould

theIsraeliteshaveaccomplishedsuchavictory.

9IntroducingTorah

10IntroducingTorah

KINGDOMOFOG

JordanRiver!

JabbokRiver

YarmukRiver

Notme.

IntroducingTorah

Ifitwereme,I’dsekle

forwhatIhave.Abird

inthehandisworth

twointhebush!

ThelandtakenfromSihon

andOgontheeastsideofthe

JordanRiverisroughlythe

samesizeasthelandof

Canaanonthewestside.

11

12IntroducingTorah

That’strue,andthat’sexactly

whatthetribesofRuben,Gad

andhalfofManassehwanted

todo.Recallthebargainthey

strikewithMosesinNumbers

32:1-5—

13IntroducingTorah

14IntroducingTorah

“Now the Reubenites and Gadites had a very large number of livestock. Noticing that the land of Jazer and of Gilead was a place suited to livestock, the Gadites and Reubenites came to Moses and Eleazar the priest and to the leaders of the community and said, ‘The region of Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo and Baal-meon—the land which the Lord has laid low before the community of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.’ They continued, ‘If we find favor with you, let this land be given to your servants as their possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan.’”

(32: 1-5)

15IntroducingTorah

JordanRiver!

YarmukRiver

"JabbokRiver

"ArnonRiver

GAD

REUBEN

SeaofGalilee!

DeadSea!

MANESSAH

ButjustwhentheIsraelitesfeel

secureintheirvictories,God

shakesthemfromtheir

complacency.Theirvictories

overSihonandOgarebuta

preludeofthingstocome.

Theyarenottostayeastofthe

JordanRiver;theirdesEnylies

onthewest.

16IntroducingTorah

Godhasawayofdoingthat.

Justwhenwestartfeeling

comfortable,hepullstherug

outfromunderus!

17IntroducingTorah

18IntroducingTorah

Nowwemovetopart2ofthe

introducEon:

1.   4:44-49,whichcreatesexpectaEon

andgravitas;and

2.   5:1-5,whichpushesthecovenant

forwardtothepresentEmeonthe

plainsofMoabandinfusesitwith

deeplypersonalrelevance.

19IntroducingTorah

20IntroducingTorah

“Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances which I proclaim in your hearing this day, that you may learn them and take care to observe them. The Lord, our God, made a covenant with us at Horeb; not with our ancestors did the Lord make this covenant, but with us, all of us who are alive here this day. Face to face, the Lord spoke with you on the mountain from the midst of the fire, while I was standing between the Lord and you at that time, to announce to you these words of the Lord, since you were afraid of the fire and would not go up the mountain.”

(5: 1-5)

“Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances which I proclaim in your hearing this day . . .”

AsthecommunityassembledatMt.

SinaitoreceiveGod’storah,sodoesthenewgeneraEonassemblenowonthe

plainsofMoabtohearitagain.“Thisday”stressestheimmediacyofthe

event:“MosessummonedallIsrael”[righthere,rightnow]!”

21IntroducingTorah

“The Lord, our God, made a covenant with us at Horeb; not with our ancestors did the Lord make this covenant, but with us, all of us who are alive here this day . . .”

AsweobservedinLesson#2,God’storahtranscendsEmeandplace,andhereMoses’

strikingrhetoricmakeswhathappenedatMt.

Sinaifortyyearsearlierimmediatelyapplicable

tothenewgeneraEon.

Thecovenantisnotfortheirancestorsalone,but

forallthosewhoarepresentontheplainsof

Moab,aswellasforallthosewhowillcomein

futuregeneraEons.

22IntroducingTorah

“The Lord, our God, made a covenant with us at Horeb; not with our ancestors did the Lord make this covenant, but with us, all of us who are alive here this day . . .”

God’storahappliestoall,cumngacross

linesofstatus,genderandethnicity.It

applieseventothoseof“mixedancestry”(Exodus12:38),to“men,womenandchildren,aswellasresidentalienswholiveinyourcommuniHes”(Deuteronomy31:12).

Theinclusivenessoftorahisstunning!

23IntroducingTorah

AndGod’storahgoesbeyondstatus,genderandethnicity:it

spansEme,aswell.

StevenL.Cookinvokesanapt

metaphor.Hewrites:

“ForDeuteronomy,Israel’ssolidarityisthatofahugebranchingtree,plantedonthepromisedland.AllgeneraHons—eventhosethathavepassedon—areasone.”

MosesinsiststhatallgeneraEonsformonelargebranching

community,whoselifespansEme,

aswellasplace.11ReadingDeuteronomy,aLiteraryandTheologicalCommentary(Macon,Georgia:Smyth&HelwysPublishers,

Inc.,2015),p.60.

24IntroducingTorah

Psalm1expressesthisquite

well:

25IntroducingTorah

“David&Christ,Psalm1,”LaHnGlossedPsalter(illuminatedMsAdd.18859,fol39r),c.1150.

BriEshLibrary,London.

26IntroducingTorah

Psalm 1 Blessed, indeed, is the man who walks not in the counsel of the godless, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scorners, but his delight is in the law [torah] of the Lord, and on his law [torah] he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree planted by flowing water that yields its fruit in due season, and its leaf does not wither, and in all that he does he prospers.

27IntroducingTorah

Not so are the godless, not so; they are like winnowed chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore, the godless will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the just.

For the Lord knows the way of the just, but the way of the godless will perish.

Wenowmoveontotheveryheart

oftorah,theDecalogueorthe“TenCommandments.”

Aswenotedinourstudyof

Exodus,the“TenCommandments”

aretenprinciplesbywhicha

covenantpeopleistolivewithGod

andoneanother.

28IntroducingTorah

Everysociety,ancientormodern,

musthaveasetoflawsgoverning

moralandethicalbehavior,ifthat

societyistosurvive.

• Inancientpre-literatesocieEes,suchlawsmaybeembodiedinlong-

establishedculturalnormspassedon

orallyfromgeneraEontogeneraEon,

obeninstoriesdesignedtoteach

suchculturalnormsandbehavioral

expectaEons.

• Inmorecomplex,literatesocieEes,

suchlawsmaybecodifiedandwriken

down,accompaniedbyajudicial

systemtoensurecompliance.

29IntroducingTorah

TheancientNearEastproducednumerous

examplesofsuchwrikenlaws,manyof

whichpredatetheExodusstory.

• TheCodeofUr-Nammu,kingofUr

(Abraham’shometown),theoldest

knownlawcode,wrikeninMesopotamia

ontabletsintheSumerianlanguage,c.

2100-2050B.C.,theEmeofAbraham.

• TheLawsofEshnunna(aseklement

northofUrontheTigrisRiver),two

cuneiformtabletswerediscoveredatTel

AbūHarmaiinBagdad,Iraq,daEngfrom

c.1930B.C.

• TheCodeofHammurabi,theBabylonian

lawcodeofancientMesopotamia,daEng

toc.1772B.C.,themostwell-knownof

theancientlawcodes.

30IntroducingTorah

InscribedintheAkkadian

languageincuneiformscript,

thecodeofHammurabi

consistsof282laws:

• Nearly1/2oftheCodeaddressescontractuallaw;

• About1/3oftheCodeaddresseshouseholdand

familyrelaEonships,including

sexualbehavior;and

• Therestaddressesjudicialandmilitaryissues.

TheCodeofHammurabi(dioritestele),c.1772B.C.LouvreMuseum,Paris.

[Close-upofinscripEons:GekyImages.]

31IntroducingTorah

Suchancientlegal

codesaretypically

theendresultof

codifiedcultural

normshandeddown

byapoliEcalruler,

usuallyaking,

wrikenonclayor

stonetablets.

Hammurabi,6thruleroftheAmoritedynastyofBabylon,c.1750.LouvreMuseum,Paris.

32IntroducingTorah

The“TenCommandments”are

excepEonal,inthat

Deuteronomytellsustheyare

nottheresultofcodified

culturalnormshandeddownby

apoliEcalruler;rather,theyare

givendirectlybyGod.Moses

saysinDeuteronomy:

Rembrandt.MosesSmashingtheTabletsoftheLaw(oiloncanvas),1659.Gemäldegalerie,Berlin.

“TheLordgavemethetwostonetabletsinscribed,byGod’sownfinger,withacopyofallthewordsthattheLordspoketoyouonthemountainfromthemidstofthefireonthedayoftheassembly.”

(9:10)

33IntroducingTorah

Notme.

IntroducingTorah

Thosetabletsresideinside

theArkoftheCovenantin

theHolyofholies.Youcan’t

getmoreimportantthan

that!

Withthe“TenCommandments”God

becomesthemoralandethicalarbiter

ofhumanbehavior.Inscribedby

“God’sownfinger”andspokenaloud

fromthesmokeandfireofSinai,they

carryahighermoralauthoritythan

anythingelseinScripture.

34

And,yet,aberreceivingthe“Ten

Commandments”atMt.Sinaiin1446B.C.,

theIsraelitesgoontoblatantlydisobey

them!

Hoseaworksasaprophetduringtheearly

yearsofIsaiah,beforethereformsofKing

Hezekiah(740-686B.C.),andhewrites:

“HearthewordoftheLord,Israelites,fortheLordhasadisputewiththeinhabitantsoftheland:thereisnofidelity,noloyalty,noknowledgeofGodintheland.Swearing,lying,murder,stealingandadulterybreakout;bloodshedfollowsbloodshed...”

(4:1-2)

TheIsraelitescompletelyignorethe6th,7th,8th,and9thcommandments.

35IntroducingTorah

Halfacenturylater,duringtheEmeof

KingJosiah(640-609B.C.),whenHilkiah

thepriestfindsthebookofthelawinthe

Temple,thingswereevenworse:

“ThussaystheLord:Iamabouttobringeviluponthisplaceanduponitsinhabitants—allthewordsofthebookwhichthekingofJudah[Josiah]hasread.Becausetheyhaveabandonedmeandhaveburnedincensetoothergods,provokingmebyalltheworksoftheirhands,myrageisablazeagainstthisplaceanditcannotbeexHnguished.”

(2Kings22:16-17)

TheIsraelitesalsoblatantlybreakthe1st

and2ndcommandments.

36IntroducingTorah

ByEzekiel’sday(593-573B.C.),theIsraelites

hitrockbokom:

“Inthesixthyearonthefiahdayofthesixthmonth[September5,592B.C.]...[theLord]saidtome:Sonofman,liaupyoureyestothenorth!Ilookedtothenorthandthereintheentrynorthofthealtargatewasthisstatueofjealousy.Heasked:Sonofman,doyouseewhattheyaredoing?DoyouseethegreatabominaHonsthatthehouseofIsraelispracHcinghere.sothatImustdepartfrommysanctuary?...Iwentinandlooked—figuresofallkindsofcreepingthingsandloathsomebeasts,alltheidolsofthehouseofIsrael,picturedaroundthewall.BeforethemstoodseventyoftheeldersofthehouseofIsrael...eachwithacenserinhand,acloudofincensedriaedupward...”

(8:1-11)

37IntroducingTorah

Notme.

IntroducingTorah

Godcarriesoutthepunishment

hepromised.1Chronicles9:1

says,“JudahhadbeenexiledtoBabylonbecauseofits

treachery.”

HowlowcantheIsraelitespossiblysink?

Thisisthelaststraw.Babylonlayssiegeto

Jerusalemfouryearslaterin588B.C.,and

abera2-yearsiege,Jerusalemfallsto

BabylononAugust14,586B.C.;the

Templeisdestroyed;thecitysacked;and

thesurvivorsdeportedtoBabylon.

38

ThetrajectoryofIsraelitehistorypoints

steeplydownward:Godknowsit,and

Mosesknowsit.

Hence,intheEmeofKingJosiahthe

augmented“BookoftheLaw,”wrikenin

thedivinely-sancEonedvoiceofMoses,

stressestheurgencyofobediencetothe

lawastheonlypossiblewaytocreatea

“kingdomofpriests,aholynaHon”(Exodus19:6);theonlypossiblewaytobefullyhuman,toliveacovenant

relaEonshipwithGodandwithone

another,blessedanddwellingontheland

Godhasprovided.

39IntroducingTorah

The“TenCommandments”in

Exodus20formheartoftorah,thecoreofthecovenant,and

Deuteronomyrestatesthose

Commandments,mirroring,

augmenEngandrefocusingwhat

theIsraelitesheardatMt.Sinai.

Westudiedeachofthe“Ten

Commandments”indetailin

Exodus;here,we’llfocusontheir

funcEonasawholein

Deuteronomy.

40IntroducingTorah

41IntroducingTorah

Commandment #1

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall not have other gods beside me.”

(5: 6-7)

42IntroducingTorah

Commandment #2

“You shall not make for yourself an idol or a likeness of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth; you shall not bow down before them or serve them. For I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God, bringing punishment for their parents’ wickedness on the children of those who hate me, down to the third and fourth generation, but showing love down the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.”

(5: 8-10)

43IntroducingTorah

Commandment #3

“You shall not invoke the name of the Lord, your God, in vain. For the Lord will not leave unpunished anyone who invokes his name in vain.”

(5: 11)

44IntroducingTorah

Commandment #4

“Observe the Sabbath day—keep it holy, as the Lord, your God, commanded you. Six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God. You shall not do any work, either you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your ox or donkey or any work animal, or the resident alien within your gates, so that your male and female slave may rest as you do. Remember that you too were once slaves in the land of Egypt, and the Lord, your God, brought you out from there with a strong hand and outstretched arm. That is why the Lord, your God, has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.”

(5: 12-15)

Notme.

IntroducingTorah

Godcomesfirst.

Ilikethat!

NoEcethatthefirstfour

commandmentsfocusonour

relaEonshipwithGod;thelastsix

willfocusonourrelaEonshipwith

oneanother.

45

46IntroducingTorah

Commandment #5

“Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord, your God, has commanded you, that you may have a long life and that you may prosper in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”

(5: 16)

47IntroducingTorah

Commandments 6-10

6 You shall not kill (5: 17). 7 You shall not commit adultery (5: 18). 8 You shall not steal (5: 19). 9 You shall not bear dishonest witness against your

neighbor (5: 20). 10  You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife (5: 21).

You shall not desire your neighbor’s house or field, his male or female slave, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

(5: 17-21)

Incontrasttothe“Ten

Commandments”inExodus

20,bysheerweightand

augmentaEon,the4th

commandmentto“observe

theSabbathday”becomes

thefocalpointin

Deuteronomy.

48IntroducingTorah

WithHilkiah’sdiscoveryofthe“Bookofthe

Law,”theaugmentedDeuteronomyreflects

KingJosiah’sreformsthatstrivetocreateajust

society,whollyobedienttoGod,asocietythat

embodiesawondrousinEmacywitha

transcendentGod,aninEmacythatblossomsin

thelandandthatmanifestsitselfinallthe

detailsofdailylife:ofworking,eaEng,playing

andevensleeping.

Itisautopianvision.1

Butitispossible,iflivedwithinthecontextof

God’scovenant.

1St.ThomasMorecoinedtheword“utopia”inhis1516

LaEnsaEreofthesamename.“Utopia”isGreek,meaning

“noplace.”

49IntroducingTorah

Atthecenterofthisutopianvisionin

Deuteronomyis“rest.”TheHebrewword

“nuwach”[noo’-akh]hasawiderangeofmeaning,buthereitisrestinthebroadestand

deepestsense,notsimplytheabsenceofwork,

butaposiEvestateofwell-beingand

fulfillment,astateofcompleteness.

Deuteronomyaimstocreateaformof

communallifecenteredinGod,alifeofsacred

inEmacywithhim.ObservingtheSabbath

weekinandweekout,schoolsthepeopleto

“remember”Godandto“remember”whothey

are.TheyarenotlikeothernaEons,theyaretobea“kingdomofpriests,aholynaEon,”andin

rigorouslyobservingtheSabbaththeIsraelites

resistbeingdraggeddownintothemoraland

ethicalsewerofthenaEonsaroundthem.

50IntroducingTorah

InDeuteronomy,unlikeExodus,

theLordGodcommandsrigorousobservanceoftheSabbath,and

thatcommandframesthe4th

commandment.

51IntroducingTorah

52IntroducingTorah

Commandment #4

“Observe the Sabbath day—keep it holy, as the Lord, your God, commanded you. Six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God. You shall not do any work, either you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your ox or donkey or any work animal, or the resident alien within your gates, so that your male and female slave may rest as you do. Remember that you too were once slaves in the land of Egypt, and the Lord, your God, brought you out from there with a strong hand and outstretched arm. That is why the Lord, your God, has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.”

(5: 12-15)

Deuteronomythen

emphasizesthevivid,

visceralexperienceatMt.

Sinaithatanchorsthe“Ten

Commandments”inthe1st

generaEon’slived

experience,astheyheard

thewordsemergefromthe

verylipsofGod.

53IntroducingTorah

54IntroducingTorah

“These words the Lord spoke with a loud voice to your entire assembly on the mountain from the midst of the fire and the dense black cloud, and added no more. He inscribed them on two stone tablets and gave them to me. But when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was ablaze with fire . . . (5: 1-5)

TheIsraelitesatMt.Sinaicringed

interrorasGodspoke,

awestruckatthewordsthey

heardwiththeirownears.

Theytrembledandfellbackas

God’swordsthunderedfromthe

fierymountain,andtheybegged

Mosestointercedeforthem,to

standinthegapanddeliver

God’swordssecondhand,lest

theyalldie.

55IntroducingTorah

56IntroducingTorah

“But when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was ablaze with fire, you came near to me, all your tribal heads and elders, and said, ‘The Lord, our God, has indeed let us see his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice from the midst of the fire. Today we have found out that God may speak to a mortal and that person [Moses] may still live . . . (5: 1-5)

Mosesconcurswiththepeople’s

request,andheagreestoactas

intermediary,todeliverGod’swordsto

theIsraelitesonGod’sbehalf.Moses

thusbecomestheprophetparexcellence.

InallowingMosestoactas

intermediary,Goddelegatesdivinely-

sancEonedauthoritytowhatMoses

says.Consequently,crabingthefinal

versionofDeuteronomyinthe

ipsissimavox—theveryvoiceofMoses

—elevatesDeuteronomyfaraboveany

otheroftheHebrewScriptures.

57IntroducingTorah

Notme.

IntroducingTorah

I’malways

obedient!

Ihaveafeelingthere’saflyinthe

ointment,though.Weknowhowthis

storywillturnout,andsodoesGod.

TheIsraeliteswillnotobeyGod;theywillnothonorthetermsofthe

covenant.

58

Yea,right!

59IntroducingTorah

“The Lord heard your words as you were speaking to me and said to me, I have heard the words these people have spoken to you, which are all well said. Would that they might always be of such a mind, to fear me and to keep all my commandments! Then they and their descendants would prosper forever. Go, tell them: Return to your tents. Then you stand here near me and I will give you all the commandments, the statutes and the ordinances; you must teach them, that they may observe them in the land I am giving them to possess.”

(5: 28-31)

60ASacredCovenant

GodseemstoletoutaEredsigh.Thepeople

willnotkeepthecovenant;theywillfail.

AndfromaChrisEanperspecEve,that’sthe

point.Thereisnothingwrongwiththelawor

lackingintorah.Butthereissomething

dreadfullywrongwiththepeople.Theysimply

cannotmeetGod’srequirementsthroughtheir

owneffort.AsSt.Paulwrites:

“[Now]therighteousnessofGodhasbeenmanifestedapartfromthelaw,thoughtesHfiedtobythelawandtheprophets,therighteousnessofGodthroughfaithinJesusChristforallwhobelieve.”

(Romans3:21-22)

OnlythroughChristwillpeoplebesaved,only

throughhisshedbloodonthecross.

CreaEonawaitsaMessiah.

1.   WhatisGod’storah?

2.   WhatfuncEondoesthe“TenCommandments”serve

inGod’storah?

3.   WhywouldtheintroducEontothe“Ten

Commandments”beginwithaflurryoflegal

vocabulary?

4.   WhyinDeuteronomyisthe4thcommandmentto

“observetheSabbath”soprominent?

5.   The“TenCommandments”formtheverycoreof

torah,butaretheyuniquetoScripture?

61IntroducingTorah

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62IntroducingTorah