BY ELDER DR MASIMBA MAVAZA
Deuteronomy in the Later Writings
_Lesson 11_
Memory Text: “ ‘The Lord delighted only in your fathers, to love them; and He chose their descendants after them, you above all peoples, as it is this day.’ ” (Deuteronomy 10:15, NKJV).
INTRODUCTION
One of the fascinating things about the Bible, especially the Old Testament, is how often it refers or alludes to itself; that is, later writers in the Old Testament refer to earlier ones, using them and their writings to make their point.
Psalm 81, for example, goes back to the book of Exodus and then almost quotes verbatim from the preamble of the Ten Commandments when the psalmist writes: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt” (Ps. 81:10, NKJV).
All through the Old Testament, Genesis—especially the Creation story—is referenced, such as in “I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form, and void; and the heavens, they had no light” (Jer. 4:23, NKJV; see also Gen. 1:2).
And, yes, many times the later writers of the Old Testament, such as the prophets, referred back to the book of Deuteronomy, which played such a central role in the covenantal life of early Israel. This week we will focus on how the book was used by later writers. What parts of Deuteronomy did they use, and what points were they making that have relevance for us today?
*SABBATH*: From the beginning to the end, the NT authors ascribe great authority to the OT Scripture. Even before the NT, some texts in the OT alludes to itself such as Psalm 81 citing the opening lines of the Decalogue (Ps. 81:10). A vivid example is the reference of the Creation story in Jeremiah (Jer. 4:23; Gen. 1:2). Most OT authors cited Deuteronomy which spoke of the covenantal life of early Israel.
*SUNDAY*: Josiah was only 8 years old when he acceded to the royal dignity of Judah. He ruled for 31 years (640 B.C-609 B.C.) prior to his death. In the 18th year of his reign, the youthful king did all in his power to bring about reforms; the discovery of the “Book of the Law” which was Deuteronomy. He obeyed God using it (2 Kings 22:8, 23:3, 20, 24, Deut. 30:19, 4:29, 6:5, 10:12, 11:13, PP, p. 393).
*MONDAY*: Omnipotent in power & full of mercy, God wields power over the cosmos. Although the phrase; “heaven of heavens” in Deuteronomy isn’t totally clear, it alludes to the majesty & power of God (Deut. 10:12-15). God made us & has appointed us to witness Him. This was the sole duty of early Israel (Deut. 7:6, 14:2, 18:5). Other OT authors reiterate this (1 Kings 8:27, Neh. 9:6, Ps. 148:4).
*TUESDAY*: By comparing Scripture with Scripture, we find unity in the Bible. A Bible student discovered this truth by finding his favorite text in two books (Deut. 4:23-29; Jer. 29:13). Thus, Jeremiah got his idea from Deuteronomy (Moses). God is always ready to forgive the repentant sinner. Josiah found this truth & we see the ideas presented by Jeremiah too (see Jer. 7:1-7, Deut. 24:17, 21, 10:18, 19, 27:19).
*WEDNESDAY*: Micah also borrows from Deuteronomy to convey what God requires of man; to do justly, to love mercy, & walk humbly with God (Micah 6:1-8; Deut. 10:12, 13). At the end of the 40-year detour, God was about to fulfill more of His covenant promises to Israel. Israel had to keep their end of the deal (Amos 5:24, Hos. 6:6). The texts in Micah is tagged; God’s covenant lawsuit against Israel (Mic. 2:2).
*THURSDAY*: Israel’s disobedience led the nation into captivity. The commands of Moses was winked at & this brought curses. Again, God promised to restore Israel (Deut. 4:27-31, 28, & 31:29). When restoration was near but hope was little, Daniel never asked “why” but said a prayer to God confessing his & Israel’s sins. Twice, he spoke of the “law of Moses” (Dan. 9:1-19, 24-27, see Deut. 4:6; Dan. 9:16).
*FRIDAY*: God took Israel when the nation was small & in slavery. He redeemed & blessed Israel for her to be a light to the world. Sadly, Israel continually sinned against God. In His lawsuit against Israel which is captured in Micah 6:1-8 (see also Amos 5:24 & Hos. 6:6), God does not directly charge Israel but asked Israel to bring a charge against Him if they have any. It took king Josiah to spark reforms.
—Ralph L. Smith, Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 32, Micah-Malachi (Grand Rapids, MI: Word Books, 1984), p. 50 & Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, p. 401.
*Keywords*
_Decalogue- The Ten Commandments_
_PP- Patriarchs and Prophets_
_OT- Old Testament_
_NT- New Testament_
*Captions*
_SUNDAY- The Book Of The Law_
_MONDAY- The Heaven Of Heavens_
_TUESDAY- Deuteronomy In Jeremiah_
_WEDNESDAY- What Does The Lord Require?_
_THURSDAY- Daniel’s Prayer_
*Discussion Questions*
📌 Sure, we’re Seventh-day Adventists, and with our presenttruth message, we see ourselves and (rightly so) in the same place that the people of ancient Israel had been in: having truths that the world around them needed to hear. It’s a great privilege for us. How well, though, do you think we are living up to the responsibilities that come with such privilege?
📌 Imagine being Daniel, having seen your nation invaded and defeated, and knowing that the temple, the center of your whole religious faith, was destroyed by idolatrous pagans. How, though, could knowledge of the book of Deuteronomy have been very faith-sustaining for him (or any other Jew) at this time? That is, how did the book help him understand all that was happening and why it happened? In a similar way, how does our understanding of Scripture as a whole help us deal with trying times and events that otherwise, without our knowledge of Scripture, could be very discouraging to us? What should the answer teach us about how central the Bible must be to our faith?
📌 In class, go over the 70-week prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27. What role does the covenant have in that prophecy, and why is the idea of covenant so important to it—and to us?
_For December 4-10. Happy Sabbath._
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