Deuteronomy: Believers Church Bible Commentary

by Gerald E. Gerbrandt

Overview

Deuteronomy is a book full of life, stories of God’s people, and a vision for walking in the way of God. Considered by some to be the theological center of the Old Testament, Deuteronomy has been called the gospel according to Moses, with its attention to divine grace and practices of justice. Deuteronomy has also disturbed thoughtful readers throughout history, having been used to justify violence and all manner of war. In this insightful commentary, Old Testament scholar Gerald Gerbrandt invites readers to struggle with the difficult passages and to humbly converse with the book’s consistently hopeful themes of covenant, land, and leadership. Against the backdrop of apathy and amnesia and countless competing modern-day gods, Deuteronomy calls for the exclusive worship of the one God, with a reminder of what that God has done for us. It presents a vision for a community of brothers and sisters who treat each other with justice and generosity. By examining the book that Jesus quoted when asked about the heart of Israel’s faith, Gerbrandt unfolds for readers the richness of a book that is endlessly challenging and remarkably relevant for today.

Deuteronomy is the twenty-ninth volume in The Believers Church Bible Commentary Series. Accessible to lay readers, useful in preaching and pastoral care, helpful for Bible study groups and Sunday school teachers, and academically sound, the commentary foregrounds an Anabaptist reading of Scripture. Relying on a unique format that includes sections on The Text in Biblical Context and The Text in the Life of the Church, the commentary series is a cooperative project of Brethren in Christ Church, Brethren Church, Church of the Brethren, Mennonite Brethren Church, Mennonite Church Canada, and Mennonite Church USA. Published for all who seek more fully to understand the original message of Scripture and its meaning for today, the series is based on the conviction that God is still speaking to all who will listen, and that the Holy Spirit makes the Word a living and authoritative guide for all who want to know and do God’s will.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780836199703
Publisher:	MennoMedia
Publication date:	10/01/2015
Series:	Believers Church Bible Commentary Series
Pages:	602
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Gerald E. Gerbrandt is president emeritus and professor emeritus of Bible at Canadian Mennonite University. He served as president at CMU from 2003 to 2012 and as president of Canadian Mennonite Bible College from 1997 to 2003.

Table of Contents

Abbreviations
Pronunciation Guide
Series Foreword
Author’s Preface

Introduction to Deuteronomy
A Sermon for Today
Theological Themes in Deuteronomy
Torah: Sermon, Not Law
The Structure and Logic of Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy and the Scandal of Violence
Deuteronomy and a Hermeneutics of Suspicion

Part 1, First Speech (1:1–4:43): Retrospect and Prospect
1:1-5 Introduction
*Israel at the Boundary
+The People of God at Boundaries
1:6-18 Retrospect: Dividing the Load
*Responsibility for Justice
+Justice is the “Bottom Line”
1:19–2:1 Retrospect: Rebellion at the Border
*An Imperfect Story
+Inordinate Confidence
2:2-23 Retrospect: Peaceful Encounters
*God and the Nations
+Theology versus Practice
2:24–3:11 Retrospect: Hostile Confrontations
*Sihon and Og as Symbols
*The Gift of Land Within Scripture
+Misreading the Story
3:12-29 Retrospect: Final Arrangements for Crossing the Jordan
*At Rest, and Yet Not
+Living on the Way to Full Rest
4:1-43 Prospect
*The Greatness of Israel
*Distress and Repentance
+Theological Images

Part 2, Second Speech (4:44–28:68): Preaching Torah
2A Introduction, 4:44-49
2B The Horeb Covenant, 5:1-33
*The Ten Commandments beyond the Pentateuch
+The Ten Commandments on Display
2C Preaching the Foundational Commandment, 6:1–11:32
6:1-9 Yahweh Is One—Yahweh Alone
*Loving God
+Centrality of the Shema
6:10-25 Remembering Yahweh in the Land
*Biblical Creeds
+A Story Provides the Meaning
7:1-26 Chosen to Be a Holy Possession
*Why Did God Choose Israel?
*Election, Separation, and Mission
+The Church and Separation
8:1-20 Remember! Do Not Forget!
*God’s Nurture
*The Peril of Prosperity
*Jesus in the Wilderness
+Land as Blessing and Temptation
9:1–10:11 Israel: Stubborn, Not Righteous
*Human Nature—God’s Nature
*Interceding with God
+Original Sin
+The Power of Prayer
10:12–11:32 A Midcourse Review
*Stark Alternatives
+A Works Righteousness?
2D Preaching the Moab Covenant, 12:1–26:19
2D Unit 1 Exclusive Worship of the One God, 12:1–14:21
12:1-32 Worship at The Place
*Centralization in Israel and Scripture
+Deuteronomy 2 and Contemporary Middle Eastern Politics
+Right Worship
13:1-18 Purging Apostasy
*One Way, and the Consequences of the Other Way
+Capital Punishment or No Discipline
+Worshiping the Family?
14:1-21 Cleanliness and Purity for a Holy People
*Dietary Regulations: Symbols of Jewish Identity and Christian Universalism
+Visible Reminders: Respect for All Life
+Identity versus Mission
2D Unit 2 Justice in Israel: The Community, 14:22–15:18
14:22-29 The Annual Tithe
*Tithing versus Generosity in Scripture
+Tithing and Celebration
15:1-18 A Sabbatical Release
*Old Testament Release Regulations
+“True Evangelical Faith”
+Liberation Theology, Preferential Option for the Poor, Jubilee 2000
+Breaking the Cycle
2D Unit 3 Festivals and the Cult, 15:19–16:17
*Festivals and Renewal
+A Communal Church Year
+Drama versus Word
2D Unit 4 Leadership and Judicial Procedures, 16:18–19:21
16:18–17:13 Judges and Judicial Procedures
17:14-20 The King
*Torah, Moses, and Leadership in Israel and the New Testament
*Kings and Kingship in Scripture
+Of Kings and CEOs
+Nation versus People
18:1-8 Levitical Priests
*Priests, and a Royal Priesthood
+Leadership and the Church
18:9-22 Prophets
*True and False Prophecy
+Prophets Today?
19:1-21 Further Judicial Procedures
*Jesus, Prophets, and Justice
*Jesus, and an Eye for an Eye
+Eye for Eye, or Reconciliation?
2D Unit 5 War, 20:1-20
*War in the Old Testament and “Pacifism” in the New Testament
+Making Use of Deuteronomic War Passages
2D Unit 6 Miscellaneous, 21:1–25:19
*Does God Remarry a Previously Divorced Bride?
*Divorce in Scripture
*God Shows No Partiality
+The Church and Divorce
+Syncretism
2D Unit 7 Theology through Worship, 26:1-19
*The Two Greatest Commandments
+Thanksgiving as a Remembrance Day
+Participation
2E Covenant Renewal, Blessings and Curses 27:1–28:68
*Blessing and Curse, Reward and Punishment
+Secret Sins

Part 3, Third Speech (29:1–30:20): The Covenant in Moab
Making a Covenant, 29:1–30:20
*Seeing and Seeing, Hearing and Hearing
+The Doable Law
+Deuteronomy as Altar Call

Part 4, Transition (31:1–34:12): Toward a Moses-less People
Preparation for Transition 31:1-30
*When God Gives an Assignment
*Inclined to Forsake, But . . .
*From Direct Speech to Written Word
+Discerning Gifts and Calling
The Song of Moses 32:1-52
*Punishing the Nations
*The Vindication of God
+The Power of the Song
The Blessing of Moses 33:1-29
*The Last Words of a Leader
+Security and Prosperity
The Death of Moses 34:1-12
*Moses after the Pentateuch
+Moses Made Public
+Martin Luther King Jr. Speaks in Memphis

Outline of Deuteronomy
Essays
Biblical Monotheism
Chiasm
Christians and Old Testament (as) Law
Composition of Deuteronomy
Cult
Deuteronomistic History
Deuteronomy, Covenant, and Political Treaties
Deuteronomy and the Reform of Josiah
Dietary Regulations
Ḥerem
Holy, Holiness
Law
Contemporary Law, Ancient Law
Apodictic and Casuistic Lawlike Materials
People and Places in Deuteronomy
Sacrifice and Offerings
Yahweh War

Map of Palestine for Deuteronomy
Map of the Ancient Near East for Deuteronomy
Bibliography
Selected Resources
Index of Ancient Sources
The Author