What’s interesting is that in the first four books of the Torah, we don’t really find a strong emphasis on monotheism or the idea that HASHEM is the only God in existence and that He is the God for all humans everywhere.
It is only until we come to Deuteronomy that Moses makes it crystal clear there is only ONE God, period.
In the beginning, the ancient Israelites had difficulty accepting this concept, as we’ll see them struggle with idolatry and fall into apostasy time and time again and being judged severely for it.
And let’s face it, it wasn’t just the Israelites who struggled with idolatry.
We too struggle with our own modern day versions of idols on a daily basis.
Let’s move on to the the next theme of Deuteronomy that just happens to go hand-in-hand with the non-negotiable principle that there is only one God.
I’m talking about the concept of LOYALTY.
It makes sense that LOYALTY would go hand-in-hand with MONOTHEISM.
If the Lord went out of His way to rescue the people of Israel from Bondage in Egypt and then bless them above all other peoples on the planet, doesn’t it make sense that Israel should reciprocate by pledging unswerving and 100% allegiance to HASHEM and to HASHEM ONLY?
Actually, so loyal was Israel to be towards their God that in addition to being forbidden from worshipping other deities or objects like the stars in sky, the Israelites were also ordered to utterly destroy ALL of the Temples and high places the Canaanites used in their heathen worship practices which included child sacrifice.
I think one reason why you’re really going to love Deuteronomy is because it’s the one book in the Bible that gives us a very clear view and explanation of the character and attributes of who God really is…which quite often doesn’t jive with many people’s subjective notions of who they want God to be.
And you also may find yourself quite challenged by what you’re gonna find in this book.
Loyalty is demanded above everything, including allegiance to one’s family.
In addition, Moses is going to be quite thorough in discussing God’s nature and what He expects from His followers.
This is Moses’ Grand Opus folks!
I’ve heard there are many Christians out there who testify they really didn’t know who God was until they actually studied the Torah in depth.
To that point, here’s one promise I can make to you with 100% confidence.
You will learn more about who God really is by studying Deuteronomy than by studying all the New Testament books COMBINED!
That’s a guarantee!
What are some of the awesome things about God you’ll learn from studying Deuteronomy?
Well, first of all, you’ll learn about His omnipresence or how His presence can be both here and there at the same time.
Although God lives in Heaven, we see His Presence (KAVOD in Hebrew) dwell with Israel in many different ways.
For instance, HASHEM’s presence dwelt with Israel as the cloud that hovered above the camp of Israel during the day and as a burning fire at night.
Another attribute of HASHEM that Moses will expound on is His formlessness.
Moses will make it clear that God’s true essence is spirit and in this sense completely different from all the animal gods the Egyptians worshipped.
Another important aspect of God that Moses will expound on is His Personhood.
God is a being who has personhood and has emotions.
He feels love, gets angry, and we’re even told he gets jealous.
He is also a God who wants to have an intimate relationship AND GETS INVOLVED with His Creation.
He hasn’t just created us and the world and then decided to go away…in spite of all wars and natural disasters our world suffers that make us feel like it’s quite the contrary.
He is also not some abstract force like the pantheistic philosophy promoted in the Star Wars movies.
And He is definitely NOT “Three Who’s In One What” as promoted by trinitarian Christianity.
He is a singular being who is always referred to by singular pronouns in Scripture.
He is ONE and He is the only ONE Yeshua instructed us to direct our prayers towards.
That’s a guarantee?
Please allow me to respectfully disagree. You may not be able to uphold your guarantee.
Hebrews 7:11-12 “Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron? For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well.”
The Levitical priesthood, and sacrifices, was instituted because of the transgression and idolatry of the gold calf. They had said, “Tomorrow is a feast to YHWH.” When Moses broke the first Tablets of Testimony, it is because they broke the Covenant. Stoney tablets indicated their stoney hearts. But why break the Tablets of Testimony? Because they testified to the Covenant, which, now that it was broken, had nothing to which to testify.
When Yahusha came as High Priest in the Order of Melchizedek, and of a Better Covenant with Better Promises, His Sacrifice superseded the Levitical priesthood and sacrifices. This cannot be learned or discerned only in Torah. The New Covenant tells us, Jew and non-Jew believers from all nations, that we are a holy nation and a Royal Priesthood. The True Israel of Yah is, like Isaac, children of The Promise, not just the natural seed, but those born super-naturally by faith in Messiah Yahusha.
At the gold calf YHWH divorced Israel. A divorced woman cannot return to her husband after being with another. Yahusha died to pay the price for the unfaithful bride. If the husband dies, she is free to marry Another – Yahusha, Who said, I and the Father are one.” The Word of Yah in the Torah does not tell us to go to highways and byways and COMPEL people, from all nations, to come, not just to salvation, but to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. This Marriage will take place during Sukkot, when He receives His Kingdom and His Bride. After subduing all His enemies, He will submit The Kingdom to His, and our, Father. We do not read this in the Torah alone, but in the New Covenant in His Blood.
Blessings and Shalom to the Israel of Yah.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts David. I have no problem with disagreements. Be blessed and SHALOM!