Deuteronomy 11:1-12:28

Deuteronomy 11:1-12:28

Beginning with Deuteronomy 11, the next several chapters will seem like a repeat of the end of Exodus as well as much of Leviticus. Moses continues restating the law, now moving into all the specifics with where to worship God, how to not follow false gods, laws concerning the feasts, what the judges, priests, and Levites are to do, etc. Remember that this newer generation had not yet had the law presented in this way to them, so before Moses hands over his leadership position to Joshua, he makes sure that he clearly outlines the Law for this new generation of Israelites.

So Deuteronomy 11 serves as a transition between these two sections of Deuteronomy. First, it concludes the talk of obedience and discipline that has been one of the main themes of the book so far (as well as much of the Pentateuch). Moses once again stresses the importance of following God’s commands and explains that there will be blessings given to them in the new land for their obedience and curses if they choose to disobey God. He again alludes to how the Egyptians and their fathers were dealt with for their respective acts of disobedience, and uses that as a warning for the Israelites as they enter the land. Secondly, this chapter serves as an introduction for the next series of chapters that will specifically look at the various laws that God had given the Israelites.

The first set of laws that Moses gives them are not directly from Exodus and Leviticus for they deal with what the Israelites are to do when they enter the land. In Deuteronomy 12, Moses explains how the Israelites are to destroy all places of worship that are not set up to God Himself. Any place that had been constructed for some false god was to be done away with completely so that the land could be cleansed of its unrighteousness and be used to worship God alone. But in with this, Moses does briefly mention some of the different offerings and practices that the Israelites were instructed to give. God had greatly detailed the sacrificial system in Leviticus, and as they entered into the new land, He expected them to continue to offer their sacrifices to Him. So in order to do this they had to first get rid of all the places of worship made for any other god. Moses then goes into explaining what the Israelites would be allowed to eat and how to do so. The main point in the midst of these laws (that honestly are sometimes hard to connect with) is that God was drawing unto Himself a holy people who would worship Him by obeying His commands.

Matt