A Second Chance for the Second Generation
After the apostasy with the Baal of Peor, the Lord orders a new census. In Numbers
26 a census is taken from all twelve tribes, “but among these there was not a man of those
numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest, who had numbered the people of Israel in the
wilderness of Sinai. For the L
ORD
had said of them, ‘They shall die in the wilderness’ ”
(Nm 26:64–65). With the exception of Joshua
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and Caleb, all those numbered in
the first census have perished in the wilderness. Now, the second generation stands poised
at the borders of the Promised Land, ready to enter.
But before they can do so, diligent preparations are needed. These preparations,
however, are not what one would expect of a nation on the verge of a war of conquest.
Instead of fashioning weapons and training for battle, the preparation consists entirely in
teaching and study of the Torah. Israel’s path to conquest is not through might of arms
or military planning, but through fidelity to the covenant instruction.
Torah
Torah in Hebrew literally means “instruction.” It is often translated as “law,” which in English
has a far more narrow sense than the word
torah has in Hebrew. Torah comes from the Hebrew
verb
yarah, which means “to aim at” or “to hit the mark,” and usually refers to the aiming of an
arrow or the throwing of a javelin. The Hebrew word for sin,
hattah, which is the opposite of
yarah, means “to miss the mark.” Learning and following Torah instruction is the way to aim
towards what is true and good, and thereby avoid sin, which is the missing of the good that one
is to aim for in life. The Torah is not simply the Ten Commandments and similar law sections of
the Old Testament Scriptures; the stories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, etc., are also
part of the Torah and serve to instruct believers how to live in relation to God and to navigate
life with wisdom. In short, the Hebrew understanding of
torah is similar to what we think of
more broadly as the “word of God.” Nonetheless, many rabbis use the word Torah to refer more
narrowly to the first five books of the Scriptures.
For the generations that follow the apostasies of the golden calf and the Baal of Peor,
the book of the Torah par excellence is Deuteronomy. When Moses went up Mount
Sinai the first time, God gave Israel the Ten Commandments and made a covenant with
Israel. But since then, Israel sinned grievously, not only through their apostasy with the
golden calf, but by their repeated rebellion in the desert, and their failure to enter the
land. With each failure, God gives additional law (parts of Exodus, Leviticus, and
Numbers) to direct Israel’s path. Now forty years later, on the
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edge of the Promised
Land, and after the worship of the Baal of Peor, God reiterates the Ten Commandments
(Dt 5), and gives even further laws (Dt 6–26) through Moses because of Israel’s sin. An
important characteristic of the instructions from Deuteronomy 6–26 is that they are all
given by Moses, and not directly by God. This is why these laws are often called the Law
of Moses, or the Book of the Law. This distinction will be important for St. Paul and the
early Christians, when in the New Covenant, the Ten Commandments (which are given
by God on Mount Sinai) are retained but other ordinances from Deuteronomy will no
longer be binding (such as divorce, animal sacrifice, and kosher laws, for example).
Getting Egypt Out fo Israel
Because of Israel’s return to Egyptian idolatry and worship and their repeated desires to return to
Egypt, it is clear that getting Israel out of Egypt will be easier than getting Egypt and her idolatry
out of the hearts of Israel. What the signs and wonders in Egypt failed to teach, God will now
teach with his law. For this reason, Israel will now be commanded to sacrifice that which they
worshiped in Egypt; sheep, goats, bulls, etc. And Israel will no longer consume the pork so often
eaten in Egypt. Slowly over time, Israel will be weaned off the false teachings and worship of Egypt
so that her heart might be filled with Yahweh’s truth and love.
Moses records these Deuteronomic laws and instructs the Levites to read this Book
of the Law at the end of every seven years before the entire assembly of Israel. Every
seventh year was to be a year of release, when slaves would be set free in remembrance of
how the Lord had set Israel free from bondage in Egypt and made a covenant with the
people. Israel is to release its slaves and read the law aloud to the people every seventh
year, at the Feast of Booths, to ensure that the covenant is renewed every seven years.
Covenant and law go together.
The Jewish understanding of the relationship between law and covenant is important
to understand; otherwise, the prominent role of the Torah may be misunderstood as a
kind of legalism. As we saw in the Egypt and Exodus period, the Ten Commandments
were given in the context of the covenant relationship with God. Likewise, the
instructions of Deuteronomy, far from being a book full
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of legalism, focus on the
heart and on love, recalling God’s steadfast love for Israel, and calling Israel to love the
Lord in return. It is in Deuteronomy that the most important and popular Jewish prayer
is taught, the Shema:
Hear, O Israel: The L
ORD
our God is one L
ORD
; and you shall love the L
ORD
your God
with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. (Dt 6:4–5)
There is no better summary of the law than this prayer. The word
shema, “to hear or
listen” (meaning “obey,” which is the putting into action of what one hears) will be a key
word that will evoke the covenant and Israel’s call to obey the law given in the covenant.
Immediately following the Shema is an exhortation to parents to teach the faith to
their children. This is a common theme throughout Deuteronomy, one that Moses is at
pains to repeat.
And these words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart; and you shall
teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house,
and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. (Dt 6:6–7)
The Torah should be so deeply marked on the heart that it comes up naturally in
conversation. From breakfast to dinner, God and his word should be a natural part of
what one thinks and converses about.
Deuteronomy serves as Israel’s catechism, an authoritative instruction for faith and
life. The first four chapters of Deuteronomy sum up Israel’s story as a nation with the call
to learn from the mistakes of the wilderness sojourn. Then Deuteronomy 5 gives Israel
the direct words of God, the Ten Commandments. This is followed by a long section of
instructions from Deuteronomy 6–26, of which Deuteronomy 12–26 seems to be the
application of the Ten Commandments to the daily life of Israel in the Promised Land.
The last section of Deuteronomy places all the preceding instructions and ordinances
within the overarching context of covenant.
Deuteronomy 27 begins by laying out the procedures for how the people of Israel will
swear allegiance to these laws and thereby bind themselves to this
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Deuteronomic
covenant. Once inside the Promised Land, six tribes will stand on Mount Gerizim and
pronounce the covenant blessings while the other six tribes will stand on Mount Ebal and
pronounce the curses. As we have seen, blessings and curses were a normal part of
covenants in the Ancient Near East. If one was faithful to the covenant terms, blessings
(e.g., fruitfulness, abundance, prosperity, etc.) would be received; however, unfaithfulness
to the covenant brought curses (e.g., affliction, economic difficulties, political ruin, exile,
suffering, death). Deuteronomy 28 gives a long list of these blessings and curses. They lay
out the two paths Israel now has before them. As Moses observes in his final homily:
I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before you
life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life, that you and your
descendants may live, loving the L
ORD
your God, obeying his voice, and
cleaving to him; for that means life to you and length of days, that you may dwell
in the land which the L
ORD
swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac and to
Jacob, to give them. (Dt 30:19–20)
Whether Israel receives blessing or curse will be determined by the people and their
adherence to the covenant.
Great blessing is promised in return for obedience. Life and blessing go hand in hand.
As Psalm 1 makes clear, the righteous man does not “walk in the way of sinners” (Ps 1:1)
and the “way of the wicked will perish” (Ps 1:6). Indeed, Psalm 1 serves not only as a
commentary on Deuteronomy, but as a wonderful analysis of the desert wanderings. The
first generation chose the path not rooted in faith in God’s word and were scattered like
the chaff in the wilderness. The next generation trusted God and began to take root in
the Promised Land. The Psalter captures very well this desert experience of movement
from seeking a home to finding a home. Augustine captured these two powerful poles
when, reflecting on his own wilderness journey, he observed, “Our hearts are restless, O
Lord, until they rest in thee.”
The blessings and curses of Deuteronomy 28 set out what may be called Israel’s
“Deuteronomic destiny.” The future fortunes and misfortunes of Israel are contained in
the covenant blessings and curses. If Israel obeys, they will be
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blessed with abundant
prosperity and life, because to be rooted in the Torah is to be rooted in the wisdom that
leads to deep and abundant life. Other nations will note their wisdom and understanding,
and their Torah will be respected as the best and most righteous of all laws (Dt 4:6–8),
bringing blessing to all the families of the world.
On the other hand, if Israel disobeys, the curse will bring the plagues of Egypt upon
them, like the generation that died in the wilderness. Taking up the keynote of Exodus—
avad, to “serve” as “worship”—Deuteronomy gives the ultimate reason for the curse of
exile that Israel will experience centuries later:
Because you did not serve [
avad] the L
ORD
your God with joyfulness and
gladness of heart, by reason of the abundance of all things, therefore you shall
serve [
avad] your enemies whom the L
ORD
will send against you, in hunger and
thirst, in nakedness, and in want of all things. (Dt 28:47–48)
Such a judgment would mark the reversal of the entire story of the Exodus. As Israel
prepares to conquer the Promised Land, Moses sets before them these two paths of
blessing and curses. The question is: which will Israel choose?
In these last two periods, God sets apart his people, giving them the Torah, the
Levitical priesthood, and the tabernacle with his very presence. These three things are of
tremendous importance for the remaining story of Israel, and they will find their ultimate
fulfillment when Christ himself comes to dwell among us, not in a tabernacle or temple
of gold and stone but in our very souls. Jesus Christ will be the new high priest, being the
faithful firstborn Son of God, and he will inaugurate the New Covenant and empower
his followers with the gift of the Holy Spirit to imitate him in living the law and the
beatitudes.
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