And today the LORD is making this agreement with you: you are to be a people peculiarly his own, as he promised you; and provided you keep all his commandments, he will then raise you high in praise and renown and glory above all other nations he has made, and you will be a people sacred to the LORD, your God, as he promised.”
This fifth book of the Torah was finally edited and redacted after the Babylonian Exile, as survivors returned to their native Judea. They would never again govern themselves as a free, independent nation. Their Law of Moses would not be the law of the land, although they felt it should be. Some of their most savage -- frankly merciless -- laws could not be enforced, and were retained for the sake of remembering the Lord's intention: "...you are to be a people peculiarly his own."
The dreadful curses of Deuteronomy 28 had already befallen the people, as they remembered with bitter grief. And yet, despite all their suffering, or because of it, they clung to their religion. They refused to be assimilated into the dominant culture of their rulers, be the Persian, Greek, or Roman. Occasionally, in their passion for cultic purity, angry mobs enacted the savage penalties of the Law as they stoned offenders. They took their religion seriously, and heeded the Voice they heard in Deuteronomy. The governors, in the interest of keeping peace and soothing the populace, usually looked the other way.
Jesus evokes the Spirit of Deuteronomy when he teaches his new law with the words: "...that you may be children of your heavenly Father." Although we don't stone heretics, or marry the widows of deceased siblings, we nonetheless cling to our peculiar religion that insists, you shall,
"love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you."
That teaching is no more familiar to our elected, post-modern legislators than it was to the Roman Empire or the returning exiles. It is a law so demanding, it can only come from God.
But it is, and must be, "who we are."
...and provided you keep all his commandments, he will then raise you high in praise and renown and glory above all other nations he has made, and you will be a people sacred to the LORD, your God, as he promised.”
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.