Deuteronomy
About This Class
The Gospel according to Moses. This is a collection of sermons of Moses as the people of Israel are poised to enter the promised land after being in the wilderness for 40 years. Deuteronomy is a special book, calling God’s people to celebrate his grace and demonstrate covenant love for him with action that glorifies his name. Until we recognize the gospel in this book, we will not read this book. (Note: Mt. Sinai and Mt. Horeb are referring to the same mountain. They are used interchangeably)
About the Professor
Daniel Block
Dr. Daniel Block is a scholar and theologian who has devoted his life to the study of the Hebrew Bible and sharing its message with others. He believes in studying the text of the Hebrew Bible to understand what it says, why it says it that way, what it meant to the original audience, and what it has to say to modern readers today. He has taught and preached in a variety of churches around the world, including in North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Lessons
- Understand that Deuteronomy, viewed as the Gospel according to Moses, is a theological, instructional book emphasizing covenant relationship and grace, aligning with New Testament teachings and offering life-giving messages.0% Complete
- Learn about Deuteronomy as a covenant document, its historical context, covenant categories, and the significance of covenantal rituals, gaining insight into its structure and covenantal vocabulary.0% Complete
- Gain insight into the process of how Deuteronomy texts were preserved, recognized as canonical, and the role of Moses and the Levitical priests in maintaining and transmitting these sacred writings.0% Complete
- Gain insight into Moses' characterization in Deuteronomy, focusing on the debates about its authorship, the structure of his first address, and his portrayed bitterness.0% Complete
- Explore this lesson and discover how YHWH uniquely revealed His will to Israel, making it their divine privilege. Dig into Deuteronomy 4 and the Grace of Torah with Dr. Block.0% Complete
- Dr. Block explains the Grace of Covenant in Deuteronomy, showing that God's relationship with Israel, marked by commitment and mercy, requires obedience to maintain, and warns against idolatry, with hope for restoration through God's enduring compassion.0% Complete
- Learn about Yahweh’s unique salvation and covenant with Israel and how he reveals His unmatched love and grace, calling Israel to obediently glorify Him among nations.0% Complete
- The Decalogue, Israel’s covenant-based "bill of rights," frames foundational ethical principles through which Yahweh protects community rights, promotes loyalty, respect, and humane treatment within a suzerain-vassal relationship.0% Complete
- Discover the reframing of the Decalogue in Deuteronomy as a covenantal foundation, urging heads of households to protect the rights of all under their care and live out loyalty, compassion, and justice in response to Yahweh’s covenant.0% Complete
- Dr. Block explains Moses’ second Shema in Deuteronomy 6, calling Israel to exclusive worship of Yahweh, emphasizing covenant love, family-centered teaching, and integrating devotion into daily life.0% Complete
- Examine the covenant relationship in Deuteronomy, which stresses that faithful obedience, rooted in gratitude for Yahweh’s deliverance, is essential in both prosperity and adversity.0% Complete
- Dive into Deuteronomy 7, as God teaches his chosen people to reject idolatry and obey divine commands to maintain covenant faithfulness.0% Complete
- Analyze God's covenant with Israel and His command regarding the Canaanites, focusing on preserving holiness, avoiding idolatry, and illustrating His redemptive plan while addressing ethical concerns about divine judgment and Israel’s responsibilities.0% Complete
- Look into how Israel’s wilderness journey prepared them to navigate the spiritual challenges of prosperity, emphasizing gratitude, obedience, and living by God’s life-giving words rather than self-reliance.0% Complete
- Deuteronomy 9:1-10:11 highlights Israel’s covenant relationship with Yahweh as a result of His grace, not their righteousness, emphasizing His faithfulness.0% Complete
- Moses’ intercession during the golden calf incident emphasizes Israel’s undeserved covenantal grace, the power of prayer, and the dynamic relationship between divine sovereignty and human responsibility.0% Complete
- Deuteronomy 10:12-11:1 reveals that Yahweh requires fear, love, obedience, and heartfelt loyalty from Israel, rooted in His sovereign election and covenant love.0% Complete
- Dr. Block describes the culmination of the covenant as Israel formalizes its relationship with Yahweh and the land, choosing between blessing and curse while securing their place as the people of God.0% Complete
- Tune in to how Moses’ third address establishes a vision of righteousness, covenantal relationships, and joyful worship in the God-ordained central sanctuary for Israel’s well-being.0% Complete
- The Levites, landless and dependent, serve as a spiritual barometer for Israel, teaching Torah, mediating disputes, and linking ethical worship to community care and covenantal faithfulness.0% Complete
- Deuteronomy 13 confronts idolatry by identifying seduction through false prophets, family, and city mobs, demanding loyalty to Yahweh through strict measures to preserve covenant faithfulness and communal purity.0% Complete
- Deuteronomy 14 reveals that dietary laws symbolize God's invitation to holiness, communal joy, and distinctiveness, culminating in the Christian celebration of Christ's sacrificial work through communion.0% Complete
- Festivals in Deuteronomy 16 celebrate God’s grace, covenant, and provision, uniting Israel in worship and joy while foreshadowing Christian worship and communion.0% Complete
- Dr. Block discusses a king’s role in the Israelite community, to be a humble, Torah-centered servant leader who embodies righteousness, rejects self-serving ambition, and leads the community under God’s authority.0% Complete
- Deuteronomy 18:9-22 emphasizes prophets as divinely chosen representatives who uphold covenant righteousness, deliver Yahweh’s words, and call the people back to obedience.0% Complete
- Deuteronomy teaches the Israelites to treat resident aliens with justice, dignity, and love, reflecting God's compassion and remembering their own alien experience in Egypt.0% Complete
- The laws in Deuteronomy emphasize justice and compassion, requiring men to protect and honor women in their households, illustrating the Torah’s unique ethical concern for dignity and communal well-being.0% Complete
- This lesson highlights the Deuteronomic creed of celebrating God’s faithfulness through offerings, recounting Israel’s deliverance, and affirming covenantal obedience, integrating gratitude, worship, and communal solidarity.0% Complete
- Dr. Block explores how ancient covenant curses in Deuteronomy and Leviticus reflect cultural norms and serve as rhetorical calls to loyalty, emphasizing blessings, faithfulness, and God's grace.0% Complete
- Deuteronomy 29:29 reveals the mystery of divine grace, emphasizing God's sovereignty, human responsibility, and the ultimate restoration of Israel's covenant faithfulness.0% Complete
- Moses’ final altar call emphasizes the accessibility of God’s commands, urging the Israelites to choose life by loving Yahweh, walking in His ways, and obeying His word, which is near and achievable.0% Complete
- Deuteronomy 31 describes Moses’ transition of leadership to Joshua, the establishment of the Torah and song as lasting witnesses, and Yahweh’s enduring faithfulness to guide Israel beyond Moses’ death.0% Complete
- This chapter is seen as Israel's national anthem, recounting Yahweh's faithfulness, Israel's failures, and their ultimate restoration, urging reflection on God's justice, grace, and covenant relationship through poetic and theological depth.0% Complete
- Deuteronomy 33 portrays Moses’ poetic blessings to the tribes of Israel, affirming Yahweh’s kingship, covenant promises, and Israel’s role as His holy people, preparing them to enter the Promised Land under divine favor and protection.0% Complete
- Moses’ death narrative exemplifies his humility, unique relationship with Yahweh, and legacy as a servant who prioritized God’s will and Israel’s future over personal recognition, offering a timeless model of faith and obedience.0% Complete
Class Resources
Recommended Books
The Gospel according to Moses
To many people the law stands in opposition to the gospel. While it may be possible to read Paul's epistles this way, the book of Deuteronomy will not allow this reading. Like the book of Romans in the New Testament, Deuteronomy provides the most systemat
The Triumph of Grace: Literary and Theological Studies in Deuteronomy and Deuteronomic Themes
The Apostle Paul's negative statements about the law have deafened the ears of many to the grace that Moses proclaims in Deuteronomy. Most Christians have a dim view of...
How I Love Your Torah, O Lord!: Literary And Theological Explorations On The Book Of Deuteronomy
Like the book of Romans in the New Testament, the book of Deuteronomy provides the most systematic and sustained presentation of theology in the Old Testament. And like the...
Deuteronomy (The NIV Application Commentary)
Arranged as a series of sermons, the book of Deuteronomy represents the final major segment of the biography of Moses. The sermons review events described in earlier books...
Sepher Torath Mosheh: Studies in the Composition and Interpretation of Deuteronomy
When it comes to discussions related to the composition and interpretation of the books in the Old Testament, few other books are more contested than Deuteronomy. Even among...
Hearing the Gospel According to Moses: A Commentary on Deuteronomy (Volume 1)
After a brief introduction to the book of Deuteronomy, Volume 1 guides readers through Moses’ first two addresses to the people of Israel on the plains of Moab. In the first...
Recommended Readings
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