Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9 Commentary

Commentary:

Hear and Live

“Hear” is a key word in all of Hebrew Scripture, most notably in the Shema, which is the central prayer of Judaism.  Perhaps Christians might think of it also as a credal formulation.  It goes like this: “hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children…” It first appears in the book of Numbers and, not surprisingly, is reformulated twice in the book of Deuteronomy.  Although this text is not one instance of the prayer, it does rely on that same key word: “schema.” Of this word, Robert Alter writes, “The Hebrew verb means ‘to hear,’ ‘to listen,’ ‘to heed,’ and ‘to understand,’ and quite frequently all those meanings come into play.”  And this is what Alter calls “one of the signature terms of Deuteronomy.”

But the word is not found by itself.  It is the condition of a promise: “so that you may live.” And we will hear more of that as a refrain throughout Moses final sermon (the main text of Deuteronomy, to which this lectionary text serves as preamble.) The timing of the reception of this text is critical, as the people of God in the Promised Land stare down the barrel of impending destruction and exile.  When the field of vision is narrowing down to a pinprick of hope, “Moses repeatedly urges Israel to follow the only path that, according to the Deuteronomic view, will avert impending disaster.” (Alter) Thus, the promise of life is profound light on a dark night, a fountain in parched land.

Wisdom and Justice

In her Belief commentary on Deuteronomy, Biblical scholar, Deanna A. Thompson, observes that the heft of Deuteronomy lies in the way it “binds together obedience to God’s commands with the concepts of wisdom and justice.” God’s commands are concerned for judges selected by and serving in each tribe and filled with injunctions against leaders taking bribes and being swayed from the fair execution of the law. God’s law given in the Pentateuch, here reiterated in the last book/Moses’ last address to the people of God will finally travel with the people into the Promised Land, shaping their communal life in the wilderness and at home.  The importance of the steadiness of God’s commands in fluctuating circumstances would have been especially helpful to those in exile perhaps reading the accounts for the first time.  In the midst of other systems and ideologies, God’s commands can anchor God’s people in the way of wisdom and justice.  In this way, we learn to look beyond the superficial, often binary (do/don’t) nature of the commands to the values and virtues underlying them — in this case, wisdom and justice.

Like last week, we understand that the lectionary reading flanks another section of text that, even if not read, should inform the preaching of these words, as Moses lays out the context of human failure and God’s faithfulness. And that, while commands are based in virtues, these values find their genesis in God’s own character. Again from Thompson, “Giving a still-deeper description of what life according to the commands of God means for Israel, Moses teaches the Israelites that holding fast to life according to the commands means holding fast to the Lord their God.”  Multiple times in the text, Moses points the people to consider not just what they should do but the very character of God.  And God’s character, God’s presence and actions is what they are to teach their children.

This works well in tandem with Patrick Miller’s observation in the Interpretation: Deuteronomy commentary, where he writes: “Here one finds in the motivation clauses neither promise of reward nor warning of judgment. Rather, the appeal is to the positive aspects of keeping the law and to pride in the reputation of Israel as wise, close to God, and righteous. All three of these characteristics are tied to the laws.”

This, it seems to me, is a crucial insight for many in our congregations (and our pulpits?) that default to a law/grace distinction.  What Moses is advocating in this text is that the law is, itself, a form of grace. It is not fear of punishment or the hope of name-it-and-claim-it prosperity that motivate Christian obedience.  But that living in the ways outlined in other places in the Pentateuch and summarized here will help God’s people to be wise, to be righteous/just and all of that not for its own sake but as an outworking of right relationship with God. We see this, textually in the way that verses 6 and 8 bracket out verse 7: obedience, the nearness of God, further obedience. It is all intended to be of one piece, like a sandwich.

A Clarifying Word About Nations

Deuteronomy is the written down from of Moses’ last addresses and sermons to God’s people, Israel.  As we see throughout the Pentateuch, God chose a particular people in order to bless the whole world.  Part of that choosing and blessing is the way God grants these people leaders, a land and a law.  Thus, it makes sense for Moses to address the people as a nation.  This is, however, a unique situation, God’s particular way of being with Israel.  The “nation” of Israel as God’s people in Hebrew Scripture is not the same as the modern nation-state of Israel.  Nor can this teaching be adapted to other nations of the world in the same way.  It is best to recognize God addressing God’s people rather than an overarching mandate for the nations of the world to behave in a certain way.

Worship Idea:

In the US context, this Sunday falls on Labor Day weekend, which makes this a great time — as well as a great text — for recalling people to the goodness of their work as well as asking the congregation to recommit to do that work, fully aware of God’s presence with, in and through them. The themes of this text seem uniquely relevant to reflection on the goodness and purpose of work: that we are to listen for God in our work and to follow God into life, regardless of the life-giving or soul-sucking nature of our work in any given moment.  That God cares deeply for justice and wisdom because, in seeking justice and wisdom, it turns out we are actually seeking God’s own heart for the world.  There are a number of resources on the Worship for Workers website, including these specific Labor Day liturgies.

Note: the CEP website has a commentary on Song of Solomon 2:8-13 from previous Year B cycles:

Stan Mast: 2018: https://cepreaching.org/commentary/2018-08-27/song-of-solomon-28-13/

Scott Hoezee: 2021: https://cepreaching.org/commentary/2021-08-23/song-of-solomon-28-13-3/