The title "Deuteronomy" comes from the Septuegint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament. It means "Second Law". The book consists of Moses' farewell message to Israel in which he reviewed and renewed God's covenant for the sake of the new generation of Israelites. They had come to the end of their desert wandering and were now ready to enter Canaan - the Promised Land, the land promised to their ancestors. With the death of their parents and grandparents and so little teaching, this new generation had no personal memory of the first Passover, the Red Sea crossing or receiving the law at Mount Sinai. They also needed a reminder of the blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience.
Moses' original purpose in addressing Israel's new generation before turning the leadership over to Joshua was to challenge, encourage and instruct them about God's powerful acts and promises; their own covenant obligations of faith and obedience and; their need to reverence God and set their lives apart for His purposes. Moses wanted to remind the people of the awesome responsibility of loving and honoring God with all their heart, soul and strength.
As a covenant renewal document, Deuteronomy is organized like other ancient Mid East covenant treaties of that time: preamble; historical prologue; main requirements and condition; curses and blessings; and arrangements for its continuation.
Four major features characterize Deuteronomy. 1. It provided the new generation of Israelites with the necessary foundation and motivation for inheriting the Promised Land. It did this by focusing on God's character and His covenant with Israel. 2. As "The Book of the Second Law", it restated what God had spoken to the people through Moses' four preceding books. 3. It is also the "Book of Remembrance". Throughout Deuteronomy the people are challenged to "Remember ... and never forget." Rather than telling the people to look for or discover some kind of new truth, Deuteronomy urges them to hold on to and obey the unchanging truth God had already revealed to them. 4. One of Deuteronomy's main emphases is the "faith-plus-obedience" principle. It confirms the need for people to trust God completely and obey His commands without compromise. "Faith plus obedience" would enable the new generation of Israelites to inherit the promises with God' full blessing. However, the absence of faith and obedience would lead them into a cycle of failure and judgment.
When Jesus was tempted by the devil, He responded by quoting passages from Deuteronomy. When Jesus answered a question about the greatest commandment, He referred to Deuteronomy 6:5. The New Testament books quote or refer to Deuteronomy nearly 100 times. A clear prophecy in Deuteronomy about the Messiah (18:15-19) is mentioned twice in the book of Acts. The spiritual principles in Deuteronomy are foundational to New Testament revelation.
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