27.3; Ps. 106. 17. Past Deliverances. a Num. 16. 31 & did. (8) Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go to possess it; (9) and that ye may prolong your days in the land, which the LORD Sware unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land rings that floweth with milk and honey. stance which fol- (2) And know ye this day: for I speak not with your children which have not known, and which have not seen the chastisement of the LORD your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his stretched out arm, (3) and his miracles, and his acts, which he did in the midst of Egypt unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and unto all his land; (4) and what he did unto the army of Egypt, unto their horses, and to their chariots; how he made the water of the Red sea to overflow them as they pursued after you, and how the LORD hath destroyed them unto this day: (5) and what he did unto you in the wilderness, until ye came into this place; (6) and what he did unto Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben: how the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and their tents, and all the substance that was in their possession, in the midst of all Israel: but your eyes have seen all the great acts of the LORD which he s Hob., seeketh. a 2 Heb., was at their "He that keepeth Israel will neither slumber nor sleep." (2) And know ye.-Or, and ye know. Not with your children which have not known.-It must be remembered that all those who were less than twenty years of age at the date of the Exodus would still be living, and the events of their youth must have left a strong impression on their memories. Every man of forty-five years of age would feel the force of this address. The chastisement.-Whether of the Egyptians in wrath, or of Israel in love. His mighty hand. : . -Or, His hand in its strength, and His arm in its length. The position of the adjectives is emphatic. (6) What he did unto Dathan and Abiram -See Num. xvi. It is impossible to separate the rebellion of Korah from that of Dathan and Abiram, and seeing that the whole point of Korah's rebellion was the priesthood, it is difficult to see how the writer of Deuteronomy could be ignorant of any priesthood save that of the whole tribe of Levi. The object of Korah's rebellion was to abolish the distinction between a Kohathite and a priest. (7) But your eyes have seen.-Literally, For your eyes are the witnesses (literally, the seers) of all the great working of Jehovah which He hath wrought. (8) The commandments.-Literally, the commandment. It is one course of action rather than many details which is enjoined. Go in and possess-i.e., complete the conquest in detail, so as to enjoy the whole profit of the land. (9) To give unto them.-See Note on verse 21, further on. (10) Not as the land of Egypt.-" But much better. And Egypt was praised above all lands, as it is said (Gen. xiii. 10), As the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt.' And the land of Goshen, where (10) For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs: (11) but the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven: (12) a land which the LORD thy God careth for: the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year. (13) And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this Israel dwelt, is called 'the best of the land of Egypt' (Gen. xlvii. 6). And even this was not so good as the land of Israel" (Rashi). Wateredst it with thy foot.-An allusion either to the necessity of carrying the water or to the custom of turning the water into little channels with the foot, as it flowed through the garden. (11) Drinketh water of the rain of heaven.Or, as it is prettily expressed by the Jewish commentator, "While thou sleepest on thy bed, the Holy One (blessed be He!) waters it high and low." (Comp. the parable in St. Mark iv. 26, 27.) (12) A land which the Lord thy God careth for.-Literally, seeketh, as in the margin of our Bibles. Comp. Ezek. xx. 6: "A land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands.' "To search out a resting-place for them" (Num. x. 33). It is difficult not to think of the better land in this description, and of our Saviour's promise, "I go to prepare a place for you." There "the poor and needy" shall not "seek water," for "He shall lead them to living fountains of water." They shall "hunger no more, neither thirst any more.' That something unusual is indicated here seems to have occurred to the old Jewish writer, who says"And does He not seek out all lands? as it is said, 'To cause it to rain on the earth where no man is "" (Job Xxxviii. 26). (13) It shall come to pass.-At this point begins the formal sanction of this charge by a declaration of rewards and punishments. Such sanctions are a characteristic feature of the Law. (Comp. Exod. xxiii. 20— end, at the close of the first code; Lev. xxvi., and Deut. xxviii.; and, in the New Testament, the well-known close of the Sermon on the Mount in St. Matt. vii., and of the parallel sermon in St. Luke vi.) To love the Lord your God.-" Not that thou shouldst say, 'Behold, I am a disciple in order day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, (14) that I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy 1 Heb., give. wine, and thine oil. (15) And I will 1 send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full. (16) Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; (17) and then the LORD's wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you. a ch. 6. 8. b ch. 4. 10 & 6. 7. (18) Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and a bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets be- c Josh. 1. 3. tween your eyes. (19) And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, : b that I may become rich in order that I may be called great in order that I may receive reward; but whatsoever ye do, do from love" (Rashi). To serve him with all your heart.-The Jewish commentator says that this refers to prayer, and compares Daniel (chap. vi. 16): "Thy God whom thou servest continually, He will deliver thee." There was no religious service for Israel in Babylon except prayer. The thought seems worth preserving, though the words are obviously capable of a wider application. (14) The first rain (after sowing), the latter rain (just before harvest). In the ninth month and the first month respectively. (See Ezra x. 9, 13, and Joel ii. 23.) That thou mayest gather in.-Literally, and thou shalt gather in. Rashi reminds us that this may mean "thou, and not thine enemies." They that have gathered it shall eat it " (Isa. lxii. 8, 9). 66 (15) That thou mayest eat and be full.-The same writer observes that this is a further blessing, which belongs to the food itself in man's inward parts. It is possible to eat and not be satisfied. (16) Take heed to yourselves-i.e., when you are satisfied. (Comp. chap. viii. 10, 11.) (18) Therefore shall ye lay up these my words. The same injunctions are found above (chap. vi. 6-9). The Jewish commentator remarks, somewhat sadly, here, that they would remember them in their captivity, if not before. The "therefore" at the commencement of the verse is a simple "and," so that the passage can be read in connection with what precedes: "Ye will perish quickly from off the good land, and ye will lay these my words to your hearts." But the words of verse 21 seem to show that this is not the primary meaning-only an application suggested, like many other applications of Scripture, by the actual event. to be Diligently Kept. when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. (20) And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: (21) that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth. с (22) For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him; (23) then will the LORD drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves. (24) Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be your's: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be. (25) There shall no man be able to stand before you: for the LORD your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as he hath said unto you. (21) In the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give them.-"It is not written here to give you,' but to give them.' Hence we find the resurrection of the dead taught in the Law.” If this were the remark of a Christian commentator, it would be thought fanciful; but it is only the comment of a Jew. And the Jewish belief in the literal fulfilment of these promises to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, simply on the ground of God's word, is an unquestionable fact, whatever may be thought of it. Comp. Acts vii. 5, which is singularly pointed. God 'gave him (Abraham) none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on; yet He promised that He would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him," besides. 66 (22) To walk in all his ways.-"He is compassionate, and thou shalt be compassionate. He showeth mercies, and thou shalt show mercies." Again Rashi's comment is worthy of the New Testament. What follows shows the need of a mediator. To cleave unto him.-Is it possible to speak Is He not "a consuming fire"? (and how can we cleave unto Him?) "But cleave unto wise men and their disciples (the students of the Law), and I tell thee it will be as though thou didst cleave unto Him." In New Testament language this would read, "Be ye followers of me, as I am of Christ;" and "He that receiveth Me, receiveth Him that sent Me." (24) Every place.-Repeated in Josh. i. 3, 4, where see Note. (25) The fear of you and the dread of you. Rashi says: "The fear of you on those that are near, and the dread upon those that are far off." It is a very farreaching prophecy, for it may be read, "upon all the earth that ye shall tread upon." (See Esther viii. 2, 3, where it was fulfilled throughout the whole Persian Empire.) The Blessing and the Curse. DEUTERONOMY, XII. (26) Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; (2) a blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day: (28) and a 'curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known. (29) And it shall come to pass, when the LORD thy God hath brought thee in unto the land whither thou goest to possess it, that thou shalt put the blessing upon mount Gerizim, and the curse upon mount Ebal. (30) Are they not on the other side Jordan, by the way where the sun goeth down, in the land of the Canaanites, which dwell in the champaign over against Gilgal, beside the plains of Moreh? (31) For ye a ch. 28. 2. b ch. 28. 15. c ch. 27. 13; Josh. d ch. 5. 32. e ch. 7. 5. 1 Or, inheri f Judg. 2. 2. Idolatry to be Put Down. sess the land which the LORD your God giveth you, and ye shall possess it, and dwell therein. (2) And ye shall observe d to do all the statutes and judgments which I set before you this day. e CHAPTER XII.-(1) These are the statutes and judgments, which ye shall observe to do in the land, which the LORD God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth. (2) Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods: upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree: (3) and ye shall 2 overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and shall hew down the graven ye images of their gods, and destroy the shall pass over Jordan to go in to pos- 2 Heb., break down. names of them out of that place. (30) Where the sun goeth down.-A memorable passage, as attesting the true position of the speaker, east of Jordan, over against Jericho. The sun has been seen by travellers from that very spot going down exactly in the remarkable gap between Ebal and Gerizim. The plains of Moreh.-Rather, the oaks or terebinths of Moreh. (See Gen. xii. 6.) (31) For ye shall pass over Jordan.-In the place of Sichem, by the oak of Moreh, "the Lord appeared to Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land." It is the first recorded promise given to the patriarch that his seed should inherit that particular country. He had gone out from his own country, "not knowing whither he went " (Gen. xii. 6, 7). Here ends the first portion of the exposition of the Decalogue that which sets forth the relation of the people brought out of Egypt to Jehovah. The following chapters set forth the laws of the land of Israelfirst, as the seat of worship of Jehovah; secondly, as the seat of His kingdom; thirdly, as the sphere of operation of certain rules of behaviour, intended to form a distinctive character for His people. For a complete analysis of this portion, see the Introduction to this Book. Some modern writers attribute these chapters to a later hand than that of Moses. It is therefore necessary to consider them carefully, not simply as chapters, but in their primary structure and according to their natural divisions. The land is considered as the seat of Jehovah's worship from chap. xii. 1 to xvi. 17 inclusive. The other Targums say, "When they bless they shall turn their faces towards Mount Gerizim; and when they curse they shall turn their faces towards Mount Ebal." This confirms the antiquity of the view taken in the Talmud. XII. (1) These are the statutes and judgments. The word Mitzvah-commandment, or duty-is not used here. Particular institutions and requirements are now before us. (2) Ye shall utterly destroy.-First of all these requirements is the destruction of every vestige of idolatry. In the land of Jehovah there must be no trace of any other god but Him. The non-fulfilment of this command in the early history of Israel has led some to suppose that the command itself belongs to later times. But it must be observed that the destruction of these things is inextricably connected with the conquest of the country in detail. It was part of the work assigned to the several tribes of Israel when the land had been divided by Joshua. His work was to conquer the Canaanitish armies, and give Israel possession of their chief cities. He then assigned the land to the several tribes, to make it their own through. out. Obviously, if every tribe had insisted upon destroying all monuments of idolatry in its own territory, one of two results must have followed: either the remnant of the Canaanitish nations must have been excited to fresh acts of rebellion and hostility, resulting in their extermination, or else they must have yielded themselves entirely to the worship of Jehovah. But Israel disobeyed the order. They did not themselves yield to idolatry in Joshua's time. The disturbance made respecting the altar Ed (see Josh. xxii.) is quite sufficient of itself to prove the strictness of the law against strange altars. But the Canaanites being left undisturbed after they ceased to resist openly, and their objects of worship being left unmolested, there were constant temptations to idolatry, to which Israel yielded. And thus it was not until the times of Hezekiah and Josiah that these laws were carried out. But this does not prove the law to have come into existence then, any more than the present condition of the human race proves that man was not made in God's image in Paradise. (3) Destroy the names.-The substitution in later times of bosheth for baal in the names Jerubbaal A Fixed Place of a DEUTERONOMY, XII. (4) Ye shall not do so unto the LORD your God. (5) But unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come: (6) and thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks: (7) and there ye shall eat a 1 Kings 8 29; 2 Worship ordered. inherit, and when he giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety; (11) then there shall be a place which the LORD your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command you; your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the heave offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto the LORD: (12) and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God, ye, and your before the LORD your God, and ye shall the choice sons, and your daughters, and your rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the LORD thy God hath blessed thee. of your vows. (8) Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes. ch. 10.9. (9) For ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which the LORD your God giveth you. (10) But when ye go over Jordan, and dwell in the land which the LORD your God giveth you to (Jerubbesheth), Eshbaal (Ishbosheth), Meribbaal (Mephibosheth), is a curious example of the literal fulfilment of this command, or, perhaps, rather of the command in Exod. xxiii. 13, of which the spirit and purport agree with this. (4) Ye shall not do so-i.e., shall not serve Him upon the high mountains, and hills, and under every green tree, after the manner of the nations. (5) But unto the place which the Lord your God shall choose out of all your tribes.-The very form of the order proves its antiquity. No one who was acquainted with the removal of that "place from Shiloh to Nob, from Nob to Gibeon, from Gibeon to Jerusalem, could have written with such utter unconsciousness of later history as these words imply. It is noticeable that in the reading of this precept in the times of our Lord, the Jews seem to have arrived at the came state of unconsciousness. They could not conseive of the presence or worship of Jehovah anywhere but at Jerusalem. (See on this topic St. Stephen's speech in Acts vii., and the incidental proofs it contains of God's presence with Israel in many places, in reply to the accusation made against Stephen of preaching the destruction of the one idolized seat of worship at Jerusalem.) (6) And thither ye shall bring your tithes-i.e., what the Jews understand as the "second tithe;" on which see verse.17. (8) Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day.-Another precept strongly marked with the condition of Israel in the wilderness. It has been too much overlooked by recent commentators that the law of Moses has a prophetic side. It was given to him and to Israel at a time when they were not in a position to keep it. It was the law of the land which God would give them. In many ways its observance depended on the completion of the conquest of the land, and upon the quietness of the times in which they lived. This prophetic aspect menservants, and your maidservants, and the Levite that is within your gates; forasmuch as he hath no part nor inheritance with you. (13) Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest: (14) but in the place which the LORD shall choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, and there thou shalt do all that I command thee. was certainly not unrecognised by the Jews, or they would not (for example) have neglected to dwell in booths at the Feast of Tabernacles from the time of Joshua to Nehemiah. (See Neh. viii. 17.)* (9) Ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance. - Nor would the passage of Jordan and the conquest of Joshua bring them to it. (10) When he giveth you rest.-Rashi observes, "This was not until the days of David." He cites 2 Sam. vii. 1: "It came to pass when the king sat in his house, and the Lord had given him rest round about from all his enemies." (11) Then there shall be a place.—The building of Jerusalem and of the Temple brought with it in due time the accomplishment of the law which is appended to the prophecy. (13, 14) Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest: But in the place which the Lord shall choose. — An attempt is made by some modern writers to establish a contradiction between this precept and the one in Exod. xx. 24: “In all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee." But they are not really contradictory. The choice of Jehovah makes the place of acceptance. He need not always choose the same spot. Either this law in Deuteronomy was written by Moses, or it was not. If it was, it must be taken in the same sense as Exod. xx. 24. If it was the work of later times, the writer must have known perfectly that Jehovah had varied His choice from time to time, and therefore the injunction must still have the same sense. Rashi remarks upon the words "Take heed that thou offer not in every place that thou seest "—i.e., which comes into thy mind-"but thou must offer at And compare the curious position of the law in Leviticus, which required them to dwell in booths. It occurs as an appendix outside the regular laws of that festival (Lev. xxiii. 37-43). The Levite to be Remembered. DEUTERONOMY, XII. (15) Notwithstanding thou mayest kill ja ch. 15. 23. and eat flesh in all thy gates, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee: the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as of the roebuck, and as of the hart. Blood not to be Eaten. large thy border, as he hath promised thee, and thou shalt say, I will eat flesh, because thy soul longeth to eat flesh; thou mayest eat flesh, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after. (21) If the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to put (16) a Only ye shall 6 ch. 14. 27; Ecclus. his name there be too far from thee, not eat the blood; ye shall pour it upon the earth as water. (17) Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy corn, or of thy wine, or of thy oil, or the firstlings of thy herds or of thy flock, nor any of 7.31. then thou shalt kill of thy herd and of thy flock, which the LORD hath given thee, as I have commanded thee, and thou shalt eat in thy gates whatsoever thy soul lusteth after. (22) Even as the roebuck and the hart is eaten, so thou thy vows which thou vowest, nor thy Heb, all thy shalt eat them: the unclean and the freewill offerings, or heave offering of thine hand: (18) but thou must eat them before the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates: and thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God in all that thou puttest thine hands unto. (19) Take heed to thyself that thou forsake not the Levite 1as long as thou livest upon the earth. days. clean shall eat of them alike. (23) Only 2 be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh. (24) Thou shalt not eat it; thou shalt e Gen. 28. 14; ch. Pour it upon the earth as water. (25) Thou shalt not eat it; that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the LORD. 19. 8. (26) Only thy holy things which thou hast, and thy vows, thou shalt take, and (20) When the LORD thy God shall en- 2 Heb., be strong. go unto the place which the LORD shall the command of a prophet, as, for instance, Elijah on Mount Carmel." It seems clear that the general principle inculcated here is the same with that of Exod. xx. and of Lev. xvii. The choice of Jehovah makes the place of worship. Details may safely be left to the direction of the authorised Divine representatives at any given time. If the Jews themselves saw no difficulty or discrepancy in these Scriptures, is it any proof of wisdom for us to make difficulties ? Do we not rather prove the imperfection of our own understanding? (15) Notwithstanding thou mayest kill and eat flesh.-This may very possibly be intended as a slight modification of a law made for the wilderness journey (Lev. xvii. 3, 4). There the "killing" of an ox, or lamb, or goat is forbidden anywhere except at the door of the tabernacle. The word "kill," though often used sacrificially, cannot be limited to sacrifice in that place, although the animals mentioned are all sacrificial animals. It would seem that the practice of sacrificing those animals elsewhere, very possibly for the sake of the feast which followed, had become so common that it was necessary to forbid the killing of them anywhere but at the door of the tabernacle. But the continuance of this precept in Canaan would stop the eating of flesh altogether. Hence the exception made here. As of the roebuck, and as of the hart.The frequent mention of these animals in this connection suggests the idea that the hunting and catching of them may not have been an uncommon thing in the wil. derness. (16) Ye shall pour it upon the earth.-This act was a necessary part of every slaughter of an animal for foot. The blood, which is the life, must be poured upon the earth for God, whether the victim was consigned to the altar or not. It was a continual reminder of the necessity for the sacrifice of the death of Christ, to be continued until He should come. Thus the act was, in a sense, sacramental. (17) The tithe. This is understood by Jewish commentators of what is called "the second tithe." The disposal of it is more particularly specified in chap. xiv. 22-29. (See also on chap. xxvi. 12, &c.) (18) The Levite that is within thy gates.— The distribution of the Levites throughout the several tribes (ordered in Num. xxxv. 1-8), and carried out by Joshua (chap. xxi.), is here anticipated. The Levites had this provision in Israel until Jeroboam and his sons cast them off, when they migrated to the kingdom of Judah (2 Chron. xi. 13, 14). (20) When the Lord thy God shall enlarge thy border -This and the following verses (20-25) are perfectly intelligible as an expansion of verses 15, 16, and a modification of the strict rule introduced in Lev. xviii. 2, &c. The distance from the central place of worship to the borders of the land would be manifestly too great for all feasting to be limited to that one spot. (25) That it may go well with thee.-Very possibly, the physical as well as the moral effect of the rule is contemplated here. and thy (26) Only thy holy things vows. The holy things probably mean the firstlings, which were necessarily holy, and must be made burnt offerings (Lev. xxviii. 26). The second tithe was also considered holy. The first tithe, or ordinary provision for the Levites (see Num. xviii.), was not considered holy. The vows might be either burnt offerings or peace offerings. |