Sermon Notes

[a]These are the words of the covenant that the Lord commanded Moses to make with the Israelites in the land of Moab, in addition to the covenant that he had made with them at Horeb.
The Covenant Renewed in Moab
29 2 [b]Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “You have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, 3 the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders. 4 But to this day the Lord has not given you a mind to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear. 5 I have led you forty years in the wilderness. The clothes on your back have not worn out, and the sandals on your feet have not worn out; 6 you have not eaten bread, and you have not drunk wine or strong drink—so that you may know that I am the Lord your God. 7 When you came to this place, King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan came out against us for battle, but we defeated them. 8 We took their land and gave it as an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. 9 Therefore observe the words of this covenant and perform them, in order that you may succeed[c] in everything that you do.
10 “You stand assembled today, all of you, before the Lord your God—the leaders of your tribes,[d] your elders, and your officials, all the men of Israel, 11 your children, your women, and the aliens who are in your camp, both those who cut your wood and those who draw your water— 12 to enter into the covenant of the Lord your God, sworn by an oath, which the Lord your God is making with you today, 13 in order that he may establish you today as his people and that he may be your God, as he promised you and as he swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. 14 I am making this covenant, sworn by an oath, not only with you 15 who stand here with us today before the Lord our God but also with those who are not here with us today.
(New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition, NRSVue)
Moses Blesses Israel on the Plains of Moab
These are the terms of the Covenant that God commanded Moses to make with the People of Israel in the land of Moab, renewing the Covenant he made with them at Horeb.
29 2-4 Moses called all Israel together and said, You’ve seen with your own eyes everything that God did in Egypt to Pharaoh and his servants, and to the land itself—the massive trials to which you were eyewitnesses, the great signs and miracle-wonders. But God didn’t give you an understanding heart or perceptive eyes or attentive ears until right now, this very day.
5-6 I took you through the wilderness for forty years and through all that time the clothes on your backs didn’t wear out, the sandals on your feet didn’t wear out, and you lived well without bread and wine and beer, proving to you that I am in fact God, your God.
7-8 When you arrived here in this place, Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan met us primed for war but we beat them. We took their land and gave it as an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
9 Diligently keep the words of this Covenant. Do what they say so that you will live well and wisely in every detail.
10-13 You are all standing here today in the Presence of God, your God—the heads of your tribes, your leaders, your officials, all Israel: your babies, your wives, the resident foreigners in your camps who fetch your firewood and water—ready to cross over into the solemnly sworn Covenant that God, your God, is making with you today, the Covenant that this day confirms that you are his people and he is God, your God, just as he promised you and your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 14-15 I’m not making this Covenant and its oath with you alone. I am making it with you who are standing here today in the Presence of God, our God, yes, but also with those who are not here today.
(The Message, MSG)

At its core, the book entitled Deuteronomy (from the Septuagint meaning “Deutero” or “a second law”) is about remembrance. It remembers the forty-year wilderness journey of the children of Israel and recasts it into an awe-inspiring sermon that Moses preaches to the children of Israel as they prepare to cross the Jordan river into the Promised Land. The Hebrew the title of Deuteronomy is “Devarim,” taken from the first words of the first chapter, “these are the words (devarim) that Moses spoke.” And, it re-members—as in pulls back together—all of the disparate events of Israel’s distant and recent past into the singular event of God’s liberation of God’s people from slavery in Egypt. As the final book of the Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy), Deuteronomy reminds readers that the work of becoming God’s people is an arduous process that builds upon divine instruction (Torah/Pentateuch) previously received on Mt. Sinai and informs the life that is to come as presented in the Deuteronomic History (Joshua, Judges, 1-2 Samuel and 1-2 Kings).
For those who wrote Deuteronomy—7th century BCE supporters of Josiah’s monotheistic reforms and later scribes, priests, and prophets who expanded previous legal and literary traditions in the 6th century and put them in the “voice of Moses” —the second giving of the law (Deuteronomic Code in chapters 12-26) in the Moabite plains reflects the historical context(s) of a people who have grown into urbanization, monarchy, and a national identity. Because the children of Israel have become the “nation of Israel,” as they transition from wilderness wanderings to urban confederation, they require a national polity—with accompanying laws and legal traditions—that address their new status. Thus, the book reflects how as YHWH’s covenant people, they are “blessed in the city and blessed in the field” because they belong to YHWH (Deuteronomy 28:3). Further, Deuteronomy reflects a particular theological world view that informs the values, ethics, and political actions that Israel takes against various people, nations, and ethnic groups as they possess in Canaan as reflected in Deuteronomy and Joshua, Judges, 1-2 Samuel, and 1-2 Kings. These actions can be either positive or negative.
This week’s lesson text (29:2-13), is drawn from a section of Deuteronomy that forms an epilogue to the previous commandments and law code that has already been given by God (Deuteronomy 27:1-30:20). In his final farewell sermon, Moses outlines particular blessings and curses that will arise from obedience or disobedience of God’s law. As dictated in the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)—“Shema Israel, Adonai Elohenu, Adonai, Echad;” “Hear Israel, the LORD, your God, The LORD is One;” and as they embraces the law code (Deuteronomy 12-28)— Moses passionately exhorts the people that as they live out their love for the LORD (with all their heart, mind and soul), they demonstrate that they are no longer becoming God’s people, they have become God’s people. The lesson text can be divided into two main sections: verses 2-9 and verses 10-15.

These are the terms of the Covenant that God commanded Moses to make with the People of Israel in the land of Moab, renewing the Covenant he made with them at Horeb.
29 2-4 Moses called all Israel together and said, You’ve seen with your own eyes everything that God did in Egypt to Pharaoh and his servants, and to the land itself—the massive trials to which you were eyewitnesses, the great signs and miracle-wonders. But God didn’t give you an understanding heart or perceptive eyes or attentive ears until right now, this very day. 5-6 I took you through the wilderness for forty years and through all that time the clothes on your backs didn’t wear out, the sandals on your feet didn’t wear out, and you lived well without bread and wine and beer, proving to you that I am in fact God, your God. 7-8 When you arrived here in this place, Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan met us primed for war but we beat them. We took their land and gave it as an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. 9 Diligently keep the words of this Covenant. Do what they say so that you will live well and wisely in every detail.
The opening verses of the lesson text immediately present a text critical contextual “puzzle” for this pericope. The first verse of the lesson text begins with Moses’ sermon and excludes the summarizing comment that the narrator interjects in 29:1. It is interesting to note that in the Masoretic Text (Hebrew Bible original language version), verse 1 is actually 28:69. This indicates this verse was originally the concluding verse of the previous chapter, and it indicates that the revelation that was given on Mt. Sinai/Mt. Horeb is separate from this covenant that is given or renewed in Moab. The previous covenant was cut with the previous generation. Here at Moab, the LORD is cutting a new covenant with the second generation. As will be indicated by verses 2-9, this is not only a renewal of the first covenant, but also an extension of that covenant. So, this verse functions as a transition into Moses’ fourth sermon (29:1-30:20) in Deuteronomy, which scholars call his farewell sermon. It focuses on a rousing call to obedience.
In verses two through four, Moses calls all of Israel together to remind them of what God did for the previous generation in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and through the 40 years of wilderness wanderings. Like a novel, stage play, movie that employs flashback sequences to explain current events and provide narrative context, the writers of Deuteronomy have Moses employ flashback sequences to provide the experiential context for the children of Israel as they are camped in Moab. To employ a Black Baptist vernacular, Moses invites the people to use their “spiritual imagination.” They weren’t there when the ancestors witnessed the plagues in Egypt, smeared blood on the doorposts of their houses, or saw the Death angel passing over their first born children. This generation also did not experience walking through the Red Sea on dry land or seeing Pharoah’s army drowned. However, through their spiritual imagination, they are collectively able to experience these miraculous events.
Moses then preaches about clothes and sandals not wearing out; being satisfied without bread, wine or beer; and meeting enemies and adversaries in the land—King Sihon and King Og—but defeating them and prevailing. By God’s help, the Israelites took their land and redistributed it to the Reubenites, Gadites and half-tribe of Manasseh. Moses’ proclamation invites this, and future generation of Israelites to experience God’s historical liberation of Israel as a precursor to the liberation they will experience in the future. As Hebrew Bible scholar Paavo Tucker asserts, Moses addresses the question of religious epistemology—how people know what they know—by God literally providing them the heart, eyes and ears to understand what God has actually done for them and the ancestors.
As the contemporary psalmist Kurt Car sings, “for every mountain, you’ve brought me over, for every trial you’ve seen me through, for every blessings, hallelujah—for this I give you praise!” Moses says, “for every Egypt you’ve brought me over, for every Red Sea, you’ve seen me through; for every Meribah, Hallelujah—for all of this we give you praise!” It is only through looking back, that the children of Israel actually understand, see, and hear what God actually did for the them and their ancestors. Further, as they look back, Israel is invited to remember the sins and mistakes of the past without having to lie about the reality of their faithlessness. The process of remembering is an opportunity to re-member—to pull themselves back—the repentance that is necessary for covenant renewal. These people just complained at Meribah, but God blessed them anyway. Moses implores the people to “diligently keep the covenant so they can live wisely and successfully in everything that they do.”
10-13 You are all standing here today in the Presence of God, your God—the heads of your tribes, your leaders, your officials, all Israel: your babies, your wives, the resident foreigners in your camps who fetch your firewood and water—ready to cross over into the solemnly sworn Covenant that God, your God, is making with you today, the Covenant that this day confirms that you are his people and he is God, your God, just as he promised you and your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 14-15 I’m not making this Covenant and its oath with you alone. I am making it with you who are standing here today in the Presence of God, our God, yes, but also with those who are not here today.
Verses 10-13, outline in detail exactly who is included in this covenant renewal; and it is surprising to see who invited to have a seat at the table. The LORD makes covenant with everyone who is present. The men and women are included. The landed and non-landed people are included because Levites are not apportioned any land. People from important clans and people with no clan at all (strangers and foreigners), also have a right to be at the table. Upper class people and the no-wage and minimum wage earners are included in covenant as well. Further, both Yahwist’s and the non-Yahwist’s—the Egyptian or “mixed-multitudes” who were likely of a religion or cultural background—are also included as becoming God’s people. What does that say to contemporary Christians about the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion? It says, God included DEI at the beginning. All people are included in God’s family.
Verse 14 also extends covenant to those who “are not here today.” This is an extension of the covenant to future generations who have yet to be conceived. God is “cutting” covenant with everybody who embraces the LORD, and who will embrace the LORD, by choosing to follow God’s instruction and observe God’s statutes. Again, everyone is included. For contemporary Christianity, this inclusiveness mirrors the extravagant welcome of the Lord’s Supper table. All are welcomed to the table. We don’t get to determine who is invited into God’s family or whom God loves. Moses farewell sermon clearly outlines that becoming God’s people is more about who God is, than it is about who we are and what we do. Yes, the children of Israel will be blessed if they are obedient to God. In choosing God, they choose life. However, it is God who chose to extend Divine grace and relationship first.
Consider the context of Moses final sermon. The people have messed up time and time again, and they are likely scared to move into the Promised Land without their leader. They are likely distressed at what may await them in Canaan. But in his final parting words, Moses inspires the people to move forward in obedient faith anyway. He encourages them that they should not let their past faithlessness dictate what they will do on today, tomorrow, or the next day after. They may fall down, but they must get up and try again. The secret to becoming the people of God is being the people of God. “Being” is a minute by minute choice that the children of Israel—and contemporary believers—must make every day.

i. See Bill T. Arnold’s more detailed introduction in The SBL Study Bible (New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2023), 276-282.
ii. SBL Study Bible, 277.
iii. Ronald E. Clements, “The Book of Deuteronomy,” in The New Interpreter’s Bible: A Commentary in Twelve Volumes, Volume II (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1998), 269-290.
iv. The Westminster Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition with the Deuterocanonical/Apocryphal Books (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, Kindle Edition), 791.
v. Ibid.