The Gospel in Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy contains Moses' last three sermons and two prophetic poems about Israel's future. It is one of the most important books in the OT because:

1. Jesus quoted it more than any other OT book.
2. Jesus used it in his own life more than any other OT book (Lk 4:1-13).
3. Jesus summarized the supreme command of the Bible from Dt 6:4-5 (Mt 22:37; Mk 12:30).
4. It is quoted over 80 times in the NT, and references to it occur in 22 of the 27 books.

The law is surrounded by grace, and keeping the law is a response to grace received (first 4 chs) and anticipated (last 4 chs). The gospel is seen in the overall structure of the book. It is true that the majority of the book and the center of the book are occupied with laws (chs. 5-26) and the consequences of keeping or breaking those laws (chs. 27-30). But this "law" section is surrounded by grace. The first four chapters are an account of how gracious God has been to Israel in the past. So, God's grace in the past serves as the context and motivation for Israel's keeping the law. Also, the last four chapters are an account of how gracious God will be to Israel in the future, which should serve as the context and motivation for Israel keeping the law.

The middle law section of the book (chs. 5-26) expresses the gospel. Keeping the law in Deuteronomy is a response to God's grace and not a means to earn God's favor. This is especially articulated clearly in the Ten Commandments (Dt 5:7-21), where all the commandments are rooted in God's gracious redemption (Dt 5:6). Paul certainly saw the gospel in Deuteronomy in Romans. He taught that:

• the law reveals sin (Rom 7:7), 
• a circumcision of the heart is necessary for true obedience (Rom 10:6-8, 19; Dt 30:12-14),
• keeping the law is the way to love one's neighbor (Rom 13:9; Dt 5:17-19, 21),
• we should not seek personal revenge (Rom 12:19; Dt 32:35), and
• we should expect Gentiles to be added to an originally all-Jewish people of God (Rom 15:10; Dt 32:43).

What is grace? What is the gospel? We love God by keeping his commandments because he is our God; he is not our God because we love him by keeping his commandments. Because we have received grace through the gospel, we love God and we love our neighbor as ourselves (Mt 22:38; Mk 12:31). We love because he loved (1 Jn 4:19). We extend grace because he extended grace.

1. The Gospel in Genesis.
2. The Gospel in Exodus.
3. The Gospel in Leviticus.
   
4. The Gospel in Numbers.
5. The Words Moses Spoke (Dt 1:1-46). A sermon delivered in Manila in Mar 2013.
   

ESV Gospel Transformation Bible.