Darash Chai Experiment

The blessings and the curses of Deuteronomy take up quite some space in the text, and the discussion of these topics does not end when the explicit recounting of the various curses ends. Rather, the text then moves on to discuss two types of people who encounter these curses in their own lives. Both are part of the covenant. But one hears these curses and looks around himself and does not see them being carried out in his midst, and so he continues to operate in the hardness of his heart. The other, the man who hears and then notices the curses being carried out in his own existence and allows these judgments to move him to repentance. And in the text is the unstated question that we must all ask ourselves. Which one am I?

Every Suzerain Vassal Treaty of the historical record contains a section that outlines a series of blessings and curses that were to be enacted against the signatories of the treaty. Blessings for conformation to the treaty and curses for breaking the treaty. Here at the end of Deuteronomy, this treaty between the High King of heaven and the nation that he is forming under His leadership we encounter this section. As we examine these various blessings and curses we discover that there is a singular ideal that underlies both.

After several months diving deep into the Bible’s own expansion of the Ten Commandments, the text finally moves on to other topics. The Suzerain Vassal Treaty that is the book of Deuteronomy is once again brought into focus. This week with an exploration of how to give tribute and who to give your tribute to. But this idea of tribute is one that made sense in the ancient world of kings and subjects. In the New Testament, however, the topic takes an interesting shift. No longer is giving to God or others about a tribute that is compelled from subjects, but rather it takes on the case of giving out of love and generosity.

As we move through the “legal” portions of Deuteronomy, we have discovered that the order of the commands is not random, even though it might seem like it. Rather, these chapters of Deuteronomy serve as real world examples of just how we are to expand the 10 Commandments into our own lives and live them out. This week we finish with the tenth command. Do not envy. The only command that deals with a person’s thought life and not with a product of their actions. But as we examine this passage we find that this ideal works its way out into the world in many interesting ways, and most of these ways have a lot of overlap with things that we have read before.

As we move through the “legal” portions of Deuteronomy, we have discovered that the order of the commands is not random, even though it might seem like it. Rather, these chapters of Deuteronomy serve as real world examples of just how we are to expand the 10 Commandments into our own lives and live them out. This week we begin the ninth command. Do not bear false witness. A command that is often applied to court cases, or simply telling the truth, but once again, this ideal goes far beyond these limited applications.

As we move through the “legal” portions of Deuteronomy, we have discovered that the order of the commands is not random, even though it might seem like it. Rather, these chapters of Deuteronomy serve as real world examples of just how we are to expand the 10 Commandments into our own lives and live them out. This week we begin the seventh command. Do not commit adultery. Usually when we encounter this command we think of extra marital relationships and that is where our minds stop. But as we read the ways that Deuteronomy expands on this command we discover that adultery can reach into many aspects of our lives.

As we move through the “legal” portions of Deuteronomy, we have discovered that the order of the commands is not random, even though it might seem like it. Rather, these chapters of Deuteronomy serve as real world examples of just how we are to expand the 10 Commandments into our own lives and live them out. This week we begin the sixth Command. Do not Murder. This command seems pretty straightforward when we consider how we are to act in the world, but there are some surprising situations that this command is applied to. What can we learn about this command from its extrapolation, and how does it connect to the first command?

As we move through the “legal” portions of Deuteronomy, we have discovered that the order of the commands is not random, even though it might seem like it. Rather, these chapters of Deuteronomy serve as real world examples of just how we are to expand the 10 Commandments into our own lives and live them out. This week we begin the fifth Command. Honor your Father and Mother. On the surface this command seems extremely limited to simple family relationships, but as it is expanded in the course of Deuteronomy we discover that this command spans the entire spectrum of human authority structures. Structures that begin in the home.

As we move through the “legal” portions of Deuteronomy, we have discovered that the order of the commands is not random, even though it might seem like it. Rather, these chapters of Deuteronomy serve as real world examples of just how we are to expand the 10 Commandments into our own lives and live them out. This week we begin the fourth Command. Guard the Sabbath Day. The Sabbath is a time that was a part of creation. In the book of Exodus the Sabbath was all about creation, but here in Deuteronomy the text comes at the command for the Sabbath, and when we see this and then extrapolate into this passage of Deuteronomy we find the heart of of God for the vulnerable.

As we move through the “legal” portions of Deuteronomy, we have discovered that the order of the commands is not random, even though it might seem like it. Rather, these chapters of Deuteronomy serve as real world examples of just how we are to expand the 10 Commandments into our own lives and live them out. This week we begin the third Command. Do not take the Name of God in vain. A command that is often woefully understood. This command has nothing to do with how you use God’s name in speech, rather it speaks to a much deeper principle of how we are to live our lives.