Darash Chai Experiment

As we begin to move through the upcoming “legal” portions of Deuteronomy, we will discover that the order of the commands is not random, even though it might seem like it. Rather, the upcoming 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 second Command. Do not commit idolatry. A command that is repeated all through scripture, and one that is oh so easy to forget.

In Hebrews 4:2 we read that the same gospel that was taught by the apostles was brought to Israel in the wilderness as well. Here in Deuteronomy, as we enter into the expansion of the Ten Words as presented in this ancient legal document, we discover that all of the major ideas of the gospel are discussed. This week we read of the fourth. The foundational motivation of both the gospel, and the Torah. The greatest command and the eternal gift. And in this text we discover that the love of the Bible is vastly different than the love of Modern Western Society.

In Hebrews 4:2 we read that the same gospel that was taught by the apostles was brought to Israel in the wilderness as well. Here in Deuteronomy, as we enter into the expansion of the Ten Words as presented in this ancient legal document, we discover that all of the major ideas of the gospel are discussed. This week we read of the third. The concept of Justification and the connected idea of righteousness. Where is it that our righteousness is rooted, and as an outcome, where and how do we find justification?

In Hebrews 4:2 we read that the same gospel that was taught by the apostles was brought to Israel in the wilderness as well. Here in Deuteronomy, as we enter into the expansion of the Ten Words as presented in this ancient legal document, we discover that all of the major ideas of the gospel are discussed. This week we read of the second. The idea of grace. As we dig into this idea from an ancient perspective, we discover that grace does not simply mean an undeserved gift. In the Ancient Near East, the idea of grace carried with it a whole slew of social norms that the authors of the Bible leverage throughout their writings.

In Hebrews 4:2 we read that the same gospel that was taught by the apostles was brought to Israel in the wilderness as well. Here in Deuteronomy, as we enter into the expansion of the Ten Words as presented in this ancient legal document, we discover that all of the major ideas of the gospel are discussed. This week we read of the first. The idea of faith, and as we dig into this idea from an ancient perspective, we discover that faith does not always mean simply, the things of belief. There is a much deeper, more concrete meaning of faith that we can apply to our lives.

We have a problem when we read the Bible. We are modern people and the Bible was not written to us. The Bible was written to an ancient people. People who did not think or act in the same ways that we do. And that leaves us behind when it comes to Biblical application. We have, in our Modern Western Culture, a concept of what law is and how it is to be used and applied. But when we search the historical record and the Bible itself, we discover that our modern understanding and application of law misses the mark when it comes to understanding and applying Biblical law.

Deuteronomy as a whole paints a picture of a kingdom. A vast kingdom with a Suzerain or a high king, and with each person being a vassal king in their own right. But a kingdom doesn’t exist in a vacuum. There are four things that are absolutely necessary for a kingdom to exist, and this parsha covers all four.

Here at the beginning of Deuteronomy we read what could be called the historical prologue of a Suzerain Vassal treaty. Last week we saw how Israel sabotaged themselves on their journey to the land. In this parsha we read of another class of enemy. The enemies that exist outside of Israel that they have faced so far on their journeys to the east side of the Jordan. From here we get a grasp on the enemies that we face in our day to day lives.

The book of Deuteronomy takes the form of a Suzerain Vassal treaty. An ancient document that is laid out in a very distinct and recognizable way. This treaty outlines the relationship between a Suzerain of High King and the kings that serve under the high king as his vassals. In this episode we begin to dig into this treaty or covenant that God made with Israel by examining the first two parts of the treaty. The preamble and the historical prologue. What can these sections tell us about our own relationship with God?

As we close out the book of Numbers we discover a new class of people that God provides for and cares for. A class of people that are not vulnerable in the classical sense, such as the widow, orphan, or stranger. Rather a class of people that is vulnerable in a completely different way. People without representation, but not guilty, or vulnerable. The disenfranchised. And nestled in these instructions for their care is a glimpse of the gospel that demonstrates perhaps the most important dividing factor between those who are part of the Kingdom of God and those who are not.