What Does Deuteronomy Teach about Covenants?
In the second half of the twentieth century, archeologists discoveredHittite treaty documents dating back to the period of Moses. Investigation ofthese records revealed that Deuteronomy featured elements similar to the formatand contents of these treaties.[i]This observation underscored the covenantal nature of Deuteronomy, a qualityalready attested by the message of the book. On this point, Zuck goes so far asto say that “covenant is the theological center of Deuteronomy.”[ii]Indeed, the word covenant (בְּרִית)occurs frequently throughout Deuteronomy (twenty-seven times), as frequently asin the book of Genesis and more frequently than any other Old Testament (OT)book.[iii]
To begin developing a biblical theology of covenant from Deuteronomy,this study will first define the Hebrew word בְּרִית.Then it will make observations about the occurrences of this word throughoutthe book. These occurrences will identify the parties of the covenant, itscorrelation with prior covenants, the expectations of the covenant, andwarnings against breaking the covenant.
Definition of Covenant (בְּרִית, berîth).
This word signifies “an agreement between two parties.”[iv]The agreement may consist of a military treaty, a political alliance, amarriage, or a close friendship.[v]With this in mind, it is important to recognize that “the subject of the berîtplaces another, the one with whom a berîtis ‘cut,’ under obligation.”[vi]As such, this word does more than recognize the existence of a relationship; itemphasizes the obligation(s) that both parties have towards one another.[vii]
The Parties ofthe Covenant
Mosesconsistently presents Yahweh (the LORD) as the primary, superior party of thiscovenant. He does this by claiming that Yahweh originated the covenant (Deut4:12-13, 23; 5:2, et al.) and that it is his covenant (referring toYahweh) (8:18; 17:2, et al.). Alternately, he identifies the secondary,subservient party in various ways. In some instances, he names the fathers ofhis immediate audience, whether the original patriarchs (4:31; 7:12; 8:18, etal.), or the exodus generation who had died in the wilderness (5:3).
In most cases,however, he identifies the covenant as pertaining to the Israelite nation as awhole (4:13, 23, 31; 5:2, et al.), giving special emphasis to the generationpreparing to enter the land with Joshua (29:1). He even extended the identityof this party into the future “for a thousand generations” (7:9). So, thesecondary party originated with the Israelite adults of the exodus andcontinues indefinitely into the future. As an additional note within the termsof this covenant, Yahweh forbade Israel from entering into a covenant with anyof the nations who had previously inhabited the land of Canaan (7:2).
Correlation with Prior Covenants
The covenant of Deuteronomy did not stand in isolation. Instead, it wasa reiteration of the covenant God had already made with the nation of Israel atHoreb (5:2; 29:1).[viii]Moses strengthens this connection by referring to the Ten Commandments as “thetablets of the covenant” (9:9, 11, 15, cf. 4:13). Beyond this, he alsocorrelates this covenant to the one he had made with the patriarchs centuriesbefore (4:31; 7:12; 8:18). By connecting this covenant with the Abrahamiccovenant, Moses emphasized its unconditional dimension; but by connecting itwith the Sinaitic covenant, he emphasized its conditional nature as well. [ix]
Expectations of the Covenant
On one level, this covenant obligated the Israelite people to obey thelaws and commands given by God at Sinai. The scope of this obedience includedthe Ten Commandments, which Moses reiterated in Deuteronomy 5:1-33 (cf. 4:13;9:9, 11, 15). It also included the many other ceremonial, religious, and caselaws (cf. 12:1-26:19). In its essence, however, God expected more than legalcompliance and religious exactitude. He called for total, wholehearted devotionthat internalized his words and transmitted them to others (6:4-9).[x]As the nation of Israel would fulfill their covenant obligations from theirheart, God would fulfill his covenant promises to them in return. He would dealwith them in a merciful way (7:12), make them wealthy (8:18), and prosper themin everything they did (29:9).
Warnings against Breaking the Covenant
Deuteronomy never casts doubt on Yahweh’s faithfulness to thiscovenant, but it presents him instead as one who would never forget the covenant(4:31) and would always remain faithful to it (7:9). In contrast, this bookregularly foreshadows the possibility of Israel’s failure. They might forgetthe covenant by making and worshipping idols (4:23), transgress the covenant bybehaving wickedly (17:2), or forsake and break the covenant by following afterthe gods of the pagan inhabitants of the land (29:25; 31:16, 20). ThoughDeuteronomy generally portrays the breaking of this covenant in corporate terms(i.e., the entire nation failing their covenant obligations), it alsoacknowledges the possibility of an Israelite breaching the covenant in his orher individual capacity (17:2-7).
To aid the Israelites in remembering this covenant, God had engravedthe original Ten Commandments on tablets of stone at Sinai (4:13). Beyond this,Moses wrote down the words of Deuteronomy, gave it to the Levitical priests,and instructed them to store it beside the ark of the covenant (31:9; 25-26).[xi]If an individual Israelite grossly violated his or her covenant obligations,then the nation was responsible to execute this person by a public stoning(7:2-7). If the nation altogether abandoned or breached their obligations toYahweh, then God would curse them and not bless them according to the cursesdetailed by Moses at length (27-30).[xii]Sadly, Moses did more than foreshadow the possibility of Israel’s failure; hepredicted (or prophesied) that they would do so for sure (31:16-21, 27-29).
Conclusion
By promising everlasting blessing to Abraham and by delivering his descendantsfrom Egypt, Yahweh established himself as the sovereign, loving God to whom thepeople of Israel was beholden, in keeping with the nature of בְּרִית.Though Deuteronomy portrays the resulting alliance and relationship betweenthese two parties in classic treaty form, it also reveals something more. Goddesired more than political allegiance to his preeminence and helpless relianceon his benevolence. He desired to reveal his love in an intimate way toundeserving people who would love him in return.
Though Israel would fail him repeatedly in the future, falling short ofthe conditions established at Horeb, Yahweh would continue to extend the termsof this covenant to future generations in keeping with his mercy and hisunconditional covenant with Abraham (7:12; 29:1). As such, this would be acovenant not only for the generation entering with Joshua into Canaan; it wouldendure for countless generations to come, though generations along the waywould fail. Though the curses on Israel for breaching this covenant wouldoccur, the blessings of Yahweh would prevail in the end.
[i] Robert D.Bell, The Theological Messages of the Old Testament Books (Greenville,SC: Bob Jones University Press, 2010), 80.
[ii] Roy B. Zuck, ABiblical Theology of the Old Testament, electronic ed. (Chicago: MoodyPress, 1991), 62.
[iii] Deut 4:13, 23,31; 5:2, 3; 7:2, 9, 12; 8:18; 9:9, 11, 15; 10:8; 17:2; 29:1 (2x), 9, 12, 14,21, 25; 31:9, 16, 20, 25-26; 33:9.
[iv] James Swanson,“בְּרִית,” Dictionary of Biblical Languageswith Semantic Domains: Hebrew (Old Testament) (Oak Harbor: Logos ResearchSystems, Inc., 1997).
[v] Francis Brown,Samuel Rolles Driver, and Charles Augustus Briggs, EnhancedBrown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (Oxford: Clarendon Press,1977), 136.
[vi] Ernst Jenni and Claus Westermann, Theological Lexicon of theOld Testament (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1997), 259.
[vii] “The core ofthe book is thus envisaged as a covenant document that defines the relationshipbetween God and Israel. It binds them to be God’s loyal subjects promising themprosperity if they are obedient and punishment if they go their own way.” GordonJ. Wenham, Exploring the Old Testament (Exploring the Bible Series),Kindle ed. (Chicago: Intervarsity, 2003), 125.
[viii] Horeb refersto Mount Sinai and therefore to the Mosaic or Sinaitic covenant. Avraham Negev,“Horeb,” The Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land (New York:Prentice Hall, 1990).
[ix] Eugene H.Merrill, Deuteronomy, vol. 4, The New American Commentary (Nashville:Broadman & Holman, 1994), 128.
[x] Deuteronomyrecognizes the difficulty of achieving this whole- hearted love of God, butpromises that one day ‘The LORD your God will circumcise your heart ... so thatyou will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul thatyou may live’ (30:6). Wenham, Exploring the Old Testament, 131.
[xi] “The people’sagreement to keep the covenant leads to the writing of a book that concretizesthe covenant…” Paul R. House, Old Testament Theology, Kindle ed. (Chicago;Intervarsity, 1998), 171-2.
[xii] “Althoughthere are far more curses than blessings in chapter 28, the fact that there areany blessings at all points again to a second millennium date for Deuteronomy.In first millennium treaty documents there are numerous curses but noblessings. Additional blessings are found in chapter 33, the record of Moses’final words to the twelve tribes.” Herbert Wolf, An Introduction to the OldTestament Pentateuch, Kindle ed. (Chicago: Moody, 1991), loc. 4822.
