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Podcast Episode

The Way to True Life

In the first movement of Deuteronomy, two words appear more frequently than any others—listen and love. Why did Moses emphasize these two words in his farewell speech to Israel? In this episode, Tim and Jon explore what it looks like to be loyal to Yahweh, the God unlike any other, who listens to humanity.

Episode 2
1hr 6m
Oct 10, 2022
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Show Notes
Episodes

QUOTE

In every close relationship, one of the most simple but also difficult ways to show love is attentive listening—and responding and doing something because of what you hear … Moses warns Israel that they shouldn’t give their allegiance to other gods because they’re gods that do not shema (listen). So they are to shema, and if they shema, Yahweh will listen to them.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • In Deuteronomy, Moses represents the archetypal prophet leading God’s people into the promised land. Every generation who reads Deuteronomy (even modern day readers) are meant to see themselves as awaiting the ultimate prophet who will lead them into the true Eden, where Heaven and Earth are one.
  • The main message of Deuteronomy is that Yahweh has provided a way for Israel to flourish in the Eden land––flourishing will come when the people show their love for Yahweh by listening to and obeying his commands.
  • Paul calls disciples of Jesus descendants of Israel and inheritors of the wisdom of the Torah—just like the Jewish people. Paul believes that Israel’s history reveals God’s plan for all of humanity.

Waiting To Re-Enter Eden

In part one (00:00-11:41), Tim and Jon review our last episode, where we started exploring the scroll of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy means “second law,” and the whole scroll is one long speech given by Moses in an attempt to explain the law to Israel’s new generation as they prepare to make the transition from a nomadic, wandering people group to a nation with a land of its own.

In Deuteronomy, Moses represents the archetypal prophet leading God’s people into the promised land. Every generation who reads Deuteronomy (even modern day readers) are meant to see themselves as awaiting the ultimate prophet who will lead them into the true Eden, where Heaven and Earth are one.

Listen and Love

In part two (11:41-32:15), Tim and Jon discuss the theme we’re tracing in this movement, listen and love. Listen (shema) appears 91 times in Deuteronomy and 35 times in the first movement. When a word gets repeated, it’s a sign the biblical author wants you to pay attention to it. Love (ahav) appears 12 times in the first movement of Deuteronomy.

The main message of Deuteronomy is that Yahweh has provided a way for Israel to flourish in the Eden land––flourishing will come when the people show their love for Yahweh by listening to and obeying his commands.

Deuteronomy 4:28

[Do not] serve gods, the work of man’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell.

Yahweh is a God who listens to his people. Moses warns Israel not to give their allegiance to other gods because they will not listen. Idol statues can’t listen, and while Yahweh has delegated authority to other spiritual beings represented by those statues, they are merely created beings, and they are not all-powerful like Yahweh.

There is a reciprocal relationship between listening and loving. The main idea is this: If Israel loves Yahweh, they will listen to him. (Listen, in this case, means more than just hearing. It’s about responding in trust and obedience.) Similarly, because Yahweh loves Israel, he listens to them. He responds with compassion and mercy and delivers them when they need help.

Genesis 1-3 in Deuteronomy

In part three (32:15-51:10), the guys compare Israel’s entrance to Canaan with themes from Genesis 1-3.

The author of Deuteronomy employs many of the same literary elements that appear in Genesis 1-3, painting the promised land as a new Eden.

At the beginning of Deuteronomy, Israel stands outside a lush garden land, looking in from the desert (like the barren wasteland of Genesis 2). But to enter, they’ll have to cross the Jordan River. Crossing through waters symbolizes entering potential death—the people must trust Yahweh’s word that they will live. Israel will also have to pass a cherubim with a sword (Josh. 5:13).

Like Adam and Eve, Israel is given an opportunity for long life in the garden land if they listen to Yahweh’s commands. The choice before Israel is one piece of the larger mosaic visible to readers of the TaNaK—we are all waiting to re-enter Eden.

Covenant Love With Yahweh

In part four (51:10-01:05:43), Tim and Jon explore how the authors of the New Testament echoed themes from Deuteronomy and the Torah to instruct early followers of Jesus.

1 Corinthians 10:1-6

For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea … They were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them, and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased, for they were laid low in the wilderness. Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved.

Writing to the largely Gentile church in Corinth, Paul calls them descendants of Israel and inheritors of the wisdom of the Torah—just like the Jewish people. Paul believes that Israel’s history reveals God’s plan for all of humanity.

The loving relationship between Israel and Yahweh described in Deuteronomy uses the same language used to describe the marriage union of husband and wife in the Eden story. Just like God provided a partner for man in Eden so the two could be fruitful and multiply and enjoy long life in the land, Israel is depicted as a covenant partner of Yahweh that is to love and cling to him as they would a spouse. This is still the inheritance of God’s people today, to partner with God and be united with him through Jesus.

Referenced Resources

  • A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Walter Bauer, William T. Arndt, Wilbur Gingrich, F. W. Danker
  • Interested in more? Check out Tim’s library here.
  • You can experience the literary themes and movements we’re tracing on the podcast in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.

Show Music

  • “Defender (Instrumental)” by TENTS
  • “March 10th and a Third (Instrumental)" by JGivens
  • "Eyes Aligning Stars Shining" by Xihcsr
  • "Issa Vibe" by Sam Stewart

Show produced by Cooper Peltz with Associate Producer Lindsey Ponder. Edited by Dan Gummel, Tyler Bailey, and Frank Garza. Podcast annotations for the BibleProject app by MacKenzie Buxman.

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Scripture References
Genesis 2:15
Deuteronomy 6:4
Genesis 2:4
Genesis 2:24
Deuteronomy 1-11
Deuteronomy 32
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Psalms 119
Deuteronomy 4:15-20
Deuteronomy 12-26:15
Deuteronomy 26:16-34
Deuteronomy 4:10-12
Deuteronomy 4:28-31
Deuteronomy 4:36-37
Deuteronomy 6:1
Deuteronomy 5:33
1 Corinthians 10:1-4
1 Corinthians 10:6
Deuteronomy 10:20
Deuteronomy 11:22
Ephesians 5:21-33

12 Episodes

Episode 12
Simkhat Torah: Celebrating a Year of Reading
When a Jewish synagogue finishes reading through the Torah together, they celebrate Simkhat Torah. What is Simkhat Torah? Find out on today’s episode as Jon and Tim reflect on our year-long journey through the Torah and look ahead to the rest of the TaNaK.
1hr 16m • Dec 19, 2022
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Episode 11
When Do Words Become a Blessing?
How do we know the biblical authors intended to link certain words and stories? When do someone’s words become a blessing? How do sacrifices actually atone for sins? In this episode, Tim and Jon respond to audience questions from a year’s worth of conversations about the Torah. Thank you to our audience for your questions!
1hr 4m • Dec 12, 2022
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Episode 10
Which Laws Still Apply?
Which ancient Israelite laws still apply today and which don’t? Should the law be divided into moral, civil, and ceremonial categories? And why did Jesus quote Deuteronomy when Satan tempted him? In this episode, Tim and Jon respond to audience questions about the Deuteronomy scroll. Thanks to our incredible audience for your questions.
59m • Dec 5, 2022
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Episode 9
Moses’ Final Words
Who are Yahweh’s children? For most of the Torah, the answer seems to be all of Israel. But in his final moments, Moses tells Israel that Yahweh’s true children are those who remain faithful to his covenant. In the final episode of our journey through the Torah, join Tim and Jon as they explore a prophetic poem that will set the tone for the rest of the TaNaK.
1hr 20m • Nov 28, 2022
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Episode 8
Can Anyone Live a Blessed Life?
Moses gives the least motivating pep talk ever in the third movement of Deuteronomy. He outlines God’s covenant and the various blessings and curses associated with it, and then he tells Israel, “You’re going to fail.” Talk about demoralizing! In this episode, join Tim and Jon as they explore the paradox of righteousness accomplished by divine sovereignty and human freedom through the lens of Deuteronomy and the New Testament writers.
1hr 27m • Nov 21, 2022
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Episode 7
Covenant Curses
In the final movement of Deuteronomy, there’s a pretty lengthy list of curses that will fall upon Israel if they break their covenant with Yahweh. But what exactly is a curse? Why are there so many of them, and what do they have to do with Israel’s covenant with Yahweh? In this episode, Tim and Jon talk about blessings and curses, ancient Near Eastern law code, and the choice all humans have between death or life.
59m • Nov 14, 2022
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Episode 6
Jesus, Marriage, and the Law
The Pharisees frequently tested Jesus on his knowledge of the law, and in Matthew 19, they grill him on a particularly challenging law about divorce. In this episode, join Tim and Jon as they wrap up the second movement of Deuteronomy by exploring Jesus’ understanding of the law and how it can help us interpret the Torah.
1hr 10m • Nov 7, 2022
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Episode 5
How Do We Use the Law Today?
Israel’s laws were meant to form them into people of wisdom who lived differently than the nations around them. But what wisdom can Christians gain from the law? In this episode, listen in as Tim and Jon discuss the wisdom the apostles gleaned from the law.
54m • Oct 31, 2022
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Episode 4
The Law … Again
In the second movement of Deuteronomy, Moses gives Israel the law … again. But this time, he’s not talking to a nomadic group of people wandering the desert—he’s talking to the next generation preparing to settle in a permanent home for the first time. As they move into the land, their laws and their lives will need to look a little different. But in what way? In this episode, join Tim and Jon as they discuss how the law was always meant to form Israel (and modern readers) into people of wisdom, justice, and righteousness.
1hr 14m • Oct 24, 2022
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Episode 3
Giants and Justice
In this episode, we once again encounter the Nephilim, the evil demon-human hybrid beings we first met in Genesis 6. Now they resurface as giants inhabiting Canaan, the land Yahweh promised to Israel. Join Tim and Jon as they tackle the complex issues of violent conquest, human and spiritual evil, and divine justice.
1hr 13m • Oct 17, 2022
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Episode 2
The Way to True Life
In the first movement of Deuteronomy, two words appear more frequently than any others—listen and love. Why did Moses emphasize these two words in his farewell speech to Israel? In this episode, Tim and Jon explore what it looks like to be loyal to Yahweh, the God unlike any other, who listens to humanity.
1hr 6m • Oct 10, 2022
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Episode 1
What’s the Point of Deuteronomy?
Have you ever wondered where the earliest sermons in the Bible are found? Moses’ final speech to Israel, found in Deuteronomy, is the first time we see what is essentially a modern sermon—a long speech meant to communicate God’s truth. Just as Israel is about to enter the promised land, Moses reminds them that, just like their ancestors, they have the choice to live by their own wisdom or to follow Yahweh’s life-giving commands. Join Tim and Jon as they dive into the final scroll of the Torah and explore the choice before Israel—and the choice we face today too.
1hr 3m • Oct 3, 2022
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