Deuteronomy

How are Christians to read the book today? The following principles may guide in the face of this challenge. First, rather than beginning with what the NT has to say about Deuteronomy, we should read the book as an ancient Near Eastern document that addressed issues current a thousand years before Christ, in idioms derived from that cultural world. Although the NT church accepted this book as authoritative Scripture, Deuteronomy sought to govern the life of Israel, composed largely of ethnic descendants of the patriarchs.

Second, we should recognise the book as a written deposit of eternal truth. Some of these verities are cast in explicit declarative form, as in "Yahweh is God; there is no other [god] besides Him." Others are couched in distinctive Israelite cultural dress, for which we need to identify the underlying theological principle. For example, "When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof." This represents a specific way of demonstrating covenantal love for one's neighbour.

The validity of specific commands for the Christian may not be answered simply by examining what the NT explicitly affirms. On the contrary, unless the NT explicitly declares a Deuteronomic ordinance passe, we should assume minimally that the principle underlying the command remains valid.

Third, after we establish the meaning of a passage in original context, we must reflect on its significance in light of Christ, who has fulfilled the law (and the prophets, Matthew 5:17). This means not only that He is the perfect embodiment of all the law demands, and its perfect interpreter, but also that He represents the climax of the narrative. The message of the NT is that the One who spoke on the plains of Moab is none other than Jesus Christ, Yahweh incarnate in human form.

- Daniel I. Block, Deuteronomy