Read Deuteronomy 11 and 12 at Bible Gateway.
The Hebrew paragraph divisions for today’s chapters are:
Deu 10:12-11:9 {s} Fear, love and obey YHVH always for our good
Deu 11:10-12 {s} The goodness of the Land
Deu 11:13-21 {s} Listen, pay heed, observe, and teach YHVH’s commandments
Deu 11:22-25 {s} Carefully keep His commandments that Israel may possess the Land
Deu 11:26-28 {s} Blessing for obedience + curse for disobedience
Deu 11:29-12:19 {s} Israel shall worship YHVH in the way He commands
Deu 12:20-28 {s} Ditto, even when you must travel some distance to His place
Deu 12:29-32 {p} Israel shall not serve YHVH in the manner of the nations
We saw that the explanation for the First Commandment, The Commandment, ended at the end of chapter 11. The section explaining the First Commandment forms its own chiastic structure:
Deu 6:4-11:25, The first commandment: Worship YHVH only
1a) Deu 6:4-7:26 {sx4+p+s+p} Israel: YHVH only is God/ Love Him wholly/ treasure His word/ He casts out nations before you:
1) Deu 6:4-5, Hear, O Israel: The LORD alone is God/ You shall love Him with all your heart + soul + might;
2) Deu 6:6-25, Treasure His word: teach + beware + obey + remember:
a) Deu 6:6-9 {s} Put My word in your heart/ Teach them to your children: talk + bind + write them;
b) Deu 6:10-15 {s} When the LORD has given the good land + you are full/ beware/ lest His anger be kindled against you;
c) Deu 6:16-19 {s} Keep His commandments, that you may be well + possess the land which the LORD swore to give;
d) Deu 6:20-25 {s} When your son asks you, Why these commandments, you shall tell him of the LORD’s mighty hand;
3) Deu 7:1-26 {p+s+p} He casts out greater + mightier nations before you/ He loves + cleaves to you/ keep His commandments;
1b) Deu 8:1, Do the commandments that you may live and go in to possess the land which the LORD swore to your fathers;
1c) Deu 8:2-16, The manna in the wilderness: the bread from heaven that a man may live (Deu 8:3);
1d) Deu 8:17-18 {p} Do not say in your heart: my power has gotten me wealth/ it is from the LORD who performs His word;
1e) Deu 8:19-20 {p| If you forget the LORD, you shall surely perish as the nations which the LORD destroys before your face;
central axis) Deu 9:1-2, Hear, O Israel: you will go in to possess nations greater + mightier than yourself, even the Anakim;
2e) Deu 9:3, Remember that the LORD goes before you to destroy the nations before your face;
2d) Deu 9:4-7, Do not say in your heart: my righteousness has brought me in/ it is the LORD who performs His word;
2c) Deu 9:8-10:10, Ten Commandments at Sinai: word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD that a man may live (Deu 8:3);
2b) Deu 10:11, Take your journey that you may go in and possess the land which I swore to your fathers to give them;
2a) Deu 10:12-11:25 {s+s+s} Israel: Love Him wholly/ He is God/ treasure His word/ He drives out nations before you:
1) Deu 10:12-11:1, What the LORD requires of Israel: fear + walk + love + serve Him for He is God;
2) Deu 11:2-21, Treasure His word: remember + obey + take heed + teach:
d) Deu 11:2-7, I do not speak to your children who have not seen the mighty hand of the LORD;
c) Deu 11:8-9 {s} Keep His commandments, that you may possess the land the LORD swore to give + prolong your days;
b) Deu 11:10-17, The land is good so that you may be full/ take heed/ lest the LORD’s wrath be kindled;
a) Deu 11:18-21 {s} Lay up My word in your heart/ bind them/ teach them to your children: talk + write (for your good);
3) Deu 11:22-25 {s} If you do His commandments/ love + cleave to Him/ He drives out greater + mightier nations before you.
It seems a strange central axis, to be the main point of the chiastic structure of the First Commandment, to have no other gods before the LORD. But, if we realize that the root of Worship YHVH alone, and is belief in the truth of His words, then it makes more sense. We can see that belief is always accompanied by the corresponding action. Caleb and Joshua believed that God would deliver the giants into their hands, as He had said, so they were willing to take the corresponding action of entering in. The other ten spies did not believe the truth of God’s word, so they were not willing to take the corresponding action. Thus fruit always is the true indicator of what is really believed in the heart, regardless of what the mouth or mind says is believed.
The strong paragraph division at the end of chapter 12, indicating the conclusion of a strong theme, is the conclusion to the strong theme begun with Deu 10:12. In my notes, I have the strong theme as, Israel shall worship YHVH in the manner He commands, for her good, to possess the Land.
There is so much wisdom to be gleaned from studying these chapters explaining Worship YHVH Only, very much more than I have told in these few days. The index linked below is a start to my studies on this topic.
For further reading:
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