Let’s review some highlights in Deuteronomy still relevant to Christians.
Images
We’ll begin with statues and pictures in churches. Are such images wrong? What about the images of cherubs and pomegranates in the tabernacle?
You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. (Deuteronomy 5:8 ESV)
Some Christians stop there, but there’s more.
And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. (Exodus 25:18 NKJV)
Is any seeming contradiction resolved by reading the rest of the second commandment?
Do not bow down to them or worship them because I, the Lord your God, am a passionate God. I punish children for their parents’ sins—even to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me. (Deuteronomy 5:9 CEB)
So, if bowing to images is wrong, what about bowing to a fellow servant? What did an angel tell John? Some cultures bow to parents or icons of famous historic Christians. Should our culture be put above God's word or should human culture change in some areas?
My name is John, and I am the one who heard and saw these things. Then after I had heard and seen all this, I knelt down and began to worship at the feet of the angel who had shown it to me. But the angel said, Don't do that! I am a servant, just like you. I am the same as a follower or a prophet or anyone else who obeys what is written in this book. God is the one you should worship. (Revelation 22:8-9 CEV)
Various
Now let’s look at various other instructions that relate to modern conversations. For instance, is patriarchy inherently bad or did God have a divine purpose in male leadership?
Each tribe must choose some experienced men who are known for their wisdom and understanding, and I will make those men the official leaders of their tribes. (Deuteronomy 1:13 CEV)
Why was the Shema Yisrael (Hear O Israel), an important Jewish prayer, quoted by Jesus? Is this a relevant principle for Christians?
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5 ESV cp. Mark 12:29-30)
How often should we speak with our children about God’s word?
These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7 NIV)
When tested by the devil, what did Jesus quote from Deuteronomy?
He humbled you by letting you go hungry; then He gave you manna to eat, which you and your fathers had not known, so that you might learn that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. (Deuteronomy 8:3 HCSB cp. Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4)
The treatment of immigrants and refugees is an area where some Christians fail miserably. How should we treat foreigners?
That means you must also love immigrants because you were immigrants in Egypt. (Deuteronomy 10:19 CEB)
Are three worship seasons still observed by Christians? Most languages call Easter Passover, the Feast of Weeks is Pentecost, and Christmas celebrates the incarnation when God “tabernacled” in the flesh with us.
Passover… the Feast of Weeks… the Feast of Tabernacles (Deuteronomy 16 NKJV)
Would God support abortion or magic?
Don't sacrifice your son or daughter. And don't try to use any kind of magic or witchcraft to tell fortunes or to cast spells or to talk with spirits of the dead. (Deuteronomy 18:10 CEV)
Is this next text a prophecy of Christ?
I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. (Deuteronomy 18:18 KJV)
What would God say to anyone preaching human philosophy or worldly ideas?
But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die. (Deuteronomy 18:20 WEB)
Do people have free will? All the ancient fathers of the church before Augustine believed so. Did Israel have a choice?
Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! (Deuteronomy 30:19 NLT)
Do deceptive signs and wonders still exist? What about statues that bleed or faith healers? Do dubious ideas give them away?
If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’—which you have not known—‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams … (Deuteronomy 13:1-3 NKJV)
Is gender confusion God’s will?
A woman shall not wear a man’s clothing, nor shall a man put on a woman’s clothing; for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God. (Deuteronomy 22:5 NASB)
Though Christians are under a new covenant, can we still learn from Deuteronomy?
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16 NIV)
The purpose of the law was as a tutor (Galatians 3:24) to expose our sins (Romans 3:20) and lead us to Christ. Which of our common human failures has Deuteronomy exposed to you? You decide.
