III. THE CENTRAL THOUGHT
The central thought of Deuteronomy is that Christ is the Instructor and Leader of the people of God that they may be able to enter into the heavenly territory and participate in His riches.
We need to realize that every word in Deuteronomy is a life supply for us. The children of Israel were sustained by everything that proceeded out of the mouth of God. This actually means that they were sustained by Christ, for, as we have pointed out, whatever proceeds out of God’s mouth is Christ. On the one hand, Christ is the good land; on the other hand, He is the food which sustains us on the way to the good land. He is the One who can make it into the land. God never intended that we make it in ourselves. The Lord is leading us into the good land by Christ, and He is sustaining us also by Christ, who is everything that proceeds out of the mouth of God. This means that Christ is sustaining us to enter into Himself. This is the revelation in the book of Deuteronomy, a book which speaks of Christ both as the good land and as the sustaining food.
As the Instructor and Leader of God’s people, Christ enables them to enter into the heavenly territory and participate in His riches. This heavenly territory is Christ Himself, and the riches are the riches of Christ as the good land described in Deuteronomy 8:7-9: waterbrooks, springs, and fountains flowing forth in valleys and in mountains; wheat, barley, vines, figs, and pomegranates; oil and honey; iron and copper. The valleys and mountains signify the different kinds of environments in which we may experience Christ as the flowing Spirit. The good land is a land flowing with milk and honey, both of which are the produce of a combination of the animal life and the plant life. The iron and copper are for making weapons with which to fight the enemy. (For details on the riches of Christ as the good land, please read The All-inclusive Christ, a book composed of the messages given during the first conference in the United States, in 1962.) Christ is everything—the water, the food, the weapons, and the land.
IV. THE KEY WORDS
The key words in Deuteronomy are loving God, obeying His commandments (His words), and receiving His blessing. These matters are repeated throughout the book of Deuteronomy. Moses tells us over and over again that if we love the Lord our God and obey His commandments, we will receive His blessing.
V. THE SECTIONS
Deuteronomy has eight sections. The first section is a review of the past (1:1—4:43). A person who is repentant and who wants to have a new start will receive much benefit from reviewing the past. The second section is the rehearsal of the law (4:44—26:19). This is a long section occupying most of the book. The other sections are a warning (27:1—28:68), the enactment of the covenant (29:1—30:20), the final exhortations and charges (31:1-13, 24-29), the song of Moses (31:14-23, 30; 32:1-47), the blessing of Moses (33:1-29), and the death of Moses, and his successor (32:48-52; 34:1-12).
(Life-Study of Deuteronomy, Chapter 1, by Witness Lee)
