Lesson 12: Deuteronomy in the New Testament (Matthew 4, Deuteronomy 6, 8 & 32, Galatians 3, Hebrews 10)

by | Feb 12, 2022 | Old Testament Studies

Introduction: Last week we studied being quoted! Specifically, where Deuteronomy has been quoted in other places in the Old Testament. We decided that those quotations showed the importance of Deuteronomy. This week we continue with the same quotation theme, except this time we are looking at how Deuteronomy is quoted in the New Testament. Let’s jump into our study of the Bible and learn more!

  1.         The Battle in the Wilderness – Part I

  1.         Read Matthew 4:1. In the previous chapter, Jesus has just been baptized. Why would the Holy Spirit lead Jesus into temptation? I thought the Holy Spirit was here to protect us from temptation?

  1.         Read this part of the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:13 and read James 1:13. James tells us that God tempts no one. The Lord’s prayer seems to suggest that might happen. What is your understanding of God tempting us? Isn’t that Satan’s job?

  1.         Read Matthew 4:2-3. What is at stake with this temptation?

  1.         Do you think Satan had been planning this for a very long time?  Do you think he held multiple meetings among high level demons to discuss the very best temptations to bring against Jesus?

  1.         If you answered that the future of the world and the universe was at stake, if you thought that Satan would bring his very best temptation against Jesus, doesn’t this temptation seem a little unsophisticated? (I think that the Holy Spirit rushed Jesus into this battle before Satan expected it. The Holy Spirit took the battle to Satan, He was not helping Satan tempt Jesus, just the opposite.)

  1.         Read Matthew 4:4. What do you think Jesus means by this?  Is Jesus going to eat God’s words instead?

                        

  1.         Read Deuteronomy 8:1-3. We can see that Jesus is quoting Deuteronomy 8:3. What do these words mean in Deuteronomy? How does the context help us to better understand this? (The point in Deuteronomy is that we should trust God with our basic needs. God fed them in a completely unexpected way. He was the solution to their hunger.)

  1.         Now that you have looked at the context, how would you “translate” Jesus’ response to Satan? (“No thanks. I think I’ll just trust God to take care of my hunger.”)

  1.         The Battle in the Wilderness – Part II

  1.         Read Matthew 4:5-7. What do you think about the sophistication of this test? (It seems like a variation on the first test, but worse. Satan is still challenging whether Jesus is God, but in a way that seems a lot less attractive than the first test. I would want to satisfy my hunger, but I would not want to jump from a high building!)

  1.         Read Deuteronomy 6:16. Does this context help you to better understand this temptation?

  1.         What do you think is the reason for the reference to “Massah?”

  1.         Read Exodus 17:1 and 3-4, and Exodus 17:5-7. Now that you’ve read the true context, what is the real issue at the bottom of this temptation? (Again, it is trusting God. But, it has a little twist. We should not annoy God by failing to trust Him. The people should have trusted God for water. Instead, they “tested” Him by annoying Him with their lack of trust.)

  1.         Now that you have looked at the context, how would you “translate” Jesus’ response to Satan? (“No thanks, that would make it seem as if I don’t trust my Father in heaven.”)

  1.         The Battle in the Wilderness – Part III

  1.         Read Matthew 4:8-9. What is the temptation here? (Jesus can gain the world without having to die a painful death on the cross.)

  1.         How would you rate the sophistication of this temptation? (This is a brute force temptation. It is like a torturer saying “I won’t hurt you if you give me your money.” This makes the first temptation seem sophisticated because with it you could debate whether creating bread was wrong.)

  1.         Read Matthew 4:10, Deuteronomy 6:13, and Deuteronomy 5:7. I don’t think Jesus’ answer needs to be translated – how does Jesus answer this temptation? (Jesus cites Deuteronomy for the proposition that only God should be worshiped.)

  1.         How do these temptations compare to those that come to you? Are most of your temptations of the sort that you know they are wrong and you are asked to disobey God? Or, are the temptations that come to you more of the debatable kind – you are not certain what is the right thing to do?

  1.         Read Matthew 4:11. How did the angels know to come to aid Jesus? (They were watching this first in a series of battles for the universe!)

  1.         Hanged on a Tree

  1.         Read Galatians 3:10-11. What does it mean to “rely on works of the law?” (Verse 11 tells us that this has to do with being “justified before God.”)

  1.         Do you abide by “all things written in the Book of the Law?” (If the answer is, “No,” and that is the only accurate answer here, then you are cursed.)

  1.         Read Galatians 3:12-14. How do we become free of the curse of not keeping the law? (Jesus redeemed us from that curse.)

  1.         How did Jesus do that? (He was hanged on a tree “for us.”)

  1.         Read Deuteronomy 27:26 and Deuteronomy 21:22-23. What does the law say is the right punishment for not keeping the law? (Being cursed and hung on a tree.)

  1.         Tell me why Jesus would do that for us?

  1.         Tell me what you think should be our reaction to what Jesus has done for us? (Limitless gratitude to Jesus. But, also the realization that the law is important to God (and to us). If the law meant little, God would have simply have abolished it and saved Jesus from great suffering and humiliation.)

  1.         Read Hebrews 10:28-29. What does the writer of Hebrews say should be our reaction to what Jesus has done on our behalf? (If death was the penalty for violating the law, how much more serious a problem is it to ignore Jesus’ sacrifice that rescued us from the death penalty? We should be grateful for what Jesus has done for us.)

                        

  1.         Read Hebrews 10:30-31. Hebrews is not talking about our reaction to what Jesus did. Rather, these verses are about God’s reaction to how we approach Jesus’ death on our behalf. What is God’s reaction to us rejecting Jesus’ sacrifice? How is this consistent with a God of love? (The God of love sacrificed Himself on our behalf! This seems completely justified outrage on His behalf.)                

  1.         Do you agree that God is being “vengeful?” (The texts says, “Vengeance is mine,” but the ordinary course of events is that sin kills us. What the writer of Hebrews is doing is to make a strong argument against ignoring Jesus’ sacrifice. That is his primary point.)

  1.         Read Deuteronomy 32:28-31. What does God tell us that He will give us? (He will be with us. We are not in this by ourselves unless we choose to be. God makes all the difference in the battles of life, in both a positive and negative way. If you reject God, then your ten thousand soldiers can be defeated by two people!)

  1.         Read Deuteronomy 32:36. What is God’s overarching attitude towards His people? (He has compassion for them.)

  1.         Read Deuteronomy 32:46-47. How important are these words in Deuteronomy? How important are the warnings and promises? (Nothing is more important. They are our “very life” and the life of our children.)

  1.         Friends, this last text summarizes the true importance of Deuteronomy. Not only is it important enough to be quoted elsewhere in the Bible, but the directions of God contained in it are our very life!  Will you, by the power of the Holy Spirit, determine to walk in that path of life?

  1.         Next week: The Resurrection of Moses.