10:12–14 The uniqueness of this declaration made about Yahweh is rarely acknowledged. The God of Israel is holy. He exists entirely outside the order of the visible and known world of the common but is completely in control of the heavens and the earth, everywhere present within it. It is not possible to conceive of such a concept having evolved in any ancient period, though such facile assertions have often been made. Most such claims revolve around a revolutionary period in Late Bronze Age Egypt initiated by a pharaoh of the mid-fourteenth century named Amenhotep IV. He declared Aten, the solar disk with its life-giving illumination, to be the sole ruling deity. The king changed his name to Akhenaten as the only son of Aten (Egyptian pharaohs were deemed gods). To empower this deity above all other gods, Akhenaten moved the temple to a new capital called Akhetaten (“the horizon of the Aten”), modern day Tell el-Amarna.

Freud is one prominent figure who argued that Moses was an Egyptian priest of Aten whose followers joined a monotheistic tribe in Midian. His Moses and Monotheism used psychoanalytic theory to generate a hypothesis concerning historical events. Freud did acknowledge the Israelite distinction of an invisible god, but this passage in Deuteronomy makes a much more radical distinction. Yahweh is not one god above all others; he is the God, not to be associated in any way with material elements such as the sun. In other ancient religions the physical elements were extensions of the gods. In Mesopotamia all was subordinated to the cosmic, unalterable, and impersonal law called kittum.36 The God of Moses rules over all because he is creator of all. Such a concept cannot be an evolution from the surrounding culture, as it is much too radically different.

10:15–16 Given this description of God, the astonishing truth is that God created Israel as a people of distinction. Verse 15 begins with this surprise (Hb. raq, “yet”). Despite all that is true of God, he chose to love Israel and give them a peculiarity above all other peoples in making him known.

The mention of the fathers is the background to the graphic metonymy of verse 16: the sign of the covenant is named for the covenant itself. Circumcision is the sign of God’s covenant with Abraham in Genesis 17:9–11: “This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised” (Gen. 17:10). In Deuteronomy this is cryptically stated as “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart” (Deut. 10:16). The sign performed as a public confession must correspond to the commitment of mind to observe all the commands of the covenant. The sign is nothing apart from this reality. Circumcision and stubborn rebellion are a grotesque combination that mocks the confession made in the sign.

10:17–19 The omnipotence of an awesome God is manifested in his character, which treats all created persons equally. Bribery and favoritism are particularly offensive violations of respect toward humans. Although God has loved Israel to make them a covenant people, a kingdom of priests to represent him, Israel must expect no special favors from God. As they know, God’s judgment is as harsh for them as for any others. God has also given other nations land (32:8), so Israel must be careful to treat all others with the same respect. They must not be guilty of the sins the Egyptians committed against them.

Justice in Scripture is always defined according to covenant requirements. Care for the most vulnerable of the community is the standard measure for keeping the covenant. Isaiah’s call to repentance is to learn to do good by seeking justice, especially for the orphan and the widow (Isa. 1:16–17). Widows and orphans are easily marginalized to the periphery of family support, but they are very much a part of God’s family. Another that is socially on the margins is the sojourner (Hb. ger), who does not own land but lives among the people. Most of these would be Canaanites employed by Israelites. As a day laborer, the ger was vulnerable without a stable income. The ger is to be not only protected but given provisions. Israel—of all people!—should know of this importance, having been such laborers in Egypt. Covenant responsibility requires care for all, with special attention to those that might be readily neglected.

10:20–22 Taking an oath in the name of God is an expression of covenant loyalty, as stated in 6:13–14. A false oath shows contempt for God because the oath taker assumes there is no punishment for violation of the word spoken. An oath is taken when affirming the covenant, as done exuberantly in the renewal of Asa (2 Chron. 15:14–15). Those who fear God will serve him, cling to him, and swear by his name without fear.

The multiplication of Israel is the sign of God’s fulfillment of the oath he took with the patriarchs (Gen. 15:5). The miraculous growth of Israel was a work of God alone; there could be no human contribution to this feat, just as God had shown in fulfilling his promise to Abraham. According to the census in Numbers, Israel numbered six hundred thousand males of military age at the time of the exodus. This declaration of God’s great work transitions abruptly to a second exhortation to love God, which details further the great things he has done.