Deuteronomy 9:25–10:11

1I lay prostrate before the LORD those forty days and forty nights because the LORD had said he would destroy you. 26I prayed to the LORD and said, “O Sovereign LORD, do not destroy your people, your own inheritance that you redeemed by your great power and brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 27Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Overlook the stubbornness of this people, their wickedness and their sin. 28Otherwise, the country from which you brought us will say, ‘Because the LORD was not able to take them into the land he had promised them, and because he hated them, he brought them out to put them to death in the desert.’ 29But they are your people, your inheritance that you brought out by your great power and your outstretched arm.”

10:1At that time the LORD said to me, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones and come up to me on the mountain. Also make a wooden chest. 2I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. Then you are to put them in the chest.”

3So I made the ark out of acacia wood and chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I went up on the mountain with the two tablets in my hands. 4The LORD wrote on these tablets what he had written before, the Ten Commandments he had proclaimed to you on the mountain, out of the fire, on the day of the assembly. And the LORD gave them to me. 5Then I came back down the mountain and put the tablets in the ark I had made, as the LORD commanded me, and they are there now.

6(The Israelites traveled from the wells of the Jaakanites to Moserah. There Aaron died and was buried, and Eleazar his son succeeded him as priest. 7From there they traveled to Gudgodah and on to Jotbathah, a land with streams of water. 8At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister and to pronounce blessings in his name, as they still do today. 9That is why the Levites have no share or inheritance among their brothers; the LORD is their inheritance, as the LORD your God told them.)

10Now I had stayed on the mountain forty days and nights, as I did the first time, and the LORD listened to me at this time also. It was not his will to destroy you. 11“Go,” the LORD said to me, “and lead the people on their way, so that they may enter and possess the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.”

Original Meaning

The Lord’s Response to the Plea for Renewal of Favor (10:1–11)

AS NOTED ABOVE, THE chapter division obscures the relationship between this section and the ending to chapter 9. Located immediately after his plea to spare Israel, Moses recalls the production of the new set of tablets and suggests that Yahweh’s renewal of the covenant was the answer to his prayer. As in chapter 9, Moses has telescoped a series of events into a straight line from prayer to tablets (cf. Ex. 34:1–4, 28). Structurally this text is complex. The primary action involves Yahweh’s reaffirmation of the covenant made with Israel at Horeb (vv. 1–5, 10a). Verses 6–9 are parenthetical, presenting the Levites as custodians of the covenant document, and verses 10b–11 provide a narrative conclusion to the unit that began in 9:1.

Yahweh’s reaffirmation of the Israelite covenant (10:1–5). The opening expression, “at that time,” links Yahweh’s speech (vv. 1–2) with Moses’ prayer. Yahweh’s commands were simple. (1) Moses was to cut out two tablets of stone to replace the ones he broke and bring them up to Yahweh on the mountain (cf. Ex. 34). Moses’ recollection leaves no doubt that these new tablets were to function like the original tablets (“like the first ones,” v. 1), and they were inscribed with “the words that were on the first tablets” (v. 2), “what he had written before” (v. 4a), that is, “the Ten Words” (v. 4b), that Yahweh had proclaimed “on the mountain, out of the fire, on the day of the assembly” (v. 4c). Furthermore, Moses recalls that he remained on the mountain for forty days and nights like “the first time” (v. 10).

(2) Moses was to make an ark and put these new tablets into it. He does not describe the ark here, except to say it was made of acacia wood (v. 3). This was not the permanent “ark of the covenant” later placed in the Most Holy Place of the tabernacle. That ark had not yet been made, and in any case it was crafted by the divinely endowed craftsman Bezalel (Ex. 35:30–36:1). Whereas this ark served as a temporary receptacle for the tablets (cf. Deut. 31:9, 26), that one would also function as a throne for the invisible deity, which figured in the Day of Atonement ritual (Lev. 16:11–14). This one played no part in the cult, but that one served as a visible symbol of Yahweh’s presence and was a central feature in Israelite’s worship. This distinction is reinforced by the rare reference to the receptacle as “an ark” (v. 1; NIV “a wooden chest”) as opposed to “the ark” (v. 3).6 Although the ark served more than one function,7 given Deuteronomy’s concern with covenantal issues, it is not surprising that in this book this chest functions primarily as the official depository of the covenant documents.8

Moses reports the outcome of Yahweh’s instructions in verses 3–5. By reversing the order of Yahweh’s instructions in verse 1, he focuses on the divine action (v. 4), particularly Yahweh’s inscription of the terms of the covenant. The report concludes with a summary notice of Moses’ descent and his depositing the tablets in the ark he had made. He ends with a final note: they are still there, just as Yahweh had commanded him. In introducing the ark as the repository of the covenant document, Moses has struck on its primary covenantal significance in Israel’s tradition. In keeping with ancient Near Eastern custom, by placing the tablets of the covenant in the ark and later depositing it before Yahweh in the Most Holy Place, Yahweh was invoked as a witness to and guarantor of the covenant.9 Later Moses will instruct the Levites to place his Torah document beside the ark rather than inside it.10

Introduction of the custodians of the covenant (vv. 6–9). Moses’ report on the reaffirmation of the covenant is interrupted briefly by a parenthetical note, consisting of a geographical comment concerning several stages in the Israelites’ trek through the desert (vv. 6–7) and an explanation for the Levites’ current role in relationship to the covenant.11 The geographic fragment apparently derives from a tradition of Israel’s journeys that existed alongside the official itinerary in Numbers 33. The reference to Aaron’s death between two geographic notes referring to water is striking. Moses does not explain why Yahweh refused to let Aaron enter the land or describe how the priestly garments were transferred from Aaron to his son Eleazar. Moses’ recollection reduces this event to the barest facts (Deut. 10:6b).

In verses 8–9 the narrator returns to the subject that interests him most—the ark of the covenant and its relationship to the Levitical priests. “At that time” (v. 8) seems to associate the elevation of the Levites with the death of Aaron and his replacement by Eleazar (v. 6). However, the phrase should probably be linked with verse 1, where the identical form ties the reaffirmation of the covenant with the rebellion of Israel at Horeb. The narrative of that event juxtaposes Aaron’s lame excuse for his involvement in the affair (Ex. 32:21–24) with the gallant reaction of the Levites (32:25–29). This forms the basis for the narrator’s comment in Deuteronomy 10:8–9: The Levites are a privileged group, set apart for divine service.

The narrator summarizes the professional privileges/duties of the Levitical priests with four infinitive purpose clauses: (1) “to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD,”12 which means to serve as custodians of the tablets inside, and by implication of the covenant itself; (2) “to stand before the LORD,” which elsewhere represents official court language authorizing entrance into the presence of the king (cf. Dan. 1:4);13 (3) “to minister” to Yahweh, a reference to the cultic service they would render by presenting offerings and sacrifices on the altar,14 maintaining the tabernacle/temple as Yahweh’s residence (Num. 18:1–6; Ezek. 44:11), and resolving disputes on God’s behalf (Deut. 21:5); and (4) “to pronounce blessings” before the people in the name of Yahweh, which probably involved pronouncing the “Aaronic benediction” of Numbers 6:24–26 (cf. Lev. 9:22; 1 Chr. 23:13).15

Since the note makes no reference to the tabernacle, all these roles are covenantal. The Levitical priests were responsible for maintaining the relationship between the two parties to the covenant.16 The note ends with a reference to their spiritual privilege. Whereas the rest of the tribes of Israel would receive their apportioned allotment in the form of real estate, the Levitical priests’ portion is defined in spiritual and theological terms; Yahweh promised himself as their grant. Aaronic status and privilege was extended to the Levites as a whole.

Moses’ narrative epilogue (vv. 10–11). When Moses’ own voice returns in verses 10–11, he resumes the main subject at hand: Yahweh’s reaffirmation of his covenant with Israel. Recapitulating information provided in 9:18 and 9:25 (because of the intervening material), he recounts his intercession and Yahweh’s response. Like a courtier before a king, Moses stood before Yahweh pleading on behalf of the people. Yahweh responded as he had done previously (cf. 9:9) and withdrew his threat to destroy his people. Yahweh’s words in verse 11 reaffirm his acceptance of Moses’ intercession and the full restoration of the covenant. The double command, “Arise, go” (NIV reads only “Go”)—that is, “Hurry up and go”—reflects Yahweh’s eagerness to get on with the mission. The reminder of the promise of land to the ancestors provides concrete proof that the covenant relationship was fully restored.

Bridging Contexts

THE POWER OF PRAYER. Although in Nehemiah 9:18–19 the Levites remember both the contemptuous actions of the Israelites in making the golden calf and Yahweh’s compassion in sparing them, that text is silent on Moses’ role in bringing about this response. This is not the case with Psalm 106:19–23, which credits Moses, Yahweh’s “chosen one,” with standing “in the breach” and turning away divine fury that would otherwise have destroyed them. Like our text, this recollection highlights the power of prayer. James’s declaration that “the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James 5:16) may also allude to this text.

However, since neither of these passages explicitly characterizes Moses as righteous, this must be inferred from our text and the antecedent narrative in Exodus 32. Moses’ righteousness is seen in several aspects of his response: (1) his wrestling for mercy from God on behalf of his people despite their blatant rebellion; (2) his rejection of Yahweh’s heady offer to start his program over with him; (3) the argument of his prayer, which focused on preserving Yahweh’s reputation in the eyes of the nations. Moses’ self-portrayal in Deuteronomy 9 is also remarkably modest in that he says nothing of his offer to give up his life if Yahweh will only spare his people (Ex. 32:32).

Apart from Moses’ role as intercessor, his petition exhibits a profound theology of prayer. From beginning to end it reflects the same perspective as we find in the prayer Jesus taught his disciples (Matt. 6:8–13). (1) It is addressed to Yahweh, whom he had earlier compared with a father concerned for the well-being of his children (Deut. 8:5). (2) It is concerned above all with the reputation of God (cf. “Hallowed be your name”). If Yahweh destroys his people, the nations will draw the wrong conclusions, which will bring shame to his name. (3) He prays for forgiveness for his people.

But there is more. Moses appeals to Yahweh’s integrity, reminding him of the patriarchs to whom he had committed himself. Perhaps what is most remarkable is his utter selflessness at this point. In rejecting Yahweh’s offer to make a great nation out of him, Moses served as a model for all who lead in the kingdom of God. The biblical paradigm of leadership always manifests the interests of the people ahead of oneself.

Understanding the covenant. Moses’ recollections of the episode involving the golden calf have important bearing on our understanding of the covenant. On the surface, his symbolic gesture of smashing the tablets suggests that the covenant Yahweh had made with Israel was off, and when Yahweh offered to start over with Moses, the covenant with the patriarchs seems also to have been suspended. However, the emphasis on the new tablets as duplicates of the originals and the inscription thereon being “like the first ones” (10:1–4) highlight the continuity between the covenant that the Israelites ratified in Exodus 34 and the covenant in force when they left Mount Horeb.

Moreover, since Moses began his second address by reciting the Decalogue, this is also the covenant that the people renewed on the Plains of Moab (cf. 29:10–13[9–12]). This is the covenant that ensures Israel’s future, even after judgment (4:32; cf. 30:1–10), a notion that is developed more fully centuries later in the context of the exile by Ezekiel (Ezek. 16:60–63; cf. 34:25–31; 37:25–28). Indeed, in Isaiah 54:7–10 the prophet compares the irrevocability of this covenant (which he calls “my covenant of peace,” 54:10) with the cosmic covenant made in the days of Noah (cf. Gen. 9).17

Contemporary Significance

LESSONS ON PRAYER. THIS passage demonstrates the depths of the mercy of God. Immediately after having mouthed their unqualified allegiance to Yahweh, the Israelites proved their true colors with blatant idolatry. However, on account of Moses’ intercession, Yahweh took his people back and renewed the covenant with them. This response highlights the importance of prayer in linking human needs with the divine store of mercy.

In so doing, this text offers some profound lessons on prayer. Those who pray with firm trust in God will be prepared for three possible outcomes of their prayer. (1) Sometimes prayer is the process whereby external circumstances are changed. I will never forget the motto my parents hung above the dining room table in the farmhouse in which I grew up: “Prayer changes things.” It certainly did for Peter in Acts 12:1–17. In answer to the people’s prayer Peter walked out of prison a free man. (2) Sometimes prayer is the process whereby the will of the person praying is changed and brought into conformity with God’s will. God does not always answer prayer the way we want him to. Moses had recounted his own earlier bitter experience of this fact (Deut. 3:23–29).18 (3) But sometimes prayer may be the process whereby the will of God is brought into conformity with the will of the person praying. The narrative of Exodus 32 reports that in response to Moses’ intercession on behalf of his people, Yahweh “relented” and withdrew his threat to destroy them (32:14).

But lest we be seduced into thinking that prayer is simply a formula by which we manipulate God to get anything we want (like the genii in Aladdin’s lamp), it is important to emphasize that in this case, Moses actually sacrificed his own self-interest in the interests of his people. Furthermore, in his forty-day wrestling bout with God, his single interest was the will and reputation of God, which he was convinced would be best served by sparing the people who had rebelled against him rather than starting over with Moses. When wicked people turn from their sin in full repentance (Jonah 3) or when a righteous intercessor pleads with God on behalf of sinners, God’s fury is turned back and his grace is extended to undeserving people. This is one more exhilarating dimension of the gospel according to Moses.

Lessons on leadership. This text also offers contemporary readers several important lessons on leadership. We have already noted Moses’ self-sacrificing performance and his close relationship with God. However, in observing the job description of the Levitical priests, leaders of God’s people recognize important roles that they should play. But these roles should not be restricted to the professionals but extended to the entire community of faith. What the Levitical priests were to the congregation of Israel, the people of God are to the world. Peter’s reference to the priesthood of all believers in 1 Peter 2:9 has less to do with laypersons having “the same right as ordained ministers to communicate with God, interpret Scripture, and minister in Christ’s name,”19 than with the community of faith as a whole representing the gracious God to a needy world. Like the Levites, Israel as a whole, and now as those who have been grafted into the olive tree (Rom. 11:17–23) and adopted as children of God (Rom. 8:15, 23), Christians are custodians of the new covenant (Rom. 9:4). To us has been granted the new “temple” service (Rom. 9:4), and we have been called to be agents of blessing to a world under the curse of sin (Gal. 3:14).

At the same time, this statement of the duties and privileges of the Levitical priests anticipates the ministry of our Savior Jesus Christ. Endowed with a priesthood superior even to that of Aaron the high priest, he is not only the custodian of the covenant, but the one who makes covenant relationship possible in the first place. When he instituted the Eucharist and blessed the wine he said, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matt. 26:28). Apart from his sacrificial work, there is no forgiveness of sin. The central message of the book of Hebrews is that Jesus Christ is a perfect Intercessor, a perfect Priest, and a perfect Sacrifice. He stands before God the Father, performing the service of sacrifice on our behalf and pronouncing blessing in his name (Deut. 10:8; cf. Heb. 4:14–5:10).

Original Meaning

The Nature of Moses’ Plea (9:25–29)

ALTHOUGH MOSES’ REPORT OF his intercessory prayer fits more logically after verses 18–19, its inclusion there would have been rhetorically disruptive, because in the prayer his attention shifts from the sinful disposition of the people to God himself. Moses’ intercession exhibits a masterful combination of pathos and argumentation. As we have seen throughout this chapter, Moses’ recollections of his words are linked to the version of this prayer found in Exodus 32:11–14. However, Moses’ concern about what the nations will say if Israel is destroyed (Deut. 9:28) bears a closer resemblance to a statement in his other great intercessory prayer for Israel in Numbers 14:13–19 (esp. v. 16).

Despite these similarities, the present recollections conform fully to the literary style of Deuteronomy. The distinctive argumentation of the prayer may be highlighted by comparing it with the versions of Moses’ prayers elsewhere:

Exodus 32:11–14	Numbers 14:13–19	Deuteronomy 9:26–29
Israel is Yahweh’s people, not his (v. 11a).		Israel is Yahweh’s people, not his (v. 26a).
Yahweh has invested great effort in saving the Israelites from the bondage of Egypt; by implication, to destroy them would mean this effort was wasted (v. 11b).	Yahweh has invested great effort in saving the Israelites from the bondage of Egypt; by implication, to destroy them would mean this effort was wasted (v. 13).	Yahweh has invested great effort in saving the Israelites from the bondage of Egypt; by implication, to destroy them would mean this effort was wasted (v. 26b).
Yahweh’s reputation among the nations will be damaged if he destroys Israel; they will think his intent was malicious from the beginning—to destroy Israel in the desert (v. 12).	Yahweh has been uniquely close to his people; he is in their midst and has been personally leading them; by implication, it makes no sense to destroy them (v. 14).	Hold back for the sake of the patriarchs; overlook the sin of their descendants (v. 27).
Hold back for the sake of the patriarchs; to them he promised to multiply their seed and give them the land of Canaan as their possession forever (v. 13).	Yahweh’s reputation among the nations will be damaged if he destroys Israel; they will think that he slaughtered them in the desert because he was unable to carry through on his promise to give them the land (vv. 15–16).	Yahweh’s reputation among the nations will be damaged if he destroys Israel; they will think that he brought them out to destroy them in the desert because he was unable to carry through on his promise to give them the land, and because he hated them (v. 28).
	Yahweh’s gracious character is in question; he has proved himself merciful in the past—may he be gracious again and forgive his people (vv. 17–19).	Israel is Yahweh’s people, not his (v. 29a).
		Yahweh has invested great effort in saving the Israelites from the bondage of Egypt; by implication, to destroy them would mean this effort was wasted (v. 29b).

Structurally, Deuteronomy 9:25–29 consists of a prose preamble (vv. 25–26a) and an extended quotation of Moses’ prayer (vv. 26–29). Unlike both Exodus 32:11–14 and Numbers 14:13–19,1 here Moses fails to report the divine response to the prayer or his intercessory effectiveness (cf. 9:19). Instead, he moves directly to the problem of reproducing the tablets of the covenant that he had destroyed (10:1–5). The preamble to the prayer (9:25–26a) consists almost entirely of expressions we heard in verses 18b–19. However, Moses introduces a new generic designation for his verbal response to God: hitpallēl. The word usually means “to make intercession for,” which suits the present context perfectly.2

With the vocative opening to the prayer, (lit.) “O Adonay Yahweh,” Moses uses the personal name of God and acknowledges his own vassal status. Unlike many other biblical prayers that include descriptions of the divine addressee,3 Moses immediately launches into his demands: (1) “Do not destroy your people” (9:26); (2) “remember your servants, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” (v. 27a); and (3) “overlook the stubbornness of this people, their wickedness and sin” (v. 27b). His boldness in making these demands contrasts with his stubbornness at the time of his call (Ex. 3–5). In that encounter Yahweh would not take “no” for an answer; here it is Moses who refuses to accept a divine “no.”

Moses’ first demand, that Yahweh not annihilate his people, is striking. He had used the same verb “to destroy, exterminate” (hišḥît) in 4:31, where he reassured his people that Yahweh is a compassionate God; he will not fail his people or “destroy” them, nor will he forget his covenant with the ancestors. Tossing the ball back into Yahweh’s court, Moses declared that for Yahweh to destroy Israel would be for him to eliminate his partner in covenant. Whereas Yahweh had distanced himself from the Israelites in verse 12, Moses turned the tables, reminding Yahweh that Israel is “your people” and “your special possession” (naḥ^alâ; NIV “inheritance”), and that Israel is the product of his own extraordinary saving efforts (see Ex. 6:2–7; Lev. 25:55). He had “redeemed”4 them himself “with his greatness” and brought them out of Egypt “with a strong hand.” Moses would take neither the credit (cf. the people’s statement in Ex. 32:1) nor the blame (cf. Yahweh’s statement in v. 12) for the people who had gathered at Mount Sinai.

Moses’ second demand is expressed cryptically. Without specifying the purpose, he pleaded for Yahweh to remember his servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Based on Exodus 32:13, he must be thinking of Yahweh’s covenant promises to multiply their descendants like the stars of the sky, and to give them the land as their eternal possession. By referring to the ancestors as “your servants,” Moses recognized them as Yahweh’s vassals.5

Moses’ third demand was the most dramatic, as he pleaded with Yahweh to overlook the “stubbornness” (lit., “stiff-neckedness”), “wickedness,” and “sin” of “this people” (v. 27). Neither excusing his people nor minimizing their crime, Moses daringly warned Yahweh that if he destroyed the Israelites, the nations would conclude that either he was unable to carry through on his mission of bringing them to the land, or that he had intentionally brought them in the desert to slaughter them. Assuming the Egyptians would not distinguish between immediate divine causation and the Israelites’ ultimate responsibility for their own fate, what was supposed to be a gracious scheme of salvation would look like a diabolical plot. Moses therefore argued that Yahweh’s own reputation was at stake; he could not afford to destroy his people.

Moses concluded his prayer with a positive foundation for this appeal. Repeating his opening statements, he declared that Israel was Yahweh’s people; they were his personal possession, and saving them was to his advantage. Therefore he had to overlook their rebellion and simply carry on. Although Moses had noted in verse 19 that Yahweh listened to his prayer, now he is silent on Yahweh’s response (cf. Ex. 32:12).

Modern readers may wonder if Yahweh accepted Moses’ argumentation, but his audience knew they were living proof of the effectiveness of Moses’ intercession. Moses’ own reticence on this matter probably relates to his immediate concern, which is to demonstrate to his audience that if Israel ever made it to the Promised Land, it was by sheer grace. This story is not about him or his power as intercessor; it is about God and his people. Yahweh is not delivering the Promised Land into their hands as a reward for their superior righteousness. Nor is it because of their leader, however fearless he may have been in his intercession. Ultimately the credit for the success of the present mission will go entirely to Yahweh, their covenant God.

Bridging Contexts

Contemporary Significance