Shelbyville Seventh-day Adventist Church

The first five books of the Bible are often lumped together and called the Pentateuch, meaning “five volumed.” These five books, all written by Moses, begin with the story of creation and end with the children of Israel just ready to enter the Promised Land of Canaan.

The fifth of these five books of Moses is called “Deuteronomy.” Deuteronomy simply means “second (or repeated) law.” But Deuteronomy does more than repeat some of the laws of Exodus. It gives us brief accounts of the history of the Israelites, from their bondage in Egypt to their arrival at the borders of Canaan—the Promised Land.

Deuteronomy also deals with a number of other subjects such as marriage, the occult, and the grace of God. The very last chapter of Deuteronomy, written possibly by someone like Joshua, contains a moving account of the death of Moses—one of the great­est and most memorable leaders of all time.