An Atheist Explores the Bible Part 37: Before we get to the Promised Land, let's just go over everything one last time... (Deuteronomy 26-30)

Deuteronomy 26-30
Before we get to the Promised Land, let's just go over everything one last time...


Welcome to another instalment of An Atheist Explores Sacred Texts (Bible version).

In this series I work my way chapter-by-chapter through the King James Bible, commenting on it from the point of view of the text as literature and mythology. 
For more detail, see the introductory post http://bit.ly/2F8f9JT
For the online KJV I use, see here http://bit.ly/2m0zVUP

And now:

 Deuteronomy 26
“And the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders”

Not a lot happens in this chapter that hasn’t been said many times already, it’s a brief recap of the escape from Egypt, the forging of the covenant and the offerings that the Israelites are to make once they reach the promised land in accordance with this covenant – basically, the first fruits that grow. Aaand, that’s about it. Quite nicely written, but nothing new.

Deuteronomy 27
“And it shall be on the day when ye shall pass over Jordan unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, that thou shalt set thee up great stones, and plaister them with plaister”

Moses charges the Israelites to build a stone temple when they enter the promised land (to replace the travelling tabernacle, I suppose) and write down the laws on a stone slab. He then divides the tribes into two groups, one to bless, one to curse. I think, from what follows, this means that they recite the laws that are given next, rather than be blessed and cursed themselves.

There then follows a rhythmic list of curses “Cursed be he that ….”, most of which we’ve seen before, generally covering murder and incest. V17, “Cursed be he that removeth his neighbour's landmark. And all the people shall say, Amen”, puts a new spin on cutting down your neighbour’s leylandii hedge.

Deuteronomy 28
“And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee.”

On the surface, all this chapter does is give a list of good things that will happen if the Israelites obey the covenant, and a list of bad things that will happen if they don’t. Which is not a lot, but it’s all done very poetically, with some great rhetorical flourishes. And, wow, the curses in particular are extremely detailed and storming, “The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish”, “And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee”.

It’s interesting to note that the blessings take 10 verses, the curses take 52 verses! No wonder that the OT God is seen as an angry, vengeful God more than a merciful God.

Deuteronomy 29
“Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood”

Yet more “Do as I say or I’ll smite you” stuff that really doesn’t add anything to the last chapter. It’s all getting a bit tedious, to be honest. About the only thing I found interesting in this chapter is a reference to Sodom and Gomorrah being overthrown by brimstone and salt, and also places called Admah and Zeboim, which to my memory haven’t been mentioned before.


Deuteronomy 30
“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live”


If Chapter 29 was more stick, this one is more carrot, with yet another repeat of the blessings that will ensue from following the covenant, and it also ends with yet another  re-iteration that these things will be imminent, which we’ve been getting for a while now; hopefully with Deuteronomy nearing its end the Israelites will finally enter the promised land and stop shallying about,

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