The Triumph of Grace in Deuteronomy (Paternoster Biblical Monographs)

by Paul A. Barker

Publisher:

Paternoster

, 2004

Overview

Does the Old Testament have an optimistic outlook for the people of God, ancient Israel, or is it pessimistic? The strands of optimism and pessimism seem to be juxtaposed throughout. In this study of Deuteronomy, a lynchpin book within the Old Testament, the so-called tensions between optimism and pessimism are slow to cohere theologically. Despite the faithlessness of Israel, Yahweh's faithfulness to his promises results in the triumph of grace.

This book is a textual and theological analysis of the interaction between the sin and faithlessness of Israel and the grace of Yahweh in response. The author argues that the grace of Yahweh is determinative for the ongoing relationship between Yahweh and Israel and that Deuteronomy anticipates and fully expects Israel to be faithless.

Contents

Top Highlights

“Israel’s ability is established through Yahweh’s grace and faithfulness to the patriarchal promises. This is the heart of our thesis.” (Page 4)

“It is our contention that Deuteronomy has a theology which encompasses and integrates both Horeb and Abraham, law and promise. We shall argue that law derives from promise and that promise, and hence grace, is the basic ingredient of the relationship between Yahweh and Israel.” (Page 5)

“Exhortation to keep the law need not presuppose Israel’s ability to do so. Rather, in the context of the climactic exhortation of 30:15–20, we argue that law and exhortation function to expose Israel’s need for grace, presupposing, in fact, its inability to keep it.” (Page 4)

“This study will argue that Deuteronomy expects Israel to fail and that optimism is grounded in Yahweh, not Israel” (Page 1)

“Israel’s expected failure is, however, only one side of the coin. We are also concerned with the resolution of failure in each of these three incidents. None of them is purely negative. Each expresses hope beyond failure. Significantly, in each case, this hope is grounded, not in any change or repentance of Israel, nor in the general grace or mercy of Yahweh, but specifically in his faithfulness to the promises to Abraham. In the spies incident, future hope is based on Yahweh’s commitment to the land promise, demonstrated in the renewed commands to the next generation in chapters 2 and 3.” (Page 2)

Product Details

• Title: The Triumph of Grace in Deuteronomy: Faithless Israel, Faithful Yahweh in Deuteronomy
• Author: Paul A. Barker
• Publisher: Paternoster
• Print Publication Date: 2004
• Logos Release Date: 2011
• Pages: 270
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: God (Judaism); Jews › History--To 70 A.D
• ISBNs: 9781842272268, 9781597527873, 1842272268, 1597527874
• Resource ID: LLS:TRIUGRCDEUT
• Resource Type: Bible Commentary
• Metadata Last Updated: 2023-01-09T21:35:55Z

About Paul A. Barker

Paul Barker is visiting lecturer in Old Testament, Ridley College, Melbourne, and vicar at Holy Trinity Doncaster, Victoria, Australia.