The title of the book, Deuteronomy, sounds foreign to the English speaking ear. The title of the book is based on a transliteration of a word originally taken from an early Greek rendering of our Bible. The original Greek title reads as follows, Deuteronomion. This term is made up of two Greek words: deutero, meaning second and nomos meaning law. The book was given this name by early Greek translators because they saw the book as a repetition of the instructions Moses gave earlier in Scripture.
While the title of the book Deuteronomy bears the marks of Greek influence, it was originally written in Hebrew. The actual, Hebrew title of the book is: דְּבָרִים (devarim). This Hebrew word simply means words. They referred to the book of Deuteronomy as devarim (words). They saw the book as instruction, inspiration and encouragement from a loving God, devarim. As I thought on the title devarim, I was inspired to ponder the miracle of words. The Lord inspired the following:
Devarim, “words,” sounds uttered through the vocal cords or lines configured in a discernable pattern often found suspended on the surface of paper. To convey meaning through the matrix of words seems so mundane. It is commonplace to speak or write our thoughts to another. More often than not we do not even take the time to recognize that we have the ability to convey meaning through words. Communicating is almost reduced to simply another natural body function that appears to happen as a result of life.
In this process of conveying meaning through words, we expect our message to be understood by our audience. Maybe the term expect is too strong a description, presuppose might be better. In our words, we presuppose that whomever our audience may be a general understanding of our message is comprehended. In our presupposition, the conveyance of meaning is assumed by the author of the words. Whether in written form or in speech, we utter decipherable bits of information that can be received and interpreted. Our words can be concrete, carrying a direct message. Our words can also be completely abstract allowing understanding to be left to context and emotion. Words can be powerful enough to drive men to achieve the apex of human greatness yet at the same time, those same words can drive men to perform the most heinous acts. Words can be heard and believed or they can be completely ignored as they fall upon those who choose to remain intentionally deaf.
What fleeting attention we give to our words. Like dust upon a breeze or a dandelion in the early spring releasing its seeds into the wind, words are scattered unreservedly. We rarely take the time to consider just what words are. We often fail to recognize the gift we have been given. In our words, we possess the ability to wield a complex messaging system. In both our speech and the written word, we have the capacity to encode and decode information. This not only in one language but many across the world. Many languages, each playing their own unique symphony of human intellect, a concert magnifying the beauty we can find in this life in which we have been blessed.
Our words are evidence of an intellect that is far beyond our own. Without an external, higher source of intelligence to draw from, where would such things as words originate? Why would the primordial man choose to take the time to talk? I imagine that in this secular view of early history prehistoric man was much more concerned about eating and being eaten rather than conveying meaning through words. The secular perspective of history paints such a picture of our beginnings. We began as an organism slightly more intelligent than an animal. And then throughout the course of millions of years we slowly developed the ability to communicate. This ability to communicate in written form only really coming to surface just over 3000 years ago, according to popular science.[1] What have we been doing with the time before we started to write? It is estimated from secular science that the first humans evolved some six million years ago. Other sources state that modern humanity evolved around 200,000 years ago.[2] If we are gracious and use the smaller number, that gives humanity roughly 197,000 years to develop the skill of communication. Not very productive track record. And even if we accept that communication evolved as we evolved in the view of secular science over this long period of time, one would assume that our ability to communicate would be more advanced than it is at present. Considering human development from this secular scientific viewpoint appears to me to be profoundly pessimistic. The glass is not half full, it is not even on the table and there is no water in sight. In my estimation, from this perspective, we are fortunate to be able to act with any sort of civility at all.
From the Christian perspective, we know that our ability to communicate did not develop over the course of millennia at a slower than molasses in winter pace. We know that we were endowed with the ability to communicate from the very moment God, our Creator, breathed life into the first man. “7 Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being (Genesis 2:7 NASB).” The Lord God created the first human from the dust of the ground, breathing into him the breath of life. From the first moment on earth, humanity has been endowed with life given to us from the Father. We were and are created in His image bearing His attributes. We were created with the ability to think and reason as God gave humanity stewardship over the earth (Genesis 1:26-30). We have been created to communicate and to be in fellowship with God and with one another. Trial and error over the course of unfathomable lengths of time did not grant us the ability to communicate. The Word came to us in the beginning (John1:1) and in the Word there is life, abundant (John 10:10). Apart from this life there is only a pessimistic, desperate narrative of human suffering.
We are not pond scum that figured out how to talk. We are the images of an Almighty God who have been imparted the responsibility to represent His Eternal Kingdom (Genesis 1:27; Exodus 19:6; Revelation 1:6; Matthew 28:16-20). Because we walk on the earth to bear witness of the Almighty, we have been given His Word in what we call the Bible. This Word did not develop as a result of human evolution. We did not get our Bible because we figured out how to scratch lines onto a rock and then decide, corporately, to give those lines meaning. This Word was given to us by God, Himself (Deuteronomy 9:10-11) and through revelation of His Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16-17). It is almost beyond my comprehension that God would trust me, us, with His word. As I think on this even now, the thought of an All-Powerful God who can speak the vastness of creation into existence deemed it fitting to place His word in my hands and say I trust you child with the key to life and death. I trust you to carry My Name with integrity as you bear witness to My glory. What is more, a God who can design something so intangible and abstract as human consciousness blesses us with His characteristics. He gives us love, empathy, cognition, reason indiscriminately allowing humanity to use or abuse them at our own free-will. The grace poured out upon us is profound. What a blessing it is to be able to look upon His word with the eyes He has created for us. What a blessing to be able to page through His History with the fingers He has crafted for us. What an indescribable blessing it is to be able to think on the utterances of the One who holds all things within His grasp. A God who needs nothing from us, speaks directly to us in the intimacy of a devoted Father. Our limited human capacity to convey meaning through words fails to describe how amazing this truly is. What a wonder it is to be called a child of God. May we use our words to proclaim the good news of our King and Savior, Jesus!
[1] Clayton, Ewan. “Where Did Writing Begin” (British Library, 2019). https://www.bl.uk/history-of-writing/articles/where-did-writing-beginaccessed on 10/21/2020.
[2] Howell, Elizabeth. “How Long Have Humans Been On The Earth” (Universe Today, 2015). https://www.universetoday.com/38125/how-long-have-humans-been-on-earth/ accessed on 10/21/2020.
Corby Shuey 