Deuteronomy (Commentaries on the Pentateuch)
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
If you desire to understand the core of Rushdoony's thinking, this commentary on Deuteronomy is a volume you must read. The covenantal structure of this last book of Moses, its detailed listing of both blessings and curses, and its strong presentation of godly theocracy provided Rushdoony with a solid foundation from which to summarize the central tenets of a truly biblical worldview—one that is solidly established upon biblical law, and one that is assured to shape the future.
This is why the book of Deuteronomy is central to a Gospel of victory in time and eternity. The redemptive power of Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit are the enabling forces for a people to once again live faithful to God's covenant—and Deuteronomy provides the details for that covenant. Rushdoony's study of Deuteronomy represents a sizable deposit into securing the obedience of the church.
Top Highlights
“The feast before the Lord was not to be a chore, done out of a sense of duty, but it was to be celebrated as an aspect of the joy of life.” (Page 193)
“God’s conditional love and covenant had sentenced a generation to die in the wilderness” (Page 4)
“No society in a fallen world can exist without fear as an aspect of government. Without the fear of God, the fear of the state prevails. Since the French Revolution especially, the fear of the state has prevailed. It provides no order; it furthers tyranny, and it is the companion of moral anarchy. Modern man regards the fear of God as obsolete and primitive, but he is increasingly governed by a variety of humanistic fears and terrors that are reducing his life to misery; he is haunted by the fear of both man and the state.” (Page 38)
“The doctrine is not a teaching that needs to be drilled into unwilling minds, because it is like dew or like rain falling on a thirsty earth and on wilting plants.” (Page 496)
“When Ruth gave birth to a son by Boaz, it was legally Naomi’s son, and Naomi named the boy Obed (Ruth 4:16–17).” (Page 419)
Rousas John Rushdoony (1916–2001) was a well-known American scholar, writer, and author of over thirty books. He held B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of California and received his theological training at the Pacific School of Religion. An ordained minister, he worked as a missionary among Paiute and Shoshone Indians and as a pastor to two California churches. He founded the Chalcedon Foundation, an educational organization devoted to research, publishing, and cogent communication of a distinctively Christian scholarship to the world at large. His writing in the Chalcedon Report and his numerous books inspired a generation of believers to be active in reconstructing the world to the glory of Jesus Christ. Until his death, he resided in Vallecito, California, where he engaged in research, lecturing, and assisting others in developing programs to put faith into action.
