Book of Deuteronomy Quiz: Moses's Farewell Sermons

1. What is the basic literary structure of the book of Deuteronomy?

1. A collection of priestly regulations compiled after the Exile to preserve Israel's religious identity
2. A legal code — three sections of law organised by topic, with a historical introduction and closing poem
3. A narrative of the wilderness journey retold from the perspective of the second generation
4. Three farewell addresses by Moses on the plains of Moab, followed by the Song of Moses and an account of his death

2. Why does Deuteronomy begin with Moses reviewing the wilderness history rather than just restating the laws?

1. Because Deuteronomy was written centuries after the events and the history review was needed to authenticate the laws
2. Because Moses wanted to demonstrate his own faithfulness compared to the unfaithful generation that died
3. Because the laws could not be understood apart from the land — Moses needed to describe the journey to the land first
4. Because the new generation had not witnessed these events and needed to understand the basis of the covenant before accepting its obligations

3. What does Deuteronomy 4:2 say about adding to or subtracting from the commands God gave?

1. 'Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you'
2. 'The commandments are complete and sufficient — no human interpreter has authority to adjust them'
3. 'These commands are for your generation only — future generations will receive updated commandments through my prophets'
4. 'You may add to the commandments as wisdom develops, but you may never reduce them'

4. What is the Shema, and where is it found in Deuteronomy?

1. 'Choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him' — Deuteronomy 30:19-20
2. 'Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength' — Deuteronomy 6:4-5
3. 'Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy' — Deuteronomy 5, in the restatement of the Ten Commandments
4. 'The LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God' — Deuteronomy 4:24, the heart of Mosaic theology

5. What does Deuteronomy 6:6-9 command regarding how parents should pass faith to their children?

1. 'Send your children to the Levites each Sabbath for instruction in the law — parents are not qualified to teach God's word'
2. 'The greatest gift to your children is obedience — if you keep the law, your children will naturally follow your example'
3. 'These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road... tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses'
4. Bring children to the tabernacle three times a year for formal religious instruction

6. What warning did Moses give Israel about prosperity in Canaan?

1. 'Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God... Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD who brought you out of Egypt'
2. 'Do not store up treasures in the land — give a tithe of your increase to the poor so that prosperity does not become idolatry'
3. 'The land will make you comfortable and comfort is the enemy of faithfulness — build no permanent houses for forty years after entering the land'
4. 'When you grow wealthy, remember that wealth is a test — a man is known by how he uses what God gives him'

7. What does Moses say in Deuteronomy 8:3, and how does Jesus later use it?

1. 'He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna... to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God'
2. 'Remember that you were a slave in Egypt and the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand'
3. 'The LORD your God is testing you in the wilderness as gold is tested in fire — to know what was in your heart'
4. 'You shall have no other gods before me — let this be the foundation of your life in the land'

8. In Deuteronomy 9, Moses tells Israel why God is giving them the land. What reason does he give and what reason does he explicitly deny?

1. He gives their military skill as the reason and denies it was God's power that won the battles
2. He says God is blessing Israel because they kept the Sabbath faithfully — the one commandment they had not broken
3. He says God is driving out the nations because of their wickedness — not because Israel is righteous or has a good heart ('you are a stiff-necked people')
4. He says God is honouring their ancestors' faithfulness — not the current generation's faithfulness

9. Deuteronomy 10:12-13 gives a five-part summary of what God requires. What is it?

1. 'Keep the Sabbath, honour your parents, do not steal, do not murder, do not commit adultery'
2. 'Offer the prescribed sacrifices, keep the feast days, pay the tithe, support the Levites, and care for foreigners in your midst'
3. 'What does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD's commands and decrees'
4. Pray, study, give, serve, and tell others about God's great deeds

10. What does Deuteronomy 10:17-19 say about how God treats the marginalised, and what does it imply for Israel?

1. 'God does not show partiality in judgment — all nations will stand before him equally, Israelite and foreigner alike'
2. 'God protects those who call on his name — any foreigner who converts to Israel's faith receives all the same protections as a native Israelite'
3. 'He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt'
4. God blesses those who keep the law and judges those who don't — Israel must be a model of law-keeping for the nations

11. What is the principle of the centralized sanctuary in Deuteronomy 12, and why was it commanded?

1. All worship must take place at the single sanctuary God would choose — to prevent the multiplication of shrines and the infiltration of Canaanite worship practices
2. Only the priests could worship at the central sanctuary — laypeople worshipped at home through prayer and reading the law
3. The tabernacle must be set up at the geographical centre of Canaan — so no tribe would have to travel further than any other
4. Worship must occur at least three times per year at the central sanctuary — local worship was permitted for daily prayers

12. How does Deuteronomy describe the test for a prophet, according to chapters 13 and 18?

1. A prophet speaking in God's name whose prediction does not come true is false; any prophet urging worship of other gods must be rejected even if signs occur
2. A true prophet must come from the tribe of Levi and be trained at the central sanctuary — unauthorised prophets are always false
3. A true prophet's words always come true within his lifetime — any unfulfilled prophecy proves the prophet is false
4. True prophets are confirmed by two or more other prophets — a lone prophet's claim cannot be verified

13. What does Deuteronomy 14 teach about the tithe, and how was it to be used?

1. Each year a tithe of produce was to be eaten before the LORD at the central sanctuary; every third year it was stored locally for Levites, foreigners, orphans and widows
2. Ten percent of all income was to be given to the Levites — they in turn gave a tenth of their tithe to the high priest
3. The tithe was a freewill offering — ten percent was the recommended amount but God accepted whatever the heart moved one to give
4. The tithe was deposited in a central treasury administered by the priests for the maintenance of the tabernacle/temple

14. What does Deuteronomy 15 say about releasing debts and slaves, and what famous statement does Moses make about poverty?

1. 'Release your slaves every seven years and forgive all debts — then there will be no one in need among you'
2. 'The poor are blessed because God loves the humble — giving to them earns credit before God in heaven'
3. 'There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be open-handed toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy'
4. 'There will never be poverty in the land if you obey God's commands — debt release is a reward for faithfulness'

15. What were the three annual pilgrimage festivals when all Israelite men were to appear before the LORD?

1. New Year, First Fruits and Harvest
2. Passover, Day of Atonement and Tabernacles
3. Passover, New Moon and Sabbath Year
4. Passover/Unleavened Bread, Feast of Weeks (Pentecost/Shavuot), and Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot)

16. What does Deuteronomy 17:14-20 say about the future king of Israel?

1. 'When you enter the land... and you say Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us, be sure to appoint over you a king the LORD your God chooses.' The king must not accumulate horses, wives or gold, and must write his own copy of the law and read it all his life
2. Any king of Israel must be chosen by the Levites — only a priestly endorsement would make a king legitimate
3. Israel was forbidden from having a king — God alone was to be their king forever
4. The king's primary duty was military — he must maintain Israel's army and never allow foreign armies to enter the land

17. What Christological prophecy appears in Deuteronomy 18:15-18?

1. 'A king from the line of David will rule forever — his kingdom will have no end'
2. 'I will send my suffering servant who will be despised and rejected; by his wounds you will be healed'
3. 'Out of Egypt I have called my son — he will be my prophet, priest and king'
4. 'The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him'

18. What was the Year of Release (Shemittah) commanded in Deuteronomy 15, and what attitude should accompany it?

1. Every fiftieth year debts were cancelled and slaves freed — greed was to be replaced by generosity toward the poor
2. Every seven years Israelites were released from military service — a year of domestic peace and rest from national duty
3. Every seventh year all debts between Israelites were cancelled — 'Be careful not to harbour a wicked thought: The seventh year, the year for cancelling debts, is near, and show ill will toward the needy and give them nothing'
4. Every third year debts were reduced by half — God's mercy was to inspire human mercy

19. What does Moses say is the fundamental choice between in Deuteronomy 11:26-28?

1. 'See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse — the blessing if you obey the commands of the LORD your God... the curse if you disobey the commands of the LORD your God'
2. The choice between God and the gods of Canaan — once settled, Israel will face this choice every day
3. The choice between life in the land and exile — obedience brings rest, disobedience brings wandering
4. The choice between wisdom and foolishness — keeping God's law is wisdom, ignoring it is foolishness

20. What does Deuteronomy 4:7-8 say is unique about Israel's relationship with God compared to other nations?

1. 'Israel is the only nation that received God's word directly — other nations knew God only through nature and reason'
2. 'No other nation has seen the miracles Israel saw in Egypt and the wilderness — God revealed his power uniquely to Israel'
3. 'What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him? And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?'
4. Israel had the only true God — while other nations worshipped idols that were not real, Israel had the living God