Deuteronomy 11

Are there any historical events that you would have been overjoyed to witness in person? Perhaps the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the premiere of Beethoven's 9th Symphony, or Napoleon's 35,642nd sneeze? I would have liked to be in the recording studio when John Williams conducted the orchestra for his masterful score for Star Wars in 1977. While I can't say that I've been an eyewitness to any momentous events (unless you count seeing Hugh Hefner eating at a Disneyland restaurant as momentous), I also can't deny that my life has been affected by many events that kids in the future will suffer through having to learn about and memorize in history class. Sure, 9/11 was horrendous, but I can also say that I lived to see the first African-American president of the United States, the advent of computer animation, and the unprecedented dominance of the Golden State Warriors.

Moses makes a similar point: the Israelites have witnessed God's miracles to an extent that few will ever see again. The plagues of Egypt, the parting of the Sea of Reeds, the provision of manna and quail, a flaming mountain with the voice of God, the opening of the earth to swallow a crowd of recalcitrants--the list goes on and on (which is another way of saying that I'm too lazy to list any more examples). "It was your own eyes that saw all these great things the LORD has done," Moses says in verse 7. He wants to impart upon the Israelites just how significant these events are, and how privileged they are to be on the same side as the God who precipitated all these events.

At the same time, one has to remember that most of these Israelites were kids when many of these miracles shattered the laws of nature. When I was a kid, some of the 1994 World Cup games played not too far from my house. I didn't realize how awesome this actually was; I just thought it was one of those annual soccer championships that would come back next year. Only when I got older did I recognize that it was the World Cup. Maybe as kids, these Israelites thought that water turned to blood and manna rained down from the heavens as a matter of course.

The Moses nugget in this chapter isn't a specific verse, but rather how much Moses is repeating what he said earlier, even using some of the same language. Verses 18-21 recall Deuteronomy 6 as Moses again reiterates that the Israelites must teach God's values to their children and write it down so that they remember. However, judicious repetition, especially in oral speeches, definitely helps drive points home, searing them into the listener's mind. And seeing how obdurate the Israelites had proven to be a times, I'm sure a little reiteration didn't hurt.