Deuteronomy for Asian American Christians: Intro (Part 1 of 8)

           The Book of Deuteronomy is extraordinary. I’ve been studying, teaching, and writing about this book for many years. Each time I read it, I’m reminded of how it is packed with so much spiritual vitality and wisdom. It was written during a time of transition for the ancient people of Israel. After the Lord powerfully liberated his people from the harsh bondage of life in Egypt, His plan was to lead them into a prosperous, new homeland—a land flowing with milk and honey (Ex 3:8, 17; Num 13:27; Deut 6:3). This was to fulfill the covenantal promise that He had made with their forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Gen 12:7; 15:7-21; 26:3-6; 35:11-12; Ex 3:16-17; 6:3-4; Deut 6:10). In order to get to that land, however, the Israelites had to travel through the treacherous terrain of a wilderness. The difficulty of their journey forced the first generation of Israelites who left Egypt to doubt the Lord’s favor, even his divine presence (Ex 17:7). Tragically, this led to several episodes where they rejected the Lord, embraced idols, and even yearned to return back to Egypt. Because of their sins, that first generation of Israelites perished in the wilderness while a new second generation would continue into the land. Deuteronomy is the second version of the Mosaic law-code that was specifically made with that generation (Deut 5:3) and gives to them words of instruction in their new homeland.

You see what I mean! What is there not to love about it? It is the most important book of the Old Testament, arguably the entire Bible! In order to show the benefits it has to offer, I plan to share a series of blog entries that will explain how each major section of the book can provide direction, practical advice, and theological insight for contemporary readers today. Specifically, I have in mind the Asian-American Christians, whose cultural and immigrant status pose particular awareness to elements within Christian discipleship. Deuteronomy has much to say to such believers.

Before beginning these instructional meditations (first one is next week), several points must be established. First, the identity of Deuteronomy as a biblical example of an ancient treaty document has been well established within the scholarly community. The literary sections of Deuteronomy conform to those of that ancient genre. There are six sections: 1) preamble; 2) historical prologue; 3) stipulations (commandments); 4) sanctions (blessings/curses); 5) document safe keeping; 6) covenantal witnesses. This series of blog posts begins with this introduction. The subsequent entries will follow each literary section of the treaty and deduce from them applications for our modern era.

Second, we must avoid overly simplistic applications of Old Testament covenantal principles to our day. Deuteronomy governed ancient Israel during her time as a theocratic monarchy. The true monarch of Israel was the Lord Yahweh Himself, not any of her earthly kings (they were lesser kings). Although the Lord was the king of all the earth due to His being the Creator of all the cosmos, He uniquely ruled over Israel during her residency in the land of ancient Canaan. Therefore, everything associated with Canaan was holy because God is holy (Isa 6:4). The land was holy, the people were holy, the institutions of Israel were holy. Such divine dominion over a specific geo-political area does not exist today. Therefore, we must wisely extrapolate covenantal principles from Deuteronomy as we apply it in our day from its ancient theocratic setting. The consequences of not practicing such wisdom would be disastrous.

Third, the term “first generation” as I use it here must not be construed too closely with the way it is understood in an Asian American setting. This is especially the case for the ethnic Korean community, though definitely not limited to them. The “first generation” of Korean immigrants established the ethnic Korean church worldwide, which has grown phenomenally in a very brief amount of time. Their sacrifice and diligence to building up such a community should be respected with sincere gratitude (thank you to all our first-generation pastors, church leaders, and members!). Although there may be socio-cultural similarities with the “first generation” of Israelites that escaped Egypt, that correlation breaks down when we contrast their spirituality. Unlike the first generation of Israelites who left Egypt under Moses, the first generation Korean Christians love the Lord and remained faithful to Him. The children of Korean “first-generation” parents are often too quick to criticize their forebears without properly acknowledging their accomplishments. The historical parallel that is made here is not intended to imply a direct correlation and suggest any criticism towards my Korean spiritual forefathers.

Fourth (and finally), although I have an Asian American readership in mind, my hope is that the principles articulated in what follows can be helpful to all of God’s people. Such is the nature of biblical Christianity which cannot be limited to any specific ethnic or cultural group, whether they be from an ancient era or a contemporary one. While it may be true that there are specific Biblical virtues that are treasured more in an Asian community than others and this aids us in the application of several biblical truths, I am reluctant to call this an “Asian theology” in fear that such a term may suggest an ethnic stronghold on a specific doctrine. Nonetheless, I also do readily acknowledge that there are certain Christian experiences that Asian immigrants can better appreciate than their non-Asian Christian brethren. The sojourning status of Abraham in Canaan and Israel in Egypt, Israel’s migrant travels in the wilderness – all these are examples of such a reality. The displacement that Asian Americans experience, especially those acculturated into western norms, is not unlike God’s people in these scenarios. They struggle for earthly acceptance and struggle with a sense of homelessness. They are perceived as too westernized to fit within their Asian community, while they are too Asian to fit within the non-Asian, western majority. Perhaps this cultural setting gives Asian-American believers a deeper appreciation of what it means to be spiritual “sojourners and exiles” (1 Pet 2:11). If so, then this is a blessed gift as our Lord was also such a spiritual immigrant. In fact, one could say Jesus is THE Spiritual Immigrant. Perhaps all immigrants can appreciate this truth better than most – and thus know Jesus in a very special way (1 Pet 4:12-13; Phil 1:29; 3:10-11).