A Bridge of Biblical Proportions

In the first chapter of Deuteronomy, the LORD speaks, permitting the people to "Resume their journey" (v. 6), finally entering the promised land. This connects the book to all that is to follow. But God also reaffirms the promises he had made "to Abraham, Isaac, and to Jacob" (v. 8), which connects the book to all that has proceeded it. This is reflective of the dual status of Deuteronomy as the last book of the Torah/Pentateuch and the prologue to the Deuteronomic History of Josh.-2 Kings. But it can also be seen as a reinforcement of a profound theological point: this God, the same God who delivered the people of Israel from persecution and would deliver the land to them, this is the very God who made the promises of old to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. This speech is a bridge between Torah and Deuteronomic History, it is also a bridge between the God of a people and the God of a nation. It is a profound piece of salvation history.