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New Studies in Biblical Theology #6
Now Choose Life: Theology and Ethics in Deuteronomy (Volume 6)
Though written thousands of years ago, the book of Deuteronomy is unmatched in its relevance for the affluent Western church of today. Moses' words were meant to equip God's people for living godly lives in a prosperous, pluralistic world. The cultural changes now taking place in our own social setting make the parallel between Israel and the church―and what Deuteronomy has to say―both pertinent and instructive. This New Studies in Biblical Theology volume offers a significant study of Deuteronomy that recovers this Scripture's vibrant message for the contemporary Christian community. Showing the major contribution that Deuteronomy makes to our understanding of the Bible as a whole, J. Gary Millar explores Deuteronomy's ethical teaching in the light of its most important theological themes: covenant, journey, law, the nations and human nature. His perceptive analysis reveals the power with which Deuteronomy calls God's covenant people, from ancient Israelites to modern-day Christians, to hear God's voice and do his will. Whether read for its critical study of Scripture or for its practical insights into living faithfully today, this book will be a valuable resource for school, church and home. Addressing key issues in biblical theology, the works comprising New Studies in Biblical Theology are creative attempts to help Christians better understand their Bibles. The NSBT series is edited by D. A. Carson, aiming to simultaneously instruct and to edify, to interact with current scholarship and to point the way ahead.
216 pages, Paperback
First published June 19, 1998
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About the author
J. Gary Millar
19 books18 followersGary has been the Principal of Queensland Theological College in Brisbane, Australia since the start of 2012. After studying chemistry in his home city of Belfast, Gary moved to Aberdeen in Scotland to study theology, before completing a D.Phil at Oxford on Deuteronomy. Gary worked as a pastor for the next 17 years in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and was involved in both church revitalization and church planting, before moving to Brisbane to lead the team at QTC.
Gary travels widely throughout Australia and beyond, seeking to encourage local churches. He is also the co-founder and Chair of The Gospel Coalition Australia.
Gary travels widely throughout Australia and beyond, seeking to encourage local churches. He is also the co-founder and Chair of The Gospel Coalition Australia.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 31, 2021
Four stars is a little generous, three would be a bit harsh.
There's lots to like. Millar gives a clear outline to the book, he's got a great chapter on journey, his coverage of the laws is solid, and he has lots of helpful things to say about the closing chapters in his chapter on human nature. The second and fifth chapters were the best in my opinion. There was lots to stimulate as I tried to think through the connections between Proverbs and Deuteronomy. There's also good stuff on the relationship between Horeb and Moab.
But this is also a book with limitations. Millar does a good job of unpacking Deuteronomy's view of human nature and the need for new covenant hope, but is less successful in explaining what it really meant to choose life on the plains of Moab. It feels like this wouldn't require much to fix - a few paragraphs, really. More seriously, it's not entirely clear what lots of this book is arguing for. From the introduction, I thought it was going to be a book about how to do Old Testament ethics. From chapter 2, I thought we were going to pursue that by thinking through the journey. But then in the subsequent chapters it felt like we lost the thread: chapters 3-5 certainly contain lots of helpful material on the content of Deuteronomy, but they didn't feel as though they were trying to take the journey-ethics further. Rather, they read like three appendices to the main argument: main thesis - ethics and journey; appendix 1 - brief commentary on Deuteronomy's legal material; appendix 2 - answer to the apparently unethical treatment of the nations; appendix 3 - Deuteronomy's curious view of human nature. Of course, it's possible that I just lost the thread - but then the conclusion seems to confirm my instinct: it doesn't really draw together a strong argument.
And so I'm in a quandary: four stars, because I learnt lots about Deuteronomy and I think most of what Millar says is helpful and true? Three stars, because I'm not quite sure what this book is arguing for overall? Let's be generous.
There's lots to like. Millar gives a clear outline to the book, he's got a great chapter on journey, his coverage of the laws is solid, and he has lots of helpful things to say about the closing chapters in his chapter on human nature. The second and fifth chapters were the best in my opinion. There was lots to stimulate as I tried to think through the connections between Proverbs and Deuteronomy. There's also good stuff on the relationship between Horeb and Moab.
But this is also a book with limitations. Millar does a good job of unpacking Deuteronomy's view of human nature and the need for new covenant hope, but is less successful in explaining what it really meant to choose life on the plains of Moab. It feels like this wouldn't require much to fix - a few paragraphs, really. More seriously, it's not entirely clear what lots of this book is arguing for. From the introduction, I thought it was going to be a book about how to do Old Testament ethics. From chapter 2, I thought we were going to pursue that by thinking through the journey. But then in the subsequent chapters it felt like we lost the thread: chapters 3-5 certainly contain lots of helpful material on the content of Deuteronomy, but they didn't feel as though they were trying to take the journey-ethics further. Rather, they read like three appendices to the main argument: main thesis - ethics and journey; appendix 1 - brief commentary on Deuteronomy's legal material; appendix 2 - answer to the apparently unethical treatment of the nations; appendix 3 - Deuteronomy's curious view of human nature. Of course, it's possible that I just lost the thread - but then the conclusion seems to confirm my instinct: it doesn't really draw together a strong argument.
And so I'm in a quandary: four stars, because I learnt lots about Deuteronomy and I think most of what Millar says is helpful and true? Three stars, because I'm not quite sure what this book is arguing for overall? Let's be generous.
December 3, 2025
Mange nyttige innsikter om 5 Mosebok. Han løfter fram at boken først og fremst er Moses sin teologiske forkynnelse for å sette folket på valg mellom liv og død. Lovgivingen som fyller en stor del av boken må forstås innenfor rammen av forkynnelse og som en aktualiserlng av Loven fra tidligere, for en ny generasjon som snart skal bo i løfteslandet.
For å støtte fokuset på "valget" som en sentral kategori, viser han hvordan boken er preget av folket på en reise fra sted til sted, der valget må fornyes og tas.
Det mest tankevekkende kapittelet synes jeg var det som handler om menneskets natur: hvor optimistisk eller pessimistisk er egentlig 5 Mosebok med tanke på om folket greier å holde pakten og elske Gud? Her viser han ambivalensen som går gjennom hele boken, men betoner også hvordan de avsluttende kapitlene (28-34) viser at folkets hjerte er hardt og kommer til å føre folket under Guds forbannelse - først etter at forbannelsene med eksilet, kommer håpet om at Gud vil gripe inn og omskjære deres hjerte så de kan holde loven. 5 Mosebok ser altså fremover mot en dag da Gud skal gjøre noe fundamentalt nytt og erkjenner at den loven som utlegges og forkynnes er midlertidig for den greier ikke gjøre noe med Israels hjerteproblem.
Det som trekker boken ned for min del, er at den er litt tung å lese. Han skriver inn i en akademisk diskusjon som handler om etikk i GT og til dels forutsetter han kjennskap til forskning på 5 Mosebok. Det er naturligvis ikke negativt i seg selv, men når jeg forbereder undervisning føles det ofte som om han diskuterer ting jeg ikke har noen stor nytte av.
For å støtte fokuset på "valget" som en sentral kategori, viser han hvordan boken er preget av folket på en reise fra sted til sted, der valget må fornyes og tas.
Det mest tankevekkende kapittelet synes jeg var det som handler om menneskets natur: hvor optimistisk eller pessimistisk er egentlig 5 Mosebok med tanke på om folket greier å holde pakten og elske Gud? Her viser han ambivalensen som går gjennom hele boken, men betoner også hvordan de avsluttende kapitlene (28-34) viser at folkets hjerte er hardt og kommer til å føre folket under Guds forbannelse - først etter at forbannelsene med eksilet, kommer håpet om at Gud vil gripe inn og omskjære deres hjerte så de kan holde loven. 5 Mosebok ser altså fremover mot en dag da Gud skal gjøre noe fundamentalt nytt og erkjenner at den loven som utlegges og forkynnes er midlertidig for den greier ikke gjøre noe med Israels hjerteproblem.
Det som trekker boken ned for min del, er at den er litt tung å lese. Han skriver inn i en akademisk diskusjon som handler om etikk i GT og til dels forutsetter han kjennskap til forskning på 5 Mosebok. Det er naturligvis ikke negativt i seg selv, men når jeg forbereder undervisning føles det ofte som om han diskuterer ting jeg ikke har noen stor nytte av.
July 6, 2022
Millar's work in Deuteronomy arises from the admirable conviction that critical methods have obscured the ethical unity that can be found in Deuteronomy. While I'm not entirely sure what he means by an "analytic" technique that synthesizes the unity and diversity in Deuteronomy's ethical instruction, Millar's book does a fine job demonstrating how these diverse instructions are indeed unified through the themes of covenant, journey, land, and the nations.
"[Deuteronomy] reminds us, perhaps more than anything else, that the goal of all theology, and the goal of all ethics, is to show us the grace of God, and to encourage us to throw ourselves on him or, to use the words of Moses, to 'choose life' as we embrace the God who has chosen us in Christ" (182-83).
"[Deuteronomy] reminds us, perhaps more than anything else, that the goal of all theology, and the goal of all ethics, is to show us the grace of God, and to encourage us to throw ourselves on him or, to use the words of Moses, to 'choose life' as we embrace the God who has chosen us in Christ" (182-83).
November 24, 2024
In general a helpful book. I think his treatment of ethics and human nature within Deuteronomy was enlightening, accurate, and helpful. I struggled with his lack of emphasis on fearing God within Deuteronomy, and I think this lack (combined with an overemphasis on journey metaphor, especially related to laws) contributed to his oversight of virtue ethics within Deuteronomy (i.e. what type of person does God want his people to be within the book?), focusing almost exclusively instead on a mechanical decision/obedience paradigm.
July 20, 2020
Careful analysis of the theology and ethics in Deuteronomy packed with excellent insights.
September 2, 2020
Now Choose Life by Gary Millar is a work of biblical theology covering the ethics in the book of Deuteronomy. The book is well researched and provides the reader with summaries of what the leading scholars are discussing on Deuteronomy. Each of the five chapters provides a combination of exegesis and conversation with the leading scholarship to provide a breakdown of how a consistent ethic can be found in Deuteronomy along areas of covenant, law, journey, the nations, and human nature. Each chapter, and the entire book, ends with a short conclusion showing how the ethics of Deuteronomy are relevant and important to us today, especially as Christians.
Now Choose Life has some strengths. Millar has clearly done his homework and is incredibly well read on the subject of Deuteronomy. He also shows of his capability with handling the material of Deuteronomy by providing a short exegesis of the entire book. When he turns to understanding the ethics of Deuteronomy he is drawing from the exegesis he has already performed. He also does an excellent job of outlining some of the complexities of Deuteronomy and shows why many scholars believe Deuteronomy is a composite document made by different compilers with different agendas.
At the end of each chapter, you are able to understand how each of the points (covenant, journey, law, nations, and human nature) are all relevant to discerning a consistent ethic of Deuteronomy.
Despite those strengths, I found Now Choose Life to be a highly flawed book. It reads like a converted PhD dissertation, which the author confirms it was. The only successful PhD dissertation I have read which was intelligible to me was Carmen Joy Imes delightful Bearing God’s Name. But where Bearing God's Name was converted and rewritten as an entirely new book, Now Choose Life is unabashedly scholarly in scope. Which mean that even though Now Choose Life is a work of serious academic scholarship, for someone like me who is not an academic or an expert, the discussion of other academic positions did not add much to the book, and at points detracted from his arguments. I found myself getting lost by the jargon at points. One memorable example is where Millar describes the number changing in Deuteronomy and the controversy surrounding it. However, when I looked up the verses referred to, no number was referenced. My guess from the context is that number was referring to a change in the plurality of a word, i.e., from singular to plural. However I can only guess since neither Gary Millar nor Miriam Webster helps me out on this point. This jargon obfuscates instead of clarifies the point the author was making. At least if he wanted this book to be read by a non-academic. Now Choose Life read as more of a discussion on the scholarship of Deuteronomy than a book on Deuteronomy.
I also am not sure I even agree with the idea behind Now Choose Life. Gary Millar wants to find an analytic synthesis of the ethics of Deuteronomy. If you cannot even synthesize Deuteronomy, what hope could we have of coming up with an ethics of the Old Testament? I disagree with this basic premise in two ways. First, I’m not even sure an analytic synthesis is something desirable. Analytic syntheses can end up chopping up clear teachings in one section to make it fit all together. The biblical teaching on money is an example of this. A synthetic understanding of what the bible speaks about money is not going to be able to say “woe to you who are rich now for you have received your reward” or “you cannot serve God and mammon.” The teachings of proverbs are going to always find a way in to mellow out the harder teachings. Some kind of a dialectic approach seems more faithful to the content of scripture than an analytic approach. Which means I think this book was dead on arrival.
A second criticism of the approach of the book is how little of a role Jesus plays in the ethics of the Old Testament. He does mention Christ in his conclusion, but the conclusion is also only 4 pages long! The bits he mentioned in the conclusion were fascinating, but underdeveloped.
My last criticism is that Now Choose Life suffers from a serious case of chronological snobbery. From looking at the bibliography, one would think no one had anything worthwhile to say about Deuteronomy until some German scholars in the mid-late 19th centuries. Augustine, Luther, and Calvin at least all had commentaries on Deuteronomy. I suspect they had some insights into the text of Deuteronomy if we are willing to take them seriously.
Now Choose Life has some strengths. Millar has clearly done his homework and is incredibly well read on the subject of Deuteronomy. He also shows of his capability with handling the material of Deuteronomy by providing a short exegesis of the entire book. When he turns to understanding the ethics of Deuteronomy he is drawing from the exegesis he has already performed. He also does an excellent job of outlining some of the complexities of Deuteronomy and shows why many scholars believe Deuteronomy is a composite document made by different compilers with different agendas.
At the end of each chapter, you are able to understand how each of the points (covenant, journey, law, nations, and human nature) are all relevant to discerning a consistent ethic of Deuteronomy.
Despite those strengths, I found Now Choose Life to be a highly flawed book. It reads like a converted PhD dissertation, which the author confirms it was. The only successful PhD dissertation I have read which was intelligible to me was Carmen Joy Imes delightful Bearing God’s Name. But where Bearing God's Name was converted and rewritten as an entirely new book, Now Choose Life is unabashedly scholarly in scope. Which mean that even though Now Choose Life is a work of serious academic scholarship, for someone like me who is not an academic or an expert, the discussion of other academic positions did not add much to the book, and at points detracted from his arguments. I found myself getting lost by the jargon at points. One memorable example is where Millar describes the number changing in Deuteronomy and the controversy surrounding it. However, when I looked up the verses referred to, no number was referenced. My guess from the context is that number was referring to a change in the plurality of a word, i.e., from singular to plural. However I can only guess since neither Gary Millar nor Miriam Webster helps me out on this point. This jargon obfuscates instead of clarifies the point the author was making. At least if he wanted this book to be read by a non-academic. Now Choose Life read as more of a discussion on the scholarship of Deuteronomy than a book on Deuteronomy.
I also am not sure I even agree with the idea behind Now Choose Life. Gary Millar wants to find an analytic synthesis of the ethics of Deuteronomy. If you cannot even synthesize Deuteronomy, what hope could we have of coming up with an ethics of the Old Testament? I disagree with this basic premise in two ways. First, I’m not even sure an analytic synthesis is something desirable. Analytic syntheses can end up chopping up clear teachings in one section to make it fit all together. The biblical teaching on money is an example of this. A synthetic understanding of what the bible speaks about money is not going to be able to say “woe to you who are rich now for you have received your reward” or “you cannot serve God and mammon.” The teachings of proverbs are going to always find a way in to mellow out the harder teachings. Some kind of a dialectic approach seems more faithful to the content of scripture than an analytic approach. Which means I think this book was dead on arrival.
A second criticism of the approach of the book is how little of a role Jesus plays in the ethics of the Old Testament. He does mention Christ in his conclusion, but the conclusion is also only 4 pages long! The bits he mentioned in the conclusion were fascinating, but underdeveloped.
My last criticism is that Now Choose Life suffers from a serious case of chronological snobbery. From looking at the bibliography, one would think no one had anything worthwhile to say about Deuteronomy until some German scholars in the mid-late 19th centuries. Augustine, Luther, and Calvin at least all had commentaries on Deuteronomy. I suspect they had some insights into the text of Deuteronomy if we are willing to take them seriously.
November 13, 2023
It's no wonder so many college freshmen become psych majors. Psychology 101 is a blast. I remember a particular class where my fiery-eyed, windswept-haired Old Testament prophet of a professor was teaching on ethics. "Situational" ethics to be exact. The way he saw it, you could only ever know the right thing to do by considering all the conditions in play. Thou shalt not kill? Well, it depends. Seemed reasonable at the time, but I would learn that this is not a popular position among evangelicals. That's why I was surprised to read Gary Millar's Dueteronomic ethic. Israel's ethic was fluid inasmuch as their wilderness trek into the promised land was, too. As their daily circumstances changed, so did the commands to obey. I hope I haven’t misunderstood Millar, because this is pretty provocative.
April 9, 2025
I always laugh a little when I read liberal or some Wesleyan scholars accuse Paul of innovative theological practices or interpretations; I do this since it’s impossible those scholars have read Deuteronomy in any meaningful way.
Deuteronomy is simply gushing with the tension of ethics, the responsibility of Israel to live up to said ethical standard upon entering the land, but also the total inability of Israel to do what God has asked of them. Sounds like Paul!
Millar in the last two chapters specifically does a great job walking the reader through this tension & pointing to the eschatological nature of Moses’ preaching.
I only give it 4* due to getting bogged down in critical debates on textual issues. Last 50 pages are worth the purchase of this book.
Deuteronomy is simply gushing with the tension of ethics, the responsibility of Israel to live up to said ethical standard upon entering the land, but also the total inability of Israel to do what God has asked of them. Sounds like Paul!
Millar in the last two chapters specifically does a great job walking the reader through this tension & pointing to the eschatological nature of Moses’ preaching.
I only give it 4* due to getting bogged down in critical debates on textual issues. Last 50 pages are worth the purchase of this book.
June 28, 2024
This is a book that feels like it has a lot of scattered insights that are helpful and carefully thought-through, but it doesn't feel like there's a central, connecting thread or argument that ties it all together. I tend to like these NSBT volumes for exactly that reason (they usually have a broader argument regarding the literary structure of the book in question, and this one felt like that was lacking).
So this one's a bit of a mixed bag for me. I did like the exegesis of the law chapters (12-26), and I also really appreciated the final chapter on Deuteronomy's concept of "human nature," but I did wish there was a bit more cohesion to the book.
So this one's a bit of a mixed bag for me. I did like the exegesis of the law chapters (12-26), and I also really appreciated the final chapter on Deuteronomy's concept of "human nature," but I did wish there was a bit more cohesion to the book.
January 13, 2025
Helpful exploration of biblical theological themes in Deuteronomy and their connection with ethics. Big thing is the decision to choose life/to love God, particularly emphasized in Deut 4 & 30 (the overture and finale of the book). Chapters 2 & 5 were most useful, on Israel's journey metaphor (Israel must remain strangers and pilgrims in the land spiritually), and human nature (Deut is mainly pessimistic about man's ability to keep God's law, though hope is held out in the promise of a new heart). Could've done with more integration of the themes at the end.
December 13, 2025
This one took me forever to read because it is a little heavy and above my level. I was very happy that J. Gary Miller is so passionate about Deuteronomy. I feel like the book is best taken in with the book of Deuteronomy open in front of you to look through everything together. Overall, I probably would not read it again, but think that it is a good book for those who want to dive deep.
May 8, 2017
I thought the book was well written and helps the reader to understand the book of Deuteronomy from a new perspective. It was also well researched and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in understanding the ethics within the book of Deuteronomy.
August 30, 2019
Mostly drudgery and convolution, but some good points toward the end bumped it up a star.
February 14, 2025
Millar tactfully deals with the tensions and challenges of Deuteronomy honestly and carefully. I learned a lot from this book!
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October 29, 2012Difficult for me to read. I "sped-read" and studied the summaries at the end of each chapter. I do appreciate knowing educated saints around the globe are studying the precious Scriptures. Dr. Millar lives in Dublin.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews