This succinct formulation of quid pro quo is decisive for what follows in prophetic preaching, even as it is exceedingly difficult in the modern world. It is plausible, of course, to take that characteristic covenantal formulation in a flat “supernatural” sense that makes it easy to dismiss in the modern world. It is also possible, however, to see the quid-pro-quo formulation of Deuteronomy as a shrewd discernment of the governance of the world that cannot be mocked, a givenness that is, in Israel’s parlance, guaranteed by the creator God. Thus the Sinai formulation is linked to the givenness
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