Sermon #5 Through The Bible Series
Title:
Deuteronomy
Moses
Brings Israel to Joshua
Text: Deuteronomy
33:26-34:10
Subject: Christ
the End of the Law
Date: Tuesday Evening—February 18, 2003
Tape # X-46b
Readings: Bob
Poncer and Rex Bartley
Introduction:
(Deuteronomy
1:1) "These be the words
which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the
plain over against the Red sea, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban,
and Hazeroth, and Dizahab."
We come now to the Book of
Deuteronomy, the last of The Five Books of Moses. The name, “Deuteronomy,”
means “second law.” This Book is called “Deuteronomy” because in this Book
Moses gives Israel God’s law a second time.
Proposition: This is the thing I want you
to see. Once Moses brought Israel to Joshua, once he put Israel into Joshua’s
hands, he died, and Joshua brought Israel into possession of their divinely
ordained inheritance in the land of Canaan. — Even so, the law is our
schoolmaster unto Christ. Once the law has served that purpose, once we have
come to Christ by faith, we are dead to the law and the law is dead to us,
because “Christ is the end of the law.”
Let’s begin by reading
Deuteronomy 33:26-34:10
(Deuteronomy
33:26-29) "There is none
like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help,
and in his excellency on the sky. (27) The eternal God is thy refuge,
and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the
enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them. (28) Israel then
shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land
of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew. (29) Happy art
thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD,
the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and
thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their
high places."
(Deuteronomy
34:1-10) "And Moses went up from
the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over
against Jericho. And the LORD showed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan,
(2) And all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the
land of Judah, unto the utmost sea, (3) And the south, and the plain of
the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar. (4) And the
LORD said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto
Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee
to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither. (5) So
Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the
word of the LORD. (6) And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab,
over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.
(7) And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his
eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. (8) And the children of
Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping
and mourning for Moses were ended. (9) And Joshua the son of Nun
was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and
the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses.
(10) And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom
the LORD knew face to face."
Many who like to cast doubt
upon the Word of God question, and others openly deny, that Moses wrote these
first Books of the Bible. I will not honor their blasphemy with comment. There
is no question that this book was written by Moses. Not only did Moses claim
that he wrote it (De 1:1; 31:4, 9, 24), the Lord Jesus tells us plainly that
Moses was the man used by God the Holy Spirit to write these thirty-four
chapters of Inspiration (Matt. 19:7-9; John 5:45-47). The eight last verses,
those describing Moses’ death and his remarkable character, were obviously
written by someone else. We are not told who wrote them (perhaps Joshua or
Samuel); but whoever it was, he, too, wrote by divine inspiration.
This is Moses’ last word to the people of Israel. This faithful
prophet of God here delivers the last word from God he would ever speak on the
earth. Unlike most, this prophet knew this was his last message. We should not
be surprised, therefore, to see in the Book of Deuteronomy, a much more
personal and intimate, even more passionate language than we have seen his
earlier writings.
This Book was written during the very last month of Israel’s
fortieth year in the wilderness (De. 1:1-5). It begins with a word about Moses
and ends with the description of his death that we have read. Moses is very
prominent throughout the Book. We find his name mentioned repeatedly in these
chapters. But Moses is not the subject of the Book. The subject is Christ.
Moses is only the messenger.
Let me remind you, again, that what we have before us in these
first five Books of the Bible are divinely inspired visual aids that illustrate
the experiences of our own lives. As God led Israel out of Egypt through the
wilderness into the land of Canaan, they endured the same problems, met the
same obstacles, faced the same enemies, and had the same trials, temptations
and failures you and I encounter in our pilgrimage through this world.
The Key
The key to this book is in its name. As we have seen “Deuteronomy”
means "the second law." The law was first given at Mt. Sinai in ten
commandments (Ex. 20). Why was it needful for the Holy Spirit to give the law
twice? What necessity was there for this second law, or second giving of the
law?
The apostle Paul tells us plainly, in the Book of Romans and the
Book of Galatians, that the law of God has two functions, two very clearly
defined and distinct purposes.
Most people think God gave the law to keep us from doing wrong and
to make us do right. If you ask the man on the street what was the purpose of
the ten commandments, or ask most any religious legalist why God gave the law,
he would probably say, "It is to keep us from doing wrong," or “The
law was given to teach us how to live.” But that is not the reason God gave the
law. He never intended, or even dreamed for a moment that the law would keep
anybody from doing wrong. “Wherefore then serveth the law?”
1.
The
law was given to identify sin and condemn it in us personally (Rom. 3:197:6-9). Paul said, “I had not
known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said,
Thou shalt not covet.”
(Romans 3:19) "Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God."
The law was given to convince us of our own sinfulness and guilt.
That is something of which we must be convinced by God. No one else can do it.
We all have an amazing capacity for justifying ourselves and condemning one
another. It is called “self-righteousness.” We never think that what we are
doing is wrong. It is always what the other person does that is wrong. Is that
not true? Let me illustrate.
We have a whole stack of words we use to describe the things we
do, and another whole we use to describe what another person does. – Others
have prejudices. We have convictions. – Other people are stingy. We’re very
thrifty. – Others try to keep up with the Joneses. We’re just trying to get
ahead. – He’s a brown-noser. I just try to be friendly. – She’s so flirtatious.
I try to be nice to people. – That person is so unfriendly. I don’t want to
intrude.
The law of God steps in and forces us to acknowledge our own
guilt. Not only does the law force us to admit our own guilt…
2.
The
law of God is graciously designed to force us into the arms of Christ.
Once we see what we are, guilty, helpless, depraved sinners,
sinners who are utterly incapable of altering their condition, we are informed
that the cross of Christ meets all our needs before the holy Lord God.
(Romans
3:19-26) "Now we know that what
things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every
mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. (20) Therefore
by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by
the law is the knowledge of sin. (21) But now the righteousness
of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the
prophets; (22) Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of
Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no
difference: (23) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of
God; (24) Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus: (25) Whom God hath set forth to be a
propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the
remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; (26) To
declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just,
and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus."
That is what we see so clearly set forth in the Books of Exodus
and Leviticus in the sacrifices of the lambs, the goats, the oxen, the calves
and the other animals. They were pictures of the sin-atoning sacrifice of
Christ in the shedding his precious blood for many for the remission of sins.
There is no way a sinful man the holy Lord God can be brought together except
by a justice satisfying payment being rendered to God for sin. And the only one
who could make such a payment, the only one who could atone for our sins is the
incarnate Son of God. Blessed be his name forever, he has done it!
(Galatians
3:13) "Christ hath redeemed us from
the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is
every one that hangeth on a tree:"
(1
Peter 3:18) "For Christ also hath
once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God,
being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:"
The law is our schoolmaster unto Christ (Gal. 3:19-25).
(Galatians
3:19-25) "Wherefore then serveth
the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come
to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand
of a mediator. (20) Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but
God is one. (21) Is the law then against the promises of God? God
forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily
righteousness should have been by the law. (22) But the scripture hath
concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be
given to them that believe. (23) But before faith came, we were kept
under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
(24) Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ,
that we might be justified by faith. (25) But after that faith is come,
we are no longer under a schoolmaster."
Romans 7
In Romans 7 Paul takes up the matter of the law again. He assured
us that we who are born of God are no longer under the law (Rom. 6:14-15). In
chapter seven he tells us that the law is dead to us and we are now dead to the
law, because we died with Christ. But there is more.
Though we are sinners, not only people who do sinful things, but
by nature sinners at the very core of our inmost beings, Christ has forever
freed us from all possibility of curse and condemnation, has made us perfectly
righteous before God and his holy law, has made us free by his Spirit to walk
with him in the newness of resurrection life by his Spirit, and assures us of
our absolute security and everlasting salvation by his blood and grace (Rom.
8:1-4, 32-39; 5:10-11).
(Romans
8:1-4) "There is therefore
now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the
flesh, but after the Spirit. (2) For the law of the Spirit of life in
Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. (3) For
what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending
his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the
flesh: (4) That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us,
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
(Romans
8:32-39) "He that spared not his
own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely
give us all things? (33) Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's
elect? It is God that justifieth. (34) Who is he that
condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who
is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. (35) Who
shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or
distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? (36) As
it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as
sheep for the slaughter. (37) Nay, in all these things we are more than
conquerors through him that loved us. (38) For I am persuaded, that
neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things
present, nor things to come, (39) Nor height, nor depth, nor any other
creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ
Jesus our Lord."
(Romans
5:10-11) "For if, when we were
enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being
reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. (11) And not only so, but
we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received
the atonement."
Still, there is more. Since Christ has totally and absolutely met
every demand of God’s holy law for us, as our Representative and Substitute,
all that he is and has as our resurrected, exalted, glorified Savior is ours by
the gift of God’s free grace, upon the grounds of perfect righteousness and
strict justice. Here, while we live in this world, we are waiting for, living
in anticipation of resurrection glory (Rom. 8:23).
(Romans
8:23) "And not only they, but
ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves
groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption
of our body."
This is what the book of Deuteronomy is all about. As Moses
delivered Israel into the hands of Joshua assuring them that Joshua would carry
them into and make them possess all the fulness of Canaan (all that God
promised by covenant to Abraham), the law of God delivers believing sinners
into the hands of Christ assuring us of everlasting salvation by him. All the
blessings of grace and glory that God promised us in his covenant with Christ
shall be ours forever!
Two Themes
As we read the Book of Deuteronomy we find two themes running
throughout this entire Book. They are not found in Leviticus or Exodus. The
first is our utter weakness and inability. Though cleansed before God through
the blood of Christ and the washing of regeneration by the Word, we have absolutely
no ability to do anything in ourselves to please God. There is nothing we can
do in ourselves. Our most sincere, dedicated efforts to please God avail
nothing.
Right along with this is a second wonderful, parallel theme. The
Lord our God is ever with us. God himself, in the person of his dear Son, is
the answer to the demands of his law; and he dwells with us and in us
unconditionally. We no longer live in the flesh, but in the Spirit. God himself
has taken up residence in us. All that he demands of us he, himself supplies.
Let's go back to the Book of Deuteronomy. I want you to see these
things for yourself. As the Book opens, the children of Israel are again camped
on the border of Canaan They had been here before. But they could not enter
into the land of promise because of unbelief. Because of their unbelief, they
spent forty years roaming about in the wilderness (Num. 14:32-35).
(Numbers
14:32-35) "But as for you,
your carcasses, they shall fall in this wilderness. (33) And your
children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms,
until your carcasses be wasted in the wilderness. (34) After the number
of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for
a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall
know my breach of promise. (35) I the LORD have said, I will surely do
it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in
this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die."
A Call to Obedience (De. 1:5-4:43)
In Deuteronomy chapters 1-4 Moses issues a call to obedience. The
grace of God is not conditioned upon our obedience to him. Yet, obedience is a
matter of personal responsibility. We are to obey our God in all things. And
grace experienced in the heart makes obedience the inmost desire of the
believing heart. And God’s people are obedient to him. His commandments are no
longer grievous to us, but joyful (1 John 5:1-3). We should not fail to see
three things particularly about this call to obedience.
1.
This
call to obedience is issued upon the basis of God’s goodness, grace, and love
in the experience of salvation.
Even back here in the giving of the law, obedience among believing
sinners was not a legal thing. It was never God saying, “Obey me or I’ll get
you.” Rather, the Lord God says, “Obey me because I have loved you and have
been so good to you.”
Before he says a word about what we are to do, Moses reminds the
children of Israel of what the Lord God had done for them (1:5-3:29). He reminds them of God’s
wonderful, tender, fatherly care and love watching over them, as he led them
with a pillar of fire by night and the cloud by day, and guided them through
the trackless, howling desert. He reminds them of how God brought water out of
the rock to quench their thirst in a vast and waterless desert. He reminds them
of how the Lord had delivered them from their enemies again and again, how he
fed them with manna that did not fail, day by day for forty years. Imagine
that! For forty years God fed more than two million people (perhaps much more
than two million) every day with manna that fell from heaven. What marvelous
evidence of his loving concern for this people. He bought them. He brought them
out. And he cared for them, all because he loved them and chose them to be his
own peculiar people!
In a word, Moses says the same thing Paul did later. – “The
love of Christ constraineth us.” Like Israel of old, we are always
motivated to the obedience of faith by gratitude to our God for his great mercy,
love and grace revealed and experienced in…
·
Election.
·
Redemption.
·
Deliverance.
·
Providence.
2.
Obedience
is neither more nor less than faith in and submission to the revealed will of
God in Holy Scripture, worshipping him alone as our God and Lord (4:1-14).
(Deuteronomy
4:2) "Ye shall not add unto the
word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that
ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you."
3.
The
obedience of faith involves a renunciation of all the imaginary gods of men (4:15-40).
In this passage, Moses calls for Israel, calls for us, to worship
the Lord Jehovah, alone as God, because he has proved himself to us to be God
alone, sovereign, solitary, and great in grace.
(Deuteronomy
4:20) "But the LORD hath taken you,
and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt, to be
unto him a people of inheritance, as ye are this day."
(Deuteronomy
4:27-31) "And the LORD shall
scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the
heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you. (28) And there ye shall serve
gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor
eat, nor smell. (29) But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy
God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with
all thy soul. (30) When thou art in tribulation, and all these things
are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD
thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; (31) (For the LORD thy God
is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor
forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them."
(Deuteronomy
4:35-40) "Unto thee it was showed,
that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none
else beside him. (36) Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that
he might instruct thee: and upon earth he showed thee his great fire; and thou
heardest his words out of the midst of the fire. (37) And because he
loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee
out in his sight with his mighty power out of Egypt; (38) To drive out
nations from before thee greater and mightier than thou art, to bring
thee in, to give thee their land for an inheritance, as it is this
day. (39) Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine
heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth
beneath: there is none else. (40) Thou shalt keep therefore his
statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go
well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy
days upon the earth, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, for ever."
Moses’ Exposition of The Law (De. 4:44-28:68)
Beginning in chapter 4 at verse 44 and going through chapter 28,
Moses gives us the law of God again. But, in these chapters, he does not simply
repeat what was given at Sinai, he expounds it. He tells us its meaning.
Remember, this exposition was not like my preaching, the thoughts of a fallible
man, but an exposition given by divine inspiration, an infallible exposition of
the law.
Here Moses deals with divorce, remarriage, fornication, idolatry,
witchcraft and the like. It is essential to understand that the land of Canaan
into which these people were coming was inhabited by pagans, morally degenerate
idolaters, just like the society in which we live today. They were utterly
given over to lewd and obscene practices. The book of Deuteronomy shows us that
God expects his people to live in the midst of a sex-crazed, sex-saturated
society, among people who were idolaters, completely committed to the most vile
practices, as his people, for his glory. How does he inspire us in this matter?
In Deuteronomy 6 he shows us our weakness and inability to do so.
(Deuteronomy
6:20-21) "And when thy son
asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the
statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD our God hath commanded you? (21)
Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt; and the
LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand."
That is where we began, and that is where we are, sinners entirely
dependent upon the goodness and grace of God in Christ.
(Deuteronomy
6:22-23) "And the LORD showed signs
and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his
household, before our eyes: (23) And he brought us out from thence, that
he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our
fathers."
He brought us out so that he might bring us into the land. These
ceremonies are all symbols by which God constantly reminds us what it takes to
get us out of Egypt and into the land. That was the explanation they were to
make to their sons.
Then, Moses inspires our devotion and consecration to our God and
Savior by assuring us that we belong to him exclusively, not by anything we
have done but by his own work of matchless, free, and sovereign grace.
(Deuteronomy
7:6-8) "For thou art an holy
people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special
people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the
earth. (7) The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you,
because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest
of all people: (8) But because the LORD loved you, and because he would
keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you
out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the
hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt."
(1
Corinthians 6:9-11) "Know ye not that
the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither
fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of
themselves with mankind, (10) Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards,
nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. (11) And
such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are
justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God."
(1
Corinthians 6:19-20) "What? know ye
not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you,
which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? (20) For ye are bought
with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are
God's."
Throughout this Book Moses constantly reminded Israel that
everything God had done for them, was doing for them, and would do for them was
by grace.
(Deuteronomy
7:6-8) "For thou art an holy
people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special
people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the
earth. (7) The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you,
because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest
of all people: (8) But because the LORD loved you, and because he would
keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you
out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the
hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt."
The same is true of us. Will we ever really learn this? “Salvation is of
the Lord!”
(Romans
8:28-30) "And we know that all
things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called
according to his purpose. (29) For whom he did foreknow, he also
did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might
be the firstborn among many brethren. (30) Moreover whom he did
predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified:
and whom he justified, them he also glorified."
(Ephesians
1:3-6) "Blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ: (4) According as he hath
chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and
without blame before him in love: (5) Having predestinated us unto the
adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure
of his will, (6) To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he
hath made us accepted in the beloved."
(Philippians
1:29) "For unto you it is given in
the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his
sake;"
Look at chapter 9
(Deuteronomy
9:4-6) "Speak not thou in thine
heart, after that the LORD thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying,
For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land: but for
the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee.
(5) Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost
thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD
thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word
which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (6) Understand
therefore, that the LORD thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it
for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiffnecked people."
After forty years of experiencing grace and learning from God in
the wilderness he says, "As long as you live in this body of flesh, you
will never get to the place where you can stand on your own. Never.” Only
as we know our weakness can we walk in his strength (2 Cor. 12:2-10).
Illustration: My Conversation with Paul R____ Last Night
(2
Corinthians 12:2-10) "I knew a man
in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or
whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to
the third heaven. (3) And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or
out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) (4) How that he was caught
up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man
to utter. (5) Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not
glory, but in mine infirmities. (6) For though I would desire to glory,
I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest
any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that
he heareth of me. (7) And lest I should be exalted above measure
through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the
flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above
measure. (8) For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might
depart from me. (9) And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for
thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I
rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
(10) Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in
necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am
weak, then am I strong."
Agreement with God
At the end of this section (chapter 27 and 28) Moses commanded the
children of Israel to observe a ceremony, not at an appointed time, but from
time to time, in the land of Canaan. It is very instructive. The children of
Israel were to gather upon two mountains, Ebal and Gerizim, six tribes on one
and six on the other, with the Levites (the priests) standing in the valley
between the two mountains, calling out blessings and cursings. When the Levites
called out a blessing in the name of God, as his priests, the tribes on one
mountain would shout in unison, “Amen!” When they called out a curse, the
tribes on the other mountain would shout, “Amen!”
I looked to see if there was any significance to the names of
these mountains, and found nothing of importance. So, I have to ask, “What is
the meaning of this ceremony?” Let me show you. God requires that we be in
agreement with him, in all his righteous judgments, and we shall.
1.
In
Conversion—David (Ps. 51).
2.
In
Providence—Eli (1 Sam. 3:18).
3.
In
Eternity—(Phil. 2:8-11; Rev. 19:1-6).
(Revelation
19:1-6) "And after these things I
heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and
glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: (2) For true and
righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which
did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his
servants at her hand. (3) And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke
rose up for ever and ever. (4) And the four and twenty elders and the
four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen;
Alleluia. (5) And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our
God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. (6) And
I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many
waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord
God omnipotent reigneth."
God’s Appointed Deliverer (29:1-31:29)
God has fixed things the way they are, leaving us in this world in
this body of flesh, constantly struggling with the world, the flesh and the
devil, just as he did the children of Israel, that we might be compelled
constantly to look to Christ, trusting him alone as our Savior, and thereby
stand forever as monuments to his matchless, free, amazing grace, “that no
flesh should glory in his presence.”
(Deuteronomy
29:10-15) "Ye stand this day all of
you before the LORD your God; your captains of your tribes, your elders, and
your officers, with all the men of Israel, (11) Your little ones,
your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp, from the hewer of thy
wood unto the drawer of thy water: (12) That thou shouldest enter into
covenant with the LORD thy God, and into his oath, which the LORD thy God
maketh with thee this day: (13) That he may establish thee to day for a
people unto himself, and that he may be unto thee a God, as he hath said
unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to
Jacob. (14) Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath;
(15) But with him that standeth here with us this day before the
LORD our God, and also with him that is not here with us this
day:"
(Deuteronomy
29:18-19) "Lest there should be
among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day
from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest
there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood; (19)
And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless
himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the
imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst:"
I will leave it to others to explain this mystery more fully. For my
part, I am content to know that this is God’s wise and good purpose.
(Deuteronomy
29:29) "The secret things belong
unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong
unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words
of this law."
·
In
chapter 18, Moses spoke of Christ as that Prophet God’s people
would hear and obey.
·
In
chapter 30, he declares that God would circumcise the hearts of all his
covenant people, speaking of course of the new birth (Phil. 3:3; Col.
2:12-15).
(Deuteronomy
30:5-7) "And the LORD thy God will
bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess
it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. (6) And
the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to
love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou
mayest live. (7) And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon
thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee."
·
In
the last part of chapter 30, Moses calls the nation to faith in Christ,
using the very language Paul used many, many years later, in Romans 10.
(Deuteronomy
30:11-20) "For this commandment
which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is
it far off. (12) It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest
say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear
it, and do it? (13) Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou
shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we
may hear it, and do it? (14) But the word is very nigh unto thee,
in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. (15) See, I have
set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; (16) In that
I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to
keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live
and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou
goest to possess it. (17) But if thine heart turn away, so that thou
wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;
(18) I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that
ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest
over Jordan to go to possess it. (19) I call heaven and earth to record
this day against you, that I have set before you life and death,
blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may
live: (20) That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou
mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy
life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the
LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give
them."
(Romans
10:5-13) "For Moses describeth the
righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall
live by them. (6) But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on
this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to
bring Christ down from above:) (7) Or, Who shall descend into the deep?
(that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) (8) But what saith
it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is,
the word of faith, which we preach; (9) That if thou shalt confess with
thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised
him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (10) For with the heart man
believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation. (11) For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him
shall not be ashamed. (12) For there is no difference between the Jew
and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
(13) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved."
·
Then,
in chapter 31, Moses tells the people that he must die and turns them
over to Joshua, God’s appointed deliverer, promising that the Lord God
would, by Joshua, bring them into the land of promise and fulfill all his
covenant; and he did (Jos. 21:43-45).
(Joshua
21:43-45) "And the LORD gave unto
Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they
possessed it, and dwelt therein. (44) And the LORD gave them rest round
about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a
man of all their enemies before them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into
their hand. (45) There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD
had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass."
What a picture this is of Christ!
Once Moses had done this, once he put the people in Joshua’s
hands, he broke out into a song of praise to God (De. 31:30-32:43), which is
still being sung by the redeemed in heaven (Rev. 15:3), and blessed the people
(De. 32:44-33:29). In precisely the same way, the holy law of God, beholding us
in Christ (our Joshua), pronounces upon us all the blessedness of heaven and
everlasting glory, just as fully as the grace of God.
Moses’ Death (De. 34:1-12)
Then, Moses died. When he had done everything he was sent to do,
when he fulfilled all his purpose, he died and was never seen upon the earth
again, until he was seen with Christ upon the Mount of Transfiguration, talking
about the death he should accomplish at Jerusalem. Once Joshua appeared to
Israel as their deliverer, Moses’ work was done. And once Christ appears in the
hearts of chosen sinners as their Savior, the law’s work is done (Rom. 10:4).
(Romans
10:4) "For Christ is the end
of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."
Now saved sinners sing…
Free from the law, O happy condition!
Jesus hath bled and there is remission!
Cursed by the law and bruised by the fall,
Christ hath redeemed us, once for all!