Christ in all the scriptures Redeemed from the curse of the law

Christ in all the scriptures 

Redemption from the curse of the law   Leviticus 26

God demands that His redeemed people observe His wishes and keep His commandments.  The purpose of this is that they might know His holiness, His zero compromise with sin, and His terms of approach to Him.  This is the God of the Bible speaking, the only God in existence, in whom they are dependent for their very livelihood.  Note the emphasis throughout the chapter: "I am the Lord your God"-v1; "I am the Lord"-v2; "I am the Lord your God which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt..."-v13; "I am the Lord their God"-v44; "I am the Lord"-v45.  The title "Lord" is Jehovah, the eternal God who is, who was, and who is to come.  There is not, there never was, nor will ever be, any other God.  The title "God" is Elohim, the triune God, in N/T terms the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; the only ones to be worshipped in all existence.  This God in verses 1-4 demanded that:

They make NO IDOLS, nor graven image, nor standing image, nor stone image to bow down to them as gods

They keep the SABBATHS, and reverence His SANCTUARY by keeping one day per week for Him

They walk in His STATUTES, and keep His COMMANDMENTS in obedience to Him.  Statutes are Divine principles covering a range of situations: commandments are specific directives in a given situation.  Psalm 19v8 reveals, "The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure enlightening the eyes".

There is nothing capricious about God, His ways and directives rejoice the heart and enlighten the eyes.  In the ensuing verses, He outlines the blessing that will result in following His way (v4-13), then the curses that result from opposition to Him (v14-39).  The language used in both sections is very "colourful", He holds nothing back, He says it as it is.  Obedience will bring such blessing as to supply them and secure them for life; disobedience will result in the Divine curse upon them in every aspect of life.  The blessings on obedience are as delightful, as the curses are dreadful.  Association with God demands strict adherence to His ways.  This is the Mosaic covenant, "These are the statutes and judgments and laws which the Lord made between Him and the children of Israel in mount Sinai by the hand of Moses"-26v46.  The curse that opposition to God would bring was fearful in the extreme.  The only alleviation was confession and forsaking of sin, resulting in Divine mercy toward them.  The raw details of this are repeated in their history, notably in Deuteronomy 28 where blessings and curses are detailed.

It is so important that we go through all this if we are to fully understand the gospel (the good news) of Christ.  The curse of the law is spoken of in the New Testament-Galatians 3v10, "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written (quotation from Deuteronomy 27v26) "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the law to do them".  James' the apostle's comment on the law was "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one, shall be guilty of the whole".  We must grasp the solemnity of this; one sin, one deviation from the law of God, will bring the condemnation of the law upon us.  It's just as if we have broken all the law, such is the holiness of God, and His revulsion against sin.

This means that NO MAN OR WOMAN CAN EVER KEEP THE LAW, and so everyone is a lawbreaker and are under the curse of the law.  The record shows that no one kept the law, not Moses or Aaron, not Samuel or David, not Isaiah or Daniel-no one; as Paul said in Romans 3v10-12, "There is none righteous (none that have kept the law of God) no not one".   The rest of the verses repeat the same judgment in different ways.  This is God's estimate of centuries of human morality, referring to all Jews and Gentiles, in other words to every single human being that has ever lived-NONE RIGHTEOUS NO NOT ONE!  This seems terminal for us all, what is the answer?  Here is the understanding.  God gave the law to Israel, for them in turn to give to the world.  It was only in the perfect fulfilment of the law that any man could saved from the curse and enjoy the blessings of conformity.  Paul explains in Romans 5v20-21, The law entered that the offence might abound, but where sin abounded, grace did much more abound (super abound); that as sin reigned unto death, even so might grace abound unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord".  The gist of it is this, God did not introduce His law to see if man could keep it, He introduced it to prove that no one ever could, making the intervention of Christ an imperative, if mankind was to be saved.  The law could not save us, it could only condemn us, and it was introduced to expose the blackness of sin.  

"CHRIST HAS REDEEMED US FROM THE CURSE OF THE LAW BEING MADE A CURSE FOR US..."-Galatians 3v13.  By His death on the tree He has removed the curse of the law, and there remains only the blessings!  He took on Himself all the condemnation of the Divine law that was due to us.  The curse is removed, and the blessings of God are upon the nations by faith in Christ.  He doesn't ask us to do anything, for it has all been done.  All we have to do is believe.

Would you turn away from a benign and loving and majestic God as this?  Or would you soften your heart and receive Him into your life now?  Instead of Him being against us, He will be for us, with all the wonderful blessings that only He can give!