Obedience

 Christ in all the scriptures

 Simple obedience   Deuteronomy 10-11

It was simple disobedience that brought down the human race in alienation to God.  It is simple obedience that brings restoration.  We are dependent on the obedience of Christ on our behalf for fellowship with God. as it says in Romans 5v19, "For as by one man's disobedience many were made (constituted) sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made (constituted) righteous".  For our well being we are required to follow Him in simple obedience, and this is the message of these two chapters.  Romans 8v1-4 emphasises that our deliverance in Christ was to change both our standing and our state before God.  We are saved that "the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit".   

Note the continuous repetition: 

"Serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of the Lord, and His statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good"-Deut 10v12-13

"Therefore thou shalt love the Lord thy God, and keep His charge, and His statutes, and His judgments, and His commandments, always"-Deut. 11v1

"Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that ye may be strong, and go on and possess the land, whither ye go to possess it"-Deut. 11v8

"And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments, which I command you this day...that I will give you..."-Deut. 11v13

"For if ye will diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them..."-Deut. 11v22

"Behold I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; a blessing if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day: and a curse if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known"-Deut.  11v26-28

"And ye shall observe to do all the statutes and judgments which I set before you this day"-Deut. 11v32

Israel are commanded to obey the Lord in all things.  The Church of Christ is to obey the Lord in all things-this is the burden of these chapters.  The clarion call is to obey Him!

The great commission: "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you"-Matthew 28v20

Our personal lives  "As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance"-1st Peter 1v14

In our thinking  "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ"-2nd Corinthians 10v5

In our church practices  "If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord"-1st Corinthians 14v37

As proof of our devotion  "If ye love me keep my commandments"-John 14v15.

Our faith itself is obedience (Romans 1v5 and 16v26).  That is how we begin the Christian pathway, and that is how we should continue,  The prevalent notion, in some places, that we are no longer obligated to Divine law is totally false and God requires and expects our obedience. 

The supreme example, as always is Christ, of Him it is written: "Though He were a Son, yet learned obedience by the things which He suffered"-Hebrews 5v8.  The extent of this suffering is revealed in Philippians 2v8 "...became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross".

To obey Him, according to Deuteronomy 10v12 is to fear Him, to walk in all His ways, to love and serve Him with all our heart and soul, and to keep His statutes and judgments.

The chapters develop along this theme: 

Obey Him because of who He is   Deuteronomy 10v12-22

He is Creator of heavens and earth and all within them (10v14).  He is Supreme, God of gods, Lord of lords (10v17).  He is worthy of praise, who has done great things for us (10v21).

Obey Him because of what He has done   Deuteronomy 11v1-7

Five times over the verses record "what He did"-11v3 (brought the plagues upon Egypt, and negated the power of the Pharoah), v4 (caused the might of Egypt's army to perish), v5 (fed and clothed the nation in a wilderness for 40 years), v6 (crushed the rebellion of Dathan and Abiram, co-conspirators with Korah by opening the ground to swallow them and their households and possessions), v7 (All the people were witness to all these great acts).  

Obey Him for the bounty of His rewards  Deuteronomy 11v8-21

The section is all about the land God has provided for them.  He refers to "the land" multiple times-v8, v9, v10, v11, v12, v14, v17, v21, v25.  It is a good land; a land flowing with milk and honey; a land of hills and valleys and watered from heaven; a fruitful land; a land where you will be safe from enemies.  God's bountiful supply is greater than all the world can give.

As the prophet Samuel said, "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams"-1st Samuel 15v22.  This is what God wants, this is what we must learn.

What doth the Lord thy God require of thee?

 Christ in all the scriptures

And now O Israel...   Deuteronomy 10v12-13

"And now O Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of the Lord, and His statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?"

The narrative turns: until now the dominant theme has been what the Lord has done for them.  Now the challenge is for what Israel will do for the Lord.  "What does the Lord thy God require of thee....? is the question that may apply to all those of faith in every generation.

Consider what He has done for them:  

He prospered a family of seventy souls, and formed them into formidable nation, as the last verse of the chapter says, "The Lord thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude"-Deut. 10v22.  This despite the fact they were subjected to slavery in Egypt for over 400 years!

He redeemed them through the Paschal lamb (symbolic of Christ), and delivered them from the thraldom of Egypt, the most powerful dynasty in existence at that time.

He fed them and tended them in a wilderness for 40 years, even in the face of their rebellious ways.

He empowered them to overcome enemies who stood in their way.

He brought them to the border of the promised land the most fruitful and blessed land of all.

This is what God has done for them, and now they are asked to give a little in return.  We might ask ourselves today to "count our blessings, name them one by one" as the little chorus says: were we to do that no doubt it would take up more space than is available here.  There is an old English word (cad) to describe an individual who takes all the benefits people give them, but never give anything back!  We don't want to become spiritual cads, do we??

He answers the question with five short, sharp, commands, in sequential order:

Fear Him...Walk in all His ways...Love Him...Serve Him with all your heart and soul...Keep His commandments.  We can look at each one, but first to see the sequence.  To fear Him is to walk in all His ways.  We walk in His ways to show we love Him (He is our life model).  We serve (worship) Him because we love Him.  We keep His commandments for we are His servants and He is our master.

It's all about Him; about how we revere Him, copy His ways, do it gladly because we love Him, subject ourselves as His servants, stay loyal by keeping His commandments.  This would be a fitting response to the Lord who has given us His all.  Before we look at these individually, we focus on the phrase at the end of verse 13..."FOR THY GOOD".  Apart from the obvious obligation to return devotion to such an one, observing these five commands will be for our good.  We all love and cherish ourselves, don't we? then if we really do love ourselves we will keep His commandments for which He will grant us special blessing.  The word "good" in the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament is an interesting word in scripture usage.  It is variously interpreted as "noble", "excellent", "prosperous|", "well", "pleasant", "agreeable", "merry", "fair", "beautiful", "becoming".  Who would not want their life described as such? This is what simple obedience and reverence to God brings.  Let scripture speak for itself....

Deuteronomy 6v18, "And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the Lord: that it may be well with thee...".

Deuteronomy 6v24, "And the Lord our God commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always...".

Deuteronomy 12v2, "Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and thy children after thee for ever...".  If you love your children, walk before the Lord in their sight

Deuteronomy 19v13 "Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood in Israel, that it may go well with thee."  Even in the matter of severe discipline to honour Him by putting away sin from our midst.

The Lord is intent on the good of us all, and He has set out the terms of the way to this.  He will compensate for any earthly loss as a result.  The way forward is made plain...

"Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith....them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed"-1st Samuel 2v30.

He is thy praise and He is thy God

 Christ in all the scriptures

        "God of gods and Lord of lords"      Deuteronomy 10v17

A title similar to this is accorded to Christ in Revelation 19v16, "...a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS."  Our God is to be revered above everyone that is called god or king or lord.  He is the first and the last, the alpha and omega of all, and He is to be that in our lives.  Our great God is returning to earth to set up His everlasting kingdom, and He will be universally honoured from that day.  He is all in all-1st Corinthians 15v28; ("...above all, and through all, and in you all"-Eph.4v6; "...of Him, and through Him, and to Him. are all things: to whom be glory for ever.  Amen"-Romans 11v36.  The expression means that God is utterly supreme in all things, everywhere, and at all times.  It is as such we are to honour Him.

The verse in Deuteronomy 10v17 ends like this: "A GREAT GOD, A MIGHTY, AND A TERRIBLE (awesome) which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward".  The extent of His majesty is stated in v14, "Behold the heaven of heavens is the Lord's thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is!" I recall the mockery of the late M. P. Anthony Wedgewood Benn, who, when told that God had given the land to Israel, said, "I was not aware that God is an estate agent".   Now he knows that He is creator and sustainer of all lands.

The chapter continues the grand theme of remembrance in the book (refer the ninefold command to remember: Deuteronomy 5v15; 7v18; 8v2; 9v7; 15v15; 16v3; 24v9; 25v17; 32v7.  The apostle Peter mirrors the book in his 2nd epistle, calling the saints to remember chapter 1v12, 13, 14 and 3v1-2.

Remember the wonder of the unbroken law preserved in the ark   Deut. 10v1-5

Two tablets of stone, written by the finger of God, the first of them broken because of the rebellion of the people.  God calls Moses to prepare an ark, return to the mount, where a second pair of tablets were written, and preserved unbroken within the ark.  These tablets of stone, were engraved by God to declare His terms for human reconciliation to Himself.  The ten commandments (by consultation with the whole law were headings, listing an enormous number of commands for life with God in their midst).  This represented God's minimum requirement for fellowship to be restored to human kind.  In the event the law was broken, and successive years yielded the same failure.  This resulted in the universal condemnation of all mankind, as detailed in Romans 3v10-12, "None righteous, no not one..." etc.  Only God has the answer...

"Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first, and come up unto me into the mount, and make thee an ark of wood.  And I will write on the tables the words that were in the first tables which thou brakest, and thou shalt put them in the ark"-Deut. 10v1-2.

The ark of God symbolises Christ and only in Him is the law fulfilled and the divine demands met, giving all of us the offer of salvation and restoration to God.  The unbroken law, set in stone by divine miracle, was preserved in Christ.  On that ark was the mercy seat, upon which God sat with the cherubim (minus their flaming swords) looking down in satisfaction at a perfect work.  This is no less than awesome, and compels us to wonder and give thanks with everything we have.  How could we ever forget??

This requires more attention:  one man, one man only, kept the law of God in all its detail.  Whether we think of the moral law, or the ceremonial law, or the civil law, He fulfilled it to the letter.  He said, "Think not (for this was what they were thinking) that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy but to fulfil"-Matthew 5v17.  He continues, "For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled"-Matthew 5v18.

Consider the meaning of this.  The jot is the Hebrew yod, or the Greek iota, the smallest letter in the alphabet.  The tittle is the inflection mark added for emphasis, such as the dot above i or j; or the circumflex or other marks above letters in foreign languages.  In both, we have the tiniest part of any writing.  What He is saying, is that the divine law of God is fulfilled in Him in the tiniest detail!  Not just the words but the fine detail.  This law which is the divine standard for all mankind was fully met in Him for all mankind.  Thus we can be reconciled to God, but only through Christ.  Not only so, but this wonderful reality transcends the existence of heaven and earth, and precludes the possibility of any change, indicated in the term "in no wise".  Nothing will alter it for time or eternity.

The hymn by Charitie Lees Bancroft of the late 1800's catches the theme; one stanza says

"Because the sinless Saviour died. my sinful soul is counted free                                              For God the just is satisfied to look on Him and pardon me!"

Thus God can be, and is, in the language of Romans 3v26-28, "...just and the justifier  of him which believeth in Jesus...Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without (apart from) the works of the law".

He foresaw the failure of every man to keep His law, and supplied the remedy in Christ.  Well may we take upon us the words of v21, "He is thy praise, and He is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible (awesome) things, which thine eyes have seen".

Go in and possess the land

 Christ in all the scriptures

Go in and possess the land   Deuteronomy 9

As we continue our studies in Deuteronomy, I am reminded of the comments of Dr Henrietta Mears in her book "What the bible is all about".  She wrote:

"You will come to appreciate the full force and magnetic beauty of Deuteronomy only as you read its pages....Nothing in literature matches the majesty of its eloquence.  Nothing in the O/T has any more powerful appeal for the spiritual life.  No book in all the word of God pictures better the life that is lived according to God's will, and the blessings showered upon the soul who comes into the richness and fulness of spiritual living along the rugged pathway of simple obedience...If you want a taste of heaven on earth, become familiar with Deuteronomy".

It was from Deuteronomy Jesus cited three times to ward off the temptation of the devil.  In the extremity of His weakness, He triumphed, and dismissed the tempter, who had brought down the entire race,   He went by the Spirit into the wilderness, and He returned unscathed in the power of the Spirit to destroy the works of the devil.  His victory can be our victory as we resist the devil in our day.  It is from Deuteronomy there are more quotations in the N/T than from any other book (60 references and 44 direct quotations).  The importance of this book cannot be over emphasised.

"Hear, O Israel: Thou art to pass over Jordan this day, to go in to possess nations greater and mightier than thyself, cities great and fenced up to heaven"-Deut. 9v1

The day had come; Israel must occupy the good land the Lord had given them.  Faith in God is not for the fainthearted.  They faced an enemy much stronger and more powerful than themselves.

"...a people great and tall, the children of the Anakims (giants)  whom thou knowest, and of whom thou hast heard say, Who can stand before the children of Anak!"

All this finds its counterpart in Paul's letter to Ephesians.  We could consider chapters1-3 as "the land is before you"; chapters 4-6, "go in and possess it".  In chapter 6v12 the enemy, far greater than us, is declared, "against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high (heavenly) places".  We cannot of ourselves overcome, only in the strength of the Lord.  In chapter 1v21 of the same epistle we find that Christ is ascended to the highest place in the heavens, "far above all principality, and power, and might, and every name that is named, not only in this world but in that which is to come!"  It is in His strength alone we overcome, and so Paul writes, "Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might"-Ephesians 6v10.  Believers are facing many enemies in their journey of faith in this world.  Israel's enemies were human and visible, our enemies are spiritual and invisible.

Consider the language of the chapter:

"The Lord thy God...He shall bring them down before thy face...Deut. 9v3

"Not for thy righteousness or for the uprightness of thine heart...the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee..." Deut. 9v5

"Remember and forget not...ye have been rebellious against the Lord..." Deut. 9v7

"I prayed therefore unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God destroy not thy people and thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed through thy greatness, which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand"-Deut. 9v26

The message is clear:  Only in the Lord shall we progress and prevail: we will overcome not for any good in us, but for the grace of our God: we must ever remember our frailty and tendency to succumb to our fallen nature, and develop humility before our God (triumphalism, which is a perversion of true faith, and is ever present today, is not of God): we are dependent on One interceding for us on high just as Moses did for Israel.

Crossing Jordan does not symbolise death, as hymnology would often suggest; it is death to self, self-interest, and self reliance.  The land is not heaven, for in it there are conflicts, (there are none in heaven).  Rather the land speaks of heaven upon earth, the believer entering into the many blessings God has provided for spiritual life in the here and now.

Sooner, rather than later in our Christian life, we shall encounter conflicts which we never knew in natural life.  There is the enemy within, the old nature conflicting with the things of God (Galatians 5); there is the delusive world system, all around us, calling us to succumb to ungodly ways (1st John 2); there is the vast demonic spirit world above us, attempting to rob us of spiritual blessings (Ephesians 6 and 1st Peter 5v8).  These are very real and powerful forces against us.  Of ourselves we are incapable of resisting them.  They are the formidable enemies of the faithful.  In Christ alone we overcome, in spiritual terms we "possess the land".  We do this by humbly submitting to God, and allowing Him to strengthen us.   As the apostle James put it, "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.  Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you"-James 4v6/7. 

Israel wandered 40 years outside of the blessings of the land.  How long have we been wandering rather than possessing and overcoming?  It is a very pertinent question for spiritual life today.

It is written

 Christ in all the scriptures

"Not by bread alone"  Deuteronomy 8v3

This chapter searches our innermost souls regarding our attitude to God and His word.  Jesus cited 8v3 in His own extremity of soul, during the temptation in the wilderness-Matthew 4v4; Luke 4v4.  

"It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God"-Matthew 4v4.

Confronting the arch enemy of humanity, it was after 40 days of fasting, when His body was crying out for food, that He cited this principle, that He would not even satisfy His hunger if there was no word from God to do so.  Even Satan admitted He could have turned the stones of the desert into life-preserving bread, but He refused for it was the temptation of the devil.  His devotion to the word of the Lord was more important than His necessary food.  Like Job of old, who, when faced with life extremities, declared this to his critics, "I have esteemed His word more than my necessary food"-Job23v12.  In John 4v31-34, the disciples were worried Jesus hadn't eaten because He was so involved in the preaching.  His reply was, "I have meat to eat that ye know not of...my meat is to do the will of Him that sent me and to finish His work".  God's work was more important than His bodily food.  

This is not to minimise our need for food, and a healthy body requires regular feeding.  Think about it, we eat on average three meals a day; we work to earn money to buy it; we spend time and effort to prepare it; we sit down to eat it; we wash up afterwards, all this more than once every day!  So this is a major part of life, and we are here comparing that to our daily devotion to God and His word.  I think that brings it into focus.

The chapter begins with, "All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do...".  At the very least we should say that God's word is to become a major part of our lives, not only to know it, but to put it into practice.  When we do, we find that it is most satisfying to the soul, and develops character within us.  Remember what is written?  "Man shall live...by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God".  He says "all the commandments"..."every word of the Lord"; not just the ones that suit us, but also the ones that make character building demands.  

The word and the words of the Lord are revelations of Himself.  Our attitude to His word is our attitude to Him.  By the word of the Lord the entire creation exists ("...by the word of the Lord the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water"-2nd Peter 3v5).  By the word of the Lord the universe subsists, (holds together)"...upholding all things by the word of His power"-Hebrews 1v3).   By His word the universe will pass away ("...heaven and earth will pass away, but my words shall not pass away"-Matthew 24v35).  His word is powerful, His word is eternal, His word is dependable: why would we not give heed to all of it for our good.  This text goes to the very foundation of our beings, our true devotion to God, and Christ is the supreme example.  What He means to us can be measured by our loyalty to His word.  

Devotion is one thing, but the bible also declares the desirability of the word of God.  Devotion is a duty, but desire kindled enriches lives.

"Thy word is a light unto my feet, and a lamp unto my path"-Psalm 119v105.

"More to be desired are they than gold, yea than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb"-Psalm 19v10.  What is more valuable than silver or gold; what is sweeter than honey??

"The word of God is quick (living), and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart"-Hebrews 4v12.  His word has the ability, like nothing else, the power to transform lives from within, the power to change even me!

"Is not my word like as a fire, saith the Lord, and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces"-Jeremiah 23v29.  His word can reach the hardest heart.

"To this man will I look, saith the Lord, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word"-Isaiah 66v2.

"The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple"-Psalm 19v7.

There is a balance to be found between our nourishment for the body, and feeding of the soul.  Material considerations are for the few years of life; soul transformation is for eternity Jesus put it beautifully in the sermon on the mount (Matthew 6v33) "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things (material things) shall be added unto you".  Our priority must be for the things of God, rather than the things of self.  If we put Him and His word at the forefront of our lives, He will make sure that all material needs are supplied.  Our Lord Jesus Christ is the supreme example, He said in John 10v17-18, He described His life as a sacrifice of obedience to the Father, "Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life that I might take it again.  No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself.  I have power (authority) to lay it down, and I have power (authority) to take it again.  This commandment have I received of my Father".   Jesus was commanded by the Father to lay down His life, to yield to men who could have no power against Him.  He made the ultimate sacrifice in obedience to the Father; will we obey His word even if it means temporary loss?

Visiting iniquity and shewing mercy

 Christ in all the scriptures

Unmitigated wrath and unconditional love  Deuteronomy 7

There can be no greater contrast in the revelation of God, in one chapter, than the subject matter of Deuteronomy 7.  We have His condemnation of human sin, with its terminal judgment, and we have His boundless love toward the people of His possession.  This is the God of the bible, not the one created by human imagination, but the true God who exists, who will judge sin, but who will also forgive repentant sinners.  He created us, not the other way round, as many would seem to wish.  He stated His way in Exodus 20 to the nation He raised up to reveal Himself to the world..."visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children of them that hate me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments" (20v5-6).  Idolatry is an abomination to God, and the seven nations occupying the land given to Israel were steeped in idolatrous practices.  Centuries before, the God who knows the end from the beginning, decreed the judgment of the trespassing nations in His covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15v18-21.  Following many years of sinful practice, during which God had suffered their ways, the time of retribution has arrived, and God will purge the promised land from rank evil.

We must pause here, a moment to reflect.  We live in a modern world which rejects or ignores the concept of Divine retribution, yet it is a reality.  The history of the world has proved it.  God will judge the world in righteousness; He brought the global flood on the world of the ungodly; He destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, leaving no one untouched in its borders; He brought down a world power in Egypt by a mighty arm.  Divine retribution on evil is a reality, and the present world will know it in this generation or the next.  God is slow to wrath, but His judgment is certain, and rather than mock portions of the bible like this we should heed the warning.

The judgment was severe; they were to destroy the seven nations without mercy, 7v2 "thou shalt utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them".  This is repeated in 7v16 and 7v24.  There was to be no communication with them, nor communion.  They were not to join in marriage to them, which would ultimately result in idolatry.  They were to deface all their idols, and remove all traces of idolatry ("destroy their altars, break down their images, cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire"(7v5).  These altars, on which they sacrificed their children to their imaginary gods, were an abomination to the Lord and all trace of them must be removed.   As far back as the grandson of Noah in Genesis 9, God had declared a curse on Canaan, and their immoral and idolatrous practices had not altered with the passage of time.  

In contrast, God set His love on Israel (7v6-11), just as He promised the fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

"For thou art a 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 on the face of the earth".

He does this, because, as He says in v5, "for all the earth is mine".  In God's earth, God does as He pleases (refer Psalm 115v3 and Psalm 135v5-6).  It is utterly futile to oppose Him! 

Israel are an holy people, set apart for God, to walk in His ways.  A chosen people to be His special possession.  An exalted people above all other nations upon the face of the earth.  This promise that was repeated to the founding fathers, was applied to the nation in Exodus 19v4/5, "Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles wings, and brought you unto myself.  Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, than ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people".  It is because of their disobedience, they are not seen as such now, but all that will change when Christ returns and Israel will be the head of nations.  Nothing, and no one will prevent it, and all who oppose this, in any way, whether it be in protest, or in hostile action, are out of touch with what will be the eternal reality.

The chapter goes on to explain divine favour to this one nation, and this reveals to us the nature of God.  As much as He is belligerent against rebellion, He is benign towards the repentant, and enshrouds them in His love.  His love for any of us is inexplicable, and the reason for it is only found in Himself.

"The Lord did not set His love on you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people ; for ye were the fewest of all people: but because the Lord loved you, and because He would keep the oath which He had sworn unto your fathers..."-7v7-8.

There was nothing about them that caused Him to chose them; the answer is found only in His beneficent self.  He loved them because He loved them, and this is always the truth.  This amazing fact is discussed by John the apostle in 1st John chapter 4.

God's love is an integral part of His essential being, twice over he declares that "God is love"-4v8, v16.

God is the source of all love-4v7, "...love is of God".  Any reciprocal love we have for Him is "because He first loved us"-4v19.

God's love was manifested in sending His only begotten into the world that we might live through Him"-4v9.  He demonstrated His love at infinite cost to Himself.

"I have loved you because I have loved you" resonates through the ages of time and reaches beyond Israel to the repentant people of all nations.  There is nothing loveable about us, He loves us because of who He is, a gracious, loving and merciful God.  The reality of this is awesome.  He is at all times the sin hating God who will banish rebels forever without mercy: at all times He is the loving, and merciful God, as the chapter before us records,

 "Know therefore that the Lord thy God, He is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love Him, and keep His commandments to a thousand generations; and repayeth them that hate Him to their face, to destroy them: He will not slack to him that hateth Him, He will repay him to his face"-Deut.7v9-10.

Before this awesome God, terrible in His judgment, but beautiful in His love, we must bow for our well being, and that of our children.  This is the God of Israel, this is the true God, the only God, to whom be glory forever!

Loving God

 Christ in all the scriptures

Loving God   Deuteronomy 6

What does "loving God" mean in practice?

1)  His word shall be in your heart  "And these words which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart"-Deut. 6v6.  

For us it all began at conversion; we "believed in our heart" that God raised Him from the dead to secure our salvation-Romans 10v9.  Then we learned that God's law was no longer written on tablets of stone but on the fleshy tables of the heart-Jeremiah 31v33; 2nd Corinthians 3v3; Hebrews 10v16.  Next, we are challenged by Peter to "sanctify the Lord God in our hearts"-1st Peter 3v15, that is to set Him apart from all else, including self, as the prime love in our lives.  His word is to "dwell in us richly", and this will be manifest in sharing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with one another, singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord-Colossians 3v16.  We are to serve God with our whole heart-- (Psalm119v2v10v34v58v69v145).

2) He shall be in our homes  "And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up"-Deut 6v7.

Teaching children, topic of conversation, when out and about, late at night, early morning, at all times, God's word is the grand subject.  In essence God moves in with us in our homes and in our journeys.  Jesus said as much to His disciples in the upper room when He prepared them for His ascension.  Essentially, He said, I am going away, but I will be with you always in spirit, "At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you"-John 14v20. Again in 14v23 He says, "If a man love me he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with him".  What an amazing privilege that divine beings wish to dwell with us!  We will go to live in the Father's house- John 14v2-3; until then, He comes to live with us, if we will have Him!

3) He is with our hands  "And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand..."-Deut. 6v8a

God has engraved us on the palms of His hands-Isaiah 49v16, and in all the work of our hands we should honour Him.  Exodus 13v9, "And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thy hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the Lord's law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand the Lord brought thee out of Egypt".  With the work of our hands, whatever that might be (it could be physical, it could be mental. it could be spiritual) it is to do it as unto the Lord.

4) He is before our eyes  "And they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes"-Deut. 6v8b.

 Our horizon is unlimited, when the Almighty enhances our vision.  Paul records, "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are unseen are eternal"-2nd Cor. 4v18.  He also writes, "Seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth"-Colossians 3v1-2.  Frontlets between the eyes refers to God's teachings and principles being kept at the forefront of our thoughts and actions.

5) Giving thanks for all His gracious provision   "When thy God shall have brought thee into the land which He sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee goodly cities, which thou buildest not, and houses full of good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees which thou plantedst not; when thou shall have eaten and be full; then beware lest thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage"-Deut 6v10-12.

Material blessings for Israel, spiritual blessings for us today, (as well as material things)-"blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ Jesus"-Ephesians 1v3, such blessings as only He could give.  Loving Him will will mean daily gratitude from us for all His benefits. 

The New Testament presents wider issues

6) Loving God means loving you neighbour as yourself  That is you treat your neighbour as you would wish to be treated by them in any given situation.  Jesus said in Matthew 22v39 that this second commandment is like unto the first.  Both should be observed in tandem.  He defined our neighbour as anyone in our community who required our help.  James called it the "Royal law"-James 2v8.  Paul said in Romans 13v8, "Owe no man anything but to love one another, for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law".  This is an obligation for all the people of God, to the people in their community.

7) Loving God is incompatible with love for the world in opposition to God

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.  If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world"-1st John 2v15/16.

 Obviously this is speaking of the world system with its anti-God philosophies and practices. We can love the people of the world as fellow human beings, but we do not love their ways.  As John continues, he says the world is passing away, but he that does the will of God abides forever.

8) Loving God will mean demonstrating our love for our brethren in Christ   

John, the apostle emphasise that love for God's people is fundamental to Christianity.  He questions the validity of faith when this is absent in our lives-1st John 2v9; 2v11; 3v10; 3v15; 4v7-8; 4v20-21; 5v1.  Why does John labour this point repeatedly in his epistle?  Because he was aware of the competitive spirit that can arise which destroys unity.  This goes beyond denominational disunity and party spirit in a global church that God has made one in Christ.  At a time when the church of Jesus Christ is splintered in so many ways, the clarion call is "Love the brotherhood", and let it be seen in whatever way we can.  John challenges every one of us with the unanswerable question, "But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?-1st John 3v17.

That famous dialogue between the risen Christ and Simon Peter in the wake of his curse filled denial of Him outside the judgment hall, says it all.  Addressing him three times as "Simon, son of Jonas" (reminding him of who he was before Christ saved him), He said, three times over "Lovest thou me?".  The first time He said, "Lovest thou me more than these?"  Peter had gone fishing back to his old trade, perhaps Jesus was referring to this.  Maybe He was referring to Peter's oft times boast that he loved the Lord more than the other disciples, "though all forsake thee yet will not I".  Jesus probed his inward soul, do you really love me?  The answer was unmistakeable, "Tend to my lambs", the young believers; "Feed my sheep", give food to all my people; "Shepherd my sheep", succour all my people in their need.

What can I do for Him as evidence that I love Him?  Loving God will mean loving His people.

Love the Lord your God

 Christ in all the scriptures

Love the Lord your God   Deuteronomy 6

"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might"-Deut. 6v5.

They are encouraged to fear Him, now they are commanded to love Him.  Jesus said that this is the first and great commandment-Matthew 22v37-38.  The One who has come from the realms of heaven, who is equal in all respects to the Godhead, underlines this as the priority for all people, love toward God.  The God who gives us everything, what does He want from us?  "And now Israel what doth the Lord require of thee, but to fear the Lord, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul"-Deut. 10v12.  This is more important than any other command.  This is to put Him at the very centre of our affections.  What this means to us individually, can only be determined between Him and the individual.  All other legitimate loves are to come secondary to Him; all loves which are offensive to Him must be put away. 

Love the Lord with everything you have and are

Matthew 22v37 "Jesus said unto him thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind".

Mark 12v30 "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength; this is the first commandment".

Luke 10v27 "And He, answering said, thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind. and thy neighbour as thyself".

Our relationship to God is more than that of servant to master, it is a love relationship such as a wife to a husband, or husband to wife, or children to parents or vice versa.  We know that any love we have for God, is because He first loved us-1st John 4v19.  And how did God love us?  It was not in any half hearted way, it was not with any form of reserve or limitation.  This incomparable thought is summed up by Jesus Himself in John 3v16, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son...".  God's love for us is measured by whom He gave (His only begotten...in Spanish, su unigenito), the dearest of His heart as is stated throughout the sacred writings.  He gave Him, (more dear than the angels of heaven, or the entire created universe), the darling of His bosom (read Proverbs 8), for us without reserve.  To create the universe He only had to speak!  To save humanity, He gave His all!

No wonder we are compelled to love Him, above everything else.  Putting all the relevant scriptures together, He speaks of our heart, of our soul, of our mind, of our strength.  Before we consider what all that means, we must focus on the word all.  All our heart, all our soul, all our mind, all our strength.  The hymn puts it, "How can we give a lesser sacrifice, when Jesus gave His all?  At this point we could ask ourselves, How much do I love Him, really?  Any love I have for Him is small in comparison to His love for me.

Love Him with all your heart    Affections   Hearts which are the seat of our emotions/affections, (Proverbs 4v23, "...out of it are the issues of life"); hearts that were filled with all kinds of evil and selfish behaviour (Mark 7v21 and Matthew 15v19-30); hearts that were "deceitful above all things and desperately wicked"-Jeremiah 17v9).  Perverse hearts have become purified hearts (1st Peter 1v22) through the new birth.  Our hearts have been sprinkled from an evil conscience (Hebrews 10v22), enabling us to worship freely.  Sanctified hearts are to "Sanctify the Lord God in our hearts" (1st Peter 3v15), that is our renewed hearts are set apart for Him.  Our emotions/affections are toward Him.

Love Him with all your soul   Motivation/Driving force   The soul is what makes you, you. It is the deep seated person within, which dictates thoughts/actions.  Scripture refers to "the reins of the heart", that which motivates the inner thoughts and intentions.  Others, beholding us are incapable of discerning this, even we, ourselves betimes don't know, only God truly knows our souls.  "Jeremiah 17v10, "I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings".  The Psalmist asks the Lord to try (put to the test) his reins and his heart"-Psalm 26v2.  Jesus, in Revelation 3v23, "All the churches will know that I am He who searches the reins and hearts and I will give to each one according to his works".  The reins are deep within, the driving force that causes us to be what we are.  Just like the reins that control the movement and direction of an animal, so the inward soul directs our emotions and affections and pursuits. From the depth of our beings we are to love Him.  Self gratification is replaced by pleasing the Lord, self glorification gives way to glorifying God.

Love Him with all your mind  Intellect    That amazing function, the human brain!  Storing and processing billions of data in a lifetime.  (They say the brain transmits around 1500 commands to the rest of the body every minute!)  All we hear about are moans concerning the loss of memory, and perceived lack of intellect, when we should be praising God for the wonder of our minds.  It is what we choose with which to fill our minds that is the problem.  The bible speaks of different things that occupy us, and the best use of this wonderful function.  Paul speaks in Philippians 3v19, of those who "mind earthly things", whose horizon is this life and the things of it only, when God has given us an unlimited universe, and an unsearchable God to enthral us forever.  In salvation God has transformed us by "the renewing of our minds" (Romans 12v2; 2nd Corinthians 5v17).  Metaphorically speaking, why remain a caterpillar when we can butterflies flying around in limitless space?  We are called to occupy our minds with the eternal, not only the temporal.  Our minds are enlarged which seek the immortal and eternal God.  How can we love Him with our minds?  The Psalmist has the answer.  Many of us read and study God's word out of habit, with a sense of duty (and we have all been there).  How about approaching it with passion, with fervour, as the Psalms suggest.  How about making God's word our lifetime delight, the occupation of the blessed man?

Psalm 1v2 "And his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law doth he meditate day and night".

Psalm 119v14 "I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches".

Psalm 119v18 "Open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law"

Psalm 119v35 "Make me to go in the path of thy commandments, for therein do I delight"

Psalm 119v47 "And I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved"

Psalm 119v162 "I rejoice in thy word, as one that findeth great spoil".

Love the Lord with all your strength   No half measures, no part timers; a full commitment with everything we have.  Paul wrote, "...present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service"-Romans 12v1.  Holy just means your body is set apart for His use.  The Laodiceans were said to be insipid, lukewarm, unacceptable to Christ.  The Old Testament adage is relevant today in this connection, "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might"-Ecclesiastes 9v10.

Hear the words of wisdom, ""My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; yea if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord; and find the knowledge of God"-Proverbs 2v1-5.

Next we shall consider what this may mean in practice.

Fear the Lord your God

 Christ in all the scriptures

Reverend is His name  Deuteronomy 6

The God of Israel

"Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippetrh thee"  Nehemiah 9v6.

The God of all nations

"Is He the God of the Jews only? is He not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith"  Romans 3v29-30.

God of Abraham, God of all Israel, God of all nations, God most high, God alone without a likeness; this is the fundamental teaching of the bible, and is the main teaching of Deuteronomy 6.  High above the creation in its entirety, preserving it, bestriding it, He is worshipped by the host of heaven.  How are we on earth to respond to such a majestic One?  This is the theme of the chapter..

We are to FEAR HIM   Deuteronomy 6v2, "That thou mightest fear the Lord thy God..."; 6v13, "Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God..."; 6v24, "And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God...". 

Fear is yare, and means reverential fear.  It can also mean dread, as it is translated terrible (29 times) and afraid (78 times) and dreadful (5 times).  Out of 314 occurrences in the Hebrew scriptures, it appears in Deuteronomy 24 times, so it is a major topic. 

We know that so far as the unregenerate world is concerned, (described as the wicked), "there is no fear of God before his eyes"-Psalm 36v1; Romans 3v18.  We also know that nominal; Israel had substituted the fear of God for the fear of man. Jehovah noted, "...their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men"-Isaiah 29v13.  It is an insult to the majestic God to feign loyalty to Him.  Mere lip service toward Him, when hearts are far from Him dishonours Him and He is not deceived.  How many church services today are ritual instead of reverence?

The apostle Peter says, "pass the time of your sojourning here in fear", because God is holy-1st Peter 1v17; "Fear God, honour the king"-2v17; "Be subject to your masters with all fear"-2v18;  "your chaste conversation (manner of life) coupled with fear"-3v2; "be always ready to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason for the hope that is in you with meekness and fear"-3v15.  We are to be a God-fearing people in all aspects of life.  I always think of it like this: we will all one day stand alone before Christ on His judgment throne to give account of our lives.  There will be just me and Him; the One before whom throngs of angels bow, and do His bidding without reserve or hesitation; the One who knows everything about me from beginning to end; the One who gave His all for me to save me from eternal punishment.  In the unforgettable words of the late Mr. William Trew of Cardiff, "We should live now as we will wish we had lived when we stand before Him".

"The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding"-Job 28v28

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom..."-Psalm111v10

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge..."-Proverbs 1v7

"My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; yea if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God"-Proverbs 2v1-5.

"Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.  For He spake and it was done; He commanded and it stood fast"-Psalm 33v8

 

hearken O Israel!

 Christ in all the scriptures

This is our God!   Deuteronomy 6

One of the most powerful chapters in the bible, quoted twice by our Lord during the temptation by Satan in the wilderness (Matthew 4v7 and v10).  This was enough to send the tempter away for he knows the word of God is inviolable.  Satan had the audacity to quote (or, rather misquote) scripture, saying "it is written"-take note Satan quotes the bible but perverts it; Jesus' reply was "it is written again", this is what scripture actually says.

The twofold command to "hear" in Deuteronomy 6v3 and v4, is the Hebrew word "shema" which is stated 86 times throughout Deuteronomy.  The book began, "these are the words"-chapter 1v1-collectively the word of the living God.  Thus the "shema" or command to hear attentively and act upon it is the whole thrust of the book.  God is speaking, and we must give attention.

The chapter centres round the fundamental theological reality stated in v4, "The Lord our God is one Lord".  The chapter, in light of this awesome fact, considers what should be our response to such an One:

Fear Him....6v2, v13, v24  Hold Him in utmost reverence

Love Him...6v5-6 His words to be in our hearts, and in our homes, and in our communities

Obey Him...6v1, v2, v17, v25  Do them, observe them, forget them not; diligently keep them

"The Lord our God is one Lord"

The biblical commentator, the late F. B. Meyer wrote about this:

"Deuteronomy 6v4 is reckoned by pious Jews to be one of the choicest portions of scripture.  They write it on their phylacteries, and repeat it, with other verses, at least twice a day.  Note the various methods for maintaining the religious atmosphere, 1) by meditation 2) by religious training of children 3) by pious discourse and conversation 4) by the persistent study of scripture."  The following is the biblical revelation of God:

This is the doctrine of the Trinity, God in three persons, none beside, no likeness in all existence, in perfect harmony and unity in essence, and attributes, and actions.  God is Elohim (plural)  but one (singular) in action.  This fact is imprinted in the very first verse of the bible-Genesis 1v1, "In the beginning God (Elohim-plural) created (singular) the heaven and the earth".  The same chapter continues, " Let us make man in our own image-Genesis 1v26; "And the Lord God said, behold the man is become as one of us..."-Genesis 3v22; "Let us go down and there confound their language"-Genesis 11v7; "Who will go for us?2-Isaiah 6v8.  So the saying "God is one" does not refer to the singularity of God, rather to the unity within the Godhead.  This is fundamental to faith in God, and every religion today, including Judaism, falls short of the truth of God.  God is one, in the sense that He is the only God, all other gods are false.  He is one in the sense that within the triune Godhead there is perfect harmony.  

Deuteronomy 32v39 "See now that I, even I, am He, and there is no god with me".

2nd Samuel 7v22 "Wherefore thou art great, O Lord God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee...".

1st Kings 8v60 "That all the people of the earth may know the the Lord is God, none else."

2nd Kings 5v15 "Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel".

Psalm 86v10 "For thou art great, and doest wondrous things; thou art God alone".

Isaiah 46v9 "I am God and there is none else, and there is none like me".

Jeremiah 10v7 "Who would not fear thee O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee".

John 17v3 "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent".

Romans 3v30 "Seeing it is one God (or God is one) who shall justify the circumcision by faith, and the uncircumcision through faith".

1st Timothy 1v17 "Now unto the King, eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever.  Amen".

1st Timothy 2v5 "One God, and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus".

 James 2v19 "Thou believest that there is one God: thou doest well: the devils also believe and tremble".

Old and New Testaments proclaiming the unique glory of God.  Ephesians 4v4-6 brings together the triune God, and their distinctive part in redemption..."one body, one Spirit, one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all".   Just one of many passages of scripture that reveal the threefold Deity which presides over creation and new creation.  This is the true God, this is our God.  One day, all of true Israel will acknowledge Christ as their God, as will all of earth and heaven, and under the earth.  In the words of Paul in Philippians 2v10-11, "At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow...and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father."

Blessed, indeed are those of us who bow before Him now!

The law of Christ

 Christ in all the scriptures

The law of Moses and the law of Christ    Deuteronomy 5

Deuteronomy 5 is a repetition of the ten commandments by Moses.  It is important we understand the complex relationship between the law of Moses, and the law of Christ.  We Christians are under the law of Christ, just as the Israelites were under the law of Moses.  What are the distinctives of each?

The law of Moses was given to Israel at Sinai.  It was a covenant with God requiring their adherence to the whole law.  This law was not for all peoples; the New Testament speaks of "those under the law" (Jews) and those "without law" (the Gentiles)-1st Corinthians 9v20-21. To be clear there are elements of Moses law which apply to the whole world, but overall it was a temporary measure to bring us to Christ.

It is generally understood that the law of Moses contained three important areas of regulation: the moral law regulating personal behaviour; the ceremonial law establishing corporate terms of worship; the civil law ordering the good government of the nation.

For us today, the ceremonial law is abolished, as it was fulfilled in Christ-refer 2nd Corinthians 3; Colossians 2v14; Ephesians 2v15.  Hebrews expands this further, stating there is a change of priesthood in chapter 7, a change from the old to the new covenant in chapter 8, a different location of the sanctuary in chapter 9, and a termination of the sacrifices in chapter 10.  Phrases in those chapters emphasise the weakness of the law as follows: "the law made nothing perfect"-Heb. 7v19; "if the first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second"-8v7; "the way into the holiest of all  was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing"-9v8; "can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect"; 10v1; also "for it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins"-10v4.  The hymnwriter caught the joyful mood, "No blood, no altar now, the sacrifice is o'er; no flame no smoke ascends on high, the Lamb is slain no more!  But richer blood has flowed from nobler veins, to cleanse the soul from guilt and purge the reddest stains"-Horatius Bonar.  

The civil law to Israel was for Israel only.  We are to observe the civil laws of our nation, wherever we live, in accordance with Romans 13v1-7.  The principle stated is that each authority is "ordained of God", and answerable to Him.  Our responsibility is to support them and obey them for the good in society that they do.  Peter teaches the same in 1st Peter 2v13-19.  There is no concept of public protest against divinely instituted authorities so far as Christians are concerned.  God is quite able to deal with rogue governments in His own way.  We are called to live in peace, so far as we are able, and pay our way.

The moral law, contained in the ten commandments, still stands, since each tenet is repeated in the New Testament, apart from the law of the Sabbath.  Christians have chosen to make Sunday as the new Sabbath, but there is no scriptural basis for this.  We observe the principle of the Sabbath by resting on the finished work of Christ, which applies to every day thar we live.  There is no harm, however, in having one day of rest per week, (indeed it is a health benefit), but it is not demanded as a ritual observance.  The moral law, given by Moses, as in the ten commandments, contains two overriding principles: 1) our relationship to God; and 2) our relationship to humanity.  Jesus summed up the moral law under these two headings in Matthew 22v37-39, in terms of "Love God with all you have...and love your neighbour as yourself".  This is high ground indeed, yet it is the standard demanded by God.  

As much as the ceremonial and civil aspects of the law of Moses have been rescinded, the moral law has been amplified.  Jesus, in the sermon on the mount in Matthew 5, raised the standard of the moral law, as, time and again, He repeated, "Ye have heard that it hath been said...but I say unto you."-Matthew 5v21-48.

5v21-26   "Thou shalt not kill..."   Jesus said that extreme anger against another human being without cause, or because of prejudice, is tantamount to murder.

5v27-32  "Thou shalt not commit adultery..."   Jesus spoke of adultery of the heart, simply looking lustfully on another was the same as adultery.

5v33-37   "Thou shalt not forswear thyself..."   Using extreme language to make a point is the same as taking the name of the Lord in vain, reducing God, and His creation to the level of our petty grievances.   We must be careful how we communicate with others.  More than YEA YEA or NAY NAY comes from evil.

5v38-42   "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth..."   Turn thoughts of vengeance into an occasion of giving.  Become a giver, not a taker.

5v43-48  "Love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy..." (the second part was added by man) Jesus said, "I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you, and persecute you"!

This is the law of Christ, and we are under His law (Galatians 6v2; 1st Corinthians 9v21; Romans 8v2-4).  This is how He lived, and in His death and resurrection for us, enables us to fulfil the righteousness of the law with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Communicate the character of God to successive generations

 Christ in all the scriptures

Behold the goodness and the severity of God! Deuteronomy 4v25-40

The character of God never changes.  He has a heart of gold for His people, but a mind of steel against their sin.  Paul develops this theme in Romans 11v22.  It is important for successive generations to know this.  The history of Israel proves it beyond any contradiction, and His dealings with the saints of the church age will be the same.  Unlike the vacillating behaviour of men, God remains the same for well being or otherwise with everyone at all times.  This is the burden of this section. 

The world has many viewpoints of the nature of God, most of them caricatures of their own making.  However, the reality is the true God, as revealed in holy writ, is the One with whom we have to do.  The delusions planted by Satan in Eden suggested that human beings could become gods in their own right ("ye shall be as gods"-Genesis 3v5).  This delusion is still held by many today.  It is imperative, therefore that the only God is known in His being and in His character.

Shew your children and grandchildren an example    Mostly it is thought that privilege is to be born into royalty. or into great wealth, associated with fame or fortune.  But these things are only for time, and supply nothing for eternity.  In reality the greatest privilege is to be born into a home where God is revered, where His word is taught, and in which exemplary lives are lived.  These conditions can do more to influence us for the life to come.  Those of us, so privileged, should count it a blessing to have such a start in life.  Israel, above all people on the earth, were born into such a privilege.

Yet with privilege comes responsibility, and Israel failed in this, as most of us do at times.  The Lord is aware of this human tendency (the phrase "to err is human" has been coined from a long history of such failures).  We may, like Peter, in a moment of confidence say, "though all forsake thee, yet will not I"; and we know that he failed miserably shortly after that boast.  The history of Israel is dotted with incidences of forsaking the living God and turning to idols.  In contrast to the Thessalonians, who "turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God", many in Israel turned to idols from the only true God.  So bad was their defections at times, Paul had occasion to say, "the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you..."-Romans 2v24.

The Lord announced His displeasure and revealed severe discipline:

"I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but ye shall be utterly destroyed.  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.  And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands..."-4v26-28.   

To recap on this, the Lord warns:  their lives on earth would be shortened; they would be exiled among the nations; they would live as the idolaters of the world.  This warning was given to God's people by Peter in his first epistle...

"If ye call on the Father (or call Him Father in some versions), who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear"-1st Peter 1v17.   Again in chapter 4v17 of the same epistle, he writes, "Judgment must begin at the house of God...".

Association with a holy God demands holy living.

The Lord is merciful...

"But if from thence ye shall seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find Him, if thou seek Him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.  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; (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 4v29-31.

He is not only a God who redeems, He also restores His people when they stray.  It is a most humbling, yet blessed experience, to be restored under the discipline and mercy of our God. It is a more blessed experience to follow Him in obedience all the days of our lives.  In contrast to Israel, Jesus could say, as He neared the end, "I have glorified thee on the earth, I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do"-John 17v4.

There is no privilege on earth such as that given to God's people

In all of the ages of time, and in all the extremity of space in the universe, was there ever such a privilege such as was given to Israel?  Moses spells out their unique position in the sight of the Lord.  "Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou heard and live?  Or hath God assayed to go and take Him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations (trials), by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes.  Unto thee it was shown that thou mightest know that the Lord He is God, there is none else beside Him...Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the Lord He is the God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath, there is none else"-Deuteronomy 4v33-39.

Why then would you seek after anything less?  Why would you demean yourself to follow lesser gods, which are no gods at all? Why would you not just follow His ways and find ultimate well being (v40).  Today we are blessed in every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1).  We are destined for glory under the protection and love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8).  Why would we seek anything lesser than this?  Why would we fill our lives with the toys of earth, when God has given to us the treasures of heaven?

  

The sin of idolatry

 Christ in all the scriptures

Worship the Lord thy God, and Him only.....  Deuteronomy 4v14-24

It has been said by others that "Deuteronomy chapter 4 is "rich in moral and theological imperatives", and it is with this in mind we approach this study.  The section ends, "For the Lord our God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God"-4v24.   In His awesome being, He will brook no rival, and views any form of idolatry as demeaning to Him. The common concept of idolatry is of people bowing down to inanimate and animate objects, when God has clearly said that human beings are made in the image of God, therefore higher than any other creation on earth.  We shall discover that idolatry is much more widespread than that.  Idolatry in any form is prohibited to the people of God.

He begins with a solemn warning, "Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves..."; be very careful about this practice.  This warning is very relevant to us in the present day.  Moses pointed out, "for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb (Sinai) out of the midst of the fire".  God is spirit and He forbids any material representation.  He forbids making an image of anything, idolatry is a personal corruption.

"The similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female..."-4v16.

"The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, or any winged fowl -"-4v17.

"The likeness of anything that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth..."-4v18.

"And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them. and serve them..."-4v19.

Worship could actually be defined as "worth-ship", that is what value we place on someone or something.  Since the Lord above, the Supreme being, is higher than all, He alone is due our devotion above all else.  Idolatry, therefore, is undue devotion to that which is lesser than God.  Satan, the arch enemy of God and man, sought for himself the homage due alone to God, when he tempted Jesus to worship him in exchange for immediate world power (Matthew 4v9-10 ; Luke 4v7-8).  Jesus, (citing Deuteronomy 6v13-14) answer was authoritative, "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve".  This command came with a warning of God's wrath against any who disregarded this (6v15).  We live in God's world, by His pleasure; everything we have is from Him, who sustains all life. He, above everything else, is worth our devotion.

Idolatry, therefore, the practice of devoting ourselves to lesser than God, of substituting things or people instead of God, is a serious error which is wholly condemned throughout.  Idolatry is not limited to the worship of material idols; it encompasses anything that we place above our relationship with God.  This can include material possessions, spheres of influence, relationships, pursuits, celebrity figures, personal ambitions, which detract us from true worship of God who desires and demands our undivided devotion.  

What is true worship?  Jesus defined it to the lawyer who thought he could trap Him in His words Matthew 22v37-38, "Jesus said unto him, citing Deuteronomy 6v5, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart (emotion), and with all thy soul (will), and with all thy mind (intellect).  This is the first and great commandment".  In other words, devote yourself to God with your whole being, with everything you have.  This was given to Israel and is the standard for the whole world.  Each of us must determine what this will mean in our lives.  

Idolatry was a recurring theme in Israel.  From the worship of the golden calf in Exodus 32; to the idolatry in Moab during their wilderness wanderings; to the building of the "high places in the land during the reign of a few kings; to the travesty of abominations in the temple in Jerusalem, as reported in Ezekiel.  Their history was one of flirtation with idols contrary to the explicit commandment.  This diminished the glory of God among them, and brought chastisement upon them. 

Exodus 20v3/4  "Thou shalt have no other gods before me.  Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth". 

Similar warnings are sounded in the church age.    

1st Corinthians 10v7, "Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them, as it is written, the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play....Wherefore my dearly beloved flee from idolatry".   This is in the context of sexual immorality.

Galatians 5v19-21 "Now the works of the flesh are manifest which are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelling, and such like...".  It is one of the practices of a fallen nature contrary to God.

Colossians 3v5, "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry".  Greed, the craving for what others have, is idolatry.  It focuses the eyes on created things rather than the Creator

1st John 5v21, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols".

Idolatry is an ever present danger to the people of God today.  It has to be recognised, and discarded fully and promptly.  Our Lord Jesus Christ was the perfect example of total devotion to God.  He loved the Lord with all His heart, soul, and mind; in perfection He loved His neighbour as Himself.  This is the Divine standard, which will be a reality when we "are conformed to the image of His Son".  Until then, let us flee idolatry in all its evil and illusory forms, and make the Lord above our true devotion. 

    

   

A special people

 Christ in all the scriptures

Israel a very special people   Deuteronomy 4v7-13

"And what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon Him for?"-Deuteronomy 4v7

It is no mere coincidence that, in the course of time, and down to the present day, the eyes of the world have been focused on Israel.  This is because they are God's chosen people.  This is not to say that God favours one people, or that Israel are better than other nations.  It is to say that this is the way God has chosen to bless the world.  His choice was entirely benign toward the world in general.  He raised up Israel, as a chemical analyst would do in a laboratory, taking a sample of humanity, to reveal the nature of the whole, and to provide a remedy for them.

God's plan to save the world

Following the rebellion of the nations at Babel, He called one man, through whom He would create a nation, through whom He would bless all nations of the world (read Genesis 11/12 and note especially 12v1-3).   This wonderful plan is repeated in Genesis 17v6-8; 18v18; 22v17-18, and so on, and confirmed in the gospel (God's good news to the world) in Romans 4v13-17.  Israel, therefore, are the benchmark of blessing or cursing from God.

Israel, "the apple of God's eye"

"Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine"-Exodus 19v5.

In reality, Israel did not obey Him, nor keep His covenant, but Jesus came and the covenant was ratified.  The God who knows the end from the beginning, knew this, and treated Israel as if they had obeyed.  Through Jesus, He will treat all people the same way.  We now understand the gracious proclamations concerning Israel, and prophecies concerning them.

"The Lord's portion is His people; Jacob is the lot of His inheritance.  He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; He led him about, He instructed him, He kept him a the apple of His eye"-Deuteronomy 32v9-10.

"For thus saith the Lord of hosts; after the glory hath He sent me unto the nations that spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of His eye"-Zechariah 2v8.

Israel are very near and dear to God, and anyone who touches them have Almighty God to deal with.  History has already proved this, and the future will be no different.  This is not just a nice metaphor, this is a theological reality that will be enacted for good or bad.  They are, like all people, an imperfect people, but they are God's people, through whom He will bless the world.  At the judgment of the living nations in Matthew 25, the criterion for judgment will be the treatment of God's people (Matthew 25v31-46-note v32, for this will apply to all nations, and all individuals, concerning their attitude to Israel in the future.)  The lesson is obvious, hurt Israel, and you hurt God-refer Isaiah 63v9-and there will be retribution.  

We must learn the importance of being near to God.  The New Testament continues the theme to shew that Gentile nations have come under the same blessing.  Peter, writing to the elect of God, said, "Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people (people of God's possession)..which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God, which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy"-1st Peter 2v9-10).  Paul to the Cretan believers in Titus 3v14, "Who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people zealous of good works".  

In the course of this present age, Israel has been temporarily cast aside through unbelief, and through them salvation has come to all nations.  It was Jesus who came as Saviour of the world, and He came from Israel (Romans 9v5).  It was the apostles of Christ from Israel who evangelised the world (e.g. Romans 15v16 and others).  Through the fall of Israel, salvation is come to the nations (Romans 11v11) with a remnant of Israel saved in the present time.  When the fulness of the nations is complete, Israel will return in glorious repentance and God's purpose for them will be fulfilled, "And so all Israel shall be saved, as it is written.  There shall come out of Zion the deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: for this is my covenant with them, when I will take away their sins"-Romans 11v26-27.  This explains a lot of what is happening today, but Israel will recover and take their place in the world as "head of nations", the nation God chose to bring salvation to the world

With great privilege, comes also great responsibility, and this is the point of Deuteronomy 4v7-13.  No nation on earth has been privileged as Israel has; this calls for reverence and obedience to the One who has called them.  The same is true of us, the people of God today. "Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they shall teach their children"-Deuteronomy 4v10.

May we understand how blessed we are in Christ, and rise to our responsibilities in the days of our lives He will give us.