Choose Life (Deuteronomy)

June 7, 2020

Does anyone know every code in the state of Alabama? Our laws are so complex, and the law books are so thick. Ordinances cover every facet of life. Is anyone interested in learning these laws? We pretty much follow the flow of society and don't worry about them. Do we think that will work for Israel? Last time, we saw how the people were always rebelling against the Lord and trying to go back to Egypt in the book of Numbers. As a result, they were not allowed to enter into the promised land. All of those over twenty years old died after wandering in the wilderness for forty years. Now we have a new generation that has been living in the wilderness for forty years. This new generation is about to have new leaders taking them into a land flowing with milk and honey. But before they go, a 120-year-old Moses gives them a series of sermons to prepare them to enter. What does he want to tell them?

Deuteronomy 1:5--8 (ESV) --- 5 Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses undertook to explain this law, saying, 6 “The Lord our God said to us in Horeb, ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain. 7 Turn and take your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all their neighbors in the Arabah, in the hill country and in the lowland and in the Negeb and by the seacoast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates. 8 See, I have set the land before you. Go in and take possession of the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their offspring after them.’

Moses is going to try to explain the Law to the people before they go into the promised land. That's what this whole book is about. One man is trying to explain the Law for future generations.

Remember

The first thing Moses does is remind the people of what has happened in the last forty years in Chapter 1. In Numbers, we saw that they rebelled against the Lord over and over again. They came right up to the southern border of the promised land and refused to go in. As a result, their fathers all died in the wilderness. In Chapters 2-3, he tells them not to fight with Edom, Moab, or Ammon because they are relatives. Then, he reminds them of two great kings that God has defeated for them east of the Jordan River.

At the end of Chapter 3, we see Moses pleading with the Lord to let him go into the promised land. He has looked forward to this for eighty years. He has suffered for it in dealing with a stubborn and rebellious people, but he will not enter into the promised land with the people. God will take him to be with him instead.

Listen and Go In (4)

Chapter 4 is kind of like a purpose statement for the whole book. In this chapter, he tells the people to listen to all the laws that Moses is teaching them so that they may live and find the blessings God promises. This is the main idea of the book. He really wants this generation to be obedient and find the blessing of God. He repeatedly tells them to "take care," "watch yourselves very carefully," and "beware" throughout this chapter as he will in the rest of the book. Why does he say this? God will destroy them if they rebel against him. This seems like pretty severe punishment for sin, but we will see that God expects his people to keep the covenant. In verses 32-40, Moses points out that God has done something no one has ever seen for Israel by saving them from Egypt. Then, he brought them to Mount Sinai to show himself to them.

Deuteronomy 4:36--40 (ESV) --- 36 Out of heaven he let you hear his voice, that he might discipline you. And on earth he let you see his great fire, and you heard his words out of the midst of the fire. 37 And because he loved your fathers and chose their offspring after them and brought you out of Egypt with his own presence, by his great power, 38 driving out before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in, to give you their land for an inheritance, as it is this day, 39 know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. 40 Therefore you shall keep his statutes and his commandments, which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for all time.”

Now, he wants them to obey God's rules and statutes so that God can continue to care for them in this promised land and bless them abundantly. They need to lay this on their heart, "The Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath."

Remember Meeting God? (5)

In Chapter 5, Moses brings up the ten commandments that God spoke to them out of the fiery mountain. This is the covenant that they were to keep. In verses 24-27, he reminds them that the people were terrified at the sound of God's voice on the mountain. God spoke to them the Ten Commandments and they were terrified! They told Moses to go and speak with God for them. They were willing to submit to whatever God would have them do. Listen to what God said in response to that.

Deuteronomy 5:28--29 (ESV) --- 28 “And the Lord heard your words, when you spoke to me. And the Lord said to me, ‘I have heard the words of this people, which they have spoken to you. They are right in all that they have spoken. 29 Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!

God wants his people to have this kind of heart always. He wants them to know how great and powerful he is so that they might fear him and to keep all of his commandments.

Deuteronomy 5:32--6:3 (ESV) --- 32 You shall be careful therefore to do as the Lord your God has commanded you. You shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. 33 You shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess. 1 “Now this is the commandment---the statutes and the rules---that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, 2 that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.

This is God's desire for his people: keep the commandments and receive the blessings!

Explaining The Commands

Now we move into the next section of the book. From 6:4 through Chapter 26, Moses explains the ten commandments in detail along with different temptations the people will have to overcome. The first five commands are very clearly laid out.

Love God (6)

Chapter 6 is about the first command to have no other gods before God. In this chapter, he makes it clear that God wants to be everything to us. He wants to always be on our minds and in our hearts as we make every decision in life. He also wants us to teach our children everything he has done for us, and he wants us to train them so that they love him. The worst thing that can happen is to forget the Lord (12).

Destroy Idols (7-11)

Chapters 7-11 discuss the second commandment not to make or bow down to serve any carved image. The people will be entering into a land that is full of carved images and idolatry. Instead of embracing it, they are commanded to destroy the images. These images do not represent God. They represent self-reliance and a desire to rebel against the commands of God. This is the largest section discussing a commandment, and it is full of explanation about how idolatry is corrupting the heart of God's people. This is my favorite section of the book, and I wish we had more time to explore it. The main point can be found in 11:8-17 when he tells them that they will need to be wholly reliant on God to prosper in this land. The land of Egypt required them to irrigate and plant seeds, but this land is dependent on rain from heaven.

Deuteronomy 11:16--17 (ESV) --- 16 Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them; 17 then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and he will shut up the heavens, so that there will be no rain, and the land will yield no fruit, and you will perish quickly off the good land that the Lord is giving you.

Take the Lord's Name (12-14)

Chapters 12-14 discuss the third commandment to take the Lord's name. As I was studying this, it became clear to me that this commandment is not against "using the Lord's name in vain." The commandment is against "taking the Lord's name in vain."

Deuteronomy 12:5 (ESV) --- 5 But you shall seek the place that the Lord your God will choose out of all your tribes to put his name and make his habitation there. There you shall go,

Taking the Lord's name is like what happens when we get married, and the wife takes her husband's name. God is commanding his people not to forget the God they are named after. Repeatedly in the prophets, we will see that they profane the name of the Lord. They have taken his name and run it through the mud.

Deuteronomy 14:1--2 (ESV) --- 1 “You are the sons of the Lord your God. You shall not cut yourselves or make any baldness on your foreheads for the dead. 2 For you are a people holy to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

God sees them as his sons and his treasured possession. He plans to bring them into the land and bless them abundantly beyond what they would ever imagine if they will remain holy and upright for him.

Rest (15-16:17)

In Chapters 15 through most of 16, he does not discuss the fourth command (Sabbath day's command), but he does discuss Sabbath years and Sabbaths during festivals. In the seventh year, debtors go free. During the different feasts throughout the year, they would rest, feast, and rejoice together over all that God has done for them.

Lead With Justice (16:18-18:22)

At the end of Chapter 16, we expect to see the command to obey your parents (fifth command), but instead, we see rules for judges, priests, and kings to do justice in the land. He explains how those in authority are to rule while remembering God. He also explains how those in power are responsible for punishing the evildoer to keep the land clean from evil.

He ends this section by discussing a future prophet that will come.

Deuteronomy 18:15--19 (ESV) --- 15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers---it is to him you shall listen--- 16 just as you desired of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ 17 And the Lord said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. 19 And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.

Then, he discusses false prophets.

Love Your Neighbor (19-26)

In Chapters 19-26, Moses discusses murder, stealing, sexual immorality, coveting, as well as many other commands. The point of all these commands is to see the people have a love for their neighbor. God does not want his people to deal cruelly with one another.

Deuteronomy 22:1--4 (ESV) --- 1 “You shall not see your brother’s ox or his sheep going astray and ignore them. You shall take them back to your brother. 2 And if he does not live near you and you do not know who he is, you shall bring it home to your house, and it shall stay with you until your brother seeks it. Then you shall restore it to him. 3 And you shall do the same with his donkey or with his garment, or with any lost thing of your brother’s, which he loses and you find; you may not ignore it. 4 You shall not see your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen down by the way and ignore them. You shall help him to lift them up again.

Deuteronomy 23:24--25 (ESV) --- 24 “If you go into your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes, as many as you wish, but you shall not put any in your bag. 25 If you go into your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck the ears with your hand, but you shall not put a sickle to your neighbor’s standing grain.

At the end of this section, we see a reiteration of the people's purpose statement.

Deuteronomy 26:18--19 (ESV) --- 18 And the Lord has declared today that you are a people for his treasured possession, as he has promised you, and that you are to keep all his commandments, 19 and that he will set you in praise and in fame and in honor high above all nations that he has made, and that you shall be a people holy to the Lord your God, as he promised.”

The goal of this whole section is to help the people see how they can be holy to the Lord. As God's treasured possession, he calls them to a higher form of living, a lifestyle that sets them apart from all the other nations of the world.

This concludes the entire section of explaining God's commands.

Blessings And Curses (27-28)

In Chapter 27, Moses assembles all the people and commands them to keep the covenant that they are in. He has the people condemn all who rebel against the commands of the Lord. He has them verbally commit to the commandments of the Lord, lest they be cursed.

In Chapter 28, we have a listing of all kinds of blessings that God wants to bless his people. Then, there is a listing of all types of curses that God will curse his people if they fail to obey.

Stubbornness Or Repentance (29-30)

In Chapter 29, Moses points out that God has not given the people a heart to understand (29:4). He wants them to beware of their tendency to turn away from the Lord. They will tend to have stubbornness in their heart.

Deuteronomy 29:18--20 (ESV) --- 18 Beware lest there be among you a man or woman or clan or tribe whose heart is turning away today from the Lord our God to go and serve the gods of those nations. Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit, 19 one who, when he hears the words of this sworn covenant, blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.’ This will lead to the sweeping away of moist and dry alike. 20 The Lord will not be willing to forgive him, but rather the anger of the Lord and his jealousy will smoke against that man, and the curses written in this book will settle upon him, and the Lord will blot out his name from under heaven.

In Chapter 30, Moses points out that those who have been cursed can return to him and find restoration. God foretells the time when people will learn from their sins and see the restoration of the relationship. Their hearts and minds will be open to understanding God's will and desire to do God's will.

Deuteronomy 30:6--20 (ESV) --- 6 And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live. 7 And the Lord your God will put all these curses on your foes and enemies who persecuted you. 8 And you shall again obey the voice of the Lord and keep all his commandments that I command you today. 9 The Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your ground. For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers, 10 when you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that are written in this Book of the Law, when you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 11 “For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 14 But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it. 15 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. 16 If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 17 But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, 18 I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, 20 loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

Moses' Last Words (31-34)

The final section of the book tells us that Joshua will take the people into the land. It then tells us the last words of Moses in the form of a song and a blessing on the people of Israel.

The last words of the book are vital as we remember the words from Chapter 18 about a prophet like Moses coming.

Deuteronomy 34:10--12 (ESV) --- 10 And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, 11 none like him for all the signs and the wonders that the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, 12 and for all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

Why Is This Important

In Deuteronomy, Moses has given his commentary on the commands of the Lord. He has encouraged the people to stay faithful to the Lord with hearts that love him more than anything else. But he also recognizes that the people will be as stubborn and rebellious as they always have. What makes this such a critical book in Old Testament history?

This explanation of the covenant shows that God has always desired his people to love him. He has always wanted them to have a heart that would obey his commands, and he has always wanted to bless them. But this book also foretells the curses that will come upon Israel as they continually rebel against the Lord. He promised them blessings for obedience and curses for rebellion. The rest of the Old Testament watches all of that play out.

We are not in the same covenant with God. Our lands go through drought, pestilence, and war at the hand of God. However, our kingdom is not a kingdom distinguishable by physical boundaries. The whole world suffers these things because the world as a whole has been rebellious from the beginning. So why is this important for us?

This book outlines God's desire to bless his people, and we are his people. He wants to bless us. Jesus is the prophet like Moses, who has delivered the Law for us to obey God from the heart. He has brought us out of slavery, through the sea, and into the wilderness. He has delivered us a better understanding of the Law. But unlike Moses, he leads the way into the promised land, as the author and pioneer of our faith.

Application

As we think about the life of a child of God, we must understand God's desire for us. We are not here to do what is right in our own eyes. We are here to love God with all of our heart, to lay down our idols, to take up God's name in holiness, to submit to our authority, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. We are here to follow God's commandments with our hearts

Do we hear Jesus and submit to the commandments of God with our heart, or are we stubbornly refusing to listen? Only one way leads to life and blessings. It's our choice.