The Mosaic Law was limited to a time and nation, but morality was not. But if we disobey, we will be cursed. Now, how do Christians embrace and apply this today? Our respectful behavior sets a good example for others. We put our confidence in Him, so we are chosen regarding salvation. . I can't give a satisfactory explanation of why Deuteronomy 20 should be in our Bibles. Somehow, there seems to be a choice that is up to us, something or someone is knocking at the door with a message and a reason for our survival. Here is, I. And let me give you one more example, because he asked about it. Well, the fact is that many of the things mentioned in Deuteronomy 28 are still relevant to us today. The nation of Israel was obliged to obey the laws of their nation in order to reap Gods blessings or curses. Even though that generation knew the letter of the law, God instructed them to circumcise their hearts and write His laws there (10:16). If we are no longer under the Sinai covenant, how do we apply the blessings and curses of Deuteronomy 28 to believers today? Scholarship that is driven by such an agenda is usually to be read with a critical eye. It secured a salvation plan for the world, and whether they individually participated in it or not was another question. Because he is holy and just, as well as merciful and loving, he must punish wrong actions and attitudes. 2 All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: 3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. If we obey Gods laws, we will be blessed. Their crops will fail, their flocks and herds will dwindle, and they will be cursed with few children. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Reformed theology teaches that Deuteronomy 28, and its parallel in Leviticus 26 teach us the blessings and curses which may be expected in this life for people who will either obey or disobey. But if we disobey, we will be cursed. We are not blessed because we do this or that in the New Testament, we are blessed because Christ already took away the curse of the law and we are ONLY left with blessings. Copy. God made it very clear to the Israelites that he did not want them to get mixed up in the false religious surrounding them. If the girl could prove her virginity, her husband would have to pay a large fine (cf. [17] EZR 9:13 And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this; 14 Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? Our obedience is looking unto Jesus, and faith in his completed works. basically, it is a renewal of the covenant God made with them previously. Even if she was raised in a heathen/ pagan/ non-Christian ideology and belief system. And He is still a just God who curses those who disobey Him. 1 Then Moses and the elders of Israel charged the people, saying, "Keep all the commandments which I command you today. No. A. When we think about the Old Testament, we often think of it as a book that contains a lot of laws and regulations. Therefore, you cant justify yourself. Blessings Will Run After Us Deuteronomy 28:1-2 commentary by David Guzik, notes with L.Willows, Blue Letter Bible / David Guzik Study Guide, Songs of The Dawn, a worship poem from L.Willows (Hope in God, Heart Prayer, Faith), Praying for People of Every Tribe, Tongue and Nation, from Precept Austin (Redemption, Pray without Ceasing), Faith; Rejoicing in Grace, from Martin Lloyd Jones (Overcome, Trusting God, True Courage), Repent Unto Life, by Charles Haddon Spurgeon (Eternal Life in Christ, Divine Mercy of God, Resources). 4. The "curse of the law" is not the curses found in Deuteronomy 28 that was specifically for the nation Israel in the Mosaic Covenant. "At that time I said to you, 'I am not able to bear you by myself. Before Moses dies he gives that same law again a second time in Deuteronomy to the new generation that is now meant to take the land and live according to this law as a nation. It is not an agreement God made with anyone else. This was doubly important in biblical times because many of the pagan religions surrounding Israel made prostitution a regular part of their religious ceremonies. 23 If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry; 24 and My wrath will become hot, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.". Similarly, God has already saved us from our worst enemy - slavery to sin. 26 " When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance and have taken possession of it and live in it, 2 w you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from your land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket, and you shall x go to the place that This allows us to answer a lot of challenges that people might make regarding the old law. Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. By so doing they will become faithful sons, which wonderfully and gloriously, God promises to do in the future. They were not chosen to be saved, rather they were chosen to be used to accomplish Gods plan of salvation. No. The Mosaic Covenant is a treaty God made with the Jews, the nation of Israel. 16 Life Lessons and Commentary from The Book of Job | Job Bible Study, 14 Life Lessons from The Book of Joshua | Joshua Bible Study, 27 Life Lessons from The Book of Exodus | Exodus Bible Study, 29 Biblical Life Lessons from The Book of Genesis | Genesis Bible Study, 15 Life Lessons from The Book of 1 Samuel | 1 Samuel Bible Study, 14 Life Lessons from The Book of Numbers | Numbers Bible Study, 33 Life Lessons from The Book of Psalms | Psalms Bible Study, 5 Life Lessons from The Book of Ezra | Ezra Bible Study, 8 Life Lessons from The Book of Judges | Judges Bible Study, 15 Life Lessons from The Book of First Kings | 1 Kings Bible Study. Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? We are blessed in our relationships, our health, our work, and every area of our lives. (Stoning a murder is not necessary if you don't have stones nearby, you can hang him), A Model of Christian Charity --- by Gov. We have the commands against homosexuality in Corinthians and Romans, so it becomes clear that this is a universal and it is not just simply a provision of the Old Testament Law, while the punishment is limited to that old system and not applicable in the New Testament. It begins when you "love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, and strength" (6.5). Prayer: 10 Minutes: If there is any situation in your life that needs prayer, ask the Holy Spirit to pray through you for that situation. We are not under the Mosaic Law, but under the New Covenant. They wouldnt be able toescapethe blessings. Deuteronomy 28 listed blessings and curses for by being obedience or disobedience and says do this (obey) or do that (disobey) and God does this (bless) or that (curse) - that's the religion of the law of Moses. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice . It was made between God and Moses and Israel. For God to say to any people: I am your God and you are my people is the very reason and purpose for our existence as Gods image-bearers. 3. The Puritan Board is a forum dedicated to the discussion of Christian theology in a Confessionally Reformed context. There are blessings and curses in the Mosaic Covenant meant for Israel. Its exactly like being in a separate state. We need to trust in God and His promises, even when things are tough (v. 25-29). the covenant nation of God? There has probably been a moment or two in 40 years that maybe Id love my neighbor as myself, but most of the time, no. Well, in view of what Christ has done in the New Testament, we make at least two changes. Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers. Popular Bible Quotations For Memorization And Meditation Deuteronomy 31:8, Re: Deuteronomy 28 Is Not For Christians; Ephesians 1:3 Is Our Key To Blessings, About The High Rate Of Extramarital Sexual Affairs Today. See Other Shows. What is needed is for the covenant Lord unilaterally to act and circumcise their hearts (Deut 30:6). They had to keep the terms of the covenant. I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day Should they be guilty of such a sin, since they were so strongly and publicly cautioned against it; and even the heaven and the earth were called upon as witnesses of the law being set before them, which so expressly forbids it, ( Deuteronomy 30:19) that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto you go There is no greater privilege for humans than to know, love, obey, and serve our glorious covenant Lord. They served their purpose for the carnal, physical nation of Israel, but they have been superseded by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ Who has opened a new way to God the Father, based on personal responsibility and . Just as the punishments for laws in other states dont apply to us in California (even if we have the same law), we dont apply those punishments since we arent under that system of laws. This passage contains a list of curses that will befall the Israelites if they disobey God. So to recap, I'm bumping into a question that has a different answer depending on one's embracing of a "theonomic" worldview? 2 So it shall be on the day when you cross the Jordan to the land which the Lord your God gives you, that you shall set up for yourself large stones and coat them with lime 3 and write on them all the words of this law, when you Possibly, Moses wanted to remind the new generation that had grown up during the desert wandering that they, too, were God's chosen people. Not everyone who claims to speak and act on God's behalf is truly doing so. Faith in the finished work of the Cross of Christ is the Christian key to blessings in all aspects of life. That is my understanding of Romans 11. not by the works of the law, and then teach that the law and its curse still apply today to New Testament believers . We have a different covenant that applies to usthe new covenant with different obligations. The following commentary by David Guzik is a lead to deeper understanding. God's people are to have a much different view of sex. There is a unique kind of plan that He has in the new covenant that's expressed through Jesus and what He did on the cross. being referred to and other "gotcha" laws which might be mentioned fall into one of the first two bins and no longer apply to us today. The holiness and splendor of God The overall goal of the book of Leviticus is to show the level of holiness God exists in. 5. But Did He Also Write Chapter 34? He is to exhort the Israelites regarding God's law. Salvation in the OT (based on the Abrahamic Covenant) was always by faith, and never by works. So we are obligated to follow those moral rules, not in virtue of them being in the Mosaic law, but because they are universal for all people. One example is Deuteronomy 28, which contains a number of blessings and curses. .this right here is the good news but also the 'offence of the cross', Galatians 5v11. There are some laws which had a ceremonial or civil component, which have since passed away, but retain their moral component and still apply today . We should never take advantage of people in need. On an individual level, we can expect to be blessed with a clear conscience, a sense of Gods presence, and joy in our daily lives. Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness. Upon condition that they observe and do all his commandments (and in order to obedience there is need of observation) and that they keep the commandments of God ( v. 9) and walk in his ways. I'd like to see where he does that anyway, since the work is no commentary in the true sense whatsoever, but rather a reprinting of Calvin's sermons with prefatory material added by a theonomist. Moses Wrote The Book Of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy 21:10-14 gives a law about divorce. 13 When the sun goes down you shall surely return the pledge to him, that he . We experience His peace and joy, our relationship with Him grows deeper, and we are able to impact those around us for His kingdom. Everything from Exodus 20 through Deuteronomy. 2. As Christians, we are called to obey Gods commands. Deuteronomy 28:28 - "The LORD will make you go crazy, . When we disobey Him, we open ourselves up to His curse. Because God does not change, the blessings He gave to people in the past apply to us as much as they have ever . 15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. As a result, each of them experienced a downhill slide. Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. What does "I set before you life and death" mean in Deuteronomy 30:19? Deuteronomy 28 is a chapter in the Bible that describes the blessings and curses that will come to the people of Israel if they obey or disobey Gods commands. I know what I think but I'm waiting for the Covenant Theology "experts" to reply to this one. So, that is step one. I recognize this and know the error. The extent and power of this curse. Stubbornness is characteristic of human nature, but that doesn't mean God likes it. They hesitated and by staying outside of the land, they were not obeying God's instructions. We need to rely on His strength and not our own. For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.