FOURTH QUARTER 2021 SABBATH SCHOOL INSIGHT #8 NOVEMBER 20, 2021 “CHOOSE LIFE”
Israel, redeemed from Egyptian bondage, reminded of God’s covenant to Abraham, proved over and over their unfaithfulness time and time again. From the day they left the land of Egypt (Deuteronomy 9:7), to Horeb , Taberah, Massah, Kibroth Hattaavah and ultimately at Kadesh Barnea (Deuteronomy 9:22) Israel repeatedly failed to let God fulfill His covenant with them. And now after a generation had been lost in the wilderness on the very boarder of crossing over into the promised land God, through Moses, is reminding them of their history and their repetitive unfaithfulness.
Here in Deuteronomy 30, God even warns of future unfaithfulness and resulting exile if they do not yield their hearts to the blessings rather than continually choosing the curse. Blessing or curse, life or death were the choices always before them. It was no more complicated than that for Israel and it is no more complicated for us today.
Despite the pattern of unfaithfulness of His people, notice all the things the Lord wants to do. 1) “Bring you back from captivity and have compassion on you” (vs 30:3); 2) “from the farthest parts under heaven the Lord your God will gather you” (vs 30:4); 3) “He will prosper you and multiply you” (vs 30:5); 4) “the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live” (vs 30:6); 5) “The LORD your God will make you abound in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your land for good” (vs 30:9); 6) “the LORD will again rejoice over you for good” (vs 30:9).
And all the Lord has asked all along and even now is that His people would (sama) hear/listen to the voice of the Lord and (samar) keep/guard/preserve/protect His commandments and statutes and turn to the Lord with all their hearts and all their souls. The problem for them is simply this. As long as they saw the commandments as simply instruction and things they must do they would never be able to truly do them. And we, in like manner, will continue our past unfaithfulness now and in the future for the same reason. It will only be different for them and us when we recognize and receive what comes next.
The Lord goes on to tell them the most beautiful news of all. This instruction that the Lord has given, the answer to all the curses and the things that will unlock all the blessings was not too mysterious, not too complex, and not out of reach. “For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off” (vs 11). The reality of this commandment of the Lord was so near that they should have been able to taste it and experience it to its fullest. “But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.” (vs 14). That which God was commanding them to do was already right within their grasp making available all they needed to actually accomplish it. Faithfulness was theirs if they would have it. And that faithfulness was Christ.
Paul tells us that Christ is the end of this repetitive cycle of trying and failing as manifest in Israel’s history as well as our own. But instead, true righteousness comes to us only by Christ through faith. “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” Romans 10:4.
We also know from Paul that the Word and Commandment spoken of here in Deuteronomy 30 is Christ:
“For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, "The man who does those things shall live by them." But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down from above) or, "'Who will descend into the abyss?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).” Romans 10:5-7
Waggoner put it like this:
Christ, and not Moses, was the real leader of the children of Israel in the wilderness. He was bringing them out of the bondage of Egypt, not physical namely, but spiritual (bondage). He was leading them not to a merely temporal inheritance, but to an eternal inheritance of righteousness. The keeping of the commandments of God was the sole condition of their everlasting inheritance. But they had no power to do that.
Nevertheless, they were not to despair, and say, “Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it [that is, the commandment] unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?” Neither were they to say, “Who shall go over the sea for me, and bring it [the commandments] unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?” And why? The answer was thus given: “But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.” In our comparison of this text with the tenth chapter of Romans,…we found that the commandment here refers to none other than Christ. That is, they could find the commandment only by finding Christ, and He was near at hand. Outside of Christ there is no righteousness, no keeping of the commandments. EJ Waggoner; PTUK October 6, 1892, p. 306 (supplied)
And it is with this preamble and understanding that we are to read God’s final appeal:
“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore, choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.” Deuteronomy 30:15-20
The gospel appeal God was making to Israel on the border of the promised land, teaching them that their repetitive past and future failures were inevitable until they realized and yield to the ever-abiding Christ is the same appeal He has for us as we stand on the verge of our Jordan crossing. We can see Jesus echoing this same appeal to us in these words:
“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore, be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Revelation 3:19-22
Even so come Lord Jesus, come into my heart that life and blessing may abound.
