They seem to be universals and are therefore in the New Testament. After all, he is speaking to the generation whose parents died in the wilderness due to their disobedience and rebellion (Deut 1-4). I cannot justify myself, Greg Koukl, based on the demands of those simple commandments. Sometimes, when God presents us with opportunities we shrink back because we have doubts. All of Gods Promises (legal treaties) which were a covenant with His people ended with a blessing. Not everyone who claims to speak and act on God's behalf is truly doing so. 3 He quotes Deut 27.26: All who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them." ( Deu 28:1-2) Overtaken by blessing. Our hearts are confident because of Gods Love, encouraged by the joy of His Loving Presence, gathered together by the enduring power of His Holy Spirit., Andif you faithfully obey the voice of the, If you diligently obey the voice of the LORD, That the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. Andif you faithfully obey the voice of theLordyour God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, theLordyour God will set youhigh above all the nations of the earth. The word 'deuteronomy means "repetition of the law" after 40 years when the people were about to enter Canaan, and Moses was reminding them of their history: although he was . For example, love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself are in both the Old and New Testaments. Just as our law does, the Mosaic Law included universal moral principles. Deuteronomy 28: 1 "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. They hesitated and by staying outside of the land, they were not obeying God's instructions. Then theres a new generation that takes the land under Joshua. For example, in his death for sins, Jesus effectively replaces the Old Testament priesthood and the Old Testament sacrifices and all of those ceremonial provisions that surrounded that process of sacrifice. It is out of this desire to please God that we do what he says. I think the 'specifics' mentioned such as v8b and v68 show us that this passage is primarily directed towards OT Israel. The imagery of having blessings run after us and overtake us with their joyful power is wonderous! The Mosaic Law contained some universal moral principles that apply today because they transcend the old law, but arent applied in the same way judicially. Deuteronomy 28:1 English Standard Version Blessings for Obedience 28 "And qif you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you rhigh above all the nations of the earth. God loves us even when we do things that go against his commands. This remind of when I was in school(primaryschool) my mum always told me if you do well at school and pass all your exams I will buy new dress and special food only for me,and those things she promised to give will entice me and I will put more effort in my study, I thought to myself the creator of heaven and earth the all knowing God, he that exists before every other thing were created promised us all these blessings, and I started thing living life without stress, depress,no sickness, etc,and said prayer asking God to give me Grace to stay under his law and commandments, my heart fill with joy and hope,..GLORY TO HE THAT NEVER FAIL. From the context of Deuteronomy 28:13, we know it is better to be the head than the tail. A. Ultimately, of course, this is what the OT prophets and the NT announces occurs in the dawning of a new covenant secured by the life, death, and resurrection of Gods own obedient Son (Rom 3:21-31; cf. When Jesus is talking about loving your neighbor he is not advancing it as a separate ethic. For instance, the first blessing is for those who obey Gods commandments. Part of it was in response to the Jews. So, that is step one. JavaScript is disabled. Refusing to obey God's instructions always brings defeat. You want to justify yourself? I find it necessary to tell you, @Goshen360, that I actually am aware that you are attacking an erroneous teaching in the Church. 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. T. he subject of which Biblical laws apply today can be confusing for many Christians.. L.Willows, Blessings on obedience, Commentary by David GuzikBlue Letter Bible / David Guzik Study Guide. We are in a different state now. The head is the leader, the one who . Gods lawsfrom both the Old Testament and New Testamentare not just arbitrary expressions of His power. 19-21. It doesnt refer to America, because the church bought by the blood of Jesus is a pilgrim people drawn from all the lands, from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. It could be that since they were getting ready to enter the land God promised to them, Moses was announcing the formation of the nation of Israel. They had to keep the terms of the covenant. 12 If he is a poor man, you shall not sleep with his pledge. By so doing they will become faithful sons, which wonderfully and gloriously, God promises to do in the future. These differences in hermeneutics lead to differences over which laws should apply today. This is because some claim a great many of the laws given to ancient Israel still apply today while others claim none of them do and that under the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-33) believers are only responsible for fulling the "law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2) or the "law of love" (Matthew 22:37-40 . Let me make a distinction between how the Israelites were chosen then and how we as Christians are chosen now because it relates to the purpose of the Law and how we apply it today. So to recap, I'm bumping into a question that has a different answer depending on one's embracing of a "theonomic" worldview? Mar 2, 2023: When we make mistakes, the enemy wants us to feel miserable.but God wants us to bounce back. The book recounts the teachings and events of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. Sometimes curiosity and the attempt to learn more about evil things can harm our spiritual growth if those evil things become too attractive to us. Indeed, at the end of the chapter, it says people in other cultures practiced these things and they were judged for them. Now he addresses their children and commands obedience in them (Deut 4). When we disobey, we can expect His curse. Confronting an enemy always causes a certain amount of fear, but with God, on our side, we can be confident of victory. Confess them over you life and let the blessings of God literally run you down and overtake you. The "curse of the law" is not the curses found in Deuteronomy 28 that was specifically for the nation Israel in the Mosaic Covenant. Watch on. All the rules, regulations, preparation and sacrifices are meant to translate for us to the most realistic form what is at stake to be as holy as God. Heb 2:5-18; 7-10). What does it mean that the secret things belong to the Lord (Deuteronomy 29:29)? He received his Ph.D. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and he is the author of numerous essays and articles and the co-author of Kingdom through Covenant (Crossway, 2012). 4. 6, God gives Moses instructions to give to Israel. Well, the fact is that many of the things mentioned in Deuteronomy 28 are still relevant to us today. Learn how to stand up to the enemy and enjoy your life! They were not chosen to be saved, rather they were chosen to be used to accomplish Gods plan of salvation. But, I would rather you not attack errors with errors, especially worse ones. If Beeke actually lists it as his #1 commentary, as you claim, I'd have to say that's a pretty poor choice, since it technically is not a commentary. It exalts Jesus Christ, crucified and raised as our only hope against sin. (Read Deuteronomy 28:15-44) If we do not keep God's commandments, we not only come short of the blessing promised, but we lay ourselves under the curse, which includes all misery, as the blessing all happiness. When we do, we can expect His blessings in our lives. 1. There were debates between them about which law was the greatest commandment, so they asked Jesus. The message inherent in The Promise of God is that when we obey His command to put Him first (to set Him high, above all other things in our lives and treasure Him as our first cause, our Creator) then the blessings in our lives will become so powerful that they will overtake us. If they did, He would protect them, and if they didnt, He would forsake them(Deuteronomy 28). The LORD your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are today as numerous. Copyright 2023, Southern Equip. Here is an analogy: There is nothing in California law that applies to somebody living in Ohio. 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 If the girl could prove her virginity, her husband would have to pay a large fine (cf. It secured a salvation plan for the world, and whether they individually participated in it or not was another question. Deuteronomy is like a preflight check-list for one of the most important adventures in biblical history. Idolatry-the worship of handmade statues or images - was everywhere in the land. This was Jesuspoint. Thank you for this brief but important rudiment of the simplicity of the gospel of Christ . A man must NOT treat his wife as a person he can disrespect or demean. No doubt, it was very easy to be lured into practices that appeared to be harmless on the surface but were deadly in the end. The Mosaic law included universal moral rules and rules that were limited to the nation who lived under that contract. It is first given in Exodus when Moses is at Mount Sinai. But Did He Also Write Chapter 34? The Lord's careful instructions to the Israelites about making and collecting loans show how concerned he is for those who are in need. John Winthrop, 1630. Second, it shows us the power of Gods curse. The book of Joshua tells how Israel settled in Canaan, the land God promised to give them. As he says when kicking off his Sermon on the Mount, he didn't come to abolish the law but to show its fullest sense. That the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth: Therefore, if Israel would obey the LORD, He wouldsetthemhigh above all nations of the earth, and the blessings would be so powerful that they wouldcome upon you and overtake you. Hes saying that this sums up the obligation of the Old Testament Law. Their crops will yield abundant harvests, their flocks and herds will increase, and they will be blessed with many children. God told Moses he was pleased when the Israelites obeyed him because they wanted to, not because they had to. 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.