I find it necessary to tell you, @Goshen360, that I actually am aware that you are attacking an erroneous teaching in the Church. God forgave Moses because of his trust in God, but Moses missed one of the greatest goals of his life - living in the land God had promised the Israelites. We need to look at the passages in question and ask: Does this seem to express a moral obligation that transcends the Mosaic Law? Who was Deuteronomy chapter 28 speaking to? - Answers Deuteronomy 28 | Online Bible | New World Translation 2 Samuel 24:24) to her father and remain married to the girl. But if we disobey, we will be cursed. The first curse, on the other hand, is for those who disobey Gods commandments. Moses did not get to enter Canaan because he had disobeyed God. The blessings include material abundance, victory in battle, and protection from enemies. In our own lives, we are subject to the same reveal of God. See How To Advertise. The LORD had Moses instruct the Israelites that every man must attend the three special, religious festivals every year. Abraham was saved by faith, not by works and he is the prime example of how everyone has always been saved. Read through all of the awesome blessings listed in Deuteronomy 28. Deuteronomy 8 - A Warning Against Pride A. God's work of building humility in Israel during the wilderness wanderings. 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. This passage contains a list of curses that will befall the Israelites if they disobey God. We are dedicated to our historic Creeds and Confessions because we believe they are faithful to the Scriptures. 15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. And the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering. And here is the promise. He was not pleased when the Israelites insisted on returning to their sinful practices. I think the 'specifics' mentioned such as v8b and v68 show us that this passage is primarily directed towards OT Israel. Required fields are marked *. Pilots gladly endure all of these precautions in order to fly and land safely at their destinations. It was made between God and Moses and Israel. We should constantly ask, "What is God saying to me through this? Rather, if Christians repent, turn from their wicked ways, humble themselves, and pray to God, he will do a mighty work in and through the church however he please. Other things, like homosexuality are forbidden in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament. The verse reads: "'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope," ( Jeremiah 29:11 ). We are citizens of a new nation, a heavenly kingdom. In truth, it is a Gospel book which describes beautifully the covenant relationship between Yahweh and his people, the deep and abiding problem of the human heart, and the only remedy for uncircumcised hearts, namely, Gods sovereign and gracious action to redeem by the provision of a greater and better Israel, the true obedient Son and servant King. Fine, try these two on for size. 2. What is needed is for the covenant Lord unilaterally to act and circumcise their hearts (Deut 30:6). He wants us to turn back to him. How can you show God you love him? Are The Blessings and Curses in Deuteronomy 28 for Today? 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. The coming of Jesus, the Messiah, into the world and his atoning work on the cross and his resurrection and his reign in heaven and his authoritative teaching like in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 57 all of that together alter the way some of the promises and the teachings of the Old Testament are to be inherited and applied. He will bless those who obey Him and curse those who disobey Him. Enduring Word Bible Commentary Deuteronomy Chapter 8 3. It begins when you "love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, and strength" (6.5). What does it mean that you are the head and not the tail in Deuteronomy Does Deut 28 apply to us? | Page 2 | The Puritan Board Moses . 4:3-5, ". 11 You shall remain outside, and the man to whom you make the loan shall bring the pledge out to you. When we disobey God, he will forgive us if we turn away from our sin and turn back to him. But if we disobey, we will be cursed. 12 If he is a poor man, you shall not sleep with his pledge. Help us continue to equip Christians with knowledge, wisdom, and character. how does deuteronomy 28 apply to us today. Our obedience is looking unto Jesus, and faith in his completed works. When Jesus is talking about loving your neighbor he is not advancing it as a separate ethic. Seeing Jesus in Deuteronomy takes practice, but he is everywhere. The New Testament says that the Old Testament law was intended "to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith" (Galatians 3:24). 14-16 of Institutes published before Calvin preached on Deuteronomy and it remains present in his Commentary on the Four Last Books of Moses, written and published after Calvin preached on Deuteronomy. The Book of Deuteronomy - Life, Hope & Truth It is out of this desire to please God that we do what he says. We still must live with the consequences of that sin, though. Deuteronomy 28:20 says, The LORD will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you put your hand to do, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin. This means that if we live a life that is not pleasing to God, He will curse us with problems and confusion. We are not under the Mosaic Law, but under the New Covenant. (1-2) God humbled and tested Israel. What does it mean that you are the head and not the tail in Deuteronomy 28:13? Deuteronomy 28:1-14 - Bible Gateway They were Gods instruments to accomplish a plan of rescue for the world: God becoming man as a member of the Jewish race and dying on the cross for mans crimes against God. We need to trust in God and His promises, even when things are tough (v. 25-29). First and foremost, we need to realize that the Old Testament is still relevant to us today. There is a plan that we can use for our lives. The book recounts the teachings and events of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. This book is named after the main character of its second part. A. 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. 10. The New Covenant is based on grace, not obedience. It secured a salvation plan for the world, and whether they individually participated in it or not was another question. Deuteronomy 28:28 - "The LORD will make you go crazy, . God changes a lot of different things. We need to obey Gods laws and statutes, so that we can experience His righteousness and peace (v. 30-32). If the girl could prove her virginity, her husband would have to pay a large fine (cf. This is His way of bringing us back to Himself and showing us that we need Him. Jesus is emphasizing the complete impossibility of self-justification, which is the fundamental difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. Jesus: The Key to Living in the Blessings of Deut. 28 Their crops will yield abundant harvests, their flocks and herds will increase, and they will be blessed with many children. Defeating Giants - Part 4. Then theres a new generation that takes the land under Joshua. 28 is specifically about the covenant relationship between God and Israel. Posted Nov 28, 2016 by Michael L. Brown. We are blessed in our relationships, our health, our work, and every area of our lives. The Law in Deuteronomy: How Does the Law Apply to Christians Today Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever because He is God. If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14). For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. I cannot justify myself, Greg Koukl, based on the demands of those simple commandments. We need to be humble before God and remember His goodness to us (v. 33-36). the name Deuteronomy means '2nd law' and is practical in application and is actually a review of the law before the Israelites enter 'the promised land'. Exegesis (including that done by older Reformed writers) that does not first take fully into account the historical situation between God and Israel before jumping directly to the application of theological paradigms shouldn't be seen as exemplary. Here are some key points from the passage that we can apply to our lives: 1. ii. Deu 25:1-4. Our respectful behavior sets a good example for others. and the threatenings of it [the law] serve to show what even their sins deserve; and what afflictions, in this life, they may expect for them, although freed from the curse thereof threatened in the law. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. Now, I think that means that in union with Christ, the Messiah, Christians become the heirs of all the promises in the Old Testament. 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. He expects His people to obey Him, and He will bless them when they do. Young people should be informed of the consequences that are sure to follow when God's instructions are ignored. [17] The promises of it, in like manner, show them God's approbation of obedience,and what blessings they may expect upon the performance thereof:[18]. What are the results of disobedience to the laws (commands in the old and new testament) of God? He, however, has never broken a promise to his people. It is not a curse causeless, or for some light cause. I know what I think but I'm waiting for the Covenant Theology "experts" to reply to this one. God loves us even when we do things that go against his commands. In the New Testament, God doesn't bless us because of what we do but because of our faith in Christ and His finished works. The idea behind thechoiceis that God was determined to reveal Himself to the world through Israel. How can we discern if warnings or promises directed towards Israel are applicable to other nations, the body of Christ in the global church, or even to ourselves as individuals? Copyright 2023, Southern Equip. Deuteronomy 28:9-10 promises the people that "the Lord shall establish thee an holy people unto himself and all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord." . The LORD wants us to obey him because we love him. Does Deuteronomy 22:5 mean that women should wear dresses? - NeverThirsty (1-2) Overtaken by blessing. All rights reserved. We can trust Him to lead us and provide for us, and we can be confident that He has our best interests at heart. We experience His peace and joy, our relationship with Him grows deeper, and we are able to impact those around us for His kingdom. 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. Does the Covenant of Works Have 2 Aspects to it. It is important for us to understand that God's love for us never ends. We dont have the punishments proscribed in the law because that was for their judicial system in that nation. A direction to the judges in scourging malefactors, v. 1-3. 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 Some argue that all laws related to sexual conduct carry over to the New Testament, but Leviticus also prohibits sex during a woman's menstrual period (Leviticus 18:19), which most Christians do not regard as sinful. Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness. He is still a good God who blesses those who obey Him. In the ancient Near East it was customary for legal treaties to conclude with passages containing blessings upon those who observed the enactments, and curses upon those who did not. (Harrrison). 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. These things are wrong in any culture. / Popular Bible Quotations For Memorization And Meditation Deuteronomy 31:8 (2) (3) (4), (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (19) (Reply) (Go Down), (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (19) (Reply), About The High Rate Of Extramarital Sexual Affairs Today / What Does The Bible Say About Tattoos / Body Piercings? Applying this principle to Deuteronomy 24:1-4, if husband and wife divorced because the wife is or became an unbeliever and departed from the marriage (which might be indicated, in principle, by the fact that the husband found "some uncleanness in her"), then the husband is free to remarry (The same would apply, of course, to a wife, that . Does he hate some people and love others? They had to keep the terms of the covenant. Do Only Old Testament Laws Repeated in the New Testament Apply Today However, there are some things stated in there that go beyond the law and are above the temporal role of the Mosaic Law. And in such an area, the curses of Deuteronomy 28 are brought to bear upon us. If we are no longer under the Sinai covenant, how do we apply the blessings and curses of Deuteronomy 28 to believers today? The rest of the bible of course shows us that the principles, blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience still apply, but as a matter of bible interpretation I don't see how this particular passage has direct application outside of Israel in the land. God's laws and commands are practical - he knows what can cause us to start trusting ourselves instead of him. How men and women dress will change over time; otherwise, we would be wearing long outer garments without undergarments today. When we disobey, we can expect His curse. Second, Moses in Deuteronomy does not pull any punches regarding the deep problem of the human heart. Having the proper attitude helps keep us from becoming greedy and selfish. If we do these things, we will be blessed. "Romans 7 talks about the Jesus of the law and Christ of the New Testament, the resurrected one", This is the Christ that represented the law in his, Another One, not the One that died in his BODY being representative of the law, The One who is not after the body of the One that died to the law in his body, this is, the resurrected One and not the same as the one represented in the law because that One is already DEAD, Deuteronomy 28 Is Not For Christians; Ephesians 1:3 Is Our Key To Blessings, Scriptures Expounded: About Wet Dreams And Human Wastes - Deuteronomy 23:10-14. Anything we read from the Bible falls under 1 of these dispensations and it should not be carried or used in another dispensation practically. Is it an over-simplification to say that the passages are directed toward a specific covenant God made with (ethnic) Israel but the principles contained therein have application to us today? Similarly, God has already saved us from our worst enemy - slavery to sin. 1. God took them out of the land, He rescued them, and they were obligated to Him as their Sovereign. 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 Deuteronomy 27 | Bible.org Deuteronomy 28:15-68 is a powerful passage that contains a lot of practical applications for our lives today. Its exactly like being in a separate state.