Introduction

Historical Prologue 3: War, Peace & Eternity

Deuteronomy 3: 1-29

The Great Covenant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Max A Forsythe

Introduction: One of the great frustrations of life – is in not comprehending what we might call the big picture. “Nacher ist jeder klug”, the German proverb wisely observes. “Afterwards, everyone is smart,” as we would say it. Thus, if we are fortunate, we are wiser and more knowledgeable of what has transpired after all is said and done. Going to court, wouldn’t it be nice to know how it will play out? Going to war, will you be around to know who won and how your unit contributed to the outcome? A big game coming up, will it be worth watching or playing? An end of quarter test, have you studied enough – should you spend more time in preparation? Life is short we all know, how will the grandchildren turn out – what will the family be like in another hundred years – we may wonder – even as we realize that some things have to be left to the Almighty to providentially work out according to His own sovereign and precious will.

War & Peace was Tolstoy’s magnificent contribution to literature as he followed several families throughout the Napoleonic Era. Of course, he wrote when all was said and done, so he was able to arrange his characters according to his literary purpose. Now, let us be certain that what Moses is writing is not a fictional book, but recorded history up to a particular point – and that point to which he is writing is when he must by divine appointment leave the story and go on to spend eternity with his Father God who had watched over and guided his whole life and purpose. This theme is why I chose the hymn based on Moses’ Psalm ninety: “Our God, our Help in ages past, our hope for years to come.” You see there is not only war and peace in this third chapter of Deuteronomy, but also eternity as well. Moses, the man who saw and talked to God face to face, is drawing near to the end of his manhood, his purpose and his calling. In fact the entire purpose of the documentary focus of the book of Deuteronomy is the preparation for another to take his place in the leadership of God’s people.

We will see that at the end of this chapter, like so many pastors and leaders in the history of church and world, we are all reluctant to lay our tools down and to let someone else take up the job that we have started. In my short career – I have noted more than one pastor who failed at the end of his career to pass along his mantle like Elijah did to Elisha at God’s appointed time. In fact, there are several churches where all manner of frustration and conflict came because God’s men, like Moses were not quite ready to step aside when they should have been. Well, you may say – Elijah was a special case and it was obvious that the chariot of fire was there to take him immediately to heaven. Yet, we must all know deep in our hearts when it is time to lay down our calling and let the next generation take up the challenge of living daily before our Lord and King.

So let us work through the issues of war and peace and eternity in this short chapter before us, in order that we may learn the lessons of life even as Moses learned them in the course of his career.

Old Covenant Milieu: We begin where we left off last week, the war against the Amorites continues into Bashan. Og, the king is identified as one of the last of the giants in the earth in this region. His sarcophagus was a huge structure (thirteen by six feet) and evidentially trimmed in iron at least. Even if we allow foot thick stonewalls and six inches of clearance for the body at each end – Og was a huge man of war in his day. At the time of this writing, Moses tells the people that the all too human Og was now only a memory gone; they can even see his grave! He and all his people, towns, fortresses and villages have been destroyed so that the new tribal owners of Israel may take possession of the land and build their own future.

Now, Moses carefully points out the geographic references in more than one cultural reference. This is not strange at all; even today when we read the history of the American Civil/War Between the States, we realize that there were not only Union names, but also Confederate names for the battles where brother fought brother.

Dr Craigie observes that while the conquest of Bashan takes the people a little out of the way into the northern reaches of the Trans-jordan, this was of a military necessity to protect the right flank of the host of Israel when the mounted their attack into Palestine. “G.A. Smith notes that Pompey attempted the same tactic and that, at a later date, the first Muslim invaders used a similar tactic successfully.”

Moses celebrates the continued faithfulness of the Lord in going before the people so that their warfare would succeed according to His purpose. While these verses seem repetitious to our mind, Dr Craigie observes: “the summary and repetitive statements have to be seen in the context of the address of Moses, where the emphasis and repetition serve to hammer home to the listeners the truth of God’s faithfulness.”

Then Moses goes on in verses twelve to twenty-two describe the peaceful allocation of the conquered land, a possession that will now give the armies of the Lord a solid logistical base for the next movement into the promised land proper. On a map, the Trans-jordan is a large area and as we see the tribal dispositions there would appear to be a minimal consideration of the ability of the land to support a population. Here in Ohio you need an acre of land to support a cow for a year, but further into the west you need ten times as much to support a cow in Iowa. There is also a profound population difference between the two states, twelve versus two million souls – if I may use round estimated numbers.

Once the land is allocated, the militia of the tribe and a half must fall out and follow the rest of the tribal armies to assist in the conquest of Canaan. Their families and cattle may remain at rest in the land while all the rest follow after the armies.

Moses’ commentary here moves on, in verses twenty-one and two, to his encouragement of Joshua: “Your eyes have seen all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings; so will the Lord do to all the kingdoms through which you pass. You must not fear them, for the Lord your God Himself fights for you.”

God is faithful to every generation that serves Him and even leaders need to be encouraged in their calling so that they do not come to rest upon their own laurels – but depend generation by generation on the providential leading and provision of the Creator God. If I may be so bold, one of the greatest problems facing America today is the immense wealth that has been handed down from generation to generation in this country. The economic freedom that we have enjoyed for two hundred years has allowed even common men to amass what would be considered fortunes in many other places and times. Some of the ranching families out west own and control range as great as all of Ammon or Bashan. The Prince of Liechtenstein owns a ranch in the American west, which is bigger than his whole country in the mountains of Europe.

Thus, the possessors of our fair land have graciously received the benefits of the labor from two hundred years or more. So many of my students over the years have never known what the word “no” meant, economically or otherwise. The people of God had been taken care of in the desert, they had been fed, their clothes wore well and by some serious fighting – even under the banner of the Lord, the reward of the Promised Land was becoming a reality. Unlike the present younger generations – the young Israelites were going to have to fight hard to attain their promised land.

When I was a young parent, I’m not certain how many federal and state regulations I ignored to teach my sons the value of hard work. Since it has been more than seven years, and the statues of limitation should be in effect, I will mention that my sons learned to work at the age of eight years old. No not forty or sixty hours, but enough to earn some money for spending, but more importantly to save for the future. So in spite of the public educational system my sons became adults at a younger age than most – because I chose to follow the biblical precepts rather than the humanistic imaginations of our day and age. The challenge of economic conquests in our time of socialist confiscation of wealth is indeed a real challenge, but wealth can be still be created by imagination and hard work.

And while we will see in the context of our last section today – that certain precepts, principles and even material wealth can be passed on to the next generation, by far and large the most important are the less tangible. Attitudes, habits and faith in the God of promise are those supposedly less real assets of which our American generations are now approaching full bankruptcy.

We see in our last section the full humanity of Moses, the greatest prophet of all Israel until the time of Christ! Where else in the world’s literature do the leading figures mention their shortcoming before the Lord? Yes, the worldly still dote on every Clintonian escapade and adulate the man after the world’s own heart. However, there is a distinct difference in the biblical reports. Moses tells us the nature of his sin at the end of his days.

Look carefully at verses twenty-three to twenty-six: “I pleaded with the Lord ... let me cross over and see the good land beyond the Jordan.” The Lord’s answer was swift and pointed. “Enough of that! Speak no more to Me of this matter.” How many people do you suppose ask the Lord for something inappropriate? Well, I don’t have any statistics to share, but we can guess that it is probably fairly widespread. Here was the man of God, who had risked life and limb, who had given up a royal position in the leading power of his age, a man who more than any other in the Old Covenant had served the Lord faithfully and yet, his humble request is denied and he is warned not to mention it again!

Of course, we know that Moses was only a fallen man even as we all are. Yet – in an age when far too many imagine that they deserve some great reward just for acknowledging the holiness of our Almighty God, it is hard for many to understand why Moses could not claim what he had named. Quite simply, it wasn’t in the providential plan of the Creator God. It was God’s time to raise up a new leader for the people in place of Moses so that the long story of His love and mercy might proceed. Then in verse twenty-six Moses is instructed to command and encourage the heir apparent, Joshua so that he may go on to serve the Lord as the Lord intended.

New Covenant Continuum: Now you are probably wondering where in the New Covenant I can carry this theme. Well, it is not so difficult, turn with me to the Gospel of John 21: 20-25. The key verse for discussion is the twenty-second: “Jesus said to [Peter], ‘If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.’”

We see here that each and everyone who belongs to the Lord has a separate calling and purpose. John, among the Apostles, was one of the few to live to a ripe old age. Tradition has stories concerning him even into his nineties. He died a peaceful death instead of the martyrdom of Peter and Paul. Just as David was raised up to succeed Saul, Elisha for Elijah, and Joshua for Moses – the Lord in His sovereign ordering of all things has one time for us and a time for another. Like Moses’ responsibility to prepare Joshua, so to is it all our responsibility to prepare first our children but also the children of others to carry on in the faith. “Time like an ever flowing stream bears all its sons away,” goes the old hymn. Thus, we should learn from the example of Moses here and do the job for which we are called and then yield that calling when the Lord raises up another to carry on.

You know, over the years I have noticed that the Lord runs His ministry somewhat like the Army handles their commissioned officers. Some pastors and elders are career professionals whom the Lord gives opportunity for continued regular service. Others are more like the reservists or national guards whom He calls up for a specific limited purpose. Sometimes it is hard for those limited service people to return to their first calling and tragically some refuse demobilization and demand a continued portion of the promised calling to serve our God and King.

Very often some leaders within Christ’s church stand in the way of the Lord’s providential progress; either by refusing to raise up any new leaders or by standing in the way of people more qualified in the eyes of the Lord than themselves! So let us take to heart the situation that Moses faces here and avoid as well the busybody tendencies of Peter as well.

Contemporary Application: Another lesson that we may relate from the New Covenant is also from John, this time in the book of Revelation: where we read of the seven seals, the seven trumpets, the seven bowls and the final coming in glory of our Lord and King Jesus. War and Peace and Eternity we have seen in our Old Covenant passage today as well. They are experiences all too common throughout recorded time. While there are still wars and rumors of war today – the Kingdom of our Christ is more spiritual in nature as the book of Revelation demonstrates.

Oh how easily the people of Reformation took up swords to advance the cause of the Kingdom of the Spirit. Who has not read of the great sufferings, the persecution and ongoing conflict and not thought that there will be no glorious periods in history like that again in our day? Well, the culture war that Christians have been ignoring for a generation or more is headed towards some serious confrontations. While we hope and pray that the situation will not get violent – we may have to use some of our precious resources to defend ourselves in court. And to that end we must follow the principles of this Great Covenant when we are required to wage defensive spiritual warfare.

R J Rushdoony observes that “the normal purpose of warfare is defensive; hence, Israel was forbidden the use of more than a limited number of horses, since horses were the offensive weapon of ancient warfare ... still another general principle appears: ... war is to be waged in a just cause only.”

While the cultural war so far has been aimed at overthrowing the foundations of Western Civilization, you can rest assured that once the legal system has been completely perverted – then the servants of Satan will be coming for the church and those who still remain salt and light.

In spite of any and all worldly opposition we must live before the face of God day by day. And the Old Covenant treaty between God and His people still has application in our time. But to unlock it’s meaning there are several things that we must understand. Vern Poythress lists five principles for interpreting the Old Covenant.

1. “Every word of the Old Testament is the word of God Himself, ... thus all of the Old Testament is Christ’s word to us, as well as God the Father’s word to us.

2. The Old Testament teaches us about Christ ... He is the One to whom it points forward, about whom it speaks, and whom it prefigures in symbols.

3. Christ not only instructs us but establishes communion with us through His word ... and He talks to us very personally through the Bible, including the Old Testament.

4. Christ changes and transforms us through His word. As we meet with Christ and experience His glory, we are transformed into His image.

5. As our hearts are changed we begin to respond to Christ in adoration, thankfulness, and obedience.

Thus, when we read the Old Testament we should pray that Christ will both enlighten us and transform us. Because the Old Testament as the New is Christ’s word, we should believe what God teaches there, obey what He commands, and give thanks for the blessings and communion that He gives. Above all, we should endeavor to search out how the Old Testament speaks of Christ.”

To that end we are committed in this study of the Great Covenant. May we learn to love the law of God, which shows us the Lord Himself and then go on to obey and apply that same law. Amen.

Resources Used:

· Craigie, Peter C. New International Commentary: Book of Deuteronomy.

· Kline, Meredith G. Treaty of the Great King.

· Poythress, Vern S. The Shadow of Christ in the Law of Moses.

· Rushdoony, Rousas J. The Institutes of Biblical Law.

· Thompson, J.A. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries: Deuteronomy.

· The Geneva Study Bible: The Holy Bible: New King James Version.

08 July 2001 Box 13926 - Columbus, Ohio 43213-8049

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