Summary of the Curses
Deuteronomy 28: 58-68
The Great Covenant
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A Forsythe
Introduction:
Meredith Klien describes the summary verses here in these graphic words:
“In this closing paragraph Moses harks back
to the conditional form with which the pronouncing of the curses began, for in
the day of assembly in Moab the decision between the curses and the blessings
was still to be made by Israel. To
avoid the curses Israel must obey the stipulations of this covenant document out
of true reverence for the Lord who had revealed his glory and fearful works in
saving them from Egypt.”
In our day and time, privacy
advocates are almost at a loss for words to describe the future nightmare just
on the horizon. Recently, I went
through the checkout of a major food chain, and when asked if I had the computer
enhanced card to record my purchases in return for a deduction in price, I
simply exclaimed that I was not willing to carry the mark of the beast to save a
few pennies. There are of course
more serious breaches of privacy being discussed: a national identity card,
implanted computer chips, revealing x-ray type equipment and constant monitoring
of email, television viewing and regular tracing of phone calls.
Only a few of those items are
being called for in the name of national security, the majority of those items
are being sought by commercial interests to better target consumers.
However, within at least one social service agency and related court –
a “patient” is being criminally charged for his thoughts, which he
carelessly wrote in a diary. In some areas speeders are being billed because they were
photographed breaking a traffic law. Cameras
should be assumed in some public areas and the means to identify wanted people
from random scanning is almost feasible.
I say all of this to lead up to
the thought that this is truly nothing new, since the Lord God Creator has been
accumulating this information on each and every person since the dawn of time!
So why should we be upset? Because
of human sin, all of the types of information just discussed may be used against
a person for another’s personal profit or advantage.
Humans do not have the perspective or patience of the Lord of Creation! Neither are humans all that forgiving and understanding of
the fallen human condition. The
supreme fact that the Lord is willing to forgive and forget under certain
merciful conditions is not a favorite topic.
Sure, governors and presidents do have the constitutional right to pardon
criminals, but it is a right magnified by the rarity of its usage!
Now let us add to the absolute and total foreknowledge of the Creator
God, His consideration of not only the facts but also the reverence with which
we tend to disobey or obey His righteous decrees and ordinances.
Old
Covenant Milieu: Dr
Brown, in his commentary, affirms that my last statement about our personal
attitude towards God’s law is not a stretch.
In his summary of this chapter Dr Brown notes, “a
series of refrains are found within this extended passage which indicate why
those judgments will take place. It
will be entirely because of certain things the covenant people persistently did
not do:
They did not appreciate God’s mercies: ingratitude.
They did not honour God’s name:
irreverence.”
Disobedience, ingratitude and
irreverence cover a lot of ground, not only the breaking of the law – but also
a grumbling about it and a pig-headed attitude towards the law even when it is
obeyed. While the expectations of
the covenant are broad based, as we understand it, to apply to all the people of
the earth, it is the special kindness, mercy and grace shown to the elect which
calls forth the ultimate, passionate dispossession implied in this closing
section if the people of God will not obey in reverent gratitude.
Dr Craigie writes: “In this section, which summarizes the curse of God, the horrifying
details of the preceding verses give way to a broader picture; the effect of
this final section, however, is no less terrifying, for little by little the
speaker unfolds to his audience the manner in which every basic expression of
God’s covenant love for his people could be reversed.”
Further down the same page, he
adds this comment: “The
blessing of the covenant was long life in the promised land.
The man under the curse would not know from one minute to the next
whether his life would be spared.”
We would only have to visit Israel to realize the growing terror, which
keeps the people of Israel out of public close to their homes and jobs.
And even there – in those sanctuaries – there is no guarantee that
greater weapons of terror could not be launched from militarily stronger states.
We have the oceans to protect us
and even those are not totally adequate. In
the Middle East today, there are only chain link fences with random patrols and
guard stations to hold back the mindless homicidal bombers who sneak through the
defenses at least once a week or more. The
world in all its fallen wisdom can only discredit the Israeli Defense Forces
who, having invaded hostile geography – thereby invite those who want to die
for Allah to an earlier appointment outside the defense zone.
Having said that, I can only add
that it remains to be seen if it is realistically possible to continue holding
onto the real estate once promised to the heirs of Abraham in our day and time?
As long as the heirs of Ishmael have oil money to spend the
multi-millennial competition will go on. Now,
let us be careful in how seriously we interpret the ancient prophecies in our
day and time! But, I think it is safe to take the long view of history that
the curses summarized in these ten verses are indicative of the history of the
Jewish people since the time of Christ, as well as from Moses to the greater
Mediator as well.
New
Covenant Continuum: Dr
Brown makes an early transition to the New Covenantal expectations and
understanding. “Throughout
this long dirge there are words ad phrases which read like the anticipation of
wider humanity’s greater plight. Here
in this passage its pain and isolation is expressed in deeply somber tones, like
the mournful toll of a bell: …
Also in the New Testament
context, we understand what Dr Poythress is getting at in this comment:
“The people of God are the dwelling place
of God. The books of Moses connect
the people and the land not mainly by symbolic analogies but by showing that the
prosperity or adversity of the two go together.
Prosperity in the land is conditioned on the fundamental spiritual
prosperity of loyalty to God.”
And yet, as the Old Covenant
records, continued multi-generational loyalty is not a logical, probably
prospect. The American experience,
as well as that of every tribe and nation in the history of the world certainly
testify to the fact that fallen human creatures cannot long sustain any form of
godliness: artificial or real! “All
we like sheep have gone astray,” Isaiah, writes centuries before
the Apostles agree and expound upon that theme.
Even in later years, the rich
young ruler presumed that it was possible to keep the law and thereby please the
Lord of all the earth. But, he like
the majority of the ethnic descendants of Abraham refuses the simple invitation
of the Master: “Come
and follow Me.”
In that offer is eternal life, if
we could or would know Him who makes that offer.
And if we are careful in our study of the scriptures – that essential
knowledge is easily obtained through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Contemporary
Application: The great
tragedy of Judaism since the time of Christ is this:
yes, they love the law of the Lord, but they love it too much, because
they do not see to whom it points! Paul
certainly understands the purpose of the law and his Jewish heritage.
And that purpose was and still is to deliver him to Christ.
Earlier this week, I ran into a
young man who came to love the Reformed doctrines when I ministered to him
fifteen or more years ago. He was
convinced that the Reformed world-view was adequate for every aspect of life and
faith. Yet, when I asked him what
church he was attending – he had to admit that he hadn’t found one to his
liking and was thus absent without leave these many years.
What earthly good did any of my sermons or literature do him years ago?
To this point – nothing at all because the confessional instrument
designed to point him to Christ has failed in its application.
Again, earlier this week, I sat
with over four hundred PCA pastors and elders listening to the challenge of a
vision that would take the love of Christ to the American people. All of the essential elements were there, correct doctrine,
piety and social responsibility. Of
course, I will admit that none of us do all three things equally well in any
age. However, I am reluctant to
only trust the better instincts of our fellow redeemed saints, and thereby
accomplish the work of Christ by giving up any semblance of law-abiding
regulated behavior. As we have seen
in evangelical America – once any concept of covenantal responsibilities is
forgotten, license to do anything and everything in the Name of Christ is all
too easily rationalized.
There is a tension here in the
Christian life that while we are regularly forced to account for the lawful
obligations before us, nevertheless that accounting causes us to bow before the
greater wisdom, purpose and providence of our Creator God. Even under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, there are legal
niceties that cannot be ignored just because we love Him. I am very afraid that if our denomination follows through on
this “vision-thing” that the attitudinal aspects of the saints towards
man-made goals will begin to substitute for the clearer providential wisdom of
the timeless scriptures and the subsidiary confessions which we rightfully hold
dear.
At the same time, I would not
want us to miss opportunities to witness and work for the Lord because we are
resting in any false Zion of our peculiar doctrinal comfort zone.
I will predict that like all the sinful saints who have come before –
we will continue to argue about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin
or how much money must be spent or not to work the witness of the kingdom.
And if those arguments are not sufficient – believe me – there are
many, many others as well. When the
communists took over in Russia at the end of the Great War, the religious
experts were debating the appropriate color and richness of the robes that the
priests should wear to serve in the Russian Orthodox Churches!
“If
you do not carefully observe all the words of this law that are written in this
book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, THE LORD YOUR GOD, then
…”
Look at this introductory verse
to this portion of the Great Covenant carefully.
“Fear God and keep His commandments”
is the shorter homily of Solomon on all that we have considered today.
God’s is the perfect knowledge, Christ’s is the perfect obedience and
to make a long covenantal story short – all we are called to do is obey the
Lord in reverence and with appropriate gratitude.
The whole of the Law is in coming to Christ and to gladly, joyfully thank
Him with gratitude, gifts and a life lived to please Him, as we are able.
May the Spirit make our service acceptable and use us to draw others to
Christ our Lord. Amen.
Resources Used:
Brown, Raymond.
The Bible Speaks Today: The Message of Deuteronomy.
Craigie, Peter C.
New International Commentary:
Book of Deuteronomy.
Klien, Meredith.
Treaty of the Great King.
Poythress,
Vern S.
The Shadow of Christ in the Law of Moses.
The Geneva Study Bible: The Holy Bible: New King James Version.
Copyright
(C) 2002
Christ Covenant Reformed (Presbyterian Church in America)
14 April 2002 Box 13926 - Columbus, Ohio 43213-8049
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