Life & Death
Deuteronomy 32: 45-52
The Great Covenant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Max A Forsythe
Introduction: Of all the nations mentioned in the records of antiquity, only little Israel remains as a viable state some three and a half millennia later. Well should the world inquire into the power of the covenantal God who not only established His people, but kept them as a witness and for service down through the long historic process wherein and whereby He revealed the object of His covenantal kindness and provision in the person of Jesus Christ.
One of the early lessons of geography that I learned from looking at maps is the all too obvious design of the Almighty to place His people in the geographical center of the world. Only for a short while did that center shift to Greenwich wherefrom we measure the time zones and from whence Britannia once ruled the waves. Today, all aspects of international order and disorder are focused again upon the central landscape of the Middle East. The former edenic splendor lies buried beneath the sands of the region, and in that fact is not only the central economy of the world’s energy but also the focus of untold wealth and related power. Ironically, a tribal family of Arabs would wield undo power and influence only because the House of Saud just happened to rule the sand castles which once dominated the Arabian landscape. And only in the decline of the Western powers of Europe have these former Camel Jocks come to own a significant share of the power and wealth distributed unevenly around the globe. And yet, the world still little realizes the importance of the likely spiritual differences between the descendants of Ishmael and Isaac. Both patriarchal families are represented by the achievements of their best known sons: Moses and Mohammed. Their world views and the impact of their systems of thought represent at an elemental level: life and death; a Covenant of promise in regard to Moses or a so called holy war (to the death) in regard to the followers of Mohammed who have an all to unhealthy interest in the sword of Allah.
Old Covenant Milieu: We would do well to consider the essential differences between the Great Covenant instituted by Moses and the sword of Allah wielded by Mohammed. A lot of the difference between the two world views is the concept advocated by Moses that the Law is King and every man woman and child must lay their lives before the greater God of the Covenant and be instructed by Him. By contrast, all that the followers of Mohammed have to offer is half a life in subjection to the sword of Allah, wherein the kingship of Allah is law indeed.
How little do we appreciate that essential difference. No where in the records of Islam will we read such an invitation given here by Moses: “Set your hearts on all the words which I testify among you today, which you shall command your children to be careful to observe – all the words of this law.” I don’t see the word “compelled” anywhere in the vocabulary of that text! I also don’t read that the Ode to the Covenant was sung over and over again until everyone came forward to give their assent!
One thing that I have never read from the biblical scholars about the time of the Judges – is any hint that there was a heavy hand of administration related to the enforcement of the law. The God of heaven and earth is and was content to allow reasonable people to see the beauty, the betterment and the prosperity of the divine economy that flows from a voluntary commitment to appreciate and obey the laws of God. True, the application of these laws were in the hands of a multitude of judges who practiced in every village gate. But, in a certain sense – there was always a means of appeal to a higher court of review. And just knowing that your decisions may be reviewed tends to make judges careful. Certainly, I have no doubt that there are some honest and capable judges within the Muslim world, however the very nature of their system is as different as that between English Common Law and Le Code Napoleon.
The achievements of Moses have stood the test of time, and wherever godly men have measured their laws against the revealed order of the Great Covenant, peace and prosperity have generally followed for a time. In this regard, Dr Craigie describes the import and impact of the scene before us: “It is not merely a vain word – that is, the words of this law were not merely human words, Moses’ words, or even written words, but they were words spoken by God with the specific intention of imparting life. The law did not bind men in a straitjacket of legalism, but pointed toward that life which God purposed for them. In the law lay the secret of Israel’s longevity and prosperity in the promised land which they were soon to possess.”
One popular aspect of proverbial wisdom has it that while the measure of a man’s life is one thing, the measure of his death is another. And in our short passage today – we read how the greatest prophet of Israel obeyed and honor the Triune God at the end of his days. We understand from this passage and later verses that God intended that there would be no known tomb for Moses. There would be no treks to visit his grave. No mounted guard like that in the Kremlin square before the tomb of Lenin. Rumor has it that the embalmed body in that tomb has had to be replaced several times in the last century just to maintain the façade. And ironically, in our day and age – the younger generation, when asked who is buried in Lenin’s tomb unabashedly answer “John Lennon, of course”! As the British might say: “How droll!”
However, in Moses case – we still have and study the Great Covenant which he revealed from the heart and by the Spirit of the greater Triune God of heaven and earth. And so the prophetic man – who more than any other in antiquity deserved to be heard and obeyed issues an invitation: “Set your hearts on all the words which I testify among you today, which you shall command your children to be careful to observe – all the words of this law.” Then in one of the greatest understatements of human observation, he continues: “For it is not a futile thing for you, because it is your life, and by this word you shall prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to possess.”
Herein, we understand is “life” and health, wisdom, truth, prosperity and salvation! A lot of this we learn in the continuing story of the Covenant people whose salvation is not in their faithful keeping of the law, but in the solemn covenant of the Almighty to keep them as the apple of His eye. There are more than enough hints throughout the Old Covenant to keep us wondering what the butler is going to do in the final chapter! And the worldly term butler is not an inappropriate descriptive word for the earthly manifestation and representative of the Creator Master of the planet and universe beyond, who came in the providence of time in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. But, I digress – let us return to the point before us in regarding how Moses died in obedience to the law and commands of the Almighty God. We know from earlier passages that Moses did dispute God’s decision that because of sin, he could not enter the Promised Land. At one point we even read that God specifically ordered him to stop badgering Him about the sore subject in Moses’ view. And yet we see here in these verses the model of obedience. Far be it – at this point in his life, for Moses to tell the people do as I say, not as I do. Faithfulness unto death is the order of the day in the scene laid out before us. Moses’ testimony here in life and in death is as Dr Brown describes it: “The departing leader reminds them and us that all of God’s word must be personally received, faithfully shared and carefully obeyed. They are not the idle words of mere men, nor even the passionate words of a devoted leader but the life-imparting words of God himself.”
There are three points highlighted there in those descriptive words. The first is contained in the phrase “Set your hearts on all the words.” This means that the children of Israel were to intimately consider the words of the Great Covenant. They were to know the text inside and out and be familiar with its detail as well as its purpose. In my years of teaching, I was repeatedly told by the experts that a short summary of a book or story was just as good, if not more important than having the students read every single word and in that experience – knowing the subtle as well as the sublime context and content. Of course, the students agreed with the educational experts because it meant ever so much less work. What they will not realize until years later are the fact that they have been cheated out of a lot of content that would and could make the bare bones outline meaningful. This is why it is so vitally important to read the whole of scripture, so as to see all the parts in the context of the whole.
The second is in the phrase “command your children” Here we must know our responsibility to pass along the covenant text and understanding to our children and grand children. This was the underlying purpose for the original formation of public schools in this country. Our founding fathers understood their obligation to make the covenant known in detail, context and comprehension. Sadly, our educators today will not even let the Ten Commandments be posted in public where some few of their students may be able to read comprehend and understand them!
And finally, the last point is in the phrase “be careful to observe.” America, like all nations in every time and place, has never been a perfect model of civility. However, as long as the Ten Commandments were known to exist and the vast majority of people were aware of their meaning – crime and punishment were understood as such. Today, we are fast loosing even that perspective. Media stars can even get away with murder and live to celebrate life in their own tawdry way. Amorality now reigns supreme and the finding of juries capable of wrestling with even the concept of guilt is becoming more and more difficult.
Contemporary Application: Fortunately and providentially the Lord in His sovereign wisdom is still calling people into the Kingdom of the Spirit where people’s hearts are changed from the stone of ignorance and self-will to hearts which desire to serve and obey our Lord and King. Unfortunately, the numbers and influence of those members of that Kingdom are shunted aside by the prevailing trends in society. And like the ancient people of Israel we find ourselves, in this American Promised Land, surrounded by pagans, atheists and cultists of a wide and increasing variety. But like the New Covenant believers we are commended to serve as salt and light so that our obedience to the law of God may show the world the benefits of service to our God and King.
One final point in regard to our text, listen to the comments of Dr Thompson: The Lord “recalls the fact that Moses broke faith with him among the people at Meribath-kadesh by failing to uphold Yahweh’s sanctity (RSV: You did not revere me as holy). The exact offence of Moses is not easy to discover … Whatever the offence was, it resulted in a lessening of Yahweh’s authority.” The point here in this reference is the reason we must strive to honor our Lord through obedience to His revealed law. Because to fail to do so lessens not only the law but also the God we worship in the eyes of the watching world. This is the real importance for our study of the Great Covenant – to better model the love of God before a watching world. And as those fruits of the Spirit are made manifest, the world will better listen, honor and seek the Lord of life as He is revealed in Jesus Christ. May we make this obedience our regular calling. Amen.
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