Explore the Bible Lesson Preview February 19, 2012 Be Repentant Background: Deut. 27:1 30:20 Lesson: 30:1-4, 6-8, 15-20

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1 Explore the Bible Lesson Preview February 19, 2012 Be Repentant Background: Deut. 27:1 30:20 Lesson: 30:1-4, 6-8, Motivation: Trust and obey How simple but how often disregarded! What God commanded in the old covenant was obedience; what He desires from Christians today is no different. Examination: I. Preserving and Affirming God s Law (27:1-26) A. Commemoration of God s Commandments (27:1-13) 1. Authorship Moses and the elders of Israel commended the people (1) This begins Moses third address (27:1-29:1). 2. Admonition Keep every commandment (1) This covenant renewal ceremony probably was the pattern for future observances. 3. Altar you must set up large stones (2) At the time you cross the Jordan (2) This was a significant event in the history of Israel and needed to be memorialized. 4. Allegiance Write all the words of this law (3) The importance of God s written Word is displayed here. It s not enough to listen to teachers and preachers; God expects us to read and study His Word. 1 / 10

2 5. Affirmation/Condemnation These tribes will stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people and these tribes will stand on Mount Ebal to deliver the curse (12) HCSB, p. 323: 27: Refe rring again to the upcoming covenant renewal conclave at Shechem (v. 4), Moses instructed the people upon their arrival there to divide into two groups by tribes, half on Mount Gerizim and half on Mount Ebal. Like a great antiphonal chorus, the tribes on Mount Gerizim would shout out the blessings and the tribes on Mount Ebal would shout the curses of the covenant commitments in the hearing of the Levites in the valley below (v. 14). The division of the tribes between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal was a visual representation of the choice between obedience and disobedience. Keeping the covenant brought a blessing; disobeying the covenant brought cursing. (Josh. 24:15; Rom. 6:11-23) B. General Consequences of Disobedience (27:14-26) 1. Pronouncement The Levites will proclaim in a loud voice (14) As God s priestly mediators, the Levites represented God before the people and the people before God. The Latin word for priest is bridge builder, an appropriate role of the Levites. God s Word calls Christians a kingdom of priests (Rev. 1:6) and a holy priesthood (I Peter 2:5, 19). Understanding who we are helps us comprehend our task of building bridges. (I Tim. 2:1-6; Heb. 8:6; Rev. 5:10) 2. Punishment cursed (15-26) They would be cursed for disobeying God (27:14-26) God s curse fell on anyone who failed to obey. It was automatic and immediate, it didn t require a trial by jury. Each reason for the curse is a practical application of one of the Ten Commandments. If we depend upon works to save us, we fall under these curses. (Gal. 2 / 10

3 3:10-14; Rom. 10:4; Matt. 5:17-18; 2 Cor. 5:17-21) 3. Public Testimony Amen (15-26) Amen literally means so be it. The people had heard Moses declare the law. They were even instructed to study it in written form. However, God required a public response (Rom. 10:9-10, 13). II. Enumerating Blessings and Curses (28:1-68) A. Condition for Blessing Now if you faithfully obey (1) God s covenant and condition of obedience became the basis for the prophets calls to repentance and the basis of God s judgment of the nation. B. Content of Blessing All of these blessings will come and overtake you (2) A blessing is in one sense a capacity to produce more than is normal. (Ps. 37:4-25) These blessings are God-given. 1. Place of Blessing in the city in the country (3) God s blessings are not limited by geography. (Phil 1:6; I Thes. 5:24; 2 Tim 1:7, 12) 2. Product of Blessing Your descendants will be blessed, and your land s produce, and the offspring of your livestock, including the young of your herds and the newborn of your flocks. Your basket and kneading bowl will be blessed (4-5) (Matt. 5:1-12) 3. Parameters of Blessing You will be blessed when you come in, and blessed when you go out (6) (Ps. 121:8) When Jabez said Bless me indeed (2 Chron. 4:10), he was within his right because he was more honorable than his brothers, he was a person of obedience (4:9). God s blessings included victory over enemies (7), prosperity (8, 11-12), respect of nations (10), and authority. 3 / 10

4 C. Specific Consequences for Disobedience (28:15-68) 1. Extent of the Punishment This section paints a terrifying picture of the results of disobeying God. In a prophetic look at Israel s judgment, Moses predicts lack of productivity (20), plague (21, 59-62), drought (24), madness (28), defeat (30-34, 49-57), pestilence (42), cannibalism (55), and dispersion (64-68). HCSB, p. 325: 28:2 5 Disobeying God s covenant would bring such devastation to Israel that the nations would no longer be in awe of her. What should have been a focus of others admiration and praise would become so disfigured as to elicit nothing but disgust and revulsion (Jr. 15:4; 29:18; 34:17). 2. Explanation of the Punishment This section begins with a warning! But if you do not obey the Lord your God (15) Toward the end we see the prophecy, Because you didn t serve the Lord your God with joy and a cheerful heart... you will serve your enemies (47-48a). These bookend verses provide the sad epitaph for the tombstone of the disobedient. III. Standing Before and Returning to the Lord (29:1 30:10) A. Prelude to Covenant Renewal (29:1-8) 1. Pronouncement These are the words of the covenant the Lord commanded Moses to make (1) Moses summoned all Israel and said to them (2) Chapter 29 begins Moses fourth and final sermon. God is renewing His covenant that He first made to their ancestors. 2. Process You have seen with your own eyes everything the Lord did in Egypt (2) Moses details the miracles that his people witnessed: 4 / 10

5 a. to Pharaoh, to all his officials (2) God sent plagues to Egypt. b. the great trials great signs and wonders (3) God sent miracles to validate His Word. He used a similar process in the life of Jesus (John 4:48; Heb. 2:3-4) the apostles (Acts 4:30; 5:12; 14:3; 15:12) Paul specifically mentions signs, wonders, and miracles as authenticating true Apostleship (2 Cor. 12:12). However, in the latter days, the antichrist will be able to produce lying signs and wonders (2 Thes. 2:9). c. I led you 40 years in the wilderness (5) God provided through their years of wandering shoes that wouldn t wear out and daily provision for food (6). d. we defeated them (7) God demonstrated His power through miracles, provision and victory. 3. Perception Yet to this day the Lord has not given you a mind to understand, eyes to see or ears to hear (4) (Matt. 11:15; 13:15) HCSB, p. 327: 29:4 Despite Israel s seeing everything the Lord did in Egypt and in the wilderness (vv. 2-3), He had not given them a mind to understand. He had not forced them to believe against their will, but He had given them every opportunity and inducement to believe. It is at this point that divine sovereignty and human choices intersect. God makes His truth available to all people, but they can choose to harden themselves against it and thus deny themselves its blessings (Is. 6:9-10; Rom. 11:8). B. Call for Covenant Renewal (29:9-15) 1. Premise of the Covenant Therefore observe the words of this covenant, and follow them (9) The laws of the covenant represented an instruction book for daily life. 5 / 10

6 2. People of the Covenant All of you standing today before the Lord your God (10) (Eph. 6:13; I Cor. 10:12) your leaders, tribes (10) your elders, officials (10) all the men of Israel (10) your children and your wives (11) the foreigner in your camps (11) 3. Purpose of the Covenant so that you may enter into the covenant of the Lord your God, which He is making with you today, so that you may enter into His oath (12) The people were assembled to reaffirm the covenant that was made originally with Abraham (Gen. 12:1ff; 15:1ff; 17:1ff) and affirmed with the nation of Israel at Mt. Sinai (Ex. 19:1ff). The words covenant and His oath both refer to His covenant. God s covenant was unilateral, unconditional and sworn with an oath (Luke 1:72-73; Heb. 6:13-17; 7:19). 4. Promise of the Covenant that He may establish you today as His people, and He may be your God (13) God wanted the people of Israel, who were ready to cross over into the Promised Land, to agree to the covenant terms originally established with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (15) The purpose of the renewal ceremony was to enable the people to grasp the promise given by God originally to their ancestors. Mommy and Daddy s religion is not enough; we must have personal faith in Jesus. (Heb. 8:13; Rev. 21:3) 6 / 10

7 C. Warnings About Covenant Violations (29:16-29) I will have peace, even though I follow my own stubborn heart (19) Herein is the seed of disobedience: I know better than God. In the Christian life, we are called upon to decide whether to follow our desires or God s Word. In Israel s case, disobedience by an individual, family or tribe would cause a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit (18) which would have terrible consequences for the nation. A prime example of many bearing the consequences of the rebellion of a few is found in Joshua 7 which describes the sin of Achan. D. Promises About Covenant Reaffirmation (30:1-10) 1. Prophecy When all these things happen (1) Passages such as this which clearly predict Israel s disobedience, captivity and restoration are why Moses is regarded as the first prophet of Israel. 2. Penitence and you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey Him (2) Failure is never final! God has an infinite capacity to love and forgive. Even if we disobey, God is willing to forgive if we come to Him in repentance. (Ps. 51:32) 3. Pilgrimage gather you again from all the peoples, where the Lord your God has scattered you. (3) The first return of the captives is chronicled in Ezra an d Nehemiah. 4. Promise Even if your exiles are at the ends of the earth, He will gather you and bring you back from there (4) The return of the dispersion of God s people was seen in the fifth century BC as well as in 1948 AD. However the ultimate fulfillment of this great prophecy will be when the Lord establishes His final reign on earth. With this in mind, J. 7 / 10

8 Vernon McGee sees these verses as the first mention of Christ s Second Coming in Scripture. ( Thru the Bible, vol. 1, p. 603) (Ezek. 37; Isa. 11:11; Heb. 9:28) 5. Prosperity He will cause you to prosper and multiply you (5) The Lord your God will make you prosper abundantly in all the work of your hands (9). The prosperity was promised to the nation of Israel conditioned by their obedience. (2 Cor. 9:8) 6. Persuasion The Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love Him with all your heart and all your soul so that you will live. (6) This verse certainly anticipates the new covenant in Jesus Christ. Parallel passages include Deut. 10:16; Jer. 4:4, 31:31-34, 32:27-44, 33:6-26; Ezek. 36:8-15, 24-38). 7. Persecution The Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies who hate you and persecute you (7) Along with the promise of prosperity is a promise of future protection. Until we arrive in God s perfect kingdom, God s people will face persecution (Matt. 5:11). 8. Promise Then you will again obey Him and follow all of His commands (8) when you obey the Lord your God, by keeping His commands and statutes (10) The section closes with the original premise: obedience brings blessing. IV. Choosing Life or Death (30:11-20) A. Understandable Choice This command that I give you today is certainly not too difficult or beyond your reach (11) There was really no excuse or defense for disobedience. No one could claim ignorance of the law. But the message is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may follow it. (14)(Rom. 10:8-9, 13) 8 / 10

9 B. Personal Choice (15-18) God s covenant was not an option that anyone could choose to accept or reject. The only choice was whether to obey or disobey. C. Clear-cut Choice (19) In Moses most passionate invitation, he says that Israel s choice is between no less than life and death, blessing and cursing. D. Responsible Choice love the Lord your God, obey Him and remain faithful to Him (20) Obedience to covenant would bring the people into a loving, beneficent relationship with God. Application 1. God requires commitment from His people. 2. God offers forgiveness if we come in repentance. 3. God gives us a choice; but, we must bear the consequences. Explore the Bible Leader Pack: Item 17: Bookmarks: Choose Faith; Illustrator: (no article) Notes: **You may access David s Lesson Preview in MP3 format at: g 9 / 10

10 Dates: 2011: 1/24 3/6 Living Proof Bible Study; 2/5 FBA Day; 2/8 College Kardia; 2/1 0 AM/FM Date Night; 2/10-12 Summit Retreat; 2/12 Make it Your Church Orientation; 2/18 Free the Captives Human Trafficking Conf.; 2/19 Parent Commitment; 2/22 College Kardia; 2/24 Women s Ministry Girls Night Out; 2/25 Spring Loaded; 2/26 HUB Milestone: Purity Ceremony; 3/2-3 Men s Conf. with Steve Farrar; 3/5-7 Senior Adult Revival; 3/9 Summit Celebrates; 3/11 Daylight Saving Time begins; 3/12-16 Spring Break for HISD, SB & FBA; 3/17 Widow & Widowers luncheon; 3/21 College Kardia; 3/24 SPF event, Eat at Clay s; 3/28 Imago exhibit begins; 3/30 FBA Warrior Day / 10