Justice and Obedience

December 5, 2021 Background Scripture: Deuteronomy 5; 10; 27; 28:1 - 2 Lesson Passage: Deuteronomy 5: 1b - 3; 10:12, 13; 27:1 - 10 Deuteronomy means "second Law". The Book of Deuteronomy is not an additional law, but rather a repeat of the Law given to the people of Israel almost forty years earlier at Mt. Sinai. In essence, it was the second giving of the Law. God gave the Law to Moses for Israel not long after He had delivered Israel out of Egyptian bondage. It was not just a list of "do's" and "don'ts" concerning the expected behavior of people who have been delivered by God. The Law defined righteousness—or what it means to live in right standing with God. Put another way, the Law describes holiness as a state of being, or character. The Law allows us to understand some aspects of God's character that we would otherwise not know. In addition to helping us understand some aspects of God's character, the Law also allow us to understand much about the fallen state of humanity. Mankind was created in a state of holiness, in the image and likeness of God. After receiving the Law at Mt. Sinai, Israel spent forty years in the wilderness complaining and falling short of the righteousness of the Law. The Law allowed them to gauge their own spirituality. They made it clear on numerous occasions they did not trust God to look out for their best interest. As a result of them not trusting God, God allowed a generation to perish in the wilderness. All the adults who came out of Egypt, except two, died in the wilderness prior to going in to take possession of Canaan. Even Moses was not allowed to go into Canaan. While camped on the east bank of the Jordon River, Moses was preparing the new generation of adults to go into Canaan. If they were going to be successful, they needed to understand what God expected of them. This could not be done without sharing the elements of the Law with them. Moses instructed them to set up two things after they entered Canaan. They were to erect an altar and offer burnt offerings to God. And they were to whitewash large stones and write all the words of the Law on them. The righteousness that God defined in the Law would be on display on Mt. Ebal in Canaan as a reminder to them. Moses charged Israel to live to serve and please God. If they would commit to live in accordance with God's instructions, and to rejoice before God, God promised that blessings would overtake them. Literally, they would not be able to get out of the way of blessings from God. The Law God provided for Israel, was guaranteed to transform them into unique people in the world if they obeyed the instructions. They would become God's peculiar treasure. Not only would the Law transform the people of God to be in right standing with God, obedience to the Law would also make them collectively a just society. Laws transform societies only when people obey the laws. All persons within the society must be obedient to the laws or justice will not prevail. The first generation of adults in Israel who died in the wilderness did not live in obedience to the Law. To make matters worse, they exhibited an open distrust of God. Therefore, Moses warned their children against repeating the errors of their parents. Their parents' faithlessness caused them to not be allowed to enter Canaan. It takes faith for one to believe that God's instructions are for his good. Without faith in God, they would not embrace God's instructions. The Law shows the fallen nature of mankind. It does not correct it. But with the knowledge of the Law and faith in God, they would establish a just society and their hearts would be predisposed towards obedience to God. Robert C. Hudson November 11, 2021