Deuteronomy 1 "Year of The Torah" [8 of 19] Tim Mackie (The Bible Project) 5/28/2014

okay so the book of uh deuteronomy we're really doing it you guys the years of the torah this is the final book of the torah it's also no it's not the longest book um genesis would be that but uh it's now that we're in it it's my favorite book when we were in genesis that was my favorite book but now that we're in uh deuteronomy this is my favorite one um so [Music] uh here's the kind of interesting stuff that we didn't get to talk about quite last week so deuteronomy is the name that this book has received in the christian tradition and did i say last week what deuteronomy means does anybody remember yeah so deutero do we use deutero in any way in english anymore jude ro yeah well so it's literally it's the greek word deuteros as a greek word for two and then nami comes from the greek word namas which so it literally means a second a second law a second law that's what it means the law a second time because what is at the core of this book chapters 12 through 26 is a whole additional collection of legal uh a body of legal material and it's all laws the most of them are laws that we've heard before we heard many of these in exodus leviticus and numbers and they're repeated a second time why are they repeated a second time right here if you think through the flow of the story line who who has not heard firsthand as adults many of the words of the torah right the second generation so in the in the flow of the story line this is now the children of the exodus generation and as we're going to see moses is going to be addressing them and all future generations of israel what's interesting look at the first look at the first words of the book in chapter one and you remember how most of the books of the torah actually in hebrew get their names just from the first sentences here so in hebrew the name of the book in hebrew is not deuteronomy it's these are the words these are the words that's the name of this book or just the words the words um put your thumb here and flip forward to chapter five with me and if you look forward to chapter five there's kind of a little intro but what do you have in chapter five the ten commandments again because this is the second giving of the law so they happened in exodus chapter 20 right when the people got to mount sinai but we're gonna uh get go over them again and then go down um yes so those uh those are the ten commandments and here's what's interesting is that the ten commandments um in hebrew are actually never called the ten commandments they are called the ten words and the the hebrew hebrew word for word is uh the word dabar which means word it's the word that means word so the book in hebrew is called these are the devarim the words and at the beginning of this section which we'll talk about the structure of the book in a minute it begins with the ten words and that's what these are called all throughout the hebrew bible they're never actually called the ten commandments they're called they're called the ten words okay um go back to chapter one with me so let me get the um oh yeah i'm supposed to be recording my screen aren't i somebody um here sorry one second i think i remember screen recording yes yes okay um what was i gonna do i was gonna do something i was gonna do something oh yes i was gonna show you the map here we go so this is the map that we've been using for a while here so all of israel the second generation here they're right up here in the what are called the plains of moab up in the hills overlooking uh here's the the dead sea right here um jerusalem and jericho are right across the dead sea in the jordan valley so all the people are planted right here and literally the book of deuteronomy is the the action of the story stops completely uh remember in the story up so far you'd get a block of law and then you get some stories and then another block of law and then some stories in deuteronomy there is no action whatsoever there's none the narrative stops right here for 34 chapters and it's just the people camped out on the plains of moab right before they go into the land and let's uh let's just dive in we're going to overview the whole structure of the book because it's really interesting but we'll just dive into the first sentences here these are the words that moses spoke to all israel in the desert east of the jordan that is in the ottawa you know opposite south between puran and tofu lavon hatservath you know those places right now it takes 11 days to go from horeb to kadesh barnia by the mount saiya road in the 40th year on the first day of the 11th month moses proclaimed to the israelites all that yahweh had commanded him concerning them now just stop real quick there you're you're supposed to either wince or snicker or something did you catch did you catch that there's something that happened right there it's a little speed bump um where look up at verse two again what's horeb what's horeb yeah we haven't probably has been a long time since we talked about that mount sinai goes by two names um in the bible and they likely are just like regional dialect names or something people call it different things in different areas do we have a what's like that around portland it actually has two names depending on what part of town you grew up in 39th or cesar chavez that's a great example i grew up on hawthorne it's still 39th to me but somebody who moved to portland what year was the name changed yeah it's wikipedia somebody look it up and uh right yes caesar chavez that's a great idea it's exactly like that kind of thing so mount sinai is also called mount horeb in a number of places particularly in deuteronomy so it takes 11 days from to go from mount sinai or mount horeb you can see that down here not sinai horeb 11 days to go from here to kadesh barnia now what happened to kadesh barnia again it's so early i know don't worry about it kedah's barnia was where they sent out the 12 spies to go spy out the land and that was the beginning of all the events that led to the downfall of the wilderness generation so in other words he's saying if you're you know you're going at a good pace you can go from here all the way up to here in 11 days now what year is it right now in verse 3 it's the 40th year the 40th year of what right since the incident at kedis barnea so this is a it's already off the uh off the i don't know i don't know what the uh when you start a race what do you call it when you start a race and you're here and then you go that off the off the blocks anyway uh already off the blocks i don't know anyway so from the beginning of the book we're reminded of everything that came before and of the fact that this is uh the second generation it should have what should have taken 11 days took 40 years because of israel's stubbornness and and disobedience um let's keep going verse 4 this was after he had defeated sihon king of the amorites who reigned in heshbon at and at edre he defeated og king of bashan who reigned in ashtaroth these were the battles that were recorded about 10 chapters ago in numbers over here on the east side of the jordan east of the jordan in the territory of moab moses began to expound this law saying and then he goes he goes on um are there any other translations of expound moses begin to explain yeah this is this is the word for either exposit or teach or to make clear and uh it's used in habakkuk once to describe a prophecy he's supposed to write in uh super clear letters on a stone so that anyone who is even running by could read it clearly it says so it's a it's an explanation what is the book of deuteronomy we're being told right here here it is what's moses doing for the next 34 chapters he's he's expounding now law remember what's our hebrew word underneath law you know just so i don't have to fill the chalkboard i kind of have a new idea tell me what you think about this let's uh what if i were to like ride up here sometimes is that okay with you great awesome i think that'll go more quickly and i won't get as dirty from the chalk um let's blow it up a little bit is that okay can you all see that okay good oh oh 21st century it's wonderful okay um in uh in hebrew it's the word torah torah which at its most basic meaning means teaching or instruction so moses this is an exposition or an expounding of of the torah or of the laws that's therefore it's the second law where it's the second giving of the words and moses is going to be preaching and expounding on the torah and what this basically does is it kind of uh lets the rest of the book uh unfold for us right here so if you look at um chapters one through four it's the first main block and just kind of actually skim with me go down to verse nine and if you have chapter headings or little section headings you're going to see exactly what's going on here in the first couple chapters what what does your heading say at verse 9 yeah leaders leaders appointed this is retelling that story where moses was overwhelmed with the weight of judging disputes among all the people and so on and so his father-in-law steps in which you know i'm like whoa that's kind of you know stepping on my toes a little bit but actually moses really likes his father-in-law and he tells them to appoint a whole bunch of leaders do you remember that story exodus chapter 17 17. go to verse 19. what's the chapter heading you got right there yeah yeah the spies are sent into the land from kadesh barnia numbers chapter 13 and 14. so he tells that story all the way down he's going to retell the story literally he just retells it in exactly the way that we just read it in the book of numbers which is why i'm making an executive decision that we're skimming this morning until we get to chapter four because we just read all of this a few is that okay with you okay we just read all this um so he's going to retell the story as he goes through chapter one about how the people didn't trust in yahweh and therefore they were faced god's judgment to wander in the desert go to chapter two how does chapter 2 begin chapter headings so wanderings yep this is about the 40 years that they wandered at the end of the 40 years they started to come around the region of edom and moab and remember edom and moab they're relatives of the israelites but they wouldn't let them pass through their land and they got into some fights and so on and that's he just retells that story in chapter 2. go down to verse 26 what's beginning in verse 26 yeah they're having battles with this guy sihon king of heshbon who lived in this precisely this region where they're camping now so we read about that in the book of numbers chapter 21. look at chapter three what's the heading there yep there's a a king named ogg now that's sounds like a caveman or something anyhow so we defeated ogg that was also in numbers chapter uh 21. look down at verse 12 you're going to thank me for skimming because we're going to get to chapter 4 which is the most awesome chapter in the book um verse 12 the reubenites and the gaddites and the manassehites they ask hey can we camp over here on the east side of the jordan remember that story it's like from two weeks ago those numbers chapter 32. go down to verse 21 we'll pick up pick up the story here at that time i commanded joshua you have seen with your own eyes all that yahweh your god has done to these two kings the two guys that we just talked about yahweh will do the same to all of the kingdoms over there where you are going don't be afraid of them yahweh your god himself will fight for you that's a huge huge theme in deuteronomy as we look forward to going into the land is that israel is almost a a passive bystander in yahweh bringing his justice on the canaanites and then in giving giving the land to the people of israel that's a big theme yahweh is fighting for you now at that time i pleaded with yahweh oh sovereign yahweh you have begun to show your servant your greatness and your strong hand for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works that you do plea please let me go over and see the good land beyond the jordan that fine hill country and the lebanon but because of you yahweh was angry with me and would not listen to me do you sense any bitterness any bitterness at all right so do you remember the story this was a maybe a month or so ago about why moses can't go into the land you remember that story so it was about the water out of the rock god told him to speak to the rock and what did moses do listen you rebels and he hits the rock twice and he says do we have to bring water out of the rock for you and there's that whole deal yahweh said that moses acted out of unbelief or unfaith so you know he's got an edge to him wouldn't you two he doesn't go get to go into the promised land um he wouldn't listen to me that's enough yahweh said don't bring this up anymore go up to the top of pisca and look west and north and south and east look at the land with your own eyes since you're not going to cross this jordan but commission joshua encourage him strengthen him he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land that you will see so he stayed near the valley of beith pior and then so all of this was historical review here's where we've been and then this introductory section ends with what i think is one of the greatest little sermons in the book right right here here now oh israel the decrees and the laws that i am about to teach you you should this is also another little hebrew word i should have thought of this a long time ago what's wrong with me hear or listen you you probably know this in hebrew it's the word shema which literally means just to hear or to listen and there's one of the most famous prayer in all of judaism is in deuteronomy chapter 6 which summarizes all of these chapters at the beginning and it also begins with this phrase shema sometimes i pray at the end of at the end of our gatherings so that's how he begins listen listen listen israel to the decrees and the laws i'm about to teach you follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land that yahweh the god of your fathers is giving you don't add to what i command you and don't subtract from it keep the commands of yahweh your god that i give you in uh so in the book of deuteronomy this is this is moses uh expounding or moses expositing um or preaching explaining the law but who's whose commands are they ultimately it's moses words in the book but what does he say who's actually speaking in the book yeah it's this merging of the words of the prophet he's viewed as the prophet here and therefore it's this word that comes to israel and you can't just make it whatever you want it you can't just add to it or take away from it we really like that part chapter 7 is so good but definitely not chapter 13 no thank you so it's this very uh deuteronomy has this very clear kind of developed idea of the the way that god's word comes to his people it comes from outside ourselves it comes into a people who have a really marked and checkered and flawed history and it it comes to us and as we see it's going to speak both a word of challenge and grace at the same time it's a very it's really beautiful so don't add don't subtract you don't get to do what you want with with the word of yahweh verse three you saw with your own eyes what yahweh did at the lord your god destroyed from among you everyone who followed the baal of paur but all of you who held fast yahweh your god are still alive today that was the incident right after balaam in the book of numbers see this is such a great paragraph see i have taught you decrees and laws as yahweh my god commanded me so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of observe them carefully for this will show your wisdom and your understanding to the nations who will hear about all of these decrees and say surely this is a great nation it's a wise and understanding people what other nation is so great as to have their gods near to them the way that yahweh our god is near to us whenever we pray to him and what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws that i'm setting before you today okay let's pause right there so in this is this little paragraph it's worth just starring and underlining this little paragraph uh is the best summary of the purpose of the 613 laws in the in the pentateuch that you'll find anywhere in the whole in the whole torah because it's giving you a rationale for why israel has been redeemed and brought into a covenant relationship and why he's giving them all these commands in the first place so so just let's reflect on this paragraph real quick here so verse six the what will the laws if you follow and meditate on the laws of the torah what kind of person will it make you it'll make you into a certain kind of person it's wise i'm guessing that's not the first thing that would have occurred to you right wise you would think well it make makes me obedient or something like that no it makes you wise so and wisdom is about discerning what is good from what is not good or from good and and evil so wisdom and understanding and then look it down at verse 8 what characterizes all of these laws and decrees that are going to be coming what's their character down in verse 8 what kinds of laws right the righteous the righteous okay so and who's who's looking on to israel and who will learn something about yahweh by looking at a wise people who follow righteous laws the nations so you see there's a whole story line underneath here you have israel who's it's like on on stage so to speak and they're brought into the covenant and they're given these these teachings and these instructions and then you know is it just that yahweh likes israel more than anybody else or something and why is he doing this well he actually yahweh has his eye on all of the nations and he wants all of the nations to learn something from what's happening on on stage does that make sense so um this this takes us back all the way to the bigger the bigger storyline of the bible right here key most important chapter in the book of genesis for understanding the flow of the storyline of the bible anybody that's i'm so fishing that's not fair of me i'm sorry i should just say genesis 12 is the most important chapter for understanding storyline of the whole bible we'll just go there real quick to remind you i bring it up all the time this was the call of abraham and god's promise that he's going to make abraham into a great nation and bless him he's going to make his name great which means his name will become known to more and more and more and more people across the earth your your name and you will become a blessing i'll bless those who bless you whoever curses you i will curse all peoples on earth will be blessed through you so god chooses one nation not just because he likes those people more than anybody else but this is a part of how he's going to bring blessing to all the nations of the earth how well the story doesn't say here you just have to keep you just have to keep going so this was one key chapter the next key chapter in this storyline here was in exodus chapter 19. it's right when israel is brought out of egypt to the foot of mount sinai and let's look at verse 4 yahweh says to israel you yourselves have seen what i did to egypt how i carried you on eagle's wings and brought you to myself now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant then out of all the nations you will be my treasured possession although the whole earth is mine you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation these are the words this is exactly how the book of deuteronomy begins right there these are the words that you are to speak to israel so we have blessing to the nations and then exodus 19. israel is called a kingdom of priests and this is total is absolutely crucial to understanding israel's role so priests um i've explained this before priests are people who go in between god and the people so in who's uh who's the god in the story line here what what god are we talking about yeah who's the priest israel and who are the people now does exodus 19 say who israel is a priest for yeah it doesn't say it says it implicitly because israel has been taken out of whom out of all of the nations you're selected to become a priesthood so that you will mediate between yahweh and all of the other nations so this all this all goes together here and that what deuteronomy 4 is giving us is what verses is this five through five through eight this is giving us another kind of step forward in this in this storyline right here how is it that israel is going to mediate yahweh's character and yahweh's goodness to the nations how is israel going to be this beacon that the nations can look to and see and learn about yahweh and this paragraph tells us right here what's the purpose of all these laws is to shape the people of israel to become a wise and understanding people and then verse 8 let's keep going here um the word righteous is absolutely key in uh we'll do another one here sedek zedek is the word for righteous righteousness which literally it is most basic terms it's a relational term it means right relationships we're to be in right relationship so you have these are decrees and laws that are all about achieving right equitable relationships among human beings and between human beings and god and so on that's what all of the laws are aimed at doing and so this is uh remember deuteronomy is the locker room speech moses is giving this new generation a framework for why they're called to obey obedience is a part of their mission so to speak it's the way that they become you know what jesus would later say the salt of the earth the city on the hill um in fact i think when jesus says to you know these uh israelites that he's gathered together as his disciples you're the salt of the earth you were the city on the hill he's calling back this ancient vocation of israel to be a light to the nations uh by being a people shaped by the the teachings in the torah and so on um now how's this is the locker room so we're very optimistic right now right so don't forget about the book of numbers and forget about the story that you know of how this is gonna happen this is at least how the nature of the covenant is being is being set up here now how we know how this is going to go is israel going to be shaped into a wise and understanding people answer not really sometimes but for the most part no is israel going to become a nation utterly shaped and transformed by yahweh's righteousness no not not so much and so here's where we're going to go from here actually put your thumb here go to chapter five or just turn the page of chapter five so chapter four closes with we're gonna finish it but it's this great sermon to follow the torah and then what it um kind of entrees you into is this next section that begins with the ten commandments and then what you get in five through eleven is um a whole bunch of like little mini sermons it's like moses collected a bunch of sermonettes about why we should obey the torah and why obedience to yahweh is the best possible thing you could do these are really stirring chapters that we'll explore for the next month or so here they're awesome and then go forward to chapter 12 with me look at chapter how does chapter 12 begin here you go these are the decrees and the laws and that begins this big block the center block of the book and it's just a whole bunch of decrees and laws lots of them go forward with me to chapter 27. now what begins at chapter 27 is so hey here's where we've been israel here's who you are as a people your priest of the nations by following the torah you should really really really follow the torah i'm going to give you a whole bunch of sermons as to why okay here are the laws of the torah you can see can you see the flow of the book how this fits together here chapter 27 begins this concluding block of the book and what happens is uh moses is going to bring all the elders and they're actually going to have like the ceremony this big ceremony and israel is going to say yes we're going to follow the torah um chapter 27 they do this long ritual and uh look at verse nine and just kind of look down through the chapter what are what's what's the repeated word in this chapter verse chapter 27 cursing jesus cursed is this person curse is this person so they're announcing all these curses curse on all these different kinds of people who don't obey the torah then look at chapter 28 how does chapter 28 begin yes if you fully obey yahweh and follow all the commands here's all the blessings that are going to come on you blessing blessing blessing blessing blessing blessing go down to verse 15 however if you don't obey yahweh your god cursing cursing cursing cursing cursing so there's 14 verses of blessing and then there's starting verse 15 all the way to the end of the chapter it's something like 57 verses of cursing so which do you think just put the two on a scale where like which do you think moses what does he think about how the story is going to go you can kind of you can kind of see um so and what happens so what happens and again all these ending chapters the word blessing and curse he's trying to make it as stark as possibly can you guys just follow the torah for goodness sakes it's going to go horribly if you don't and then he concludes the book with two long poems these really beautiful poems and songs that challenge israel to follow the torah and then in the last chapter of the book moses finally dies he croaks and he's buried and then that's how the book of joshua begins so that's the framework that's the framework for the book but it all really it kind of after the historical review it all flows out of chapter four as to how the rest of the book develops isn't this cool deuteronomy is really really quite amazing and so it becomes this long meditation on obedience and disobedience and why we don't obey it's a meditation on yahweh's justice on his on his righteousness on how yahweh wants to achieve right relationships how you guys doing okay good let's go back to chapter four and finish out then uh his little introduction to to the torah um chapter four i think we were in verse verse nine only be careful watch yourselves closely so that you don't forget the things that your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live teach them to your children and to their children after them remember the day that you stood before yahweh your god at horeb when he said to me assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they can learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children and so you all came near you stood at the foot of the mountain while it was blazing with fire to the very heavens with black clouds and with deep darkness then yahweh spoke to you out of the fire you heard the sound of words but you saw no form there was only a voice and he declared to you his covenant the ten the ten what the ten words remember the ten commandments whenever you see that phrase ten commandments um it's literally in hebrews just the ten words he declared to you the ten words which he commanded you to follow and then he wrote them on two stone tablets and yahweh directed me at that time to teach you the decrees and laws that you're to follow in the land that you're crossing the jordan to possess so we're recalling the incident at mount sinai that i drew up here for weeks and weeks and weeks the mountain and the cloud and the lightning and um what happened there and moses highlights a really really key thing that happened right there there was a cloud they were standing at the foot of the mountain what did they not see a form what meaning yeah yeah like like they didn't see um voltron appearing out of the cloud or something like that i'm you know your god or so whatever you didn't see uh you know old man with a white beard or something like the whole point is that they like yahweh was never took physical form in appearing to them but that doesn't mean that he wasn't real to them how did yahweh become real to them not by physical appearance but by what by a voice speaking speaking so this is a really key once again we're back to this concept of the word of god or god's word that the way that this god yahweh acts is not by magic show up here and wow i'm an old man on a chariot or something like that it's about yahweh summoning and speaking to people and so he declared the ten words and israel's whole covenant relationship then is going to be bound up with listening and remembering the deeds of yahweh and the words of yahweh and how they how they go together now there's a big implication of this look at verse 15. so you saw no form of any kind the day that yahweh spoke to you at horeb out of the fire therefore watch yourselves very carefully so that you do not become corrupt and make for yourselves an idol an image of any shape whether formed like a man or a woman a human being formed like an animal on earth or any bird that flies in the air or like any creature that moves along the ground or any fish in the water below and when you look up in the sky and you see the sun and the moon and the stars and all the heavenly hosts don't be enticed into bowing down to them and worshipping these things that yahweh your god has apportioned to all nations under heaven but as for you yahweh took you and brought you out of the iron smelting furnace out of egypt to be the people of his inheritance as you as you now are so they didn't see yahweh has never taken any physical form or shape to them therefore what should they never ever ever try to do kind of follows put put in uh try to represent him by any physical any physical image so this is everything um that flows out of israel and the prophets about idols flows right here out of this moment and really these words right here in deuteronomy yahweh never took physical shape therefore don't try and use any created thing to represent him why i mean what's the big deal really you know it's a golden calf you know like what what's the big deal so part of this is cultural distance for us um we you know most of human cultures for most of human history have had something like this going on modern westerners we're the odd ones in human history who think that we don't have idols we just have them in other ways um but this is so this is a very this is a really it's a really intuitive i think inclination of the human heart so you have um you have forces of nature say you know you're you have these bison you know that roam the plains you live off of them you hunt them you know seasonally or whatever your tribe or something everything uh relate that you relate to and how you survive your people comes from the bison or something like that and so you can see very easily how you whatever i can't control the bison they come and then they go you can there's mysterious forces we live and you can see very easily the human heart will begin to to do something to the bison the herd of bison you know i'm just using that as an example but you guys know what i'm talking about here so this these bison are the means by which we survive they give us our life and so on and so we're meaning making kinds of creatures and so we begin to attribute to these things powers or realities because in effect they control our destiny they control our lives and this is just how human history works itself out whether it's the sun or the river or animals or people we take we attribute to these created things thing traits or roles or responsibilities that only belong to not something that's created but to the creator and this is a part of the biblical argument of why idolatry is so subtle because it just kind of makes sense but at the same time when human beings begin to submit themselves to created things bad bad stuff happens really bad stuff happens and this is a part of the critique of idolatry all throughout the bible is that when human beings form religious systems that have idolatrous deities represented in them it's slowly corrupts us and begins to dehumanize us in in the practice of worshiping these gods romans chapter one is paul exploring this basic principle right here and so it's not just that will yahweh gets offended because he thinks he ought to be worshipped the whole biblical argument is that idolatry and the worship of these images actually reverses the relationship because if humans are made in yahweh's image and to reflect yahweh's image who is set over the animals and the birds of the air genesis 1 who's called who are called the stewards to rule over creation so humans are and so it's actually reversing that relationship it's humans putting themselves under the creation as opposed to seeing the creation as a gift from the creator that needs to be stewarded but not worshipped or given ultimate allegiance it's very powerful it's actually pretty pretty profound and so he says that's not your lot don't bow down to the sun moon and stars things that yahweh gave to give light and goodness and warmth to all of the nations and give your allegiance to them no i brought you out of egypt you're my people verse 21 now yahweh was angry with me because of you it's just a little bitter still he solemnly swore that i would not cross the jordan and enter the good land yahweh your god is giving you as your inheritance i will i will die in this land i will not cross the jordan but you are about to cross over and take possession of that good land so be careful not to forget the covenant of yahweh your god that he made with you don't make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything yahweh your god has forbidden for yahweh your god is a consuming fire he is a jealous a jealous god we've we came across this word uh jealousy didn't we yeah we did trying to think um actually we have in a number of ways we remember the law about the jealous husband that was a weird chapter numbers numbers 11 or whatever that was okay so jealous um so we have talked about this in hebrew it's kin-ah and in english jealous doesn't have any positive associations does it would you ever use the word jealous in a positive way probably not i don't think so we could take a vote on it but i'm pretty sure we would vote not so in in hebrew so imagine a word that captures the emotion behind jealousy but there are also moments where you could be jealous for someone in a really good way and that's what the hebrew word is here so i've heard you know different explanations passions for someone's well-being something like that where um it's a lot like what happens when um there's a really um oh man um uh memorial day there was a big um group of like eight planes flying over portland and formation did anybody see those so um i was out just doing something mowing the lawn or something and i was so excited because my son roman loves airplanes and so i was filled with kinah and i ran inside and grabbed him because i wanted him to see this so much that's exactly right so i was filled with energy and passion and i ran up the stairs and grabbed him over this kind of thing that's that's kinah so that's i want him to experience something in in a good way kena can also be the thing that gets um raised up inside of me if i see this is what just came into my mind if i saw a lion coming down my street or something and that was aroma it would be filled with kinah to protect him or something or car you know whatever the point is is energy emotional energy and passion for someone's well-being there would never be a lion coming down my street so so the point is yahweh is a consuming fire he's jealous for your well-being and he knows that if you give allegiance to idols this will slowly begin to dehumanize and distort and corrupt the people that he redeemed out of egypt precisely so that they could be freed of all of that and given wise righteous decrees and so on verse 25 now after you've had children and even grandchildren and you've lived in the land a long time if you then become corrupt and make any kind of idol doing evil in the eyes of yahweh your god provoking him to anger i call heaven and earth as witnesses against you this day that you will quickly perish from the land you are crossing the jordan to possess you will not live there long you will certainly be destroyed yahweh will scatter you among the peoples only a few of you will survive among the nations to which yahweh will drive you there you will worship man-made gods of wood and stone which cannot see or hear or eat or smell so this is this is profound in a lot of ways he's you can begin to see even right here how does moses think the story is going to go right and so he says he's he has envisioned that they're going to come into the land it's all going to go horribly and they're going to be scattered they're going to be exiled from their land and what are they going to be doing once they're scattered among the nations they're going to be doing exactly what they wanted to do which is what giving their life and their allegiance to human-made gods of wood and stone in other words their part of yahweh's judgment is letting them get what it is that they want this is very very similar to romans chapter 1 where paul says god's wrath is coming against humanity and what is the form of god's wrath it's god giving them over to the decisions that they want to make apart from god it's very very similar i think paul took a lot of his inspiration from deuteronomy do you know deuteronomy is the most quoted book by jesus and paul alongside the book of psalms if you get deuteronomy and you get the book of psalms you will get jesus and paul in a really significant way but verse 29 that's not the end of the story but if from there out there scattered you seek yahweh your god and you find him if you look for him with all of your heart and with all of your soul when you're in distress and all of these things have happened to you then in the later days you will return to yahweh your god and you will obey him for yahweh your god he's a merciful god he's not going to abandon you or destroy you he's not certainly not going to forget the covenant he made with your forefathers which he confirmed to them by oath so yahweh will bring justice and he'll deal with you and give you over to your decisions and so from your point of view you might think you're done with yahweh but is yahweh done with you. no yahweh doesn't break his promises verse 32 final little paragraph here we'll close down in a few verses here ask now about the former days long before your time from the day god created humans on the earth ask from one end of the heavens to the other has anything so great like this ever happened has anything like it ever even been heard of has any other people heard the voice of god speaking out of the fire as you have and lived has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation by testings by miraculous signs by wonders by war by mighty hand and outstretched arm or by great and awesome deeds like all of the things yahweh your god did for you in egypt before your very eyes he's he's preaching right now he's getting his preach on you were shown these things so that you might know that yahweh is god and besides him there is no other from heaven he made you hear his voice to discipline you on earth he showed you his great fire and you heard his words from out of the fire it's because he loved your forefathers and chose their descendants after them he brought you out of egypt by his presence and by his great strength to drive out before you nations greater and stronger than you to bring you into the land to give it to you for your inheritance as it is to this day so acknowledge and take to heart this day that yahweh is god in heaven above and on the earth below there is no other keep his decrees and his commands which i'm giving you today so that it may go well with you and your children after you that you may live long in the land yahweh your god gives you for all time amen what a come on bring it you know this is the point at which we're supposed to be going like amen come on now bring it bring it that's that's what's happening right here and that as he transitions that's what all of these chapters are when you read them aloud you have to read them with kinah you have to read them with passion because that's what uh that's what we're going into here so notice the themes uh that that go together here you have uh the prohibition for idolatry which is really about yahweh trying to protect the humanity of his covenant people and then you have this assertion here over and over and over again that yahweh is the one true god because what other god has ever revealed himself in history the way that the way that yahweh has and so as we just think about at least closing down even today you know the jesus quoted from the book of deuteronomy so many times in the gospels and he sees a straight line from yahweh acting in in the exodus and in the giving of the torah leading up to yahweh acting in himself and in what he was doing and so i think as as christians we continue this line of uh in a really unpopular way of asserting that in jesus there's something utterly unique about the creator god revealed that you simply cannot find anywhere else it'd be interesting to kind of rewrite this paragraph but retelling the story of jesus what other god has come become human and given his life and given given his love for us and so on that's exactly the tone uh the tone of what it means to hold allegiance to jesus so it's powerful there's a lot here i'm going to close in prayer and let you let you take what you need to from this let me close

Channel: Bible Nerds & Tim Mackie Fans

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Length: 55min 4sec (3304 seconds)

Published: Fri Aug 13 2021