Hello All,
(Just a general disclaimer that I must insert here at the beginning. I am but a lay person, like most of you. And these weekly “thoughts” are but my own. Not the definitive word on this or any topic. Just my own conclusions derived from my own study and faith in God. The greatest hope I have for these weekly “thoughts” is to have them be a springboard for further study on your part. Not to be a weekly treatise to be blindly accepted. So, please read them with this intent, this motive in mind).
This week’s lesson from “The Adult Sabbath School Guide” is titled “Deuteronomy in the Later Writings”. So interesting how later writers reference Deuteronomy. This book is+ really Moses’ synopsis of the lessons from Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers. He is writing all this for the generation that will march into the “Promised Land”… and for everyone else on earth since then, too. No wonder so many later writers’ reference this. Moses actually spells-out the lessons he has learned and wants to hand down to the others.
But like all of the writings of each Bible writer, we need to place their utterances in conjunction with the entire “canon” of scripture to help us rightly interpret and understand. AND, place their utterances in light of the purpose of scripture (“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. 40 But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life” John 5:39-40). The purpose of scripture is to see God. And then seeing Him, to come to Him.
In all ages, the temptation has been to substitute an intellectual assent to the truth for an intimate relationship with God who is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). There can seem to be many reasons why we are so loath to have this intimate, close relationship. But at the bottom of each reason there is the same motivation… self. We really want to do things our way, not God’s way. And below this bottom we have a still deeper reason to do things our way. Believe it or not, we do not trust God. If we really did trust Him, we would not follow our own way but follow His way. If we trusted Him, we would not hesitate to be in an intimate relationship with Him. But we are mostly afraid of Him. This is serious!
Many in the Old Testament (and through-out all time) are motivated by this fear. They “obey” because of fear. But obedience out of fear, or hope of reward, or obligation is not obedience at all. “The man who attempts to keep the commandments of God from a sense of obligation merely--because he is required to do so--will never enter into the joy of obedience. He does not obey” (Christ’s Object Lessons pg. 97).
I bring this up because of the culture we live-in today. It is apparent that a mere conformity to rules is not sufficient to stay the tide of misery and destruction that self-focused individuals commit. The real issue is in the heart of man. Deuteronomy, like so much of the Bible, keeps enjoining obedience. But those who have tried to obey without a vital, true relationship with our God (totally relying on Him and His loving, truthful ways) will likely soon realize that external conformity to rules is not really obedience at all. “True obedience is the outworking of a principle within. It springs from the love of righteousness, the love of the law of God. The essence of all righteousness is loyalty to our Redeemer. This will lead us to do right because it is right--because right doing is pleasing to God” (Christ’s Object Lessons pg. 97-98).
Don’t you just love that quote? Do right because it is right. This is only possible as we come into relationship with Him who is right. Relationship with our Father… with our God… who is love. Which leads us back to the root of the problem… our not trusting God.
I believe this is one of the lessons from the incarnation of Christ. That God is so approachable, so loving, so eager to bridge this mistrust gap, that He will actually come as one of us and share our humanity. And even share the natural consequences of our sin-filled humanity. Death. This is the great revelation to all mankind. That our God’s love for us, displayed on the cross, is His motivation for all his acts for all time. Love is what motivates law. Love is the motivation for obedience to that law. Love is what changes us. “Love is the agent which He uses to expel sin from the heart. By it He changes pride into humility, and enmity and unbelief into love and faith” (Mount of Blessing pg. 76). This is the purpose of all God’s actions as recorded in His Word. To demonstrate the love that is the only thing that will change us.
And so with the book of Deuteronomy and those later Bible writers who referenced it. Love that will hold us responsible. Love that will state the truth plainly, when plain talk is needed. Love that will do what is right for us. That’s the kind of love we sinners need. Love that will not have us filthy but have us every whit clean.
With brotherly love,
Jim