Today's passage:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy%2030-31&version=NIV
First, what we have to remember is that the old covenant was more than just the following of the Law. It also included sacrifice and atonement. God never expected the Israelites to follow the law perfectly. That would be impossible due to our sin nature. The Israelites had a need for atonement and so do we. Agreeing to the covenant meant placing faith in the cleansing process of atonement. They were made righteous not because they were able to follow the law to the letter, but because of the atoning sacrifice of an innocent.
I’ve heard people say before – well he was a good man, he must be in heaven. But what we have to remember is that we can never be good enough in and of ourselves. The Israelites couldn’t perfectly follow the letter of the law and neither can we. Heaven is a holy place and in order to be in the presence of God in that holy place for eternity, we must be holy. That’s why God sent the ultimate sacrifice in Jesus Christ. It is because of the cross that we are made holy. Titus 3:5-7 says “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” We cannot save ourselves through our acts of goodness. If we could, we wouldn’t need a Savior.
The second part of chapter 30 is Moses’ plea to accept the covenant. It was a choice between life and death, blessings and curses. Today, we have that same choice – to accept and believe that Jesus Christ is that perfectly innocent, unblemished lamb chosen by God to serve as our ultimate atoning sacrifice or to reject it and spend an eternity separated from God. It seems like a pretty easy choice to make if you ask me. If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your Savior, just say a prayer acknowledging that you are a sinner and need a Savior and that you accept Jesus as that Savior in your life. Talk to me, Russ, Carol, Kirby or any of the leaders of your class if you’d like to know more about Jesus as your Savior.
One other thing that I love about this covenant is that God gave Israel a way back to Him. He warned them that the blessings and curses would occur. He warned them that they would turn away from Him and be scattered, but He would not abandon them. He promised to move in their hearts and re-gather them. He promised to purify their hearts. Deut 31:6 says "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you". I’m so thankful that he offers us a way back to Him! How many of us have found ourselves far away from God only to have Him work in our hearts and gather us back to him? When the prodigal son returns with a repentant heart, God opens the door wide and celebrates his homecoming!
Todays post submitted by Kelly Coxe
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I’m blown away when I see the accurately and preciseness God’s Word in chapter 30. It’s exciting to see God working. Think of it, 3,000 years ago, Moses recorded these words which gave us a brief outline of the history of the nation of Israel. Verse 30:4, we have seen come to pass before our very eyes! (The regathering of the nation of Israel)
ReplyDelete70 AD
4 "If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under heaven, from there the LORD
your God will
1948 to the present
gather you, and from there He will bring you. "Then the LORD your God will bring you to the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it. He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers.
What other nation has been resurrected after ceasing to be a nation for almost 2,000 years? Yet God still isn’t done with Israel:
A future event -the end of the 7 year tribulation period
6 "And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live. (See Ezekiel 37 and Zech 12 for cross reference to Deut 30).
Ezek 37:11-12
Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, 'Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!' "Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. (NKJ)
Zech 12:10
"And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they have pierced; they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.
What I love about what we are reading today is since God is so faithful to do what He said He will do with Israel even when they turned their back on Him, we can take it to the bank that He will do what He said He would toward us! The Word of God is full of many promises of God toward us. The 2nd’Baptist Bookstore has some excellent books on the promises of God. I’m trying to learn not to take lightly what God has promised His children. One of my biggest enemies is to just take for granted what God has promised me in His Word. I often fall into serving God with a half hearted effort which to me is a miserable experience, not fully in yet not fully out. God help me to put my whole heart into loving You!!