Soil from Stone

Deu 29:14  Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath;
Deu 29:15  But with him that standeth here with us this day before the LORD our God, and also with him that is not here with us this day:
Deu 29:16  (For ye know how we have dwelt in the land of Egypt; and how we came through the nations which ye passed by;
Deu 29:17  And ye have seen their abominations, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were among them:)
Deu 29:18  Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood;
Deu 29:19  And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst:
Deu 29:20  The LORD will not spare him, but then the anger of the LORD and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven.
Deu 29:21  And the LORD shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the law:

If you want to live in God’s house, then you should live by God’s rules. Or are only the physical descendants of Abraham to be counted as Abraham’s children? Paul said otherwise: “Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.” God said that he would not replace Israel when she strayed, but restore her. (“Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation…?” Deu 4:34) Those of us who would join with Israel in serving God are not separate nation or a replacement people. We are joined with Israel in covenant, for the covenants of the Messiah are with one nation only. We are “him that is not here with us this day.”

I am not saying that either redemption or perfection is by works. You are saved by your faith in God’s mercy. Yeshua covers your imperfections so that the Father sees you through his perfection. He knows that you will never be perfect on your own and doesn’t expect you to be. However, that is not a license to do whatever you want. How many times have you heard a self-professing Christian or “spiritual” person say, “I don’t have to follow all those rules. God knows my heart.” Unfortunately for those people, he does know their hearts. If you have heard God’s laws and still say you can live as you please, God will remove you from his people, subjecting you to all the curses brought by disobedience. Over and over again the apostles warned that licentiousness will destroy you. God didn’t give us his laws to enslave us, but to protect us from our lack of understanding and from our evil inclinations. Your heart and mind are to be conformed to God’s laws, not the other way around.

Deu 28:1-2 And it will be, if you shall listen carefully to the voice of Yahweh your God, to observe and to do all His commandments which I command you today, Yahweh your God will set you on high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come on you and overtake you, if you will listen to the voice of Yahweh your God….Deu 28:58-59 If you will not observe to do all the words of this Law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and fearful name, Yahweh Elohim, then Yahweh will make your plagues remarkable, and the plagues of your seed great and persistent plagues; with evil and long-lasting sicknesses….Deu 29:1 These are the words of the covenant which Yahweh commanded Moses to make with the sons of Israel in the land of Moab, besides the covenant which He made with them in Horeb….Deu 29:9-11 Therefore, keep the words of this covenant and do them, so that you may act wisely in all that you do. You stand today, all of you, before Yahweh your God; your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, all the men of Israel, your little ones, your wives, and your stranger that is in your camp, from the cutter of your wood to the drawer of your water…

Deu 29:14  Nor do I make this covenant and this oath with you only, but with him who stands here with us today before Yahweh our God, and also with him that is not here with us today.

MKJV

The Law of God applies to all men in all times who would please him by their lives: civil, religious, military, and familial leaders; men, women, and children; foreign laborers; everyone near and far, and more; all who have left the world to be called by God’s name. Once we have come out of the world (aka Egypt) to serve him, he expects us to follow his rules.

We do not obey for salvation from the final death, because Israel was saved from death in Egypt by the blood of the Passover lamb and baptized by their passage through the Red Sea before ever receiving this Covenant. Their faith in God’s promise saved them, and not circumcision or observance of the Sabbath. He wants us to obey his rules, because they are his rules. Although the Law was given for our own prosperity, it is not optional. How can we call him Lord and then act as if his commands are merely helpful suggestions?

Sept 6, 2007, update: Deuteronomy 29:29 says, “The secret things belong to Yahweh our God, but the revealed things belong to us and to our sons forever, so that we may do all the words of this Law.” Among the “secret things” are many whys. Why should we worship this way and not that way? Why does it matter if a pig doesn’t chew its cud or if a rabbit doesn’t have split hooves? What difference does it make if the ashes are of a red heifer or of a holstein? We can speculate about the things God hasn’t told us, but when push comes to shove, what matters is obedience. If we really have faith in God, we will obey his Word, especially when we don’t understand it.

Sept 10, 2007, update: I’ve heard two interpretations of “secret things.”

1. Deep mysteries that are irrelevant to us, are beyond our comprehension, or that might harm us if revealed. The revealed things are those which we can sense or examine.
2. Secret sins–victimless crimes–that God deals with privately so long as they are not flaunted. The revealed things are those which are made public and have identifiably direct victims, such as murder, theft, and adultery.

In this post I dealt with the first interpretation, but I think they are probably both correct in different contexts.

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