Soteriology Lesson42 - The Meaning of Sin

     Our salvation is necessary because of the problem of sin. The word sin is found throughout Scripture, and both the Hebrew and Greek share the same basic meaning. The Hebrew word chata (חָטָא) means “to miss the target, or to lose the way,”[1] and the Greek word hamartanō (ἁμαρτάνω) is defined as “miss the mark, err, or do wrong.”[2] In Judges 20:16 the Hebrew word is used of skilled soldiers who do not miss their target, and in Proverbs 19:2 of a man who hurries and misses his way.[3] Sin is when we transgress God’s law and depart from His intended path.[4] The apostle John states, “Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4). Sin is a failure to conform to the holy character of God, a deviation from His righteous will.
     Divine laws are a reflection of the righteousness of God. The righteousness of God may be defined as the intrinsic, immutable, moral perfection of God, from which He commands all things, in heaven and earth, and declares as good that which conforms to His righteousness and as evil that which deviates. God’s character is the basis upon which all just laws derive; either divine laws from God Himself or human laws which conform to His righteousness.[5] Merrill F. Unger states:
"The underlying idea of sin is that of law and of a lawgiver. The lawgiver is God. Hence sin is everything in the disposition and purpose and conduct of God’s moral creatures that is contrary to the expressed will of God (Rom 3:20; 4:15; 7:7; Jam 4:12, 17). The sinfulness of sin lies in the fact that it is against God, even when the wrong we do is to others or ourselves (Gen 39:9; Psa 51:4)."[6]
Robert B. Thieme Jr. states:
"Man’s sin is disobedience to, or falling away from, God’s perfect standard and expressed will. Regardless of the sinner’s action or intent, all sin is ultimately directed against God (Gen 39:9; Psa 51:4). The temptation for sin comes from the sin nature, but only when volition consents is the sin committed. Knowingly or unknowingly, man transgresses divine standards because he wills to do so."[7]
The First Sin
     God is sovereign and permits sin, but is never the author of it. Sin is the expression of a creaturely will that is set against God. The first sin occurred in heaven, by Lucifer, an angel of the class of cherubim.  Scripture reveals that Lucifer “had the seal of perfection, and was full of wisdom and perfect in beauty” (Ezek 28:12). Lucifer personally served in the presence of God (Ezek 28:13-14), until he sinned. God said of him, “You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you” (Ezek 28:15). Being the first creature to fall away from God, his sin was purely volitional and self-actuated, as there was no temptation or sin apart from the first sin he committed. And the first sin he committed was a mental attitude sin, as God says of him, “You were internally filled with violence, and you sinned” (Ezek 28:16). Satan’s violence was connected with his pride, as the Lord states, “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor” (Ezek 28:17). Satan is brilliant in mind and appearance, but his pride is his weakness, as it corrupts his ability to reason. And Satan, having an inflated sense of himself, thought he could be God, and sought to usurp the Lord’s place over the creation (Isa 14:12-14). Satan also convinced a third of the angels to follow him in his rebellion (Rev 12:4, 7). Satan operates from a base of power, which takes priority over all else. And he will employ reason to the degree that it accommodates his power; however, if his power is threatened, he will abandon reason and resort to lies, manipulation, and brute force if needed.
The Fall of Humanity
     Satan’s kingdom of darkness was expanded to include the earth when he persuaded Adam and Eve to follow him rather than God (Gen 3:1-8). The first human sin occurred in the Garden of Eden. God had warned Adam and Eve, saying, “from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die” (Gen 2:17). The warning was that if they disobeyed God, on that very day, they would die. When Satan came into the Garden of Eden, he engaged Eve through discussion, posing a question, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?’” (Gen 3:1), and after hearing Eve’s reply (Gen 3:2-3), Satan responded, “You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen 3:4-5). Of course, this was a bold lie, and Eve, rather than trust the Lord, trusted Satan, and “she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate” (Gen 3:6). Adam and Eve experienced spiritual death at the moment they disobeyed God (Gen 3:7). Though both sinned, Adam’s act of disobedience was greater than Eve’s because he was the spiritual head of the marriage, and whereas Eve  was deceived (1 Tim 2:14), Adam was not deceived. Because of Adam’s disobedience, sin and death were introduced into the human race (Gen 3:1-7; Rom 5:12, 18-19; 1 Cor 15:22).
     At the time of the fall (Gen 3:1-6), the first humans—God’s theocratic administrators (Gen 1:26-28)—gave Satan the title deed to the earth (Luke 4:6). This explains why Jesus referred to Satan as “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). And other passages of Scripture call Satan “the god of this world” (2 Cor 4:4), and “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph 2:2), informing us “that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). Satan rules by deception, oppression, and enslavement. Scripture reveals he has “weakened the nations” (Isa 14:12), and currently “deceives the whole world” (Rev 12:9; cf. Rev 20:3). And because he is a finite creature, he relies on others—fallen angels and people—to help him advance his kosmos world-system (1 John 2:15-16), a philosophical and moral structure that is inherently and systemically corrupt, hostile to God, and completely opposed to anything divine.
     As Christians living in Satan’s world system, who still retain our sinful flesh (Rom 6:6; 13:14; Gal 5:17, 19; Eph 4:22; Col 3:9), we are constantly tempted to sin and act contrary to the character and will of God. The sin we commit may be mental, verbal, or physical. It may be private or public, impacting one or many, with short or lasting results. Below are biblical examples of sin:
Adam and Eve disobeyed the command not to eat the fruit from “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Gen 2:15-17; 3:1-7).
Lot’s daughters got him drunk and had sex with him (Gen 19:30-38).
Aaron led the Israelites to worship an idol (Ex 32:1-6).
Moses struck the rock when the Lord told him to speak to it (Num 20:8-12).
Samson slept with prostitutes (Judg 16:1-4).
David had an affair with Bathsheba and had her husband, Uriah, murdered (2 Sam 11:1-21).
Solomon worshiped idols (1 Ki 11:1-10).
James and John (nicknamed Boanerges, or “Sons of Thunder”; Mark 3:17) wanted to call fire down from heaven to kill the residents of a Samaritan city (Luke 9:51-55).
The mother of James and John requested special treatment for her sons, that they might have a place of prominence seated on thrones to the right and left of Jesus (Matt 20:20-21). This upset the other disciples (Matt 20:24).
The disciples argued amongst themselves as to who was greatest in the kingdom (Luke 9:46).
Peter tried to prevent Jesus from going to the cross (Matt 16:21-23).
Peter publicly denied the Lord three times (Matt 26:34-35; 69-75).
The Christians at Corinth engaged in quarrels (1 Cor 1:11), jealousy and strife (1 Cor 3:1-3), fornication (1 Cor. 5:1-2), selfishness and drunkenness (1 Cor 11:21). 
Peter engaged in hypocrisy and was publicly rebuked by Paul (Gal. 2:11-14).
The Apostle John twice worshipped an angel and was rebuked for it (Rev 19:10; 22:8-9).
     The above list is a just a sampling of sins in the Bible. Biblically, every person is a sinner in God’s sight (1 Ki 8:46; Prov 20:9; Isa 53:6; Rom 3:9-10; 23; 5:12, 18-19). Jesus is the single exception. Jesus, because of His divine nature (John 1:1, 14; Col 2:9), and the virgin conception (Isa 7:14; Luke 1:30-35), is the only person ever born without sin and who committed no sin (2 Cor 5:21; Heb 4:15; 1 Pet 2:22; 1 John 3:5). His perfect humanity and sinless life qualified Him to go to the cross and die in our place. Sin separates us from God and renders us helpless to merit God’s approval. We are helpless to solve the sin problem and save ourselves (Rom 5:6-10; Eph 2:1-3). Good works have no saving merit before God (Isa 64:6; Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:5). We cannot save ourselves any more than we can jump across the Grand Canyon or throw rocks and hit the moon. Sadly, many people buy into the lie that they can help save themselves by doing good works. The biblical teaching is that salvation is never based on good works or adherence to law, but by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone (John 3:16; 14:6; Acts 4:12; 16:31). Scripture states, we are “not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified” (Gal 2:16; cf. Rom 3:20, 28), for “if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly” (Gal 2:21).
     According to Norman Geisler, “Sin is the precondition for salvation; salvation isn’t necessary unless there are sinners in need of being saved. As to the origin of salvation, there is universal agreement among orthodox theologians: God is the author of our salvation, for whereas human sin originated with human beings on earth, salvation originated with God in heaven.”[8] And according to Robert Lightner, “The Bible is explicit about the condition of all who have not been born again. They are lost (Luke 19:10), condemned (John 3:18), under God’s wrath (John 3:36), dead in trespasses and sin (Eph 2:1), having no hope, and without God in the world (Eph 2:12), and unrighteous (Rom 1:19-32).”[9] It matters little what people think of themselves. God provides the only true estimation of people, and His Word declares that we are utterly lost in sin and helpless to save ourselves. According to Lewis Chafer:
"The greatest problem for the infinite God was to provide the reconciliation of the cross: the greatest problem for man is simply to believe the record in its fulness. To reject the Savior is not only to refuse the gracious love of God, but is to elect, so far as one can do, to remain under the full guilt of every sin as though no Savior had been provided, or no sacrifice had been made. No more terrible sin can be conceived of than the sin of rejecting Christ."[10]
Salvation from Sin and its Consequences
     Eternal salvation is available to us because Jesus went to the cross and died in our place and bore the punishment that rightfully belongs to us. God is holy, and we are guilty sinners who stand condemned before Him, contaminated by sin and utterly helpless to change our fallen condition (Rom 5:6-8). But God is love (1 John 4:8), and He loves us so much that He sent His Son into the world to pay the sin debt we cannot pay. We’re told that “God sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him” (1 John 4:9). And because of Jesus’ death on the cross, God “canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross” (Col 2:14). Jesus paid our sin debt in full, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18a). There’s nothing for us to add to Jesus’ work on the cross. The sole condition of salvation is to believe in Christ as our Savior. The good news is that Jesus died for us, was buried, and rose again on the third day (1 Cor 15:3-4). Salvation is not Jesus plus anything we do. It’s Jesus alone. He saves. Our contribution to the cross was sin and death, as Jesus took our sin upon Himself and died in our place. Salvation is never what we do for God; rather, it’s what He’s done for us through the cross of Christ. That’s all. It’s a gift that is received by faith alone in Christ alone, for “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23). And God’s gift is available to everyone, for “whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). The matter is simple: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).
Dr. Steven R. Cook
 
[1] Ludwig Koehler et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, 305.
[2] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 49.
[3] G. Herbert Livingston, “638 חָטָא,” ed. R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), 277.
[4] Other Hebrew and Greek words related to sin include: evil (רָע ra – Gen 3:5), wicked (רָשָׁע rasha – Prov 15:9), rebel (מָרָה marah – Deut 1:26), transgress (פָּשַׁע pasha – Isa 1:2), iniquity (עָוֹן avon – Isa 53:6), error (שָׁגָה shagah – Lev 4:13), guilt (אָשַׁם asham – Lev 4:22), go astray (תָּעָה taah – Psa 58:3), sin (ἁμαρτία hamartia – 1 Cor 15:3), bad (κακός kakos – Rom 12:17), evil (πονηρός poneros – Matt 7:11), ungodly (ἀσεβής asebes – Rom 4:5), guilty (ἔνοχος enochos – 1 Cor 11:27), unrighteousness (ἀδικία adikia – Rom 1:18), lawless (ἄνομος anomos – 1 Tim 1:9), transgression (παράβασις parabasis – Gal 3:19), ignorance (ἀγνοέω agnoeo – Acts 17:23), go astray (πλανάω planao – 1 Pet 2:25), trespass (παράπτωμα paraptoma – Rom 5:15), and hypocrisy (ὑπόκρισις hupokrisis – 1 Tim 4:2).
[5] If there is no God, then there is no absolute standard for right and wrong and we are left with arbitrary laws based on manufactured values.
[6] Merrill F. Unger, “Sin,” The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary, 1198.
[7] Robert B. Thieme, Jr. “Personal Sin”,  Thieme’s Bible Doctrine Dictionary, 196.
[8] Norman L. Geisler, Systematic Theology, Volume Three: Sin, Salvation, 181.
[9] Robert P. Lightner, Handbook of Evangelical Theology, 188.
[10] Lewis Sperry Chafer, Salvation, 52–53.

Soteriology Lesson 38 - The Love of God that Saves

     Love is an intrinsic attribute of God that motivated Him to reach into time and space and offer salvation to lost sinners who have offended Him. This was a voluntary act of love on the part of God, as He was in no way compelled to act. But He did act for our benefit, and this is most pronounced in the sending of His Son to die for us. In Scripture, we are told, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Here, the apostle John used the Greek verb agapao (ἀγαπάω), which speaks of God’s love for lost sinners, and His love was manifest toward us by providing His uniquely born Son as an atoning sacrifice for sin so that we might not spend eternity in the lake of fire. Instead, we might believe in His Son and come to possess eternal life. Love here is universal, extending to all of humanity. It is gracious because the object is undeserving (Rom 5:8). It is giving, as God gave His precious Son to die for us. It is simple, being received by faith alone in Christ alone (Acts 4:12; Eph 2:8-9). And it is salvific, saving those who accept God’s Son as their Savior (John 1:12; Gal 3:26).
     However, when referring to people possessed with negative volition, agapao (ἀγαπάω) becomes a commitment to that which is evil. John wrote, “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved [agapao] the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). And, he wrote of weak believers who “loved [agapao] the approval of men rather than the approval of God” (John 12:43). In both these passages, agapao denotes a commitment to that which is selfish and sinful. This commitment to evil finds similar usage in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew OT, ca. 250 BC), where agapao is used of Samson who loved a prostitute (Judg 16:4), and Solomon who loved the wives that turned his heart away from the Lord (1 Ki 11:2). It is said that unbelievers “do not have the love of God” within them” (John 5:42). Their love is a commitment to self-interest and sin, which is characteristic of the world’s love. And Christians are warned, “Do not love the world nor the things in the world” (1 John 2:15), which shows that born again believers have the capacity to love that which is contrary to God.
     But God, being holy, righteous, and good, cannot love anything contrary to His nature. And because God is immutable (Mal 3:6), His love never changes. This means He does not love us more at one moment and less at another. When God loves us, it means He desires our best, and that He is committed to our wellbeing and spiritual growth. Sometimes this means comforting us (2 Cor 1:3-4), but other times it means discipling us (Heb 12:6). His love is always perfect. Robert B. Thieme, Jr., states:
"Divine love, like every other attribute of God, is eternal, unchanging, and unfailing (1 Ch 16:34; Psa 57:10; 136). Even God’s complete knowledge of the sins and failures of His creatures cannot disappoint, frustrate, or diminish His love. God’s love can never be compromised, for it is governed by His perfect integrity (Psa 89:14a; Jer 9:24). Infinitely superior to human love, divine love always functions in a rational manner, free from emotion and sentimentality (Ex 34:6; Psa 86:15; Eph 2:4)."[1]
     God is interested in saving lost sinners because He loves them and wants what is best for them. In John 3:16, love is seen as that beneficial act of God, borne out of His eternal attribute of love, whereby He seeks to save lost sinners by directing them to Christ as their Savior. God’s love is based entirely on His character and not in the beauty or worth of the object. The apostle Paul wrote, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). According to W. E. Vine, “In respect of agapao as used of God, it expresses the deep and constant ‘love’ and interest of a perfect Being towards entirely unworthy objects.”[2] And Christopher A. Beetham notes,
"God is essentially love (1 John 4:8), and His purpose right from the beginning has been one of love. The love of the Father for the Son is therefore the archetype of all love. This fact is made visible in the sending and self-sacrifice of the Son (John 3:16; 1 John 3:1, 16) …God’s primary purpose for the world is His compassionate and forgiving love, which asserts itself despite the world’s hostile rejection of it.”[3]
     The apostle John wrote, “By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10). Our salvation was not earned by anything we did, but rather, by the love He showed to us by sending His Son to be the satisfying sacrifice for our sins. W. E. Vine states, “God’s love is seen in the gift of His Son (1 John 4:9-10). But obviously this is not the love of complacency, or affection, that is, it was not drawn out by any excellency in its objects (Rom 5:8). It was an exercise of the divine will in deliberate choice, made without assignable cause save that which lies in the nature of God Himself.”[4] God loves because of who He is, as it is natural for Him to love, for “God is love” (1 John 4:16). Geisler states, “The Bible says that ‘God is love’ (1 John 4:16). If love is defined as ‘that which wills the good of its object,’ then God is good.”[5]
The Christian Application of Love
     God’s love can be experienced in the heart of believers and can, in turn, manifest itself toward others in a similar way. Lewis Chafer wrote, “A human heart cannot produce divine love, but it can experience it. To have a heart that feels the compassion of God is to drink of the wine of heaven.”[6] The apostle John wrote, “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16). As Christians, we are called to manifest love in its ideal form. Paul described this love, saying, “Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails” (1 Co 13:4-8a). Paul directs Christian husbands to look to Christ as their role model for love, saying, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her” (Eph 5:25). This means he sacrifices himself for her, always seeking her best interests, helping to lead her into God’s will, and showing “her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life” (1 Pet 3:7).
     Christians should be marked by love for each other, which is predicated on the love of Christ. Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). And love should be shown even to our enemies. Jesus said, “I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matt 5:44-45). Here, love is not an emotion, but a commitment to love others graciously, as God loves us, and to manifest that love by seeking their best interests (through prayer, sharing the gospel, helping to meet their needs, etc.).
     Love should be shown to Israel, God’s chosen people. God Himself loves Israel, declaring, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness” (Jer 31:3). God is eternal, and His love is eternal, which means it never fades for His people, Israel. To possess the love of God is to love that which He loves. One cannot claim to have God’s love, and simultaneously hate Israel, His chosen people. There is no place for anti-Semitism in the heart of anyone, especially the Christian! According to Lewis S. Chafer, “When the Christian loves with a divine compassion he will acknowledge what God loves. Therefore, he too must love Israel.”[7]
     We also display God’s love for the lost by sharing the gospel of grace, with the hope and prayer that they will believe in Christ as their Savior and have forgiveness of sins (Acts 10:43; Eph 1:7), and eternal life (John 3:16; 10:28). We demonstrate God’s love for other Christians when we give of our resources to help meet their needs. John wrote, “whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth” (1 John 3:17-18). And we display love for others by praying for them (2 Th 1:11), doing good (Gal 6:10), encouraging them (1 Th 5:11), and helping them in their walk of faith (Col 2:5-7).
Dr. Steven R. Cook
--
 
 
[1] Robert B. Thieme, Jr. “Essence of God”, Thieme’s Bible Doctrine Dictionary, 87.
[2] W. E. Vine, Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, 382.
[3] Christopher A. Beetham, ed., “Ἀγαπάω,” Concise New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis, Vol. 1 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2021), 111.
[4] W. E. Vine, Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, 381–382.
[5] Norman L. Geisler, Systematic Theology, Volume Three: Sin, Salvation, 111.
[6] Lewis Sperry Chafer, He That Is Spiritual (Moody Press: Chicago, 1918), 41.
[7]Lewis S. Chafer, “Israel” in Systematic Theology, Vol. 7 (Grand Rapids, MI., Kregel Publications, 1993), 206.

Soteriology Lesson 26 - The Trials, Beatings, Mockings, and Death of the Messiah

What Jesus Suffered by Men
     Jesus loved the Father (John 14:31) and submitted Himself to do the Father’s will (Matt 26:39-44; cf. Rom 5:19; Phil 2:5-8), which included enduring the illegal trials of His accusers, as well as the eventual mockings, beatings, and crucifixion. All that Jesus suffered was prophesied in Scripture (Gen 3:15; Psa 22:16-18; Isa 50:4-7; 52:14; 53:3-12; Mark 10:32-34). God the Father was in complete control of the circumstances surrounding the trials and crucifixion of Jesus (Acts 2:23; 4:27-28). Though unjustly attacked, Jesus knew He was doing the Father’s will (John 6:38; 10:14-18; 12:27; 18:11) and did not retaliate against His attackers (1 Pet 2:21-23). The four Gospels record the arrest, trials, mocking, crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Matthew, Mark and Luke refer to events taking place according to Jewish time in which the day ends at sunset; whereas John relies on Gentile time in which the day ends at midnight. A brief chronology of Jesus’ trials, mockings, beatings, crucifixion and burial is as follows:
Jesus was arrested during the night—perhaps around midnight—and faced six illegal trials, three religious and three civil.[1] The trials must have happened relatively early, as they concluded “about six in the morning” (John 19:14 CSB).[2]
During the religious trials, the chief priest and Sanhedrin tried to secure false testimony about Jesus so they might have grounds to crucify Him (Matt 26:59).
Jesus was beaten in the face and mocked during His Jewish trial (Matt 26:67-68).
After Pilate agreed to the demands of the mob (Matt 27:17-25), he had Jesus scourged (Matt 27:26a), and then “handed Him over to be crucified” (Matt 27:26b).
Jesus was mocked and beaten by Roman soldiers (Matt 27:27-30), and then was led away to be crucified (Matt 27:31).
Jesus was crucified by 9:00 AM (Mark 15:25).
Jesus was judged by the Father and bore our sins on the cross from 12:00 to 3:00 PM (Matt 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44).
Jesus died about 3:00 PM (Matt 27:46-50; Mark 15:34-37).
Jesus’ body was placed in the grave before 6:00 PM (i.e. sunset) because the Jews did not want His body on the cross for the Sabbath (John 19:31, 38-42).[3]
     The Jewish trials declared Jesus guilty, whereas the Gentile trials found Him innocent. Jesus was crucified by Gentiles because of the pressure of the Jewish leadership. The crucifixion of Jesus was physically horrendous and involved not only great physical pain, but also psychological anguish and social humiliation. According to William Hendriksen, crucifixion included “severe inflammation, the swelling of the wounds in the region of the nails, unbearable pain from torn tendons, fearful discomfort from the strained position of the body, throbbing headache, and burning thirst (John 19:28).”[4]
What Jesus Suffered by the Father
     As previously mentioned, Jesus was not a helpless victim, but willingly laid down His life for us. Jesus said, “I lay down My life for the sheep” (John 10:15), and “No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative” (John 10:18). Scripture reveals that God the Father sent His Son “as an offering for sin” (Rom 8:3), and once Jesus was on the cross, made Him “to be sin on our behalf” (2 Cor 5:21a), and was “smitten of God, and afflicted” (Isa 53:4), as “the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him” (Isa 53:6), and “the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would render Himself as a guilt offering” (Isa 53:10). Thieme states:
"At the third hour of crucifixion, noontime, ordinarily the brightest period of the day, an impenetrable “darkness fell upon all the land” (Matt 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44). For the following three hours, so intense was the suffering of Jesus Christ that the Father hid the Son’s face from view. Jesus had borne in silence the scourging, the ridicule, and the agony of crucifixion (Isa 53:7; Acts 8:32–35), but the anguish of bearing the sins of the world caused Him to scream out again and again, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matt 27:46; Mark 15:34; cf. Psa 22:1). The Father had to turn His back on the Son in order to judge Him on our behalf (2 Cor 5:21)."[5]
Geisler adds:
"At the center of Christianity is the Cross; it is the very purpose for which Christ came into the world. Without Him salvation is not possible, and only through His finished work can we be delivered from our sins (Rom 3:21–26). Jesus suffered unimaginable agony and even separation from His beloved Father (Heb 2:10–17; 5:7–9); anticipating the Cross, His “sweat became as it were great drops of blood” (Luke 22:44). Why the Cross and all this suffering unless there is a hell? If there is no hell to shun, then the Cross was in vain. Christ’s death is robbed of its eternal significance unless there is a hellish eternal destiny from which sinful souls need to be delivered."[6]
Jesus Died Twice on the Cross
     There are different kinds of death mentioned in Scripture. Biblically, death means separation. Three major kinds of death are mentioned in Scripture, and these include: 1) spiritual death, which is separation from God in time (Gen 2:16-17; 3:1-7; Rom 5:12; 1 Cor 15:22; Eph 2:1-2; Col 2:13-14), 2) physical death, which is the separation of the human spirit from the body (Gen 35:18; Eccl 12:7; 2 Cor 5:8; Phil 1:23-24; 2 Tim 4:6; Jam 2:26), and 3) the second death (aka eternal death), which is the perpetuation of physical and spiritual separation from God for all eternity (Rev 20:11-15). Spiritual and physical death were introduced into God’s creation when the first human, Adam, sinned against God. God told Adam, “from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die” (Gen 2:17). Adam’s sin instantly brought spiritual death (Gen 2:15-17; 3:1-7), but not immediate physical death, as he tried to hide physically from God (Gen 3:8-10). Later, Adam died physically at the age of nine hundred and thirty (Gen 5:5). Though Adam was made spiritually alive again (Gen 3:21), his single sin introduced death, in every form, into the world (Rom 5:12-14; 1 Cor 15:21-22). Except for Christ, all are born in Adam (1 Cor 15:21-22), inherit his original sin (Rom 5:12), and are spiritually dead and separated from God in time (Eph 2:1-2). Those who reject Jesus as Savior will experience the second death in the lake of fire.
     Because all humanity experiences spiritual and physical death as consequences of sin, it seems that if Jesus is to be our Savior, then He must experience the same kind of death that that we experience. Both physical and spiritual death relate to Jesus’ humanity and not His deity. In His humanity, Jesus’ fellowship with the Father was temporarily broken during the three hours He was being judged for our sin. This was while God the Father poured out His wrath upon His Son who paid the penalty for our sins. Jesus’ spiritual death should not be understood to mean that there was a break in the essence of the Trinity, for that is not possible. In the hypostatic union, Jesus is undiminished deity and perfect humanity, and it was only His humanity that bore our sin, not His deity, for sin cannot be imputed to deity, for that would contaminate and corrupt God Himself. The writer to the Hebrews cites the words of God the Son as He was about to enter the world, saying, “Therefore, when He comes into the world [in hypostatic union], He says, ‘Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, but a body You have prepared for Me’” (Heb 10:5). Because animal sacrifices under the OT law code could never take away sin, a perfect and sinless body was prepared for Jesus, so that by His personal sacrifice, our sins could be atoned for. Peter tells us that Jesus “Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross” (1 Pet 2:24). Jesus’ spiritual death meant His humanity was—for three hours—disconnected from the Father while He was on the cross bearing our sins. Geisler states, “Death is separation, and spiritual death is spiritual separation from God.”[7] W.E. Vine adds, “while the physical death of the Lord Jesus was of the essence of His sacrifice, it was not the whole. The darkness symbolized, and His cry expressed, the fact that He was left alone in the Universe, He was ‘forsaken.’”[8] According to Thieme, “Separated from God the Father, the humanity of Christ died spiritually, and this was the price paid to redeem fallen mankind from the penalty of sin (Rom 6:23a).”[9] Arnold Fruchtenbaum states, “The Righteous One suffered and died in place of unrighteous ones, in order to bring them to God. The Messiah died a violent physical death, and He also died a spiritual death.”[10] J. Dwight Pentecost states:
"The penalty for disobedience to God was death (Gen 2:17). This death was the separation of the sinner from God—that is, spiritual death—and physical death was the result of prior spiritual death. Therefore if Jesus Christ was to satisfy the demands of God’s holiness, righteousness, and justice to provide salvation for people who are dead, He would have to experience the same death that separated them from God. He must enter into spiritual death, as anticipated in the prophetic 22nd Psalm where the sufferer cried, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Psa 22:1)…Since only that kind of separation or spiritual death could satisfy the demands of a holy, just God, Christ could not have been praying that He would be spared that which was essential."[11]
Paul Karleen adds:
"Jesus actually died twice. He was first forsaken by the Father during His time on the cross. This is described in Psa 22:1–21, especially v. 1, the cry of dereliction He quoted on the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt 27:46). This separation from the Father was spiritual death, experienced for others as He was “made” sin (2 Cor 5:21)…The father/son relation had been broken for a few hours as sin was being dealt with…That period of forsaking, involving spiritual death, was what actually paid for sins."[12]
     Jesus’ physical death occurred afterwards, when “He said, ‘It is finished!’ And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit” (John 19:30). When Jesus died physically, there was a separation of His human spirit from His body. To prove He was physically dead, Scripture records that a Roman soldier “pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out” (John 19:34). William Hendricksen notes:
"In order to insure that not the slightest possibility would exist that any life had remained in the body of Jesus, one of the soldiers with his lance or spear pierces the side of Jesus. If the spear was held in the right hand, as is probable, it was in all likelihood the left side of Jesus that was pierced. Immediately there came out blood and water. John enlarges upon this fact, devoting no less than four verses to it. He must have had a purpose in doing so. It is altogether probable that he was trying to tell his readers that Christ, the Son of God, actually died (according to his human nature). The death of Jesus was not a mere semblance; it was real. The apostle had been there himself, and had seen the blood and the water flowing from the side of the Lord."[13]
     There is great complexity and mystery in the suffering of Jesus on the cross. The complexity of the issue is that Jesus is fully God and man. Sin cannot be imputed to deity, as that would corrupt His divine nature. Yet, without corrupting His divine nature, Jesus somehow “bore our sins in His body on the cross” (1 Pet 2:24) and died in our place, “the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18). Jesus died physically when “He bowed His head and gave up His spirit” (John 19:30). Our ability to reason these things takes us only so far, as our minds are woefully inadequate to grasp the infinitude of the matter. Here, faith must rest in what God has revealed through His written Word.
Dr. Steven R. Cook
 
[1] Jesus’ religious trials: 1) Annas (John 18:12-24), 2) Caiaphas (Matt 26:57-66), and 3) the Sanhedrin (Matt 27:1-2). Jesus’ civil trials: 1) Pilate (John 18:28-40), 2) Herod Antipas (Luke 23:6-12), and 3) Pilate (Luke 23:11; John 19:1-16).
[2] This CSB assumes John calculates events using Roman time (where the day begins after midnight) rather than Jewish time (where the day starts at sunrise). The ESV and NAU translate the Greek literally, “about the sixth hour,” whereas the NET and NIV translate it, “about noon.” If the sixth hour is calculated by Roman time, then it would be about 6:00 AM, and if calculated by Jewish time, it would be about 12:00 PM. This author favors the CSB translation.
[3] After His death, Jesus was resurrected on the third day and appeared to numerous persons over a period of forty days (Matt 28:1-10; John 20:10-29; 1 Cor 15:5-7). Afterwards, Jesus ascended bodily into heaven (Acts 1:9-12). It is recorded that God the Father “raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places” (Eph 1:20).
[4] William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the Gospel According to John, vol. 2, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 427.
[5] Robert B. Thieme, Jr. “Cross and Crucifixion”,  Thieme’s Bible Doctrine Dictionary, (Houston, TX., R. B. Thieme, Jr., Bible Ministries, 2022), 50.
[6] Norman L. Geisler, Systematic Theology, Volume Four: Church, Last Things (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 2005), 336–337.
[7] Norman L. Geisler, Systematic Theology, Volume Three: Sin, Salvation (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 2004), 126.
[8] W. E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger, and William White Jr., Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Nashville, TN: T. Nelson, 1996), 149.
[9] Robert B. Thieme, Jr. “Cross and Crucifixion”,  Thieme’s Bible Doctrine Dictionary, (Houston, TX., R. B. Thieme, Jr., Bible Ministries, 2022), 50.
[10] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Israelology: The Missing Link in Systematic Theology, Rev. ed. (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 1994), 999.
[11] J. Dwight Pentecost and Ken Durham, Faith That Endures: A Practical Commentary on the Book of Hebrews, Rev. ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2000), 96.
[12] Paul S. Karleen, The Handbook to Bible Study: With a Guide to the Scofield Study System (New York: Oxford University Press, 1987), 264–265.
[13] William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the Gospel According to John, vol. 2, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 437.

Soteriology Lesson 19 - Eschatological Aspects of Soteriology Pertaining to the Role of God the Son

Jesus’ Return for His Saints
     The eschatological subject of the Rapture of the church is briefly presented here under the study of Soteriology because it is regarded as a form of deliverance. When Messiah returns at the end of the church age, He will deliver His church from an evil world and a coming judgment that will last for seven years. A distinction is here drawn between Jesus coming for His saints at the Rapture, and Jesus coming with His saints at His Second Coming (Dan 7:13-14; Matt 19:28; 25:31; Rev 19:11-21). Jesus is now in heaven preparing a place for believers to be with Him there (John 14:1-3). Paul revealed Jesus will return for His church and that all Christians will be “caught up” to meet the Lord in the air (1 Th 4:13-18).
     The doctrine of the Rapture was first presented by the Lord Jesus when He provided new information to His apostles on the night before His crucifixion. After speaking of His soon departure (John 13:33), Jesus comforted them, saying, “Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:1-3). The place where Jesus was going was heaven. The purpose of His going was to prepare a place for them. And, at some unspecified time, Jesus promised He would come again to receive them to Himself, that they may be with Him.
     Paul described this as a time when “we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.  For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Cor 15:51-53). And, when writing to the church at Thessalonica, Paul  explained, “the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Th 4:16b-17). The meaning of caught up (ἁρπάζω) is “to grab or seize suddenly so as to remove or gain control, snatch/take away.”[1] John Walvoord states, “The important point is that the verse says Christ will come for believers and take them from the earth to heaven, where they will be in His presence till they return with Him to the earth to reign. The Rapture will mean that all believers ‘will be with the Lord forever,’ enjoying Him and His presence for all eternity.”[2]
     As Christians, we are “looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus” (Tit 2:13). This Rapture is immanent, meaning it may occur at any time and without prior notice. All Christians who are alive at the time of the Rapture will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, will go with Him to heaven, and be saved from the wrath to be poured out during the seven-year Tribulation. Our future is not one of judgment; rather, we are assured we will be saved from God’s future wrath, both in time and eternity (Rom 5:9; 1 Thess 1:10; 5:9; Rev 3:10).
Jesus’ Return with His Saints
     When Jesus returns to the earth after the time of the seven year Tribulation, He will establish His kingdom on earth.[3] This is a time when humanity will be saved from the tyranny of Satan who currently rules over the earth.[4] At His Second Coming, it is written, “And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses” (Rev 19:14). Concerning this passage, Radmacher states, “The armies in heaven may be angelic hosts (Rev 5:11; Matt 26:53), but Revelation 17:14 speaks of those with the Lord at His coming as being ‘called, chosen, and faithful,’ all terms for believers (Rom 1:7; Eph 1:1; 1 Pet 2:9).”[5] Wiersbe adds, “Certainly the angels are a part of this army (Matt 25:31; 2 Th 1:7); but so are the saints (1 Th 3:13; 2 Th 1:10).”[6] Norman Geisler states:
"Before the Tribulation, Christ comes for His bride (1 Th 4:16–17; John 14:3); then, at the end of the Tribulation, He will return with all His saints. Jude wrote, “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones” (Jude 1:14; cf., Matt 24:29–31). He cannot come with them until He has first come for them; we have identified the time interval between these events as seven years."[7]
Wayne House comments:
"It is important to remember that when we say “the second coming” of Christ, we are not talking about the rapture that occurs prior to the second coming. The rapture is most clearly presented in 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18. It is characterized in the Bible as a “translation coming” (1 Cor 15:51–52; 1 Th 4:15–17) in which Christ comes for His church. The second advent is Christ returning with His saints, descending from heaven to establish His earthly kingdom (Zech 14:4–5; Matt 24:27–31)."[8]
     At His Second Coming, Jesus will put down all rebellion, both human and satanic. The two main leaders of the world, the Antichrist and his false prophet, will be defeated and “thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone” (Rev 19:20). Furthermore, those people who followed Antichrist “were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh” (Rev 19:21). Afterwards, the Lord will send one of His angels to arrest and imprison Satan (Rev 20:1-3). John wrote about this angel, saying, “And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer” (Rev 20:2-3a). This will be a time of global deliverance from evil as Messiah reigns over all the earth in perfect righteousness.
 
Dr. Steven R. Cook
 
[1] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 134.
[2] John Walvoord, eds. Charles R. Swindoll and Roy B. Zuck, Understanding Christian Theology (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003), 1265.
[3] The subject of Messiah’s earthly kingdom is found throughout the OT (Dan 2:44; 7:13-14; 2 Sam 7:16; Psa 89:3-4, 34-37; Isa 9:6-7; Jer 23:5-6) and the NT (Matt 6:9-10; 19:28; 25:31; Luke 1:31-33; Rev 19:11-16; Rev 20:4-6).
[4] Three times Jesus referred to Satan as “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). Other passages of Scripture call Satan “the god of this world” (2 Cor 4:4), and “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph 2:2), informing us “that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). Satan rules as a tyrant who has “weakened the nations” (Isa 14:12), and currently “deceives the whole world” (Rev 12:9). Satan continues to attack God’s people today (1 Pet 5:8), practices deception (2 Cor 11:13-15), and has well developed strategies of warfare (Eph 6:10-12). Furthermore, humanity is living in an “evil age” (Gal 1:4), under “the dominion of Satan” (Acts 26:18), whose sphere of influence is called “the domain of darkness” (Col 1:13).
[5] Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald Barclay Allen, and H. Wayne House, Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers, 1999), 1762.
[6] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 618.
[7] Norman L. Geisler, Systematic Theology, Volume Four: Church, Last Things (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 2005), 618–619.
[8] H. Wayne House and Timothy J. Demy, Answers to Common Questions about Jesus (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2011), 75–76.

Soteriology Lesson 15 - The Suffering Servant

     It is in the understanding of the suffering and death of Christ that the sinner appreciates God’s great love and the price that was paid for our salvation. Christ suffered in our place, bearing the penalty that rightfully belongs to us. Scripture tells us that “Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18a). Perhaps no section of Scripture in the Old Testament bears greater testimony to this truth than Isaiah 52:13 through 53:12, in which the prophet reveals the Messiah as the Suffering Servant. Isaiah 53 is mentioned several times in the New Testament as specifically referring to Christ (Matt 8:17; John 12:38; Acts 8:30-35; Rom 10:16; 1 Pet 2:22-25), so that there is no mistake in the minds of the New Testament writers that the passage points to Jesus. According to John Stott, “The New Testament writers quote eight specific verses as having been fulfilled in Jesus…eight verses out of the chapter’s twelve are all quite specifically referred to Jesus.”[1] And Arnold Fruchtenbaum notes:
"It was Isaiah the Prophet who first provided the hope that the day would come when the burden will be lifted. In Isaiah 53, God declared that the Suffering Servant, the Messiah, would be the sacrifice for sin…The point of Isaiah 53 is basically this: The animal sacrifices under the Mosaic Law were intended to be of temporary duration, a temporary measure only. God’s intent was for there to be one final blood sacrifice, and that would be the sacrifice of the Messiah Himself."[2]
     In Isaiah 53:10 we observe the Father’s judgment on Christ for our sin, and Christ’s willingness to be judged in our place. Isaiah wrote, “But the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand” (Isa 53:10). It was the Father’s will for the Son to go to the cross to die for sinners, but we must also realize that Christ willingly went to His death and bore the Father’s wrath in our place. It is simultaneously true that God sent and Christ went. Jesus was not forced upon the cross, but willingly, in love, surrendered His life and died in our place. Jesus said, “I lay down My life for the sheep” (John 10:15), and “no one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative” (John 10:18). Paul wrote, “Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma” (Eph 5:2), and “Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her” (Eph 5:25), and “the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Gal 2:20). The writer to the Hebrews tells us that Christ “offered up Himself” (Heb 7:27), and “offered Himself without blemish to God” (Heb 9:14).
     As a result of Jesus bearing the sin of many, Isaiah wrote, “He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand” (Isa 53:10b). When Isaiah said, “He will see His offspring”, it meant that Christ’s death would bear the fruit of spiritual offspring as people turn to Him as Savior and are born again (cf. John 3:3; 1 Pet 1:3, 23). Fruchtenbaum notes, “The Servant’s seed would be those who benefit from His death by spiritual rebirth. The moment they accept for themselves His substitutionary death for their sins, they are born again spiritually by the Holy Spirit. By this spiritual rebirth, they become the Servant’s seed.”[3] And the phrase, “He will prolong His days” refers to Jesus’ bodily resurrection, never to die again. And the phrase, “the good pleasure of the LORD” most likely speaks of heaven’s wealth that will be known to those whom Christ will justify and who will share in His riches and heavenly estate (John 14:1-3; 1 Pet 1:3-4).
     Though Jesus suffered greatly on the cross, His death was infinitely purposeful, as it satisfied the Father’s demands toward our sin, and also justified the many who would trust in Christ as Savior. Isaiah wrote, “As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; by His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities” (Isa 53:11). Here is a picture of substitutionary atonement, as the Suffering Servant will “justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities” (Isa 53:11b). Peter also reveals the doctrine of substitution when he states, “Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18). It is important to grasp that Christ bore our sin, but this did not make Him a sinner in conduct. On the other hand, we are declared righteous in God’s sight because of the righteousness of Christ imputed to us at the moment of salvation, but this does not make us righteous in conduct. God gives us “the gift of righteousness” (Rom 5:17) at the moment we trust Christ as our Savior. This is what Paul meant when he stated, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor 5:21). Paul understood the doctrine of substitution, that Christ died in the place of sinners and that sinners are declared righteous because of the work of Christ credited to their account. This explains Paul’s desire to “be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith” (Phil 3:9). Concerning Isaiah 53:11, Edward Young states:
"When the servant bears the iniquities of the many and has been punished for the guilt of these iniquities, the act of bearing the iniquities in itself has not changed the character of those whose iniquities are borne. When the iniquities are borne, i.e. when the guilt those iniquities involved has been punished, the servant may declare that the many stand in right relationship with God. Their iniquities will no longer be able to rise up and accuse them, for the guilt of those iniquities has been punished. Thus, they are justified. They are declared to be righteous, for they have received the righteousness of the servant and they are received and accepted by God Himself. Of them God says that they no longer have iniquities, but they do have the righteousness of the servant. This can only be a forensic justification."[4]
     If we had stood at the trials of Jesus, seen His beatings, seen His crucifixion and sat at the foot of the cross, surely we would have wept at the injustice and brutal cruelty of it all. However, the Scripture reveals that it was the will of God that Christ go to the cross and die for sinners (Acts 2:23; 4:28), that His death would be an atoning sacrifice that satisfied every righteous demand of the Father (Rom 3:25; 1 John 2:2). In the willing death of Christ, we have the Father’s righteousness displayed toward our sin as well as His love toward us, the sinner, whom He seeks to save.
     There is a purpose to the suffering of Christ. He suffered that we might have forgiveness of sins and eternal life. His substitutionary death propitiated the Father’s righteous demand for justice concerning our sin and now we can come to God with the empty hands of faith and receive the free gift of eternal life and be clothed in perfect righteousness. This was accomplished while we were helpless, ungodly, sinners and enemies of God (Rom 5:6-10). God graciously acted toward us to reconcile us to Himself, and this was accomplished through the suffering of Christ.
 
[1] John R. W. Stott, The Cross of Christ (Downers Grove, Ill. Intervarsity Press, 1986), 145.
[2] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Messianic Christology: A Study of Old Testament Prophecy Concerning the First Coming of the Messiah (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 1998), 130.
[3] Arnold Fruchtenbaum, The Book of Isaiah: Exposition from a Messianic Jewish Perspective (San Antonio, TX. Ariel Ministries, 2021), 577-578.
[4] Edward Young, The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 40–66, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1972), 358.

Deuteronomy 34:1-12 - The Death of Moses

Introduction
     For thirty three chapters, Moses has been speaking to his people, Israel, and informing them about their special God who is unique (Deut 4:35, 39; Isa 45:5-6), His love for them (Deut 7:7-9; 10:15-19), their liberation from slavery (Deut 5:6; 15:15), God’s calling them into a special relationship with Him (Lev 11:45), and His directives that would set them above the nations of the world and bring His blessing if they obey (Deut 11:26-28; 30:15-20). Those who love Him will follow His directives (Deut 6:4-9). In this chapter, the voice of Moses falls silent, as God calls His servant home. According to Daniel Block:
"By this point in the drama, Moses has done all he could do to set his house in order. He has commissioned a successor (Deut 31:1-8, 23), provided a written transcript of his farewell pastoral sermons and arranged for the regular reading of this Torah in the future (Deut 31:9-13, 24-29), taught the people a national anthem (Deut 31:14-22, 30; 32:47), and pronounced his benediction on the tribes (Deut 33:1-29). All that remains is the report of his death and the people’s response to his passing."[1]
Text
     In this closing section, we observe Moses ascending Mount Nebo, where he will see the land of Canaan from a distance. We read, “Now Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the LORD showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan, 2 and all Naphtali and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, 3 and the Negev and the plain in the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar” (Deut 34:1-3).
     Having walked the earth for 120 years, Moses was about to take his final journey, a walk from which he would not return, for he would soon die. And, as Moses ascended the mountain, he would have been able to look over his shoulder and see the Israelites’ camp below. Moses’ destination was “the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho” (Deut 34:1b). And once on top of the mountain, “the LORD showed him all the land” of Canaan (Deut 34:1c). The words showed him translates the Hebrew verb רָאָה raah, which, in the hiphil form, means “to let someone see something, to show someone.”[2] Here we observe God’s permissive will, as He allowed Moses to see the land of Canaan, which He had promised to His people, Israel. Moses visually surveyed the land in a counter clockwise manner from north to south.
     Having observed all the land, “Then the LORD said to him, ‘This is the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there’” (Deut 34:4). The land Moses saw was the very land God promised to Abraham (Gen 13:15; 17:8), Isaac (Gen 26:3), Jacob (Gen 28:13), and to their descendants as an everlasting possession (Gen 15:18; 24:7; Deut 1:8). Here we observe God’s active will, in which He, by His sovereign choice and omnipotent power, gives to His people. Though Israel would get to enter the land, God reminded Moses that he was not going to let him enter it, saying, “you shall not go over there” (Deut 34:4b; cf., Deut 3:27; 32:52). Though Moses would not set foot on the land, he would leave the world stage knowing he’d been employed by the Lord to get His people there.
Moses’ Epitaph
     What follows in the closing verses of the book of Deuteronomy was written by someone other than Moses, perhaps Joshua, to inform us about the details of Moses’ death. We are told, “So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD” (Deut 34:5). Moses was faithful to the end of his life. Even though Moses was under divine discipline and would not enter the land, he is still described as the “servant of the LORD” ( עֶֽבֶד־יְהוָ֛ה- ebed Yahweh), an honorable title held by others who submitted themselves to God and walked with Him (Josh 24:29; 2 Sam 3:18; Job 1:8; Isa 20:3). This title was formalized in the name Obadiah, which means servant of Yahweh. God had been with Moses throughout his ministry, and others saw the Lord was with him. Though Moses would die alone, away from others, he was not alone, for God was with Him to the end, to accompany His servant as he left this earth and entered heaven.
     After Moses died, the Lord took his limp, lifeless body, “And He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; but no man knows his burial place to this day” (Deut 34:6). That God personally attended to the burial of Moses speaks of an intimacy and tenderness the Lord had for His prophet. God took Moses’ body from the mountain top and brought it down into “the valley in the land of Moab.” There are some things God does not want us to know (Deut 29:29), that He keeps hidden from us for His own reasons, and the burial place of Moses is one of them. This is one of the mysteries of the Bible. But why hide Moses’ body? The text does not say. It’s possible that God knew the idolatrous hearts of the Israelites and that they would venerate Moses’ grave as a holy place in itself. According to Charles Swindoll, “Moses is the only person in the Bible whom God personally buried. Did you know that? And then the Lord hid the tomb. Why did He do that? Because that grave would have become a second Mecca. They would still be beating a path up Nebo to this day, building shrines, selling popcorn and peanuts, offering all sorts of rides, maybe running a tram up there, with big banners announcing, ‘Moses’ burial place!’”[3]
     To add to the mystery around Moses’ death, Jude wrote about “Michael the archangel” who “disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses” (Jude 1:9a). Apparently Michael, the archangel, was somehow involved in Moses’ burial, and had a dispute with Satan over the body. Why Satan would want the body of Moses is not known, as Jude does not elaborate on the details. It’s possible Satan wanted to use Moses’ body for idolatrous purposes. Whatever the reason, God would not permit Satan to have his way. Here we observe God’s overruling will.
     We know that Moses’ spirit, at his death, went into the presence of the Lord, and later appeared with Elijah at the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt 17:1-3). Matthew wrote about the event, saying, “Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves” (Matt 17:1). And while they were on the mountain, Jesus “was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light” (Matt 17:2). And during the time of Jesus’ glorification, Matthew tells us, “And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him” (Matt 17:3). Though Moses’ body was still in a grave, his spirit was alive and well, and here, along with the spirit of Elijah, was interacting with Jesus. Warren Wiersbe informs us, “Moses did arrive in the Holy Land centuries later when he and Elijah joined Jesus in glory on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt 17:1–3; Luke 9:28–31).”[4]
     The writer informs us that Moses did not die because of old age or infirmity, as he states, “Although Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died, his eye was not dim, nor his vigor abated” (Deut 34:7). Moses died because God put him to death. Within God’s divine plan, it was simply Moses’ time to die, so the Lord ended his life and brought his servant home. This occurred, in part, because it was God’s time to bring Israel into the land of Canaan, which the Lord had told Moses he would not see because of his disobedience in the wilderness (Num 20:1-12).
     Though Moses had died, God and His Word remained, and the people had all they needed for a life of success if they would follow Yahweh. Sadly, the book of Judges shows they did not stay true to the Lord, and even Moses’ grandson, “Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses” (Judg 18:30; cf., Ex 2:21-22), would later turn away from the Lord and lead the people into idolatry (Judg 18:30-31). In this way, Jonathan was acting more like Aaron, his great uncle, than his grandfather, Moses, for Aaron had led the people into idolatry and the worship of the golden calf (Ex 32:1-6).
     And after Moses’ death and burial, we’re told, “So the sons of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses came to an end” (Deut 34:8). The people of Israel—at least the second generation since the exodus—loved Moses and mourned his passing. They also mourned Aaron for thirty days as well (Num 20:29), which was longer than the customary seven days (cf., Gen 50:10).
     Switching focus to Joshua, the writer states, “Now Joshua the son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; and the sons of Israel listened to him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses” (Deut 34:9). To have “the spirit of wisdom” meant Joshua had been divinely enabled to take up the leadership role and move forward, as God intended. Fortunately, the Israelites listened to Joshua and followed his directives. In this way, they “did as the LORD had commanded Moses” (Deut 34:9b).
     In closing out this book, we’re told, “Since that time no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, 11 for all the signs and wonders which the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, all his servants, and all his land, 12 and for all the mighty power and for all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel” (Deut 34:10-12). As a prophet, Moses was in a class by himself because: 1) the Lord knew Moses face to face, 2) Moses had performed miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt, 3) the mighty power God worked through Moses in the sight of all Israel. According to Peter Craigie, “Moses was a prophet, but in his epitaph it is not his knowledge of God that is stressed, but rather the Lord’s knowledge of him. God had sought him out and appointed him to a particular task; over the years, the relationship had become intimate, so that to those Israelites who knew Moses, it was evident that his highest communion was with God.”[5]Warren Wiersbe adds, “Moses was faithful to walk with God, and he spoke to God as a man speaks to his friend (Ex 33:11; Num 12:7–8). The secret of his life wasn’t his own abilities—he claimed he had none—or even his education in Egypt (Acts 7:22), but his humble walk with the Lord. He spent time with God, he listened to God’s Word, and he followed God’s orders.”[6] And Daniel Block notes:
"The account of the death and burial of Moses on the mountain forces the reader to ask, “Now what?” The answer lies in the recognition that in the end, Israel’s fate is not in the hands of Moses. He is not the one who actually brought them out of Egypt and sustained them through the desert wanderings, and he will not complete the mission by delivering the Promised Land into their hands. The rest of the Scriptures are commentary not only on how Israel responded, but also on the fidelity of Yahweh, who will complete the present mission without Moses and who will patiently work with his people. Moses has merely been his mouthpiece, the interpreter of his great and gracious revelatory acts, whose aim was always to point his people to Yahweh their Redeemer."[7]
Summary
     In this closing section, we observe a brief account of Moses’ death and burial. Unlike other rulers throughout history, who have erected great memorials to themselves that others might remember them, Moses’ death is simple and without a monument. Moses was not concerned that people remember him, but that they remember the Lord, learn His Word, and follow His directives. Moses is remembered as God’s servant who was faithful to carry out his mission (Heb 3:5).
Present Application
     From Genesis to Revelation, God governs the lives of people and nations. People exist because God gives them life. David wrote, “Know that the LORD Himself is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves” (Ps. 100:3). And God determines the duration of each person’s life, having final control over the day and cause of their death. The Lord states, “It is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heal, and there is no one who can deliver from My hand” (Deut 32:39). And Job said, “Like a flower he comes forth and withers. He also flees like a shadow and does not remain” (Job 14:2). And Hannah, in her stately prayer says, “The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and raises up” (1 Sam 2:6).  People live and die as God decides, “for in Him we live and move and exist” (Acts 17:28).
     Furthermore, God controls the exact days of our life. David wrote, “in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them” (Ps. 139:16). The writer of Hebrews states, “it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment” (Heb 9:27). The word appointed translates the Greek verb ἀπόκειμαι apokeimai, which means “it is certain, is destined.”[8] Apart from Enoch (Gen 5:24), Elijah (2 Ki 2:11), and the rapture generation (1 Cor 15:51-52; 1 Th 4:13-18), all humanity will face death. God brings His children to heaven by numerous means, and sometimes uses sickness, as He’d done with Elisha, who “became sick with the sickness of which he was to die” (2 Ki 13:14a). And we know that “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His godly ones” (Psa 116:15). For believers who die, we are instantly transported into the presence of the Lord, for “to be absent from the body” means we are instantly “at home with the Lord” (2 Cor 5:8; cf., Phil 1:21-23). Our last breath here is followed by our first breath in heaven. And though the departing of a loved one leaves us with the sorrow of loss, we realize this is temporary, as we will see them again. David, who lost his son, said “I will go to him, but he will not return to me” (2 Sa 12:23). This is our hope as well, for we, as Christians, know our loved ones are in heaven, and that at a future time we will be reunited with them forever (1 Th 4:13-17). At the time of the rapture of the church, “the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Th 4:16-17). For this reason, Paul said, “Therefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Th 4:18).
     There is wisdom in thinking about death and the afterlife. David wrote, “For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust. As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. When the wind has passed over it, it is no more, and its place acknowledges it no longer” (Psa 103:14-16). And in another place he said, “LORD, make me to know my end and what is the extent of my days; let me know how transient I am” (Psa 39:4). And Moses said to the Lord, “Teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom” (Psa 90:12). Wisdom is found in the one who contemplates the Lord, the brevity of life, and the eternal resting place of heaven. Solomon wrote, “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, because that is the end of every man, and the living takes it to heart” (Eccl 7:2). But in all this, we must not forget to live, nor to realize that what we do in time touches things eternal, for one life will soon be past, and only what’s done for Christ will last. So live, and live well, and above all, live for the Lord. There’s no better life than the one lived in daily fellowship with God, learning and living His Word, and this we will do until the end of our days. Charles Swindoll notes:
"When you’re planning on retirement, don’t plan on checking out with people or with God’s Word. If you do, you’ll be moving away from that which is eternal, and that’s the wrong direction, my friend. So stay in touch. Give until you don’t have anything else to give, and then tap into God’s reservoirs and give some more. This is what lengthens the meaning and purpose—and sometimes the years—of life."[9]
 
 
[1] Daniel I. Block, The NIV Application Commentary: Deuteronomy, ed. Terry Muck (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), 806.
[2] Ludwig Koehler et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1994–2000), 1161.
[3] Charles R. Swindoll, Moses: A Man of Selfless Dedication (Nashville, Tenn., Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2009), 346.
[4] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Equipped, “Be” Commentary Series (Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub., 1999), 197.
[5] Peter C. Craigie, The Book of Deuteronomy, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1976), 406.
[6] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Equipped, “Be” Commentary Series, 198.
[7] Daniel I. Block, The NIV Application Commentary: Deuteronomy, 815.
[8] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 113.
[9] Charles R. Swindoll, Moses: A Man of Selfless Dedication, 348.

Deuteronomy 33:1-29 - Moses Blessing Israel

Map of the Tribes of Israel
Introduction
     Throughout the book of Deuteronomy, Moses’ death has loomed like a shadow over the nation. The book as a whole is his farewell address, as he imparts to them all that is needed for a life of success after he dies. Moses, after having communicated the core of the law to Israel, appointed Joshua as his successor and received the Lord’s command to ascend Mount Nebo and die, is left only to offer his blessings to the nation before his graduation to heaven. Moses’ blessing in Deuteronomy 33 reveals the heart of this great leader for God’s people, Israel. The blessings were not predictive, but rather, express Moses’ desires of what he wished for the nation. According to Eugene Merrill, “Moses’ utterances concerning the tribes were in the nature of prayerful intercession. They express what he fervently desired for his people and what he confidently expected that God would do.”[1] Of course, under the Mosaic Law, Israel’s blessing were conditional on the obedience of his people.
The Blessing Introduction
     “Now this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the sons of Israel before his death” (Deut 33:1). This opening verse sets the tone for what follows, as it is Moses’ blessing on the nation just prior to his death. The word blessing translates the Hebrew word בְּרָכָה berakah, which means to bless or favor someone. The blessing derived from Moses revealed his wish or prayer for the future of God’s people. Of course, this was conditional, as they would receive the blessing if they would “listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I am commanding you today” (Deut 11:27). Though Moses sought their best interests, he can do no more than give them God’s directives and encourage them to walk by them, knowing the Lord’s blessings would follow if they obeyed.  
     Moses continued, saying, “The LORD came from Sinai, and dawned on them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran, and He came from the midst of ten thousand holy ones; at His right hand there was flashing lightning for them’” (Deut 33:2). Here, God is portrayed as the Divine Warrior who goes before His people, and this is seen elsewhere in Scripture (Judg 5:4-5; Psa 68:7-8). That God shone forth (יָפַע yapha – brightness, splendor) at various times and places revealed His glory in theophanic form. The holy ones mentioned in this verse refer to angels. The reference to flashing lightning could be a manifestation of the angels as they come with the Lord and do His work. This picture of God as Divine Warrior was intended to instill confidence among His people that He was with them, and to instill fear among Israel’s enemies who sought to thwart God’s purposes among His people.
     Of the Lord, Moses said, “Indeed, He loves the people; all Your holy ones are in Your hand, and they followed in Your steps; everyone receives of Your words” (Deut 33:3). Here, Moses emphasized God’s love for His people (cf. Deut 7:7-8), which is what motivated Him to set them apart. The holy ones in this verse refer to the nation of Israel, whom God had created as special (Isa 43:1, 15), to be set apart from the other nations and to walk with Him in righteousness (Deut 7:6, 11). The text continues, saying, “Moses charged us with a law, a possession for the assembly of Jacob. 5 And He was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people were gathered, the tribes of Israel together” (Deut 33:4-5). Moses had given Israel God’s law (תּוֹרָה torah – law, instruction, direction), which was their special possession (Lev 27:34), which gave them everything they needed for a life of righteousness. And God was their king (Isa 33:22), the One who ruled over them, to provide, guide, and protect them in all things. The term Jeshurun (יְשֻׁרוּן Yeshurun) means upright one and was a nickname for Israel. Here, the word is used of how Israel was intended to be, as Moses hoped they would be, as upright to the Lord. In the NT we see where God’s people are called saints (ἅγιος hagios – sacred, holy; Rom 1:7; 1 Cor 1:2; Eph 1:1), and the ideal Christian is one whose performance is that of his/her position in Christ (Eph 4:1; Col 1:10).
Blessing the Tribes
Reuben
     Moses’ first wish of blessing fell to Reuben, as he says, “May Reuben live and not die, nor his men be few” (Deut 33:6). Reuben was Jacob’s firstborn son (Gen 29:32; 49:3). As the firstborn son, the birthright and blessing naturally fell to him. However, we know that Reuben committed a terrible sin when he had sex with his father’s concubine (Gen 35:22), and for this he was cursed by Jacob just before he died (Gen 49:4), which meant he’d forfeited his inheritance. Reuben’s descendants were judged, as they followed in the footsteps of their progenitor. Though there are always exceptions, children often model their parents values and behavior, and worldly parents tend to produce worldly children. According to Thomas Constable, “Reuben (v. 6) was the firstborn son of Jacob, but he did not enjoy greatness among the tribes because of his sin. He lost his father’s birthright and blessing. Furthermore, no great civil or military leader or prophet ever came from this tribe, as far as Scripture records.”[2]
Judah
     Next in the order of Moses’ blessings was Judah, where it reads, “And this regarding Judah; so he said, ‘Hear, O LORD, the voice of Judah, and bring him to his people. With his hands he contended for them, and may You be a help against his adversaries’” (Deut 33:7). Judah was Jacob’s fourth son (after Simeon and Levi) and was singled out for blessing, from whom would come Messiah (Gen 49:8-12). Moses asked God to help Judah, to hear his voice, and to “bring him to his people” (Deut 33:7). This phrase likely refers to the safe return of Judahites after a military campaign. According to the book of Numbers, Judah was to lead the other nations in battle, as “They shall set out first” (Num 2:9b). This meant Judah would take the lead and be in a dangerous position, militarily speaking. It’s natural that as they went into battle, they would ask to be returned safely to their people and that God would “be a help against his adversaries” (Deut 33:7b). Ultimately, through Judah would come David, and through David would come Jesus, the Messiah (Matt 1:1, 6, 16).
Levi
Concerning the tribe of Levi, Moses said:
Of Levi he said, “Let your Thummim and Your Urim belong to Your godly man, whom You proved at Massah, with whom You contended at the waters of Meribah; 9 who said of his father and his mother, ‘I did not consider them’; and he did not acknowledge his brothers, nor did he regard his own sons, for they observed Your word, and kept Your covenant. 10 They shall teach Your ordinances to Jacob, and Your law to Israel. They shall put incense before You, and whole burnt offerings on Your altar. 11 O LORD, bless his substance, and accept the work of his hands; shatter the loins of those who rise up against him, and those who hate him, so that they will not rise again.” (Deut 33:8-11)
     The tribe of Levi is mentioned here without regard to the tribe of Simeon. Previously, in the book of Genesis, Moses had recorded Jacob’s genealogy and listed Simeon and Levi together, as the second and third sons in the lineage. Of those brothers, Jacob had said, “Simeon and Levi are brothers; their swords are implements of violence” (Gen 49:5). This refers to Simeon and Levi’s exaggerated violence against the Shechemites, whose leader had raped their sister, Dinah (Gen 34:1-29). Jacob, having cursed his two sons for their violence (Gen 49:6-7a), said, “I will disperse them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel” (Gen 49:7). Though Levi retained land in Israel, Simeon was incorporated into the tribe of Judah (Josh 19:1, 9). Concerning this, Eugene Merrill states, “The effect of this is evident even here in the blessing of Moses because Simeon is lacking entirely in the list, and Levi appears without reference to territory of its own. Moreover, Simeon had already become involved in idolatry at Baal Peor (cf. Num 25:6–15), a sin that brought such devastating population loss that the whole tribe eventually became assimilated into Judah.”[3]
     Though the tribe of Levi did not own land, they were blessed by Moses and became the tribe that was given to Aaron and his sons to help them in their priestly duties (Num 3:6-10; 18:1-7). The selection of the tribe of Levi came because of their faithfulness to God during the incident of the golden calf in which they stood with the Lord and Moses (Ex 32:25-29). In this way, they had been faithful to God’s covenant (Deut 33:9b). Both Moses and Aaron were from the tribe of Levi. Part of Moses’ blessing referred to the function of the high priest who was given the Urim and Thummim to wear inside a pouch on his chest and was occasionally used to discern a divine answer (Ex 28:29-30; cf. 1 Sam 28:6).[4] One of the functions of the priests was to teach God’s Word to the other tribes (Lev 10:8-11; Deut 31:9-13; 33:10; 2 Ch 17:7-9; Ezra 7:10; Mal 2:7). Another function of the priests was to offer sacrifices to the Lord, as Moses wrote, “They shall put incense before You, and whole burnt offerings on Your altar” (Deut 33:10b; cf., Leviticus chapters 4, 9, 16). Moses closed out this section on Levi, saying, “O LORD, bless his substance, and accept the work of his hands; shatter the loins of those who rise up against him, and those who hate him, so that they will not rise again” (Deut 33:11). To accept the work of Levi’s hands meant God approved of their work. And to shatter the loins of their enemies meant they would be destroyed completely without descendants.
Benjamin
     Moses blessed Benjamin, the last of Jacob’s sons (Gen 49:27), saying, “Of Benjamin he said, ‘May the beloved of the LORD dwell in security by Him, Who shields him all the day, and he dwells between His shoulders” (Deut 33:12). Moses’ blessing was that Benjamin would dwell in security in the land. And God would be the One to shield him, as he dwelt “between His shoulders” (Deut 33:12b). Eugene Merrill notes, “The anthropomorphism here is suggestive of the most tender compassion and solid security at the same time. The phrase speaks not of carrying on the back but of being held close to the breast or bosom.”[5] Benjamin’s safety in battle came, not because of his military prowess, but because of His closeness to God.
Joseph (i.e., Ephraim and Manasseh)
Moving on to Joseph, Moses wrote:
Of Joseph he said, “Blessed of the LORD be his land, with the choice things of heaven, with the dew, and from the deep lying beneath, 14 and with the choice yield of the sun, and with the choice produce of the months. 15 And with the best things of the ancient mountains, and with the choice things of the everlasting hills, 16 and with the choice things of the earth and its fullness, and the favor of Him who dwelt in the bush. Let it come to the head of Joseph, and to the crown of the head of the one distinguished among his brothers. 17 As the firstborn of his ox, majesty is his, and his horns are the horns of the wild ox; with them he will push the peoples, all at once, to the ends of the earth. And those are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and those are the thousands of Manasseh.” (Deut 33:13-17)
     Here, Joseph is represented by his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh (Deut 33:17). Living in Canaan meant relying on the weather—rain, dew, sun—to bring forth fertile crops. Moses’ wishes for Joseph—i.e., Ephraim and Manasseh—was that their land would be blessed with fertility and production of vegetation (Deut 33:13-16). Moses also asked that they be given strength whereby they might judge other nations, perhaps in battle, as the Lord’s instrument of judgment (Deut 33:17). The reference to “the ends of the earth” (Deut 33:17b), according to Merrill, “suggests an eschatological rather than historical fulfillment, a time when God’s kingdom would rise above and rule over the kingdoms of the earth (cf. 1 Sam 2:10; Psa 2:8; 59:13; 72:8; Mic 5:4).”[6]
Zebulun and Issachar
     Next, Moses blessed Zebulun and Issachar, saying, “Of Zebulun he said, ‘Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going forth, and, Issachar, in your tents. 19 They will call peoples to the mountain; there they will offer righteous sacrifices; for they will draw out the abundance of the seas, and the hidden treasures of the sand’” (Deut 33:18-19). Zebulun and Issachar were the sixth and fifth sons of Jacob by his wife, Leah (Gen 30:18-20), here blessed by Moses in reverse order. Jacob also blessed them in reverse order of their birth (Gen 49:13-15), These two brothers were close, and so were their descendant tribes, as their land was near to each other. Both were to rejoice; Zebulun in their “going forth” and Issachar in their “tents” (Deut 33:18). The phrase forms a merism, a figure of speech with includes all activities of life. In this way, Moses wished for their blessings to be wherever they went and in all they did. These tribes would bring blessings to Israel by offering “righteous sacrifices” that were in conformity with God’s directives, and by drawing out “the abundance of the seas, and the hidden treasures of the sand” (Deut 33:19). That is, their wealth was shared with their brethren, and in this way were a blessing to others.
Gad
     Moses’ blessing on Gad was, “Blessed is the One who enlarges Gad; he lies down as a lion, and tears the arm, also the crown of the head. 21 Then he provided the first part for himself, for there the ruler’s portion was reserved; and he came with the leaders of the people; he executed the justice of the LORD, and His ordinances with Israel” (Deut 33:20-21). When entering the land of Canaan under the leadership of Joshua, all Israel proved faithful to fight, but apparently some fought harder than others and they were blessed in a special way with more land. Gad was known “as a lion” that was ferocious in battle. According to Peter Craigie, “The blessing indicates that Gad was to play an important part in the battle, and that as a result the tribe would deserve a lion’s share of the fruit of victory.”[7] The tribe of Gad (as well as Manasseh and Reuben) requested to live east of the Jordan River, and Moses granted their request, but only on the condition they would help their brothers complete the military conquest into Canaan beyond the Jordan River (Deut 3:18). They would help their fellow Israelites by leaving their wives, children, and livestock behind (Deut 3:19). After victory was obtained, they could return to their own land (Deut 3:20). We know from the book of Joshua that they were faithful to help their brothers (Josh 22:1-6).
Dan
     Moses continued, “Of Dan he said, ‘Dan is a lion’s whelp, that leaps forth from Bashan’” (Deut 33:22). As a lion’s whelp, the tribe of Dan would display timidity early on, but would become strong and eventually leap forth as a powerful lion. Jacob, when blessing Dan, used similar language, saying, “Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He couches, he lies down as a lion, and as a lion, who dares rouse him up?” (Gen 49:9).
Naphtali
     Moses’ next blessing was for Naphtali, and “Of Naphtali he said, ‘O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, and full of the blessing of the LORD, take possession of the sea and the south’” (Deut 33:23). This tribe was to be satisfied with the Lord’s favor (רָצוֹן ratson – goodness, favor). The result of the Lord’s full blessing was their taking “possession of the sea and the south” (Deut 33:23b). The sea is a reference to the Sea of Galilee. Eugene Merrill notes, “The Galilee region embraced by Naphtali did indeed enjoy many temporal and material riches (cf. Josh 20:7; 2 Chr 16:4; Isa 9:1), but by far the most abundant blessing was the fact that the Messiah spent most of his life and exercised much of his ministry there or in nearby Zebulun (cf. Matt 4:12–17).”[8]
Asher
     Moses continued, saying, “Of Asher he said, ‘More blessed than sons is Asher; may he be favored by his brothers, and may he dip his foot in oil. 25 Your locks will be iron and bronze, and according to your days, so will your leisurely walk be” (Deut 33:24-25). The tribe of Asher was blessed more than others and had good relations with his brothers (i.e. was favored). To dip his foot in oil was a reference to the many olive trees of that region as well as the overall fertility of the land and its produce. The reference to locks of iron and bronze meant the tribe would dwell in safety and would enjoy the leisure of their wealth.
Conclusion to Moses’ Blessings
     Moses concludes this section, saying, “There is none like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to your help, and through the skies in His majesty. 27 The eternal God is a dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms; and He drove out the enemy from before you, and said, ‘Destroy!’ 28 So Israel dwells in security, the fountain of Jacob secluded, in a land of grain and new wine; His heavens also drop down dew” (Deut 33:26-28). Israel’s God is unique and there are none like Him (Isa 45:5-6). He is pictured as the Divine Warrior “Who rides the heavens to your help, and through the skies in His majesty” (Deut 33:26b). According to Earl Radmacher, “Like a soldier, the Lord is constantly on the lookout for ways to defend His people from attack. The Divine Warrior is always providing protection because He is eternal. God is a refuge or fortress for the people to flee to in times of distress (Psa 90:1; 91:9).”[9] And the eternal God would be Israel’s “dwelling place” where they would find refuge and safety “underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deut 33:27a). The same arms that brought them to safety would be the ones used to drive out their enemies and would “destroy” those who opposed. Because of their relationship with Yahweh and their walk with Him, Israel would dwell in safety and seclusion (Deut 33:28a), and would live in a land blessed by the Lord, “in a land of grain and new wine” where “His heavens also drop down dew” (Deut 33:28b). Concerning this section, Peter Craigie notes, “The substance of verse 26-28 expresses once again the apparent paradox of Israel’s existence. The path lying ahead was not one of peaceful existence and quiet solitude, but it was one beset on every side with danger. Yet it was within this danger and war that Israel would find its safety (v. 28), because the path of danger was the path in which the presence and help of God would be found.”[10]
     Moses closed his blessing, saying, “Blessed are you, O Israel; who is like you, a people saved by the LORD, Who is the shield of your help and the sword of your majesty! So your enemies will cringe before you, and you will tread upon their high places’” (Deut 33:29). Israel’s blessings were possible only because of their relationship with God, as He shielded them from danger and would defeat their enemies when they walked with Him in righteousness. And Israel’s enemies would cringe in fear, knowing God was with them to grant them victory as they would “tread upon their high places” (Deut 33:29b).
Summary
     Moses, the man of God, blessed the sons of Israel before his death. He spoke about the Lord’s love for His people and called for them to obey His law (Deut 33:1-5). Moses also made specific blessings for each tribe of Israel (Deut 33:6-25). And in conclusion, praised the greatness of God and how He protected Israel from their enemies and would allow them to dwell in safety (Deut 33:26-28). Moses ended his blessing by declaring the blessedness of the people of Israel, who were saved by the Lord and would tread upon their enemies Deut 33:29).
Present Application
     As Moses’ death approached, his great concern was for the success of Israel in the days after his departure. The Lord had worked through Moses to liberate the people from Egyptian slavery, to guide them for forty years in the wilderness, and to educate them in the law of the Lord that they might walk with Him and know success (Deut 11:26-28; 28:1-2; 30:15-16). But God revealed to Moses that after his death the nation would turn away from Yahweh and pursue idols (Deut 31:16; cf., Judg 2:11-12; 2 Ki 18:11-12). Though this news saddened Moses, it did not hinder his efforts to guide them into righteousness, giving them what they needed for success—the Word of God.
     Likewise, we see something similar in the life and ministry of the apostle Paul. Paul had taught in Ephesus for several years (Acts 19:10; 20:31), and as his ministry was nearing an end, he called for the elders of the church to come to him (Acts 20:17). He reminded them about his faithfulness to serve the Lord and to teach them the Word of God (Acts 20:18-21), and that he was about to leave for Jerusalem where he would suffer persecution (Acts 20:22-24). He told the elders of the church they would no longer see him (Acts 20:25), which was upsetting news. He also told them he was innocent of harming anyone (Acts 20:26), and that he had been faithful to declare to them “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). Afterwards, Paul gave them heavy news, saying, “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them” (Acts 20:29-30). Knowing this, Paul instructed them to “be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears” (Acts 20:31). Paul was leaving, but he was not leaving them emptyhanded, as he said, “I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:32). Though Paul was leaving, God and His Word remained, and that was sufficient for a life of success. The church at Ephesus did well after Paul’s departure, and he gave thanks for their faith and love (Eph 1:15-16). However, the generation that followed did not continue in their love, as Jesus said of them, “I have this against you, that you have left your first love” (Rev 2:4). This shows that the faith of one generation does not automatically continue into the next, as each generation must choose for themselves whether they will learn and live God’s Word.
     As Christian leaders (whether pastors, parents, or teachers), we bear special responsibility for our own spiritual growth which comes by studying God’s Word (2 Tim 2:15; 1 Pet 2:2), learning from gifted teachers (Eph 4:11-14), and applying His Word by faith (2 Cor 5:7; Heb 10:38; Jam 1:22), which leads to spiritual maturity (Heb 6:1). Furthermore, we seek to communicate His Word to others who will listen (Mark 16:15; Matt 28:19-20; Eph 6:4; 2 Tim 4:2; cf., Ezra 7:10). Once we’ve fulfilled our duty to the Lord, we then entrust our loved ones to Him, knowing that the Lord and His Word provides a fortress of truth and love that will protect their souls as they advance to spiritual maturity. Our desires and prayers for our loved ones are that they will “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet 3:18) and learn to “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col 1:10).
Dr. Steven R. Cook
 
[1] Eugene H. Merrill, Deuteronomy, vol. 4, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994), 431–432.
[2] Tom Constable, Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003), Dt 33:6.
[3] Eugene H. Merrill, Deuteronomy, vol. 4, 438.
[4] Only a descendant of Aaron could serve as the high priest (Ex 28:1; 40:13-15), and the non-Aaronic priests came from the tribe of Levi (Deut 17:18; 18:1; 24:8; 27:9). All priests were Levites, but not all Levites were priests. The priesthood consisted of men who could not have any physical defects (Lev 21:17-23), and restricted to the age of twenty-five to fifty (Num 8:24-25).
[5] Eugene H. Merrill, Deuteronomy, vol. 4, 440.
[6] Ibid., 442–443.
[7] Peter C. Craigie, The Book of Deuteronomy, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1976), 400.
[8] Eugene H. Merrill, Deuteronomy, vol. 4, 445–446.
[9] Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald Barclay Allen, and H. Wayne House, Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers, 1999), 269.
[10] Peter C. Craigie, The Book of Deuteronomy, 403.

Deuteronomy 32:44-52 - The Word of God is the Source of Life & Moses’ Punishment for Disobedience

Introduction
     Moses, having delivered the song to the nation (Deut 32:1-43), now directs and encourages his audience to receive the message for themselves. If the people of Israel would accept the message, follow it, and teach it to their children, they would know blessing in the land of Canaan, to which they were about to enter and possess (Deut 32:44-47). God had placed before them everything they needed for a life of success and prosperity, both for them and their children, but they had to commit themselves to the Lord and follow His directives set forth in the Torah (Deut 11:26-28; 30:15-20). The last few verses of this chapter close out with God directing Moses to go up to Mount Nebo, where he will see the land of Canaan from a distance, and then die (Deut 32:48-52).
Text
     In the opening of this pericope, Moses reiterates what he’d said at the beginning of the song (Deut 31:30), saying, “Then Moses came and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people, he, with Joshua the son of Nun” (Deut 32:44).
“When Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel, 46 he said to them, ‘Take to your heart all the words with which I am warning you today, which you shall command your sons to observe carefully, even all the words of this law’” (Deut 32:45-46).  
     Moses, after speaking God’s Word to all Israel, directs them to accept the revelation for themselves, saying, “Take to your heart all the words with which I am warning you today” (Deut 32:46a). The word take translates the Hebrew verb שׂוּם sum, which means to “put, set, place…deposit.”[1] The form of the verb is a Qal imperative, which means it’s a command to be obeyed, as the believer intentionally deposits God’s Word to their own heart (לֵבָב lebab). For the believer with positive volition, it means he/she is mentally focusing on something of importance and paying careful attention to it. And what Moses was telling his audience to pay careful attention to? Specifically, it’s “all the words” he was communicating to them, adding the oft repeated reference to “all the words of this law” (Deut 32:46b; cf., Deut 17:19; 27:3, 8, 26; 28:58; 29:29; 31:12, 24). And after telling his audience that they are personally responsible to place God’s Word into their own hearts, he gives them an added responsibility, saying, “you shall command your sons to observe carefully, even all the words of this law” (Deut 32:46b). According to Eugene Merrill, “Not only were his hearers to pledge themselves to its stipulations, but they were to command their descendants to do the same. Over and over again the people of Israel were reminded that the faith and commitment of any one generation were not sufficient for all the generations to come. Each must have its own time of covenant renewal (cf. Deut 4:9–10; 5:29; 6:2, 7; 11:19, 21; 12:25, 28; 30:19).”[2]Though the parents were directed to command their children to learn and observe God’s directives, it was up to the children themselves to exercise their own volitions and accept God’s Word and walk in it. The command from the parents to the children was the highest display of love for them, for to give them the Word of God was to give them the source of life and blessing, for “man does not live by bread alone, but lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord” (Deut 8:3).
     Moses drives the point further, saying, “For it is not an idle word for you; indeed it is your life. And by this word you will prolong your days in the land, which you are about to cross the Jordan to possess” (Deut 32:47; cf. Deut 4:40). Here we see repeated words that Moses has been stressing throughout the book (cf., Deut 6:24-25; 11:26-28; 30:15-20). As stated previously, the faith of one generation does not guarantee the faith of the next. Still, Moses was concerned about his generation, and instructed them to teach their children—which was a display of love for them—that they might continue in obedience to the Lord and know His blessings as well (See Deut 4:9-10; 5:29; 6:2, 7; 11:19, 21; 12:25, 28; 30:19). Concerning this passage, Peter Craigie states, “The law did not bind men in a straitjacket of legalism, but pointed toward that life which God purposed for them. In the law lay the secret of Israel’s longevity and prosperity in the promised land which they were soon to possess.”[3]
Prediction of Moses’ Death
     In this closing section, the Lord spoke directly to Moses and directed him to ascend to Mount Nebo, where he would see the land of Canaan from a distance and then die. This discourse from God reiterates what Moses had said before about the Lord’s punishment on him (see Deut 3:23-28; 31:2, 14). There are four commands given here to Moses: 1) go up to Mount Nebo (Deut 32:49a), 2) look at the land of Canaan (Deut 32:49b), 3) die on the mountain (Deut 32:50a), and 4) be gathered to your people (Deut 32:50b).
     The pericope opens, telling us, “The LORD spoke to Moses that very same day, saying, 49 ‘Go up to this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab opposite Jericho, and look at the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the sons of Israel for a possession’” (Deut 32:48-49; cf., Num 27:12-14). The Abarim was a mountain range located in Moab, east of Canaan. According to Eugene Merrill, “The ‘Abarim Range’ refers to the high plateau area east of the Jordan River and Dead Sea, the highest peak of which was Pisgah, a part of Mount Nebo (cf., Deut 34:1). This peak, with an elevation of over 2,600 feet, is about twenty miles from Jericho as the crow flies and affords an unobstructed view of nearly all the promised land (cf. Deut 34:1–3).”[4]
     For Moses, being able to see the land of Canaan allowed him to know his mission of leading the people there had been accomplished. It was now up to Joshua to lead the Israelites into Canaan, which God was “giving to the sons of Israel for a possession” (Deut 32:49). God then told Moses, “Then die on the mountain where you ascend, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people” (Deut 32:50). And God reminded Moses of the reason he could not enter the land of Canaan, saying, “because you broke faith with Me in the midst of the sons of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, because you did not treat Me as holy in the midst of the sons of Israel” (Deut 32:51). God reminded Moses that he had disqualified himself from entering the land of Canaan because he: 1) “broke faith” with God, and 2) did not treat the Lord as “holy in the midst of the sons of Israel.” Concerning this passage, Daniel Block states:
"In striking the rock Moses had misrepresented Yahweh publicly, violated his own representative role, and failed to respect Yahweh’s unique and sacred status. To Yahweh, striking the rock reflected a cavalier disposition toward him, as though Moses could adapt Yahweh’s commands as he wanted. Moreover, in relating directly to the rock rather than the Rock, he had committed an idolatrous act. Yahweh’s present indictment highlights the communal implications of Moses’ actions; he had publicly failed to uphold Yahweh’s holiness. As leader of the people and representative of Yahweh, he had struck the rock when Yahweh had commanded him to speak to it. While his act may have been a gesture of frustration, to God it involved publicly usurping what is otherwise a divine agenda. Remarkably, it worked—water issued from the rock. Moses may have looked like a magician—but it cost him his life and his mission."[5]
     The Lord tells Moses, “For you shall see the land at a distance, but you shall not go there, into the land which I am giving the sons of Israel” (Deut 32:52). These final words to Moses show that all who were under the covenant, even Moses, was not exempt from divine punishment if he broke faith with God and was disobedient. By his disobedience, Moses did not forfeit his salvation, but his reward of entering the promised land. However, we also see here a display of God’s grace, as He allowed Moses to see the land from a distance, just east of the Jordan River.
     Though Moses’ failure to honor God had cost him his right to enter the land of Canaan, overall, Moses is remembered for his faithfulness to the Lord, as the writer of Hebrews tells is, “Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant” to the Lord (Heb 3:5). The Lord called Moses His “friend” (Ex 33:11), and described him as His servant, who “is faithful in all My household” (Num 12:7). To be a friend of God means one follows His directives. Jesus said something similar to His disciples, saying, “You are My friends if you do what I command you” (John 15:14). By the end of his life, Moses would die at the ripe age of one hundred and twenty years with vigor  of life (Deut 34:7), and would tower above the prophets of Scripture who would follow after him (Deut 34:10-12).
     Though Moses was about to leave the company of Israel and go to the mountain, and there leave this world, he was leaving behind a powerful legacy that would serve as the foundation for all Israel’s success and prosperity in the years ahead, if they would accept it. Just before going up to the top of Mount Nebo, Moses would pronounce blessings on the nation (Deut 33), and then he would ascend the mountain—to die (Deut 34).
Summary
     In Deuteronomy 32:44-47, Moses directs his people to take all the words of God’s law to heart, for they are not meaningless words, but are the very source of life and blessing, both for them and their children, if they will follow the Lord and walk in righteousness. In Deuteronomy 32:48-52, the Lord calls Moses to ascend Mount Nebo to look upon the land of promise, informing him that he will not enter the land, because of an event in which he broke faith with God and did not treat Him as holy, informing Moses that he will die on the mountain and be gathered to his people.
Present Application
     God gives us His Word to light our paths (Psa 119:105; Prov 6:23), to revive our hearts (Psa 119:25, 107), and to direct us in the path of righteousness (2 Tim 3:16). Being plugged into God’s Word is paramount to the believer’s successful walk. Moses knew this, and he stressed it over and over to his audience. He told them, “Take to heart all these words I am giving as a warning to you today, so that you may command your children to carefully follow all the words of this law. For they are not meaningless words to you but they are your life, and by them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess” (Deut 32:46-47 CSB; cf. Deut 4:40). The Scriptural teaching is “that man does not live by bread alone, but lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD” (Deut 8:3). But only those with positive volition will accept God’s Word, live by faith, and walk in righteousness.
     Of the one with positive volition it is said, “his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night” (Psa 1:2). The benefit of such a lifelong meditation is that “He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers” (Psa 1:3). Elsewhere, David said, “I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart” (Psa 40:8). And Jeremiah said, “Your words were found and I ate them, and Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I have been called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts” (Jer 15:16). To eat God’s Word is a picture of positive volition, as Jeremiah welcomed the divine revelation into himself, and once received, it delighted his heart.
     When the human heart is receptive to God’s Word, it transforms that person from the inside out, and this is both cognitive and experiential. God says, “Is not My word like fire? declares the LORD, and like a hammer which shatters a rock?” (Jer 23:29). His Word is powerful and accomplishes what He desires (Isa 55:10-11; Heb 4:12), and it lights a fire in the heart of those who are positive. For example, after His resurrection, Jesus walked for several miles with two disciples and gave them a Bible lesson which lasted for several hours (Luke 24:14-35). This Bible lesson occurred as they traveled “to a village named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem” (Luke 24:13). Luke reveals how Jesus taught them, “beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures” (Luke 24:27). After His Bible lesson, the two disciples said, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32). The heart that is positive to God receives His Word and is excited by what is learned. But hearts that are negative suppress God’s truth (Rom 1:18-32), and this to their own harm.
     Learning Scripture must be followed by faith, as we become “doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude” ourselves” (Jam 1:22). This means learning and living His Word day by day (Psa 1:2; Ezra 7:10; 2 Tim 2:15; 3:16-17; 1 Pet 2:2), walking by faith (Heb 10:38; 11:1-6), advancing to spiritual maturity (Heb 6:1), and living the righteous life He intends. Such a life glorifies God, edifies others, and creates in us a personal sense of destiny tied to the God of universe, Who is directing history to the return of Jesus and the establishment of His earthly kingdom.
 
 
[1] Willem VanGemeren, ed., New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & Exegesis (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1997), 1237.
[2] Eugene H. Merrill, Deuteronomy, vol. 4, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994), 428.
[3] Peter C. Craigie, The Book of Deuteronomy, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1976), 390.
[4] Eugene H. Merrill, Deuteronomy, vol. 4, The New American Commentary, 429–430.
[5] Daniel I. Block, The NIV Application Commentary: Deuteronomy, ed. Terry Muck (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), 779.

A Survey of Christian Theology - Lecture #25 - Resurrections & Judgements of Israel and Gentiles

     Every Christian should have a basic knowledge of the doctrines found in God’s Word. This series of lectures will provide some of the basics of Christian Theology and is intended to help the growing believer advance in his/her knowledge of God and His Word. A complete set of my study notes can be found here: https://thinkingonscripture.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/A-Survey-of-Theology-Lecture-Notes-1.pdf 

Acts 4:5-12 - Salvation is Found Only in Jesus

Introduction
     In the previous lesson, Peter had healed a lame man, and this afforded him the opportunity to preach Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection to his fellow Israelites. This message had two responses, one negative and one positive. The first response came from those marked by negative volition. This came from the priests and Sadducees who were “greatly disturbed” because Peter and the other apostles “were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead” (Acts 4:2). And their negative attitude was followed by destructive action as “they laid hands on them and put them in jail until the next day” (Acts 4:3). Though the text does not say, it’s possible the man who had been healed was also arrested, for he appears before the Sanhedrin the next day along with the Peter and the apostles (see Acts 4:10). But the second group who heard Peter’s preaching responded positively, and “many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand” (Acts 4:4). These two reactions, to varying degrees, are the norm throughout human history, and should be expected by those preach God’s Word.
Text
     Luke tells us, “On the next day, their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem” (Acts 4:5). Here we observe events that took place in time and space, as they occurred “the next day” and “in Jerusalem.” This is real history. The rulers consisted of 24 Sadducees who were the chief priests, and the elders and scribes consisted of the Pharisees. The place where the Sanhedrin convened, according to Josephus, was known as the Hall of the Hewn stones, or Chamber of Hewn stones (Josephus, Antiquities, 4:2). According to Alfred Edersheim, “The highest tribunal was that of seventy-one, or the Great Sanhedrin, which met in one of the Temple-Chambers, the so-called Lishkath haGazith—or Chamber of Hewn Stones.”[1]
     The Sanhedrin was the highest Jewish court in Jerusalem, and Luke provides some of their names, which included “Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent” (Acts 4:6). We know from the gospel of John that Annas and Caiaphas were two of the Jewish rulers responsible for the illegal trial and crucifixion of Jesus (John 18:24). Though we know about Annas and Caiaphas, we’re not able to accurately identify “John and Alexander.” It’s possible they were relatives of the high priest, and that’s why their names are mentioned. Annas had served as high priest from A.D. 6 to 15, and his son-in-law, Caiaphas, was made high priest after A.D. 18. However, though Annas was no longer the high priest, apparently he retained great influence (Luke 3:2; John 18:13–24), so much so that Luke continued to refer to him as the high priest. According to Warren Wiersbe, “The court was essentially composed of the high priest’s family. The Jewish religious system had become so corrupt that the offices were passed from one relative to another without regard for the Word of God. When Annas was deposed from the priesthood, Caiaphas his son-in-law was appointed. In fact, five of Annas’ sons held the office at one time or another.”[2] Here we see where the leaders of Israel, including Caiaphas and Annas, were nothing more than religious thugs who wielded their authority as tyrants. Spiritual leaders are to teach others about God, serve as examples of godliness and lead others into God’s will, not control others for selfish interests or act as lords to be served (cf., 1 Pet 5:2-3).
     After Peter and John stood before the Sanhedrin, Luke informs us, “When they had placed them in the center, they began to inquire, ‘By what power, or in what name, have you done this?’” (Acts 4:7). Ideally, the convening of such a meeting would be necessary if someone performed a miracle and then started teaching others, as such teachers were subject to doctrinal examination out of concern the miracle had been performed by a spiritual source other than God and the doctrine would lead people into idolatry (Deut 13:1-5). However, the Sanhedrin had already demonstrated they were not concerned with doctrinal purity or justice, but with maintaining their legal authority.
     Luke informs us, “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, ‘Rulers and elders of the people” (Acts 4:8). This is the third reference to the filling of the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts (Acts 2:4; 3:10). And, as usual, the filling of the Holy Spirit is followed by speech that communicates divine viewpoint. Though the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a one-time event that occurs at the moment of salvation, the filling of the Holy Spirit is repeated over and over. While filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter addressed the Sanhedrin, saying, “if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well,  10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by this name this man stands here before you in good health” (Acts 4:9-10).  
     Peter began his address with a first class conditional clause (εἰ ei + indicative), which, for the sake of argument, assumed they were on trial “for a benefit done to a sick man.” And the benefit done to the sick man was that he had been made well. The words made well translates the Greek verb σῴζω sozo, which in many passages of Scripture refers to the act of physical deliverance (Matt 8:25; 14:30; Mark 13:20; Luke 6:9; John 11:12; Acts 27:20, 31), and in other passages refers to spiritual deliverance (John 12:47; 1 Cor 1:21; Tit 3:5). Context always determines the meaning of a word, and here it refers to the man being made well physically. And the form of the verb σῴζω sozo is perfect/passive/indicative. The perfect tense looks at the past action but places emphasis on the abiding results. That is, the lame man had been made well, and continued to be well at the time Peter and the apostles were on trial. The passive voice means the lame man had received the healing, and the indicative mood is declarative for a statement of fact.
     And Peter’s public declaration was to be known to the Sanhedrin (i.e., to all of you), and to the nation as a whole (i.e., to all the people of Israel). And what were they to know? Peter declares, “that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by this name this man stands here before you in good health.” The name of Jesus—mentioned several times in this this chapter (Acts 4:10, 18, 30)—was the last name the Sanhedrin wanted to hear. And that Jesus was called a Nazarene was a sticking point for the leadership of Israel, for Nazareth had an unsavory reputation (see John 1:45-46). This was the Jesus whom they had crucified, but God countermanded their rejection and killing of Messiah by raising Him from the dead. To mention the resurrection upset the Sadducees, for they did not hold to that teaching, though the Pharisees did (See Acts 23:8). But this was more than a declaration concerning the lame man’s physical wellbeing, for Peter was putting the Sanhedrin on trial for the death of Messiah. According to Arnold Fruchtenbaum, “The apostle charged the leadership of Israel with out and out murder. While the Sadducees in leadership did not perform the actual crucifixion, they did turn Yeshua over to the Romans, who put Him to death. God's response to their act of crucifixion was to raise Yeshua from the dead. This answers the question of the leaders: ‘by what power?’”[3] Peter’s confidence reflected Jesus’ statement that He would guide them concerning what they would say when they were called to stand before rulers (Luke 21:12-15). Peter’s point was that the risen Jesus, working through His apostles, was the reason the lame man had been made well and “stands here before you in good health.” One can imagine Peter pointing to the lame man who was present during the trial.
     Next, Peter cited Psalm 118:22, saying, “He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone” (Acts 4:11). This passage from Psalm 118:22 is later used by Peter in his first epistle (1 Pet 2:7). And it was also used by the Lord Jesus during His time of ministry (Matt 21:42). Though Israel’s leadership had rejected Jesus as Messiah, God’s decision was that He be the chief cornerstone. The chief cornerstone refers to the stone that joined two walls together; thus, it was the starting point and guiding stone for the whole building. According to Arnold Fruchtenbaum:
"It needs to be noted that Peter did not directly quote Psalm 118:22, but paraphrased the verse with an application to the Jewish leaders before whom he stood...The builders in Acts 4:11 where the Jewish leaders who were guilty of rejecting the Messiahship of Yeshua. They were also guilty of leading the nation and doing the same. But this very One whom they rejected has now been made “the head of the corner.”[4]
     Peter, having moved from the lame man’s physical healing and accusation against the Sanhedrin, now transitions to the need for spiritual salvation, saying, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Here, Peter dogmatically states that salvation is found only in Jesus Christ. The Jesus that the Sanhedrin had rejected and crucified (Acts 4:10-11), but Who was raised and made the cornerstone by God, is the Jesus that has been given to mankind for salvation. The word must translates the Greek verb δεῖ dei, which connotes divine necessity. It is necessary to come to Jesus, and Jesus alone, for our salvation, “for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” They need only Christ to be saved. And to be saved (σῴζω sozo) calls for one action only, and that is to trust in Christ as their Savior, believing He died for their sins, was buried, and raised again on the third day (1 Cor 15:3-4). And if they trust in Jesus as their Savior, they will have forgiveness of sins (Eph 1:7), and eternal life (John 10:28). Here is grace, as Peter offers salvation to those who had previously rejected and crucified Jesus as the Messiah, which was the greatest miscarriage of justice in the history of humanity. And yet, because of God’s grace and mercy, they could be forgiven and made right with God. The good news of the gospel is that Jesus died for everyone (1 John 2:2), which means everyone is savable. That’s unlimited atonement. But though Christ died for everyone, the benefit of salvation is given only to those who believe in Jesus as their Savior. These are the elect.
     The gospel message is simple, and even a child can understand it and be saved. If you’ve not trusted in Jesus as Savior, then, like Paul, I “beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Cor 5:20). Turn to Christ as your Savior, believing He died for your sins, was buried, and raised again on the third day (1 Cor 15:3-4). And no matter what your past sins may be, no matter how many or egregious, God will forgive you (Eph 1:7), give you eternal life (John 10:28), and bless you with a portfolio of spiritual assets that will open for you the most wonderful life you can have in this world; a life in relationship with God. And this all starts when you simply believe in Christ as your Savior.
 
[1] Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, vol. 2 (New York: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1896), 554.
[2] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 416.
[3] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Book of Acts (San Antonio, TX, Published by Ariel Ministries, 2022), 107.
[4] Ibid., 107.

Deuteronomy 32:1-43 - The Song of Moses

Introduction
     Deuteronomy 32:1-43 presents the Song of Moses and Joshua (Deut 31:30; 32:44), which was communicated to Israel on the plains of Moab just prior to Moses’ death. Though it’s commonly called the Song of Moses, it was communicated by God and might also be called the Song of Yahweh. The song recorded in Deuteronomy 32:1-43 is didactic, revealing the rebellious hearts of the Israelites, not just in the moment, but in the years that would follow. As the nation would experience blessing and prosperity in Canaan, they would turn away from the Lord and pursue idols, and God would enter into judgment with them. However, when they cried out for mercy, He would deliver them and judge their enemies instead. The song emphasizes God’s just character, Israel’s duty to serve the Lord, and judgment upon them if they disobeyed. The song represents, in condensed form, what Moses taught through the years he’d been with his people. Daniel Block notes the “song serves as a sort of national anthem, intended to function as a ‘witness’ in perpetuity (Deut 31:21) by reminding the people that they owed their existence to Yahweh and warning against abandoning Him in favor of other gods. Moses had personally performed these functions for the past forty years, but once he is gone, the Song must take over and keep the people on spiritual course.”[1] According to Warren Wiersbe, “The song has four major divisions: the character of God (Deut 32:1–4); the kindness of God to His people (Deut 32:5–14); the faithfulness of God to chasten His people (Deut 32:15–25); and the vengeance of God against His adversaries (Deut 32:26–43).[2]
Text
     Moses opens his song, saying, “Give ear, O heavens, and let me speak; and let the earth hear the words of my mouth” (Deut 32:1). The heavens is likely a reference to the angelic host; those spirit beings who operate in the presence of God and in an unseen realm. The earth would be the realm of mankind. Together, they would serve as a witness to God’s character (cf., Deut 4:26; 30:19; Isa 1:2; Jer 6:19; Mic 1:2), Israel’s obligations, and the judgments that would follow if the nation turned away from the Lord. The song served as a reminder of the legal contract Israel had with Yahweh. Throughout, God is seen as righteous and just, whereas Israel is seen as being in violation of God’s laws.
     Using picturesque language, Moses said, “Let my teaching drop as the rain, My speech distill as the dew, as the droplets on the fresh grass and as the showers on the herb” (Deut 32:2). The similes of rain, dew, droplets and showers, speak of the refreshing qualities of Moses’ teaching that would invigorate them if their hearts were open to it. Pointing the Israelites to God, he declared, “For I proclaim the name of the LORD; ascribe greatness to our God! 4 The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; a God of faithfulness and without injustice, righteous and upright is He” (Deut 32:3-4). The “name of the LORD” ( שֵׁ֥ם יְהוָ֖ה shem Yahweh) refers to His character and reputation. Whereas the gods of the pagan nations were fickle and impotent, God was stable, perfect, and just in all His ways, which meant He was predictable and could be relied upon. Those who cling to Him will find stability in an unstable world.
     Describing Israel, Moses said, “They have acted corruptly toward Him, they are not His children, because of their defect; but are a perverse and crooked generation. 6 Do you thus repay the LORD, O foolish and unwise people? Is not He your Father who has bought you? He has made you and established you” (Deut 32:5-6). In contrast to God, Israel would act in a corrupt and perverse manner. Such behavior would be foolish, considering it was God who purchased their freedom from slavery in Egypt and established them as His people. According to Eugene Merrill, “Yahweh’s charges against Israel were that they had become so disobedient that they no longer acted like his children but, to the contrary, had repudiated him as their Father and Creator.”[3]
     Moses gave the people the key to avoiding foolishness and future judgment by the Lord. Moses said, “Remember the days of old, consider the years of all generations. Ask your father, and he will inform you, your elders, and they will tell you” (Deut 32:7). As in previous comments by Moses, Israelites were directed by God to remember their heritage and that they were once an oppressed people. The word remember translates the Hebrew verb זָכַר zakar, which means to call to mind, and implies intentionality. God’s people were commanded to remember their past servitude in Egypt, and that memory was to have a positive influence on of their behavior (Deut 5:15; 15:15; 16:3; 24:22). Israel’s special relationship with Yahweh was a part of His master plan. Moses alludes to the Tower of Babel, “When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when He separated the sons of man” (Deut 32:8a); cf., Gen 11:8-9). He then references the land of Canaan which the Lord had portioned off for His people, Israel, as “He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel” (Deut 32:8b). Eugene Merrill states, “God from the beginning carved out a geographical inheritance for his elect people and arranged the allotments of all other nations, especially those of Canaan, to accommodate that purpose. Not only was Canaan itself, then, set apart from the beginning to be the land of promise, but its very extent was established on the basis of Israel’s ‘number,’ that is, their population and other requirements (v. 8b).”[4] Furthermore, Israel was selected for God Himself, as Moses wrote, “For the LORD’S portion is His people; Jacob is the allotment of His inheritance” (Deut 32:9). Earl Radmacher notes, “This designation for God’s supremacy is unique to Deuteronomy. He is the sovereign God over all, even the boundaries of the nations. the Lord’s portion: While it is the Lord’s will for many nations to exist, He has favored Israel with His special grace, promises, and covenant.”[5] Moses highlights God’s selection of Israel, saying:
He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of a wilderness; He encircled him, He cared for him, He guarded him as the pupil of His eye. 11 Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that hovers over its young, He spread His wings and caught them, He carried them on His pinions. 12 The LORD alone guided him, and there was no foreign god with him. 13 He made him ride on the high places of the earth, and he ate the produce of the field; and He made him suck honey from the rock, and oil from the flinty rock, 14 curds of cows, and milk of the flock, with fat of lambs, and rams, the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the finest of the wheat-- and of the blood of grapes you drank wine (Deut 32:10-14).
     God had not only delivered His people from bondage, but He also cared for them and provided great blessings. Jack Deere explains this beautiful passage, saying, “The metaphor of the eagle speaks of God’s wise and loving parental care. As an eagle must force its young out of the nest if they are to learn to fly and fend for themselves so the Lord led His people into the harsh life of Egyptian bondage and afterward through wilderness wanderings that they might become strong. And like an eagle, the Lord remained ready to ‘catch them’ when necessary.”[6] The references to honey and oil from the rocks meant that God would bless His people, even in barren places that appeared to lack bountiful resources. Other blessings included curds, milk, lambs, rams, goats, wheat, grapes and wine. With God’s blessings, Israel should have stayed close to the Lord, which would have provided security in a hostile world. But in a great act of stupidity, His people would turn away from the Lord, as Moses wrote:
But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked—you are grown fat, thick, and sleek—then he forsook God who made him, and scorned the Rock of his salvation. 16 They made Him jealous with strange gods; with abominations they provoked Him to anger. 17 They sacrificed to demons who were not God, to gods whom they have not known, new gods who came lately, whom your fathers did not dread. 18 You neglected the Rock who begot you, and forgot the God who gave you birth. 19 The LORD saw this, and spurned them because of the provocation of His sons and daughters” (Deut 32:15-19).
     The term Jeshurun (יְשֻׁרוּן Yeshurun) means upright one, and is probably used here with a touch of irony. When Israel would grow fat, thick, and sleek, they would turn away from the Lord and forsake Him. Only the wisest and most mature believers can handle prosperity without compromising their walk with the Lord. Most believers can handle the adversity tests, but few past the test of prosperity. Jack Deere correctly states, “Many believers learn that prosperity is a more dangerous trial than adversity. In adverse circumstances a believer is reminded of how desperately he needs God’s help, but in time of prosperity he may easily forget God.”[7] Israel’s future infidelity would provoke God’s anger as they would turn to strange gods. But turning to the idols and offering sacrifices was actually an act of demon worship. This shows the corrupting influence that demons—which operate in the unseen realm—have upon the religions and cultural norms of the world. Because God’s people would neglect Him and embrace pagan values, this would provoke Him to anger. Moses described God’s response, saying:
Then He said, “I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end shall be; for they are a perverse generation, sons in whom is no faithfulness. 21 They have made Me jealous with what is not God; they have provoked Me to anger with their idols. So I will make them jealous with those who are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation. 22 For a fire is kindled in My anger, and burns to the lowest part of Sheol, and consumes the earth with its yield, and sets on fire the foundations of the mountains” (Deut 32:20-22).
     Seeing the foolishness of Israel, God would show His disapproval by hiding His face from them, which meant His blessings would cease. And though His people have no integrity and are faithless, yet He regards them as His children, in whom He has great love. God’s anger is a reflection of His righteousness, for He expects His people to be holy in conduct. Being provoked Himself, God will in turn “provoke them to anger with a foolish nation” (Deut 32:21b). This implies Israel would be harmed by a pagan nation, which would have never happened if they’d been faithful to the Lord. Moses describes some of the Lord’s judgments as follows, saying:
I will heap misfortunes on them; I will use My arrows on them. 24 They will be wasted by famine, and consumed by plague and bitter destruction; and the teeth of beasts I will send upon them, with the venom of crawling things of the dust. 25 Outside the sword will bereave, and inside terror-- both young man and virgin, the nursling with the man of gray hair. 26 I would have said, “I will cut them to pieces, I will remove the memory of them from men. 27 Had I not feared the provocation by the enemy, that their adversaries would misjudge, that they would say, ‘Our hand is triumphant, and the LORD has not done all this’” (Deut 32:23-27).
     Here we see God promising to implement the cursing aspects of the Mosaic covenant spelled out in Deuteronomy 28:15-68. Famine, plagues, attacks by wild beasts, and military defeat will come upon young and old alike, “Both young man and virgin, the nursling with the man of gray hair” (Deut 32:25). The judgments would be so severe that the nation would come to the brink of destruction (Deut 32:26), but God will not destroy them, lest His reputation become tarnished, as the pagan nations would misjudge their military success over Israel, and say to themselves, “Our hand is triumphant, and the LORD has not done all this” (Deut 32:27). By sparing them, God will protect His reputation.
For they are a nation lacking in counsel, and there is no understanding in them. 29 Would that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would discern their future! 30 How could one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had given them up? 31 Indeed their rock is not like our Rock, even our enemies themselves judge this. 32 For their vine is from the vine of Sodom, and from the fields of Gomorrah; their grapes are grapes of poison, their clusters, bitter. 33 Their wine is the venom of serpents, and the deadly poison of cobras. (Deut 32:28-33)
     Because Israel lacked wise counsel and understanding, this made them vulnerable to all sorts of troubles which they would bring upon themselves. God desired that they would be wise and discerning about their future and would make good choices to mitigate their harm. If God had remained as their Rock, then they would be able to perform impossible tasks, such as a single person putting an army of a thousand to flight, and two persons putting ten thousand to flight. But their failure to have military success over their enemies was because God had given them over to their sinful ways. By their own choices they made themselves weak and vulnerable to the dangers of this world. And God would use the pagan nations, who were as evil and hostile as Sodom and Gomorrah, to judge and humble His people.  
     Though God would punish His people for their sin by using Gentile nations, He would also judge those foreign nations for their sins as well. Moses said, “Is it not laid up in store with Me, sealed up in My treasuries? 35 ‘Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, in due time their foot will slip; for the day of their calamity is near, and the impending things are hastening upon them.” (Deut 32:34-35). As the “Judge of all the earth” (Gen 18:25), God stands ready to render punishment upon all who transgress His righteousness.
     God promises to have compassion on His people, but only after their human strength was gone and there was no other place to turn. Moses said, “For the LORD will vindicate His people, and will have compassion on His servants, when He sees that their strength is gone, and there is none remaining, bond or free” (Deut 32:36). And then, in a mocking manner, the Lord will ridicule the pagan idols Israel had been worshipping. Moses wrote, “And He will say, ‘where are their gods, the rock in which they sought refuge? 38 Who ate the fat of their sacrifices, and drank the wine of their drink offering? Let them rise up and help you, let them be your hiding place!’” (Deut 32:37-38).
     There are no gods besides the God (Isa 45:5-6), and He is sovereign over all His creation (Psa 135:6; 115:3; Dan 4:35). Moses wrote, “See now that I, I am He, and there is no god besides Me; it is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heal, and there is no one who can deliver from My hand” (Deut 32:39). And then, in anthropomorphic language, God is pictured as swearing an oath, saying, “Indeed, I lift up My hand to heaven, and say, as I live forever” (Deut 32:40). God is Spirit and does not have human hands (John 4:24); however, this is language of accommodation to help us understand the legal aspects of the Mosaic covenant and that God Himself swears an oath to keep His Word. And since God cannot lie (Tit 1:2; Heb 6:18), He will do what He has promised.
     And what has God promised? He has promised that He will execute just vengeance on the enemies of His people, rendering judgment upon the nations for their wickedness. God said, “If I sharpen My flashing sword, and My hand takes hold on justice, I will render vengeance on My adversaries, and I will repay those who hate Me. 42 I will make My arrows drunk with blood, and My sword will devour flesh, with the blood of the slain and the captives, from the long-haired leaders of the enemy” (Deut 32:41-42). Here, God is talking about those nations who are hostile to Him and His people. But for those Gentile nations who are positive to God and His people, the Lord says, “Rejoice, O nations, with His people; for He will avenge the blood of His servants, and will render vengeance on His adversaries, and will atone for His land and His people” (Deut 32:43). Those who are positive to God and His people, Israel, should celebrate when He judges and punishes those wicked nations for their wickedness.
Summary
     The Song of Moses, in Deuteronomy 32:1-43, was to be taught to the Israelites—both present and future generations—to serve as a perpetual reminder of their covenant relationship with Yahweh. The song reveals God’s kindness toward His people, the prediction that Israel would turn away from the Lord and pursue idols, His just character to punish them for their disobedience, and His integrity and compassion to preserve His people, and to execute vengeance on their enemies. By memorizing and singing this song, the Israelites would acknowledge their duty to obey Yahweh and the just and certain punishment that would come upon them if they turned away from Him and pursued idols.
Present Application
     As God’s people, we are greatly blessed by the Lord (Eph 1:3). In Christ, we have been rescued “from the domain of darkness, and transferred to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col 1:13). In Jesus we have forgiveness of sins (Eph 1:7), eternal life (John 10:28), the gift of righteousness (Rom 5:17; Phil 3:9), and will never face eternal condemnation (Rom 8:1).  As God’s children, He calls us to live by the “law of Christ” (1 Cor 9:21; Gal 6:2), and to pursue biblical virtues such as righteousness, goodness, humility, and love. Peter says, “like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior” (1 Pet 1:15). And Paul instructs us “to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love” (Eph 4:1-2). Such a life does not happen automatically in the believer, but comes as we devote ourselves to the Lord (Rom 12:1-2), schedule regular time to study His Word (Psa 1:2; Jer 15:16; 2 Tim 2:15; 3:16-17; 1 Pet 2:2), and apply it by faith to every aspect of our lives (Heb 10:38; 11:6). Discipline of mind and will leads to good habits, good habits produce godly character, and godly character  glorifies God, edifies others, and creates stability in our souls. And we can expect heavenly rewards when we are obedient to the Lord (1 Cor 3:10-15; 2 John 1:8). But, there is a real danger to us if we fail to learn and live God’s Word (Heb 4:1-2; Jam 1:22), and He will discipline us if we turn away from Him and live like the world (Heb 12:5-11). Such discipline is borne out of the heart of a Father who loves us and wants our best. He wants us to become spiritually mature Christians who are governed by biblical virtues, not worldly values or sinful passions. Those who are positive to God will advance spiritually, operate by divine viewpoint, live by faith, develop cognitive and emotional stability, and model the best virtues of biblical Christianity.  
 
[1] Daniel I. Block, The NIV Application Commentary: Deuteronomy, ed. Terry Muck (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), 748.
[2] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Equipped, “Be” Commentary Series (Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub., 1999), 182.
[3] Eugene H. Merrill, Deuteronomy, vol. 4, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994), 410.
[4] Ibid., 413.
[5] Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald Barclay Allen, and H. Wayne House, Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers, 1999), 266.
[6] Jack S. Deere, “Deuteronomy,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 318.
[7] Jack S. Deere, “Deuteronomy,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary, 319.

A Survey of Christian Theology - Lecture #23 - Israel; & Events Preceding the Second Coming

Every Christian should have a basic knowledge of the doctrines found in God’s Word. This series of lectures will provide some of the basics of Christian Theology and is intended to help the growing believer advance in his/her knowledge of God and His Word. A complete set of my study notes can be found here: https://thinkingonscripture.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/A-Survey-of-Theology-Lecture-Notes-1.pdf