That You Might Observe Them | Sunday, July 5, 2020

Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers is giving you. You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. (Deuteronomy 4:1–2)

Living under God's unchanging law won't save you—but it will orient your life toward the abundant blessing found only in Christ.

A New Section: Statutes and Judgments

As we come to Deuteronomy chapter 4, we enter a new section of the book and a new series of teachings I'm calling Statutes and Judgments. Those words come from the opening verse: "Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live."

Our studies through the first three chapters I entitled Bordering Blessing, because at the point Moses is preaching the messages of Deuteronomy, Israel is on the border of blessing—outside the promised land, preparing to enter in. As they enter as the people in covenant relationship with God, they must live under His statutes and judgments. The promised land of blessing was for God's chosen people, but to be His chosen people it was necessary that they live in covenant with Him, and the stipulations of that covenant are His statutes and judgments.

A Lesson for Us

There is an important lesson here for us. Even though we are not coming into a physical promised land, if we desire to experience the blessing of abundant life as God intends, then we must live under His statutes and judgments. It is important for us as God's people living under the New Covenant to understand them.

In saying that, it's worth making the point now that these statutes and judgments do not bring God's salvation. Salvation is found only in Jesus Christ. But living according to God's ordinances does invite His blessing, while an individual or society that disregards or rejects these things will experience destabilization and ruin. I don't think it is a coincidence that as our own nation has progressively drifted away from the knowledge and observance of the precepts of Scripture, we have witnessed increased cultural destabilization.

The Path to Prosperity Runs Through Scripture

These will be Moses's final words—one last message for Israel before he dies and they enter the promised land under the leadership of Joshua. And God's first commissioning words to Joshua are these:

Be strong and of good courage... only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you... This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night... For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (Joshua 1:6–9)

The life of prosperous blessing and success we desire is found in and through the Scriptures. The statutes and judgments of God are essential if you're going to experience abundant life. They point to blessing; they orient you in the direction of finding life and rest in Christ.

God's Law Does Not Change

"You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it." When the founders of the United States gathered to write the Constitution, they did so with the expectation that it would be amended over time. Not so with God's law. God's law is unamended, because it is an expression of God's character, and God does not change.

In Malachi 3:6 God says, "I am the LORD, I do not change." The Apostle James wrote that with God there is "no variation or shadow of turning." Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." These verses lead us to the theological conclusion we call the immutability of God. Since His law is an expression of His character, His law is not to be changed or adjusted.

The Danger of Reinterpretation

There have certainly been ways in which the people of God have adjusted and reinterpreted the Scriptures through the lens of their culture. The danger is that you may live according to your reinterpretation of the law, but you will not be living in accordance with God's actual expectation.

This is exactly what happens when someone attends a church that adds to Scripture and says, "You must be baptized in this church to be saved." They are baptized, they think they're saved, they console themselves by their baptism—but they may never have trusted in Christst at all. They feel okay because they've followed that church's ordinances, but they are not right before God because they have not followed the precept of Scripture. This is what happened in Israel when Christ came; the people had made the Word of God of no effect through their tradition. And it is what happens when a society rejects God's Word and calls prostitution, adultery, divorce, and abortion permissible. We call evil good and good evil, we put darkness for light and light for darkness—and then are surprised when society breaks down.

The Seriousness of Sin at Baal Peor

Your eyes have seen what the LORD did at Baal Peor; for the LORD your God has destroyed from among you all the men who followed Baal of Peor. But you who held fast to the LORD your God are alive today, every one of you. (Deuteronomy 4:3–4)

Note this well: the seriousness of the law was evidenced by the swiftness and completeness of judgment. Moses is reminding Israel of an event in Numbers 25, when some of the men of Israel engaged in prostitution and idolatry with the women of Moab. God's response was severe: "Take all the leaders of the people and hang the offenders before the LORD... that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel" (Numbers 25:4).

Now, am I saying that idolatry and immorality should be capitally punished today? No—in the same way that I don't think you should cut off your hand or pluck out your eye, as Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount. But we should understand and maintain the seriousness of sin. There is a way to read the Scriptures too literally; some of the early church fathers and desert fathers did insane things from an overly literal reading. (If you wonder what I mean, Google Origen of Alexandria.) Somewhere between a casual reading and an overly literal reading is a healthy balance—but a more serious reading and understanding of the Scriptures is certainly in order in our day. "You who held fast to the LORD your God are alive today." Life and blessing are found in the hearing and heeding of God's Word.

The Kingdom Without the King

Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess. (Deuteronomy 4:5)

These statutes and judgments may seem too restrictive to you—and that's fine. You're free to live apart from these laws. The law of God was for the people of God living in the kingdom of God. Those who don't want to submit to God as Lord don't have to. But they can't enjoy the kingdom of God without the King.

Our nation has been incrementally rejecting the King, yet we still want the blessings of His kingdom. If you reject the King and His rule, don't be surprised if you lose the blessings of His kingdom. We want the kingdom without the King, and that's impossible. When you reject God as King, you invariably end up ruled by harsh taskmasters—this is the cycle of the Old Testament. The independence we celebrated yesterday on July 4th is a downline result of the blessing of God's statutes and judgments.

A Witness to the Nations

Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, "Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people." (Deuteronomy 4:6)

The wisdom of God's law is seen in the blessings that result from keeping it. This was one of God's aims under the Old Covenant—that the nations would see the blessings of His people and be drawn to Him. It remains His aim for His people in the New Covenant. God's desire is that the people we interact with daily would see the evidence of His grace and Spirit at work in us and be drawn to Him through our witness.

Would to God that our lives would be attractive to the people we work with and live beside. Would to God that the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control of our lives would so shine through that people would see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven. Would to God that the blessing of God overflowing from our lives would provoke to jealousy those who observe us.

Teach Them to Your Children

For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the LORD our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him?... Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen... And teach them to your children and your grandchildren... And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you might observe them in the land which you cross over to possess. (Deuteronomy 4:7–14)

God desired that His people would know His Word—that they would hide His commandments, statutes, and ordinances in their hearts, seek to live by them, and daily meditate upon them so that their lives would be transformed. This is exactly what God wants to do in my life and yours: to hide His word in our hearts so that we might be transformed by the renewing of our minds, and so show this world what is the good and perfect will of God.

That is God's desire for us as a church—that we would so grow in God's Word that He would shine brightly through our lives. Even though we're not gathered together on Sunday mornings, God has scattered us throughout the community—among our neighbors, families, and coworkers—to share the good news of His glory and grace in Christ Jesus. My prayer is that this light would shine more brightly. As we see more of our nation reject the Word of God, and even as we may see continued cultural destabilization, may the light of Christ burn so much brighter. May God bring a Great Awakening once again, shining through us and bringing people to the grace of the gospel through our witness.

A Word to Parents

I want to encourage you with something very important from the end of verse 10: these words were to be taught to the children of Israel. It was the moms and dads, the grandmas and grandpas, who were to teach the kids the principles and ordinances of Scripture. That's the calling God has for you—whether you're a parent, a grandparent, or even an aunt or uncle.

Starting today, July 5th, we are beginning a new program at Cross Connection Church called the New City Catechism, for the parents of our church to begin discipling their kids. This is an answer to a problem we've faced while not gathering on Sunday mornings without our children's ministry—a real burden for me and our leadership. But it's also meant to equip you, even after we gather again, to be involved in the discipleship of your children. This is exactly what the Bible says, Old Testament and New. We'll see it clearly in Deuteronomy 6, and we've seen it in Ephesians 6, where parents are told to train up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. You can register free at our website and join us as we begin today.

Closing Prayer

Father, we pray as we see these truths in the Scripture—even the importance of teaching these things to our children. For the parents in our church, I pray that You would give us a deep desire to impart the truth of Your word to the kids in our families, that we would raise them up to know You, to serve You, to honor You, and that by the witness of us and our children we would see the continued transformation of our culture. God, work in Your church, we pray. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

God, we thank You for Your continued grace upon Your church, and we ask that You would pour it out in abundance so that it would overflow from our lives to others. Help us today and this week to be a conduit of Your love and grace, and to shine brightly through Your church in a way that would provoke people to jealousy—even though that may sound strange to us, that's exactly what the Scriptures say in Deuteronomy, which Paul quotes again in Romans. Use our lives to stir other people to come to You. Enable Your church by Your Spirit to be witnesses of You in our Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth. We pray in Jesus' name. And now may the Lord bless you and keep you; may He make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; may He lift up His countenance upon you and give you His peace. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of His Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.