http://ow.ly/mLgCF ^WC Did you all forget I had this site? Take a look and contact me for that important engagement.
Apologies and Thanksgiving
Greetings Friends and Wonderful Followers,
These past couple weeks I have not spent a lot of time on Word Press or on any other social medium for that matter. I have been quite a bit for the church as well as working on some other projects. This coupled with the fact of not a lot of sleep meant that I was not functioning at a level best for good discussions. However, it is my hope that within the next few days I will have posted another essay which brings to light the wonders of God via The Christian Perspective. Likewise it is my hope that my overview on Deuteronomy was one that catapulted the faithful into further study of the “Second Law.”
Now, you should know also that I am working on a personal project that will be a major plus to my professional life. While I am not at liberty to broadcast what I am doing publicly I can say that it has much to do with ministry. With that I ask all that are able to reach the throne room by way of supplication to intercede on my behalf. I am in great need of this change in that it will be beneficial on a number of levels. Thank you in advance for your sincere prayers.
Also, I would like to thank all that are faithful to this blog and I bid you all well as you work tirelessly to bring Jesus to a lost and broken world.
Deuteronomy: Holiness and its Benefits
The “Second law” has proven to be instrumental in pointing a new generation of God followers to a way of life separate and apart from the lives of those that have chosen to live contrary to the Mandates of God. They were reminded of the things God did on their behalf as well as the consequences of allowing the fallacy of falsehoods to dominate their lives. The evidence is that God is just and will honour His Word even in the face of those that have no trust or reliance on Him. Even more God is faithful to those that have been faithful to Him. This is the reason that holiness cannot and will not go unrewarded.
Deuteronomy 28:3 clearly shows that those that heed the voice of the Lord our God are promised “ Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.” This very idea of being blessed in both the city and the field is indicative of the fact that God remains with those that love Him. God is faithful and will not leave His people alone. Just as the promise of God to bless the obedient people of holiness in the city and the field meant that He would not leave that young generation of Israelites. The promise is repeated by Jesus to those other adherents of the Word. Just prior to His ascension Christ’s words of encouragement were “and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”
But words of comfort are not uncommon to the people of God. Promises not to leave the faithful holy ones are evident throughout the holy writ. Take, for instance, the dream of Jacob recorded in Genesis chapter fifteen. The encouraging words of God are, “And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land” (vs. 15). There is no doubt that Jacob would travel in the city and in the field. God was with Jacob’s fathers Abraham and Isaac and would continue to be with those that love, trust and obey His standard of holiness.
Yet the fact of the blessings of God outlined in Deuteronomy chapter twenty-eight is conditional. God does not haphazardly bestow blessings without a cost. The cost of God’s blessings are certain and sure in that the adherents of His Word must “not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them” (vs. 14). Instead faithfulness to God and His command are a must so that the people of God will be rewarded for faithfulness to the call to holiness. And should that call be heeded “The Lord shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways” (vs. 9).
Deuteronomy: No Holiness No Benefit
Holiness is not a request of God it is an absolute mandate. Moses made this point abundantly clear throughout the Pentateuch and repeated the necessity for holiness in “The Second Law.” Excuses were not to be made nor were exceptions applicable to the lives of those that chose to follow Jehovah God. Evidence of the consequences of pulling from the standards of God are clear as depicted in Joshua chapters six through seven. Holiness is an idea made very serious by God and should be the lifestyle of all that trust in the Almighty.
Deuteronomy 27:10 shows Moses reiterating the importance of obedience to God. His words, “Thou shalt therefore obey the voice of the Lord thy God, and do his commandments and his statutes, which I command thee this day” present no idea of a suggestion rather the directive is an absolute mandate to heed God’s words. The words Moses referred to were the Law of the Pentateuch which was a guiding force to the people of God. They were not to move from it either to the left or right rather it was to be obeyed completely and without exception. Disobedience to the standard brought about sure and sudden consequences which had the impact of the people fearing and honoring God.
It is for this reason that Moses seeks to avoid disobedience to God’s Word by pulling away from the standard of holiness. The Second Law served then and continues to serve now as a reminder of God’s love for His people but also of the dire consequences of not holding to the holiness mandated by Him. This why Moses emphatically urged the people to obey God. The lack of obedience, or the lack of holiness, would meet with no positive benefit for those who have chosen and who continue to act contrary to the standards of holiness. And, if there are no benefits to the lack of holiness there, by necessity, are curses and those curses are spelled out by Moses.
Chapters twenty-seven and twenty-eight of Deuteronomy outline a number of curses that are brought to bear for those that choose not holiness. By outlining these curses Moses makes it evident that those that pull from holiness will suffer by reason of their disobedience. No good thing will come to the rebellious ones. The curses make it clear that God has received no pleasure in the lack of holiness. Further the curses are an indicator of the fact that those receiving the curses have chosen not to be holy rather the decision was made to act against the standards of God.
Deuteronomy 28:15-20 provides some insight into what will happen to the disobedient. The text reads, “But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field. Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store. Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out. The Lord shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.”
The fact is that disobedience to God is counted as wickedness. It is because of this wickedness that the curses must be employed. God cannot and will not allow sin to stand in His presence. This is especially true when the people have been warned time and time again as Moses did with the Israelites. Yet many found no reason to honour the Most High God. The decision not to follow God then was wrought in the same premise many choose to disobey God today – the works of the flesh. The sin of the flesh and the traditions of men is what caused and continues to cause wickedness today.
Galatians 5:19-21 points out the works of the flesh and clearly presents the curse caused by the works. The text reads, “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
No, there are no good things in pulling away from the mandates of God. Disobeying God is tantamount to telling God that He is not worth listening to and as such His law needs not be heeded. God cannot let sin stand. Thereby He must answer and that answer is with the curses as outlined by Moses. Yes, the lack of holiness mandates an answer from God. Yes, if there is no holiness there is no benefit.
Memorial Day Veteran Tribute
I rarely publish videos but when I watched this from a young man I watched grow up in Hawaii I could not help but be moved. His eloquent speech and grasp on historical facts provides me all the more stamina to stand for this Great Nation and the God of it.
Thank God for those who gave all so that we can live in freedom.
preachercarter 