The law has a public relations problem. This is unfortunate because the law and the God who gave it have much to teach us. Christians are confused about how the law functions in life because of the Pauline emphasis on our not being “justified” by law but by faith (Gal. 2:16). But to dispense with law just because it doesn’t function in one realm would be like getting rid of your toaster because it doesn’t vacuum the floor well. It seems that people have grown content with simply knowing what the law doesn’t do rather than what it does do.
But those who are in a properly oriented covenant relationship with God have no reason to suffer anxiety or aversion toward the law. Being able to say with David, “O how love I thy law!” (Ps. 119:97) provides a good test of whether one is in a healthy relationship with God and the law. If people protest with, “What about love or grace or Jesus?” they are in for a surprise. The most important law of all, the crème de la crème of all the laws, is the law to love. “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.’ ” This is the greatest of all the laws; at least, that’s what Jesus thought (Deut. 6:5, ESV; Matt. 22:36, 37). If people have a problem with law, do they take issue with this law too? So, it is safe to say that there is enough endorsement from King David and King Jesus to give the law a chance as an instructor for life and a revelation of the God who gave it.
Part II: Commentary
Scripture
When planning an evening with friends, no one is likely to recommend, “Let’s get together so we can read and study some laws.” It is understandable why most people have an aversion to the subject of law in the Bible. For the most part, there is a depressing cycle of (1) laws given or repeated, (2) laws violated, and (3) God’s anger as a result of the violation and the horrible consequences that follow.
This cycle happens over and over, to the point where we as readers ask ourselves in frustration, “What is Israel’s problem? They are the most stubborn, rebellious group of people on the face of the earth.” We act shocked at Israel’s failures for 30 seconds, and then something happens. Slowly we look away from the nation of Israel and instead gaze into the proverbial mirror and see the reflection of our personal histories. If we are honest, we see some striking similarities between ourselves and Israel, and like King David unwittingly condemning himself upon hearing Nathan’s parable, we, too, hear the law announce to us, “Thou art the man” (2 Sam. 12:7).
So, what is there to learn from this rather fatalistic cycle of law, sin, and condemnation—a cycle so many Christians resolve by simply ignoring the subject of biblical law and/or prematurely jumping to the themes of forgiveness, grace, and salvation? The answer is found in God’s sharing with Moses and Israel the prediction of Israel’s rebellion. “ ‘This people will rise and whore after the foreign gods . . . and they will forsake me and break my covenant’ ” (Deut. 31:16, ESV). Then the children of Israel learn a 43-verse song (Deuteronomy 32) that they are never to forget (Deut. 31:21), a song that explicates exactly that prediction. This is all done on the verge of their being granted the Promised Land and the innumerable blessings that accompany it.
What we learn here is something fundamental about God Himself. What kind of Being is this who willingly enters into a covenant relationship with a people He knows beforehand will be unfaithful to Him? So many of the relationships that we humans enter into are risk-based and probabilistic. We marry with the expectation that our spouse will be faithful to us till death. If we were unsure, we probably wouldn’t commit; if we were certain of their future infidelity, then we definitely wouldn’t commit. Friendships are formed on the presumption that the parties won’t become backstabbing enemies. And yet, the God of the Hebrews, our God, embraces us with open arms, knowing that He will be stabbed in the back by our sin and rebellion against Him. This is amazing grace.
Yet, this grace comes into sharpest focus when seen through that “depressing” cycle of a covenant people called into a relationship with God, governed by His commandments and laws, followed by egregious disobedience. This perspective reveals God’s heart of love and grace even before the promises of salvation and forgiveness are made explicit. The mere fact that He enters into committed relationships with people such as us is a miracle in itself. His later promises of salvation, forgiveness, and restoration are the simple outgrowth of a divine heart that counts the cost of our rebellion and sin and concludes the price small enough for a chance to be in our company for eternity.
Discuss: We quickly learn that this Lawgiver is not a megalomaniac simply trying to boss His creation around. His willingness to enter into covenant with people He knew would violate it teaches us something about His character. What does it teach us?
Scripture
Monday’s lesson brings out how before Moses died God gave him a song that the people of Israel were to memorize (Deut. 31:21). This song was to serve an interesting function. God says that after the people enter the land and are filled up by its abundance, they will turn to other gods and break the covenant with their God. As expected, disasters and the covenant curses follow. One can imagine the tragic experience of going from the height of prosperity to being decimated by starvation and war (Deut. 32:23–25). “Why is this happening to us?” one can almost hear them cry in desperation. “We offered our sacrifices to the gods, and they had been blessing and protecting us” (Deut. 32:17; Hosea 2:5, 8). It is at this moment of disorientation, when Israel is reaping the full wrath of God for its disobedience, that it is time to sing this song.
The song is intense (Deuteronomy 32). It tells the story of God’s goodness contrasted with the wickedness of His people. It calls on them to “remember the days of old” when God provided and cared for them, “carrying them on [His] wings” (Deut. 32:7, 11, NKJV). Eventually, in the midst of their superabundance, they forget and forsake God and instead sacrifice to demons (Deut. 32:17, NKJV). The heartbreaking verses tell us of the disastrous consequences that follow. But there are hints that God has not utterly forsaken His people: “For the LORD will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants,” and “ ‘ “I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal,” ’ ” and “ ‘He will provide atonement for His land and His people’ " (Deut. 32:36, 39, ESV; Deut. 32:43, NKJV). God has taught His people a song that, though brutally honest, will answer all their questions. It will tell them of their origins as a people, of the God they rejected, of the impotent gods they replaced Him with, of the reason that they are in the mess they are in, and of the hope for the future.
The song would have been sung for generations and served as a warning and deterrent against departing from the God of their fathers. But at the height of prosperity and presumptuous security, it must have sounded quaint and irrelevant to their ears, if sung at all. But now that they are experiencing a chaos of their own making, the song out of their own mouths serves as a “witness” against them (Deut. 31:19). God has placed within the collective psyche of the people of Israel what their destiny will be unless they resist the idolatry of the nations around them.
This song is tragic, but from a teaching perspective it is also brilliant. It clearly states the consequences of covenant disloyalty. It explains the whys behind the dire predicament of being ravaged by war and the elements. It places the blame on Israel’s shoulders, and it vindicates God from culpability in the nearly complete destruction of His people. Can one think of a better method to avert national disaster than to inculcate a prophetic song in a people’s oral tradition, telling of what will become of their homeland if they reject the God who granted it to them?
Discuss: Who at one point hasn’t wished to look into the future in order to make better decisions in the present? God has granted this wish in large measure if we would but read what He prophetically shares. The irony is that, even with the prophetic song on the lips of Israel, they still walked right into the worst-case scenario (Dan. 9:13–15). What does this outcome teach us about the benefits or detriments of knowing the future?
Part III: Life Application
The first step in really applying the law to one’s life is reading and prayerfully reflecting on it. And we are not talking about just the Ten Commandments. They will forever have a hallowed place in both Christian and Judaic circles, and they should. The law as defined as Torah or the first five books of Moses is what the ancients meant when speaking of law. Once we realize this, “law” takes on a definition that demands broadening. The Garden of Eden story—that’s law; All the stories of Abraham—that’s law; The parting of the Red Sea—that’s law, etc. For this reason, law is also properly translated as “teaching” or “instruction.” This understanding immediately makes the title of the lesson somewhat redundant (though necessary)— The Teaching as a Teacher. Yes, we would all hope that we would allow the teaching that God gave us to actually teach us something. It would be strange to think otherwise, and how unfortunate it is that sometimes the Instruction (i.e., the law) is the last place people (even Christians) look for instruction. It would be almost comical if it were not so tragic. Prayerfully reading the context of laws in the Bible, with diligent cross-referencing with the New Testament, should keep one on a balanced path of learning, living, and loving God’s law.
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The law has a public relations problem. This is unfortunate because the law and the God who gave it have much to teach us. Christians are confused about how the law functions in life because of the Pauline emphasis on our not being “justified” by law but by faith (Gal. 2:16). But to dispense with law just because it doesn’t function in one realm would be like getting rid of your toaster because it doesn’t vacuum the floor well. It seems that people have grown content with simply knowing what the law doesn’t do rather than what it does do.
But those who are in a properly oriented covenant relationship with God have no reason to suffer anxiety or aversion toward the law. Being able to say with David, “O how love I thy law!” (Ps. 119:97) provides a good test of whether one is in a healthy relationship with God and the law. If people protest with, “What about love or grace or Jesus?” they are in for a surprise. The most important law of all, the crème de la crème of all the laws, is the law to love. “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.’ ” This is the greatest of all the laws; at least, that’s what Jesus thought (Deut. 6:5, ESV; Matt. 22:36, 37). If people have a problem with law, do they take issue with this law too? So, it is safe to say that there is enough endorsement from King David and King Jesus to give the law a chance as an instructor for life and a revelation of the God who gave it.
Part II: Commentary
Scripture
When planning an evening with friends, no one is likely to recommend, “Let’s get together so we can read and study some laws.” It is understandable why most people have an aversion to the subject of law in the Bible. For the most part, there is a depressing cycle of (1) laws given or repeated, (2) laws violated, and (3) God’s anger as a result of the violation and the horrible consequences that follow.
This cycle happens over and over, to the point where we as readers ask ourselves in frustration, “What is Israel’s problem? They are the most stubborn, rebellious group of people on the face of the earth.” We act shocked at Israel’s failures for 30 seconds, and then something happens. Slowly we look away from the nation of Israel and instead gaze into the proverbial mirror and see the reflection of our personal histories. If we are honest, we see some striking similarities between ourselves and Israel, and like King David unwittingly condemning himself upon hearing Nathan’s parable, we, too, hear the law announce to us, “Thou art the man” (2 Sam. 12:7).
So, what is there to learn from this rather fatalistic cycle of law, sin, and condemnation—a cycle so many Christians resolve by simply ignoring the subject of biblical law and/or prematurely jumping to the themes of forgiveness, grace, and salvation? The answer is found in God’s sharing with Moses and Israel the prediction of Israel’s rebellion. “ ‘This people will rise and whore after the foreign gods . . . and they will forsake me and break my covenant’ ” (Deut. 31:16, ESV). Then the children of Israel learn a 43-verse song (Deuteronomy 32) that they are never to forget (Deut. 31:21), a song that explicates exactly that prediction. This is all done on the verge of their being granted the Promised Land and the innumerable blessings that accompany it.
What we learn here is something fundamental about God Himself. What kind of Being is this who willingly enters into a covenant relationship with a people He knows beforehand will be unfaithful to Him? So many of the relationships that we humans enter into are risk-based and probabilistic. We marry with the expectation that our spouse will be faithful to us till death. If we were unsure, we probably wouldn’t commit; if we were certain of their future infidelity, then we definitely wouldn’t commit. Friendships are formed on the presumption that the parties won’t become backstabbing enemies. And yet, the God of the Hebrews, our God, embraces us with open arms, knowing that He will be stabbed in the back by our sin and rebellion against Him. This is amazing grace.
Yet, this grace comes into sharpest focus when seen through that “depressing” cycle of a covenant people called into a relationship with God, governed by His commandments and laws, followed by egregious disobedience. This perspective reveals God’s heart of love and grace even before the promises of salvation and forgiveness are made explicit. The mere fact that He enters into committed relationships with people such as us is a miracle in itself. His later promises of salvation, forgiveness, and restoration are the simple outgrowth of a divine heart that counts the cost of our rebellion and sin and concludes the price small enough for a chance to be in our company for eternity.
Discuss: We quickly learn that this Lawgiver is not a megalomaniac simply trying to boss His creation around. His willingness to enter into covenant with people He knew would violate it teaches us something about His character. What does it teach us?
Scripture
Monday’s lesson brings out how before Moses died God gave him a song that the people of Israel were to memorize (Deut. 31:21). This song was to serve an interesting function. God says that after the people enter the land and are filled up by its abundance, they will turn to other gods and break the covenant with their God. As expected, disasters and the covenant curses follow. One can imagine the tragic experience of going from the height of prosperity to being decimated by starvation and war (Deut. 32:23–25). “Why is this happening to us?” one can almost hear them cry in desperation. “We offered our sacrifices to the gods, and they had been blessing and protecting us” (Deut. 32:17; Hosea 2:5, 8). It is at this moment of disorientation, when Israel is reaping the full wrath of God for its disobedience, that it is time to sing this song.
The song is intense (Deuteronomy 32). It tells the story of God’s goodness contrasted with the wickedness of His people. It calls on them to “remember the days of old” when God provided and cared for them, “carrying them on [His] wings” (Deut. 32:7, 11, NKJV). Eventually, in the midst of their superabundance, they forget and forsake God and instead sacrifice to demons (Deut. 32:17, NKJV). The heartbreaking verses tell us of the disastrous consequences that follow. But there are hints that God has not utterly forsaken His people: “For the LORD will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants,” and “ ‘ “I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal,” ’ ” and “ ‘He will provide atonement for His land and His people’ " (Deut. 32:36, 39, ESV; Deut. 32:43, NKJV). God has taught His people a song that, though brutally honest, will answer all their questions. It will tell them of their origins as a people, of the God they rejected, of the impotent gods they replaced Him with, of the reason that they are in the mess they are in, and of the hope for the future.
The song would have been sung for generations and served as a warning and deterrent against departing from the God of their fathers. But at the height of prosperity and presumptuous security, it must have sounded quaint and irrelevant to their ears, if sung at all. But now that they are experiencing a chaos of their own making, the song out of their own mouths serves as a “witness” against them (Deut. 31:19). God has placed within the collective psyche of the people of Israel what their destiny will be unless they resist the idolatry of the nations around them.
This song is tragic, but from a teaching perspective it is also brilliant. It clearly states the consequences of covenant disloyalty. It explains the whys behind the dire predicament of being ravaged by war and the elements. It places the blame on Israel’s shoulders, and it vindicates God from culpability in the nearly complete destruction of His people. Can one think of a better method to avert national disaster than to inculcate a prophetic song in a people’s oral tradition, telling of what will become of their homeland if they reject the God who granted it to them?
Discuss: Who at one point hasn’t wished to look into the future in order to make better decisions in the present? God has granted this wish in large measure if we would but read what He prophetically shares. The irony is that, even with the prophetic song on the lips of Israel, they still walked right into the worst-case scenario (Dan. 9:13–15). What does this outcome teach us about the benefits or detriments of knowing the future?
Part III: Life Application
The first step in really applying the law to one’s life is reading and prayerfully reflecting on it. And we are not talking about just the Ten Commandments. They will forever have a hallowed place in both Christian and Judaic circles, and they should. The law as defined as Torah or the first five books of Moses is what the ancients meant when speaking of law. Once we realize this, “law” takes on a definition that demands broadening. The Garden of Eden story—that’s law; All the stories of Abraham—that’s law; The parting of the Red Sea—that’s law, etc. For this reason, law is also properly translated as “teaching” or “instruction.” This understanding immediately makes the title of the lesson somewhat redundant (though necessary)— The Teaching as a Teacher. Yes, we would all hope that we would allow the teaching that God gave us to actually teach us something. It would be strange to think otherwise, and how unfortunate it is that sometimes the Instruction (i.e., the law) is the last place people (even Christians) look for instruction. It would be almost comical if it were not so tragic. Prayerfully reading the context of laws in the Bible, with diligent cross-referencing with the New Testament, should keep one on a balanced path of learning, living, and loving God’s law.