Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20130217.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Deuteronomy: Moses' Great Appeal or Israel To Obey God For Blessing
Part III: The Great Historical Prologue, Deuteronomy 1:5-4:43
D. Call To Heed The Law And Avoid Idolatry, Deuteronomy 4:1-43
1. Understanding Our Great Need To Heed God's Word Precisely
(Deuteronomy 4:1-9)
    Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

    Seemingly everywhere they turn, many people today face great obstacles to happiness and fulfillment, a fact we can readily document:

    (1) On February 11, 2013, a letter to the editor of the Waterbury Republican-American, p. 6A by Jack Lupkas of Wolcott, Connecticut helplessly complained about what he saw as the inevitable decline of America when he wrote: "The most advanced, generous, respected, admired and feared nation in the world is slowly and meticulously being dismantled to put us on parity with other socialist nations." He cited tax burdens, judicial activism, excessive government regulation, the growing national deficit, unchecked government spending, cuts in the defense budget amid threats of terrorism and abortion on demand, etc. that are creating "a social, economic and political quagmire."

    (2) Local radio talk show host Brad Davis on The Talk of Connecticut last Wednesday interviewed a troubled professor who has taught at several Roman Catholic schools, a devout Catholic himself, who has never missed a weekly mass in his life except when he was ill. This professor was appalled to think that Cardinal Roger M. Mahoney from California, who has committed crimes for which the professor said he should be in prison, will help vote for the new pope, the representative of Christ on earth according to Roman Catholic belief!

    (3) At the family level, the "Annie's Mailbox" column in the paper cited above (p. 6C) had a letter from "Not What I Agreed To" asking what to do about her new husband's older son: he and his wife lives with them while her husband's "teenage son has decided to stay with his mother." The older son "cannot keep a job, does drugs and . . . (h)is wife is due any day. She will go to her mother's when the babies [twins] are born, but her mother doesn't like my stepson, so he has to stay here . . ." (brackets ours)

    (4) We see similar family problems locally: this past week, my wife and I received telephone calls from people with family and marital issues different from the ones describe in the "Annie's Mailbox" letter cited above, but ones nevertheless with similarly difficult challenges.



    Thus, we ask, "Why do so many people relentlessly seem to face such huge hurdles to fulfillment and happiness, and what can I do about my needs and the needs of my associates in this realm?"

    Need: "Why do people face so many relentlessly unmet needs today, and what should I do to better my own lot and that of my associates?"

  1. The Deuteronomy 1:5-4:43 Historical Prologue of the suzerain treaty format of Deuteronomy, typical of such treaty formats, tells of the Suzerain's past goodness to the vassal, that is, of God's goodness to Israel, reporting in Deuteronomy 4:1-8 Moses' call that Israel understand her great need to heed God's Word.
  2. Noticeably, Moses urged Israel to heed God's Word EXACTLY, NOT to ADD ANYTHING to it NOR to DETRACT ANYTHING from it, that she might live, enter and possess Canaan, Deut. 4:1, 2.
  3. To illustrate the importance of this directive, Moses recalled God's severe judgment that occurred to those in Israel who had failed to heed God in the Baal-peor incident, Deut. 4:3 with Num. 25:1-9:
    1. When Balaam had not succeeded in cursing Israel on Moab's behalf, he advised the Moabites to send cult prostitutes among Israel's men to seduce them to join the prostitutes in false, immoral Baal-peor worship, thus incurring God's wrath against Israel's men, Numbers 25:1-3; 31:16; Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, ftn. to Numbers 25:2.
    2. However, God's Law had directed Israel to worship no god but Himself (Exodus 20:1-6), and not to commit adultery (Exodus 20:14).
    3. Thus, when 24,000 men yielded to the Moabite temptation, violating God's Word on idolatry and adultery, God slew them, Num. 25:3-4, 9.
  4. Conversely, Moses declared the huge BLESSING that HEEDING God's Word EXACTLY produces, Deuteronomy 4:4-9:
    1. Recalling the Baal-peor event, Moses said the "cleavers" (dabeq, B. D. B., A Heb.-Eng. Lex. of the O. T., p. 180, adjective ) to God, exactly heeding Exodus 20:1-6 on avoiding idolatry and Exodus 20:14 on avoiding immorality in the Baal-peor incident, every one of them (kulkem, Kittel, Biblia Heb., p. 267) were still "livers" (hay, Ibid., p. 311-312, adjective), Deut. 4:4! This word play on adjectives dabeq (cleave) and hay (live) along with kulkem shows a strong relation between personally heeding God precisely and staying alive!
    2. Yet, beside heeding Scripture exactly to stay alive, Moses predicted how such obedience would yield blessings in the future, Deut. 4:5-8:
      1. Obeying Scripture exactly would make Israel's people respected:
        1. Moses noted that the Law Israel should heed provided such an inherently superior social order to the fallen pagan world around her that heeding it would cause other nations to view Israel as wise (hakam, Ibid., Kittel, p. 268; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 314-315) and understanding (binah, Ibid., p. 108), Deuteronomy 4:5-6.
        2. These words used in this secular context meant "discernment of good and evil, prudence in secular matters, skill in arts, experience in Divine things" for hakam and "intelligence" for binah, Robert B. Girdlestone, Syn. of the O. T., 1973, p. 74.
      2. Obeying Scripture exactly would make Israel's walk admired:
        1. When Israel obeyed Scripture, observing pagan nations would admire how her God was so evidently "near" her in His being ready to answer her every prayer, Deuteronomy 4:7.
        2. Such nurturing care and intimacy from a deity was unknown to the pagan world that saw itself as mere slaves to unpredictable gods, Bruce K. Waltke, Creation and Chaos, 1974, p. 65.
      3. Obeying Scripture exactly would make Israel's rule of law exalted:
        1. The observing pagans would admire how righteous were Israel's "statutes" and "judgments," Deuteronomy 4:8 KJV.
        2. Such "statutes" (huqah, Ibid., B. D. B., p. 349-350) were rules "prescribed, enacted" into law, and the "judgments" (mishpat, Ibid., p. 1048-1049) the "decisions based on what was enacted."
        3. Hence, the observing nations would have a great admiration for Israel's rule of law in great righteous superiority to the unjust and typically heartless rule of law in the pagan nations.
    3. Accordingly, Moses urged the people of Israel to watch out for themselves lest they forget Scripture's dictates and God's evident application of them in her history that they not depart from them in heart to their loss of blessing and harm, and to be careful to teach them diligently to their children for their blessing, Deuteronomy 4:9.
Application: (1) May we heed Scripture EXACTLY to trust alone in Christ alone for salvation, John 3:16; Acts 4:12; Ephesians 2:8-9. (2) Then, may we (a) rely on the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:16-23) to (b) heed Scripture EXACTLY for life and blessing, (c) being careful to disciple others to do the same for their blessing.

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message . . . )

 In view of the sermon lesson, we answer each issue raised in our sermon introduction through Scripture's exacting application:

(1) We noted Jack Lupkas' letter in the Republican-American cited national problems rising from "socialist" ideology. History students know that Marxism, communism and socialism rose from "The Communist Manifesto" (1848) that called for the abolition of personal property, the family, all religion and morality. (Ibid., p. 94, 87 and 92, cited in learn-usa.com, "Goals, Communist Manifesto'").

However, Scripture supports private ownership in countering stealing in Exodus 20:15, it supports the family in calling children to honor their birth parents in Exodus 20:12 and it supports godliness and morality, calling men to worship God and obey His commands in Exodus 20:1-6. Heeding Scripture exactly would lead us as a people to reject Marxism, communism and socialism for national blessing.

(2) We noted a devout Roman Catholic interviewed by Brad Davis was distraught over the fact that Cardinal Mahoney who has committed crimes worthy of imprisonment will help select a new pope.

Yet, Scripture counters belief in a pope who is infallible on faith and morals as in Catholicism! (The Vatican Council, 1870, cited in L. Boettner, Roman Catholicism, 1978, p. 235-253) In Galatians 2:11-14, Paul publicly corrected the Roman Catholic Church's first alleged pope, Peter, for misrepresenting the gospel, an issue of faith! Peter himself in 1 Peter 5:3 countered lording over God's flock, calling Church leaders instead to shepherd by example! Peter and Paul both opposed hierarchies, so heeding Scripture exactly would keep an evil cardinal from helping to elect a new pope as there would be no papacy!

(3) The "Annie's Mailbox" letter from "Not What I Agreed To" describing a woman's problems with the older son of her previously divorced, new husband would not exist if she and her husband had heeded Mark 10:11-12 and not remarried after his divorce. The son would not be a problem if he heeded Ephesians 5:18 to be filled with the Spirit versus filled with drugs, and if he obeyed 1 Timothy 5:8 and got a job so his family could live on their own. Heeding Scripture exactly would have led all of these folk to avoid their family problems!

Thus, may we PRECISELY heed Scripture by trusting in Christ for salvation, and then, relying on the Holy Spirit's power, to obey God's Word and disciple others to do likewise for blessing.