Welcome to Delight in Grace. The Teaching Ministry of Rich Powell. pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. The foundational philosophy of a nation will trickle down into its laws and customs. Israel's laws were founded on principles of love and obedience to the Lord God.
The laws are a reflection of God's clear call to love Him fully. and love others as yourself. Listen as Pastor Rich connects national laws God gives in Deuteronomy. to the underlying principles of the Shema in this message from Deuteronomy nineteen through twenty. titled, So That It May Be Well With You.
This is part four of a message first preached on september eighth, twenty twenty four. It's from a series on Deuteronomy titled It is because the Lord loves you. To hear the whole message? or others from this series you can visit www.delightingrace.com So this is why the spiritual leaders would go out to remind them that they are God's people, that God has given them specific command. But he also said that there were some exemptions for people who would go out to battle.
There was exemptions allowed. Because this is not the trained fighting force. These were citizen soldiers. Right?
So if you have a new home Go home. If you have a new business, go home. If you have a new wife, go home. That's pretty cool, isn't it? God recognizes and he cherishes and values families, and recognizes that families go through different chapters in life.
He also says, For those who are fainthearted. Go home. Kind of reminds you of Gideon, doesn't it? Hundred and thirty five thousand Midianites. defeated by just a few hundred Israelites.
It's a God thing. Right?
But all those that were fainthearted, he said, Go home. And is this the case here? Because if somebody is, if a soldier is going out to fight and he's overcome by fear, I was talking to a former Marine. How? And he said, you know, guys out on the fighting field on the front lines, he said, somebody who's overcome by fear.
they're going to do something stupid. And they're going to get other people hurt too.
So for that reason, the Lord says If you're over if you're faint-hearted. Go home. Those are exemptions. A new home, a new business, a new wife, or you're fainthearted. Go home.
And so he talks about engaging the enemy here. And this, you know, it's. Laws like this that make it a abundantly clear. that we are not under the law of Moses. today.
We're under the new covenant. But we have to remember what God is doing. Let's remember the big picture here.
So, like, you know, Adam was teaching Romans chapter 11 today. You have to, you know, go back, remember the big picture of God's sovereign purpose. And so it is here. There's two kinds of people that Israel is going to be fighting against. Those that are in the land that God has promised them and those that are outside of the boundaries that God has promised.
But they will also sometimes pose threats to the people of Israel.
So, as you're engaging the enemy, you go out. And these are people outside of the boundaries of the promised land. If they're a threat to you and you go out to meet them, he says, what you can do, and you meet them at their city, you can go out and you can offer terms of peace. And the terms of peace are this, you will serve us. Mm-hmm.
If you choose not to serve us, all of your men will die. and we get the spoil. This is God's command.
Okay, remember. God's chosen people, big picture of Messiah coming. Why? Because God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, 2 Corinthians 5. Keep that big picture in view.
Now When it comes to the people in the land that God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. the inhabitants of the land, It was a land promised to the forefathers. a supremely wicked people upon whom God had already pronounced judgment. God said You need to carry that out. And that's the word that is used here, cherem, to devote to God his judgment carried out by human agency.
But it was a an a an inordinately Vile, wicked people. On whom God had already pronounced judgment. He said, they must leave the land. Because this is the land I've promised to you. This is the land in which Messiah will come.
We see this, for example, in Leviticus chapter 18, verses 24 and 25. I can't read that. And I don't have it here. Let's look back here. Leviticus chapter 18.
Right there. Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things, for by all these the nations I am driving out before you. have become unclean. And the land became unclean, so that I punished its iniquity. and the land voted.
vomited out its inhabitants. Pretty strong language, isn't it? Again. The people as a whole. In their culture, in their practices, their vileness, their wickedness was an affront.
to the holy character of God, and God said, away with you. This is God's judgment on a people. This is God's judgment on a wicked people. It has happened before. You remember.
Remember the flood? That was an even a greater judgment than this. Of all the people on the face of the earth, there was one family that survived. And then you have cities like Sodom and Gomorrah. And God pronounced judgment on them there.
God says, I won't do it for 50. What if there's 40? I won't do it. What if there's 20? 25 won't do it.
What if there's 10, I won't do it. Guess what? God pronounced judgment. Ezekiel makes it abundantly clear that the judgment on those cities and those peoples was. because they were Utterly.
self-absorbed. Utterly.
So The wrath of God is revealed against all unrighteousness. Where do we begin in understanding and discerning all of this as the Bible has revealed it to us? We begin, here's where we need to begin. with a holy, infinite, sovereign God. Whose wrath is revealed against all wickedness, all unrighteousness.
That's why we need God's grace. That's why God sent his Son. To be The propitiation for our sins. We read that this morning, didn't we? What is that propitiation?
What does that word mean? It means. Jesus the Son of God. Absorbed. The wrath of the mm.
Yeah. that I deserve. That's propitiation. He took it upon himself. God doesn't God never Ever.
sweeps sin under the rug. He deals with it. Absolutely. We have to keep this big picture in view. For Israel, this is why all of this is important.
For Israel, Nothing less than Israel's existence was at stake. And this is the people through which Messiah would come. Messiah, the one who would bring about reconciliation of mankind to God. That's why God takes all this very seriously. And that's why he expressed these laws.
And at the very end of chapter 20. There is Very interesting. Um Versus nineteen and twenty. He has the future in view, and he says, when you're seeing, when you're. in siege against a city, He says, save the fruit trees.
You might you're going to be cutting other trees down for your weapons and things like that, but. Don't cut the fruit trees down. Save the fruit trees. It's almost like a parenthetical little statement in there, isn't it? You know?
In other words, don't sacrifice the future on the altar of the immediate. All of this because nothing less than Israel's existence was at stake. Messiah is in view here. God will carry out his purpose, and his purpose is. redemption for humanity.
Reconciliation for humanity.
So he takes the protection of Israel very seriously. in Deuteronomy 19 and 20. Let me just close with this, Isaiah chapter 46. Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other. I am God.
and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from the ancient times of things not yet done. saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose. That is God speaking. That is why these laws are enacted. That's why this is why they are important.
because it was God's purpose to provide salvation. for you and me. Thanks be to God. Father, we've looked in history and we've seen your character. Your holiness, your sovereignty.
I've seen your care for your people. We've seen you. doing what is necessary to carry out. your purpose. in the history of humanity.
so that we can be reconciled to you. We thank you, Father, for your grace. Father, I pray that you would challenge our hearts this morning. that we would Surrender ourselves humbly before you. The infinite sovereign Holy God.
May we be thankful for the laws that you have established. And we thank you, Father, for the grace that you have lavished upon us.
so that we can receive. the righteousness of Jesus Christ perfectly filled the law. for us. Thank you, Father, for redemption in Jesus. Thank you for all that you have done.
and for what you will do. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Thanks for joining us here at Delight in Grace. You've been listening to Rich Powell, the lead pastor at Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem.
The Delight in Grace mission Is to help you know that God designed you to realize your highest good. and your deepest satisfaction in him. the one who is infinitely good. We hope you'll join us again on weekdays at 10 a.m.
