Schoolmaster to Christ
DEUTERONOMY CHAPTER 28
Schoolmaster to Christ
DEUTERONOMY CHAPTER 28
Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 28 (KJV)
In approaching the study of this section of Deuteronomy, we must bear in mind that it is not to be confounded with chapter 27. In seeking to account for the absence of the blessings in the latter, some expositors have sought for them here. But it is a fatal mistake to the proper understanding of either chapter. The obvious fact is the two chapters are distinct in basis, scope and practical application. Briefly stated, chapter 27 is moral and personal; chapter 28 is dispensational and national. The 27th deals with the great root principle of man's moral condition, as a sinner utterly ruined and totally incapable of meeting God on the ground of law. On the other hand, the 28th takes up the question of Israel as a nation under the government of God. In short, a careful comparison of the two chapters will enable us to see their distinctness. For instance, what connection can we trace between the six blessings of this chapter and the twelve curses of chapter 27? None whatsoever. It is not possible to establish the slightest relationship. But a child can see the moral link between the blessings and curses of chapter 28.
We quote a passage or two in proof.
"And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God [the grand old Deuteronomic motto, the key note of the book] to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth; and all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God [the only safeguard, the true secret of happiness, security, victory and strength]. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out" (emphasis added).
Surely it is plain that these are not the blessings pronounced by the six tribes on mount Gerazim? Presented here is Israel's national dignity, prosperity, and glory founded on their diligent attention to all the commandments set before us in this book.
Regarding this twenty-eighth chapter of Deuteronomy, if we seize the fact of its distinctness from its predecessor, we will be able to read it with spiritual intelligence and profit. There is no need for elaborate exposition. It divides itself naturally and obviously into two parts. First, in verses 1-15 we have a full and blessed statement of the results of obedience. Second, in verses 16-68 we have a solemn and affecting statement of the awful consequences of disobedience. We are struck with the fact that the section continuing the curses is more than three times the length of the one containing the blessings. That consists of fifteen verses; this of fifty-three. The whole chapter furnishes an impressive commentary on the government of God, and a forcible illustration of the fact that "our God is a consuming fire." From Israel's marvelous history, all nations of earth may learn that God must punish disobedience. If He has not spared His own people, what will be the end of those who know Him not? "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God." "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." It is the height of extravagant folly for anyone to attempt to evade the full force of such passages or to explain them away. It simply cannot be done. By comparing this 28th chapter with the history of Israel, we see that as sure as there is a God on the throne of the majesty in the heavens, so surely will He punish evildoers, both here and hereafter. It cannot be otherwise. A government that could or would allow evil to go unjudged, uncondemned, unpunished, would not be a perfect government and could not be the government of God. It is vain to base arguments on one-sided views of the goodness, kindness and mercy of God. Our Father is kind, good, merciful and gracious, long-suffering and full of compassion. But He is holy and just, righteous and true; and "He hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world [the habitable earth, oikoumenen] in righteousness, by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance [given proof, pistin] unto all, in that he hath raised him from the dead" (Acts 17; emphasis added).
However, before we draw this section to a close, we call attention to an interesting point in connection with verse 13 of chapter twenty-eight. "The Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them."
This, no doubt, refers to Israel as a nation. They are destined to be the head of all the nations of the earth. Such is the sure and settled purpose and counsel of God respecting them. Low as they are now sunk, scattered and lost among the nations, suffering the terrible consequences of their persistent disobedience, sleeping, as we read in Daniel 12, in the dust of the earth; yet, if they "harken unto the commandments of the Lord," they will, as a nation, be "the head; and not the tail."
When considering the dark and depressing periods of her national history, when Israel was the tail and not the head, we find some striking instances of individuals who were permitted to enjoy the precious promise contained in verse 13. We will just give only an instance or two to illustrate the point.
To begin, let us turn to that charming little book of Esther; a book so little understood or appreciated; a book that fills a niche and teaches a lesson that no other book does. It belongs to a period when Israel was not the head, but the tail; but, notwithstanding, it presents the edifying and encouraging picture of an individual son of Abraham carrying himself so as to reach the highest position, gaining a splendid victory over Israel's bitterest foe.
In the days of Esther, Israel's condition was such that God could not publicly own them. Hence, His name is not found in the book. The Gentile was the head and Israel the tail. The relationship between Jehovah and Israel was no longer public; but the heart of Jehovah could never forget His people; nor could the heart of a faithful Israelite ever forget Jehovah or His holy law. These two facts characterize this interesting little book. God was acting for Israel behind the scenes, and Mordecai was acting for God before the scenes. It is worthy to note that neither Israel's best Friend, nor their worst enemy, is once named in the book of Esther. Yet, the whole book is filled with the actions of both. The finger of God is stamped on every link in the marvelous chain of providence. On the other hand, the bitter enmity of Amalek comes out in the cruel plot of the haughty Agagite.
No romance could exceed this simple but blessed history. We refer to it in order to point out the unspeakable value and importance of individual faithfulness, at a moment when the national glory was faded and gone. Mordecai stood like a rock for the truth of God. With stern decision he refused to own Amalek. He would save the life of Ahasuerus and bow to his authority as the expression of the power of God; but he would not bow to Haman – his conduct governed by the Word of God. The authority for his course was to be found in this blessed book of Deuteronomy.
"Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt; how he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God [here was the true secret of the whole matter] therefore it shall be, when the Lord thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it" (Deut. 25:17-19; emphasis added).
This was distinct enough for every circumcised ear, every obedient heart, and every upright conscience. Equally distinct is the language of Exodus.
"And the Lord said unto Moses, write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua; for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it JEHOVAH-nissi [the Lord my banner]: for he said, Because the Lord hath sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation" (17:14-16; emphasis added).
Here was Mordecai's authority for refusing a single nod of his head to the Agagite. How could a faithful member of the house of Israel bow to a member of a house with which Jehovah was at war? He could clothe himself in sackcloth, fast and weep for his people, but he could not, he would not, he dare not bow to an Amalekite. He might be charged with presumption, blind obstinacy, stupid bigotry, and contemptible narrow-mindedness; but with that he had nothing to do. Withholding respect from the highest noble in the kingdom might seem unaccountable folly; but that noble was an Amalekite, and that was enough for Mordecai. The apparent folly was simple obedience.
This makes the case interesting and important for us. Nothing can ever do away with our responsibility to obey the Word of God. It might be said to Mordecai that the commandment pertaining to Amalek was a bygone thing, having reference to Israel's palmy days. It was right for Joshua to fight with Amalek; Saul, too, should have obeyed the Word of Jehovah instead of sparing Agag; but now all was changed; the glory had departed from Israel and it was useless to act on Exodus 17 or Deuteronomy 27.
We feel assured that all such arguments would have no weight whatsoever with Mordecai. It was enough for him that Jehovah had said, "Remember what Amalek did . . . Thou shalt not forget it." How long was this to hold good? "From generation to generation." Jehovah's war with Amalek was never to cease, not until his name and remembrance were blotted out. This was true because of his cruel and heartless treatment of Israel. Such was the kindness of God toward His people. So, how could a faithful Israelite ever bow to an Amalekite? Could Joshua bow to Amalek? No. Did Samuel? No; "he hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal." How could Mordecai bow to him? He could not do it, no matter the cost. It mattered not to him that the gallows was erected for him. He might be hanged, but he would never do homage to Amalek.
What was the result? A magnificent triumph. There stood the proud Amalekite near the throne, basking in the sunshine of royal favor, boasting in his riches, greatness, and glory, about to crush beneath his foot the seed of Abraham. On the other hand, there lay poor Mordecai in sackcloth, ashes and tears. What could he do? He could obey. He had neither sword nor spear; but he had the Word of God, and by simply obeying that Word, he gained a victory over Amalek as decisive and splendid in its way as that gained by Joshua, in Exodus 17 – a victory Saul failed to gain, though surrounded by a host of warriors selected from the twelve tribes of Israel. Amalek sought to hang Mordecai; but instead of that he was obliged to act as his footman, conducting him in all but regal pomp and splendor through the street of the city.
"And Haman answered the king, For the man whom the king delighteth to honour, let the royal apparel be brought which the king useth to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head: and let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king's most noble princes, that they may array the man withal whom the king delighteth to honour, and bring him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honour. Then the king said to Haman, Make haste, and take the apparel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that sitteth at the king's gate: let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken. Then took Haman the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and brought him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour. And Mordecai came again to the king's gate. But Haman hasted to his house mourning and having his head covered."
Here, not nationally but individually, Israel was the head and Amalek the tail. But this was only the beginning of Amalek's defeat and Israel's glory. Haman was hanged on the very gallows he had erected for Mordecai, "And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad."
This was not all. The effect of Mordecai's marvelous victory was felt far and wide over the hundred and twenty-seven provinces of the empire: "In every province, and in every city whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them."
Further, we read that "Mordecai the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed."
Does this not strikingly prove the immense importance of individual faithfulness? Is it not eminently calculated to encourage us to stand for the truth of God, no matter the cost? Marvelous results followed the actions of one man. Many might have condemned Mordecai's conduct. It might have seemed like unaccountable obstinacy to refuse simple respect to the highest noble in the empire. But it was not so. It was simple obedience. It was decision for God that led to a magnificent victory, the spoils of which were reaped by his brethren.
For further illustration of the subject suggested by Deuteronomy 28:13, we turn to Daniel 3 and Daniel 6, where, at a time when Israel's national glory was gone, we see what morally glorious results can be reached by individual faithfulness to the true God. The three worthies refused to worship the golden image. They dared to face the wrath of the king, to withstand the universal voice of the empire – to meet the fiery furnace rather than disobey. They could surrender life, but not the truth of God.
A splendid victory was the result. They walked through the furnace with the Son of God, and were called forth from the furnace as witnesses and servants of the Most High God. What a glorious privilege; wondrous dignity – the simple result of obedience. Had they gone with the crowd, and bowed in worship to the national god in order to escape the dreadful furnace, see what they would have lost. But, they were able to stand fast in the confession of the grand foundation truth of the unity of the Godhead – that truth which had been trampled underfoot amid the splendors of Solomon's reign. The record of their faithfulness has been penned by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, in order to encourage us to tread with firm step the path of individual devotedness, in the face of a God-hating, Christ-rejecting world, and in the face of a truth-neglecting religious atmosphere. It is impossible to read the narrative and not have our being renewed, stirred up and drawn out in earnest desire for more deep-toned personal devotedness to Christ and His precious cause.
A similar effect is produced by the study of Daniel 6. It furnishes a splendid lesson for this day of soft, self-indulgent, easy-going religion, in which it costs people nothing to give a nominal assent to the truths of Christianity; but in which, there is little desire or readiness to follow with whole-hearted decision a rejected Lord or to yield an unqualified and unhesitating obedience to His commandments.
How refreshing to read of the faithfulness of Daniel in the face of so much heartless indifference. With unflinching decision, he persisted in his holy habit of praying three times a day with his window open toward Jerusalem, although he knew that a den of lions was the penalty of his act. He might have closed his window and drawn his curtains, retiring into the privacy of his chamber to pray or he might have waited for the midnight hour when no human eye could see, or human ear hear him. But no; this beloved servant of God would not hide his light under a bed or a bushel. There was a great principle at stake. It was not merely that he would pray to the one living and true God, but he would pray with "his windows open towards Jerusalem." Daniel was in full communion with the mind of God when he opened his windows toward Jerusalem and prayed. There is Scripture for what he did, as we see in 2 Chronicles 6: "If they return to thee with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, whither they have carried them captives, and pray toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, and toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house which I have built for thy name."
This was what Daniel did, regardless of human opinions; regardless of pains and penalties. He would rather be thrown into a den of lions than surrender the truth of God. He would rather go to heaven with a good conscience than remain on earth with a bad one.
The result was another splendid triumph. "Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God."
Blessed servant, noble witness – he was the head on this occasion and his enemies the tail. This was accomplished simply by obedience to the Word of God. This we deem to be of vast moral importance for this present age. In order to illustrate and enforce this, we refer to these examples of individual faithfulness at a time when Israel's national glory was in the dust, their unity gone and their polity broken up. We regard it as full of interest, full of encouragement, full of suggestive power, that in the darkest days of Israel's history as a nation we have the brightest and noblest examples of personal faith and devotedness. We earnestly press this on the attention of the Christian student. It is calculated to strengthen and cheer up our hearts in standing for the truth of God in this present age when there is so much to discourage us in the general condition of the Lord's church. It is not that we are to look for speedy, striking and splendid results as were realized in those cases to which we have referred. This is by no means the question. What we have to keep before our hearts is the fact that, no matter what may be the condition of the ostensible people of God at any given time, it is the privilege of the individual man of God to tread the narrow path and reap the precious fruits of simple obedience to the Word of God and the precious commandments of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
We are persuaded that this is a truth for the day. May we all feel its holy power. We are in imminent danger of lowering the standard of personal devotedness because of the general condition. This is a fatal mistake – it is the suggestion of the enemy of Christ and His cause. If Mordecai, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and Daniel had acted thus, what would have been the result?
No; we must always bear in mind that our one great business is to obey and leave results with God. It may please Him to permit His servants to see striking results, or He may see fit to allow them to wait for that great day that is coming when there will be no danger of being puffed up by seeing a little fruit of our testimony. Be this as it may, it is our plain and bounden duty to tread that bright and blessed path indicated for us by the commandments of our precious and adorable Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May God enable us by the grace of His Holy Spirit to do so. May we cleave to the truth of God with purpose of heart, regardless of the opinions of our fellow men who may charge us with narrowness, bigotry, intolerance and such like. We must go on with the Lord.
