Deuteronomy 31:3-5 - The Lord will cross over ahead of you

31:3

“The Lord your God will cross over ahead of you.” All of Israel’s history and life needs to be understood within the context of what God is doing, as do our own lives. We can perhaps see a parallel of this in death. Jesus had died and rose again, He has conquered death. Jesus went ahead of us. God would destroy the nations, and they would take possession of the land. So, as always, we see God doing something and then the people doing something. God is the author and pioneer of His plans for us, but we are actively involved in them. “Joshua also will cross over ahead of you”. Joshua is the leader, and a representative of the Lord.

31:4,5

The Lord had already demonstrated His willingness and ability to do these things in the defeat of the Amorite kings, Sihon and Og. Lesser incidents in our lives are sometimes preparing us for greater events. The lands would be delivered into Israel’s hands, but they must also obey all the commands.

Hebrews 12:20,21 - I am trembling with fear

12:20

They could not bear what was commanded. The whole situation emphasised the holiness of God and the unholiness of the people. So if even an animal touched the mountain it had to be put to death. Now the holiness of God and the inherent unholiness of the people has not changed. What has changed is that the cross has dealt with our unholiness. It is so important to realise that the standards have not changed, but Christ’s righteousness has been imputed to those who believe.

12:21

These words are found in Deut 9:19, where Moses has been pleading with God to have mercy upon the people after the Golden Calf debacle. Moses feared the holiness of God, and the judgement that would ensue from this for such an unholy people. There can be no understanding of the gospel without an awareness of the holiness and judgement of God.

Deuteronomy 31:1,2 - I am now 120 years old

31:1

We have now finished the giving of the Law and are preparing for entering the Promised Land and the handover of the leadership to Joshua. The first three chapters of Deuteronomy dealt with Moses recounting how they had got to where they were, i.e. they are looking backwards. We are now looking forwards to the next phase.

31:2

Moses was one hundred and twenty years old, and his life is divided into three forty year segments: his early years and then time in the palace of Pharaoh, the forty years in exile, and the forty years leading Israel. He was no longer able to lead them. There were two reasons for this, one was his age, the other was that God had told him that he would not cross the Jordan because of his disobedience (Num 20:12). There is earlier reference to this in Deuteronomy, 3:23-29. In earlier mentions of this there seems to be some resentment on Moses’ part against the people, but here we find none of that. Instead Moses is preparing the people and Joshua for the next phase.

Hebrews 12:18,19 - You have not come to a mountain that can be touched

12:18

12:18-21 and 12:22-24 contrast the situation under the Law with the current situation under the gospel. The first part reminds them of what the situation under the Law was like, and focuses on the giving of the Law at Sinai. First of all it was given at a mountain that could be touched. Hebrews frequently contrasts the physical tabernacle with the heavenly one, and it is the heavenly one that is the more real! The giving of the Law was awesome, there was fire, darkness, gloom and storm. It was a terrifying experience.

12:19

The Law was given with a trumpet blast that put fear in the hearts of the people (Ex 19:16; 20:18). When they heard the voice they begged to hear no more. So they requested that only Moses go to hear what God had to say. A contrast between the Law and the Gospel is that now all can hear from God. Through the cross we are brought near. Under the Law there was always a distance.

Deuteronomy 30:17-20 - If your heart turns away

30:17,18

However, if their hearts turned away from the Lord and they were not obedient, if they bowed down to other gods, if they worshipped idols, then they would be destroyed. They would not live long in the Promised Land. As it happens they went through a cycle of disobedience and repentance, but with the disobedience getting progressively worse. Until they were eventually thrown out of the land by the Babylonians.

30:19,20

Moses then brings things to a close, making it clear that a choice has been put before the people. And Moses calls heaven and earth as his witnesses. The people had a choice of blessings or curses, dependent upon the choice that they made. Moses urges them to choose life, for their own well being, and that of their children. This is reminiscent of Peter’s words in Acts 2:39, “the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off”. “For the Lord is your life”. Without God we have nothing, we are nothing. We are utterly dependent upon him.

Hebrews 2:15-17 - See that no one is sexually immoral

12:15

Two further instructions are given in this verse. The first is to “see to it that no one falls short of the grace of God”. We need to have a deep appreciation of the grace of God. It does not simply mean that we are forgiven, though it does mean that. But God’s grace towards us also means that He is at work to make us ever more Christlike. If someone thinks that the gospel just means being forgiven, then they have fallen short of the grace of God.  “and that no bitter root grows up ...”. This is not referring to bitterness in the sense of a bitter or resentful spirit. Rather it is referring back to Deut 29:18 where it gives a severe warning against turning away from God to worship idols, and calls worshipping idols a “bitter poison”. Turning away from God causes much trouble and defiles many.

12:16,17

Two more dangers are given here. The first is sexual immorality. Often the church is accused of being obsessed with sex. There are two things that can be said about this. The first is that it is the world that is obsessed with sex! The second is that sexual immorality of all kinds causes tremendous harm. The reason the world accuses the church of being obsessed with sex is that it does not like being reminded of God’s moral standards.

Then Esau is mentioned. Now the Bible makes no mention of sexual immorality on Esau’s part. There may be a link in that sexual sin can sometimes be taking a “single meal”, choosing to go for transitory pleasure, rather than eternal life. Esau was unable to repent after realising what he had done. “He was rejected”. This puts things in an extremely serious context. We need to have an eternal perspective. 

A series of short talks on John Chapter 2

A series of short talks on John Chapter 2.

Deuteronomy 30:12-16 - The word is near you

30:12-14

These words are quoted by Paul in Rom 10:6-8. There were no weird contortions that someone had to go through in order to obey the Law. The Laws were eminently doable by anyone, were it not for the pernicious effect of sin. The commands were laid out very clearly, all we had to do, and all that we could not do, was very simple. There was a clear set of instructions. 

30:15,16

“Prosperity, death and destruction”. Obedience would lead to prosperity, all would go well with them. But disobedience would lead to death and destruction. This was the choice set before the people of Israel. If the people lived in obedience to the ways of the Lord, then they would increase in numbers, and they would be blessed in the land by the Lord.

Hebrews 12:12-14 - Strengthen your feeble arms

12:12,13

“Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms ...” The Hebrews were feeling weak under opposition, and if we face persecution it is natural to feel weak. The answer to this is not to give in, but to strengthen our feeble arms and weak knees. And we do this by listening to God and learning from Him. Then we will be healed, rather than disabled.

12:14

While facing opposition is normal, this does not mean that we should be deliberately contentious. Rather we should seek to live in peace with everyone. Again, this must not be at the expense of compromising the truth of God’s word. We should also seek to be holy. This means seeking to be like Christ in actions and in belief. At present we see much of the church being all too happy to compromise, indeed completely abandon the truth of the Bible. “Without holiness no one will see the Lord.” The present approach of many of the traditional churches will do nothing to enable people to know Christ. We all need to apply these words to our lives as well. 

Deuteronomy 30:9-11 - The Lord will make you most prosperous

30:9,10

The years of judgement and oppression would be temporary. The end result is that Israel will be a prosperous nation. The Lord will delight in Israel. “If you obey ....” It is sometimes difficult to know exactly how to interpret parts of the Old Testament, such as here. I have been looking at it in terms of how it points to Christ and the gospel, and this is a good thing to do. Yet this verse seems to make it all obedience dependent, but that was the whole reason the Law “failed” (see Jer 31). Perhaps the way we should take it is that the purpose of the gospel is to produce an obedient people. It is God who brings this about, and He does so through the gospel.

30:11

“... is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach”. Now at one level this is absolute nonsense, for obeying the Law proved to be well beyond them. Indeed, living a consistently “good” life is beyond all humanity. But why is it too difficult? It is not because the required actions themselves are too difficult. Each one is quite possible, but we are all corrupted by sin, and so it proves impossible. Sometimes when we read or hear of someone doing something wrong it is just plain evil, but other times we might think “how can you be so stupid”, yet we will then find ourselves doing something incredibly stupid.

Hebrews 12:10,11 - They disciplined us for a little while

12:10

Human fathers discipline children trying to develop them. We do it highly imperfectly. God is the perfect Father, and everything He does is for our good.  And the purpose is that “we may share in His holiness”. God wants to share so much of Himself with us. All man-centred religions or man-centred approaches to the gospel (which are doomed to failure) are highly impoverished, they offer so much less than the gospel does, and what they do offer, they will fail to deliver. In the end they will only deliver poison.

12:11

Discipline is not enjoyable. At the time of enduring it it is painful. However, the long term fruit from it is a “harvest of peace and righteousness”. “For those who have been trained by it”. Discipline is a two way process. God delivers the discipline, but we need to learn from it. If we react with bitterness or resentment, then we will get nowhere. If we submit to it then we can receive the harvest that God intends.

Deuteronomy 30:6-8 - The Lord will circumcise your hearts

30:6

But it is not merely a matter of inhabiting the land, the heart of the people was the root of the problem, and it is the heart of the problem that is changed. God would circumcise their hearts. This is the first mention of God doing this, rather than it being a command to the people. God would give them a new heart so that they could truly worship the Lord.

30:7,8

Those who hate Israel will receive judgement. It is a big mistake to hate and persecute Israel, even when Israel is receiving God’s judgement herself. The present state of Israel is not the final state of Israel. The end result is that they will truly love and serve the Lord.

Hebrews 12:8,9 - Endure hardship as discipline

12:8

In fact, if God did not discipline us then that would be a sign that we are not actually children of God, that He is not our Father. So instead of seeing the hardship as a sign that God does not actually love us, we should see it as the exact opposite. We are “legitimate” children of God. At the start of John’s gospel he says that all who believed in Christ were given the right to become children of God (John 1:12).

12:9

Good human fathers discipline their children. This will be imperfect, for we all make mistakes, but we know that not to discipline a child is a recipe for disaster. So if we, frail and flawed as we are, do this, how much more should we expect God to discipline us? We come to Christ because we need to change, the way we are just won’t do, we are sinners. So we need to be forgiven for our sins, and we need to be transformed.

Deuteronomy 30:4,5 - Even if you have been banished

30:4

It would not matter how distant the land was that someone had been banished to, the Lord would still bring them back. It is a key concept in the Bible that it is the Lord who inflicts the judgement, and it is He who brings about the restoration. Some object to the concept of God inflicting judgement, but this is a foolish line to take. One, the Bible quite clearly states that God does inflict judgement. The second is that since it is God who inflicts the judgement, He is well able to bring about the restoration. No matter how dire your circumstances, the Lord can rescue you. Note also that while God is the ultimate cause and the primary cause, He uses men as His instruments. The Baylonians were an instrument of judgement on Judah, Cyrus was an instrument of restoration.

30:5

The Lord would bring them back “to the land that belonged to your ancestors”. There are two key points out of this. One is that it is the Lord who brings them back, the other is that God’s promises to their ancestors still stand. God’s plans do not change. Now this does not mean that our actions do not matter. Israel’s failure to observe the Law had profound consequences, but God’s plans and purposes did not change, and were not thwarted. “He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors”. In fact, far from thwarting God’s plans, the blessing is ultimately even greater.

Hebrews 12:5-7 - As a father addresses a son

12:5,6

Now when an individual or a church does experience opposition, sometimes violent opposition, then it is certainly very difficult, and we may wonder why God is allowing this to happen. Has God forgotten us? Has He got something against us? Has He let us down? The writer reminds them that God is our father and quotes from Prov 12:5,6. God is disciplining His children, and He does so because He loves us. Discipline is different from punishment. Punishment’s purpose is to impose a penalty for someone’s actions. Discipline is more involved in training and developing a person. This may include removing traits within us which are sinful or harmful, and in developing characteristics which make us stronger. So the hardship is a sign of God’s love for us, and that He accepts us as sons.

12:7

So we are to endure hardship as discipline. When we go through tough times, for whatever reason, we should be seeking to understand how God is aiming to develop us. We are being treated as children by God. He is acting as our father. So we should rejoice in this. Peter, Paul and James all say the same thing when they encourage us to consider trials as pure joy, and that they develop perseverance.

Deuteronomy 30:1-3 - When all these blessings and curses

30:1

“When all these blessings and curses ...” There is an assumption that all the blessings and curses will come upon Israel. So Israel did enjoy a time of success, firstly under Joshua, then under David. However, the times of judgement were much longer, and more severe, these being under the Assyrians and Babylonians. So judgement would come, but that was not the end.

30:2

“And when you and your children ...”. This looks forward to a time when they would return to the Lord and obey Him. This would be done with all their heart and soul, so there will come a time when the greatest commandment is fulfilled. There were times of partial return to the Lord, though complete return has not yet happened. When the nation did repent their fortunes were restored.

30:3

The result of their returning to the Lord is that He would restore their fortunes, He would have compassion upon them, and He would gather them from the nations. This partially happened with the return from Babylon, but it was only partial. Notice that it is the Lord who would scatter them to the nations in the first place, and it is He who would restore them. The Lord acts.

Hebrews 12:3,4 - Consider Him who endured such opposition

12:3

Jesus endured extreme opposition “from sinners”. In John 15 Jesus says that if they hate us we should remember that they also hated Him. Jesus showed us how to respond to opposition. We should also remember the prize at the end of the race. The consideration of Jesus is not simply a thinking about how He lived, but if we do we will share in His sufferings, and He will be close to us. This will help us to “not grow weary”, and to not “lose heart”.

12:4

“In your struggle against sin ....” In 12:1 the “sin that so easily entangles” is referring to personal sin. Peterson takes the “sin” in this verse, and therefore in the section 12:4-13, as the sin of those who were opposing the gospel and the church. This would seem very reasonable, especially given the latter part of this verse, “resisted to the point of shedding your blood”, which makes sense in the context of resisting persecution, but hardly with dealing with our personal sin. The opposition which a faithful church experiences (sometimes from unfaithful churches!) is a result of sin, and is part of the battle of sin against the gospel.

Deuteronomy 29:22-29 - Why has the Lord done this?

29:22-24

Israel was meant to be a sign to the nations, a sign of how to live as a godly society, a beacon to the world. Instead she would become a beacon of disaster. People would wonder why all this had happened to Israel, indeed “why has the Lord done this?” This is still true today. While there are many who hate Israel, many wonder why she has suffered so much. Going back to 29:19 the tragedy is that the people described here think they are under God’s blessing when in fact they are under His judgement. 

29:25-28

We now get the clear and simple answer to the question in 29:24. It is because they abandoned the covenant that the Lord made with them. Instead of worshipping the Lord, they worshipped idols. That was the reason all the curses (God’s judgement on mans’ sin) came upon them. So Israel was uprooted from the land, as happened under the Assyrians and Babylonians.

29:29

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us ...” There are many things that we do not understand or know, but God does reveal many things to us. Our task is to act on the things that we do know, the things that we do not know we can leave in God’s hands. Often people will focus on the hidden things, embarking on a futile task of trying to find them, and neglecting the things that we should be focusing on.

Hebrews 12:1,2 - A great cloud of witnesses

12:1

The author now rounds off his teaching in chapter 11, before moving on to the next topic. His purpose in listing the various “heroes of faith” was to demonstrate that faith was what they were commended for, and they did so not having received what was promised. So there was a “great cloud of witnesses”, and this cloud was not presented so that the Hebrews could merely marvel at it, but to encourage them to act. There were two key actions they were to take. The first was to “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles”. Hindrances need not be overtly sinful, but things that can become sinful if they hinder our walking in faith and obedience. In the case of the Hebrews it could be a hankering back to the trappings of the Law.  “The sin” need not refer to a specific sin, but a general reference to sin. All sin can entangle us.

12:2

We now come to the positive response. We are to fix our eyes on Jesus. He is the “pioneer and perfecter of faith”. The primary purpose of Jesus’ coming to earth was to die for us on the cross,  and Hebrews had emphasised the importance of that. However, He is also an example. Jesus showed us how to live. In the light of the persecution the Hebrews had suffered and may be about to continue to suffer, the author gives the specific example of Jesus “enduring the cross, scorning its shame”. Jesus did this, so the Hebrews should do the same. If the persecution was coming from the Jews (which often happened in the early church), it may have been tempting to go back to the Law, and their minds could have come up with all sorts of intellectual excuses for doing this. Jesus did not do this, He went to the cross with all that that entailed “for the joy set before Him”. And then He sat down at the “right hand of the throne of God”. This is a position of authority.

Deuteronomy 29:16-21 - You know how we lived in Egypt

29:16-18

Moses reminds them yet again of their time in Egypt and the journey through the desert. It is good too for us to remember the journey we went on in coming to know Christ, and the events that He has led us through. Here the purpose is to remind them of the “detestable idols” that they saw, the idols made of silver and gold and wood and stone. There is yet another of the warnings against idolatry. They were to “make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison”. The “bitter root” mentioned in Heb 12:15 is probably thinking of this verse. Idolatry never comes by itself, it always brings all sorts of evils along with it.

29:19-21

Repeating the oath, or reminding themselves of it, would be of no benefit to the people if they persisted in going their own way. Likewise, if someone has once made a profession of faith, but then persists in going their own way, that profession is of no value to them. Instead, such a person brings disaster upon themselves, and those around them. Such a person would not receive the blessings, but the curses of the covenant. This was part of the Law.

Hebrews 11:36-40 - God had planned something better for us

11:36-38

The end of 11:35 leads into a general section on those who were persecuted in various ways and at various levels. There are examples of some of these in Scripture itself, and also in extra-Biblical writings. “The world was not worthy of them”. Those who persecute may have mocked their victims saying they were not worthy of the world (which is what happens today to those who question LGBTQ+ stuff, especially transgenderism), but the reality was that the world was not worthy of them. Jesus said we are not to fear those who can destroy the body but not the soul (Matt 10:28). We need to know that death is not the end.

11:39,40

These two verses round off the section. They were all commended for their faith. He is encouraging his readers to have faith in Christ and His work. “None of them had received”. Now faith is not “pie in the sky when you die”. We see in all the examples that faith had an effect now, often a material effect. Yet God has “planned something better for us”. Our faith in Christ makes a difference now, yet there is something far greater still to some, and we are looking forward to the return of Christ, and our resurrection from the dead.

Deuteronomy 29:9-15 - Carefully follow the terms

29:9

“Carefully follow the terms of this covenant, so that you may prosper in everything you do.” This sums up the nature of the Law. If the people had followed “the terms of the covenant” everything would indeed have gone well with them. Of course, the problem was that they were utterly incapable of following the terms of the covenant, so things did not go well. How does this tie into the so-called prosperity gospel? As Jesus is our righteousness should we not now expect prosperity? The short answer is no, but it needs a somewhat longer answer. Through Christ we are brought near to God, we are totally acceptable to Him, and we do indeed receive many blessings. However, we need a deeper understanding. For God has brought us into His kingdom and we are involved in His purposes. And those purposes involve us in sharing in Christ’s sufferings, as the New Testament makes clear. We do not do this in order to make up for any lack or contribute to the atonement. Christ’s work on the cross was complete and finished, as Hebrews makes abundantly clear. But seeing people saved, seeing the needy helped, standing against evil may involve suffering.

29:10-15

The covenant was made with all the people. This included the various leaders, but also all the men, all the wives, and all the children., and it included the foreigners working in the land for them. All were included. They were all standing before the Lord to enter into a covenant with the Lord. The Lord made this covenant with an oath. He was confirming that they were His people, and that He would be their God. “You will be my people, and I will be your God” is the oft repeated refrain in the Old Testament. It was also a fulfilment of the promise made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This covenant was also made with future generations.

Hebrews 11:34,35 - Quenched the fury of the flames

11:34

“Quenched the fury of the flames” probably refers to Daniel’s friends who were thrown into the fiery furnace for refusing to bow down to the idol. Various people escaped the sword, including David, and the whole nation was rescued by Esther. “Whose weakness was turned to strength”. This reminds me of 2 Cor 12:9 where God said to Paul that His strength is made perfect in weakness. Gideon is probably the best example of this, of those named above, and he did become powerful and rout foreign armies.

11:35

The women who “received back their dead” are the widow of Zarephath (1 Ki 17:17-24, raised by Elijah) and the Shunammite woman (2 Ki 4:17-37, raised by Elisha). The writer then mentions those who died in faith, despite being tortured. This is referring to incidents recorded in the Apocrypha, rather than Scripture itself.

Deuteronomy 29:5-8 - During the forty years

29:5,6

The plagues in Egypt and the parting of the Red Sea were dramatic events, but there were also ongoing miracles during their time in the wilderness. Their clothes and shoes did not wear out. That is a miracle, for we all know that clothes wear out. Their food and water was often provided miraculously. God is continually looking after us.

29:7,8

God’s “military” provision for them did not stop with Egypt. Much later, “when you reached this place”, Sihon and Og came out to fight against them, but God enabled them to defeat these armies. The land was taken and given as an inheritance to the Reubenites, Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh. God had recently shown them the reality of His protection for them, and all the people had experienced it.

Hebrews 11:32,33 - What more shall I say?

11:32

Having dealt with a number of examples in some detail, mostly Abraham and Moses, he now goes on to quickly list a number of others taken from throughout the Old Testament, and incidents in general. First he lists four of the “judges” (Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah).  Gideon and Samson are well known to us, and have their flaws as well as their successes, this being especially true of Samson. The other two are less well known, and I had to look them up to remind myself what they had done. We read about Barak in Judges 4. He does win victories, but is acting under the encouragement and direction of Deborah. We read of Jephthah in Judges 10-12. He was one of the judges who came after one of the periods of Israel doing evil in the eyes of the Lord. He only reigned for six years, but gets quite a lot of attention (about two and a half chapters). Then he names David, followed by Samuel “and the prophets”. Samuel is probably named after David because he is listed with the prophets.

11:33

This verse lists some of their achievements. This involved conquering kingdoms. Several of them led Israel to victory over various enemies. They administered justice, which was at least as important as winning victories. They “gained what was promised”. People like David and Gideon received what was promised to them by God. Shutting the mouths almost certainly refers to Daniel.

Deuteronomy 29:1-4 - These are the terms

29:1-3

Thankfully we are now past the curses!  The Lord had made a covenant with the Israelites at Horeb, and now does so again at Moab, the time of actually entering the Promised Land is now very close. So Moses summoned all of Israel. The covenant applied to all of them, just as the gospel applies to all. Moses begins by reminding them of what they have seen, their “lived experience” if we use a modern idiom. Sadly, they learned little from their experience. “You have seen all ...” Presumably this applies to the women and those who were under twenty at the time of the exodus, for almost all the men who were over twenty died in the desert.

29:4

“But to this day the Lord has not given you a mind that understands or eyes that see or ears that hear.” The Israelites had learnt nothing from their experiences. In Jeremiah and Ezekiel there is the promise of a new heart, of God writing His law in their hearts. Jesus used the phrase “let him who has ears to hear” on a number of occasions in the gospels (e.g. Mark 4:9). A change of heart in the people was what was needed.

Hebrews 11:28-31 - By faith the walls of Jericho fell

11:28

This definitely refers to the exodus. Moses was instructed to apply the lamb's blood to the houses, and all Israel was instructed to do likewise. It was the application of the blood that protected Israel from the angel of death. So in this verse and the preceding one we see application to the Hebrew’s present situation. They faced opposition, and the Moses example shows that this has often been the case. Secondly, it is the blood of the lamb that protects from the wrath of God.

11:29

Next comes the Red Sea. Moses had faith in God when they were faced with the Red Sea in front of them and the Egyptian army behind them. He held up his staff and the Red Sea parted to let them through on dry land. However, when the Egyptian army sought to chase after them they were drowned by the sea. Faith saves!

11:30,31

We now move on to after the exodus and the entry into the Promised Land. So these two examples include the Israelites after the exodus, and also a person who was a Gentile but united herself with the Israelites. So the examples would apply to both the Jewish Christians and to Gentiles Chrisitans who had close associations with the Jews. Both examples concern the fall of Jericho (Josh 5:13-6:27), the first concerning the fall of the walls themselves, and the second to the prostitute Rahab who helped the Jewish spies.

Deuteronomy 28:53-68 - The Lord will scatter you among the nations

28:53-57

“You will eat the fruit of the womb” refers to the conditions of the siege of Jerusalem by Babylon. Under a siege conditions become truly terrible, and they would get so desperate that they would eat their own children. Even normally gentle and compassionate people will stop caring for others. Looking after number one will be the only “morality” left. People will hate even their closest relatives. A land without God descends into a terrible state.

28:58-63

The warning is given again, and the reason why these calamities would come upon the land. It would be because they did not “carefully follow all the words of this law”. As we know, Israel did not do this, and the disasters did indeed come upon them. Knowing what we should do and being able to do it are two very different things. The reality of the disasters is then impressed upon them again. The plagues of Egypt would come upon them, and instead of being a numerous people they would be few in number. The Lord had delighted to bless and prosper them, but now because of their disobedience He would be equally determined to destroy them. Anyone who does not take the judgement of God seriously is a fool. 28:64-68

They would be scattered among the nations. When Assyria conquered the northern kingdom the people were dispersed among the nations, and then when Babylon conquered Judah many were taken into exile. Fear, instead of peace, would fill the hearts of the people. They would even offer themselves as slaves, but they would be so despised that no one would buy them. Thankfully, we are now at the end of this chapter!

Hebrews 22:26,27 - By faith he left Egypt

11:26

He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ ....” It is interesting that the author refers to Joseph’s faith being for the sake of Christ. The general New Testament view is that the people of faith in the Old Testament were looking forward to Christ, though without having anything like a full idea of what they were looking forward to.  “He was looking forward to his reward”. The concept of reward is very important in the New Testament, including in the teaching of Jesus. We tend to be wary of this, primarily for two reasons. One is aversion to any idea of earning our salvation, and the other is a desire to have nothing to do with anything like prosperity teaching. These are laudable aims, but we need to recognise that the Bible does promise us a reward. And in the face of persecution it is vital to know that our reward for remaining faithful is far greater than any cost there maybe in this life.

11:27

Then we move on to Moses leaving Egypt. This could refer to Moses going into exile, or when he led the people out of Egypt. The latter seems the more likely to me. For we read of Moses’ encounters with Pharaoh. Moses had met the invisible God in the burning bush incident. In the conflict of the plagues we see that Moses never feared Pharaoh.

Deuteronomy 28:45-52 - All these curses will come on you

28:45-48

The curses would pursue the nation. They would do all they could to try and avoid or overcome them, but would never succeed. This is because they would not address the root problem, disobedience to the Lord. They should have served “the Lord joyfully and gladly in the time of prosperity”. When things are going well there is a great tendency to think that we don’t need God. This is what Israel would do, so she would suffer judgement.

28:49-52

The terrible nation spoken of here could be Assyria or Babylon. Assyria did decimate the northern kingdom, but was miraculously stopped at Jerusalem (see Isaiah 36-38). It was Babylon that conquered Judah, the southern kingdom. Babylon seem the more likely candidate given the total conquest spoken of here.

Hebrews 11:24,25 - He chose to be ill-treated

11:24

Moses ended up being brought up in Pharaoh’s household. He could have enjoyed a comfortable life, instead he chose to suffer with God’s people. He chose to be known as a Hebrew, rather than the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. For the Hebrews reading this letter life would have been easier for them if they had gone along with normal Jewish practices. It is worth noting that Moses’ killing of an Egyptian and rebuking two Israelites for fighting with each other, would have seemed like a failure. Moses ended up on the run, he was in exile from exile! And the plight of the Israelites was no better. Yet here the incidents are seen as evidence of Moses’ faith. Our measures of success and God’s measures of success are not always the same!

11:25

Moses chose to suffer with the Israelites, rather than enjoy the temporal pleasures of Pharaoh’s household. We need to have a proper perspective on life, to know what is really important, and what is only fleeting. Sharing with the sufferings of others was something the Hebrews knew about in sharing with those in prison. Enjoying the benefits of Pharaoh’s household is termed “the fleeting pleasures of sin”. Enjoying the benefits of the world rather than remaining faithful to Christ is enjoying the “fleeting pleasures of sin”. This does not mean that we can never enjoy anything in life, but if it is a choice between Christ and a life of ease, we need to choose Christ.

Deuteronomy 28:36-44 - You will become a thing of horror

28:36,37

The nation would become a thing of horror and an object of ridicule. In exile they would worship gods of wood and stone. But this would only happen because Israel was worshipping idols in the first place.

28:38-44

We now get more of the devastation. There is more of things not working. Crops failing, locust swarms, foreigners in the land rising higher, and the Israelites sinking ever lower. There is another reversal of the blessings with Israel being the tail instead of the head.

Hebrews 11:22,23 - By faith Moses' parents hid him

11:22

Joseph receives a fair chunk of Genesis, with his dreams and his time in Egypt being the primary focus. However, the writer of Hebrews focuses on the end of Joseph’s life, when it shows that Joseph was looking forward. He knew that Egypt was only a stopping place along the way. They were in Egypt for a time, but it was only temporary, waiting until the time that God would take them out of Egypt to the Promised Land. The Law, too, was only a stopping place, it was there to look after them until the salvation in Jesus Christ came. This view is consistent with Paul’s teaching Gal 3:15-29.

11:23

Attention now turns to Moses and the exodus from Egypt. Faith starts with Moses’ parents. At the time the help that Joseph had given to Egypt was long forgotten, and the current Pharaoh turned against the Jews, ordering that all male babies be killed. However, the incident demonstrates the weakness of human tyrants, and how they can be thwarted. Doing so takes courage and faith. The Hebrew midwives feared God (Ex 1:17,21), and so did not follow Pharaoh’s edict. Moses’ parents also feared God rather than Pharaoh, and so the potential of Moses. So they hid him for three months.  As our society becomes ever more anti-Christian it takes faith and courage to stand against various edicts that society may make. It also requires faith for the future.

Deuteronomy 28:26-35 - The Lord will afflict you

28:26-29

The wild animals would feed off their carcasses for food. This is an extreme form of ignominy. The plagues that God sent on Egypt would now come upon Israel. “You will be unsuccessful in everything you do”. This sums things up, nothing would work. Today we can look at politicians or political parties for hope, but what our nations need is to repent and to humble themselves before the Lord. Nothing else will work.

28:30-35

Life generally will be a disaster with everything possible going wrong. What are we to make of this? Israel and Judah did suffer much at the hands of the Assyrians and Babylonians in Biblical times. In the intertestamental times they also suffered. Throughout history there have been times of great suffering, the holocaust being the worst. They still suffer much today. At the same time they have given much to the world through science, finance and culture. One thing that must be said is that those people who have persecuted the Jews are without excuse, they are guilty. Any nation that works against Israel is asking for trouble. But to find true peace, the only is for Israel to turn to Christ, which one day she will do.

Hebrews 11:20,21 - By faith Isaac blessed Jacob

11:20

We now get a brief mention of Abraham’s immediate descendants. Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, and we are told this was done by faith with regard to their futures. This is a rather odd incident, for we know that Jacob, at Rachel’s instigation, deceived Isaac into giving him the primary blessing. When Esau came for his blessing, expecting to receive the blessing for the firstborn, Isaac refused. One might think that he could revoke the blessing on Jacob, as it had been obtained under false pretences. However, Isaac stuck with the original blessing, and I think we must take it that is where the faith came in.

11:21

Jacob had a very varied life. He actually blessed all his sons, but here it refers only to Joseph’s sons.  The blessing of all of Jacob’s sons is recorded in Gen 49. In Gen 48 Joseph asks Jacob to bless his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Jacob gave Ephraim the greater blessing, much to Joseph’s displeasure (Gen 48:17).  The mention of Jacob leaning on his staff represented his life as a stranger and wanderer. God had been leading him the whole way.

Deuteronomy 28:16-25 -You will be cursed in the city

28:16-20

These are a very clear negation of the blessings. If they obeyed things would just work, if they did not then nothing would work. “The Lord will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to”. This sums up the whole situation. The nation of Israel existed solely because God had chosen them and created them. So they needed to stick close to God. As a race, humanity exists solely because God created us, indeed chose us. It is foolishness of us to turn away from God or pay Him no heed.

28:21-25

There is a relentlessness of God’s judgement, there will be no escape. There are many who reject the concept of God and judgement, or God and wrath. There is no Biblical foundation at all for such notions. Instead of enemies coming in by one way and fleeing by seven, Israel would come at her enemies by one way, but flee by seven. 

Hebrews 11:17-19 - By faith Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice

11:17-19

We now move back to Abraham himself, this time with reference to God testing him with the sacrifice of Isaac. This story is extremely interesting. Most commonly when the incident is talked about there is an emphasis on how terrible this must have been for Abraham. Indeed, the text itself does stress the momentousness of what Abraham is being told to do. Gen 22:2 says “take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love”. However, when we read the chapter we see that there is no hesitation nor questioning on Abraham’s part, and in Gen 22:5 he tells his servants that he and the boy will return, then in Gen 22:8 in response to Isaac’s questions Abraham tells him that God will provide the lamb. This is quite different from the way Abraham has behaved in the previous twenty or thirty years, where, as well as faith and obedience, there have been times of doubt and questioning.

A second issue that is often raised in relation to this is why would God tell Abraham to do this, to sacrifice his son. Isn’t this a terrible thing to do, even an evil thing? At the start of Gen 22 it says “God tested Abraham ...” Now was God seeing if Abraham was good enough? Surely not! Rather God knew the work that He had done in Abraham. Abraham had truly become a man of faith, of complete and utter faith (Gen 22:16-18). Back to Hebrews, it says that Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead. Isaac was not just Abraham’s son, he was God’s promised son to Abraham, and the one through whom His promises would be fulfilled.