"And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command you this day for your good? Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD's your God, the earth also, with all that therein is. Only the LORD had a delight in your fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day. Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiff necked. For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regards not persons, nor takes reward: He does execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loves the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. Love you therefore the stranger: for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. You shall fear the LORD your God; him shall you serve, and to him shall you hold, and swear by his name. He is your praise, and he is your God, that has done for you these great and terrible things, which your eyes have seen. Your fathers went down into Egypt with three score and ten persons; and now the LORD your God has made you as the stars of heaven for multitude."
The context: In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses is giving the Israelites final, parting advice. They are about to enter the Promised Land, but he is not allowed, and so he gives them some fatherly wisdom. He restates the Law for them, and he recounts their journeys, reminding them of God's faithfulness, as well as of their rebellion. In Chapter 10, Moses tells them about the second set of tablets of stone that he had cut, the first set being smashed to bits when Moses discovered the idolatry of the people.
Moses comes to a bit of a climax in Verse 12. It's a "therefore moment," if you will. All things considered--all that you've heard and done--what does God want from you? The answer: reverential fear, love, and obedience.
Moses gives them two reasons why they owed God that much. #1: God is the Creator and Owner of all things (Verse 14). God made all things and, accordingly, owns all things. Therefore, all men owe God their obedience. #2: God had chosen their fathers, and subsequently them, as a special people (Verse 15). God had given them the special privileges of His Precepts, His Presence, and His Protection, and as a response to that, they owed Him. Fear, love, and obedience is the only acceptable response to redemption.
In Verse 16, Moses summarizes this duty. "Circumcise therefore the foreskins of your heart!" Moses is telling them the key to fearing, loving, and obeying God. He is emphasizing the spiritual nature of their responsibility to God. God never merely wanted outward obedience--He wanted their hearts!
Moses uses a graphic word picture here. He uses the picture of circumcision--a cutting off of flesh. He does this because it should have been familiar to those people (though in the opening chapters of Joshua we see that they were lax in this practice. As the covenant sign of the people, circumcision was a physical sign that illustrated spiritual truths.
Circumcision pictured two very closely related things. #1: It pictured the cutting off of the sinful nature and the remnants of sin in the life of a believer. It pictured regeneration, you could say. #2: It pictured that God had cut off the people from the rest of the world, and that they needed to live like separated people.
We as Christians are called to spiritual circumcision. Colossians 2:11-12 says, "In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead."
Paul tells us that we have been set apart, just like the Israelites, only the sign of our separation is baptism, not circumcision. Baptism pictures every circumcision pictured, only in a completed and more glorious way. Instead of a blood sign administered to males, we have a cleansing sign applied to males and females.
Every time we see a baptism, instead of sitting by in a routine fashion, we should be reminded of our own baptisms. Even if we were conscious of being baptized, the waters of baptism are God's claim upon our lives. We are separated. We have been spiritual circumcised. We need to live like it!
We have been cut off from the world! We need to cut the world off from our hearts! Colossians 3:5 says, "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." We need to be busy getting rid of sinful habits and sinful desires.
Of course, we know that this is only possible through the Holy Spirit. We need to pray for God's help in this endeavor, making sure to be diligent in the use of the means of grace (prayer, the Word, the sacraments, Christian fellowship). We need to fall before God, asking Him to make us like Jesus, finishing that which He has started in our lives (Philippians 1:6).
This is how we fear, love, and obey God. This is our proper response to redemption.
The context: In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses is giving the Israelites final, parting advice. They are about to enter the Promised Land, but he is not allowed, and so he gives them some fatherly wisdom. He restates the Law for them, and he recounts their journeys, reminding them of God's faithfulness, as well as of their rebellion. In Chapter 10, Moses tells them about the second set of tablets of stone that he had cut, the first set being smashed to bits when Moses discovered the idolatry of the people.
Moses comes to a bit of a climax in Verse 12. It's a "therefore moment," if you will. All things considered--all that you've heard and done--what does God want from you? The answer: reverential fear, love, and obedience.
Moses gives them two reasons why they owed God that much. #1: God is the Creator and Owner of all things (Verse 14). God made all things and, accordingly, owns all things. Therefore, all men owe God their obedience. #2: God had chosen their fathers, and subsequently them, as a special people (Verse 15). God had given them the special privileges of His Precepts, His Presence, and His Protection, and as a response to that, they owed Him. Fear, love, and obedience is the only acceptable response to redemption.
In Verse 16, Moses summarizes this duty. "Circumcise therefore the foreskins of your heart!" Moses is telling them the key to fearing, loving, and obeying God. He is emphasizing the spiritual nature of their responsibility to God. God never merely wanted outward obedience--He wanted their hearts!
Moses uses a graphic word picture here. He uses the picture of circumcision--a cutting off of flesh. He does this because it should have been familiar to those people (though in the opening chapters of Joshua we see that they were lax in this practice. As the covenant sign of the people, circumcision was a physical sign that illustrated spiritual truths.
Circumcision pictured two very closely related things. #1: It pictured the cutting off of the sinful nature and the remnants of sin in the life of a believer. It pictured regeneration, you could say. #2: It pictured that God had cut off the people from the rest of the world, and that they needed to live like separated people.
We as Christians are called to spiritual circumcision. Colossians 2:11-12 says, "In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead."
Paul tells us that we have been set apart, just like the Israelites, only the sign of our separation is baptism, not circumcision. Baptism pictures every circumcision pictured, only in a completed and more glorious way. Instead of a blood sign administered to males, we have a cleansing sign applied to males and females.
Every time we see a baptism, instead of sitting by in a routine fashion, we should be reminded of our own baptisms. Even if we were conscious of being baptized, the waters of baptism are God's claim upon our lives. We are separated. We have been spiritual circumcised. We need to live like it!
We have been cut off from the world! We need to cut the world off from our hearts! Colossians 3:5 says, "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." We need to be busy getting rid of sinful habits and sinful desires.
Of course, we know that this is only possible through the Holy Spirit. We need to pray for God's help in this endeavor, making sure to be diligent in the use of the means of grace (prayer, the Word, the sacraments, Christian fellowship). We need to fall before God, asking Him to make us like Jesus, finishing that which He has started in our lives (Philippians 1:6).
This is how we fear, love, and obey God. This is our proper response to redemption.
Comments
Post a Comment