Sermon Tone Analysis

Some Notes on the Theology of Blessing from the Old Testament for Today’s Church

from the Old Testament to Today

Should Christians expect to be prosperous?

The New Covenant Clarifies and Supersedes the Old Covenant

Much of our misunderstanding on this matter stems from forgetting that the new covenant given by the blood of Christ supersedes the law of the old covenant given to the Hebrew people.

The New Covenant is a “more perfect.”

(NIV)

22 Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant.

The old covenant, which I will describe briefly below was given to us to teach us right from wrong and to show us how strongly God hates any sort of idolatry-whether that be worship of idols or the idolatry of our heart and mind in trusting “things” to save us rather than God.

God instituted a covenant, a binding agreement with Moses and the Hebrew people as they were about to cross into the land of Palestine.

The Ten Commandments are the stipulations of this covenant between God and the Hebrew people.

“The Ten Commandments, are formally the general stipulation section of the Sinatic Covenant [given to Moses on Mount Sinai] document recorded in .

The so-called special stipulation section that follows the Decalogue consists of a number of statutes cast in the form of case (or casuistic) law, which together are designated “the Book of the Covenant.”

It is clear that these statutes are not exhaustive in scope but are illustrative of the manner in which the principles of covenant stipulation are to be applied in individual cases.

They also amplify and clarify the intent of those stipulations and even go beyond them, particularly in areas of cultic [religious] principle practice.”[1]

The book of Deuteronomy is itself, a covenant or treaty between God and his people the Hebrews.

The Wycliff Bible Commentary says, regarding Deuteronomy 4, that it “is remarkable in that it embodies, to some extent, all the features which constitute the documentary pattern of ancient suzerainty treaties.

Thus, there are: (1) the identification of the author of the covenant as speaker (vv. 1, 2, 5, 10);

(2) references to past historical relations;

(3) the presentation of the central demand for pure devotion to the suzerain;

(4) appeal to the sanctions of blessing and curse;

(5) invocation of witnesses (v.

26);

(6) the requirement to transmit the knowledge of the covenant to subsequent generations (vv.

9, 10); and

(7) allusion to the dynastic issue (vv.

21, 22).

This mingling of the several leading aspects of covenant institution found here and elsewhere throughout the book is explained by the origin of the material in the free oratory of Moses’ farewell.

Deuteronomy is not a document prepared in the state office with dispassionate adherence to legal form.”[2]

We can see this even in (NIV)

Deuteronomy 4:1-

In you will see how seriously God took the breaking of laws, particularly the worship of foreign gods besides himself.

When they worshipped Baal Peor 24,000 people died.

The rest of the passage is in your handout to make it easy for you.

3 You saw with your own eyes what the Lord did at Baal Peor.

The Lord your God destroyed from among you everyone who followed the Baal of Peor, 4 but all of you who held fast to the Lord your God are still alive today.

5 See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it.

6 Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.”

7 What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him?

8 And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?

9 Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live.

Teach them to your children and to their children after them.

10 Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when he said to me, “Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children.”

11 You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain while it blazed with fire to the very heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness.

12 Then the Lord spoke to you out of the fire.

You heard the sound of words but saw no form; there was only a voice.

13 He declared to you his covenant, the Ten Commandments, which he commanded you to follow and then wrote them on two stone tablets.

14 And the Lord directed me at that time to teach you the decrees and laws you are to follow in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.

15 You saw no form of any kind the day the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire.

Therefore watch yourselves very carefully, 16 so that you do not become corrupt and make for yourselves an idol, an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman, 17 or like any animal on earth or any bird that flies in the air, 18 or like any creature that moves along the ground or any fish in the waters below.

19 And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars—all the heavenly array—do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the Lord your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.

20 But as for you, the Lord took you and brought you out of the iron-smelting furnace, out of Egypt, to be the people of his inheritance, as you now are.

21 The Lord was angry with me because of you, and he solemnly swore that I would not cross the Jordan and enter the good land the Lord your God is giving you as your inheritance.

22 I will die in this land; I will not cross the Jordan; but you are about to cross over and take possession of that good land.

23 Be careful not to forget the covenant of the Lord your God that he made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything the Lord your God has forbidden.

24 For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

which he confirmed to them by oath…

See some other passages plucked from Deuteronomy which highlight this covenant to God’s people at that time below:

D

8 Observe therefore all the commands I am giving you today, so that you may have the strength to go in and take over the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 9 and so that you may live long in the land the Lord swore to your ancestors to give to them and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey.

-28

Dt. 11:26

Deuteronomy 30:15-16

26 See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse—27 the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; 28 the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known.

(NIV)

(continue reading to them these verses):

17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed.

You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.

19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.

Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him.

For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

These are covenant stipulations against forbidding idolatry and asking people to follow the laws God gave to Moses.

THE HEBREW PEOPLE DID NOT KEEP THE COVENANT

If you read the prophets, you will see that in fact the people of God did not follow the laws.

They turned to idolatry and they suffered dire consequences.

See for one of many examples.

No one can keep the whole law, but we are made righteous by faith.

Paul wrote in Galatians that no one could, by themselves, follow the whole law.

Thanks be to God that in Christ, we are made righteous not by keeping the law but by faith.

Galatians 3:2

(NIV)

21 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not!

For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law.

22 But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.

23 Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed.

24 So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith.

25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.

26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith,

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Do the Old Testament Laws of Blessings and Cursings apply today?

How do the Old Testament laws of blessings and cursings apply today?

Those laws are good for all of God’s people and apply, in principal, to the church and to individual believers because we are the children of Abraham by faith

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And so, despite the fact that we are not Hebrew people, the covenant does apply to us as general principal.

We are not the Hebrew people but we are the children of Abraham by being grafted in.

So, in a sense, we are a sort of new nation of Israel and so we will not be blessed if we fall into idolatry, we should honor our father and mother etc.

Jesus clearly explains the relationship of the law to the people of God, to us today:

Matthew 5:17-18

(NIV)

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus says: “You have heard it said…But I tell you”

21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’