Epiphany 6

(NIV): 15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. 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.

Last June was the 75th anniversary of the largest amphibious assault in history. An amphibious assault is when a coast is attacked from the sea. Just how big was this assault?

Without the brilliant planning and heroic sacrifices of the D-Day invasion, the Allies may have never defeated the Nazi forces in Europe. On June 6, 1944, more than 156,000 American, British and Canadian troops stormed 50 miles of Normandy's fiercely defended beaches in northern France in an operation that proved to be a critical turning point in World War II. Below are key facts on the planning and execution of the epic Allied invasion.

According to the D-Day Center, the invasion, officially called "Operation Overlord," combined the forces of 156,115 U.S., British and Canadian troops, 6,939 ships and landing vessels, and 2,395 aircraft and 867 gliders that delivered airborne troops.

Recently, I have listened to several books about American servicemen who were involved in this historic event. One was a tanker of a Sherman tank. The other was about men in the 101st Airborne who landed behind enemy lines on June 5th to discrupt communication and supply lines. In both of those books you get a real close to home account of just how anxious the people were before this assault.

In General Eisenhower’s Order of the Day speech, he sought to encourage the troops.

In our reading from Deuteronomy, we have a similar situation. The Israelites (600,000 fighting men and 2,000,000) total are about to invade a fortified land of Canaan. We know that they were anxious because 40 years earlier they had balked at attacking after the report of the twelve spies. But now Moses (in one of his final speeches) encourages them to move forward and gives the key to success.

Whereas Eisenhower was sure to cite the military strength of the allied forces (and trust in God Almight to grant success), Moses focus on the Lord.

It was the Lord God who has promised Abraham that his descendants would live in the land of Canaan. This promise was made centuries earler.

It was the Lord God who has rescued them from Egypt.

It was the Lord God who had given them his laws and decrees and provided for them in the wilderness.

It was the Lord God who promises to be with them as they entered Canaan.

In fact, according to this covenant, as long as the people repsonded to the grace of God by trusting in him (which was also show by keeping his commands), they could be sure that they would have success for a long time to come.

Ironically, right after this the Lord instructed Moses to write a song which would foretell the Isralites inability to keep their side of the covenant.

Deuteronomy 31:14–23 (NIV): 14 The Lord said to Moses, “Now the day of your death is near. Call Joshua and present yourselves at the tent of meeting, where I will commission him.” So Moses and Joshua came and presented themselves at the tent of meeting. 15 Then the Lord appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the cloud stood over the entrance to the tent. 16 And the Lord said to Moses: “You are going to rest with your ancestors, and these people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake me and break the covenant I made with them. 17 And in that day I will become angry with them and forsake them; I will hide my face from them, and they will be destroyed. Many disasters and calamities will come on them, and in that day they will ask, ‘Have not these disasters come on us because our God is not with us?’ 18 And I will certainly hide my face in that day because of all their wickedness in turning to other gods. 19 “Now write down this song and teach it to the Israelites and have them sing it, so that it may be a witness for me against them. 20 When I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, the land I promised on oath to their ancestors, and when they eat their fill and thrive, they will turn to other gods and worship them, rejecting me and breaking my covenant. 21 And when many disasters and calamities come on them, this song will testify against them, because it will not be forgotten by their descendants. I know what they are disposed to do, even before I bring them into the land I promised them on oath.” 22 So Moses wrote down this song that day and taught it to the Israelites. 23 The Lord gave this command to Joshua son of Nun: “Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land I promised them on oath, and I myself will be with you.”

When you read the Old Tesament and the history of Israel, you will find a consistant theme. When the nation had kings who worshiped the Lord, they prospered. When they followed idols, the Lord brought disaster on them unti this summary.

Ab urbe condita 753 BC

One of the history classes we had at Northwestern College was on the Roman Empire. Because Jesus lived in Israel while Israel was under the jurisdiction of the Romans and the early Christians early years were set under that same rule, the study of the culture of the Romans is important to understanding the New Testament and early history of the Christian Church. So for an entire year we studied the 1000 year history of the Romans starting with “ab urbe condita” in 753 BC until the fall of the Roman empire around 300 AD. At the time we learned well the conditions and events that brought about the rise and fall of the Roman empire.

Here in the United States, we are taught about the exploration of North America, the founding of the United States, and its growth over the centuries. We may even speculate about what the future holds for our nation and what factors and events could impact the size and strength of our country. In some future models, our nations is invaded by the Russians, the nation of Islam (more a religious than geographical force), the Chinese etc. Some science fiction even goes so far as they either unite all nations on earth and form the Federation (Star Trek) or be destroyed by extra terrestrial forces (Independence Day).

On a much small scale, we may celebrate the history of a town or congregation and at the same time think about what the future holds for them.

St. Paul acknowledged that nations rise and fall but he reminds us that even though there are human factors, the real person behind the rise and fall of nations is God who is sovereign.

(NIV): 24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

We certainly see this in the history of Israel.

God called Abraham from Ur of the Chaldees and promised that his descendants would live in the land of Canaan.

Even though Abraham’s descendants lived in the land of Goshen for centuries, God remembered his promise and delivered them from Egypt under the leadership of Moses.

Because of their lack of faith, God disciplined them by having that generation wander in the wilderness for 40 years until almost all of the men over the age of 20 died.

After the death of Moses, Joshua would lead the Israelites to subdue the land of Canaan and the seven tribes that lived there.

A period of time would go by under the Judges as the nation organized.

The nation would be united with one king (Saul) and then David and Solomon before a civil war after the death of Solomon. Israel would last unti 722 BC and Judah until 587 BC.

After the 70 year Babylonian captivity, Judah would be a nation again but never autonomous.

Nation of Israel would be restored by the United Nations in 1948.

Now there are several ways to evaluate how this all happened and the social, political, and military factors that had a role in this. You can summarize it the way Paul did in Acts that it was God who marked out the times and places they should live. But another very common and valid way of looking at is the approach that the Bible takes which is expressed here by Moses and repeated numerous times throughout the history of Israel. Because the relationship between God and the Israelites was a bilateral covenant, the people were responsible and accountable for how they approached God and he blessed them when they obeyed and punished them when they disobeyed.

This was the covenant that Moses presented to the Israelites here when he speaks to them for one of the last times. He reminds them of how God promised to bless them if they obeyed and warned that he would punish them if they did not. You may recall similar words in the conclusion to the Ten Commandments.

Sadly, the final result of the covenant was Israels failure to keep their end of the deal and Daniel teaches us the result.

Daniel 9:7–19 (NIV): 7 “Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. 8 We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord, because we have sinned against you. 9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; 10 we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. “Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. 12 You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. 13 Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. 14 The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disaster on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him. 15 “Now, Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. 16 Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us. 17 “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. 18 Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. 19 Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.”

(NIV): 4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

God has also redeemed us. Instead of freeing us from human slavery, he has freed us from slavery to sin, death, and power of the devil. Not because of our might or strength, but because of his great love for us, he has saved us, forgiven our sin, and gives to us eternal life. Just as the Israelites were to respond by following the Lord, so too are we. That is why when teaching the catechism, our pastor will usually teach the creed before the commandments.

Note well: This covenant was not an agreement on how to get saved. It was an agreement for how the people and God were going to interact after God has already chosen Israel to be his chosen nation.

This is why the books of the Bible before the birth of Jesus are called the Old Testament (Covenant).

And so similar commands to obey God in the New Testament and promises of rewards and threats of punishment are not a guide to how to be saved but a guide on how those who are already saved are to live for God.

The following passages are meant for those who believe in Jesus and how they are to respond to salvation.

Matthew 16:27 (NIV): 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.

(NIV): 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

(NIV): 5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 God “will repay each person according to what they have done.” 7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. 9 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; 10 but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 11 For God does not show favoritism.

Revelation 20:12 (NIV): 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.

Certainly, we find hope and strength in believing how we will enter into eternal life and trust that God will be with us. But even now, as we “invade new territories as it were”, we can be confident that the Lord will be with us.

Emphasis on how we are forgiven because of Jesus.

Emphasis on how we are forgiven because of Jesus.

Our response? Obey not because we seek to be saved but in thankfulness that we are saved. Commands to obey the Lord and serve him with a sincere heart.

Difference: OT is obey and receive future blessings.

NT. We are saved and our response is to obey. Has a lot to do with motive. In either case our responsibility is to believe in and obey. “We thank you for teaching us what we are to believe and do . . . “