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According to Grace: Moses' Last Charge

So get this.  I'm reading in Deuteronomy for my devotional this morning, and I come across some food for thought that really has nothing to do with the devotional article's focus.  But there I am, with this cool new interpretation of Scripture that, honestly, I probably should have gotten before now.

Anyway, the kicker for me this morning is Deut. 6:25, which says in the NLT, "For we will be counted as righteous when we obey all the commands the Lord our God has given us."  (For some context, Moses is addressing the nation of Israel with a final charge before he dies and the people enter the Promised Land.  More on that in the next post.)  Right off the bat, I think, "Oh, well this just describes the first part of the picture - the one where generations of Israelites (and a few converts) tried and failed miserably to earn salvation through works. This doesn't apply anymore."  After all, a good portion of Moses' entire charge is rules and regulations.

But then I remember that, earlier in the very same chapter, the verse that I highlighted only last week. "And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength." (Deut. 6:5 NLT)  Jesus actually references this verse in theological discussion with the Pharisees.  He tells them that "the first and greatest commandment" (Matt. 22:38 NLT) is, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind" (Matt. 22:37 NLT).  It is the root of the entire Law (Matt. 22:40).  In other words, the other rules are outcroppings that always lead back to the same principle.

How do I know this for sure?  Hebrews says so.  This book has one of the clearest explanations of Christ's salvation and how it naturally connects to the Jewish religion before Jesus' arrival.  In one sense, it confirms what I've believed for most of my life.  "The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a preview of the good things to come." (Heb. 10:1 NLT)  In other words, the Law is a system that ultimately points to Christ through the imagery of the sacrificial lamb.  And now that there is a "'new' covenant, it means He has made the first one obsolete." (Heb. 8:13 NLT)    

BUT, that doesn't mean that it is completely invalidated, just the specific regulations that stem from the basic foundation that has never changed at all.  Before the Law, "it was by faith that Abraham obeyed [God]" (Heb. 11:8 NLT).  The same applies earlier with Noah, who "received the righteousness that comes by faith" (Heb. 11:7 NLT).  After the Law was given through Moses, many judges and kings were granted victories through their faith (Heb 11:32-33).  They lived under the Law, but had no hope of perfectly following it. God judged them based on their hearts' motivation to obey - love for their God.  When Christ fulfilled the law (Matt. 5:17), faith changed from believing in a promise to come (Heb. 11:13) to knowing Jesus Christ made good on that promise.  We have a clearer understanding of grace this side of the cross (Eph. 2:5-9), but when you look at the whole picture, faith has always been the core of obedience to and favor with God.

 I'm just saying, my husband was right when he said Scripture often takes on a whole new light when read in context with the entire Bible.  I personally think that it cuts down on confusion and apparent contradictions.  Who knew in the midst of an increasingly confusing life after 23, I would start finding clarity in my relationship with Jesus that I never before dreamed possible?


~ 12/9/19 
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