Deuteronomy 28:15-68
Today's Passage: Deuteronomy 28:15-68
Sometimes it’s hard to know whether people are being serious or not. A warning of some kind may seem soft at first, only for us to realize it wasn’t a suggestion whatsoever. God is not playing around in Deuteronomy 28. He’s just announced His intentions to bless Israel for their unwavering commitment to His commandments (which is true love for HIM), but now He turns and explains what lies ahead for Israel if they rebel and turn back to false gods.
What does this reveal to us about the heart of God? I think this is the most important question we can ask in a very dicey and somewhat gut-wrenching section of the Bible. Here are some takeaways that should help us as we wrestle with this text:
In such a heavy text, look and see a loving God. His love looks like wrath at times (as it should), but never forget that love is what has ultimately satisfied wrath too.
Written By: Drew Dukes
Sometimes it’s hard to know whether people are being serious or not. A warning of some kind may seem soft at first, only for us to realize it wasn’t a suggestion whatsoever. God is not playing around in Deuteronomy 28. He’s just announced His intentions to bless Israel for their unwavering commitment to His commandments (which is true love for HIM), but now He turns and explains what lies ahead for Israel if they rebel and turn back to false gods.
What does this reveal to us about the heart of God? I think this is the most important question we can ask in a very dicey and somewhat gut-wrenching section of the Bible. Here are some takeaways that should help us as we wrestle with this text:
1. God’s wrath and His love are not mutually exclusive. We tend to think these are polar opposites that cannot co-exist, but they are actually the flip side of the same coin. God loves hard, blessing those who obey and follow His commands even though His wrath is what they rightfully deserve. God is wrathful, punishing those who disobey because He loves them so deeply. Consider Hebrews 12: what good father doesn’t discipline those He loves? Try not to see this passage as the Mr. Hyde version of God and the previous verses as Dr. Jekyll: God’s love and wrath are linked together. He is not divided in His being.
2. This is what rebellion deserves. You’ve heard the phrase, “the punishment fits the crime,” right? It’s super easy from our perspective to think that God is cranky and overreacting, but He isn’t. Until we see the seriousness of sin and feel the eternal weight of its reach, we will not rightly see God’s justice as proper. This God has loved, served, provided, freed, and sustained Israel, and for them to grumble against Him or turn to other gods is punishable by death. Never forget the reality of Romans 6:23a, “for the wages of sin is death.” It was true for Israel, and it’s still true for us today too.
3. Look inside and see if you fit this description. Is there any similarity between you and Israel? Have you forsaken God in some way? Have you failed to keep His statues? If so, let this be a time in which you consider the amazing gospel of Jesus: He took on the punishment for us. He stepped into the path of wrath and absorbed it all by His death. We are now objects of mercy because of Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice. It doesn’t mean we won’t face consequences for our sin (please don’t believe that we won’t be disciplined for our disobedience), but it does mean the greatest penalty (eternal death) was satisfied in Jesus. Let this drive us toward holiness, and let holiness flow from gratitude.
In such a heavy text, look and see a loving God. His love looks like wrath at times (as it should), but never forget that love is what has ultimately satisfied wrath too.
Written By: Drew Dukes
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