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March 18th
Our Bible reading today is in Deuteronomy chapters 21,22,23.
During the 40 day period before Israel launched their invasion of Canaan, Moses preached his final sermon.
And this sermon included a rehearsal of God’s laws. God had given Israel His laws because He loved them...He gave them for the good of His people...not to oppress them...but to guide them in the wonderful ways of God. He would use His laws to tutor His children in their love relationship with Him and in their love relationship with each other.
Those covenant commands and rules and regulations set Israel apart from every other nation on earth...not because other nations didn't have their own set laws...but because only Israel had God’s perfect laws. .The laws that would restore the soul and make wise the simple...laws that would enlighten the eyes and rejoice the heart...why?
Because they were true and altogether right and good...and more to be desired than gold...yes, than much fine gold!
Now to the text before us...Moses gives instructions for protecting the land from being ceremonially defiled. We remember him giving warnings about God’s people touching a dead thing...particularly a dead human body.
That dead body was to be buried outside the camp, otherwise, it would defile the entire camp and make them unclean for worship. Whoever buried the dead body was declared unclean and had to remain outside the camp for 7 days until the priest declared him clean and acceptable for worship.
Moses answered the question: “what about a person who is put to death on a tree...part of the punishment is the public display of his broken and naked dead body...how long do we leave him on display? For even the sight and the smell of death defiles the air and the land.
Moses told them in his message not to leave him hanging all night...but bury him the same day...so as not to defile the land. Now the man judged to hang between heaven and earth was accursed by God because of his crime.
But he was also shown mercy by taking him down off the tree before twilight....judgment, and mercy came together by the end of the day.
Now what do we see here friends...?...the Apostle Paul by the Spirit, saw a prophetic message from Moses about the gospel of Christ. And what was the good news he saw?
That person who was hung on the tree was Jesus. That person accursed by God for sin was Jesus. That person who hung on public display as part of his punishment for sin was Jesus.
What did Paul see in Moses’ sermon on the defilement of the land by a cursed body? He saw Jesus take the curse of the law for him. Paul saw Jesus hanged to death on the tree in his and our place. I deserved that punishment...I should have been accursed for my own sin.
Jesus was the hanged man...in prophesy...in history...in my story too. Thanks, Lord...And Father, I see judgment and mercy come together by the end of the day...judgment on Jesus...mercy on me. Praise Your Name!
Have a great day
