Jesus is the Life. Deuteronomy 5.32, 33
Jesus throughout the Scriptures: Deuteronomy (5)
Pray Psalm 22.6-8.
But I am a worm, and no man;
A reproach of men, and despised by the people.
All those who see Me ridicule Me;
They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
“He trusted in the LORD, let Him rescue Him;
Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”
Sing Psalm 22.6-8.
(St. Christopher: Beneath the Cross of Jesus)
Despised by men, the Savior was more a worm than man.
They mocked, “He trusted God, let Him redeem Him if He can!
Let God deliver Him if He indeed delights in Him!”
Thus scorned they Jesus as He died in pain and anguish grim.
Read Deuteronomy 5.1-22, 32, 33; meditate on verses 32 and 33.
Preparation
1. Why did God give His Law to Israel?
2. What were they supposed to do?
Meditation
The nation of Israel throughout the Old Testament is one of the all-time great teachers.
They taught us that we cannot fulfill the requirements of God’s Law. And they showed us that failing to do so is the way to misery, treachery, strife, division, disappointment, and death.
Israel is a great teacher. Her failure to gain life through obedience brings two additional points to the surface. First, if we want to live, we have to find some way to fulfill the requirements of the Law, because, second, God is not going to change His mind.
Happily, One has appeared Who has fulfilled all the Law of God in terms of its righteous requirements (Matt. 5.17-19). But He has also fulfilled all the Law’s penalties against us, especially against us who believe in Him. As we saw in Genesis 15, God took on all the responsibility for fulfilling the terms of the covenant. He would obey the terms of the covenant—which included keeping every Word of God—and He would bear the judgment against His covenant people for their disobedience.
Thus, Jesus fulfills all the righteousness of God’s Law for us, and He bore all the judgment against repentant sinners such as we. Now we can truly live (Jn. 10.10; 14.6), prolong our lives for all eternity, possess all the promises of God, and walk in all His ways.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162.
We have Ten opportunities spelled out clearly for us to please the LORD (Deut. 5.6-21).
Let’s pick one: “Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all you work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work; you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day” (Deut. 5.12-15).
God in His wisdom and mercy reminded them that they had been slaves in Egypt, and their authentic suffering and well-deserved moaning and complaining had been heard by Him; therefore, He rescued them. But He wanted them to remember that they despised being slaves. Slaves have no freedom. Slaves never get a day off to rest their weary bodies and souls. Slavery is horrendous.
So, do not do this to another person! Don’t treat anyone else in this fashion, per the slavery modus operandi.
Don’t work on the Sabbath yourself, and don’t make it necessary for anyone else to work that day either.
For example, if we choose to shop on Sunday, we are encouraging the shop keeper to stay open on that day because it is advantageous for them to do so. But then their employees must work on the Sabbath to satisfy the needs of people who shouldn’t be shopping on that day in the first place. Imagine, if all Christians stopped shopping on Sunday. If no one is shopping, it is not advantageous for the store to keep the lights on, the plumbing going, and the heater or AC running if no one is there spending money. Just a thought.
Granted, this is just an opinion, not holy writ.
So, let’s see some other opinions on this topic:
The leaders that Nehemiah was working with after they had rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem joined together and entered into a curse and an oath “to walk in God’s Law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord and His ordinances and His statutes.” And one of Laws to be kept was about the Sabbath: “if the peoples of the land brought wares or any grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we would not buy if from them on the Sabbath, or on a holy day…” (Neh. 10.31).
God said, “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the LORD honorable, and shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words, then you shall delight yourself in the LORD; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the LORD has spoken” (Is. 58.13, 14).
And then Jesus added another layer to the joys of the Sabbath, when He answered the Pharisees who were complaining about the disciples picking and eating grain as they were walking through a field with Him on the Sabbath: “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him: how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him? The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath” (Mk. 2.25-28).
Jesus healed many on the Sabbath and did many other works of mercy on His special day. We have been freed from sin to follow Him. But we have also been charged with keeping God’s commandments. It is up to us to discern how to keep the Sabbath; but keep it we must.
Reflection
1. Since Jesus “fulfilled” the Law of God, why are we still obliged to keep it?
2. The Law was given to Israel to preserve their liberty from bondage and sin. Why is the Law “established” (Rom. 3.31) for us?
3. What is it like to know true freedom and life in obeying God’s commandments as Jesus did?
[God] desires the welfare and salvation of poor sinners. He has given abundant proof that he does so; he gives us time and space to repent. He has sent his Son to redeem us, promised his Spirit to those who pray for him, and has declared that he has no pleasure in the ruin of sinners. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Deuteronomy 5.23-33
Pray Psalm 22.23-25.
Give thanks to Jesus for fulfilling the Law and bearing its wrath on our behalf. Praise God for receiving us in Him and for the gift of eternal life. Recommit yourself to Him, to follow the path that Jesus walked, the path of God’s commandments (1 Jn. 2.1-6). Devote yourself to Him for this day.
Sing Psalm 22.23-25.
(Darwall: Rejoice! The Lord Is King!)
All you who fear the LORD, now praise His holy Name!
You children of His glorious Word, declare His fame!
We stand in awe of our eternal God, and on His mercy call.
For He has not despised the anguish of our King,
nor from Him hid His eyes, Who knew such suffering.
Let praise arise from all who love and serve the Ruler of the skies!
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
