Deuteronomy (PTW) by Ajith Fernando & R. Kent Hughes

Author:Ajith Fernando & R. Kent Hughes [Fernando, Ajith & Hughes, R. Kent]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Religion, Biblical Commentary, Old Testament
ISBN: 9781433531033
Google: 47Pv9zS1MTUC
Amazon: 1433531003
Publisher: Crossway
Published: 2012-04-30T16:00:00+00:00

36

We Will Be Different from Others

DEUTERONOMY 14:1–21

AFTER THE STRONG PROHIBITION of having anything to do with occult powers, Moses goes on to show how the distinctiveness of the Israelites in relation to surrounding peoples is demonstrated in some expressions of their religious life (14:1–21). The discussion below will show that the primary purpose for these rules, some of which seem strange to us, is that of helping the Israelites to remember that they are a people who are different from others because they are God’s people. Our discussion of this passage will major on what we can learn that will help us to be a people for God who are different from others.

We Are a People Holy to the LORD (14:1, 2, 21)

The uniqueness of Israel is expressed is 14:1 where Moses says, “You are the sons of the LORD your God.” In 14:2 Moses says, “For you are a people holy to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.” The order of words in the Hebrew of both these sentences is significant. They begin by stating, “Sons you are . . . ” and “a holy people you are. . . .” This emphasizes their unique identity. The same words as in verse 2 were used in 7:6, the passage that commands the Israelites to utterly destroy the nations they overthrow in their conquest of the promised land. Moses ends this discussion of prohibited things by saying, “For you are a people holy to the LORD your God” (14:21c).

Three things mark out the people as different from others. The first is adoption: they are God’s children (14:1). The most important thing about them is that they belong to God as a child belongs to a father. Earlier in 1:31 and 8:5 the fact that they were God’s children was used to demonstrate, as Chris Wright says, “God’s action for Israel, in care and discipline.” He initiated a covenant with them, and he has so far kept that covenant in an amazing way, giving them all they needed, sometimes through miraculous provision. “Here, however, the stress is on the other side of the parent-child relationship, namely the duty of the child to obey the parent’s will” (Wright).

As people who belong to God, their behavior needs to be different from that of others, and chapter 14 gives some behaviors that mark them out from their neighbors. Many conform to the world because they feel that this is the way to acceptance by others and thus to significance. They are looking for a sense of belonging. But there is a much more powerful influence on them—the sense of belonging to God as his children. If they grasp this, they will realize that it is not necessary for them to sin in order to belong. In fact, sin would be below their dignity as God’s children.

One of our greatest challenges in discipling Christians is helping them understand and revel in their adoption by God.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.