Be Strong and Courageous
Please join me in prayer. Holy God, thank you for being our God. And for leading us through this week. It's been a challenging week and where add a day of rest, Shabbat
Everything that was supposed to be completed has been completed this week. It's a day of rest, help us to reflect consider. Help us to experience your presence. We ask this in Jesus name, amen. Name n. Welcome. This is kind of like a prayer for rain. We're getting a lot of rain last time I showed this but today it's kind of like it's pretty dry out. Lord could use some rain. And we could use some cleansing.
Please cleanse us. Oh Lord! Amen.
This week.
Deuteronomy, 31 your virgins? You're a scripture. Say? I think probably 14 through the end of the verse about the end of the chapter is that right? 14.
31 14 through 30? Yes, that's messed up know. It isn't actually Deuteronomy 31. I'm going to do mainly the whole chapter sort of today and I'm going to go back to Deuteronomy one cuz Deuteronomy is Deuteronomy. And the thing that I want to say about Deuteronomy 31, you could also say about the whole book of Deuteronomy. It's a, it's a different, it's an unusual book. And will also be talkin about a little bit about chapter 31 through 34. I'm not trying to take the Thunder from next week and the week after. But kind of have to do that. There's a Song of Solomon. I'm going to be reading job, probably the oldest book in the Bible Corinthians Hebrews and Luke.
as we begin today, we We're wondering. What is this about anyway Deuteronomy. If you said what is Deuteronomy about
You're his treasure. That's a really good summary of the whole book of Deuteronomy. God's goal was God want, he wants a loving fellowship with us human beings. How does he do that? Deuteronomy teaches us through the discipline of a loving father.
Sometimes, loving father discipline and doesn't feel so loving. But it is, he wants it for our good. I'll be quoting a little bit and using a little bit from
book by Daniel block. Daniel block is a world-renowned professor of a smithwick's classical Hebrew. He wrote a book a call.
The Gospel According to Moses. and as members of the Church of Messiah, or if you just asked me to include you, in the list, you have access to a lot of Seminary level instruction and lower level instruction. And irmgard has seen all of the biographies. I think that are on it, they've got kids stuff on it. It's a, it's a streaming channel, the church, the Messiah provides for anyone who wants to give me their email address and then I can enroll you and invite you through the faithlife.com and might be log us now. But anyway, this is a particular series of sermons based on this book, The Gospel. According to Moses it pretty much covers the entire book. They're all available. There are lots of them and you can look at which one you want to see and you can watch it. This one's only about 45 minutes long but I watched a few of them this week. there have been eight books called The Gospel According to Moses, and then this other book right here, that's also an excellent book The subtitle is what my Jewish friends taught me about Jesus, so if you're if you're interested in scratching your head and and thinking a little bit outside the box, both of these are excellent books. Gospel, According to Moses, Daniel block doctor of philosophy.
That's the UK version of pH d, d, fill other the same thing, but officially he's a deep fill. Some people has some has a Ph.D, it begins and ends with God's gracious work for undeserving. Subjects, it consists largely of Moses farewell, sermons to his congregation and the purpose is to inspire them to a life of faith and godliness in response to God's grace mercy. That's what Deuteronomy is about according to Daniel block, this book part of a much larger project which includes him and others was driven by a passion to recover, the life-giving message of the Old Testament in general and The Gospel According to Moses, in particular, for Christians, I really like the that little bit Deuteronomy. If you go to Deuteronomy, 31 through 34.
A lot, a lot of commentary say it's a death narrative.
Who wants to read a death narrative? Doesn't sound like fun. While we read about the Wilderness generation dying. During the forty years we read about Aaron and Miriam dying. We were headed that Moses is going to die and he's not allowed to go into the land. And we know at the end of Deuteronomy that is real is going to continue in sin. Does it get any worse than that?
Death narrative sounds right.
Death narrative, yet a gospel. Wait a minute. We just said it was a Gospel According to Moses, but the whole books, a death narrative. What's going on here? You hey Bob. Hey, the Lord said this generation will not see the good land us. Were your father's because of this end, except for Caleb and Joshua, you'd have coffee. The Lord caps was also angry with me saying you won't go in Moses. So Moses is acknowledging. And Deuteronomy one that God told him he wouldn't go in and you can go back and read about that in Exodus and numbers if you want to go back. Which eye did you won't go in. Joshua will go in so encourage him he'll cause Isreal to inherit now what's better than is real inheriting, the promised land promised to Abraham 400 years ago. Is there anything better than that?
The promised land. What are you talkin about Rob the world to come everlasting life? That's good. Deuteronomy talks about that sort of.
It's a gospel.
We hear voices. What voices do we hear in? Deuteronomy wealth. We mainly here in Moses speaking. He gives three addresses into songs, which take up almost the entire book, but this week You'd have of the Holy Name, the holy God, the one, the Lord all caps in your Bibles. The Lord speaks three times in this short Seder. And he always speaks two other times in the whole book of Deuteronomy. So we're going to look at the times that he speaks in this week's satyr. We hear voices. Behold Moses, you'll lie down with your father's is real will horror after 4 and God's. I know their inclination even before I brought them into the land they'll forsake me, breaking my Covenant so I'll hide my face from them. Evils and troubles will come upon them. They'll say these evils Came Upon Us because God is not among us, teach them this song as a witness it will live unforgotten and their children's mouths. When I read that, they're going to send like crazy but their children will remember this song and this song will accuse them, it will be a witness against them. I couldn't help but think back to the sixties and seventies when I told my parents they were wrong.
I was accusing them. And some of the words that I'd learned,
Or Witnesses against the society, they lived in.
what about today here I am I can hear words witness thing against the generation we live in today.
The children will remember the words of the song.
They'll figure out who God is.
Cause me to think a lot. Did. You would have off. Hey, also said your days approach, Moses present yourself and Joshua. In the tent of meeting that I got says make commission him. And then God says, be strong and courageous.
You'll bring them into the land. I swore to them, I'll be with you.
God commission, Joshua. I thought Moses commission Joshua, I thought Moses said these words. He did. He also did but they both did God wasn't going to let Moses be the only one commissioning Joshua. He commissioned Joshua, the Lord commission Joshua. The structure of 31 and 32. Daniel block, he notices this structure. It's broken up into three main themes, Joshua's appointment Torah and the song or national anthem of Israel. So here you can see. Joshua's appointment is mentioned several times. You can see Torah is mentioned several times and you can see the song is only mentioned to time. So the song must not be that important, huh? Well it has more words than either of the two other ones too so it's fine. It's it's well-documented. It's a very interesting thing about these three things is Gospel. Joshua's appointment.
Yeah, it's not about death. Josh was being appointed by who the Lord. That's big. Dora is Dora important is Torah gospel. Yeah. What about the song? Is it a song? Just a witness against Israel? Or is it a song? A blessing, and eternal glory? I would say blessing in eternal glory. So, the whole structure. This is about the gospel. Moses said to all his real. I'm a hundred and twenty years old. You would have loved he told me you shall not go over this Jordan you'd have I'll pay your God himself will go over before you Joshua will go over at your head as the Lord has spoken. Be strong and courageous. Don't fear you'd have I'll pay your God goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you this is Moses commissioning Joshua there Here's the painting. We like paintings by James too so we just kind of we like them. He's got a good idea. This was painted by James to so it was bought by a Jewish gentleman in the early 1900's and he gave it to the New York library and the New York library has it's been transferred from the New York Library where most of the cells work is to The Jewish Museum in New York City, it's been there since 1952. There are very few paintings by 2, so that made their way into the Jewish library, but this one is significant enough that it really does belong there. This is Moses commissioning, Joshua.
Pretty nice painting. Moses summon Joshua in the sight of all Israel. Be strong and courageous. For you shall go with his people into the land. You they've already has sworn to give them and you shall put them in possession of it. You'd hate Bob that goes before you. He will be with you. He'll not leave you nor forsake you don't fear or be dismayed. So, how can you talk about gospel and a narrative of death narrative? I don't know. What's a talking about? Well, first of all, you have to understand ancient cosmology. A block has that a circular diagram on the on the right, Heaven realm of Duty Earth, Realm of the living shells around all the death, and we've seen often. And in this congregation, this other picture of the ancient cosmology, the way that they thought the world was some people call this the Flat Earth view. But you'll notice at the bottom of it, and has Shale both Bob at the bottom of both of these Shale so we get confused between shale.
Hell. Hades. We get confused. I'm going to try to help she'll Jesus provided a clarification. Who's? Story.
Talks about paradise and Hades or the bosom of Abraham and Hades. The Tanakh, the Old Testament. Doesn't clearly described where we'll go when we die other than Shale, the grave, some of my Jewish friends. If you're talkin about heaven and hell, they will flat-out instantly say there is no hell. I think there is But the Christian understanding of hell is really messed up. Most of our images about it, have nothing to do with what the Bible teaches it has to do more with Dante's Inferno. And images that we've seen depicting, these things, it has nothing to do with what the Bible's teaching. So I could try to figure out having and he'll try to look it up in the Bible and you'll be very confused. But Jesus provide some clarification. Sometime between the Testaments after Malachi and before the New Testament, was written sometime in that. This understanding developed in Judaism about the grave Where do you go in the grave? Well, You're either going to go to a nice place or not, so nice place.
Moses is told, he will lie down in the grave or where With his father's. Does that sound good? Worst fathers. Good people. Kind of begs the question. When it says, lie down with your father's it's generally taken that. That's a nice place kind of like a homecoming.
so, The Old Testament does it talk about places of blessing and places of suffering at least implies them but it doesn't stress them. The intertestamental. Developed, these ideas of shale, the grave, the place you go. When you die in her buried into a paradise and Hades. So here's a Blackboard drawing of it. She'll be buried in the grave on Earth and somehow you go someplace else. She'll the grave which is divided into paradise and Hades Abraham's bosom also called Had a great Chasm is between the two. So here's Jesus story. I made a one verse at a time. There was a rich man, clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. Sounds like fun. And at his gate was laid, a poor man named Lazarus covered with sores. Who deserve to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. Now, this is pretty bad suffering.
I don't want a dog licking my source. I don't like having sores in the first place. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. And in Hades being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, Father, Abraham have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool. My tongue for, I am in anguish and this flame, but Abraham said, child remember that in your lifetime, you received your good things and Lazarus in like manner bad things. But now he is comforted and here, are you in anguish? And besides all this between us and you, there's a great chasm in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able and none may cross from there to us. There's a division between these two places and Shale paradise and Hades. And he said then I beg you father to send him to my father's house. I have five brothers so that they may warn them unless they also come into this place of Torment or a bunch of snotty rich people who treat the poor poorly. But Abraham said they have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them. And he said no Father Abraham. But if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent. He said to him, if they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will leave can be convinced of someone should rise from the dead. Now, we, we knows this is referring to Jesus, even if, you know, forget it, if you don't believe Moses and the prophets, you're not going to get it. You're not going to understand it. There is a good place. This is not teaching Works salvation.
this is teaching the righteous who live, according to God's salvation. Yes you are Elohim. Will go to a nice place. We know that Moses is with the Lord.
We know that Abraham's with the Lord, we know that Noah is with the Lord, we know that David's with the Lord.
Is it because it did good works. Tell cuz I recognize to God was and I confessed them in some way. So did they know Jesus? I have to say. Yeah. They believed in the salvation of God and yes, you want Elohim Joshua Elohim. I have to say, yes.
Everlasting life. The Lord is faithful to those who love him in truth to those who wait for his discipline to those who walk by the righteousness of his commands and the law, which he commanded us for our life. Now we could read in this. We're talking only about the keeping the precepts of the law but I think it's about it isn't about doing the things, it's about doing things with the right. Understanding. And
Reasons the right motives. If you're doing commands just to get points, they don't count if you're doing things because God is helping you, guiding you leading, you they count cuz you're paying attention to the Lord, not just to his word, not to just the letter of the law.
The holy ones of the Lord will live in it. This life forever, they will not be plucked up all the days of the sky because the portion and inheritance of God is Israel, this is from the Psalms of Solomon. There's argument to Solomon write, these don't know. When were they first written? They were first right in the middle of the first century ad. This is part of the Septuagint of the Bible, most of the early church, read the Septuagint, and would have known of these songs. So this is his phone that may have been read in the synagogue. About eternal life. Shortly after or even maybe before the time of Jesus.
Everlasting life. I'll go back even way further for. I know that my redeemer lives and at the last, he will stand upon the Earth job is saying this. And after my skin has been destroyed and my flesh is falling off yet. I will see for myself in my eyes Shall Behold and not another. I will see the Lord even after my bodies rotted. Somehow I'm going to be standing is that's what job is saying? Ancient Ancient. He understands there is a God was Joe the Christian
I think kind of, was he believed in God, he believed in the salvation of God. I think, I think I'll see Joe in the world to come.
We've got some ideas that are stretched a bit beyond what the text is saying. I'm trying to just look at the text and see what it's saying.
Paul death is swallowed up in Victory. Oh, death, where is your Victory? Oh death. Where is your sting 1st Corinthians? He's quoting Hosea. He himself Asus it is written. So then he quotes this, he himself likewise partook of the same things that through death, he might destroy. The one who has the power of death, that is the devil and deliver. All those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. Jesus Took on human form. So that he could destroy death blood Etc. That we have he had because if he weren't human, he could have destroyed death for us but he did. We have everlasting life. if we're taking to shale,
where we going to be. If Moses is taking the Shale cuz it's his death, it's about to happen. Where is he going to be?
God tells him you lie down with your father's. Abraham. Etc.
Today is a good day.
Years ago, I saw kind Old Gentleman, he was pretty elderly and I said, so, how are you doing today, sir? And he said it's a good day. I'm on the right side of the grass.
And then he said, and when I'm no longer on the right side of the grass, I'll still be on the right side of the grass, cuz I'll be in Paradise.
Amen.
For you will not abandon my soul to Shell or let your Holy One. See corruption. Death narrative. Or gospel. Gospel. Gospel trumps. One more thing. It's with sadness and joy that I'm giving this teaching at this time of year. In the annual cycle, this time of year, you would normally be getting this reading. But we've been doing the semi septennial cycle. and the Confluence of the calendar of our semi septennial twice and 7 year cycle, with the calendar, the biblical calendar The moedim calendar. This is the first time in seven years. Or I'm giving this teaching right before you come true.
And the day of atonement. And the feast.
Greatly blessed. Let's pray. Oh my God, thank you for being a living. God, who will not abandon us. Will be taken to a nice place. In the grave. And after that sometime later will be resurrected our bodies completely.
Resurrected to New Life. We'll step out of the grave and into your bodily presence. I don't know what kind of a presence it's going to be like in Paradise in the grave, but I, I'm not regretting. I'm not, I'm not afraid of it. I'm looking forward to innocence, whatever you have for me next in this life or the next life or the life, after the life, after death. Amen. Amen. Thank you.