I don’t know how you read Deuteronomy 28 without a shiver running down your spine at some point. Sixty-eight verses . . . fourteen of them outlining the blessings that will come upon the children of Israel as long as they “faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all His commandments” (28:1) . . . . followed by fifty-two verses describing, sometimes in horrifying detail, the consequences that will come upon a people who “will not obey the voice of the LORD your God or be careful to do all His commandments and statutes” (28:15). God’s warning is clear, beyond clear, that for those who disobey . . . whose hearts turn away from the God of redemption and pursue the gods of the nations around them . . . “then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you” (28:15b). And I can’t help but bless God this morning, that under His new covenant with His people, I have escaped the curse.

To be sure, as I’ve read through Deuteronomy, I have been convicted concerning obedience. I have been challenged as I again consider the nature of a God who is a jealous God and will not share His glory with another . . . I have been caused to think about how easy it is to “glide in grace” and forget that love for the Master is shown by obedience to the Master. Yeah, as I’ve worked through this book, I’ve had to ask myself, “How faithfully am I pursuing doing what I know God wants to me to?” But I’ll be honest, how thankful I am that mine is not a performance-based religion . . . that the blessings of God are not dependent on my ability to step up to the requirements of the law of God.

I’m reminded that “by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified” (Gal: 2:16). The history of Israel bears witness to that truth. You read the latter part of Deuteronomy 28 and it’s less about “if they fail” than about “when they fail.” Apart from a new nature . . . apart from some reconstructed spiritual DNA . . . apart from some Spirit-infused tools . . . it just can’t be done. Obedience as the means of acceptance is a losing proposition. It was never intended to be the way . . . but to show people toward The Way . . . “So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith” (Gal. 3:24).

How I praise God that I have been lead to Christ! That it is because of His obedience, not mine, that I stand inside the veil this morning . . . sandals removed and feet cleaned by the blood of Jesus so that I can stand on holy ground without fear. That it’s because of the work of Jesus on the cross, and not the work of Pete in his own strength, that I am considered a child of God, an heir, and a joint-heir with Christ. That it’s because of the faithfulness of Immanuel, He who became flesh that He might “become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people” (Heb. 2:17) . . . and not because of my faithfulness and ability to step it up and keep it up . . . that I am counted righteous, in Him. That it’s because of Him, and Him alone, that I know the reality of having been blessed “with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Eph. 1:3).

Yup . . . sometimes you need to reflect a bit on where you might have been in order to re-capture the awe and wonder and worship of being where you are. Sometimes you need to see the God of wrath to rekindle the fire of thanksgiving. Sometimes you need to consider the consequences in order to be reminded that you’ve escaped the curse . . . and been brought into the blessing . . . by the grace of God . . . for the glory of God!

All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” Clearly no-one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.” The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, “The man who does these things will live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.    (Galatians 3:10-14 ESV)