Chapter 29 is the closing of Moses speaking this covenant if you remember
this this is Moses kind of giving his last words to the children of Israel
before they pass on the promised land and he himself goes and dies the Lord of
course takes him home here in the next couple chapters and the kind of closing
chapters are a little bit more the last few chapters more poetic we some things
to look forward to as well but this is the closing of the covenant that Moses
began to speak in the land of Moab that's what it says there in verse 1
these are the words of the covenant which the Lord commanded Moses to make
with the children of Israel in the land of Moab beside the covenant he made with
them in Horeb so if you recall of course Horeb is referring to the Ten
Commandments when they came out of Egypt that was the name of the mount another
name for that mount is Mount Sinai where God came down in a pillar of fire and
smoke and all of that and they received the commandments at that time but you
know there's a lot more to what God had to say God didn't just sum everything up
there he had a lot more than he wanted to add and he adds those things here in
this this latter part where they come into land of Moab just before they pass
over now a lot of things he said of course were repeated he did repeat
himself but there's also a lot of other things if you were with us as we were
going through the book of Deuteronomy we see that God has concerned himself
really with every aspect of human life I mean if we if we can recall some of the
passages that we've looked at these chapters over you know these last
months I mean there's just no part of a society that God just doesn't put his
finger in and say this is the way it's going to be done this is the way I want
it done and God what shows us is that God concerns himself with human affairs
you know God isn't just you know this passive observer who just you know he's
it's not like the Bette Midler song you know everyone who knows I know from a
distance you know God is watching us you know that's a lie Bette Midler you
know God isn't watching us from a distance you know God is involved you
know God wants to you know he looks into the things of man and he and he and he's
even spoken to man you know through Moses through his word you know God's
not just this mysterious figure that we have to you know stumble through the
darkness and try to find God is very open about who he is and that he's there
you know he's saying you know you know if we would seek and call after him you
know we would find him but that's what we see here in the book of Deuteronomy
God dealing with mankind telling him how society is out of run I mean he just
again we won't go over all of it but just every single thing in society God
dealt with you know and so again God isn't just this passive observer but you
know and this has kind of been a theme throughout this book is accountability
you know the themes of accountability the themes of obedience and blessing I
mean that's really been a theme throughout the book of Deuteronomy so
often God is saying you know if you do this I'll bless you if you do this I'll
curse you if you don't do this I'll curse you if you don't do this I'll
bless you and so on and so forth so I think accountability has been a major
theme this book if we've paid attention to that or caught these previous sermons
we would know that but you know God is making these people the children of
Israel even more accountable that's what we see here by the fact that he has
worked in their presence you know and we this we could apply that to ourselves as
well we're saved we know the truth we have the Holy Spirit we have a you know
we have a church that we can go to where we hear biblical preaching these things
are a blessing no doubt but they're also these are things that make us more
accountable to God these are things that are going to God is going to hold us to
a higher degree of accountability than the person who does not have those
things and I've preached you know in previous chapters of Deuteronomy through
that but that is a consistent theme throughout and we find that again here
in this chapter as well in fact that's what Moses starts doing here in
beginning of verse 2 he reminds them of their accountability to God because of
the fact that he has they have seen God work in their midst and they've also
seen they've also had to rely a God for his protection and for his provision you
will see that there in verse 2 where it says and Moses called unto all Israel
and said of them ye have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the
land of Egypt unto Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land the
great temptations with thine eyes have seen the signs and those great miracles
yet the Lord hath not given you a heart to perceive and eyes to see and ears to
hear unto this day and I have led you 40 years in the wilderness your clothes are
not waxen old upon you and your shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot I mean
that's one of those little miracles that we so often you know overlook we could
talk about all the ones that were previously mentioned here about all the
plagues of Egypt all the miracles of Egypt all the great temptations that
they came through I mean there's all these great miracles in that story that
Moses could have brought up right I mean he kind of just glosses over them very
quickly says hey you've seen all these things you know we're talking about but
then he points out there specifically look you know your your clothes are not
waxen old and your shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot you know I don't think
that you know obviously they probably weren't bringing a full wardrobe with
them it's not like they had you know just you walk it through the desert with
Samsonite you know luggage and everything like that they probably only
had maybe the clothes on their back maybe a few other garments you know
maybe only one or two pairs of shoes you know and it's an amazing miracle is that
throughout 40 years those things never wore out and that's just one of those
things that we kind of look over and what's interesting too is that those are
the two things that one of the two things that God has promised to provide
us even in the New Testament you know Jesus said you know that he's promised
food and raiment Paul said having food and raiment let us be there with content
you know those are the two things that God has promised us you know the raiment
and he goes on there says in verse 6 you have not eaten bread neither you have
drunk wine or strong Greek that you may know that I and the Lord your God so if
you're calling the 40 years of the wilderness they were eating manna every
morning right and he's saying look you didn't eat bread you didn't have
anything nice to drink you know you were just drinking you know plain water and
things like that and they were you know we would look at that say man that's
kind of lean you know it's kind of God wasn't exactly feeding them you know
flaming young every every morning it wasn't a porterhouse every night for
them to before they went to bed it was the same thing over and over and over
and over and over and over again for so many years and and and we would look at
that and say well that doesn't sound very pleasant but what was the purpose
behind it that ye might know that I am the Lord your God I mean that should be
that would be worth it right there I mean to know that you are you that you
know the very God of heaven that you know it's not so much what you're being
given as much as who it's giving it who's giving it to you so you know
sometimes even in our own life God will keep us lean you know maybe we have to
eat you know things get tight we have to start just eating you know the rice
the beans the noodles you know the canned goods you know whatever you know
we're not going to have the the full course meal you know every other you
know it's not going to be you know crepes and and everything else for
breakfast you know might just be toast I mean maybe a little bit of butter you
know there's been seasons probably in all of our lives where we've had to have
some you know some scarcity we had to go through and you know things were tight
you know but God does that sometimes so that we were learned to rely on him and
I believe that's what Moses is reminding them of here look you had food and you
had Raymond and the Lord is your God and that's really what matters the most he
says in verse 7 and when you came unto this place Sion king of Heshbon and Ogh
the king of Bashan came out against us under battle and we smote them and we
took their land and gave it for an inheritance of the Reubenites and to the
Gadites and the half tribe of Manasseh of course if recall they had much cattle
they liked that land there they made a covenant with the the other tribes that
they would leave their children there and their cattle and they would go fight
with them and they would not return to all the land was taken for familiar with
that story but again what are we seeing here that God is providing for them and
God is also protecting them and the theme the reason why it's not that they
forgot all this Moses is reminding them of this because what he's trying to make
the impression here in this chapter is that yes God has done all these four
things for you but that only makes you all the more accountable for the things
for having witnessed these things and really what he's trying to do because
got to remember God knows the beginning from the end God knows the land that
they're going into is a land that flow with of milk and honey as it says in
Joshua he's going to give them a land which they did not labor for cities
which he built not and you shall dwell in them of the vineyards and the olive
yards which ye planted not do ye eat so they were about to go in and run
out the inhabitant of that land the Canaanites and take over and they were
going to have homes and vineyards and all of yards and all these things just
ready to go and God of course at that time quit feeding them the manna from
heaven because they had the fruit of the land God knows that the abundance and
the wealth that they're about to come into and God I believe is trying to
remind them of the dangers of prosperity and that's a very real thing and if you
would turn over to Proverbs chapter 30 keep something in chapter 29 that's
something we always have to be on guard about and I believe that's probably one
of the bigger problems this nation has had you know is it possible for a nation
to be prosperous and not forget God sure but is that the tendency in man no the
tendency with man is that the more he has an abundance the more he has of this
world's goods the less he seems to need God the less dependent he is likely to
become upon God and that can in fact happen to an entire nation is as well as
individuals and I believe that's what he's trying to warn them about that's
what he's going into in this chapter he's reminding all the things that God
did all the protection all the provision so that when they come into this land
they're not going to forget the Lord their God it says there in Proverbs
chapter 30 look at verse 7 two things have I required of thee deny me them not
before I die review far from me vanity and lies and give me neither poverty nor
riches you know that's a good prayer to pray in life say you know I don't need a
lot you know of course we don't want to be dirt we don't need to pray and ask
God to make us dirt poor and a lot of people have this false you know this
false humility you know if they the more if they just make themselves poor I mean
you think about the monk and things like that and and you know the the different
monasteries and things where they give up everything they own and they you
know they wear one robe with a rope for a belt or something like that you know
and they they live a very austere life but really that's just a thing of pride
it's a very it's an outward show of some false austere you know lifestyle just
as false humility they're trying to put out there look at me how poor I am I'm
so godly I'm so holy because I've made myself destitute okay we shouldn't
desire that we shouldn't get caught up in this thing of the more we afflict
ourselves you know somehow that's gonna make us holy now of course you know if
affliction comes and suffering comes that does make us better but it should
be something that happens in and of itself or something that God ordains it
should be something we seek out so because he's saying here give me neither
poverty but anything says nor riches you know riches are another thing we have to
be very careful about you know if we have an abundance of wealth and I talked
about this I believe just this last Sunday or perhaps last week I can't
remember which sermon it was I won't go on about it but you know the Bible you
know yeah it was this last Sunday we preached about you know envy yeah
covetousness you know we if we could a lot of times when people come in a lot
of money that can be very bad and I'm not saying everybody I'm saying some
people can probably handle it but the vast majority of people that come into
wealth you know sometimes that's their undoing so this is a good prayer here
don't give me poverty don't give me riches feed me with food convenient for
me and he's not talking about 7-eleven and it's not time a convenient store
food he's saying feed me with food that is appropriate you know maybe I don't
have to have the you know the you know the glazed duck you know whatever you
know but maybe I can have you know something good and you have something
that's just gonna be you know get the job done fill me give me some food but
what again Moses is doing here is warning them of the dangers of
prosperity and what we're seeing the theme of this chapter and really the
whole book of Deuteronomy for by and large is that God's blessing is
dependent upon our obedience you know the saying that we've heard and you know
it rings true and it's something that we should think about often is that the
path to God's blessing is through the door of obedience you know how are you
gonna give God's blessing in our life we're gonna do it by obeying his
commandments you know it's great that we're saved it's great that you know
Jesus you know paid it all you know that salvation is a free gift that we don't
have to do anything for it but does that that does not necessarily mean that our
lives are gonna be blessed of God just because you get saved doesn't mean that
somehow God is just gonna you know sprinkle some fairy dust on your life
and everything's gonna go great and you don't have to you have no part to play
you know we do have a part to play if we want the blessing of God in our life
and that's what we're seeing here in this chapter if you look there in verse
9 he says excuse me keep therefore the words of this covenant and do them they
may prosper in all that you do so a lot of people that you know they get it
backwards they think well you know I can't if I want to prosper then I have
to ignore the things of God you know if I want to make money and succeed it and
work you know that I'm gonna have to work overtime and work Sundays and I
don't have time for soul-winning I'm not you know I'm gonna be too busy to read
my Bible and be too busy to all these things because I need to prosper well
the Bible is teaching us the exact opposite is what's true that if we want
to prosper and all that we do then we need to keep the words of his covenant
that we need to do his commandments not just keep them but do them so that's a
again the principle that is the overarching theme here is obedience and
blessing now another interesting thing here in this chapter is that beginning
in verse 10 we see that God does not limit his covenant to a certain blood
line you know God doesn't limit who his people are to a certain race or to a
certain group of people okay and you know that would that's something that we
need to touch upon every time to come across it because of the fact that you
know this doctors the Zionist thinking you know this this dispensational
doctrine that's out there that teaches you know that the Jews are God's chosen
people and we as Gentile believers are just you know we're just catching God on
the rebound kind of a thing you know God came and he was rejected of them and
then God just kind of threw up his hands and said well I guess the Gentiles will
do that's not at all the case you know and then trying to turn God's very God's
people God's true chosen people and trying to make them to feel like some
kind of second-class citizen when the exact opposite is what's true and that's
what we see here we see even an example of that as well as many other places in
scriptures where God does not limit who his people are to a certain you know
genetic pool of people it's to all people I mean that's what the Bible
teaches God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come
to repentance that he's the Savior of all men that of them that believe so if
you look there in verse 10 it says ye stand this day all of you before the
Lord your God your captains of your tribes your elders and your officers
with all the men of Israel your little ones your wives and a stranger that is
in thy camp from the hewer of wood unto the drawer of water that thou shouldest
enter into the covenant with the Lord thy God and into his oath which the Lord
thy God maketh thee excuse me make with thee this day that he may establish thee
today for a people unto himself that he may be unto thee a God as he saith unto
thee and as he hath sworn of thy fathers to Abraham to Isaac and to Jacob so
again God is including people here that would later be considered Gentiles if
you and you're saying well who you talking about well it's interesting in
verse 11 and he says the stranger that is in thy camp okay that right there
should be a clue now he's not talking about the weirdo okay that's not what he
means by stranger you know that the odd guy in your camp that's not what that
means he said stranger he's saying the foreigner that's another that's the
biblical word for foreigner somebody is from another country you know they're
not native-born to Israel he's saying look they're they're part of the people
that were gathered there that day that God entered into a covenant with and
called Abraham and Isaac and Jacob their fathers he also said the hewer of thy
wood and in the drawer of thy water and we know later that that would actually
be the inhabitants of Gibeon you know if we recall the story when Joshua went
into the land and started to overtake the land the the inhabitants of Gibeon
the Gibeonites they saw what was happening and they deceived the children
of Israel remember they you know they made them they got moldy bread and they
put on their old worn-out clothes and they took their their wine skins that
were worn out and they said they were journeying from a far country that they
had heard tale of them from a great land far off that they weren't in the
Canaanites and they entered into a covenant of peace with them and then
later when it's found out what does Joshua do he tells them hey you know
what you guys deceived us you were treacherous but here's the thing we
can't we've made a covenant with you and we can't break it but now you're gonna
be our hewers of wood and our drawers of water and I believe God foresaw that you
know God foresaw that even the people that are gonna be hewing your wood and
drawing your water they too are gonna enter into the covenant and who were
they they were the very people of the land that God was casting out they were
they lived in Canaan they were to be destroyed but because of what they did
they you know they they found a loophole and managed to make their way in and God
says well they're gonna enter into my covenant too and God even goes so far I
believe in this passage he's alluding to future generations that aren't even
there yet I believe that you know we would see ourselves in that and he goes
on to include future future generations that's what he says later down here in
the in the chapter but first of all I mean it's getting touch on this you know
he's saying the stranger that is in thy camp that is something you know we see
in numbers you see that at Esther in chapter 8 when you know that when God
grants deliverance to the Jews and they decree the law that the Jews could
defend themselves against their enemies and the people that were you know you
know of the Gentile nations were so afraid that it says in Esther that many
of the people the land became Jews for the fear of the Jews so how do you
become a Jew if being a Jew is just genetic you know you can't do that it's
because being a Jew is a religious thing it's not you know it's not it's not this
genetic thing it's it's what you believe not you know your DNA okay so we see
that even all the way back in the Old Testament it was possible to become a
Jew even if you were a Gentile if you were not of the nation of Israel you
know genetically if you weren't a descendant directly but you know again
he notices he talks about the hewers of the wood you know it's referring to the
head the the inhabitants of Gibeon I believe and I believe the Gibeonites you
know God foresaw them and he mentions them there the hewers of wood and the
drawers of water but I also believe that he is also referring to us today that
God when he says you know those that that that aren't even here today he goes
on and says that they also would be of the Covenant look there in verse 14
neither with you only do I make this covenant an oath but with him that
standeth here with that before us this day before the Lord our God and also
with him that is not here with us this day you know I don't know that there
were just you know people maybe there's some got people that were supposed to be
that were gone I tend to think what he's referring to is the fact that there's
going to be future generations that come and that would include us and you
see that again you know in Matthew you don't to go there but go over to 1st
Peter chapter 2 a very familiar passage but in Matthew chapter 8 Jesus said and
I say unto you that many shall come from the east and from the west and shall sit
down with who with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven but the
children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness there shall be
weeping and gnashing of teeth and what's Jesus teaching here he's teaching like
look there's gonna be strangers to the nation of Israel that come down and sit
down with your progenitors your patriarchs and you and yourselves are
going to be cast out and of course if you recall the story that's you know he
gives that in the midst of the story with the the Roman centurion you know
who who Jesus says I've not found so great a faith in all of Israel he said
that of a Roman a Roman soldier so what we see is that God's intent with Old
Testament Israel has in fact let me just say it's God's intent with his people
throughout all time whether it's in the Old Testament or today God has always
had the same purpose in mind for his people okay and what that purpose is is
that those his people would be a lighthouse unto all nations that is that
was the intent that God had with the nation of Israel that they were to be a
light unto the Gentiles you know you read about that in Isaiah chapter 42 he
said I have called thee in righteousness and will hold thine hand and will help
thee to give thee for a covenant of the people for a light to the Gentiles I
mean they were supposed to have law that they were if they had kept the
commandments and the covenants the way they should have the Bible says that
people would have wondered at their law that they would have been drawn to
inquire of the God of Israel when they saw that the blessing that God would
have poured out upon that nation and in fact there was a time when that happened
if you recall with Solomon when he had the peace in his land for it was 40
years and he had all that abundance and and and God had just poured out his
blessing upon that nation at that time what did we see we saw Queen of Sheba
coming and wanting to inquire right we saw people coming from different parts
of the world but that has always been God's intent you know that's that's what
God wants for his people to be God wants us to be a lighthouse to all nations
God's not trying to make this exclusive club you know people get it backwards
they think that God want God took the Jews and just made them this you know
you know this this elitist group of people that nobody can be else can be a
part of you know much like the nation of Israel tries to do today right you know
they you can't come in unless you you know your mother was born a Jew or
something like that I don't I don't know the law of it's escaping me now the the
the right of return and things like that they have this whole big you know rig
that you have to go through and not everybody gets in right but that's not
the Old Testament Israel that's not the biblical Israel that's not what God
intended for the true Israel of God that they would be this exclusive club that
nobody else could be a part of no it was quite the opposite God wanted them to
have you know to be open to allow many people to come in to allow all nations
to flow into them and to be in to be saved and to know the God of Israel you
know with today we are that light we are that that nation we are that
peculiar people and we are to that we had the same purpose today as Old
Testament Israel what did to be a light unto the Gentiles you see that in first
Peter chapter 2 look at verse 9 he said ye are a chosen people a royal
priesthood a holy nation of peculiar people that ye should show forth the
praises of him with called you out of darkness into its marvelous light that's
what we're supposed to do that's what that's the purpose of us being a
peculiar people that's the purpose of us being this holy nation of this rolling
royal priesthood it's not so we can walk around and strut our stuff and say look
how special we are now we are special but you know but because of Christ not
because of our own goodness because of the fact that he died for us and we had
put our faith in him but the purpose that we have is not to you know try to
you know stick our noses three feet up in the air and pretend that we're better
than everybody the purpose he says there is to show forth the praises of
him with called you out of darkness into his marvelous light that's the purpose
that we would show forth those praises that would people would hear of the God
of Israel they would hear about that Jesus's death-baring resurrection and
they would want a part in that and then they would get saved look at verse 10 he
says what you're in time past were not a people but now are the people of God
which had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy and there's one
word I'd really like to emphasize in that verse and it's the word the look
there he says which in times past were not a people but now are what the people
of God not not a people of God not you know Israel and then the Gentiles to know
we are the people of God to the exclusion of anybody else and again not
because of our own goodness but because we've been saved because we've been
washed in the blood of Jesus Christ and that is open to everybody you know
everybody has that opportunity if they want it to be that part of that peculiar
people to be part of that holy nation to be the people of God they go back to
Deuteronomy chapter 29 where we were we'll pick it back up in verse 16 he says
in verse 16 for you know they have dwelt in the land of Egypt and how he came
through the nations which are passed by and he's have seen their abominations
and their idols wood and stone and silver and gold which were among them
lest there should be any man or woman or woman or family or tribe whose heart
turned away this day from the Lord our God so God's saying look what else is
making them accountable not just the fact that you know God's protected them
God has provided for them they've seen all these miracles that God has done
but he's also saying look you've also passed you've dwelt in Egypt and you've
passed by these other nations and you've seen the abominations you know
you've seen the alternative to following the Lord your God you know sometimes we
should be able to look at what other the mistakes other people are making and
that should be enough for us to learn our lesson not to say well let me go see
if that's how it's gonna work out with me you know we see somebody run out in
traffic and get hit by a car you know we don't have to go try that for ourselves
to find out if that's what's gonna happen we should be able to just look at
somebody else's life look at like they did like God is telling them look you've
seen these other nations that don't follow me that are following gods of
silver and wood and gold and idols carved at a man by man's hand and the
things that that leads to you've seen their abominations is what he calls it
calls it and what is he saying that makes you all the more accountable
because you know that's not what God would have you to do and he says in
verse 18 lest there should be among you a man or a woman or tribe whose heart
turneth away from the Lord our God to go serve other gods of these nations so
that's part of the purpose of God had brought them through that land to see
all those things so that it would they would their hearts they would take
warning they would take heed to that that's the lest their hearts would turn
lest there should be among you any root that beareth gall and wormwood and we'll
talk about that last part there that's pretty interesting but you know them
having seen all these things you know they made them more accountable and the
covenant that Moses is giving here in Deuteronomy you know the words that
Moses is speaking all these you know all they were all spoken all these things
have happened all these things have taken place to prevent Israel from going
astray you know Moses isn't just talking to them because you know they're just
killing time before they go over and there's purpose behind everything that
he's saying you know and the purpose is is that they when they get over there
they're not going to become disobedient they're not going to become puffed up
in their wealth and prosperity and go astray and that's why he's speaking all
these things that's why God's let him saying all these things but what's
interesting is that this turning away from God this going after false gods
this airing you know where does it begin it begins it shows us here it begins in
the heart it says lest there be among you man or woman or for trot family or
tribe whose heart turneth away this day from the Lord our God you know that's
where it always begins is in the heart when people start to get get out of
sorts with God and they get away from God when they as it goes on and says
here when they get bitter and they have gall and bitterness you know galls and
other and wormwood these are all words that are you know you know associated
with bitterness where does that begin with the person it begins with their
heart you know they hear they hear something from the Bible or somebody
does something that offends them and you know they they they take that and it
begins to fester and it turns into bitterness and it begins in the heart
and that's why we really need to you know guard our hearts against these
things but bitterness there or what I believe is referring to using the word
gall right he says lest there be a root among you a root that beareth gall and
wormwood you know that gall this bitterness it is I believe directed
towards God's commandments that's what the bitterness is and that's what he's
saying here look you've seen what the abominations of the heathen you've seen
my protection and everything I've done for you so don't get an attitude when I
tell you to keep my commandments you know because let's face it God's
commandments you know they go against the grain quite often right because we
have a fallen nature you know God's law is actually what condemns us the
commandments you know you know show us how much we come up short does that mean
we should just not even bother with them no of course not now we know we don't
keep them to get saved we keep them so that again God can bless us but a lot of
times you know the it's the Word of God that offends it's the preaching of the
Word of God that offends and it's sometimes you know if we're not careful
we can actually develop a bitterness in our heart towards the very Word of God
towards the commandments of God I believe that's what he's showing us here
is that he's warning them look all these things have fallen out unto you so that
you don't get bitter because what's he keep what's he keep just reiterating
throughout this book keep the commandments keep the commandments obey
Lord obey the Lord obey the Lord just over and over and over and over and over
again because he doesn't want them to get better and that the excuse me the
possibility with that being the case of this commandment to obey you know
there's a strong possibility that some people will just be like well I'm tired
of obeying I'm tired of keeping the commandments you know why can't we go
live like these people why can't we go run around and do it you know this is
something I believe that happens with you know sometimes with young people in
a church you know they come up in a church like this that preaches the whole
Word of God says you shouldn't drink you shouldn't fornicate you should get
involved in this sin and that sin should be careful your friends are and
you know and if young people aren't careful they feel like they look out in
the world and they say well we're missing out you know the world is having
all this fun they're getting to do this they're going to do that and all but
what they don't understand is all they see is is is the shiny side of sin all
they see is the pleasures of sin for a season you know no one there no the
world isn't gonna show you all the nastiness that comes with sin they're
not gonna flaunt that they're not gonna flaunt the abortion that they had
they're not gonna flaunt you know the the the child out of wedlock they're not
gonna flaunt you know everything that comes along with being a drunk they're
not gonna flaunt you know the DUI or the the trouble with the law they're not
gonna show you all that they're gonna show you everything that's shiny and
bright and try to lure you in and if we're not careful if we don't take heed
to the Word of God you know especially with young people too they can become
bitter with God and with his commandments and with the preaching and
they can and a root of bitterness can take hold and it can spread and that's
what we see here so bitterness I believe this directly is referring to is the
bitterness that's directed toward God's commandments it begins in the heart but
why does he call it wormwood you know that's a very interesting word if you
recall it's used in Revelation it's the star that comes from heaven and poison a
third of the waters and it kills of that you know that's a huge number of the
population but why is it so why is he using wormwood here in fact it's it's
bring comes up quite often in Scripture and it's always often it's if you look
it up it's associated with gall and it's associated with bitterness and I believe
the reason why he's using it is because it's something that spreads if you
recall in Revelation 8 you know it's something that it hits the earth and
then whatever it takes place it causes this poison to spread throughout you
know probably the groundwater things like that there's some interesting
theories that are that are out there that have a lot of merit to them I
believe but I believe it's because it's a it's a spreading type of thing this
wormwood is something that's going to spread throughout the earth you know it's
not just gonna be this all of a sudden thing you know these people die it's
gonna be something that takes place over time it's a spreading okay and I believe
that's why he's using that here is because because bitterness and gall is
something that you know it spreads to other people if you would go over to
Hebrews chapter 12 I should have had to turn there either earlier but and that's
why you know the New Testament warns us in Hebrew in Hebrews 12 to watch our
hearts for the same bitterness I believe as I was talking about there these
people are being warned that they should not have one a root that beareth gall
and wormwood you know don't don't get you know envious at the wicked don't get
out of sorts with God if you know the if it's chapped at the Bible's chapping
your hide a little bit well you know maybe you're the problem okay and that's
what he's trying to warn them here and it's we're warned of in the New
Testament as well that we have to be on guard just as much because here's the
thing there's no new thing under the Sun there's no temptation taking you but
such as is common to man we're no different than these people back then we
had the same you know heart of flesh we had the same fallen nature we could just
as easily fall in any of these sins as anybody else you know and here's the
thing they had I mean look at everything they had they had the fire come down
they had the blackness and darkness of smoke that the God's voice sounding long
like a trumpet the splitting of the Red Sea I mean they saw all these things
within two generations they saw God do all I mean the shoes on their feet every
day a reminder of God's provision that they that God was real that he was there
they had all these things you know bearing witness and testimony and should
have been reminding them of the Lord their God and kept them accountable and
yet they still fell now do we have any of those things today only in the form
of the written word so how much more so should we be on guard today if this can
happen to somebody who saw all of those things if bitterness and gall can creep
into their hearts it's something that could just as easily happen to us if not
more so that's why it says there in Hebrews 12 verse 14 follow peace with
all men and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord looking
diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God look here lest any root of
bitterness springing up trouble you and thereby many be defiled so again there's
that that that you know that that that wormwood like effect that spreading
effect you know it springs up in one of us and then if we're not careful it can
spread to other people lest there be any fornicator profane person as Esau who
for one morsel of meat sold his birthright now a couple things here
about Hebrews 12 you know notice first of all he says it's a root right and
that's what he said back there in Deuteronomy 2 lest there should be among
you a root that beareth gall and it's interesting that he used that and he
says in Hebrews 12 he says lest any root of bitterness spring up trouble you you
know and I thought about this often when I read this exactly why he used
that analogy of a root springing up you know and I always and I've wondered I
said why doesn't God just tell us to go dig up the root and get it out of there
that's not what he says here he says watch the root and if it springs up you
know cut it down because here's the thing that root has to be continually
pruned because it's always going to be there you know we we because of the fact
that we have two natures within us you know we have a fallen nature and we have
the Holy Spirit and these things are at war one with another right if we can
walk in the spirit we can walk in the flesh but we will always have until we
reach glory this fallen nature well so we're always going to have this
potential to become bitter towards the things of God and I believe that's why
he calls it a root and I believe that's why he doesn't tell you to go after the
root he says watch the root and if it springs up you know then you do
something about it because that root is always going to be there under the
surface always there maybe it's not bearing fruit maybe it's not you know
blooming in our life but at the potentials there if we water it you know
if we nourish that root of bitterness you better believe it's going to spring
up and and here's the thing sometimes that happen people nourish that plant
and what happens like the wormwood right it spreads and many are defiled how does
that happen well sometimes people get bitter and angry let's say in a church
setting they don't there's something the preacher said or whatever they get
offended and instead of just leaving quietly and going on there about their
life they're gonna see how much trouble they can cause before they get you know
thrown out or whatever and they just they did the water the bitterness in
their life they'll just they'll they'll take that root of bitterness and put it
in a pot and put it in there the best part of their garden they'll put
fertilizer on it they'll make sure it gets the right amount of Sun and they'll
let that thing just bloom in their life and then once they got it just the way
they like it what they'll start to do is invite other people over and say oh
here's my roses here's my tulips and here's my root of bitterness let me tell
you about it and what they look for is they try to get somebody's ear in the
church and they start to try to spread that bitterness and other people well
what do you think I mean do you really think that was the right decision or why
did the pastor say this or did you notice this about you know and that's
usually an attack on the pastor right because that's you know that's just the
way it is I can't tell you why or an attack on his family you know they'll
start to criticize and we'll do it very subtly they'll do it very slyly but what
are they doing they're spreading they got that plant of bitterness they've not
pruned it that root has just bloomed in their life and now it's just pollen is
you're trying to pollinate everybody else's heart with it and it spreads so
it's a real interesting use of words there and the fact that he uses in
Deuteronomy and Hebrews 12 a lot of the same language talking about how you know
bitterness gall is a spreading you know a root that grows and spreads and
affects everybody around them and that's why we have to you know keep on guard
about it in our lives and we should never listen to you know people who are
trying to sow discord among the brethren those things should not be we should
never give ear to a bitter tongue and we should learn to listen for it and
recognize it when we hear it and say look I'm not gonna hear that you know
you need to get your heart right so anyway that was just kind of an
interesting little pit stop along the way here through the chapter but if you
want to go back to the Deuteronomy you'll pick it back up at 19 and it says
and it shall and it came to excuse me verse 19 and it come to pass when he
heareth the words of this curse that he blesseth himself in his heart so what is
he talking about again you know backing up the verse 16 about you know someone
whose heart turns away from Lord our God and to serve other gods and then
this guy is so presumptuous you know it says in verse 19 that it came to pass
that he here at the words of this curse you know chapter 20 28 that we read last
week you know 64 verses the vast majority of work was just curse curse
curse curse curse curse it was like twice as many cursings as blessings and
he says oh he hears the words of this curse he understands everything that got
that the preacher saying that the Word of God is saying but all the things that
God will do in a person's life for the punishment the chastisement it is there
that is real and he blessed himself in his heart anyway he says he hears the
words he says yeah but you know that's not is God really like that oh that's
just that's just the preacher's take on it you know that that's not really the
way God is I and he says he blessed himself in his heart saying I shall have
peace though I walk in the imagination of my heart you know I'm not gonna be
held down by God's rules I'm not gonna let his commandments you know keep me
back from doing whatever I'm gonna walk whatever whatever imagination in my
heart there is to do that's what I'm gonna do and I'll be at peace you know I
understand what the Bible says but it you know it doesn't really matter to me
it's I'm different I'm special and he says and to add drunkenness to thirst
the Lord will not spare him but the end but then the anger of the Lord and his
jealousy shall smoke against that man so again what do we see again this this
theme of somebody knowing better and doing wrong anyway somebody who's who is
his is held to a degree of accountability and God coming down even
more harshly upon them you know if this was somebody that was just completely
ignorant of the Word of God if this was somebody that had never heard of the God
of Israel had never read the Bible never knew any of these things I'm not saying
that they're they're innocent but I'm saying that God might not you know cause
his jealousy to smoke against that man God doesn't just do that to everybody
where what is he what is he saying it's his jealousy that's smoking against him
it's him looking at that man who's saying oh I understand what God's
commandments are I'm gonna walk the imagination my own heart anyway one of
his children one of his people he's jealous for them he says they're mine
and the Bible tells us that we are bought with a price he are not your own
you are bought with the price as the precious blood of the land and we should
not you know be so careless to think that just be that that we can just do
whatever we want in our life and God's not gonna get jealous after his son shed
his blood for us after he gave his only begotten son and paid that ransom for
our soul that God's just gonna say well you know you just do whatever you want
now and there's no consequences no friend if we if we you know understand
the things God if we're saved and we become more accountable and we think
we're just one day gonna get bitter and angry and leave and just quit church and
everything and and life's just gonna be normal you know I'll be honest you know
there's been season in my life where seasons in my life where I thought about
tossing in the towel you know what kept me in the fear of God to knowing that if
I were to go back out there I'd whatever I however I might go to think it might
be it'll probably be ten times worse than it's ever been because I've been
made accountable because I have said I'm the preaching of the Word of God
because I have read the Bible because I know these things and I knew that the
anger the Lord would smoke against me you know and that far outweighs any
desire to do any sinful thing that fear should should should far outweigh in our
desire to go out and commit sin and it says and all the curses that are written
this book shall lie upon him you know I you don't want God as your enemy you
know that's that's intense and he goes on and the Lord shall blot out his name
from under heaven okay this is a very severe concept set of consequences for
people who know the Lord's will and do it not okay again the blessing of being
God's people right it's the provision it's the protection it's the peace that
passeth all understanding that God gives to his people when we know the Lord
right but let's not forget that it comes with a greater deal of
accountability to be God's child and it also becomes with a greater severity to
those of punishment to those that are going to be disobedient you know the
being God's child is is a two-edged sword it's really nice to add the
blessing and have the the protection and the provision and all that but at the
other the flip side of that is now we're more accountable and now any punishments
going to be even more severe look at verse 21 and the Lord shall separate him
out separate unto him evil out of all the tribes of Israel according all the
curses of the Covenant that are written in the book of the law so that the
generation to come of your children that shall rise up after you and the stranger
that shall come from a far land shall say when they see the plagues of that
land and the sickness which is the Lord had laid upon it so he's saying look if
you guys get out of sorts with me you know if this nation goes astray I'm
gonna bring strangers from another land and we go on and read here that they're
gonna mock you they're gonna wonder at it you're not gonna be a light unto all
nations you're gonna be a cursing you're gonna be a byword is what the Bible
teaches us elsewhere but notice he says there that he it is the sickness which
the Lord layeth upon it of course we could certainly make application with
that today right when God lays sickness upon a land that is a punishment that
God gives you know and and that's something that's been preached very
recently from this pulpit I believe in pastors serving last night he talked
about the fact that you know whatever you believe about this coronavirus
it's of God whether it's man-made or not God allowed it to happen and everything
that's taking place God allowed it to happen God is the one that lays sickness
upon the land that is disobedient and I believe that's exactly what we see today
that's what's going on you say well how is it how can it be that way because God
is punishing this nation why because they knew better because they had the
Word of God because they weren't just some heathen nation that we're going to
suffer the consequences of their of their sinful ways in and of themselves
they weren't just didn't have the inherent punishment of sin they actually
had the Word of God they were accountable they knew the things of God
and they just did they disregarded them and then God's going to say okay well
now I'm gonna punish you I'm gonna lay some sickness upon your land that's the
same way it is in this country now I'm not you know get up here and tell you
that every that our every founding father you know and every person you
know the all the way back the pilgrims was you know just as independent
fundamental saved Baptist but here's the thing this nation you know was
sending out missionaries all across the globe through the 1800s I mean this this
nation is a nation that has had the light of the gospel with it that has had
the name of Jesus in every every state every city this was at one time a very
Christian nation and it has gone away from that so should it really surprise
us that when we have the light of the Word of God in in our midst and then we
disregard it when we kick God out of the public square it should it really be a
shocker if God lays the sickness upon our land and I'm telling you you know
we're gonna go on here and read this you know picking it back up verse 23 this
this coronavirus and I said this again I believe last week is a slap on the wrist
from God I mean it's it's definitely not the easiest thing but it could be a lot
worse it could be a whole lot worse than what it is I mean look at verse 23 and
that the whole land thereof is brimstone I mean God just burns their
land right and it's salt and burning that is not so that that is not sown
nor beareth nor any grass grow us therein like the overthrow of Sodom and
Gomorrah Admah and Zeboim which the Lord overthrew in his anger and in his wrath
I mean that's how bad I can get for a nation I mean this this is nothing you
know everyone's upset because you know Trump sent us a stimulus check and
they're up in arms you know and and people are really and I get it you know
people there's I understand I'm not making light of the things that people
are going through and it is inconvenient and it's not fun but it's nothing
compared to what quite honestly what this nation really deserves you know and
everyone is upset and I understand why about you know the the our rights that
are being violated and things like that if they want to make that argument I'm
not going to say that you know I understand that perspective I really do
but here's my question you know and I believe brother Segura we he's even
brought this up to me was that well do we even deserve the rights that we have
to begin with I mean what were we doing with them anyway you know what were we
doing with all these these rights that we cherish in love with in this country
you know a lot of people were doing a lot of wicked things and this country's
gotten very backslidden very wicked very evil I mean do we really even deserve to
have those rights anymore to begin with or do we deserve this sickness and they
know that is what's going to come one day you know mark it down maybe not in
our lifetime but if God's not you know he's not going to just let this go on
forever never God punishes a nation and all the more severely when that nation
has had the Word of God in it makes them more accountable not less and he says in
verse 25 the men shall say because they have forsaken the covenant the Lord
their God their fathers which he made with them and when he brought them forth
out of the land of Egypt it's funny the stranger gets it the stranger
understands you know the foreigner the the heathen looks at it goes oh that's
because they forsook their God but the people that are living there going
through it they don't get it they can't connect the dots so because here's the
thing you have to remember you say well that sounds harsh I mean he's gonna
overthrow them like Sodom and Gomorrah I mean brimstone and salt and burning I
mean hmm lighten up Lord and I mean is it really that big of a deal but here's
the thing they didn't forsake just anybody you know they didn't even these
if we recall we know the story of Israel this eventually happens you know God
punishes them severely takes them out of the land I mean you know just the
horrors that we read in in in the previous chapter last week of the things
that people had had to resort to literal cannibalism taking place you know why is
it why did that all happen because they didn't forsake just anybody they
forsook the Lord God that delivered them the God that did all these things for
them that's who they forsook you know they didn't forsake you know some
wooden statue they didn't forsake some golden idol they forsook the Lord of
heaven the true and living God look at verse 26 for they went served other gods
and worshiped ends gods whom they knew not and whom he had not given unto them
and the anger of the Lord was kindled against this land to bring it upon all
the curses that are written in this book and Lord rooted them out of the land in
anger and in wrath and in great indignation and cast them into another
land as it is this day I mean that's that's who they forsook the Lord that
that delivered them from Egypt and now verse 29 you know the last verse I
really like this verse and I believe I feel like this verse just really
summarizes you know Deuteronomy it really summarizes this book and just
kind of puts it in a nutshell it says the secret things belong unto Lord our
God but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children
forever that we may do all the words of this law so again you could see that the
the the message of accountability there that hey there's secret things that
that belong unto only God but you know what there are things that we do know
and they belong unto us and we need to teach them to our children they belong
unto them and what's the purpose of them of God having giving them unto us that
that we could call them our own that we may do all the words of this law it's
not enough just to have them you know it's not enough to just to know what to
do you actually have to go and do it and what I like about this too is that and
again that's really you know that's the book of Deuteronomy in a nutshell God's
given us these commandments so that we might do them that's it I mean you say
why did God write you know Exodus and Leviticus and Deuteronomy and Numbers
why did he go through all that telling of the law over why did he repeat it so
often so you do it so you do it so they would do it so that God could bless them
because God has you know a way he wants things done and so on and so forth but
really another great thing about this verse that I love is that it shows us
that you know there's some things we're never going to fully understand about
the Lord there's some things about the Bible we're just never really gonna get
that we'll have to get to heaven before God opens up our understanding you know
and there's probably things that we couldn't can learn and maybe things we
don't understand today that we will learn one day you know as we read and
study and hear preaching and so on and so forth but even even after a lifetime
of study there's just going to be secret things that belong unto God that we can
sit there and wonder about and we can question and we can get in
conversations and ask each other questions what do you think about this
verse what do you think about this chapter what do you think this means
what if this and here's the thing we'll never come to a solid answer because
there's some things in the Bible that just belong unto God there's some things
about the Lord and the way the way he does things that just they're secret
they belong unto him but here's the thing there's no sense in focusing on
those things because you'll never you'll never know them and and here's here's
the thing we have plenty on our plate to begin with you know people want to get
over here into this this minutia of some strange you know obscure verse some dark
saying in the scripture that no one's really figured out yet and they just
leave this whole everything that it's just crystal clear completely undone you
know and a great example of this is the many emails that receive here at the
church you know I read emails of people they just want to know just the most
intricate you know depths of you know Daniel's 70th week and so on they want
to understand some you know obscure Bible passage and then you find out
they're they don't go to church they don't go soul winning they're not they
have no desire to do that you know or they just they're just they're focusing
they're you know they're restraining at a net and swallowing a camel as the
saying goes right there's secret things just let them be the secret things we'll
get to that maybe and if not we've got plenty to deal with I mean Deuteronomy
is a long book and there's a lot of practical teaching in it and there's a
lot of other books in this Bible that we need to know and things that we need to
apply to our lives so there's no sense focusing on the secret things that
belong only unto our God we've got plenty in our plate you know there's a
full meal that we have to digest here so why has God you know given us the Bible
why has God given us biblical preaching and why has God given us the Holy Spirit
and the ability to understand all of these things why did he give Deuteronomy
like it says there that we may do all the words of this law and that's really
the message tonight you know it and really that's the message of Deuteronomy
is I'm telling you these things so that you'll do them and the theme I believe
this book is blessing through obedience and also on the flip side cursing
through disobedience so it's not you know and the great great promises in
this chapter you know that we're God's chosen people you know that that that
all nations can come on to him that's not just this this particular group of
people that time that God opened up you know that that that that way in to
people that weren't even there yet to generations afar off that we could have
by faith Abraham for our father that we could be the children of faith through
Christ that's a great message but you know just proclaiming ourselves to be
God's people is not enough you know we have to also live like the Lord's people
that's believe that's what God because that's what God wants for his people you
know and if you live for God you know you won't have to go around proclaiming
it to everybody you know living for the Lord that speaks volumes enough in and
of itself let's go ahead pray dear Lord again thank you for the privilege to be
called your people thank you that you've made that way to you through the blood
of Christ Lord that there's nothing we have to do other than believe but Lord I
pray that you'd help us to live for you or not not to just disregard the things
of the Word of God but that we would apply these things to our life and Lord
help us to guard our hearts against the root of bitterness where we all have
this fallen nature and we know that there's going to be things that we read
or hear that offend us that they hit close to home Lord I prayed help us to
have a tender heart you'd help us to have a humble spirit Lord that we would
receive correction when it's due and Lord that we would not allow bitterness
to spring up and defile many Lord we love you and we thank you pray that you
would just keep us safe as we go we ask in Christ's name amen
all right thanks for coming everybody we are dismissed