Today’s reading: Deut 11:1–12:28, 2 Cor 3:9–18, Ps 35:12–28
Today’s theme: God’s Permanent Covenant
Today we see a very important lesson regarding the special land that God had chosen for His people, it was a land that would cause the people to have to depend on God for growth and prosperity. We need to trust God for our own growth in the new, glorious and permanent covenant God has made with His people through His Son Jesus Christ.
Deuteronomy 11:1–12:28
Loving obedience
“You shall therefore love the LORD your God and keep his charge, his statutes, his rules, and his commandments always. Deuteronomy 11:1 (ESV)
Loving God has always been connected to obeying the Lord and following His commands. Jesus makes this same point about those who love Him, they will show the evidence of their love for Him by keeping His commands, in John 14:15, 21, 24.
Depend on God for growth
a land that the LORD your God cares for. The eyes of the LORD your God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. Deuteronomy 11:12 (ESV)
God has specially chosen the land of Israel, it is special to the Lord and He watches over it always.
This new land was not like Egypt with its man made irrigation systems, this was a land that received its rain from the heavens and so the people would have to depend on God for prosperity in the land. We too must depend on God for growth. See 1 Corinthians 3:7
Think about God’s word all the time
You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. Deuteronomy 11:19 (ESV)
It is so important that we are genuinely people of the Bible, we should be talking about God and His word all the time, thinking about it continuously and naturally teaching it to our children. God and His word should have such a high place in our hearts, that our minds are occupied with Him all the time.
God’s covenantal blessings are conditional
“See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: Deuteronomy 11:26 (ESV)
God’s blessings are conditional and relational, we are called to obey God’s commands for our own good.
God does not ask us to do good just for goodness sake, but that He might bless and reward us. God’s commands are in place to increase human flourishing and for the prosperity of His entire creation.
2 Corinthians 3:9–18
God’s Glorious, Permanent Covenant
For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory. 2 Corinthians 3:11 (ESV)
The old covenant was certainly glorious, it was inaugurated by God in the glory and terror of mount Siani. However, the glory typified in Moses’ shining face would eventually fade as he moved away from the presence of God and we see the fading of the effectiveness of the old covenant in the people of Israel, to the point that Jeremiah mentions that God will make a new covenant because the old has been broken (Jeremiah 31:32). The old covenant was a temporary covenant until the true full covenant came.
We give God thanks that we are beneficiaries of the new covenant, which unlike the old does not fade away, but is permanent and greater in Glory, as it is God’s final revelation for salvation and the ultimate covenant established and maintained by Jesus himself (Revelation 14:6 and Hebrews 13:20).
Pray that the veil is removed
But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 2 Corinthians 3:16 (ESV)
We should pray for the Jews that they will turn to the Lord, so that the veil is removed and they will see that the entire bible points to Jesus.
Most of the above post is a copy of the original notes from the same date in 2014.
Additional resources
Desiring God on 2 Corinthians 3