Audio Transcript:

Welcome to Missions on Point, the Propempo perspective on church and missions.

Welcome back to Missions on Point. This is episode 231. We are most interested in the intersection of missions and the church. We’ve been exploring that recently as we talk about preaching about missions. Missions should be preached from the pulpit regularly because it is found all throughout scripture. We’ve been trying to show that to you from the first four books of the Bible, and today we reach the fifth. The Pentateuch is foundational to the rest of scripture, so it is especially important that we see these truths here. And as we dive into the book of Deuteronomy it is easy to get lost in the weeds of the law. We must remember that these things were written for the instruction of the church. And as we read, we must keep our gaze on the glory of Jesus Christ as king overall, leading his people in his righteous ways motivating them through love to obediently go forth into their inheritance. So the church now obeys its Head going into the nations to bring about the worship of God.

I’ll give you a general overview of the book of Deuteronomy before I enumerate several ways that Deuteronomy can lead us to an application of missions. Deuteronomy is famous for being the largest exposition of God’s law. But I hope you can see that it shows us God’s heart. After all, Jesus hid these words in his heart. The name of the book comes from the command for the king to copy this book and keep it. So, this is the book that is meant to be copied. This law was given to an already redeemed nation to show them how to please God and enjoy fullness of life in him. Jesus rightly summarized this book as showing the way that we love God and his people. It’s structured as speeches that Moses gives the second generation before they enter the Promised Land. They were given this law in anticipation of how they were to enjoy the inheritance that God was giving them.

I like to break down Deuteronomy into 14 sections. Much of the book is an exposition on the ten commandments. So, there are two sections before and two after plus the ten making 14. I’ll draw a brief implication for missions from each one.

First, in Deuteronomy 1-3 Moses gives an overview of Israel’s brief history so far, and there is a great deal about how Israel is supposed to deal with other nations. Israel had passage around Edom and through Moab and they conquered Sihon and Og. The value of history is that it gives us gratefulness for God’s care in the past. Christians today look to our history and look at the victory of the cross and we have confidence that we will overcome in the future. And that overcoming, like with Israel, has everything to do with how we deal with the nations of the world.

Second, in Deuteronomy 4-6 we have an introduction to the law, and the most important thing to draw from this is an understanding of the Spirit of the law, not just the letter. We are reminded that despite our failures, God is faithful to keep his covenant. The purpose of the law is to reveal the person and character of God, thus revealing the gap between the unbeliever and God, and furthermore it outlines the way for a believing people to live for God. We learn that God is one and deserving of our whole lives. The purpose of these laws is for our blessing. So too when we communicate the gospel with others, we put forth the positive incentive of desiring to live a life that is pleasing to God. The Spirit of the Law is what makes this universally transferable and not just for the specific nation of Israel.

Third, Deuteronomy 7-11 is the long exposition of the first commandment, and it talks about maintaining our love for God above all else. And this is the motivation for Israel to drive out the Canaanite nations to complete destruction. If they were not destroyed, then they would intermarry and become like them. They had to maintain their dependence on God and not their wealth and comfort. The main responsibility is to fear God and love him. Since God is one, then all people everywhere must worship him as God.

Fourth, Deuteronomy 12 talks about the second commandment, to have no idols. This is about God’s divine dignity, how God is to be treated. The way that Israel was to avoid syncretism with the Canaanite gods, and ensure their purity in teaching was that they were to have one central sanctuary. The implication is pitiful, the Israelites won’t be able to resist the temptation to become like the nations. This demand for a central place of worship is drastically changed in the New Testament. There is no longer an inward movement, but an outward one. The church now goes out to all the nations, and none cannot resist the advance of the kingdom.

Fifth, Deuteronomy 13-14 talks about the third commandment, to not take God’s name in vain. And this is about our identification with and commitment to God. Key to this idea was the distinctive identity of the nation from the other nations, not serving their gods. Food laws and the tithe helped to separate the people from pagan nations. Likewise, Christians are to maintain a unique identity from the world, not confusing our identity with false religions. A major implication for missions is that we must not accept what is called insider movements, where people remain with the identity of their native religion while claiming to be Christian.

Sixth, Deuteronomy 15-16 talks about the rights and privileges of God as it expounds on the fourth commandment. The Sabbath year and the times of worship at the central sanctuary are detailed. The Sabbath year connects love of God to love of neighbor as this was the year of canceling debts and caring for the poor. Missionaries too must maintain this balance, not working all the time, but resting, and spending time serving others as an act of worship.

Seventh, Deuteronomy 17-18 brings us to the second table of the law addressing human authority in the fifth commandment. Honoring your parents is the foundation for submitting to all other authorities in life. The judge was to interpret and apply the law for the people. The king was to avoid false security in wives, horses and gold, and he was to make a copy of the law for himself. The priest was to be provided for in the sacrifices. And the prophet followed the pattern of Moses. All of these offices are types that are fulfilled in Christ. They don’t apply only for the nation of Israel, all people need the perfect judge, prophet, priest, and king.

Eighth, Deuteronomy 19-21 talks about the sixth commandment, to not murder. This is focusing us on the dignity of human existence. So, a pressing question is when God might authorize the taking of a human life. These laws talk about capital punishment and just war and the military of Israel in their holy wars. But right in the middle of this section is the provision for cities of refuge. An avenger of blood had the right to pursue a murderer. But if a person was falsely accused, they could run to the city of refuge and wait for the judgment of the high priest to search out the matter. What we don’t think of that often about the local church is that it is a place where right judgments are made. And with all the injustice in the world, people need a place to run to where they will judge with God’s judgments and extend mercy to the sinner.  We don’t just need the gospel all over the world, we need churches. The last verse in chapter 21 tells us that a hanged man is cursed by God. And we know that Jesus bore that curse for us. He gives us both justice and mercy.

Ninth, the seventh commandment is do not commit adultery. This is expounded upon in Deuteronomy 22-23. This is about the dignity of belonging to a group. We don’t violate the marriage union which is central to society. Many of the laws in these chapters deal with setting boundaries about categories of things that belong together and things that don’t belong together. It especially emphasizes the dignity of corporate Israel and how there were people who did not belong to their nation. We too must be vigilantly focused on not adulterating the bride of Christ, of not including those who don’t belong and not excluding those who do. Missions is about the purity of the bride of Christ.

Tenth, Deuteronomy 23-24 tells us about the eighth commandment, to not steal. And we learn here about the dignity of personhood, what belongs to a person stays with that person. We don’t invade another person’s privacy. We don’t steal a person’s freedom or their self-respect. We don’t dehumanize others in this way. And this of course is what everyone faces in the world without Christ. People take advantage of others. But the gospel offers freedom and the dignity of a renewed humanity.

Likewise, our eleventh point here and the ninth commandment is also about a commitment to humankind. This time in Deuteronomy 24 it’s about dealing truthfully with one’s neighbors and developing mutual trust. To not bear false witness is a commandment about justice. The absence of this law again points to the reality that the world finds itself in. Everyone lies to their neighbor. Yet in Jesus we have the one who was falsely accused and hanged on a tree.

Twelfth, Deuteronomy 25-26 gives us the tenth commandment talking about not coveting. Here we are interested in protecting human rights and privileges. Rights to be protected include justice, food, shelter, children and fair treatment. Missionaries must be concerned about these things too. Yes, they should be primarily proclaiming the gospel, but this is the kind of life that the gospel produces. We cannot ignore the implications of the gospel for society. The conclusion of this section reminds us of the introduction and the Spirit of the law. We are to love God with all of our heart and soul. Thus, these are not a list of inflexible rules, but are concerned about true piety and morality.

The thirteenth section in Deuteronomy is chapters 27-30. These are a list of consequences and witnesses. God sets apart Mts. Gerizim and Ebal, one for the curse and one for the blessing. The law is clearly proven true. There is a curse when one disobeys and a blessing for obedience. While the curse on our sin is a terrible blight for all, it is in fact one of the greatest testimonies for the need for the justice of God on the cross. When these things would come to pass was still a mystery for the Israelites, but it has been revealed to us. The choice of living by faith is still true for us today.

Finally, the fourteenth section of Deuteronomy is chapters 31-34 giving us prophecy and hope for the future. Moses is called to the mountain to die. He sings a song of God’s faithfulness, and a successor is appointed in his place. What matters is that God is going with the Israelites and that they now look to a prophet that would be greater than Moses. Deuteronomy points to a hope beyond itself.

The only reason that Deuteronomy is a book that is applicable to all Gentiles is that the true Prophet has come, and that he has fulfilled these laws in himself for his people. God is with us now, as promised in the Great Commission, and the prophetic hope of a life lived pleasing to God is now realized in Jesus. And we now have the joy of entering into Jesus’ inheritance – the inheritance of all nations obediently following their one and only prophet, priest, and king.

I can’t think of a better way to preach to all the people of God in every nation, than to point to our universal need for Jesus as seen in the law of God. And there is no better way to demonstrate that there is one body of Christ that spans every culture than to see churches with the same doctrine and same morality. The law of God is necessary for missions.

Thanks for joining us today on Missions on Point. We trust that you'll find more help and resources on our websites at Propempo.com and missioserve.org. We are so thankful for those who support us, enabling us to produce this podcast. Now to God be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever. Amen.