The God who is Sovereign - Deuteronomy 2-3.11

Recap and Intro

Good morning, It is my joy and privilege to be here once more preaching from Deuteronomy chapter2-3 continuing in our sermon series looking at the character of God using the book of Deuteronomy.

This passage was written to the Israelites who were descendants of a guy called Jacob also known as “Israel” who had 12 sons, 1 of whom (Joseph) was sold into slavery in Egypt. This is a story I’m sure many of us will have read or seen the play or movie. It all works out rather well for Joseph in the end becoming a trusted official in Egypt who manages to save his family from famine and as a result Jacob and sons move near to Egypt. Over time this family grows very large and as a result a later pharaoh makes the executive decision to enslave them so they would not be a threat. Through miraculous events an Israelite man named Moses is chosen by God to free the people from slavery - again you may know the story or film - but not by his own strength. God frees the people by sending plagues and eventually Pharaoh sends them on their way. They then travel through the desert, being sustained and directed by God towards a land that God has promised them. Unfortunately they are not faithful to God and out of fear do not follow his command to take the land - which we heard about last week - as a result they are forced to travel around the wilderness for 40 years until they are back again at the border with the promise land. This is when Moses gives the speech found in Deuteronomy which is a personal reminder of what God has done with them since calling them out of Egypt with the hope that they will not make the same mistakes as before.

Passage summary

So lets look at our passage once more. For the sake of time we only read a short snippet, but I’d encourage you to read the full passage when you have time. Here the Israelites are being reminded of a time where they were directed by God towards the promised land. Whilst on this journey they encounter Seir. God gives them instruction to pass through the land but this would not be their possession. This happens again through Ar and Moab. In all cases God tells them not to engage them for the land will not be for them and they obey his command.

Then they reach the Arnon Gorge and the scary Amorites. I say scary because when they sent spies out now some 40 years ago the reports of the Amorites filled the people with dread

Deut 1v27: “The Lord hates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us. 28 Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt in fear. They say, ‘The people are stronger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the heavens’

God commands them to take the land. They are faced with the dilemma: do they repeat the actions of their forefathers and run? or will they obey? God stirs up the amorite king Sihon who comes against them to fight. The Israelites win the battle and claim a large amount of land. This happens again at Bashan with king Og- two fantastic boys names if you are looking - and again the people obey and they conquer the land just as God had promised.

God is OUR king

I wonder how we can apply this today? God is our King and he leads us. Sometimes he may tell us to pursue new ministries or to do things outside of our comfort zones. Other times he may tell us to not do something that seems like an good idea. In all of these things we should be obedient to what God is saying even if it is to not pursue something;this is both at a collective level - as a church - and at the individual level. We must try and obey our King and the more we obey, the easier it becomes because as we do we realise that God’s intentions for his people are good. In addition it is in God’s strength that we accomplish his goals. He goes before us preparing the good works for us to do in advance (Eph 2v10). In all these events the Israelites were successful exactly as God had told them. One theologian summarises it nicely

God does not ask that his people do what they cannot do or promise to them what he cannot give.

This statement is true for us today - when we lean on his strength.

So I can hear your brains churning and the question arises: How can we know what God is telling us to do? We have been given the bible - God’s word - and the ultimate example of obedience in Jesus. Let me encourage you and myself to study his word, but not just academically - do what it says.

James 1v22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

Seek God through praying and praising. I have no doubt that many people in this room have had specific times when they have felt called to do something, ask one another what it was like. For me when I was a teenager I strongly felt that I should go to the Czech Republic to serve. It was a unquenchable anguish to go, that was confirmed through prayer. It was not an easy option but I felt like there was no alternative. Ask the minister, ask the team that was put in place to decide the new minister. I’m not sure there is just one answer, but we are called to obedience.

And when we are obedient lets learn from the Israelites. These defeats of Sihon and Og served as great reminders of the power of their and our God, not their own strength- they wrote songs, such as psalm 136, to remind everyone of his faithful works. They gave speeches at eventful times again reminding of the faithful God they serve. Perhaps I could challenge us this morning over coffee to remind one another of times when God has shown himself to be a king in our lives.

God is THE King

Now this reading perhaps makes us feel a little uncomfortable as it is to do with war and the driving out of people from their lands. It is hard to read in our current time. But it says multiple times that it is God assigned the territories for the individual nations, not just Israel. God marks out places for Esau’s descendants and for Lot’s descendants. These are two big names in Israelite history, Esau is Jacob - that is Israel’s - older brother. Lot was a more distant relative who was specifically mentioned as being faithful to God in a faithless land. It reminds us of the total authority God has over the world as He is the creator but also shows us that he blesses those who are faithful to him - although not necessarily straight away or in the way you’d expect. Lets be reminded this morning that God is truly the King of the world just as much now as he was at creation.

Later in Deuteronomy we discover that God is giving the land to the Israelites due to the current inhabitants wickedness. God is ultimately the righteous judge and he cannot accept evil. And perhaps its uncomfortable to hear but we shouldn’t forget this point: Sin has a real consequence.

This is where we are reminded of the full expression of God in Jesus. Jesus was fully God and had power over the whole of creation. He healed the sick, he calmed the storms, he raised the dead. He was the embodiment of THE king over all. And how did he wield his power? Many had hoped that the messiah would be the king who destroyed the occupying power of the Romans and lead them once more out into the promised land.

Instead He was crucified on our behalf taking the punishment for sin that we deserved.

1Peter 2v24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.

Jesus’ death was the ultimate conquest over the power of sin which enables us to be able to live for righteousness; we are not able to do it without him. Let’s also remember that God is still the righteous judge and it is only through Christ we can be saved. Let’s study his example of obedience as to model our obedience to our king; lets be reminded that God is King of the world despite what we read in the news; And he is faithful to his promises. Amen